Clariant's sunliquid Process Design Package Provides Blue Print for Commercial Plants Worldwide

March 19, 2014 – Clariant, one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies, has moved a step closer to the commercialization of its sunliquid® process for making cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues with the completion of the process design package. The package provides detailed blueprint for construction of cellulosic ethanol plants worldwide. The modular design offers a flexibility that makes it easy to adjust for project and site specific boundary conditions. The high level of detail means short engineering phase and fast implementation.

“We wanted a complete, comprehensive process design that would allow implementation to get underway quickly,” explains Dr. Markus Rarbach, Head of the Biofuels & Derivatives project. “It’s also essential to offer plenty of flexibility to adapt to specific customer requirements or the prevailing conditions at a particular site.”

Clariant plans to license the sunliquid® process globally to interested partners. In July 2012, Clariant brought a sunliquid® demonstration plant on line in Straubing, Germany, confirming that the technology works on an industrial scale. The plant – a scaled-down version of a commercial facility – uses only established components that are already in use in other processes, significantly reducing the risk involved in implementing this innovative technology. The process design package is based on the results from the demonstration plant and a production capacity of 50,000 metric tons of ethanol per year. As well as the complete conversion chain, it includes raw material storage, water management and treatment, and autonomous energy generation.

You can find additional information here or contact sunliquid@clariant.com.