Circa demonstration plant produces first batch of Cyrene® biosolvent



Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.

The FC5 (50 tons/year) demonstration plant of Circa Group (Circa) and Norske Skog has been successfully commissioned and operated end-to-end in Tasmania (Australia). The facility is starting to produce a steady stream of 99% pure Cyrene.

Figure 1. Sample of Cyrene (taken from “New Specialty Chemicals from Lignocellulose - from Concept to Commercial Reality” and adapted)

Cyrene is a non-toxic solvent made from cellulosic wastes. It is an alternative to traditional dipolar aprotic solvents, which are used in large volumes and are under intense regulatory pressure due their toxicity. In this sense, Circa is one of the partners of the project ReSolve (BBI JU), which aims to replace two hazardous solvents, toluene and NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone), with safer alternatives derived from non-food carbohydrates.

Cyrene is sold worldwide through distributors Merck/Sigma Aldrich and Will&Co. The start-up of the demo plant paves the way to a regular supply of this biobased solvent. Circa is now focused on supporting the development of FC6, a larger commercial-scale plant.

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