On 6 and 7 July, the partners of B-FERST, a project financed by Bio Based Industries Join Undertaking (now CBE JU) under the Horizon 2020 program, met in Caserta to discuss developments in project activities and define the following actions to be undertaken.
German specialty chemicals company Lanxess, and Matrìca, Italian JV between Versalis (Eni) and Novamont, have partnered to produce sustainable biocide preservatives from renewable raw materials. The Matrìca plant at Porto Torres (Sardinia) will supply Lanxess with bio-based raw materials from vegetable oils, which Lanxess will use to manufacture a new series of industrial preservatives broadening its Preventol range.
Metsä Group is planning to construct a new Kerto® LVL mill on its expanding mill area in Äänekoski, Finland. The final decision on the investment, the value of which is approximately EUR 200 million, is pending the completion of a local detailed plan for the area. The new Kerto LVL mill is expected to use around 375,000 cubic metres of log procured from Finland.
Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, made the decision to build the world’s most modern sawmill in Rauma, Finland. The value of the investment is approximately 200 million euros. Construction will begin in the spring of 2020 and the production at the sawmill is set to begin during the third quarter of 2022. The coronavirus outbreak may have an impact on the schedules.
The EU bio-based industry is quickly evolving but clear data on the development of this emerging sector are still missing. A new JRC report illustrates the work of the JRC in building an extensive database of EU facilities producing different categories of bio-based products:
Nouryon introduced a certified natural starch that can replace petrochemical-based products in a variety of personal care applications. Amaze™ Nordic Barley, derived from barley starch, addresses the fast-growing consumer demand for natural, biodegradable and clean label ingredients.
DuPont Industrial Biosciences officially broke ground last Thursday on its new site at the Leiden Bio Science Park in Oegstgeest, the Netherlands. The state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary facility will utilize the tools of modern biotechnology to make industrial processes more efficient and products more sustainable. The bio-based solutions created in Leiden will have a direct impact on some of the most pressing societal issues of today: reducing food waste; reducing the environmental impacts of livestock farming and improving animal health; producing renewable fuels; and lowering environmental impacts in the textile and laundry industries.
The U.S. bioeconomy moves forward (despite of Trump). The University of Arizona has received a five-year grant of up to $15 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to lead a new center focusing on the mass production of biofuels and bioproducts in the Southwestern U.S.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture selected the Safety Equipment Institute – a subsidiary of ASTM International – to manage the certification program that supports labeling thousands of products as “biobased.” The renewal of this five-year contract will mean that more and more people will be able to find and purchase products that are made and packaged using renewable materials.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 