Auckland: LanzaTech has topped off its exceptional year of signing international partnerships and starting to earn revenue by winning two prestigious global awards.

LanzaTech has been named Platts Global Energy’s “Sustainable Technology Innovation of the Year” and has also been included in the Red Herring Global 100 most innovative new technology companies list.

The Platts “Award of Excellence” is a special recognition for LanzaTech’s strategic contribution to energy.  Platts looks for a company that has the potential for making a significant impact on the new energy economy by creating jobs and paving the way for the next best technological solutions. Judging criteria includes commercial viability, innovation, net job growth (projected), results (non-financial), scope and being technologically proven.

Red Herring’s Global 100 list was among the first to recognize companies such as Google, Skype, Baidu, YouTube and eBay. Red Herring chairman Alex Vieux said there were 1,100 companies in the running for the list this year and the competition was fierce.

LanzaTech was founded in early 2005 to develop and commercialize a proprietary gas fermentation process that produces fuel ethanol from renewable, non-food resources including industrial flue gases and other waste gases such as those produced from the gasification of municipal solid waste (MSW) and waste biomass. LanzaTech’s expanding patent portfolio now also includes the production of high-value chemicals.

Dr Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, says the Platts and Red Herring awards are testament to the dedication of LanzaTech’s global team and the company’s innovative technology.

“LanzaTech is operating internationally and our partners recognise our technology has the potential to make a significant contribution to the global energy pool,” Dr Holmgren says. “Our process has no impact on the food value chain and offers alternatives to the use of fossil fuels in the production of key chemicals.

“We are able to tailor the input resources according to availability in the region. This will help in meeting the challenge of energy democratisation – that means enabling more people around the world to access clean energy.”

LanzaTech has formed partnerships with seven Global Fortune 500 companies and is working with government organisations throughout the world.