VERDE Receives $420k in Funding from The U.S. Department of Energy to Advance Technology

We are thrilled to announce that VERDE has been selected to receive $420,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office to advance research and development of our innovative nanocellulose production process.

This funding will support a collaborative R&D effort between VERDE and experts from three national laboratories (LBNL, NREL, and INL), leveraging the unique capabilities of the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC). The project will address critical challenges associated with feedstock variability, process scalability, and conversion efficiency—key barriers to commercial adoption of next-generation bioproducts.

The project officially launched on April 30, 2025 and will evaluate a range of feedstocks (corn stover, switchgrass, sugarcane bagasse, and miscanthus) for cellulose nanofiber production at lab scale, investigate the effects of feedstock particle size, validate VERDE’s conversion process at 10L and 90L batch scale, test various mechanical fibrillation systems, and conduct techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of the final process.

This work is a major step forward in our mission to develop sustainable, circular materials that can displace fossil-based inputs across packaging, construction, textiles, and more. It also reinforces our commitment to supporting industrial decarbonization and waste valorization through innovation.

Thank you to the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office and the FCIC for this incredible opportunity—we’re honored to contribute to the future of bio-based manufacturing.