{"id":105232,"title":"Rise Reforming: distributed chemical production","tagline":"We turn waste gases into valuable supply-secure chemicals.","body":"Geopolitical conflicts and natural disasters frequently expose the vulnerability of the American chemical industry. The reason? Production is centralized and fossil fuel-dependent. The solution? Localized production using an undervalued resource: biogas. The US produces enough biogas to make over $20 bn/y worth of chemicals, but 60% is wasted in low-margin applications or flared altogether.\n\nRise Reforming is commercializing a modular process to transform this underutilized biogas into valuable supply-secure chemicals like dimethyl ether (DME) and methanol. Our technology can be deployed on-site, helping biogas producers properly valorize their gas.\n\nWe've just broken ground on our pilot project at a Chicagoland wastewater plant. This will be the first wastewater biogas-to-methanol demo in the Americas.\n\nRise Reforming is hiring for a senior chemical process engineer. Apply here: \u003chttps://www.ycombinator.com/companies/rise-reforming/jobs/wJ9Q9nv-senior-chemical-process-engineer\u003e\n\nVideo: \u003chttps://youtu.be/Bx_ASPapxlQ\u003e\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post\u0026id=105232\u0026key=user_uploads/3620299/89d6b5de-3729-4019-a87f-0fe27a549152)\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post\u0026id=105232\u0026key=user_uploads/3620299/b4ac7aec-afea-4a96-9174-ae6202812c2f)\n\n","slug":"RNI-rise-reforming-distributed-chemical-production","created_at":"2026-07-13T14:13:24.467Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T12:52:43.305Z","total_vote_count":4,"url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/RNI-rise-reforming-distributed-chemical-production","share_image_url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/media/?type=post\u0026id=105232\u0026key=user_uploads/3620299/b4ac7aec-afea-4a96-9174-ae6202812c2f","company":{"id":32192,"name":"Rise Reforming","slug":"rise-reforming","url":"https://rise-reforming.com/home","logo":"https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/5b908857ac82ef0d2a3b793f89fa198298587f8a.png","batch":"Summer 2026","industry":"Industrials","tags":["Hard Tech","Smart Waste Management","Alternative Fuels","Renewable Energy","ClimateTech"],"search_path":"https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/32192"}}