Leaf and Verdezyne to evaluate the production of biobased chemicals from cellulosic sugars
Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.
Leaf Resources and Verdezyne will collaborate to evaluate the use of cellulosic sugars prepared from EFB (empty fruit bunch, waste from the palm oil industry) as feedstock for large scale production of biobased chemicals (see press release, 29/11/2017).
Last month, Leaf announced that a Term Sheet
for an option to purchase a land area located in Segamat (Johor, Malaysia) has
been signed by Leaf Malaysia (100% owned subsidiary of Leaf Resources) and Leaf
Development LLC (joint venture of Leaf Resources and Claeris). That is the proposed site for a
biorefinery project based on Leaf Glycell technology. The fermentable sugars
would be sourced from this facility.
More information about the first biorefinery
project of Leaf: Leaf
signs land purchase option for a biorefinery project in Malaysia (blog
post, 20/11/2017).
The production of biobased chemicals using
Glycell sugars would take place at VerdePalm plant, the first commercial-scale
renewable chemicals manufacturing facility of Verdezyne. The plant, designed to
produce biobased long chain diacids, is under construction and is expected to
be completed in 4Q 2018.
More information about the VerdePalm Plant: World’s
first biobased DDDA plant construction begins in Malaysia (blog post, 9/8/2017).
The parties previously evaluated the use of Glycell sugars to manufacture biobased dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) using Verdezyne’s proprietary yeast fermentation manufacturing process at small scale with successful results.