BioRefineries Blog

Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Veolia launches the world's largest biorefinery project producing CO2-neutral bio-methanol from a pulp mill, located in Finland. Press release: " Veolia launches an innovative industrial solution to produce CO2-neutral biofuel from pulp production ", 06/04/2022. The refinery, owned and operated by Veolia, will be adjacent and partly built into Metsä Fibre’s Äänekoski plant in Finland. With an annual production capacity of 12.000 tons, the plant, due to come on stream by 2024, will allow to avoid up to 30.000 tons of CO2 emissions per year2. The 50 M€ investment is supported by a grant from the Finnish ministry of economy and employment Developed in close cooperation with Metsä Fibre, the largest cooperative forestry association in Europe, the refinery will be based on Veolia’s industrial scale concept of commercial bioproduct-derived biomethanol production, which safely integrates the refining of crude sulphate methanol into the pulp productio...

Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. AFYREN has announced the finalization on time and at cost of the construction of AFYREN NEOXY, the first industrial-scale biobased carboxylic acid plant using sugar beet co-products as raw material. Press release: " AFYREN announces the industrial commissioning of its AFYREN NEOXY plant and publishes its 2021 Full-Year Results ", 24/03/2022. Related post: " AFYREN starts construction of its first biorefinery to produce biobased organic acids ", 25/11/2020. Figure 1. AFYREN completes construction of its first industrial-scale plant for the production of biobased carboxylic acids In the second half of 2020, AFYREN launched the construction of AFYREN NEOXY, its first large-scale plant, located in Carling-Saint Avold, in the Grand Est region. Today, the construction phase for this plant is nearing completion: all the equipment has been delivered and the acceptance and start-up process is underway in accordance with the planned schedule. Thes...

Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Versalis, Eni's chemical company, has begun the production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass at Crescentino (Vercelli). Press release: “ Versalis: the production of bioethanol up and running at Crescentino ”, 02/02/2022. Related post: “ Versalis acquires Beta Renewables and Biochemtex ”, 18/10/2018. Figure 1. Crescentino biorefinery The plant, which was acquired in 2018, has been overhauled thanks to major investments and has started the production of advanced bioethanol, in compliance with the European legislation for the development of renewable energy RED II, as it is derived from raw materials that do not interfere with the food chain. The bioethanol, produced using Proesa® technology is ISCC-EU certified and will be used to formulate gasoline with a renewable component. The plant is capable of processing 200,000 tons of biomass per year, with a maximum production capacity of approximately 25,000 tons of bioethanol per year. Followi...

Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. The Province of Groningen has granted the Cosun Beet Company a subsidy of three million euros for the construction of a sustainable biorefinery in Delfzijl. In this innovative facility, sugar beet pulp from Cosun’s sugar factories will be transformed into new plant-based products. Press release: “ Subsidy for sustainable biorefinery from sugar beet pulp ”, 02/02/2022. Figure 1. Cosun Beet Company obtains a grant for the construction of a sustainable biorefinery (extracted from the press release) These products can be used as environmentally friendly replacements for microplastics in paint, detergents, toothpaste, shampoo, makeup and more. The factory will produce on 100% green energy and will create more than 40 jobs. The subsidy is being awarded based on the Investing in Future-proof Industry scheme. The final investment decision by the Cosun Beet Company will be made later this year.

Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Rayonier Advanced Materials (RYAM) has announced the introduction of a second generation (2G) ethanol product for Europe’s fast-growing biofuels market. Produced using wood-based feedstock (not in competition with food), RYAM bioethanol will have a ninety percent smaller carbon footprint compared to fossil fuel-based gasoline. Press release: “ Rayonier Advanced Materials Announces Investment In Second Generation Bioethanol Plant, An Important Step In Its BioFuture ”, 18/01/2022. Rayonier Advanced Materials’ biorefinery model captures residual sugars from its existing pulp process and converts the sugars into 2G bioethanol. This circular process, which utilizes a greater portion of the tree to create higher-value products, represents a more sustainable operating model. Designed to produce up to 21 million liters of bioethanol, construction on RYAM’s 2G production facility is scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2022 with commercial sales targeted for the Su...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Attero , Nordsol and Titan have been awarded 4,3 M€ in funding for a bio-LNG production plant. The FirstBio2Shipping project will help decarbonize maritime transport through scalable and decentralized production of bio-LNG. Press release: “ Titan, Attero, and Nordsol awarded €4,3M in funding for a bio-LNG production plant ”, 13/12/2021. Figure 1. Attero, Nordsol and Titan receive funding from the EU for a bio-LNG plant It is one of the first projects to receive funding from the Fit for 55 package. The plant, set to be completed in 2023, will produce around 2,400 ton/year of bio-LNG (liquefied biomethane) and will be located at the Attero facility in Wilp (Netherlands). It will supply into existing LNG fuelling infrastructure. Bio-LNG originates from organic waste flows, particularly domestic and agricultural waste that are available in abundance. Attero will produce 6 million Nm3 of biogas per year from domestic biowaste for the...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Avantium has taken a positive Final Investment Decision (FID) on the construction of its FDCA flagship plant. Press release: “ Avantium takes a positive Final Investment Decision on the construction of its FDCA Flagship Plant ”, 03/12/2021. Related posts: - “ Avantium redefines its commercialization strategy of PEF ”, 10/06/2019. - “ Worley awarded FEED contract for Avantium FDCA plant in Delfzijl ”, 15/06/2020. - “ Avantium secures two additional offtake agreements for its planned FDCA biorefinery ”, 29/03/2021. Figure 1. The Journey of Avantium’s PEF towards Commercialisation The positive FID was taken after the company fulfilled all three Key Conditions it had defined: (1) securing sufficient financing; (2) finalising the engineering and establishing the supply chain; (3) and obtaining sufficient offtake commitments for the Flagship Plant. With the recent signing of a 90 M€ committed debt financing term sheet, the final outstandi...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Origin Materials, Inc has successfully lifted and installed all its previously fabricated key production modules for its first manufacturing plant (“Origin 1”) in October 2021, six months ahead of schedule. The construction of Origin 1 is on budget and on track for completion by the end of 2022, with commissioning and production start-up beginning thereafter. Press release: “ Origin Materials Completes Lifting and Installation of Key Production Modules for Origin 1 Six Months Ahead of Plan ”, 28/10/2021. Related posts: “ NaturALL Bottle Alliance (Danone, Nestlé Waters and Origin Materials) to build a pioneer bio-PET plant ”, 06/03/2017. Figure 1. The construction of the first biorefinery of Origin Materials is on track for completion by the end of 2022 Headquartered in West Sacramento, Origin has developed a platform for turning the carbon found in non-food biomass such as sustainable wood residues into useful materials while capturi...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Yosemite Clean Energy (Yosemite) has announced that it has secured the site for developing its first renewable hydrogen and renewable natural gas (RNG) production plant in Oroville (California, USA) with groundbreaking scheduled for Q2 of 2022. Press release: “ Yosemite Clean Energy Has Secured Their First Plant Site Commercial Scale Carbon-Negative Biofuels from Waste Wood, Stewarding California Forests and Farmland ”, 28/10/2021. Figure 1. Yosemite Clean Energy logo Yosemite will sustainably convert waste woody biomass into syngas, from which carbon negative renewable hydrogen and RNG is produced using downstream technology already widely commercialized in the US. Yosemite's biofuels production facilities will utilize the gasification technology of Repotec . The Oroville plant will be the flagship dual-bed gasification facility in the Americas, following over 100,000 hours of commercial run-time across developed plants in E...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Celtic Renewables has confirmed the completion of its biorefinery in Caledon Green (Grangemouth, Scotland). News (insider.co.uk): “ Celtic Renewables confirm completion of Scotland's first biorefinery ”, 28/10/2021. Related posts: - “ Celtic Renewables to build plant for demonstrating production of biobutanol from whisky residue ”, 19/12/2017. - “ Celtic Renewables biorefinery construction hits a major milestone ”, 18/09/2020. Figure 1. Caledon Green plant (taken from the website of Celtic Renewables) The facility, built by Muir Construction , will process the residues from local distilleries to produce high value sustainable biochemical products (acetone, butanol and ethanol) to displace existing petrochemicals, as well as a high protein sustainable animal feed product. The Caledon Green Plant will be the company’s flagship demonstration facility and the springboard for the commercialization of its process technology across th...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Clariant has announced the official completion of its sunliquid® cellulosic ethanol plant in Podari (Romania). Press release: “ Clariant completes construction of first commercial sunliquid cellulosic ethanol plant in Podari, Romania ”, 15/10/2021. Related posts: - “ Clariant starts the construction of its cellulosic ethanol plant in Romania ”, 17/09/2018. - “ Clariant moves forward with the installation of the Valmet pretreatment BioTrac at the cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Podari ”, 05/04/2021. Figure 1. Sunliquid® cellulosic ethanol plant in Podari The plant in Podari (Dolj county) is built on a 10-hectare area on which construction was initiated in 2019. The completed construction is an important next step for the commercial deployment of sunliquid® technology and supports Clariant’s sunliquid® licensing business strategy. The facility will be operational in the fourth quarter. It will process 250 ktons of straw to produc...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Production is now underway at Pyrocell 's plant in Gävle (Sweden). The new plant converts sawdust into bio-oil. Press release: “ Pyrocell commences production ”, 20/09/2021. Related posts: - “ BTG-BTL and TechnipFMC to build a pyrolysis plant in Sweden for Pyrocell ”, 16/09/2019. - “ Pyrocell holds the groundbreaking ceremony marking construction start of Sweden's first biofuels pyrolysis plant ”, 24/03/2020. Figure 1. Pyrocell commences pyrolysis oil production in Sweden Pyrocell, which is jointly owned by Setra and Preem, was formed in 2018 based on the business concept of producing bio-oil from sawdust. Pyrocell's plant is located next to Setra Kastet sawmill in Gävle. There, sawdust, which is a residual product in Setra's industrial process, is converted into non-fossil pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil is then refined into renewable diesel and petrol at Preem's refinery in Lysekil. The plant will produce arou...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. ADM and LG Chem have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore US-based production of lactic acid to meet growing demand for a wide variety of plant-based products, including bioplastics. Press release: “ ADM, LG Chem Expand Relationship with MoU For US Production of Lactic Acid and Polylactic Acid for Bioplastics, Other Plant-Based Solutions ”, 14/09/2021. Figure 1. The MoU was signed by ADM Chairman and CEO Juan Luciano and LG Chem Vice Chairman and CEO Hak Cheol Shin at ADM’s global headquarters in Chicago Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies plan to take steps toward launching a joint venture in early 2022 that would build, own and operate a US-based facility to produce high-purity corn-based lactic acid on a commercial scale. Moreover, the companies will collaborate on a second joint venture that would use lactic acid produced by the first joint venture to produce and commercialize polylactic acid. The ...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) has announced a final investment decision to build a biofuels facility with a capacity of 820 ktons/year at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam (the Netherlands) formerly known as the Pernis refinery. Once built, the facility will be among the biggest in Europe to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel made from waste. Press release: “ Shell to build one of Europe’s biggest biofuels facilities ”, 16/09/2021. Figure 1. Pernis refinery Advanced production methods will be used to make the fuels. The facility is expected to use technology to capture carbon emissions from the manufacturing process and store them in an empty gas field beneath the North Sea through the Porthos project. A final investment decision for Porthos is expected next year. A facility of this size could produce enough renewable diesel to avoid 2.8 Mtons of carbon dioxide emissions a year. The Rotterd...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Braskem (the largest biopolymer producer in the world) has signed a memorandum of understanding with SCG Chemicals (one of the largest integrated petrochemical companies in Thailand) to perform studies to jointly invest in a new bioethanol dehydration plant in Thailand to produce biobased ethylene and polyethylene. Press release: “ Braskem and SCG Chemicals to study joint investment into bio-based ethylene production for bio-based polyethylene in Thailand ”, 09/09/2021. Related posts: “ Biobased polyolefins - Biobased Polyethylene (bio-PE) ”. Figure 1. Green ethylene plant at the Triunfo Petrochemical Complex in Rio Grande do Sul (RS) This Project would allow the combination of Braskem's technology and bioplastics know-how with SCG Chemicals' knowledge of the Asian market and expertise in PE production. If the feasibility studies are approved with mutual agreement between parties, the production facility would be located i...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. LG Chem will partner with biodiesel company Dansuk Industrial to establish a joint HVO plant, in order to secure biobased materials required for the production of more sustainable products. Press release: “ LG Chem to build Korea's first next-generation Hydro-Treated Vegetable Oil plant with Dansuk Industrial ”, 02/09/2021. Figure 1. LG Chem has signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) for the establishment of an HVO joint venture on September 2nd at the Dansuk Industrial headquarters in Siheungin the presence of executives from both companies The two companies will sign the definitive agreement in the first quarter of next year and aim to complete the construction of the production plant by 2024. This is the first time that an HVO plant will be built in Korea, and this plant is one of 10 new plants at the Daesan Complex recently announced by LG Chem. When a joint venture is established, LG Chem will prepare a base for supplying ra...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Arbor Renewable Gas, LLC will use Topsoe’s TIGAS  technology for producing renewable gasoline at a new facility in the Gulf Coast region (USA). Press release: “ Arbor Renewable Gas chooses Topsoe’s TIGAS™ technology for renewable gasoline ”, 19/08/2021. The facility will expectedly be operational by 2024 to produce 1,000 barrels per day of renewable gasoline with a significantly negative carbon intensity score under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The use of this fuel by consumers avoids the emission of at least 250,000 tons of CO2 to the atmosphere every year. Topsoe will supply the methanol synthesis technologies and the backend gasoline synthesis unit (TIGAS™). The methanol synthesis loop is based on the modular MeOH-To-Go™ design.

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Toyo Engineering Corporation together with JERA Co., Inc., Mitsubishi Power, Ltd., and ITOCHU Corporation have launched a study to establish a commercial-scale production technology of SAF (Sustainable Avianton Fuel) and create a supply chain of SAF in Japan integrating technologies of gasification and FT synthesis. Press release Toyo: “ TOYO to participate in a joint study for the establishment of a commercial-scale SAF production technology and the creation of a supply chain ”, 31/08/2021. Press release Velocys: “ Velocys collaboration with Toyo advances to commercial stage ”, 31/08/2021. Related post: “ Velocys secures order for a biojet fuel demo plant in Japan ”, 24/09/2019. Figure 1. Toyo to participate in a study for the establishment of a commercial-scale SAF biorefinery in Japan The entire project period is about 4 years (2021-2024). The consortium will study how to materialize SAF production business and evaluate its bu...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. ExxonMobil has announced that its majority-owned affiliate Imperial Oil Ltd. is moving forward with plans to produce renewable diesel at a new complex at its Strathcona refinery in Edmonton (Canada). Press release: “ ExxonMobil affiliate to produce renewable diesel to help reduce transportation emissions in Canada ”, 25/08/2021. Figure 1. ExxonMobil affiliate Imperial intends to produce renewable diesel in Edmonton When construction is complete, the refinery is expected to produce approximately 20,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel, which could reduce emissions in the Canadian transportation sector by about 3 million metric tons per year. The complex will utilize locally grown plant-based feedstock and hydrogen with carbon capture and storage (CCS) as part of the manufacturing process. The renewable diesel production process will utilize blue hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas with carbon capture and storage. Prod...

English version Tipo de entrada: NOTICIA BREVE. LCY Biosciences anunciaba que había adquirido la planta de ácido succínico biobasado de BioAmber y que estaba lista para reanudar sus operaciones en 2020. Ahora, se ha confirmado que la compañía está produciendo ácido succínico y carotenoides en la antigua biorrefinería de BioAmber. Noticia (The Sarnia Journal): “ A once defunct Sarnia bioplastics plant has risen from the ashes ”, 17/08/2021. Figura 1. Planta de LCY Biosciences en el parque bioindustrial Lanxess en la calle Vidal (créditos: Glenn Ogilvie) BioAmber formó una empresa conjunta con Mitsui para construir una planta de ácido succínico en Sarnia (Ontario, Canadá). La instalación, con una capacidad nominal de 30 ktons/año, fue puesta en servicio en agosto de 2015. Sin embargo, en 2018, con una fuerte deuda y pocos clientes, cerró la planta de Sarnia y se declaró en quiebra, dejando a 60 personas desempleadas. Según The Sarnia Journal, después de comprar la planta e inve...