KIA Motors is using bio-based paint supplied by AkzoNobel for the inside of its new EV9 electric SUV. It’s the first time the vehicle manufacturer has specified an interior bio-based coating. Two kinds of bio-rosin (rosin is a solid form of resin) have been used to create the product, one extracted from rapeseed, the other from pine rosin. The paint can be found on the EV9’s interior door switch panels, with AkzoNobel also supplying coatings for the rest of the interior.
LanzaTech Global, Inc., the Illinois-headquartered carbon recycling company transforming waste carbon into sustainable raw materials, and Olayan Financing Company (OFC), the parent company of The Olayan Group’s businesses and investments in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, have formed a joint venture company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to accelerate the commercial deployment of LanzaTech’s carbon recycling technology in hard-to-abate industries within the Kingdom. The joint venture will deploy and develop projects utilizing LanzaTech’s carbon recycling technology within KSA and selectively across the broader Middle East.
NatureWorks, a leading manufacturer of polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymers made from renewable resources headquartered in Minnesota (USA), made significant progress on the construction of their new fully integrated Ingeo PLA biopolymer manufacturing facility in Nakhon Sawan Province, Thailand.
Rotterdam was the European capital of industrial biotechnology from Monday to Wednesday. More than 300 professionals from across the value chain, including researchers, policymakers, regulators, SME representatives, and global organisations met and discussed advancements in industrial biotechnology and its contribution towards positioning Europe as a global leader in addressing societal and sustainability challenges.
The two-day programme included inspiring plenaries, a start-up pitching hour, and thematic conference sessions ranging from food to sustainable finance and biomaterials – as well as new frontiers like biomanufacturing.
EFIB was a unique opportunity to boost networks, meet Europe’s SMEs, show innovations and discuss with businesses and decision-makers on the future of the European circular bioeconomy. The Forum ended with a statement, the so-called Rotterdam statement that will be published soon by EuropaBio.
Next year EFIB will take place in Marseille, France, from 4 to 5 November
“We need to grow the bio-based sector. Especially, if you look at the challenges the world is facing. That means, not just research and innovation, but actually scaling-up the production of our new bio-based products and processes in Europe. For that, we need more investment in new biorefineries in Europe.” Dirk Carrez, CEO of BIC (Biobased Industries Consortium), a non-profit organisation set up in Brussels in 2013 to represent the private sector in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the European Commission, talks to Il Bioeconomista about present and future of the European bioeconomy.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
LanzaTech Global, the carbon recycling company transforming waste carbon into sustainable raw materials, has collaborated with chemical giant Dow to introduce a new biodegradable surfactant to the home care market. Dow’s surfactant, EcoSense™ 2470, is made using LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart™ technology and ensures immediate market entry, while maintaining high-performance standards and advancing sustainability with recycled carbon materials. Surfactants are a critical ingredient for creating the foam and cleaning action of many household cleaning and laundry products.
Origin Materials, a leading carbon negative materials company with a mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials, started the commercial-scale production at Origin 1, located in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, the first commercial plant of its kind.
For the first time, BIC has published a Trend Report on how Europe can unleash the full potential of the bioeconomy, enabling it to better contribute to the EU’s green transition. In 2012, the world admired Europe as a global frontrunner for launching its EU bioeconomy strategy. Today, the world and Europe look to other regions that are bolder in making the bioeconomy a strategic industry sector. In particular, the US with its recently-launched initiatives, but also China, India and the G20.
Last Friday European Commission gave the green light to Novamont’s purchase by Versalis. In April the Eni’s chemical company and a shareholder of Novamont (36%) and Mater-Bi – a company controlled by Investitori Associati II and NB Renaissance – signed an agreement for Versalis to acquire the remaining 64% of Novamont’s shares currently held by Mater-Bi. Novamont is a leading international company in the field of chemistry from renewable sources.
Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, is today and tomorrow the cradle of the Industrial Renaissance led by the circular bioeconomy. The Italian fascinating city is the world capital of the bioeconomy. The International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (IFIB) is taking place in Tuscany this year at the Innovation Center of Fondazione CR Firenze.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 