The bioeconomy is today, in our everyday life: Reverdia’s Biosuccinium® has been used in the production of biobased materials for VAUDE’s new Skarvan range. As part of the completely redesigned Summer 2018 Shoe Collection, they offer consumers a sustainable choice of trekking shoe with high-end design.
Technology
Avantium locates a new pilot biorefinery at Chemie Park Delfzijl in the Netherlands
Avantium, the Dutch forerunner in renewable chemistry, locates a new pilot biorefinery at Chemie Park Delfzijl, in the Netherlands. Avantium and chemical giant AkzoNobel have signed a contract for the pilot plant accommodation and the supply of various facilities and services. The pilot plant will validate the technical and economic feasibility of Avantium’s Zambezi process, which aims to convert woodchips and other second generation biomass into raw materials for the chemical industry. This is an essential step in scaling up the technology from lab to commercial operations.
The EU Commission’s Bioeconomy Knowledge Centre (BKC) will be launched tomorrow
Strong results in Italy for Genomatica’s GENO BDO biobased process technology
Genomatica has strong results for its GENO BDO biobased process technology regarding overall process performance and production volume to date for bio-based 1,4-butanediol (BDO). Novamont, Genomatica’s first GENO BDO licensee, has officially confirmed that its new industrial plant in Bottrighe, Italy has met all performance guarantees committed to by Genomatica. The guarantees include technical and economic parameters, such as efficiency of converting feedstock sugars to Bio- BDO product and product quality. The process runs as designed, as modeled, and as represented.
Arkema will invest some €300 million over 5 years in the biosourced polyamide 11 chain
Arkema will invest some 300 million euros over five years in the biosourced polyamide 11 chain. This major investment will enable the French chemical group to increase by 50% its polyamide 11 global production capacities. The project falls in line with Arkema’s strategy to speed up its development in advanced materials, one of the key pillars of its future growth, sustained by a unique portfolio of innovations around the main sustainable development trends.
Danish Asnæs Power Station to phase out coal
Novozymes, Novo Nordisk, Kalundborg Forsyning and DONG Energy signed a new 20-year agreement which enables Denmark’s largest coal-fired power station unit, the Asnæs Power Station, to phase out coal and replace it with wood chips. Novozymes sources steam from the power station.
An interview with Jaymin Amin, Chief Operating Officer, Ingenza
“The UK cannot solve the problem on its own, and we will need to collaborate with foreign governments and companies if we are to truly tackle the crisis ahead.” To say it referring to Brexit – in this exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Jaymin Amin, COO at Ingenza, the spin-out from the University of Edinburgh founded in 2002, which is today one of the most dynamic European industrial biotech company. With Amin we talk about industrial biotechnology and bioeconomy in Scotland.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
Start-up of Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill to begin next August
The Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill start-up will begin in mid-August, and pulp deliveries from the new mill to customers will begin in early September. The current pulp mill at Äänekoski – the company announced – will be shut down once the bioproduct mill starts up.
ExxonMobil and Synthetic Genomics achieve algae biofuel breakthrough
ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded petroleum and petrochemical enterprise in the world, and Synthetic Genomics Inc., a global leader in the fields of synthetic biology and synthetic genomics, achieved a breakthrough in joint research into advanced biofuels involving the modification of an algae strain that more than doubled its oil content without significantly inhibiting the strain’s growth.
Bioindustrial Innovation Canada invests in Sacramento-based Origin Materials
Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) has made a COMM SCI (Centre for Commercialization of Sustainable Chemistry Innovation) investment, whose amount wasn’t disclosed, in Origin Materials through BIC’s Sustainable Chemistry Alliance (SCA) investment fund, as part of an investment round that will see Origin construct its first commercial scale demonstration facility in Sarnia (Ontario) by late 2018.
