BIOBASED CHEMICALS
Biobased chemicals at industrial scale
Joachim Merziger and Sebastian Anton of Afyren introduce a new approach to producing biobased acids with a significantly improved carbon footprint
To improve their carbon footprint , manufacturers of chemicals and ingredients can now consider products that use sustainable feedstocks to replace conventional crude-derived raw materials . For example , whereas in the past petrobased derivatives were needed to produce carboxylic acids at industrial scale , renewable and sustainable alternatives are now within reach in commercial quantities . Over the past ten years , many attempts have been made to find a way to replace petroleum in the production of carboxylic acids . While solutions have been found at a research stage , none of these efforts have found the right equilibrium between efficiency , ecology and a viable business model .
Afyren , a French biotechnology firm , is set to prove its process and business model . Its first commercial plant in north-eastern France is expected to start producing commercial quantities ( 16,000 tonnes / year ) of seven 100 % biobased carboxylic acids early in 2022 : acetic ( C 2
), propionic ( C 3 ), butyric ( C 4
), isobutyric ( iC 4 ), valeric ( C 5
), isovaleric
( iC 5 ) and caproic ( C 6
). These will be marketed as drop-in replacements for all the applications of existing , crude-derived acids . These include chemicals used in flavours and fragrances , mould inhibitors for bread , feedstocks for ester formulations lubrication , building blocks for pharmaceuticals and additives in animal feed that promote gut health . The objective is not to compete with petroleum-based industries , but to respond to the emerging demand for more sustainable products .
Biomimetic fermentation , upcycled waste
Carboxylic acids are components that can be found in natural products or plants , such as butyric acid in Parmesan cheese , valeric acid in the valerian plant , propionic acid in Emmental cheese , acetic acid in vinegar and caproic acid in vanilla . The initial inspiration was to master biomechanical routes in order to control the level of production , the efficiency of the process and scalability . The technology is biomimetic . The company ’ s zero-waste process does not need any complex chemical pretreatments to produce
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The sugar beet fields of northern France will be a key supplier of raw materials
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