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