The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) has funded RenewChem, a two-year flagship initiative anticipated to unlock higher-value bioethanol as a cost-effective, carbon-negative drop-in substitute for petrochemical intermediates.
Funded under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, the flagship initiative seeks to scale up a ‘disruptive’ thermochemical catalytic technology to convert bioethanol into higher-value long-chain alcohols – a move set to reduce carbon footprints in key downstream chemical value chains.
The consortium – led by Catalyxx, Evonik, Arkema and Magfi – says that the EU chemical sector’s traditional reliance on carbon-intensive processes requires ‘urgent innovation’ to align with continent-wide targets under the European Green Deal and the Net-Zero Industry Act.
Over its 48-month lifecycle, the RenewChem project will focus on four core operational areas; the first is a flagship commercial-scale plant concept, described as a ‘first-of-a-kind’ industrial bio-alcohol refinery based on advanced chemical engineering and optimized process design.
Value chain integration is another area of focus. RenewChem aims to coordinate the pathway from secure and sustainable bioethanol feedstock supply to rigorous downstream purification and industrial verification.
The consortium plans to undertake safety, waste and independent life-cycle assessments of environmental and economic impacts, targeting greenhouse gas avoidance and cost-competitiveness.
Additionally, a supportive ecosystem and cross-cutting frameworks are set to drive multi-actor stakeholder engagement, Open Science knowledge-sharing tools and sound data management to benefit the wider European bioeconomy.
Altogether, these four operational areas are expected to guarantee maximum market integration and sustainability. RenewChem aims to achieve scalability and stable, high-performance biobased chemical supplies that meet international sustainability benchmarks without compromising on product quality or performance.
RenewChem is undertaking its inaugural meeting in Seville, Spain, with five industrial and innovation partners from across Europe. During the two-day Kick-Off Meeting, the consortium has set out immediate priorities for the first six months of the project.
These includes further reinforcing collaborative workflows, setting and deploying baseline engineering schedules for the biorefinery, as well as defining and deploying the project’s public identity and branding.
“The launch of RenewChem signs a critical milestone for Europe’s bioeconomy,” said Paloma Fra, managing director at RenewChem. “By uniting world-class technological innovation with key industrial leaders, we are validating commercial-scale solutions that prove circular chemical manufacturing is economically viable, industrially efficient and profoundly beneficial for the environment.”
In other news, Blue Circle Olefins previously secured funding for a commercial methanol-to-olefins production facility at the Port of Rotterdam. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to produce 120 kilotons of propylene and 80 kilotons of ethylene.
PolyCycl has since received Series A investment from Rainmatter by Zerodha to deploy its chemical recycling technology for low-grade plastic waste. The patented technology turns plastic waste, including single-use polythene bags, into liquid hydrocarbon oils for use in the production of low-carbon materials.
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