LanzaTech’s pilot MSW to ethanol plant in Japan successfully produces 400 tons annually

In Japan, LanzaTech Global, Inc. announced the successful operational results at the municipal solid waste (MSW) to ethanol pilot plant in Kuji City, Iwate, Japan owned and operated by longstanding partner, SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD. This 1/10th commercial scale facility, with the capacity to produce approximately 400 tons of ethanol per year, operated for nearly four years following mechanical completion in April 2022. Throughout this period, the plant demonstrated that LanzaTech’s gas fermentation platform can reliably process highly inhomogeneous, unsorted mixed non-recyclable waste streams—materials that would otherwise be destined for landfill or incineration. The demonstrated ability to manage challenging and variable waste sources is especially significant, as it shows that the technology can adapt to diverse regional waste profiles and support the development of a global circular carbon economy.