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.
Technology
Metsä Spring invested in Woodio, a developer of waterproof wood composite products
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.
An exclusive interview with Daniele Ferrari, CEO Versalis (ENI) and President CEFIC
“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 plant to produce sustainable methanol from biogas
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 demonstrated to reduce the mineral content of loblolly pine
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 alternative protein producer Calysta
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 with KaiCell Fibers
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.
Italian-U.S. partnership in the bioeconomy: RE-CORD and NREL signed a MoU
The Italian Renewable Energy Consortium for Research and Demonstration (RE-CORD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory for coordination on thermochemical conversion of biomass for the production of biofuels and chemicals.
LyondellBasell and Neste started the first parallel production of bio-based polypropylene
LyondellBasell, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, and Neste, the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel from waste and residues, jointly started the first parallel production of bio-based polypropylene and bio-based low-density polyethylene at a commercial scale.
Novozymes inaugurated its new Innovation Campus in Denmark
Novozymes inaugurated its new Innovation Campus in Lyngby, 13 kilometers north of Copenhagen and seven kilometers from its headquarters in Bagsværd. With the location near the Technical University of Denmark, it is Novozymes’ ambition to create a global hub for biotech research.
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