Global Bioenergies and Fraunhofer CBP take the next step towards the set-up of the Leuna industrial pilot

Evry (France) and Munich (Germany) – July 3, 2014 – Global Bioenergies (Alternext Paris : ALGBE) and the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes announced today that they have signed the contract for the commissioning and the operation of Global Bioenergies’ second industrial pilot plant, to be built on the Leuna refinery site.

As part of the agreement, until September 2016 up to 13 operators of the Fraunhofer CBP will work on the up-scaling of Global Bioenergies’ process to convert renewable resources into isobutene, one of the key building blocks of the petrochemical industry. As previously announced, the project is supported by a EUR 5.7 million grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Designed for a production capacity of up to 100 tons per year, the industrial pilot plant in Leuna will combine two 5,000 liter fermenters and a complete purification system, mimicking all aspects of a commercial scale plant. It will lead to high-purity isobutene, usable for the manufacturing of plastics and elastomers as well as drop-in biofuels such as isooctane. This scale will enable the delivery of samples to industrialists, including Audi as part of the partnership signed with Global Bioenergies in January 2014.

“Signing this contract is another important step in transitioning the isobutene process from a breakthrough scientific innovation into a high-value industrial asset. The team is now complete: in addition to Linde, in charge of the engineering, Fraunhofer CBP represents a first class partner for the commissioning and the operation of this pilot plant.” said Thomas Buhl, Head of Business Development at Global Bioenergies.

Commenting on the agreement, Gerd Unkelbach, Head of the Fraunhofer CBP, added: “We highly appreciate to be part of the development of this sustainable process. The project fits very well in the infrastructure and the research focus of the CBP. Within our cooperation we support Global Bioenergies with know-how on scale-up of biotechnological and chemical processes.”

In June 2013, Global Bioenergies had already announced that its first industrial pilot will be part of the Pomacle-Bazancourt platform, the largest agri-business site in Europe located close to Reims, gathering major industrialists such as Cristal Union. This first pilot, to be run in collaboration with Arkema and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), is expected to start its operation in autumn this year. It will set the basis for large scale exploitation of the isobutene process in its application to produce methacrylic derivatives that can be used for paints and organic glass.

About Global Bioenergies

Global Bioenergies is one of the few companies worldwide, and the only one in Europe, that is developing a process to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation. The Company initially focused its efforts on the production of isobutene, one of the most important petrochemical building blocks that can be converted into fuels, plastics, organic glass and elastomers. Global Bioenergies continues to improve the yield of its process and is actively entering the industrial pilot testing phase. The company recently replicated this success to propylene and butadiene and is also looking to continue with other members of the gaseous olefins family, key molecules at the heart of petrochemical industry. Global Bioenergies is listed on Alternext, Euronext Paris (FR0011052257 – ALGBE).

Source

Global Bioenergies, press release, 2014-07-03.

Supplier

Arkema
Audi AG
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Cristal Union
Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemisch-Biotechnologische Prozesse (CBP)
Global Bioenergies
Linde Group

Share