Corbion, Uniper, RWE and the Port Authority join forces for a new biorefinery in Rotterdam

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The ideal scale for a specific biorefining system depends on the limits set by aspects such as logistics, production costs or the minimum size of individual processes. In this sense, large-scale integrated biorefineries are likely to emerge associated with the biggest ports. In the Port of Rotterdam, 465 million tonnes of cargo are handled on an annual basis, making it the largest port in Europe. Currently, the Port of Rotterdam hosts a large-scale biorefinery. It is a facility of Neste that was started-up in 2011 and is located in the Maasvlakte district of the port (you can learn more about it in this link: Rotterdam Biorefinery).

However, this biorefinery may not be the only one to be located in the port. Corbion, Uniper, RWE and the Port of Rotterdam Authority are involved in the joint development of a new biorefinery (see the press release). Corbion intends to increase its capacity of producing bioplastics, RWE and Uniper are looking for opportunities to make power generation more sustainable and the Port Authority aims to stimulate the growth of the biobased industry in the port area. The combined solution is the biorefinery concept (see Figure 1) that the partnership has developed to transform wood biomass into ethanol, bioplastics (PLA), heat and power.

Figure 1. Biorefinery concept developed by the partnership (extracted from the press release)

The partners are currently determining which party they will engage for the biorefinery construction. To this end, Corbion is introducing the Port Authority and the power companies to various connections within its network. The blog will follow with interest the progress of this promising project.

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