January 1st, 2025
The transition into our new lab this past year has been transformative. This space has become a cornerstone of the Alder Renewables innovation engine, enabling new opportunities to accelerate our technology development, create novel intellectual property, and foster new and existing partnerships.
Building a Home
The lab has not only accelerated our ability to increase our core technology readiness level, but it has also empowered our team to advance new R&D efforts while strengthening our innovation culture. Working together in a common lab, office, and meeting space has enabled technical deep dives and the spontaneous brainstorming sessions required for innovation.
Importantly, we've established key technical capabilities in our new lab, including bench- and pilot-scale equipment for process optimization. Additionally, we've integrated state-of-the-art analytical instruments that provide real-time feedback and ensure quality control across all of our workstreams. Most critically, we have a home. In 2025, we are excited to host more partners, potential investors, future customers, and visitors to see how the Alder Renewables technology works in practice. These tours often include outfitting visitors with the proper safety gear and inviting them to participate in hands-on lab experiments. Yes, we are channeling the spirit of Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Where We're Going
Over the past year, we leveraged our new lab to deliver meaningful outcomes that advance our technology towards commercialization and generate new intellectual property – essential milestones for a startup.
One key achievement this year was the development of a new test method and specification for Alder Renewable Crude and other biocrude products produced by our Technical Team. Dedicated biocrude test methods are vital for ensuring quality control and consistent performance in renewable fuel production. They also allow us to assess the impact of new biomass feedstocks at every stage of processing.
Additionally, we've made significant progress on our U.S. Department of Energy-supported work to explore the decarbonization potential of the energy grass miscanthus. This summer, we completed a 100-hour continuous pilot test at the gallon-per-day scale, utilizing our lab's advanced capabilities and in-house equipment. Looking ahead to 2025, we plan to scale our operations to barrel-quantity processing and produce carbon-negative sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in-house using this promising regenerative agriculture feedstock.
Lastly, we had the privilege to host research interns from the nearby University of Colorado Boulder and continue our collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. Engaging with the vibrant research institutions and CleanTech community has been an exciting part of our journey – one we look forward to building on in the new year.
Energized By Our Mission
A lot has been written about technology that's focused on decarbonization in 2024 and the political, economic, and cultural headwinds these companies may face to reach meaningful scale. In general, at Alder Renewables, we ignore the noise. We keep our heads down, we stay focused on the mission, and we build – step by step. As we close 2024, we are undoubtedly tired, but also grateful to have the opportunity to focus on this critical work and to help refiners – and the industries they empower – to decarbonize their operations. 2025 will be a defining year for Alder Renewables and we'll be back with the same grit, determination, and optimism we had this year. Happy New Year to you all. Onwards.
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