“BioAccelergy, its affiliates and technology partners, have been working with ExxonMobil for the past several years exploring this vertically integrated platform for converting renewable feedstocks into high-quality base stocks,” BioAccelergy CEO Rocco Fiato said in a press release issued Dec. 15. “We are delighted to have progressed to the current milestone and look forward to advancing this technology to commercial scale.” The company declined to answer questions from Lube Report.

ExxonMobil Vice President for Lubricants Technology said, “Together with BioAccelergy, we are working to determine the commercial viability of producing bio base stocks to help lubricant manufacturers meet today’s increasing demands to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also maximizing fuel efficiency and equipment durability.”

Last year, ExxonMobil announced plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, saying it was “responding to product demand growth by delivering solutions that enable customers to meet product performance requirements while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” including its lubricants.

ExxonMobil is the world’s second-largest supplier of finished lubricants.

Contributions to the renewable lubricant base stocks solution also come from innovative crop genetics, advanced farming and harvesting techniques and supply chain design, BioAccelergy’s website says. The company touts licensing and joint development initiatives with established global partners and contractors, including the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center, engineering company Bechtel, agitation and mixing technology firm Ekato, Owensboro Grain, biotech company Biocirgen, Koch Modular Process Systems, oleochemical producer Oleon, catalysis and process technology company Haldor Topsoe and Wexford Specialties.