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Cellulosic ethanol: M&G and Beta Renewables to build unit in Slovakia
F O C U S tonne/d of biomass to produce ethanol at a rate of 20 M gal/y, later ramping up to 25 M gal/y. Original Source: DSM, website: http://www.dsm.com/ (3 Sep 2014) © Koninklijke DSM NV 2014. Original Source: Renewable Energy News, 5 Sep 2014, (Website: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com) © Renewableenergyworld.com
Cellulosic ethanol: M&G and Beta Renewables to build unit in Slovakia Biochemtex (a subsidiary of Mossi Ghisolfi and Beta Renewables) has signed an agreement with Energochemica. Energochemica is a holding company based in Prague, Czech Republic. It specialises in energy and chemicals. The partners are planning to build a cellulosic ethanol unit in Strazske, Slovakia. This will enter service in 1H 2017 and will have 55,000 tonne/y capacity. Energochemica will be responsible for basic engineering, major equipment, and technical services. The factory will use Beta Renewables’ Proesa technology for converting fermentable sugars. The unit will be the third ethanol unit worldwide using this process (after Beta Renewable’s factory in Crescentino, Italy and GranBio’s unit in Alagoas, Brazil). The Strazske unit will use yeasts from Leaf Technologies and enzymes from Novozymes (which has had a 10% stake in Beta Renewables since 2012). Beta Renewables’ other shareholders are Biochemtex and TPG. Original Source: Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 13 Oct 2014, (692), (Website: http://www.industrie.com/chimie/) (in French) © ETAI Information 2014
Stora Enso plans biomass-to-sugar demo Stora Enso plans to construct a demonstration facility in Raceland, LA, US, to validate and commercialize the technology for extracting and separating cellulosic biomass for conversion into refined sugars. The process was acquired by the firm after purchasing the technology’s developer, US-based biotechnology company Virdia. The $43 M demonstration plant will utilize bagasse waste as a feedstock to generate high purity five-carbon sugars, including xylose. Original Source: ICIS Chemical Business, 15-21 Sep 2014, 286 (8), 7 (Website: http://www.icis.com) © Reed Business Information Limited 2014
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Mobile emissions catalysts production plant inaugurated by BASF A new plant for producing mobile emissions catalysts has been opened by BASF in the Sroda Slaska special economic zone close to Wroclaw, Poland. A preliminary €90 M investment supported the construction of the 40,000 sq m facility. Production trials began in Apr 2014, and two production lines with 100 workers came on stream in Jun 2014. BASF will invest a total of €150 M and carry out further expansions to have a total of ten operational production lines with 400 employees at the site by 2016. Original Source: Chemical Engineering World, Jul 2014, 49 (7), 12 (Website: http://www.cewindia.com) © Jasubhai Group 2014
MTO technology opens new, economical routes to light olefins from low cost feedstocks Wison (Nanjing) Clean Energy Co Ltd has produced over 360 M lbs of light olefins at its plant in Nanjing, China, utilizing UOP’s breakthrough methanol-to-olefins (MTO) process technology. The plant is the first commercial-scale facility to use the UOP/Hydro MTO process technology and has been operational since Sep 2013. UOP’s innovative MTO process also paves the way for producing ethylene and propylene from methanol. There are four MTO licensees to date, all of which are located in China and are either based on commercial methanol or coal. By 2015, it is expected that over 10 M tonne/y of combined ethylene and propylene production capacity from MTO process will come on-stream in China. Shandong Yangmei Hengtong Chemicals Co Ltd is scheduled to kick off its 295,000 tonnes/y of ethylene and propylene capacity using the MTO technology later in 2014. In 2015, Jiutai Energy (Zhungeer) Co is expected to start-up its 600,000 tonne/y of ethylene and propylene capacity based on MTO process. Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical Chemicals is also constructing what is anticipated to be the biggest singletrain MTO unit in the world, producing 833,000 tonne/y of ethylene and propylene. In India, MTO can support the country in meeting its increasing demand for olefins. The Indian olefins
market is driven by domestic demand and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of approximately 10.5% into 2018. An MTO-based light olefins facility will have a feedstock cost advantage of $560/tonne of light olefins at a methanol price of $400/tonne. An MTO-based ethylene plant also generates twice the amount of propylene as a naphtha-based ethylene plant. For regions with huge resources of coal such as India, MTO could offer long-term material security. A graph shows ethylene capacity growth by region from 1980-1990 to 2010-2020. Other graphs show polyethylene and polypropylene growth in India from 2004 to 2017. A table shows the cost advantage of producing methanol through MTO compared with naphtha. Original Source: Chemical Engineering World, Sep 2014, 49 (9), 54,56,58-59 (Website: http://www.cewindia.com) © Jasubhai Group 2014
NEW TECHNOLOGY Proterro receives US patent for its photobioreactor Proterro Inc has been issued US patent 8,728,783 for its novel photobioreactor. The photobioreactor is used in growing the firm’s patentprotected cyanobacteria, which are capable of producing fermentationready sucrose. Original Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine, Sep 2014, 20 (9), 20 (Website: http://www.ethanolproducer.com/) © BBI International 2014
Invista, LanzaTech to develop fermentation technology A gas-fermentation process technology will be jointly developed by Invista and LanzaTech. Under the terms of the research and development deal, the technology, along with Invista’s patented host organisms and metabolic pathways, will be used to produce industrial chemicals from carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas. Original Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine, Sep 2014, 20 (9), 21 (Website: http://www.ethanolproducer.com/) © BBI International 2014
NOVEMBER 2014
Cellulosic ethanol: M&G and Beta Renewables to build unit in Slovakia Biochemtex (a subsidiary of Mossi Ghisolfi and Beta Renewables) has signed an agreement with Energochemica. Energochemica is a holding company based in Prague, Czech Republic. It specialises in energy and chemicals. The partners are planning to build a cellulosic ethanol unit in Strazske, Slovakia. This will enter service in 1H 2017 and will have 55,000 tonne/y capacity. Energochemica will be responsible for basic engineering, major equipment, and technical services. The factory will use Beta Renewables’ Proesa technology for converting fermentable sugars. The unit will be the third ethanol unit worldwide using this process (after Beta Renewable’s factory in Crescentino, Italy and GranBio’s unit in Alagoas, Brazil). The Strazske unit will use yeasts from Leaf Technologies and enzymes from Novozymes (which has had a 10% stake in Beta Renewables since 2012). Beta Renewables’ other shareholders are Biochemtex and TPG. Original Source: Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 13 Oct 2014, (692), (Website: http://www.industrie.com/chimie/) (in French) © ETAI Information 2014
Stora Enso plans biomass-to-sugar demo Stora Enso plans to construct a demonstration facility in Raceland, LA, US, to validate and commercialize the technology for extracting and separating cellulosic biomass for conversion into refined sugars. The process was acquired by the firm after purchasing the technology’s developer, US-based biotechnology company Virdia. The $43 M demonstration plant will utilize bagasse waste as a feedstock to generate high purity five-carbon sugars, including xylose. Original Source: ICIS Chemical Business, 15-21 Sep 2014, 286 (8), 7 (Website: http://www.icis.com) © Reed Business Information Limited 2014
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Mobile emissions catalysts production plant inaugurated by BASF A new plant for producing mobile emissions catalysts has been opened by BASF in the Sroda Slaska special economic zone close to Wroclaw, Poland. A preliminary €90 M investment supported the construction of the 40,000 sq m facility. Production trials began in Apr 2014, and two production lines with 100 workers came on stream in Jun 2014. BASF will invest a total of €150 M and carry out further expansions to have a total of ten operational production lines with 400 employees at the site by 2016. Original Source: Chemical Engineering World, Jul 2014, 49 (7), 12 (Website: http://www.cewindia.com) © Jasubhai Group 2014
MTO technology opens new, economical routes to light olefins from low cost feedstocks Wison (Nanjing) Clean Energy Co Ltd has produced over 360 M lbs of light olefins at its plant in Nanjing, China, utilizing UOP’s breakthrough methanol-to-olefins (MTO) process technology. The plant is the first commercial-scale facility to use the UOP/Hydro MTO process technology and has been operational since Sep 2013. UOP’s innovative MTO process also paves the way for producing ethylene and propylene from methanol. There are four MTO licensees to date, all of which are located in China and are either based on commercial methanol or coal. By 2015, it is expected that over 10 M tonne/y of combined ethylene and propylene production capacity from MTO process will come on-stream in China. Shandong Yangmei Hengtong Chemicals Co Ltd is scheduled to kick off its 295,000 tonnes/y of ethylene and propylene capacity using the MTO technology later in 2014. In 2015, Jiutai Energy (Zhungeer) Co is expected to start-up its 600,000 tonne/y of ethylene and propylene capacity based on MTO process. Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical Chemicals is also constructing what is anticipated to be the biggest singletrain MTO unit in the world, producing 833,000 tonne/y of ethylene and propylene. In India, MTO can support the country in meeting its increasing demand for olefins. The Indian olefins
market is driven by domestic demand and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of approximately 10.5% into 2018. An MTO-based light olefins facility will have a feedstock cost advantage of $560/tonne of light olefins at a methanol price of $400/tonne. An MTO-based ethylene plant also generates twice the amount of propylene as a naphtha-based ethylene plant. For regions with huge resources of coal such as India, MTO could offer long-term material security. A graph shows ethylene capacity growth by region from 1980-1990 to 2010-2020. Other graphs show polyethylene and polypropylene growth in India from 2004 to 2017. A table shows the cost advantage of producing methanol through MTO compared with naphtha. Original Source: Chemical Engineering World, Sep 2014, 49 (9), 54,56,58-59 (Website: http://www.cewindia.com) © Jasubhai Group 2014
NEW TECHNOLOGY Proterro receives US patent for its photobioreactor Proterro Inc has been issued US patent 8,728,783 for its novel photobioreactor. The photobioreactor is used in growing the firm’s patentprotected cyanobacteria, which are capable of producing fermentationready sucrose. Original Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine, Sep 2014, 20 (9), 20 (Website: http://www.ethanolproducer.com/) © BBI International 2014
Invista, LanzaTech to develop fermentation technology A gas-fermentation process technology will be jointly developed by Invista and LanzaTech. Under the terms of the research and development deal, the technology, along with Invista’s patented host organisms and metabolic pathways, will be used to produce industrial chemicals from carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas. Original Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine, Sep 2014, 20 (9), 21 (Website: http://www.ethanolproducer.com/) © BBI International 2014
NOVEMBER 2014