AFYREN starts construction of its first biorefinery to produce biobased organic acids
Project name |
AFYREN
NEOXY. It is an
industrial joint venture between AFYREN and Bpifrance's SPI fund, which holds
a 49% stake. |
Location |
Carling/Saint-Avold
(France). Total
provides operational support for the project through its Total Développement
Régional (TDR) entity, facilitating the installation of the future plant on
the Chemesis industrial platform. AFYREN
chose to establish itself in this strategic European location because of
proximity to its suppliers and customers and to promote short supply chains
for sustainable products. |
Feedstock |
Non-food
biomass. |
Products
and production capacity |
16 ktons of
seven 100% biobased organic acids (acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid,
isobutyric acid, valeric acid, isovaleric acid and caproic acid), serving a
global market that is worth 10 billion euros and is growing at around 5%
annually. These
chemicals are used in the human and animal nutrition sectors, as well as
cosmetics, perfumes, pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. |
Environmental
impacts |
- The
process divides the CO2 emissions by 3 compared with traditional
production methods for carboxylic acids of fossil origin. - By
reusing agricultural waste, the factory will increase the economic and
environmental sustainability of sugar beet, a key European crop. - The
plant is aiming for “zero industrial waste.” Its industrial process will not
require external water consumption, and all by-products will be put to good
use. - Its
location in the Grand Est region places it as close as possible to both
supplies and customers. |
Employment
effect |
The
creation of a competent and committed team will create nearly 60 direct jobs
and up to 200 indirect jobs in the industrial and construction/engineering
sectors. |
Timeline |
AFYREN’s
industrial team has been giving 100 % to this project for almost two years. Today,
things are really taking shape with the launching of the plant’s
construction. The next
big steps are the completion of civil engineering works, the installation of
the first pieces of equipment and the construction of the administrative
building. Commissioning
of the industrial unit is planned for early 2022. |