The Shell GameChanger™ Accelerator Powered by NREL (GCxN) is a multimillion-dollar, multiyear program developed in collaboration between Shell and NREL. GCxN discovers and advances promising energy technologies, connecting startups with the resources, expertise, and facilities at NREL and Shell to reduce technology development risk and accelerate tech to market.

For Cohort 8, GCxN is seeking referrals for high-potential, early-stage (TRL 3-5) startups that are valorizing lignin (Theme 1) or producing biomass-derived gasoline (Theme 2). To refer a startup, complete this short form by Oct. 24.

Questions? Reach out to our team at GCxN@nrel.gov.

 

 

Theme 1: Lignin Valorization

This theme supports Shell’s Powering Progress Strategy by enabling the next generation of biorefineries to be competitive while de-fossilizing fuels, chemicals and other biomass-derived products through technological developments in lignin depolymerization, functionalization, fractionation or other processing to intermediates and products.

What are we looking for?

Any novel and scalable technology that enables deconstruction and upgrading of lignin.

Feedstocks of Interest

  • Commercially available lignin feedstocks (e.g., from pulp/paper, biomass, etc.)
  • Lignin from early-stage technologies which will commercialize within the next 5-10 years (e.g., lignin as a byproduct from cellulosic ethanol production)

Products of Interest

Primary products of interest:

  • Drop-in replacement, low carbon intensity fuels (e.g., synthetic aviation fuel, renewable diesel, marine fuels)
  • Fuel intermediates or additives such as high-octane blendstocks for gasoline or replacements for aromatics and cycloalkanes in jet fuel
  • High value fuel products that take advantage of the functional, chemical, and/or structural properties of lignin

Secondary products of interest:

  • High value chemical products that take advantage of the functional, chemical, and/or structural properties of lignin
  • Energy storage materials (e.g., carbon from lignin as an electrode material)

In-scope Technologies of Interest

  • Technologies that depolymerize, functionalize, upgrade, or fractionate lignin. Technologies that can valorize lignin using minimum to no hydrogen are of particular emphasis, Example (not exhaustive) pathways to transform lignin into intermediates and/or products include:
    • Heterogenous/homogeneous catalysis
    • Hydrotreating
    • Biological processes
  • Technologies that co-process lignin-derived intermediates along with fossil fuel-based feedstocks
  • Technologies or processes that integrate with existing biorefinery and/or petroleum infrastructure
  • Application-based valorization routes for lignin-products, (e.g., lignin intermediates as alternatives to products like lubricants or fuel additives)
  • Technologies that evaluate lifecycle impacts of valorizing lignin to make fuel or chemical products
  • Technologies or pathways that are readily scalable to commercial processes

Out-of-Scope

  • Technologies that focus on thermal conversion such as gasification or pyrolysis
  • Technologies that are expected to be excessively expensive and/or high carbon intensity
  • Technologies that need more than 10 years to commercialize

 

 

Theme 2: Renewable Gasoline

This theme supports Shell’s Powering Progress Strategy through technological development in producing renewable gasoline blend components at low cost and at scale. Due to blending limitations, ethanol and other biofuels cannot fully decarbonize the road transport section. As a drop-in fuel, renewable gasoline has the potential to enable further decarbonization of gasoline through replacement of fossil components with the same or similar molecules but derived from biomass instead.

What are we looking for?

Technology pathways which produce bio-based renewable gasoline blendstock components (i.e. reformulated blendstock for oxygenate blending) in a scalable and cost-effective way, while also driving down carbon intensity.

Renewable gasoline can be defined as the replacement of fossil components with the same or similar molecules, but derived from biomass instead. Please note, companies pursuing renewable natural gas (also known as bio-gas methane as a product) are not of interest for this call.

Feedstocks of Interest

Any renewable or low carbon intensity feedstock (e.g., lignocellulosic biomass, agriculture waste, wet wastes, forestry waste, ethanol, etc.) that can be processed at scale and affordably into renewable gasoline blend components and/or into intermediates leading to those components.

In-scope Technologies of Interest

Technology pathways of interest should be demonstrated beyond bench scale and have feasibility to achieve commercial scale by 2030 (~1 kiloton per annum, technologies that are TRL 4+ today and that can achieve TRL 7+ by 2030).

  • Technologies that produce gasoline blendstocks including alkylates, aromatics, oxygenates, and other valuable gasoline components. Technologies or routes that primarily make ethanol as the final blend component are not of interest
  • Technologies that provide flexibility between gasoline range and jet/diesel range products
  • Technologies that co-process in existing refinery infrastructures (e.g., processing both biogenic and fossil feedstocks with conventional petroleum refinery infrastructure)
  • Technologies that apply new feedstocks using existing refinery infrastructures (e.g., processing only biogenic feedstocks using existing processing infrastructure)
  • New technology (thermochemical and/or biochemical) pathways to make intermediates, blendstock (e.g., gasoline components like alkylates, aromatics, oxygenates, etc.), or finished fuels
  • Processing routes that can produce gasoline blend components and that have the potential to reach cost parity at the pump with fossil-based blendstocks by 2035 (with or without regulatory incentives and subsidies like RINs, LCFS, etc.).

Out-of-Scope

  • Technologies that are lower than TRL 4 (technology currently at the bench scale)
  • Technologies or routes that primarily make ethanol as the final blend component (e.g., first- generation corn ethanol)
  • Biomass processing routes that utilize hydrothermal liquefaction
  • Feedstock logistics and infrastructure-only solutions including transport, storage and aggregation
  • Algae-based fuels
  • Standalone renewable natural gas (methane) projects