Merrick selected on Sweetwater Energy’s cellulosic production facility

New refinery to produce low-cost sugars from non-food plant materials

Merrick & Company was recently awarded a contract to design Sweetwater Energy’s first commercial-scale, cellulosic sugar-production facility. Merrick will be responsible for the design of the facility, from front end engineering through detailed design. Sweetwater plans to produce low-cost sugars from non-food plant materials and sell them to biofuels, biochemical, and bioplastics production companies. Cellulosic sugar is to the industrial biotechnology sector what crude oil is to the petrochemical industry. Sweetwater plans to deploy its systems at locations around the country to take advantage of regional biomass supplies.

“We needed an engineering design firm that understands the unique nature of how we’re trying to replace petroleum with renewable sugars,” says Ron Boillat, chief deployment officer at Sweetwater. “Merrick’s track record spoke volumes. Something as simple as a pump can pose difficulty when you’re dealing with biomass, so we needed a company that knew bioprocessing inside and out.”

Since 1955, Merrick has been engaged in the energy industry and is a trusted advisor and provider of solutions in this market. Merrick ensures effective outcomes, overcomes complex challenges and optimizes the output of a clients’ development efforts. From traditional energy sources to sustainable renewables and bioprocessing, Merrick specializes in tackling our clients’ most vexing challenges. “Merrick is pleased to have been selected to offer our engineering expertise in the development and deployment of this exciting technology,” says Dr. Alan Propp, a Business Development Manager for Merrick. “Being a go-to supplier of cellulosic sugar holds great promise and we’re thrilled to be part of it.”

Source

Merrick & Company, press release, 2012-11-13.

Supplier

Merrick & Company
Sweetwater Energy

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