Here comes the
Sunliquid
Clariant has opened a second-generation bioethanol plant in Romania . We report on how this fits into its sustainability plans
Clariant reached an important landmark in its sustainability journey in October with the official completion of its Sunliquid * second-generation cellulosic bioethanol plant at Podari in Romania . This was unveiled in an online event the day after Clariant and nine other major chemical companies announced a plan to collaborate on carbon reduction . Podari will start production by the end of the year and will convert 250,000 tonnes / year of residues into 50,000 tonnes / year of bioethanol . An off-take agreement is already in place for the full amount with a major oil and gas company under a multi-year agreement .
Librera - New site can save 120,000 tonnes / year of emissions
“ This event marks a cornerstone of our transformation into a leading speciality chemicals company ,” said CEO Conrad Keijzer at the launch event . “ This new plant will also contribute to significantly lowering the carbon footprint in our industry .” Podari is claimed to be the first commercial Sunliquid plant for second-generation bioethanol for use in biofuels and biochemicals . Currently , industrial applications , notably in cosmetics , solvents and pharmaceuticals , account for 11 % of EU consumption of bioethanol . Food and beverage make up another 11 % with the remaining 78 % going into fuels . Construction began in 2019 on a ten-hectare area . Contracts with more than 300 local farmers have been signed to secure the supply of the necessary feedstock . This also helps to reduce Clariant ’ s carbon footprint by sourcing locally and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions from transportation .
Variable feedstocks
The Sunliquid process makes ethanol from renewable agricultural residues of non-food origin , either wheat straw or corn stover . In the first stage , explained Christian Librera , head of the Biofuels & Derivatives business line , the raw materials are thermally pre-treated to open up their stable
The Podari site sources agricultural wastes from a wide radius
cellulosic structure . This makes it easier for the enzymes used in the process to access the sugar chains . No chemicals are needed . Next , the enzymes are added , which convert and liquefy the relevant parts of the straw into different sugars – glucose , xylose and arabinose . As part of integrated enzyme manufacture , a small part of the sugar is used to feed microorganisms in order to make feedstock- and process-specific enzymes . The lignin component of the straw , meanwhile , is separated and used for energy generation in the plant . The third step is fermentation using a proprietary yeast to convert all the sugars into ethanol simultaneously . This is not possible in conventional processes , Librera said , and Sunliquid has a 50 % ethanol yield . Finally , a highly optimised purification process yields pure bioethanol . The remaining by-product can be used as an organic fertiliser or
62 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981