An Aiea-based company developing biorefineries will be receiving millions from the U.S. Department of Energy to construct a biomass gasifier.

ClearFuels Technology won a $22.6 million grant and will be receiving an initial $7.7 million for the project, which will be constructed at Rentech's Energy Technology Center in Colorado.

The grant will integrate ClearFuels' and Rentech's technologies for low-cost production of renewable diesel and jet fuel from clean biomass. The project is expected to be completed in late 2011.

“;We are especially anxious to build commercial facilities in our home state of Hawaii,”; said ClearFuels Chief Executive Officer Eric Darmstaedter. “;The successful demonstration of our technology processing biomass feedstocks such as bagasse, wood waste and mixtures thereof will enable our commercial development in Hawaii.”;

The project will lead to a final design for commercial facilities. ClearFuels already has begun development of multiple commercial-scale biomass-to-energy projects in the mainland's Southeast and Hawaii.