Founded | 1994
![]() |
---|---|
Founder | Marshall Medoff |
Headquarters | Wakefield, Massachusetts |
Website | http://www.xyleco.com |
Xyleco is a privately held scientific research and manufacturing company in Wakefield, Massachusetts. [1] Xyleco is developing a process to convert biomass into useful products, [2] including cellulosic ethanol. [3] The board of directors includes Steven Chu and George Shultz. [4] Employee reviews of Xyleco are mixed. Some workers are extremely optimistic as the company grows, while other workers find management secretive and manipulative. [5]
Xyleco's process involves using ionizing radiation from an electron particle accelerator to break apart cellulose molecules. [2] Accelerators are energy-intensive, but treatment times are short. [6]
According to a 2019 story on " 60 Minutes", the company was started by Marshall Medoff, a then 81-year old without a formal science education. He got his inspiration by spending time at Walden Pond, and studying research papers in a storage facility for 15 years. [2] During that time, he was granted over 300 patents. [7] Several 2002 patents were for plastic-cellulose-fiber composites expected to be stronger than ordinary plastic based on resins and wood fiber. [8] In 2004, Rubbermaid agreed to work with Xyleco to develop a material that would be stronger and cheaper than current materials. [9]
In 2009, Medoff hired his first employee, Craig Masterman, an MIT graduate in chemistry. Using $45 million from investors, they built a testing laboratory in Wakefield, Massachusetts, [2] in March 2015. [4]
Marshall Medoff was born December 30, 1937. He died November 17th, 2021. [10]
Xyleco came to public attention in January 2019, when Lesley Stahl did a "60 Minutes" piece lauding Medoff as an eccentric but remarkably successful inventor. [11] Two months later, Lux Research published a review stating that "Lux views Xyleco with a great deal of skepticism... [G]iven its incorrect claims regarding the bioeconomy, exorbitantly expensive patent portfolio, unclear technology development history, and esteemed yet unrelated board, Lux believes that Xyleco is likely a scam." [12] Reviewers on Reddit were also highly skeptical of Medoff's claims. [13]