Sekab and Vertoro to build a demo biorefinery to produce a new platform for sustainable fuels, chemicals and materials
Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.
The Swedish chemical and clean tech company Sekab together with the Dutch oil company Vertoro have begun the construction of a new
demonstration plant in Örnsköldsvik (Sweden) to produce a 2G platform (Goldilocks®)
for sustainable fuels, chemicals and materials.
Press release: “Sekab and Vertoro to build
large-scale demonstration plant to produce a new platform for sustainable
fuels, chemicals, and materials”, 9/3/2020.
Figure 1. Michael Boot (CEO of
Vertoro) and Monica Normark (Head of Sekab E-Technology) (extracted from the
press release)
In the new plant, biomass, lignin or residues from
the paper and pulp and forestry industry will be converted into Goldilocks®, a
proprietary blend of ethanol and soluble lignin oligomers. Goldilocks® is
solvent soluble, melt-flowable and easy to process. With this technology, it is
possible to use renewable raw materials to replace crude oil based products. Production
is expected to start in about a year and deliver biofuel to the shipping sector
as a first off take for this lignin ethanol oil product. The same technology
can be used to produce biofuels for both aviation and cars, as well as
bio-based chemicals.