PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine research company has announced a partnership with a New Hampshire wholesale energy supplier to produce and market a patented zero-emission biofuel.

Biofine Developments Northeast Inc. of Bangor says that it plans to finalize the site for a biorefinery this month and begin operating in 2023, the Portland Press Herald reported. It is partnering with Sprague Resources LP of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The biorefinery will process 100 tons of cellulose waste from paper and lumber mills to produce the biofuel made from the organic compound ethyl levulinate.

The facility is projected to produce 3 million gallons of heating oil per year and renewable chemical byproducts.

Policymakers have urged homeowners and businesses to move from oil boilers and heat pumps to electric alternatives. However, if Biofine’s fuel, called EL100, can be produced at competitive prices and widely distributed, it can be used to support Maine’s effort to slash greenhouse gases.

According to Biofine, EL100 has zero greenhouse gas emissions and burned safely in existing equipment during a test in buildings at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Newsletter