Rentech
Rentech was a United States renewable-energy and industrial materials company that evolved from synthetic-fuels research into wood-fiber processing, wood pellets, and nitrogen fertilizers.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Rentech, Inc. was a Los Angeles-based industrial company whose name derived from “Renewable Energy Technology.” Founded in 1981 by Charles Benham and Mark Bohn, it originally pursued technologies intended to convert carbon-containing feedstocks into synthetic fuels. Its principal intellectual-property platforms included the Rentech Process, a Fischer–Tropsch-based method for producing liquid hydrocarbons from synthesis gas, and the Rentech–SilvaGas gasification process. The company’s early strategy centered on commercializing alternative routes to diesel, jet fuel, and related products from sources such as coal, natural gas, landfill gas, and biomass. Rentech’s first major demonstration effort was associated with the Synhytech facility in Pueblo, Colorado. In 1991, the company licensed its process to Fuel Resources Development Company for a landfill-gas-to-diesel project and acquired the facility in 1993. The project was closed that same year after the available gas volumes proved inadequate for the intended operation. During the 2000s, Rentech continued to promote gas-to-liquids and coal-to-liquids opportunities. It acquired a methanol plant in Commerce City, Colorado, in 2000 and began converting it into a gas-to-liquids facility. It also considered large synthetic-fuels projects in several U.S. states. The company later shifted toward biomass-derived fuels. It announced projects involving synthetic diesel, alternative jet fuel, and biomass gasification, including proposals in Rialto, California; Natchez, Mississippi; White River, Ontario; and Port St. Joe, Florida. These initiatives were linked to potential airline, utility, and government customers, but the projects faced technological, financing, feedstock, and commercial challenges. The Port St. Joe biomass power project was halted in 2012, while the Natchez biofuels complex and Commerce City demonstration activities were discontinued in 2013. In 2014, Rentech sold the energy technology and equipment at the Commerce City demonstration unit to China’s Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group. Rentech diversified into nitrogen fertilizers in 2006 by acquiring an ammonia facility in East Dubuque, Illinois, from Agrium. In 2011, it placed this business into Rentech Nitrogen Partners, L.P., which became separately listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Rentech expanded the fertilizer platform in 2012 by acquiring Agrifos LLC and its synthetic granulated ammonium sulfate facility in Pasadena, Texas. This fertilizer business operated alongside, rather than replacing, the company’s developing biomass and wood-products activities. A second major transformation began in 2013, when Rentech moved away from its biofuels ambitions and emphasized wood processing and pellets. In May of that year it acquired Georgia-based Fulghum Fibres, a provider of wood chipping and fiber-processing services. Rentech also acquired wood-processing facilities in Atikokan and Wawa, Ontario, and planned to convert them into pellet plants. Through a joint venture with Estonia-based Graanul Invest, it pursued additional pellet capacity in Canada and the United States. The Ontario facilities were intended to supply customers including Ontario Power Generation and Drax Power. In 2014, Rentech acquired New England Wood Pellets, a producer serving the U.S. residential heating market. The wood-pellet strategy ultimately encountered operational and profitability problems. In February 2017, Rentech announced that it would idle the Wawa facility because of equipment and operating issues requiring additional unbudgeted capital. The company also cited uncertainty surrounding the profitability of heating pellets and said that idling the plant would conserve liquidity while strategic alternatives were explored. The announcement was followed by a sharp decline in Rentech’s share price and investor investigations and legal claims. Rentech subsequently ceased operating as an independent active company. Its history illustrates the difficulty of commercializing capital-intensive renewable-fuel technologies while simultaneously managing commodity exposure, construction risk, feedstock constraints, and liquidity pressure.
History
Rentech was established in 1981 by Charles Benham and Mark Bohn to develop renewable-energy and synthetic-fuels technologies. Its core technical work focused on converting synthesis gas into liquid hydrocarbons using a Fischer–Tropsch-derived process, alongside gasification technologies designed to produce synthesis gas from different carbon-based feedstocks. In 1991, Rentech licensed its process to Fuel Resources Development Company for a landfill-gas-to-diesel project at the Synhytech facility in Pueblo, Colorado. Rentech acquired the facility in 1993, but the project was closed that year because the landfill generated less gas than expected. The setback did not end the company’s technology-development program. In 2000, Rentech acquired a methanol plant in Commerce City, Colorado, and began converting it into a gas-to-liquids operation. During the middle of the decade, it examined coal-to-liquids projects in Wyoming, Illinois, Kentucky, and Mississippi. Rentech increasingly promoted biomass and alternative fuels in the late 2000s and early 2010s. In 2009, it announced a proposed synthetic-fuels plant in Rialto, California, and reached an arrangement with ASIG involving potential synthetic diesel supplies for airline ground-service operations at Los Angeles International Airport. In 2010, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with 14 airlines concerning potential alternative jet fuel and diesel from a planned biomass complex in Natchez, Mississippi. In 2011, it agreed with the Government of Ontario to develop a White River facility intended to convert provincial forest material into jet fuel and naphtha. It also acquired a 55-megawatt biomass integrated-gasification combined-cycle project in Port St. Joe, Florida. The Florida project was halted in 2012. Alongside its energy-technology activities, Rentech developed a fertilizer business. It entered the sector in 2006 by purchasing an ammonia nitrogen fertilizer facility in East Dubuque, Illinois, from Agrium. In 2011, this business was consolidated into Rentech Nitrogen Partners, L.P., which was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Rentech expanded the platform in 2012 through the acquisition of Agrifos LLC, whose assets included a synthetic granulated ammonium sulfate plant in Pasadena, Texas. The company’s strategic direction changed materially in 2013. It closed its Commerce City product demonstration unit, which had been working on converting cellulosic biomass into synthesis gas, and cancelled the Natchez biofuels complex. Rentech instead prioritized wood-fiber processing and pellets. In May 2013, it acquired Fulghum Fibres, a Georgia-based wood-processing company, and formed a joint venture with Graanul Invest to pursue pellet plants in Canada and the United States. It also acquired facilities in Atikokan and Wawa, Ontario, for conversion into pellet plants. These facilities were associated with planned supply contracts for Ontario Power Generation and Drax Power. In May 2014, Rentech acquired New England Wood Pellets, which operated three facilities in the northeastern United States and served the domestic residential-heating market. The same period also marked a retreat from Rentech’s earlier technology ambitions: the company sold its Commerce City energy technology and equipment to Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group. The pellet business later experienced operational and financial pressure. In February 2017, Rentech said it would idle the Wawa plant because equipment and operational problems would require additional unbudgeted capital expenditure. It also cited uncertainty about the profitability of wood pellets for heating and announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives while conserving liquidity. The announcement caused a substantial fall in the company’s stock price and prompted investor investigations and legal actions. Rentech ultimately became defunct, ending a corporate history that moved through several ambitious but difficult-to-commercialize renewable-fuel models before concentrating on more conventional biomass and fertilizer operations.
- 2017
Wawa facility idled
[1]Rentech idles its Wawa pellet facility because of equipment and operating problems and begins exploring strategic alternatives.
- 2014
New England Wood Pellets acquired
[1]Rentech acquires New England Wood Pellets to expand its presence in the U.S. residential wood-heating market.
- 2014
Commerce City assets sold
[1]Energy technology and equipment from the Commerce City demonstration unit are sold to Sunshine Kaidi New Energy Group.
- 2013
Strategic shift toward wood pellets
[1]Rentech cancels the Natchez biofuels complex, closes the Commerce City demonstration unit, acquires Fulghum Fibres, and purchases Ontario wood-processing facilities.
- 2012
Agrifos acquired
[1]Rentech acquires Agrifos LLC and its synthetic granulated ammonium sulfate facility in Pasadena, Texas.
- 2011
Rentech Nitrogen Partners is formed and listed
[1]Rentech consolidates its nitrogen operations into Rentech Nitrogen Partners, L.P., which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
- 2006
Entry into nitrogen fertilizers
[1]The company acquires an ammonia nitrogen fertilizer facility in East Dubuque, Illinois, from Agrium.
- 2000
Commerce City plant acquired
[1]Rentech acquires a methanol plant in Commerce City, Colorado, and begins converting it for gas-to-liquids development.
- 1993
Synhytech project closes
[1]Rentech obtains ownership of the Pueblo facility, but the project closes after landfill-gas volumes fall short of expectations.
- 1991
Rentech Process licensed for landfill-gas fuel project
[1]Rentech licenses its synthetic-fuel process to Fuel Resources Development Company for a diesel project at the Synhytech facility in Pueblo, Colorado.
Products and positioning
Rentech positioned itself as a renewable-energy and industrial-materials company combining proprietary gasification and synthetic-fuels technology with physical businesses in wood fiber, wood pellets, and nitrogen fertilizers. Its positioning shifted over time from alternative-fuels technology developer to diversified operator of biomass and fertilizer assets.
Synthetic-fuels technology
Rentech Process
A proprietary Fischer–Tropsch-based process intended to convert synthesis gas into liquid hydrocarbons such as diesel or jet-fuel-range products. Rentech pursued applications using synthesis gas derived from landfill gas, coal, natural gas, and biomass, although several proposed commercial projects were discontinued.
Gasification technology
Rentech–SilvaGas Gasification Process
A gasification platform associated with Rentech’s renewable-energy technology portfolio. It was intended to convert biomass and other carbonaceous feedstocks into synthesis gas that could be used for fuels, chemicals, or power generation.
Wood processing · 2013
Wood chips and processed wood fiber
Through Fulghum Fibres, Rentech provided wood chipping and fiber-processing services. These operations supplied processed woody material for industrial and energy uses and became part of the company’s strategic move away from experimental biofuels.
Biomass fuel · 2013
Wood pellets
Rentech developed wood-pellet production capacity in Canada and the United States, including facilities in Atikokan and Wawa, Ontario, and assets associated with New England Wood Pellets. The pellets were intended for utility generation and residential heating.
Nitrogen fertilizer · 2006
Ammonia nitrogen fertilizer
Rentech entered fertilizer manufacturing through its East Dubuque, Illinois, ammonia facility. The operation was later placed within Rentech Nitrogen Partners, L.P., the company’s separately listed nitrogen-fertilizer subsidiary.
Nitrogen fertilizer · 2012
Synthetic granulated ammonium sulfate
This fertilizer product was associated with the Agrifos facility in Pasadena, Texas, acquired by Rentech in 2012. It extended the company’s nitrogen portfolio beyond ammonia-based products.
Controversies
2017
Investor litigation following Wawa facility announcement
After Rentech announced that it would idle the Wawa pellet facility because of equipment and operational problems and uncertainty about heating-pellet profitability, its stock price reportedly fell sharply. Multiple law firms announced investigations or investor legal actions concerning the disclosure and resulting market loss.
Brand decisions
2017
Wawa facility idled to conserve liquidityStrategyBackground
Equipment and operating issues at the Wawa facility were expected to require additional unbudgeted capital, while the profitability of heating pellets remained uncertain.
Action taken
Rentech idled the facility and began formally exploring strategic alternatives.
Aftermath
The announcement was followed by a reported 44 percent share-price decline and investor legal actions.
2014
New England Wood Pellets acquiredM&ABackground
Rentech was expanding its presence in the wood-pellet market, including the U.S. residential-heating segment.
Action taken
The company acquired New England Wood Pellets and its three northeastern U.S. facilities.
Aftermath
The acquisition increased Rentech’s pellet capacity and exposure to domestic heating demand.
2013
Rentech abandons major biofuels initiativesStrategyBackground
Rentech’s planned synthetic-fuels and biomass projects faced technological, construction, and commercial uncertainty.
Action taken
The company closed its Commerce City demonstration unit and cancelled the Natchez biofuels production complex.
Aftermath
Rentech redirected resources toward wood-fiber processing and wood-pellet manufacturing.
2013
Fulghum Fibres acquiredM&ABackground
Rentech sought a more operationally grounded biomass business after reducing its emphasis on experimental synthetic fuels.
Action taken
Rentech acquired Georgia-based Fulghum Fibres and entered a joint venture with Graanul Invest to develop pellet plants.
Aftermath
Wood processing and pellet production became central parts of Rentech’s portfolio.
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