- Trillium received $10.6M in Series A funding and a $2.5M DOE award.
- The pilot plant successfully produced acrylonitrile from glycerol.
- Project Falcon starts in early 2025 and runs through early 2026.
- The plant aims to reduce the carbon footprint of acrylonitrile production.
Project Overview
Trillium Renewable Chemicals has selected INEOS Nitriles' Green Lake facility in Port Lavaca, Texas, for the world's first demonstration plant to convert plant-based glycerol into acrylonitrile. This initiative, named Project Falcon, aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Funding and Development
Trillium secured $10.6 million in Series A financing in December 2022 and a $2.5 million award from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office in June 2022. These funds supported the construction of a pilot plant that successfully produced acrylonitrile from glycerol.
Timeline and Objectives
Project Falcon is scheduled to start operations in early 2025 and continue through early 2026. The plant will focus on validating commercial-scale economics and the carbon footprint of the production process, with an emphasis on achieving process performance criteria such as plant uptime and equipment demonstration.
Industry Impact
The collaboration with INEOS, a leading global petrochemical manufacturer, highlights the potential for scaling up Trillium's technology in an industrial setting. The project addresses growing customer demand for greener, bio-based raw materials and aims to establish Trillium as a qualified supplier of sustainable acrylonitrile.
