20 M€ of funding for the flagship biorefinery of Afyren and the AFTER-BIOCHEM partnership

By -

Type of post: NEWS.

A new flagship biorefinery will be built in France supported by the European Commission (EC) and the Bio-based Industry Joint Undertaking (BBI JU). Afyren and the AFTER-BIOCHEM partnership have obtained a funding of 20 M€ for the industrial production of new biobased products.
Press release: “AFYREN and the AFTER-BIOCHEM European consortium obtain a funding of 20 million euros for the industrial production of new bio-based products”, 11/6/2020.

Figure 1. Short distance ecosystem of Afyren Neoxy (taken from the company website). In 2018, Afyren embarked on the realization of its industrial project Afyren Neoxy with the creation of a Joint Venture with the Spi fund from Bpifrance.

Nicolas Sordet (CEO of AFYREN): “Together, we are willing to contribute to the development of a sustainable European model of biorefinery, relying on low-carbon emission and circular bioeconomy principles”.

Project profile
Name
AFTER-BIOCHEM (Anaerobic Fermentation & EsteRification of BIOmass for producing fine CHEMicals)
General objective
It aims to develop the first all-in-one chemical platform for transforming the sugar industry’s sidestreams into biosourced molecules and derivatives of industrial interest.
Feedstocks
The feedstocks for the fermentation process will be sugar production byproducts such as beet pulp and molasses, to increase the sustainability of sugar beet, a key European crop.
The process will be sufficiently flexible to be able to adapt to alternative feedstocks.
Products
In the fermentation process robust mixes of naturally occurring micro-organisms will produce organic acids such as propionic, butyric, isobutyric, valeric, isovaleric and caproic acids, with a mineral fertilizer sidestream. Based on the acids, a substantial number of derivatives may be produced, such as Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) and cellulose acetate. The esterification process will convert the acetic acid into ethyl acetate and the propionic acid into ethyl propionate to maximize product value and minimize waste and energy use.
The products will represent valuable renewable, biobased, domestically sourced alternatives to petrochemical products in numerous high-value applications such as flavorings and fragrances, hygiene products, pharmaceuticals, antimicrobials and polymers.
Type of action
Innovation Action – Flagship
Start date – End date
01 May 2020 – 30 April 2024.
The objective from 2020 to 2022 will be to commission the flagship biorefinery in France (CHEMESIS industrial platform in Carling-Saint-Avold), which will then run at full capacity and integrate esterification from 2022 to 2024.
Two further biorefineries should be initiated in Europe from 2024. The annual revenue generated by the three plants represents 150 M€, and at least 180 direct technical jobs and a commensurate number of indirect jobs would be created.
Overall budget – BBI JU contribution
33,080,986.37 € – 19,959,552.01 €.
Coordinator
Afyren Neoxy (France)
Partners
Association Industries et Agroressources (France)
Celanese Europe BV (Netherlands)
Fiabila (France)
Firmenich SA (Switzerland)
Kemin Europa NV (Belgium)
Omya International AG (Switzerland)
PNO Consultants (France)
Sudzucker AG (Germany)
Suez Groupe (France)
Technip France SAS (France)
Thinkstep GmbH (Germany)

Popular Posts

Mini-plant for production of glucaric acid from glucose starts up successfully

By -
Image
Recent news about one of the DOE’s 12 Top Biobased Molecules. Rennovia Inc. and Johnson Matthey Process Technologies announced on July 16 that they have successfully started-up a mini-plant for production of glucaric acid from glucose using jointly developed technology. In March 2014, these companies embarked on a collaboration to develop, demonstrate and commercialize catalytic process technologies for the production of bio-based glucaric acid and adipic acid. Under the collaboration, Rennovia and JM Process Technologies work together in processes based on Rennovia’s technology for the catalytic aerobic oxidation of glucose to glucaric acid and the catalytic hydrogenation of glucaric acid to adipic acid. The final goal of the collaboration is to license a package enabling commercial production of these chemical products. The successful operation of this mini-plant is a major milestone in the journey to achieve this goal. The facility is located at the Johnson Matthey Process ...
Read more

Biorefinery models - Lignocellulosic biorefinery

By -
Image
Publication date: 25/04/2016 Last update: 25/04/2016 ABOUT THE SERIES OF POSTS “BIOREFINERY MODELS” This post belongs to a series called “ Biorefinery Models ”. This series is devoted to briefly describe the models or concepts of advanced biorefineries which have emerged in the last few years and that are rising currently. These models are simplified representations which enable us to understand in a simple way the structure and characteristics of a general biorefinery type. Some of these models refer to the type of feedstock while other focus on the technologies involved. A biorefinery may resemble these models or be the result of variations and combinations of them. It should be noted that although these paradigms are very useful and instructive, they show limitations in describing and classifying complex systems with high level of integration. In order to define and describe a specific complex case, the blog recommends use the classification proposed by IEA Bioenerg...
Read more

Hidrotratamiento (HVO) – Conceptos, materias primas y especificaciones

By -
Image
English version Sección: BIOCOMBUSTIBLES AVANZADOS Serie: HVO - Hidrotratamiento (HVO) – Conceptos, materias primas y especificaciones - Hidrotratamiento(HVO) – Ventajas sobre el biodiesel convencional y propiedades - Biorrefinerías de Aceites Vegetales Hidrotatados (HVO) – El auge del diésel renovable - Entradas: HVO                El acrónimo HVO significa en inglés “ Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils ” (“Aceites Vegetales Hidrotratados”) o ” Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils ” (“Aceites Vegetales Hidrogenados”). Clave del proceso: Tratamiento con hidrógeno. En el proceso de producción de HVO, el hidrógeno se usa para eliminar el oxígeno de los triglicéridos produciendo una mezcla de parafinas lineales, CO 2 y agua. Posteriormente, el producto de la primera etapa se isomeriza, siempre en presencia de hidrógeno, para ramificar las cadenas lineales con el propósito de mejorar las propieda...
Read more

Biobased acrylic acid

By -
Image
Versión en Español Type of post: Fact sheet. Series: Biobased chemicals – Organic acids. Publication date: 05/05/2021. Last update: 05/05/2021. Description - Organic acid with 3 carbon atoms. - It is a clear, colourless, corrosive liquid with a characteristic acrid or tart smell. - Other names: prop-2-enoic acid. Applications - Formation of homopolymers or copolymers which are used in the manufacture of various adhesives, coatings, diapers, detergents, paints, plastics and textiles. The main use of crude acrylic acid is the generation of acrylate esters, followed by the production of polyacrylic acid, used mostly in superabsorbent polymers. - Chemical intermediate in multiple industrial processes. Conventional petrochemical route - Cracking of fossil naphtha to produce propylene / Oxidation of propylene. Main biobased routes - [3-HPA via] Fermentation of sugars to produce 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HPA) / Dehydration of 3-HPA. - [Biobased naphtha via] Cracking of biobased naphth...
Read more

Biofuels from algae

By -
Image
In my opinion, the production of biofuels and biobased chemicals from algae is one of the most fascinating topics in the sector of the biorefineries and it will be one of the niches of opportunity with highest potential in the medium and the long terms. This post pretend to be a very basic approach to the topic Algae-to-Biofuels through three general key points. Algae 1,2,3,4,5 Algae include a wide variety of photosynthetic organisms capable of transforming light, water and specific nutrients into products that can be used with commercial and industrial purposes. We can say that algae are sunlight-driven factories with potential to convert CO 2 into biofuels, high-value biochemical, food and feed. There are four algae cultivation technologies currently in use for commercial algae cultivation and proposed for algal biofuel production: extensive or open ponds, intensive or raceway ponds, closed photobioreactors in many designs and closed fermenter systems. Algal biof...
Read more