BioRefineries Blog

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. The Finnish company Fintoil has recently issued a 70 M€ green bond. The project is now fully financed and the company has also secured its working capital financing. Press release: “ Fintoilin Haminan biojalostamon rahoitus valmistui ”, 28/06/2021. Information for investors . Related posts: - “ Fintoil invests more than 100 M€ in a biorefinery in Finland ”, 06/02/2020. - “ The construction of the Fintoil’s CTO biorefinery to begin immediately in the Port of HaminaKotka ”, 16/02/2021. A total 130 M€ in debt and equity financing has been raised for the biorefinery investment making it fully financed. The financing consists of a 70 M€ senior green bond, a 10 M€ SSRCF (Super Senior Revolving Credit Facility) credit facility, a 40 M€ preferred equity instrument and a 11 M€ equity financing. Fintoil is in the process of building the world's third largest crude tall oil refinery in the port area of ​​Hamina. The construction work shoul...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Metsä Spring Ltd (Metsä Group’s innovation company) has made an equity investment in Montinutra Ltd , a startup converting forest industry side streams into high-value bioactive products. The financing round totals approximately 1 M€ and Metsä Spring is participating in the round with current and new private investors. Press release: “ Metsä Spring invests in Montinutra, a startup that commercialises wood extract ”, 01/03/2021. Figure 1. Montinutra logo Montinutra intends to produce valuable ingredients for the cosmetics, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries using forest industry side streams as its raw material. Metsä Group has two spruce sawmills in Finland, which may provide sawdust for the production. During 2021, Montinutra will build a pilot-scale production facility and will continue to develop bioactive products and customer applications. The startup has several product ideas on the planning table. The company f...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, has made the investment decision to build a new bioproduct mill in Kemi (Finland). The value of the investment is €1.6 billion and it is the largest investment ever made by the Finnish forest industry in Finland. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €200 million loan with Metsä Fibre to support part of this investment. Press release (Metsä): “ Metsä Group builds a new bioproduct mill in Kemi, Finland ”, 11/02/2021. Press release (EIB): “ EIB backs Metsä Group’s new bioproduct mill ”, 11/02/2021. Related posts: - “ Bioproduct mills – Pillars of the new forest bioeconomy ”, 16/10/2017. - “ Metsä Fibre starts pre-engineering project to build a new bioproduct mill in Kemi ”, 29/04/2019. Figure 1. Model of the new bioproduct mill in Kemi (taken from the press release) Feedstock and processing capacity Wood required by the mill will be procured from sustainably managed forests and t...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. Fintoil Oy has announced that it has decided to go ahead and invest around 100 M€ in the construction of a new crude tall oil (CTO) biorefinery in the Port of HaminaKotka (Finland). Press release: “ Fintoil gets green light for crude tall oil biorefinery in the Port of HaminaKotka ”, 09/02/2021. Related post: “ Fintoil invests more than 100 M€ in a biorefinery in Finland ”, 06/02/2020. Figure 1. View of the Port of HaminaKotka Fintoil is owned by its key personnel and an investor group led by Finland-headed financial services and investment company Taaleri Group that also has a stake in the company. The CTO biorefinery will be located in the Port of HaminaKotka (the largest universal port in Finland) with construction to begin imminently. First announced a year ago, the final investment decision brings long-awaited positive news. The 200 ktons/year plant has recently been granted environmental and construction permits. Once operational, est...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. UPM moves forward with biofuels growth plans and starts the basic engineering phase of a next generation biorefinery. The facility would have an annual capacity of 500 ktons of high-quality renewable fuels including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The products would significantly reduce carbon footprint in the road transport and aviation, as well as replace fossil raw materials with renewable alternatives in chemicals and plastics. Press release: “ UPM’s growth plans in biofuels progress to the next stage ”, 28/01/2021. Related posts: - “ UPM Lappeenranta biorefinery marks five years of operation ”, 22/01/2020. - “ UPM celebrates the official start of the construction of its biobased chemicals facility in Leuna ”, 13/10/2020. Figure 1. UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery (taken from UPM website) UPM’s solid wood biomass-based residues and side streams would play a substantial role in the feedstock pool. In addition, it would consist of sustainab...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Cepi (Confederation of European Paper Industries) has presented the first Europe-wide study about pulp and paper industry biorefineries. Press release: “ New Cepi study on pulp & paper industry biorefineries in Europe ”, 26/01/2021. Figure 1. Cover of the study The study carried out by NC Partnering identified 139 biorefineries spread throughout Europe, with the biggest number of them located in Austria, Finland, France, Germany and Sweden. These biorefineries bring to the market new bio-based products for a myriad of industrial value chains such as aviation, civil construction, printing and publishing, packaging, food, automotive & batteries, cosmetics, personal hygiene, electronics, pharmaceuticals & medical applications, furniture, chemicals, textile, and energy. The most common bio-based products are man-made fibres, biodiesel and bio-naphta, lignosulphonate and tall oil products. The purpose of this study is also to i...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Mainstream Pine Products, LLC has announced plans for an estimated 90 M$ crude tall oil (CTO) biorefinery at the Charleston International Manufacturing Center (CIMC) in Berkeley County (South Carolina, USA). Press release: “ Mainstream Pine Products to Build New Crude Tall Oil (CTO) Biorefinery in South Carolina ”, 26/01/2021. Figure 1. Mainstream Pine Products’ 10-acre CTO biorefinery will be located in Charleston International Manufacturing Center (taken from the press release) The biorefinery will be a highly advanced recycling facility with capacity to process 110,000 tons of CTO for use in a wide range of industrial applications. With access to interstate highways, deep water shipping and rail facilities, Mainstream’s 10-acre facility will feature NEXPINUS™ technology provided by Neste Engineering Solutions Oy. The associated project management and engineering will be provided by PegasusTSI, Inc. and supported by Neste Engine...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.  The Government of Quebec, within the framework of the Technoclimat program, has awarded 5,943,000 CA$ to Bioenergy La Tuque (BELT) to demonstrate the pre-commercial potential of producing biofuels from residual forest biomass.  Press release: “ Québec accorde 5,94 M$ à Bioénergie La Tuque: un pas de plus vers la production de carburants renouvelables à base de résidus forestiers ”, 30/11/2020.  Related post: “ BELT and Neste to study the feasibility of producing renewable diesel from forest residues in La Tuque ”, 09/02/2017.   Technoclimat is an energy and greenhouse gas emission reduction innovation support program which offers financial support to project promoters who intend to demonstrate the potential of their technological innovations. The first call for projects of the specific part of the production of bioenergy was launched on February 19 to support pre-commercial innovations.  BELT is a non-profi...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.  Sekab is starting a feasibility study with the aim of investigating the conditions for building a production facility in which its own technology CelluAPP will be used to create green chemicals from forest waste.  Press release: “ Sekab is investing in its own technology: wants to build a production plant for green chemicals and biofuels ”, 3/11/2020.  Related posts:  - “ SEKAB has been selected by Kanteleen Voima as process technology provider for the NordFuel biorefinery ”, 24/04/2019.  - “ Sekab and Vertoro to build a demo biorefinery to produce a new platform for sustainable fuels, chemicals and materials ”, 11/03/2020.  - “ Praj and Sekab team up to accelerate a green transition ”, 25/05/2020.  Figure 1. Monica Normak, CTO at Sekab, in the demo facility at Örnsköldsvik (taken from the press release)  CelluAPP takes residual products from the forest (such as sawdust) and processes them...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.  Arbiom (biotechnology company developing solutions to convert wood into protein for feed and food applications) has successfully achieved a critical milestone in its Demonstration Program by completing continuous, stable operation of its fermentation technology over a seven-day period without contamination or product quality issues.  Press release: “ Arbiom achieves milestone in scale-up of Wood-to-Food Technology ”, 7/10/2020.   Figure 1. Arbiom Wood-to-Food platform technology (taken from the company website)  Throughout the Demonstration Program, fermentation and downstream process stages ran smoothly and continuously, to successfully produce over a half-ton of SylPro (a nutritional, sustainable protein-rich ingredient for feed and food applications) which exceeded Arbiom’s initial target. To complete the continuous run, Arbiom worked with Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP), a partner in the SYLFEED Cons...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.  UPM has celebrated the official start of the construction of its state-of-the-art biobased chemicals facility in Leuna (Germany). The biorefinery investment of 550 M€ is a major milestone in UPM’s strategic transformation.  Press release: “ The construction of UPM’s innovative biochemicals facility starts in Germany ”, 7/10/2020.  Related posts:  - “ UPM evaluates building a wood-based biorefinery to produce green chemicals in Germany ”, 25/8/2016.  - “ UPM invests in a biorefinery to produce biobased chemicals from wood at Leuna ”, 31/1/2020.   Figure 1. UPM will produce a range of 100% wood-based chemicals in its facility in Leuna   UPM has already established the project office at the site and is now ready to start the construction phase of the project. The work has continued uninterrupted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with high health and safety standards ensuring safe working conditions....

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS.  CRB Innovations (CRB), technology company based in Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada), has received a total investment of C$8.6 million from different Canadian public agencies. The company is developing a commercial pilot project to convert forestry wastes and other biomass sources into intermediate products that will be converted into biofuels and biobased coproducts. This project is a first of its kind for Canada’s biorefining sector. Press release: “ Canada Invests in Bioenergy in Quebec ”, 8/9/2020.   Figure 1. CRB Innovations receives grant to develop its forestry waste fractionation platform   The investment   The Government of Canada has invested C$4.5 million from the Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Growth Program , which supports clean technology R&D projects in Canada’s energy, mining and forest sectors. The program is a C$155-million investment fund that helps emerging clean technologies further reduce their ...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. Södra has built a plant for commercial biomethanol production at its pulp mill in Mönsterås (Sweden). Over the next few days, a first pilot delivery will go to Emmelev A/S , a customer that will be using biomethanol in its biodiesel production. Press release: “ Södra first in the world with fossil-free biomethanol ”, 20/2/2020. Related posts: “ Andritz to supply a biomethanol plant for a project of Södra in Mönsterås ”, 21/5/2018. Figure 1. Södra biomethanol plant at Mönsterås mill Södra decided to invest in a biomethanol production facility in 2017 to produce 5,000 tons per year of this chemical. The plant has been supplied by Andritz. In the chemical wood pulping process of Södra’s mill, methanol is formed as a by-product that contains many impurities. This raw methanol is purified to a merchantable biomethanol which is chemically identical to fossil-based methanol. Emmelev is a Danish family-owned agricultural company...

Versión en Español Type of post: NEWS. UPM enters the biobased chemicals business by investing in a biorefinery at Leuna (Germany). The biorefinery will produce a range of 100% wood-based biobased chemicals which will enable a switch from fossil raw materials to sustainable alternatives in various end applications. The investment opens totally new markets for UPM with large growth potential for the future. Press release: “ UPM invests in next generation biochemicals to drive a switch from fossil raw materials to sustainable solutions ”, 30/1/2020. Related post: “ UPM evaluates building a wood-based biorefinery to produce green chemicals in Germany ”, 25/8/2016. Figure 1. UPM bio-MEG In October 2017, UPM announced that it was evaluating the construction of a wood-based biorefinery to produce green chemicals in Germany and some preliminary information about its plans was unveiled. Yesterday, the Finish company confirmed its intention of investing in that project ai...

Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. Borregaard is increasing the production capacity for wood-based vanillin in response to the growing demand of this product. Press release: “ Borregaard increases production of bio-based vanillin ”, 30/8/2019. Related posts: - “ Borregaard to revamp its 2G ethanol plant ”, 14/9/2016. - “ Borregaard and Sappi commemorate 20th anniversary of the opening of their lignin extraction plant in South Africa ”, 15/4/2019. Figure 1. Borregaard has been producing wood-based vanillin in Norway since 1962 (taken from company website) The Norwegian company is the world’s largest producer of biobased vanillin and the only producer of vanillin made from wood. It has been producing it in Norway ( Sarpsborg Biorefinery ) since 1962. The vanillin, which is sold globally, is used in the food, beverage and cosmetics industry. The market is growing rapidly, and the trend is expected to continue and most likely be reinforced in parallel with the world’s g...

Type of post: NEWS. After the great success of the Äänekoski Bioproduct Mill , Metsä Fibre is commencing the pre-engineering activities to create conditions for building a bioproduct mill with an annual production capacity of approximately 1.5 Mtons of softwood and hardwood pulp to in its current mill site in Kemi. Press release: “ Metsä Fibre starts pre-engineering related to investments worth EUR 1.7 billion ”, 26/4/2019. Related posts: “ Bioproduct mills – Pillars of the new forest bioeconomy ”, 16/10/2017. Figure 1. Kemi pulp mill (taken from the press release) Background The Kemi pulp mill related prefeasibility study, launched in May 2018 has been finalized. The study included two alternatives: building a totally new bioproduct mill that would be clearly bigger in size than the current Kemi pulp mill or alternatively extending the life cycle of the current mill by modernizing several departments. In the study, the availability of wood raw material and the ...

Type of post: NEWS. Kanteleen Voima is planning to build a biorefinery that would produce ethanol from wood next to its thermal power plant in Haapavesi. The Swedish clean-tech company SEKAB E-Technology confirmed yesterday that it will provide the core process technology for the new facility. Its Celluapp process makes it possible to extract cellulose sugars and lignin from forest or agricultural residues and processing them into biofuels and renewable chemical products. The technology can be used in new biorefineries or to develop existing facilities. Press release: “ Finnish bioethanol project worth millions – Swedish SEKAB provides technology ”, 23/4/2019. Figure 1. Location of the planned biorefinery adjacent to the power plant in Haapavesi (taken from NordFuel website). 1 – Biorefinery / 2 – Feedstock warehouse area / 3 – Biogas and water treatment area. Name of the project NordFuel Location Adjacent to the power plant in Haapaves...