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.
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.
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.
“The bioeconomy offers great opportunities for the European chemical industry to create new products, diversify its raw material base and reduce its dependence on non-renewable resources”. To say it – in this long exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Daniele Ferrari, CEO Versalis, the Chemical Division of Italian oil giant ENI, and President CEFIC, the European Chemical Industry Council. Ferrari talks with us about the main challenges the European chemical industry is facing, the circular bioeconomy and the next steps of Versalis in the green chemistry field.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
Haldor Topsoe will build a 10 kg/hour methanol plant to demonstrate the company’s electrified and extremely compact eSMR Methanol™ technology for cost-competitive production of sustainable methanol from biogas. The eSMR Methanol™ technology exploits the full carbon potential of biogas by utilizing the 40% CO2 content which is routinely separated and vented today. The technology heats the process using green electricity from wind turbines or solar panels instead of natural gas.
Anellotech’s MinFree™ technology, an innovative, patent pending biomass pretreatment process has been demonstrated to significantly reduce the mineral (ash) content of loblolly pine at a 20 metric ton/day scale. Month-long trials converting this MinFree™-treated, low-mineral pine into aromatics (BTX) at Anellotech’s Bio-TCat™ process TCat-8® pilot plant showed extended, economic catalyst life.
BP Ventures has made an investment of $30 million in Calysta, Inc., an alternative protein producer, that will use BP’s natural gas to produce protein for fish, livestock and pet feeds.
The investment supports BP’s strategy of creating new markets in which gas can play a material role in delivering a more sustainable future and establishing a strategic relationship between BP and California-based start-up Calysta around gas and power supply.
Calysta’s proprietary gas fermentation technology produces FeedKind® protein, a sustainable feedstock that can be used for fish, livestock and pet nutritional products. The innovative process has the potential to help meet the growing demand for feed in the aquaculture and wider agriculture markets without some of the environmental impacts of current sourcing methods. Continue reading
Finnish bioeconomy takes a step forward. KaiCell Fibers Ltd is led to the stage that preparation for construction can get started. Environment permit is in the authority evaluation, mill site is contracted, and coding is getting ready, big share of the wood supply is pre-contracted, technical preparations are well advanced and industrial partners have readiness to join in.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 