Green Biologics shuts down its Minnesota biorefinery

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Type of post: NEWS.

Bad news from the biobased chemical sector. Green Biologics Ltd (GBL) has announced through a succinct press release on its website that it is shutting down its Little Falls (Minnesota) biorefinery: “After a detailed review, the Board of Green Biologics Limited (GBL) has concluded that it is not possible to secure funding to enable it to continue with its plan to build up sales and production levels of renewable butanol and acetone at the Group’s Little Falls, Minnesota plant to the point of cash break-even. Accordingly, given this withdrawal of financial support, the Board and Managements of its subsidiary companies, Green Biologics, Inc., and Central Minnesota Renewables LLC have commenced an orderly closure of operations and wind-down of those corporations for and subject to any actions by their creditors. In the short term the Board of GBL will be considering strategic options for the future of GBL.”.

Figure 1. GBL plant in Little Falls

Background of the plant

GBL is a renewable chemicals company based in Abingdon (England) with a wholly owned US operating company, Green Biologics Inc., based in Gahanna (Ohio). GBL’s Clostridium fermentation platform converts a wide range of sustainable feedstocks into n-butanol and acetone. This platform is fruit of the development of the original ABE (Acetone – Butanol – Ethanol) fermentation process.

GBL started the construction of its biobased n-butanol and acetone manufacturing facility in Little Falls on September 1st, 2015. The existing manufacturing site, formerly known as The Central MN Ethanol Cooperative (CMEC), was acquired by GBL in December 2014 and re-named Central MN Renewables (CMR). At the end of 2016, GBL launched the first shipments of biobutanol and acetone from its Little Falls biorefinery.
Related blog posts:
- “Green Biologics starts the construction of its n-butanol and acetone biorefinery in Minnesota”, 9/12/2015.
- “Green Biologics starts shipments of biobutanol and acetone from its Little Falls biorefinery”, 19/12/2016.

Pipeline and partnerships

The wind-down of operations is an unexpected announcement as the company has been reporting during the last years about the building of a robust pipeline of domestic and export customers combined with multiple partnerships to bring its products to downstream markets:
- September 2016: GBL and Acme Hardesty (a division of Jacob Stern & Sons, Inc.) launch biobased esters for personal care markets.
- October 2016: Caldic B.V. will distribute GBL biobased chemicals to customers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East for a variety of key markets.
- November 2016: GBL partners with HOC Industries for the development of high value consumer products.
- January 2017: GBL announces the acquisition of the GreenFlame™ brand (charcoal lighter fluid). Kroger will serve as GBL’s first retail partner for GreenFlame™.
- February 2017: GBL and Jungbunzlauer Ladenburg GmbH team up on biobased plasticizers.
- March 2018: GBL and Kingsford® Charcoal will launch new EcoLight™ charcoal lighter fluid.
- June 2018: GBL and Kreussler Chemical partners to produce biobased dry cleaning solvent.
- June 2018: GBL announces the commercial launch of the world’s first bio-based acetone nail polish remover.

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