Rivatera pitches pelletized ‘Arcana Bio coal’ to Natural Resources & Environment Committee, cites lower emissions and export demand

Rivatera executives told the Natural Resources & Environment Committee that their AI-driven process has produced a pelletized biomass fuel called Arcana Bio coal that can be used in existing coal infrastructure and could open export markets while helping revive idle Georgia mills.

The company’s cofounder and CEO, Jude Davies, and CTO Joe Napier briefed the committee on the product’s development, commercialization plan and early test results. Napier said the firm has completed a production run and sent it for third-party testing and that ‘‘it’s at least 50% less emissions by every metric we’ve measured.’’ He added that the company expects to share additional utility-scale trial data once pilots conclude.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed presenters on air-quality comparisons, costs and whether closed regional mills could be repurposed. Lawmakers and small landowners said diminished pulpwood demand has halved prices in some areas, raising interest in any market that could restore mill demand and provide landowners with revenue.

Presenters’ claims and evidence Rivatera said the product is a high-durability pellet (they reported a Pellet Durability Index consistently at or above 98) that can be produced by partnering with existing pellet manufacturers rather than requiring new torrefaction facilities. ‘‘We fit entirely in the existing infrastructure,’’ the presenters said, describing an approach that emphasizes biochemical modification of feedstocks rather than the high-heat torrefaction process.

The company gave several business and technical details: unit economics they described as 55–60% and a projected profit margin of roughly 35–40%, a three-year revenue target of about $150,000,000, and an expectation to move to commercial production this quarter with a pilot run ‘‘within the next three weeks.’’ They also told the committee they had filed expedited nonprovisional patent applications in January for their AI platform and for material formulation.

Questions about emissions, cost and scale Lawmakers repeatedly asked for independent verification. When asked directly about air-quality impacts, Napier said the company’s measurements indicate substantially lower particulate emissions compared with coal but cautioned that ‘‘we’ll have a much stronger answer for you when we finish these pilot trials we’re actually doing with utilities this quarter’’ and that third-party utility testing will provide definitive comparative data.

Committee members also asked whether older, closed mills could be retrofitted. Presenters said existing mill equipment can be adapted to produce the pellet and argued that export markets — especially in parts of Europe and Japan that still use coal infrastructure — already show strong demand, making export a near-term path to revenue.

Environmental and forest-management claims Presenters framed the product as an opportunity to absorb stranded biomass streams and to incentivize thinning that they said can reduce wildfire risk and improve habitat. They characterized lifecycle carbon outcomes as favorable compared with fossil fuels but again pointed to pending larger-scale testing and third-party validation for final quantification.

What the committee did next The committee did not take any motions or votes on the presentation. Chair members thanked Rivatera, invited additional follow-up and encouraged committee members and attendees to review materials and forthcoming pilot data. Presenters remained available for questions after the hearing.

Key outstanding details Independent, utility-scale testing was not complete at the hearing; committee members asked for the results before drawing policy conclusions. Export-demand figures cited by the presenters were discussed in broad terms (the presenters referenced multi‑million‑ton annual markets abroad), and precise export targets and commercial contracts were not fully specified in the briefing.