Supplier News

LanzaTech signs contract with Japanese chemicals firm

LanzaTech Global Inc., an Illinois-based developer of waste-to-fuels, chemicals and materials conversion technology, has signed a master license agreement with Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd., based in Japan, to deploy commercially a jointly developed platform that converts syngas derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial solid waste into ethanol.

Sekisui has more than 26,000 employees and 170 portfolio companies operating in 20 different countries with its focus in part on interlayer films, foam products and conductive particles.

Sekisui intends to build multiple facilities in municipalities across Japan that will incorporate equipment packages, engineering and advisory services, consumables and intellectual property provided by LanzaTech.

“We are pleased to expand our collaboration with longstanding partner LanzaTech, whose waste-to-ethanol technology is converting MSW into a valuable resource and providing an innovative solution to ending our reliance on fresh fossil fuels,” says Futoshi Kamiwaki, Sekisui’s senior managing executive officer. “Signing this agreement is an important next step on our path to commercializing this game-changing technology and realizing Sekisui’s vision of a more sustainable, low-carbon society for future generations.”

Sekisui expects its first commercial-scale facility to produce 10,000 to 12,000 metric tons of ethanol annually. The ethanol output will be synthetic alcohol that can be converted into ethylene and kerosene for use as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and in material and chemical applications, including the production of apparel, personal care items and packaging.

“Our continued collaboration with Sekisui is setting the groundwork for providing municipalities with a platform that reduces waste, captures carbon, generates valuable sustainable feedstocks and, importantly, creates local jobs,” LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren says.

According to LanzaTech, about 56 million tons of combustible waste are generated in Japan each year, offering a sizable opportunity for landfill and incinerator diversion.

The new agreement follows the creation of a 2017 pilot plant in Yorii-machi, Japan, and the 2022 completion of an MSW-to-ethanol demonstration plant in Kuji City, Japan, that has the capacity to produce approximately 400 tons of ethanol annually.

“With the application of this jointly developed biology-based platform, Sekisui can turn unsorted waste into a cost-competitive replacement for fossil fuel-derived feedstocks,” LanzaTech says. “The bioprocessing platform gasifies unsorted combustible waste accumulated at waste disposal facilities and converts this gas into ethanol using a microbial catalyst and gas fermentation technology that does not require any chemical catalysts, heat or pressure.”

AMCS acquired by Swedish equity firm

Stockholm-based EQT Private Equity has acquired a majority stake in AMCS, a global software provider with a significant presence in the recycling sector.

AMCS, based in Ireland, supplies cloud-based and artificial intelligence- (AI-) enabled planning, performance, safety and sustainability-focused software for waste management, recycling and other resource-intensive industries.

Sweden-based EQT will invest from EQT X, its flagship private equity fund, and EQT Future, an “impact-driven, longer-hold fund.”

The former majority investor had been New York-based Insight Partners.

“On behalf of AMCS, I’d like to express our deepest gratitude to EQT for aligning with our vision of empowering sustainability for organizations globally and championing the circular economy,” AMCS co-founder and CEO Jimmy Martin says.

AMCS itself has grown globally through acquisition. In September, the company acquired Qv21 Technologies, an Austin, Texas-based provider of fleet management and logistics software as a service solutions for short-haul, bulk commodity transportation. In 2018, it acquired Brady Recycling Solutions, which provided it with a sizable presence in the North American recycling-specific software sector.

London-based Brady PLC had itself acquired longtime Ohio-based metals recycling software firm Systems Alternatives Inc. (SAI) in 2012, eventually rebranding it as Brady Recycling Solutions.

In 2018, the AMCS purchase of U.S.-based DesertMicro marked another step in its journey to serve the recycling sector by connecting with DesertMicro’s customer base of some 250 waste and recyclables hauling firms in North America.

Its stake in AMCS will not be the first step into the recycling and waste arena for EQT. In 2021, the EQT Infrastructure fund purchased U.S.-based Covanta Holding Corp., a provider of waste-to-energy services. Earlier this year, Covanta rebranded as Reworld.

Routeware acquires RubiconSmartCity, RubiconPro owner

Routeware Inc., a developer of integrated technology solutions for the waste and recycling industry based in Portland, Oregon, has acquired Wastech Inc., the owner of the RubiconSmartCity and RubiconPro platforms.

With the Wastech acquisition, Routeware says it now offers “best-in-class, purpose-built platforms for both waste haulers and municipalities, strengthening the company’s position as the category leader in technology solutions for the waste collection industry.”

Routeware CEO Paul Rafalowski says the ability to combine platforms marks another important milestone in Routeware’s stated mission to “transform” the waste and recycling industry.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for us as we welcome the customers, people, partnerships and technology associated with RubiconSmartCity and RubiconPro to the Routeware family,” Rafalowski says. “Our missions, what we do and the outcomes we’re driving for our customers could not be more aligned. This combination will be truly transformational for our industry.”

Product offerings include the recently launched Elements, which is designed specifically for waste collection operators. The addition of RubiconSmartCity and RubiconPro to the Routeware portfolio provides specially designed capabilities for municipalities and local governments with a full breadth of functionality of waste collection operations, street sweeping and snow removal.

By acquiring the Rubicon platforms, Routeware says it offers its municipal customers the ability to reduce costs and improve service offerings and overall safety.

The company adds that the acquisition further highlights its commitment to investing in its product offerings to better serve its customers and to provide seamless continuity and support to the nearly 1,500 municipal customers that use its technology solutions.

In early May, Lexington, Kentucky-based Rubicon sold its fleet technology software as a service business to Wastech, an affiliate of major shareholder and private investment firm Rodina Capital, which is based in Florida.