Virent Energy Systems

Virent was founded in 2002 by Dr. Randy Cortright and Dr. Jim Dumesic to commercialize the Aqueous Phase Reforming (APR) process, an innovative technology the two invented and patented while at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Although early research focused on generating hydrogen from sugar, as originally published in the journal Nature in 2002, the technology has since further evolved into the BioForming™ process, which enables the production of renewable liquid fuels, fuel gases, and other chemicals.

A significant early milestone was winning a competitive Advanced Technology Program grant in 2003 which secured Virent’s immediate viability and provided resources for continued development activities. In 2004, grants awarded by the US Department of Energy further advanced Virent’s hydrogen research.