Trillium Renewable Chemicals
Trillium Renewable Chemicals is a pre-commercial, Knoxville, Tennessee-based specialty chemical company that has developed a proprietary thermo-catalytic process (Bio-ACN™) to convert plant-based feedstocks such as glycerol into drop-in bio-based acrylonitrile and acetonitrile, serving industrial buyers in carbon fiber, ABS plastic, and acrylic fiber.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersKnoxville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Trillium Renewable Chemicals does
Trillium Renewable Chemicals is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based (Delaware C-corp) specialty chemical company founded in April 2021 as a joint creation of Capricorn Partners and Southern Research, a nonprofit research organization that exclusively licensed its patented thermo-catalytic manufacturing platform to Trillium. The company has developed a proprietary Bio-ACN™ process that converts plant-based feedstocks, primarily glycerol and other biomass-derived sugars, into acrylonitrile and acetonitrile as drop-in, lower-carbon-footprint replacements for petroleum-based production. The technology is intended to serve industrial chemical buyers producing ABS plastic, carbon fiber, acrylic fiber, nitrile butadiene rubber, acrylamide, and specialty amines, addressing a global acrylonitrile market that exceeds 6 million metric tons annually and is currently derived almost entirely from fossil feedstocks via the incumbent Sohio propylene process.
Trillium's go-to-market centers on direct enterprise sales of bio-based acrylonitrile and acetonitrile under long-dated negotiated supply agreements, with a letter of intent signed with Solvay to supply bio-ACN for carbon fiber applications and a strategic distribution relationship with HELM AG providing access to chemicals markets across 30+ countries. The company operates a pilot plant in Charleston, West Virginia (built with development partner MATRIC) to validate the chemistry, and has constructed Project Falcon — the world's first industrial-scale demonstration plant for 100% bio-based acrylonitrile — at INEOS Nitriles' Green Lake facility in Port Lavaca, Texas, with commissioning scheduled for Q2 2026. Project Falcon's host-site co-location with the largest acrylonitrile plant in the Americas provides shared infrastructure and supports downstream qualification.
As of mid-2026, Trillium is pre-revenue and pre-commercial, with all capital ($2.5M non-dilutive DOE grant in 2022, $10.6M Series A in December 2022, and $13M Series B in May 2026, totaling over $26M raised) directed toward Project Falcon operation, continued pilot-scale innovation, and advanced engineering design of the first commercial-scale manufacturing plant. Strategic and financial partners include HS Hyosung Advanced Materials (lead investor in both Series A and B), Capricorn Partners (founding investor), HELM AG (investor and distribution partner), Southern Research (co-founder and licensor), Solvay (offtake LOI), INEOS Nitriles (host partner), and Zeton (demonstration plant designer). The company employs approximately 11 internal team members and advisors plus a 5-member board, with a leadership team drawn from Southern Research, Dow Chemical, ExxonMobil, Shell International, Tetra Pak, Georgia Power, and Siluria Technologies.
Trillium Renewable Chemicals firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trillium Renewable Chemicals
- Legal name
- Trillium Renewable Chemicals, Inc.
- Website
- https://trilliumchemicals.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Trillium Renewable Chemicals is a pre-commercial, Knoxville, Tennessee-based specialty chemical company that has developed a proprietary thermo-catalytic process (Bio-ACN™) to convert plant-based feedstocks such as glycerol into drop-in bio-based acrylonitrile and acetonitrile, serving industrial buyers in carbon fiber, ABS plastic, and acrylic fiber.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trillium Renewable Chemicals industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bio-based Acrylonitrile (Renewable Chemicals)
- NAICS
- Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252), Chemical Manufacturing (325)
- SIC
- Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bio-based & Biodegradable Polymer Resin Manufacturing (PLA, PHA, PBS, PBAT) (IMANANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Biodegradable Additives & Masterbatches (pro-oxidant-free, bio-based modifiers) (IMAEAOAD)
Keywords
Where Trillium Renewable Chemicals is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Knoxville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Trillium Renewable Chemicals business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Bio-based acrylonitrile (and acetonitrile) sales: Future commercial revenue from sale of bio-based acrylonitrile and acetonitrile manufactured at Project Falcon demonstration plant and the planned first commercial-scale plant. Trillium is engaging strategic partners and customers in preparation for commercial deployment.
- Non-dilutive government funding: Non-dilutive award of $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office in 2022 to accelerate commercialization of bio-based acrylonitrile.
- Pre-commercial offtake / supply agreements: Long-dated supply commitments including a letter of intent with Solvay under which Trillium will supply bio-ACN from its planned commercial asset for use in carbon fiber manufacturing; Solvay also conducts independent ISO 9001 lifecycle analysis.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Negotiated industrial supply agreements (not publicly disclosed) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Trillium Renewable Chemicals product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trillium Renewable Chemicals manufactures bio-based acrylonitrile (Bio-ACN™) and bio-based acetonitrile from renewable feedstocks such as glycerol using a proprietary thermo-catalytic process exclusively licensed from Southern Research. The drop-in renewable chemicals serve downstream applications including ABS plastic, carbon fiber, acrylic fiber, nitrile butadiene rubber, acrylamide, and specialty amines, replacing petroleum-derived acrylonitrile with a lower-carbon-footprint alternative.
Product overview
Trillium Renewable Chemicals offers a single, unified proprietary technology platform centered on its Bio-ACN™ thermochemical process, which converts plant-based feedstocks like glycerol into bio-based acrylonitrile and acetonitrile as drop-in, lower-carbon-footprint alternatives to petroleum-derived chemicals. The technology is being matured and scaled through a portfolio of physical assets and partnerships: a Charleston, West Virginia pilot plant (built with development partner MATRIC) validated the chemistry; Project Falcon is the world's first industrial-scale demonstration plant at INEOS Nitriles' Green Lake facility in Port Lavaca, Texas, with construction complete and commissioning scheduled for Q2 2026; and a planned first commercial-scale manufacturing plant is now in advanced engineering design. Bio-based acrylonitrile (Bio-ACN™) is the core product, with bio-based acetonitrile produced as a co-product, both serving end markets including carbon fiber, plastics (ABS), acrylic fiber, nitrile butadiene rubber, and specialty chemicals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bio-ACN: Trillium's proprietary Bio-ACN™ (also styled BioACN™) process technology that sustainably converts plant-based feedstocks like glycerol into acrylonitrile (and acetonitrile) as a renewable, lower-carbon-footprint alternative to petroleum-based acrylonitrile.
Products and services
- Bio-ACN™ (Bio-based Acrylonitrile) Bio-ACN™ is Trillium's proprietary thermochemical process that converts plant-based feedstocks such as glycerol into acrylonitrile, offering a drop-in, renewable alternative to petroleum-based acrylonitrile with a lower carbon footprint and no required changes to downstream supply chains. It is sold to industrial chemical buyers and carbon fiber manufacturers for use in ABS plastic, carbon fiber, acrylic fiber, nitrile butadiene rubber, acrylamide, and specialty amines.
- Bio-based Acetonitrile Bio-based acetonitrile is a co-product of Trillium's proprietary Bio-ACN™ process, produced alongside acrylonitrile from plant-based feedstocks like glycerol to provide a renewable alternative to fossil-derived acetonitrile for industrial chemistry applications.
Quantifiable outcome
- Global acrylonitrile production exceeds 6 million metric tons annually and is derived almost entirely from fossil feedstocks, representing Trillium's addressable drop-in replacement market.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Trillium Renewable Chemicals
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Trillium Renewable Chemicals technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Trillium Renewable Chemicals partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- INEOS Nitriles (Green Lake facility)flagshipSelected by Trillium in June 2024 to host Project Falcon — the world's first demonstration plant for 100% bio-based acrylonitrile — at INEOS Nitriles' Green Lake facility in Port Lavaca, Texas (America's largest acrylonitrile plant). Construction completed in 2026; commissioning scheduled Q2 2026. Partnership validates Trillium at industrial scale and supports qualification as a bio-based acrylonitrile supplier to the broader INEOS ecosystem.
- ZetoncoreSelected in September 2023 to design Project Falcon — the world's first demonstration plant to convert plant-based glycerol into acrylonitrile. Zeton is a world leader in design and fabrication of lab-scale, pilot, demonstration, and small modular commercial plants, with integrated design-build facilities in Oakville, Ontario, Canada and Enschede, The Netherlands.
- MATRIC (Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research & Innovation Center)minorCo-developer with Trillium on the pilot plant in Charleston, West Virginia that validated glycerol-to-acrylonitrile chemistry prior to scaling to Project Falcon; jointly received DOE funding to design, build, and operate the market demonstration unit.
- Koch Modular Process SystemsminorEngaged as part of the DOE-funded project to provide front-end loading (FEL) engineering design for Trillium's first commercial-scale plant, helping de-risk commercial-scale deployment.
- SolvayflagshipSigned a Letter of Intent in January 2022 to develop the supply chain for bio-based acrylonitrile (bio-ACN) for carbon fiber applications. Trillium will supply Solvay with bio-ACN from its planned commercial asset; Solvay will evaluate it for carbon fiber manufacturing and perform an independent ISO 9001 lifecycle analysis. Aligned with Solvay One Planet commitment to more than double renewable/recycled revenue by 2030.
- Southern ResearchflagshipCo-founder of Trillium Renewable Chemicals in April 2021 alongside Capricorn Partners; exclusively licensed its patented thermo-catalytic chemical manufacturing platform to Trillium. Jointly continued process development while Trillium scales up and deploys the technology. Harry Ledebur (COO of Southern Research) sits on Trillium's Board.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Trillium Renewable Chemicals competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Toray Industries: Toray is the world's largest producer of PAN-based carbon fiber and a major downstream acrylonitrile buyer. Comparable to Trillium as a potential offtake customer for bio-ACN in carbon fiber applications, addressing the same aerospace and industrial decarbonization mandates.
- Ascend Performance Materials: Ascend is one of the world's largest fully integrated producers of acrylonitrile and downstream polyamides. It competes in the same end markets (ABS, carbon fiber precursors, specialty chemicals) that Trillium's bio-ACN™ targets as a drop-in.
- Eastman: Eastman is a major specialty chemicals producer with a stated molecular recycling and renewable feedstocks strategy. As a broad incumbent in sustainable chemistry, it both competes for renewable chemistry mandates and represents a potential acquirer or partner for emerging bio-chemical platforms.
- INEOS Nitriles: INEOS Nitriles is the world's largest acrylonitrile producer and Project Falcon's host site. As Trillium's host partner, INEOS sits at the intersection of incumbent and potential future competitor/partner, operating the Sohio propylene process at world scale.
Direct peers
- Anellotech: Anellotech develops catalytic processes to convert biomass into aromatics, including potential routes to acrylonitrile precursors. It is the closest direct technology peer to Trillium's thermo-catalytic bio-ACN™ approach and competes for the same bio-based aromatics/nitriles wallet.
Emerging players
- Virent: Virent developed catalytic bio-based processes (BioForming®) to convert sugars into aromatics and renewable gasoline and jet fuel. Its catalytic conversion of biomass-derived feedstocks into commodity chemicals is directly comparable to Trillium's thermo-catalytic platform.
- Bloom Biorenewables: Bloom Biorenewables develops plant-based alternatives to fossil-fuel-derived chemicals, including specialty polyamides and phenolic resins. It is comparable as an emerging renewable specialty chemicals platform targeting drop-in performance and decarbonization.
- LanzaTech: LanzaTech uses gas fermentation to convert captured CO and CO2 into ethanol and chemical intermediates, including pathways toward acrylonitrile and other commodity chemicals. It is comparable as an emerging low-carbon chemicals platform competing for the same corporate-offtake customers.
- Genomatica: Genomatica develops bio-based chemical processes (e.g., bio-BDO, bio-butylene glycol) using fermentation and is a comparable venture-backed renewable chemicals platform targeting drop-in replacements for petrochemicals at industrial scale.
- Gevo: Gevo develops low-carbon renewable hydrocarbons and alcohols from biomass. While its primary focus is fuels (SAF and renewable gasoline), its bio-based intermediates approach and offtake-driven business model are comparable to Trillium's industrial chemicals strategy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Trillium Renewable Chemicals social profiles
Digital presenceTrillium Renewable Chemicals compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Trillium Renewable Chemicals financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trillium Renewable Chemicals leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Trillium Renewable Chemicals funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trillium Renewable Chemicals M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Trillium Renewable Chemicals
What does Trillium Renewable Chemicals do?
Trillium Renewable Chemicals manufactures bio-based acrylonitrile (Bio-ACN™) and bio-based acetonitrile from renewable feedstocks such as glycerol using a proprietary thermo-catalytic process exclusively licensed from Southern Research. The drop-in renewable chemicals serve downstream applications including ABS plastic, carbon fiber, acrylic fiber, nitrile butadiene rubber, acrylamide, and specialty amines, replacing petroleum-derived acrylonitrile with a lower-carbon-footprint alternative.
Is Trillium Renewable Chemicals a public or private company?
Trillium Renewable Chemicals is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Trillium Renewable Chemicals founded?
Trillium Renewable Chemicals was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Trillium Renewable Chemicals based?
Trillium Renewable Chemicals is headquartered in Knoxville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Trillium Renewable Chemicals make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Bio-based acrylonitrile (and acetonitrile) sales are the primary driver. The others are non-dilutive government funding and pre-commercial offtake / supply agreements.
Who are Trillium Renewable Chemicals's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Toray Industries, Ascend Performance Materials, Eastman and INEOS Nitriles. Anellotech is listed as a direct peer. Emerging players are Virent, Bloom Biorenewables, LanzaTech, Genomatica and Gevo.
Does Trillium Renewable Chemicals have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trillium Renewable Chemicals.
What industry is Trillium Renewable Chemicals in?
Trillium Renewable Chemicals's product category is Bio-based Acrylonitrile (Renewable Chemicals). Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMANANAA, Bio-based & Biodegradable Polymer Resin Manufacturing (PLA, PHA, PBS, PBAT), with a secondary code of IMAEAOAD, Biodegradable Additives & Masterbatches (pro-oxidant-free, bio-based modifiers). Its NAICS code is 3252 and its SIC code is 2860.