Agra Energy Achieves TRL 9 with Successful Demonstration of Fischer Tropsch Liquid Fuels at New Franken Facility

NEW FRANKEN, Wis., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Agra Energy, a renewable fuels technology company, today announced the successful demonstration of renewable fuel production at its new facility in New Franken, Wisconsin, producing Fischer Tropsch Liquid Fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable naphtha from dairy-farm biogas. Agra Energy's technology licensing collaborator is HYCO1 and the facility uses HYCO1's patented CUBE™ reforming syngas production technology (Carbon Utilization, Best Efficiency), including its CORE™ Catalyst (Carbon Optimized Reforming). The demonstration validates Agra Energy's technology at Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL 9), the highest stage of technology maturity, proven in commercial operation, and opens the door to customer facility licensing and the build-out of additional Agra Energy plants.

At the heart of the result is the HYCO1 CORE™ Catalyst. Conventional biogas-to-liquids processes treat the carbon dioxide in raw biogas as a waste stream to be stripped out and vented. CORE™ Catalyst instead converts that CO₂, together with the renewable natural gas (RNG), into syngas for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. CORE is tunable in real time production allowing the production of targeted 2:1 syngas ratios without the need for gas cleanup, saving additional capital and energy for low carbon fuel production. Capturing the carbon in that CO₂ also adds more than 20 percent carbon monoxide to the syngas yield and therefore to fuel yield, giving technology licensors the highest renewable fuel yield in the industry.

"This demonstration is the moment our technology moves from promising to proven," said Brad Yacullo, Chief Operating Officer, Agra Energy. "We are turning a dairy farm's biogas, including the CO₂ that others throw away, into SAF and renewable naphtha at industry-leading yield. With TRL 9 in hand, we are ready to license this technology to customers and to build additional plants of our own. There are so many opportunities to turn livestock waste into low carbon sustainable fuels that go far beyond just dairy to beef feedlots, food waste, and poultry farms."

"Converting the CO₂ in biogas rather than discarding it is what sets this process apart, adding more than 20 percent to yield from biogas to fuels while reducing emissions and carbon intensity of those fuels," said Kurt Dieker, Chief Development Officer, HYCO1. "Seeing our syngas catalyst perform in another commercial setting at New Franken confirms what it can do for renewable fuel and chemical economics."

Demonstration highlights

• Produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable naphtha from dairy-farm biogas at the New Franken facility.
• Achieved the industry's highest yield using the HYCO1 CUBE™ technology and CORE™ Catalyst, which converts the CO₂ in biogas along with the RNG, adding more than 20 percent to fuel output.
• Validated the technology at TRL 9, proven in an operational commercial environment.
• Established the basis for customer facility licensing and internal development of additional plants sized at a targeted 150 to 250 barrels per day (BPD), supporting Agra Energy's goal of contracting 1,000 BPD of biogas-derived fuel production capacity in 2027.

Path to commercial scale

With the technology proven, Agra Energy and HYCO1 are advancing on two fronts: licensing their process to customers for their own facilities and developing additional company-owned plants targeting 150 to 250 BPD of renewable fuel production each. Together, these facilities will support Agra Energy's target of adding 1,000 BPD of renewable fuel production capacity from biogas in 2027. The modular plant size is designed to sit close to agricultural and other biogas sources, turning distributed waste streams into drop-in liquid fuels.

Seeking Customers, Offtake, and Capital partners

Agra Energy is now seeking project developers, offtake partners for its SAF and renewable naphtha, and capital partners to accelerate the deployment of this industry-leading technology. Airlines, fuel buyers, chemical producers, and investors interested in partnering with Agra Energy are invited to contact the company's COO, Brad Yacullo, at [email protected].

About Agra Energy

Agra Energy is a renewable fuels company developing scalable solutions that convert biogas and other methane-rich waste streams into renewable liquid fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel and renewable naphtha. FT technology, paired with the HYCO1's CORE™ syngas catalyst, recovers value from agricultural and other underutilized resources while supporting lower-carbon, and reduced-emission fuel production. For more information, visit www.agraenergy.com

Agra Energy Commercial Contact

Brad Yacullo

Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder, Agra Energy
[email protected]

Agra Energy Media Contact

Nicole Yacullo
HR/Marketing Coordinator, Agra Energy
[email protected]

About HYCO1

HYCO1 is a breakthrough CO₂ utilization technology company whose process and catalysts transform waste CO₂ emissions into sustainable, high-value products without reliance on subsidies or carbon credits. HYCO1 Vantage™ reformers are engineered to convert nearly 100% of CO₂ feedstock into syngas, with options for purified hydrogen and carbon monoxide, at costs lower than traditional gray processes. Syngas, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide industrial gases are used in the production of over $1 trillion of global chemicals and fuels annually.

HYCO1's proprietary CUBE™ Technology, which include Vantage™ reformers and CORE™ catalyst, enables near-complete CO₂ conversion in a single reactor pass, producing low-cost, low-CI, chemical-grade syngas (H₂ and CO) at commercial scale, a feat never previously achieved. HYCO1 empowers industrial emitters to convert CO₂ from a costly liability into a profitable, circular opportunity. HYCO1 is the leading CO₂ utilization process technology, enabling Gigaton impact on the world's CO₂ emissions. For more information, visit www.hyco1.com.

HYCO1 Media Contact
Tim Lozano
Director of Marketing, HYCO1, Inc.
[email protected] 

SOURCE Agra Energy