History
1999-2001
GRT Inc. was founded as a privately-held Delaware C corporation by Dr. Jeffrey Sherman. The company objective was to identify and develop new technologies for natural gas conversion to higher value products.
2000-2001
GRT initiated and funded research and development at UCSB jointly by GRT employees and UCSB scientists. The discovery in 2001 of the solid reactant technology by the team showed that the production of methanol and dimethyl ether could be achieved from methane. The breakthrough was the identification of unique, regenerable, solid reactants for the selective conversion of bromine-activated hydrocarbons (including natural gas constituents) to higher value fuels and chemicals. The first of numerous U.S. patents and appropriate foreign patents was obtained to protect the intellectual property for commercialization.
2001-2003
Demonstration and extension of the methane to methanol and dimethyl ether process as a more general chemical “platform” allowing the production of a variety of products including olefins, alcohols, ethers, epoxides, and aldehydes from natural gas and other hydrocarbon feedstocks. New applications were identified and proven for the coupling of lighter hydrocarbons for production of olefins and fuels including gasoline from natural gas and natural gas liquids.
In 2003 GRT established the first of several research and development agreements with a Fortune 500 company to commercialize specific chemical processes. This and other revenue generating relationships have provided both working capital, and more importantly, external validation of the GRT process chemistry concepts. The agreements provide for long term licensing revenue to GRT through the commercial use of the technology by our strategic chemical partners.
2004-2006
With the initiation of additional strategic partnerships and joint chemical process development programs GRT moved its laboratories and corporate offices into a state-of-the-art research facility, well-suited for continuing the development of the technology. A one-liter per day capacity reactor unit was completed and operated to produce liquid fuels, aromatics, and other chemical products. Revenue from joint development programs exceeded $3 million/year. Operation of the scale-up unit to produce gasoline and light olefins continued and the conceptual design of a 10 bbl/d pilot unit was initiated.
2007-2009
Continued development efforts with strategic partnerships led to receipt of the first fee ($1,000,000) for a non-exclusive license in the area of natural gas to certain petrochemicals. In July of 2008, GRT closed a transaction with Marathon GTF (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marathon Oil Company) through which the GRT and Marathon GTF agreed to “cooperate on the advancement of technology for the conversion of natural gas into transportation fuels” (Marathon GTF had been developing a technology similar to that of GRT). In addition, GRT obtained certain rights to Marathon’s pilot and demonstration facilities, while Marathon GTF acquired a minority (non-controlling) equity interest in GRT. Among other rights, GRT obtained the exclusive license to the GRT and Marathon GTF technology (with the right to sublicense) for all applications using biomethane as a feedstock.
2010 - Present
The company continues to work under contractual agreement with its strategic partner on the conversion of natural gas to certain classes of petrochemicals. GRT entered its first contractual agreement with an outside engineering company for the detailed design of a biogas to biogasoline demonstration facility. GRT established its biomass to gasoline concept, through which renewable gasoline can be produced from virtually any organic material. GRT is currently seeking funds (through either the sale of equity and/or strategic partnerships) to construct and operate a biomass to gasoline commercial demonstration facility.