Clariant and Global Bioenergies and INEOS receive major EU funding to demonstrate the production of isobutene derivatives from straw

On May 9th, Global Bioenergies announced the signature of a grant agreement aiming at demonstrating a new value chain combining its Isobutene process with Clariant’s sunliquid® technology. The aim is to convert currently poorly valorised residual wheat straw into second generation renewable sugars and in a 2nd step into isobutene for subsequent conversion into oligomers usable in the lubricants, rubbers, solvents, plastics, or fuels by INEOS. The intense R&D cooperation for the next 48 months starts on June 1st 2017.

The agreement signed recently between the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI-JU) and the project partners focuses on the demonstration of a new value chain, based on the combination of the technologies and know-how of the participants from four EU member states:

• Conversion of straw into glucose- and xylose-rich hydrolysates by Clariant sunliquid® technology (Germany),
• Fermentation of the straw hydrolysates into bio-isobutene by Global Bioenergies (France and Germany),
• Conversion of bio-isobutene to oligomers by INEOS (a world leader in Belgium and France),
• Preliminary engineering of an hydrolysate-to-isobutene plant and overall integration with a straw-to-hydrolysate plant, by TechnipFMC and IPSB (France), and
• Assessment of the sustainability and environmental benefits by the Energy Institute at the University of Linz (Austria).

The BBI-JU selected this project under the name OPTISOCHEM (N°744330), in the frame of the European HORIZON 2020 programme for research and innovation, following a very selective and competitive process led by independent experts.

Markus Rarbach, Head of Biofuels & Derivatives of Clariant declares: “This project will demonstrate a key value chain within the bio-economy: advanced bio-refineries based on agricultural residues. We will deliver from our pre-commercial plant in Straubing (Germany) second generation sugars to Global Bioenergies’ facilities for conversion to bio-isobutene, having already demonstrated in 2016 the perfect technology fit between our sunliquid® platform and Global Bioenergies’ Isobutene process. The larger scale demonstration will now prove technological and economic feasibility for commercial production in the future.”

For more information please see: http://www.global-bioenergies.com/global-bioenergies-clariant-and-ineos-receive-major-eu-funding-to-demonstrate-the-production-of-isobutene-derivatives-from-straw/?lang=en