Helios Resins, a Slovenian based producer of advanced coating- and composite resins, signed a capacity reservation agreement for FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) developed by Avantium, a leading company in renewable and circular polymer materials. FDCA is a raw material whose commercial applications include coating resins, surfactants, polyamides, polyurethanes and the 100% plant-based polymer material PEF (polyethylene furanoate).
Ryanair, Europe’s no.1 airline, and Enilive, a company directly controlled by Italian company Eni which holds 100% of its share capital, signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the long-term supply of Enilive sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at selected Ryanair airports across Italy, further advancing the airline’s Pathway to Net Zero by 2050 decarbonization strategy. This agreement with Enilive would enable Ryanair to access to up to 100,000 tons (33m gallons) of SAF between 2025 and 2030 (equiv. to 20,000 flights from Milano Malpensa Airport to Dublin).
Thomas Philipon is the CEO of TotalEnergies Corbion, a global leader in the marketing, sales and production of PLA (Poly Lactic Acid). He is also the Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEO 2023 according to the readers of Il Bioeconomista. In this exclusive interview with us, Philipon talks about the meaning of innovation in the bioeconomy, the role played by TotalEnergies Corbion and above all the European legislative framework to support the ecological transition, in comparison with USA and China. “Europe – he states – is leading in the bioeconomy, but needs to support sectors like bioplastics, otherwise the risk is that we develop the know-how, but other areas of the world (USA and China), will scale up the production of these products”.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
Global Bioenergies, France-headquartered company which is a key player in industrial biotechnology, signed a new development contract with Shell Global Solutions (Deutschland) GmbH to further develop low carbon road fuels. While the previous phases of the collaboration, starting at the end of 2022, were dedicated to exploring different potential options based on proprietary Global Bioenergies’ technology, the aim now is to focus on one specific route.
There is a Scottish bioeconomy beyond Brexit. The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has been awarded long-term investment from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), securing its position at the forefront of Scotland’s emerging bioeconomy. The commitment, announced by the First Minister yesterday, will enable the innovation centre to continue the development of a greener economy and support Scotland’s transition to net zero. Industrial biotechnology explores the creation of more sustainable materials, consumer goods and pharmaceuticals by using bio-based alternatives to petrochemicals.
Lallemand Inc, a global leader within industrial biotechnology headquartered in Montreal (Canada), confirmed the closing in December 2023 of the acquisition by its subsidiary Danstar Ferment AG of Swiss biotechnology business Evolva AG from Evolva Holding AG. The transaction which was originally announced to the Swiss Stock Exchange on 21 November 2023 was approved by Evolva Holding shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting on 21st December 2023.
Mogu Srl, Italy-headquartered company which transforms low-value materials and residues from agro-industry into functional and high-value products, has successfully secured the backing of CDP Venture Capital, European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF VC), Kering Ventures, and Progress Tech Transfer, as part of a € 11 million series A funding round, who have taken equity stakes to allow for further industrial scaling of the company’s technologies behind their key verticals and brands, EPHEATM and MOGU.
The new organ of the Helsinki Music Centre played in a celebratory concert on January 1, 2024. The striking facade pipes of the Rieger organ are the first of their kind, crafted from Finnish, wood-based UPM Formi 3D biocomposite. The organ features 3D-printed sounding pipes and wind lines totalling 260 meters. With 124 sound registers divided among several different sets of pipes, it is the largest in Finland and Scandinavia, among the largest in Europe, and the largest modern organ placed in a concert hall worldwide.
London-based company Renovare Fuels will open in Northern Ireland a new facility to produce 2 million litres of biofuels a year, using technology developed in conjunction with NASA and the US Department of Energy. In an initiative to meet growing demand for alternatives to fossil fuels, the British specialist is pioneering a groundbreaking method to transform biogas into liquid fuels such as diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Dear Readers,
we want to wish all of you a very happy, peaceful and healthy year, where we all will keep working together to make the circular bioeconomy happen.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 