France-based energy company TotalEnergies has established a new partnership with Finnish start-up Ductor, which specialises in technology for the production of biomethane.
As part of the agreement, TotalEnergies, the maker of the Total metalworking fluids, will purchase a 20% stake in Ductor for an undisclosed sum. Ductor has developed technology that enables it to produce methane using nitrogen-rich organic waste, something that is usually difficult to achieve.
TotalEnergies will gain an interest in some 15 to 20 projects that Ductor is currently operating in Europe and the US, some of which are at an advanced stage. The deal will see Ductor continue to focus on developing the means to produce sustainable biofertilisers for agriculture, while TotalEnergies will take on responsibility for marketing the produced biomethane.
The vice president responsible for biogas at TotalEnergies, Olivier Guerrini, said about the deal:
“We are pleased to partner with Ductor, a start-up with an innovative pre-treatment technology that will enable us to develop new biomethane production projects, using organic waste that is currently not, or only slightly, reused.”
Bernard Fenner, the CEO of Ductor, said the new partnership would enable his company to progress more rapidly and expand its range of projects. He said that the company’s technology for using high-grade organic waste as a source of sustainable fertiliser and renewable energy represented part of the solution to some of the challenges facing the world.
TotalEnergies said it was also working with Colorado State University to develop a standard process for measuring methane emissions from oil and gas operations.
