Biorefining Highlights 2017

Type of post: OVERVIEW.

The year is coming to an end and it is time to look back and assess the results. This post is a short journey across 2017 highlighting some of the news and announcements about biorefining facilities that the Blog has been publishing. The sector is growing but more work is needed to deploy innovating and integrated biorefining technologies at demo and commercial scale. The circular bioeconomy gives us the possibility of creating a more thriving, fair, caring and sustainable society, and biorefineries are one of the keys. It is a substantial and difficult challenge, but it is worth it.

Dear readers, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you for following the blog! Next year, it will keep on tracking biorefining sector and innovations in the green chemical engineering field. Spread the word.

New commercial scale facilities running

	Location	Company	Model / Type	Feedstock	Products	Production capacity
Post 17/08	Äänekoski (Finland).	Metsä Fibre.	Forest biorefinery (bioproducts mill).	Wood.	Market pulp and other bioproducts.	1.3 million tons.
Post 28/08	Lucas do Rio Verde, Mato Grosso (Brazil).	Summit Agricultural Group and Fiagril.	Corn ethanol biorefinery.	Corn.	- Corn ethanol. - Corn oil. - Feed ingredients. - Electricity.	- 60 million gallons of ethanol. - 6,200 tons of oil. - 170,000 tons of feed ingredients. - 60 MW of electricity.
Post 15/09	Dumai (Sumatra, Indonesia).	Cepsa and Golden Agri-Resources (Sinar Mas Cepsa).	Oleochemicals plant.	Palm kernel oil.	Fatty alcohols.	160,000 tons.
Post 18/09	Edmonton (Alberta, Canada)	Enerkem.	Cellulosic ethanol biorefinery.	Post-sorted MSW (after recycling and composting).	Methanol and ethanol. It has been producing and selling biomethanol since 2016. A new methanol-to-ethanol conversion unit has been installed during this year.	38 million liters.

New pilot and demonstration scale facilities running

	Location	Company	Model / Type	Feedstock	Products	Production capacity
Post 08/05	Urawade (India)	Praj.	Cellulosic ethanol biorefinery.	Agriculture residues like rice and wheat straw, cotton stalk, cane trash and corn cobs and stover.	Ethanol.	1 Ml.
Post 11/09	Puertollano (Spain).	GEACAM.	R&D flexible biorefinery.	- Lignocellulosic biomass (prunings, branches, straw…). - Sugar or starch (corn, beet…). - Wet biomass (whey, grape marcs and lees, OFMSW…).	Different bioproducts (bioplastics, biofuels, building blocks…).	1 ton/day of dry biomass (processing capactity).
Post 25/09	Leuna (Germany).	Global Bioenergies.	Biobased chemicals plant.	1G and 2G sugars.	Isobutene.	100 tons.

Announcements about new commercial scale facilities (planning or under construction)

	Location	Company	Model / Type	Feedstock	Products	Production capacity	Status
Post 18/01	Estonia.	EST-FOR.	Forest biorefinery (bioproducts mill).	Wood: spruce, pine and birch. Wood chips produced in sawmills.	Market pulp and other bioproducts.	700,000 tons of pulp.	Planned. Expected start-up: 2022.
Post 02/02	Paltamo (Region of Kainuu, Finland).	KaiCell Fibers.	Forest biorefinery (bioproducts mill).	Wood and wood chips from local sawmills.	Market pulp and other bioproducts.	400,000 – 500.000 tons of pulp.	Planned. Expected start-up: 2020.
Post 09/03	Colwich (Kansas, USA).	ICM.	Bioethanol plant.	Corn and sorghum.	Bioethanol (1G + 1.5G)	70 million gallons.	Planned.
Post 13/03	Existing site of Evonik in USA.	Royal DSM and Evonik (Veramaris).	Algal oil plant.	Natural marine algae.	Omega-3 fatty acids.	-	Planned. Expected start-up: 2019.
Post 31/03	USA.	American Process Inc. and GFBiochemicals.	Lignocellulosic biorefinery.	Lignocellulosic biomass.	Biopolyols, bioplasticisers, bioesters, biosolvents, bioethanol and nanocellulosic products.	50,000-200,000 tons of biobased products.	Planned.
Post 05/04	Scandia (Kansas, USA)	Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC.	Isobutanol production capacity added to an ethanol plant.	-	Isobutanol.	-	Planned.
Post 10/04	Kemijärvi (Lapland, Finland).	Boreal Bioref Oy and China CAMC Engineering Co., Ltd.	Forest biorefinery (bioproducts mill).	Thinning wood and wood chips.	Market pulp and other bioproducts.	400,000 tons of biomaterials and biochemicals.	Planned. Expected start-up: 2020.
Post 22/05	-	METabolic EXplorer (METEX).	Biobased chemicals plant.	Crude glycerins.	Butyric acid (BA) and 1,3-propanediol (PDO).	24 kton. 1st stage: 5 kton of PDO and 1 kton of BA. 2nd stage: 15 kton of PDO and 3 kton of BA.	Planned. Construction works should start toward the end of the first half of 2018.
Post 30/05	Southeast USA.	Greenbelt Resources Corporation and Andrew J. Young (AJY) Foundation.	Small-scale ethanol biorefinery.	Duckweed (lemnaceae).	Bioethanol and protein concentrate.	500,000 gallons.	Planned.
Post 12/06	Queensland (Australia).	Bio Processing Australia (BPA).	Yeast producing plant, an oilseed crushing plant and a biodiesel plant.	Soy beans.	Soymeal, yeast, biodiesel.	26,000 tons of soymeal. 2,000 tons of yeast. 15 Ml of biodiesel.	Planned. Investment decision and start of the construction in 2018.
Post 22/06	Queensland (Australia).	Amyris, Inc.	Biobased chemicals plant.	Sugarcane.	Farnesene.	23,000 tons.	Planned. Expected start-up: 2020.
Post 29/06	Natchez (Mississippi, USA).	Velocys.	Biomass-to-liquids (BTL) plant.	Woody biomass residues.	Renewable diesel fuel.	19 million gallons.	Planned.
Post 11/07	Hayrana (India).	Indian Oil Corporation Limited and LanzaTech.	Refinery off-gas to ethanol plant.	Refinery off-gases.	Ethanol.	40 million litres.	Planned.
Post 13/07	Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland (Australia).	MSF Sugar.	Sugar mill, agave juice mill, green power station and distillery.	Sugarcane from irrigated land and blue agave from arid land.	Raw sugar, green electricity for the grid and bioethanol.	110 kton of raw sugar. 55 ML of bioethanol.	Planned. Start of the construction in 2020.
Post 03/08	Ontonagon (Michigan, USA).	SynSel Energy, Inc.	Forest biorefinery (advanced biofuel plant).	Wood waste from mill operations and forest residues.	Synthetic gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel.	-	Planned.
Post 09/08	Nusajaya (Iskandar, southern Malaysia).	Verdezyne.	Biobased chemicals plant.	Crude palm oil and palm byproducts as well as other plant-based raw materials.	Dodecanedioic acid (DDDA).	6,000 tons.	Under construction. Expected start-up: 2018-2019.
Post 13/09	Wonji Shoa (Ethiopia).	Ethiopian Sugar Corporation and Eugen Schmitt Company.	Bioethanol plant.	Molasses from a sugar factory.	Bioethanol.	12.8 Ml.	Planned.
Post 23/10	Riverbank (California).	Aemetis.	Cellulosic ethanol biorefinery.	Orchard waste and nutshells.	Cellulosic ethanol.	Phase 1: 10 million gallons. Final target: 40 million gallons.	Planned.
Post 25/10	Chemical Park Frankfurt-Höchst (Germany).	UPM.	Biobased chemicals plant.	Hardwood from sustainably managed forests in Central Europe.	- Bio-monoethylene glycol (bio-MEG). - Bio-monopropylene glycol (bio-MPG). - Lignin.	150,000 tons.	Planned.
Post 03/11	Leopoldov (Slovakia).	Clariant and Enviral.	Cellulosic ethanol biorefinery.	Wheat straw and other cereal straw.	Cellulosic ethanol.	50 kton.	Under construction.
Post 03/11	Southwestern part of Romania.	Clariant.	Cellulosic ethanol biorefinery.	Wheat straw and other cereal straw.	Cellulosic ethanol.	50 kton.	Planned. Construction due to commence 2018.
Post 16/12	Tofte (Norway).	Silva Green Fuel and Steeper Energy.	Forest biorefinery (advanced biofuel plant).	Woody residues from the forest industry.	Renewable crude oil that will be upgraded to renewable diesel, jet or marine fuel.	4,000 litres per day.	Planned. Expected start-up: 2019.

Announcements about new pilot and demonstration scale facilities (planning or under construction)

	Location	Company	Model / Type	Feedstock	Products	Production capacity	Status
Post 26/01	Ubon Ratchathani (Thailand).	St1 and Ubon Bio Ethanol.	Bioethanol plant.	Cassava waste.	Ethanol.	-	Planned.
Post 13/02 Post 19/07	Chemie Park Delfzijl (The Netherlands).	AkzoNobel, Avantium, Chemport Europe, RWE and Staatsbosbeheer.	Forest biorefinery (wood-to-chemicals).	Forestry residues, corn stover, bagasse, sugar beet residue and others.	High purity 2G glucose; wood extractives; clean lignin.	-	Under construction. Expected start-up: second quarter of 2018.
Post 06/03	-	Danone, Nestlé Waters and Origin Materials (NaturALL Bottle Alliance).	Bio-PET plant.	Cardboard, sawdust and wood chips.	Bio-PET.	5,000 tons.	Under construction. Expected start-up: 2018.
Post 04/04	Latrobe Valley (Gippsland, Australia).	Australian Paper, CSIRO, Federation University and VTT.	Forest biorefinery (bioproducts mill).	Lignin.	-	-	Planned. Pilot plant in 2020 and a full-scale biorefinery in 2022.
Post 03/07	Sarnia (Ontario, Canada).	S2G BioChem and Mondelēz International.	Cellulosic sugars biorefinery.	Local, sustainable forestry and agricultural residues.	Xylitol and bioglycols.	2,000 tons.	Planned. Construction is expected to begin in 2018.
Post 24/07	Indian River County (Florida, USA).	Alliance Bio-Products, Inc.	Cellulosic sugars biorefinery.	Cellulose-containing materials.	Sugars.	8 million gallons (1st stage).	Planned. Expected start-up: 2018.
Post 13/11	Greater Copenhagen area (Denmark).	Braskem and Haldor Topsoe.	Biobased chemicals plant.	C5 and C6 sugars.	Monoethylene glycol (MEG).	Thousands of tons.	Planned. Expected start-up: 2019.
Post 24/11	Muswellbrook (New South Wales, Australia).	Ethanol Technologies Limited.	Cellulosic ethanol biorefinery.	Lignocellulosic materials such as crop stubbles, cotton gin trash, timber residues and sugar cane bagasse.	Ethanol.	2 dry tons of biomass per day (processing capacity).	Planned.