Acid Catalyzed Organosoly Saccharification (ACOS) technology was developed by Paszner Technologies of Canada, and was certified by Fluor and Univar.  ACOS is a 3rd generation technology, meaning it is the successor to convetionally used  2nd generation cellulosic ethanol production processes. It differs from conventional cellulosic ethanol processes in that it allows for single step total fractionation of feedstock and the ability to generate a large volume and variety of value-added products, increasing efficiency and maximizing revenues. Biomass is deconstructed, allowing the fractionation of all of its components, facilitating the chemical processing of each specific component and allowing for higher and more efficient use of feedstock. As cellulose (used to produce ethanol) usually makes up only 42% of the chemical composition of sugar cane bagasse, ACOS allows for the extraction of the rest of the valuable chemical co-products contained in the biomass. These products consist of, but are not limited to: Lactic Acid, Xylitol, Lignosulfonate, Sugar-Free Lignin Powder, Wax, Policosanol, Fetrilizer, Vanillin, and Pycnogenol. Other cellulosic technologies can only produce a limited range of value added bioproducts and at much lower yields.

“You can give away all of the ethanol produced, and still be profitable” – Dr. Paszner

Due to its greater efficiency, ACOS processing economics does not depend on the market value of ethanol, as ethanol accounts for only 13% of project revenues. The ACOS process refines biomass to value-added co-products to maximize the chemical value recovery and create much stronger revenue drivers, such as Xylitol and lactic acid. The ACOS process is the cleanest, least energy demanding and most efficient biomass hydrolysis technology currently competing worldwide.