Renewable fuels company Enerkem Inc. has named Michel Chornet as its next chief executive, returning the Montreal firm to its founding family roots as he takes over from Dominique Boies.

Chornet, who starts his new role immediately, is a chemical engineer with an MBA from McGill University. He was Enerkem’s executive vice-president of technology and global commercialization and vice-president of project executions and plant operations. He has a total of 17 years in the company.

He is the son of Esteban Chornet and the brother of Vincent Chornet, Enerkem’s co-founders.

"Dominique has laid a robust foundation for Enerkem's future success, and I am honoured to build upon the foundation," Michel Chornet said in a release.

The new CEO will prioritize commercialization of low-carbon fuels for difficult-to-abate industries such as air and sea transportation, he said.

Decarbonizing transportation

Enerkem uses a process that turns municipal solid waste and biomass into syngas, methanol or ethanol. Syngas can be used to make renewable natural gas, while methanol and ethanol can be used as is or turned into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or biodiesel. Methanol can also be converted into marine fuel and dimethyl ether (DME).

The company’s fuels can offset a substantial amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fuels. For example, the SAF can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 93 per cent compared to fossil fuels.

Chornet said the company’s focus will be on the maritime industry with its methanol, and aviation via SAF.

“We are not aiming to become SAF producers,” he told Sustainable Biz Canada in 2022. “What we’re aiming to (do) is partner with stakeholders (such as) refiners, the airline carriers and other groups and we would license our technology to those groups."

Boies was previously the CFO of Enerkem and began his role as CEO in 2019. He led the company’s project in Varennes, Que. and its efforts in securing financial partnerships.

Enerkem’s projects

Enerkem’s facility in Edmonton has produced five million litres of biofuels to date and can process up to 40,000 tonnes of waste per year.

The company has three major projects in development around the world.

The Varennes facility, scheduled for commissioning in 2025, is planned to produce 125 million litres of biofuels and circular chemicals per year using 200,000 tonnes of waste and biomass. The fuels can offset 170,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, the company says.

With Leiden, Netherlands-based Dimeta, it is conducting feasibility studies for projects in in the Gulf Coast of the U.S. and Northwest Europe that will produce 130 million litres of DME per year.

In Spain, Enerkem has its Ecoplanta project expected to produce 290 million litres of methanol per year.