Emvolon to build first commercial bio-methanol plant using waste gas
US clean-tech start-up Emvolon will build a modular plant that turns methane-rich waste gas into liquid bio-methanol, with Freepoint Commodities targeting shipping and other buyers.
IMAGE: Illustration of Emvolon’s methane-producing unit. Emvolon
Instead of a large industrial facility, the plant is a compact, prefabricated module built from engines and other off-the-shelf equipment. It can be installed right at the gas source and runs without a grid connection. Emvolon plans to place such units at landfills, dairies, wastewater plants and industrial flare sites, where the gas would otherwise be lost.
The first system follows a pilot with renewable energy firm Montauk Renewables. Their joint venture is scaling up to 50,000 mt/year across multiple sites, and Emvolon plans more plants at waste gas sites across North America and key international markets after the Montauk deployment.
The companies said in August 2025 that they aimed to reach that capacity by 2030, starting with a facility in Humble, Texas, expected to produce up to 6,000 mt/year. Emvolon has not specified whether the first commercial system will be installed at that site or when production is expected to begin.
Commodities merchant Freepoint Commodities will be the primary buyer of the bio-methanol and other liquid fuels from Emvolon’s sites under a seven-year agreement announced in August. Freepoint holds a first purchase option for up to $450 million worth of fuel, with volumes expected to scale up to 300,000 mt/year as Emvolon adds more sites.
The fuel will go into Freepoint’s global physical distribution network, targeting buyers in shipping, aviation, heavy transport and chemicals.
Emvolon is funding the first system with a $22 million Series A funding round and government grants.
By Tuhin Roy
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