What D3Max does

D3MAX, LLC is a private technology licensing company formed in 2017 and headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BBI International, a biofuels-focused media and events company, and exists to commercialize a patented cellulosic ethanol conversion process originally developed by BBI's engineering team between 2006 and 2009. The company's sole product, the D3MAX Process, bolts onto existing US dry mill ethanol plants and converts corn fiber and residual starch in wet distillers grains (wet cake) into additional cellulosic ethanol. The technology uses a proprietary, GRAS-status yeast strain capable of fermenting both five-carbon sugars (xylose, arabinose) and six-carbon sugars (glucose), and operates at lower temperature, pressure, and milder pH than competing cellulosic routes because the wet cake has already been pre-pretreated at the host plant. Disclosed performance outcomes include ethanol yield increases from 2.8 to 3.11 gallons per bushel, total ethanol output gains of up to 40% when combined with increased corn grind, ~20% reduction in dryer energy use, DDGS protein uplift from 30% to over 38%, and a 50% increase in corn oil recovery from 1.0 to 1.5 lb/bu.

D3MAX serves an addressable market of approximately 190 US corn dry mill ethanol plants, marketed as a non-disruptive bolt-on upgrade with sub-one-year payback and roughly 20¢/gallon net revenue uplift across all gallons produced. The business model is enterprise technology licensing, with revenue derived from licensing fees and technical services provided directly to plant operators. The company benefits from privileged access to its target buyer community through BBI International's media assets, including Ethanol Producer Magazine, Biomass Magazine, the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo, and the International Biomass Conference & Expo. The leadership team — CEO Joe Bryan, President Tom Bryan, CTO Mark Yancey (co-inventor of the underlying patent), and VPs John Nelson and Jaci Satterlund — all serve dual roles at BBI International, and the company has no disclosed external funding, no disclosed revenue, and operates with a headcount of 11–50 employees.

Name

D3Max

Legal name

D3MAX, LLC

Website

https://d3maxllc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

D3MAX, LLC is a private technology licensing company, wholly owned by BBI International, that licenses its patented cellulosic ethanol process to US corn dry mill ethanol plants, enabling them to convert corn fiber in wet distillers grains into additional cellulosic ethanol and D3 RINs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cellulosic Ethanol Process Technology

NAICS

Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing (325193)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Grain Mill Products (2040)

akta.pro primary industry

Cellulosic & Advanced Ethanol Production (2G/3G) (EUAAAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cellulosic Biofuels & Renewable Fuels (2G ethanol, SAF intermediates) (IMAMALAA), Biofuel Co-products & Byproduct Processing (DDGS, Glycerin, CO2, Lignin) (EUAAAHAJ)

Keywords

• Cellulosic ethanol technology
• Corn fiber conversion
• Ethanol plant retrofit
• Biofuel process licensing
• Dry mill ethanol upgrade

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Forks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: D3MAX licenses its patented cellulosic ethanol technology to dry mill ethanol plants. The company generates revenue through licensing fees from ethanol plant operators who implement the D3MAX process to increase ethanol yields and generate cellulosic ethanol (D3 RINs).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

D3MAX licenses its patented D3MAX Process, a cellulosic ethanol conversion technology that bolts onto existing dry mill ethanol plants. It converts corn fiber and residual starch in wet distillers grains (wet cake) into cellulosic ethanol using a proprietary yeast that ferments five-carbon (xylose, arabinose) and six-carbon (glucose) sugars, enabling producers to generate D3 RINs and increase overall ethanol yield from 2.8 to 3.11 gallons per bushel.

Product overview

D3MAX offers a single unified product — the D3MAX Process — a patented cellulosic ethanol conversion technology that bolts onto dry mill ethanol plants. The technology converts corn fiber and residual starch in wet distillers grains (wet cake) into cellulosic ethanol, generating D3 RINs and increasing plant ethanol output by approximately 10% with no increase in corn grind, or up to 40% when combined with increased corn grind.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• D3MAX Process Patented cellulosic ethanol conversion technology that bolts onto dry mill ethanol plants to convert corn fiber and residual starch in wet distillers grains (wet cake) into cellulosic ethanol. Licensed to US dry mill ethanol plant operators, the D3MAX Process uses a proprietary yeast to ferment five- and six-carbon sugars, increases ethanol yield from 2.8 to 3.11 gallons per bushel, enables up to 40% increase in total ethanol output, and generates D3 RINs (highest-value RINs under RFS2).

Quantifiable outcome

• Ethanol yield increases from 2.8 to 3.11 gal/bu
• +8 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BBI InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerD3MAX was formed by BBI International to license its patented cellulosic ethanol technology. BBI International is the parent company and operator of the world's largest ethanol conference (FEW), Ethanol Producer Magazine, and other bioenergy media. D3MAX leadership consists of BBI International executives including CEO Joe Bryan and President Tom Bryan.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Beta Renewables (Mossi Ghisolfi Group): Beta Renewables commercialized cellulosic ethanol (PROESA) using agricultural residues and remains a relevant historical competitor/peer in second-generation ethanol technology licensing globally.
• Aemetis: Aemetis operates and develops advanced biofuel/renewable diesel and ethanol capacity in the US, representing a broader advanced-biofuels incumbent with overlapping technology and policy-economics considerations.
• Clariant (sunliquid): Clariant's sunliquid licensed cellulosic ethanol technology converts agricultural residues (e.g., straw) to ethanol, overlapping with D3MAX in the broader cellulosic ethanol technology space though focused on a different feedstock.
• POET-DSM (Project LIBERTY): POET's Project LIBERTY is a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol operation converting corn fiber/cob to ethanol at a single Iowa plant, representing the most advanced corn-fiber cellulosic deployment and the principal reference project for D3MAX's bolt-on value proposition.

Others

• Novozymes (now Novonesis): Novonesis (formerly Novozymes) supplies the cellulase enzymes central to all cellulosic ethanol pathways including D3MAX's; their public corn-fiber data is repeatedly cited by D3MAX and they are an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Praj Industries: Praj licenses process technology and plants for ethanol and advanced biofuels production globally and competes for ethanol-plant modernization contracts that overlap with D3MAX's upgrade proposition.
• Quad County Corn Processors: Quad County operates one of the early commercial cellulosic ethanol demonstrations from corn fiber in Iowa, pioneering the C5/C6 conversion approach that D3MAX now seeks to license more broadly across the industry.
• ICM (International Concepts & Marketing): ICM licenses process technologies, including cellulosic ethanol pathways, to dry mill ethanol plants and is the closest comparable technology licensor serving the same US dry mill customer base as D3MAX.
• SunOpta (Cellulosic Ethanol / SunOpta BioProcess): SunOpta developed and licensed cellulosic ethanol technology for corn fiber and other biomass feedstocks, making it one of the most direct competitors in the same feedstock category as D3MAX.

Emerging players

• LanzaTech: LanzaTech produces low-carbon ethanol from waste gases via gas fermentation, representing an emerging adjacent pathway that competes for advanced-biofuel policy credits and customer mind-share in the broader cellulosic/advanced ethanol landscape.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/d3max-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about D3Max