Nouryon will double capacity at its surfactants plant in Stenungsund, Sweden, to support the growth of several existing products as well as new sustainable technologies for markets including oil and gas, lubricants and fuels, and asphalt. The €12-million expansion and upgrade project includes the installation of a new reactor and is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2021.
Braskem, the world’s leading biopolymer producer, signed a collaboration agreement with the prestigious European research center Toulouse White Biotechnology (TWB) for the development of renewable solutions. Specializing in scientific projects, the center will be an important partner for advancing new research and development routes based on natural resources, which will contribute to progress in sustainable, innovative solutions and economically viable for manufacturers and society as a whole.
Experts from the leading edge of bioeconomy gather together in the outstanding nature of northeast Finland for roundtable discussions at the second ever World BioEconomy Forum in September. From September 11 to 13, Ruka will host some of the world’s most influential bioeconomy stakeholders, policymakers, researchers and innovators as speakers. Program is arranged by well-established Advisory Board (AB) of circular bioeconomy advocators.
Naples will be the world capital of the bioeconomy for a couple of days. The International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (IFIB) goes to the fascinating Italian city from 3 to 4 October at the Congress Center of the University Federico II.
Telaketju, a network promoting sustainable recycling of textiles, shifts its focus from recycling to managing the whole value chain, extending textile life-span and creating novel business models. A two-year R&D project, led by VTT, will gather more than 20 companies and research partners together to create a sustainable basis for the circular economy of textiles.
IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN) and Total signed a strategic R&D partnership that includes an agreement to endow a chair atthe IFP School, on carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and technologies to curb CO2 emissions. The roughly €40 millionpartnership covers a period of five years.
Novo Holdings and LanzaTech, a pioneer in the production of next generation fuels and chemicals through the recycling of carbon pollution, have formed a partnership to grow LanzaTech’s revolutionary sustainable fuels and chemicals platform. Novo Holdings is making a $72 million investment in the company in a Series E financing, and Senior Director Anders Bendsen Spohr will join LanzaTech’s Board of Directors.
Metsä Spring, Metsä Group’s innovation company, has made an equity investment in Woodio Ltd, a leading developer of waterproof wood composite products. The financing round totals approximately EUR 4 million, and Metsä Spring participates in the round together with current investors Ardent Venture BV, Finow Ltd, NextStone Ltd and Valve Ventures Ltd.
Stora Enso has initiated feasibility studies for a possible cross laminated timber (CLT) unit in connection with its Ždírec mill in the Czech Republic and a new construction beam unit to be located at the Ybbs mill in Austria. The Scandinavian company also plans to consolidate production to increase focus on efficiency and to streamline the asset base.
Cargill is one of the main players of the world bioeconomy. The company founded in 1865 by William Wallace Cargill in Minnesota, USA, has today more than 155,000 employees worldwide serving food and beverage manufacturers, foodservice companies and retailers with food ingredients as well as food and non-food applications.
In this exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista, Colleen May, President of Cargill’s Bioindustrial Group, tells us what is the bioeconomy from her company’s point of view and what are Cargill’s next steps in the green chemistry.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
IL BIOECONOMISTA 