On June 24, a meeting will take place at the European Parliament in Brussels on the question of how Europe can strengthen its chemical industry with sustainable chemistry. The program is titled “Reindustrialising Europe Through Sustainable Chemistry: From Crisis to Opportunity” and is organized by the Amsterdam-based materials company Avantium together with MEP Jeannette Baljeu of the…
The plant-based synthetic material PEF is being investigated for use in bedding, pillows, mattresses, and furniture upholstery. Chemical company Avantium from Amsterdam is doing this together with Heynen Systems from Lelystad, a specialist in technical textiles. Until now, the material, which is being marketed under the brand name releaf, was primarily mentioned as an alternative to PET in bottles and…
The chemical industry cannot do without carbon. It is found in virtually everything the sector produces: plastics and coatings, adhesives and solvents, fibers, cleaning products, and medicines. Currently, that carbon comes largely from oil, gas, and coal. Therefore, anyone wishing to make the chemical industry more sustainable cannot limit themselves to energy. The sector also has other…
The Green Elephant Alliance was launched during the European Biomass Conference & Exhibition. In this new collaboration, organizations are joining forces that aim to reduce the use of fossil raw materials. They focus on bio-based raw materials for fuels, chemicals, and materials. At the presentation, Peter Berben of ChemistryNL handed over an investment brochure to Rogier van Tooren on behalf of the alliance…
Paper has been considered an attractive alternative to plastic packaging for years. However, the switch is difficult in practice, especially for food. Paper must protect products against moisture, grease, and oxygen, seal well, and run smoothly through existing packaging lines. New packaging concepts with bio-based coatings are intended to help with this. UPM Specialty Materials, Michelman, and BOBST present two…
The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) has published a new call for grants for projects in the biobased industry. Applications can be submitted until 22 September 2026, 17:00. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) is organizing an online information session on Wednesday 27 May 2026 regarding this call and related topics within the CIRCBIO destination…
Companies wishing to test or demonstrate innovations in the field of biobased polyesters can apply for a subsidy through the RVO DEI+ Biobased Circular scheme until July 30, 2026. The total budget amounts to 22 million euros, funded by the National Growth Fund Programme BioBased Circular. On April 23, RVO announced that despite a large number of…
On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, the Netherlands is organizing the NL Company Day during EUBCE 2026 in The Hague. Part of this day is a structured matchmaking program aimed at establishing new international contacts within the bioeconomy. The event takes place at the World Forum and is part of the broader congress program, to which…
The European Commission, through CORDIS, has released the results of BioUPGRADE, a now-completed research project into new applications of natural polymers from biomass. The project focused on the use of cellulose, hemicellulose, and chitin in, among other things, packaging materials, conductive inks, and hydrogels. BioUPGRADE ran from 2021 to the end of 2025 and was led by…
Agricultural waste streams usually end up in compost, animal feed, or energy production. Researchers at the University of the Basque Country have now described a different application. They produced anode material for sodium-ion batteries from sunflower husks, a waste stream that normally has little economic value. In trials with small button cell batteries, these cells continued to function for up to 1.000 charge and discharge cycles. The study fits into…
Researchers from Wageningen University & Research and Utrecht University have developed a method to produce a versatile chemical building block from plant residues using electricity. The approach avoids toxic liquid bromine and uses a simpler reactor. The results have been published in ChemSusChem. The chemical industry relies heavily on fossil fuels and dangerous process steps…
A European consortium is launching a large-scale project to demonstrate that organic food waste can serve as a raw material for high-quality plastics. Within the CIRCLE project, seventeen partners are working on an industrial biorefinery that converts food waste streams into lactic acid and polylactic acid PLA. The project has a budget of approximately 27 million euros and is supported…
On 17 March, the Council of the EU adopted conclusions on the new European bioeconomy strategy. In doing so, the Member States express support for an approach in which competitiveness, sustainability, innovation, and investment are central. According to the Council, the bioeconomy must develop into a competitive and sustainable pillar of the European economy by 2040.
Bioscientist Vincent Eijsink of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences has received the 2026 Novonesis Biotechnology Prize. He is receiving this award for research that has clarified how tough biomass can be broken down much more efficiently. This insight is crucial for processing plant-based waste streams into biofuels, chemicals, and materials. A persistent mystery in…
The European bioeconomy continues to grow, but the transition from innovation to large-scale production remains challenging. This picture emerges from the 2025 Annual Report of the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC). The sector is expanding, attracting new members, and receiving increased attention in Brussels. At the same time, the question remains how new bio-based processes and…
The Netherlands is getting a national expertise center to help companies make new chemical substances and materials safer and more sustainable right from the start. TNO, the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), the VNCI (Association of Netherlands Industry and Employers), and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management joined forces on March 2, 2026. The center will focus on the principle of Safe and Sustainable by Design…
On March 4, 2026, the European Commission presented the Industrial Accelerator Act. With this plan, Brussels aims to grow the manufacturing industry to 20 percent of European GDP within ten years. For the bioeconomy and chemical sectors, the proposal includes concrete instruments to facilitate the transition to sustainable raw materials. Faster construction...
Biomass remains the primary route to sustainable carbon in many discussions. But bio-based processes also generate a second carbon stream, biogenic CO2. This is released during biomass processing, fermentation, and organic waste treatment. The EU-funded research project UNICO2RN aims to demonstrate how such CO2 streams can be captured and utilized as a raw material for microbial protein…
Researchers at Delft University of Technology, in collaboration with the South China University of Technology, have discovered a unique property in a group of enzymes naturally occurring in fungi. This discovery sheds new light on biochemistry, the science that studies how chemical processes work in living beings. The research, led by…
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) is expanding the Circular Biopolyester Testing (STCB) scheme in 2026. The available funding will increase from €1,5 million to €4 million. Furthermore, for the first time this year, large companies will also be eligible for this support, whereas the scheme was previously limited to small and medium-sized enterprises. The expansion…
In May 2026, The Hague will host the 34th edition of the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE). This event is considered one of the most influential platforms for the biomass sector worldwide, bringing together more than 1.500 delegates from the scientific, business, and policy sectors. The central theme of this edition is…
Millions of people touch thermal paper daily, whether it's receipts, shipping labels, or medical reports. This paper almost always contains bisphenols like BPA or BPS, substances that can disrupt hormone balance. Researchers at EPFL in Switzerland have developed a sustainable alternative that uses lignin and sugars from wood as the basis for a safe…
The Dutch government has sharpened its ambitions for the European bioeconomy. In a recent BNC factsheet, the government responds to the European Commission's new plans. The core message: The Netherlands is committed to a circular chain in which bio-based raw materials are optimally utilized, with strong synergy between high-quality materials and sustainable energy supply. With the publication of…
With the growing scarcity of sustainable bioresources, the biggest challenge is not only finding sufficient volume but also managing the complex variability. The international consortium Project OPAL presented groundbreaking results in which AI models and robotics take control in the laboratory. This maximizes the use of scarce bioresources and enables large-scale...
The innovative chemical company Relement is scaling up the production of biobased aromatics to a commercial level. Fueled by a recent capital injection of €5,4 million, the focus is shifting to the market introduction of Bio MPA, a sustainable alternative to fossil building blocks in coatings. The technology has now been technically validated in industrial paints, enabling its integration into mainstream…
Brussels is fully committed to a fossil-free future for European industry. The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) announced in mid-January 2026 that €172 million will be allocated to 24 new innovation projects. This investment should pave the way for the large-scale production of sustainable materials, chemicals, and fuels on European soil.
The reliance on petroleum for aromatics production can be reduced by better utilizing lignin. Researcher Dian Santosa (University of Groningen) presented his research on the conversion of this complex wood polymer into chemical building blocks such as benzene, toluene, and xylene on January 13, 2026. Lignin gives strength to wood and plants, but its irregular…
Starting February 17, 2026, researchers and companies can apply for a total budget of nearly €7,7 million for innovation projects in the chemical sector. ChemistryNL has opened the 2026 PPP-I call for public-private partnerships focused on the transition to renewable raw materials and circular production processes. With this funding, ChemistryNL is encouraging research into solutions for the…
The chemical industry is exploring ways to replace fossil oil and gas with renewable sources. Last week, TNO presented new results from the Photons-to-Chemicals (P2C) project. This project uses sunlight directly to convert biogenic CO2 and green hydrogen into raw materials for the chemical industry. Biomass plays a key role in the transition to a…
Global bioplastics production capacity is poised for a significant scale-up. By 2030, capacity is expected to grow from the current 2,31 million tons to approximately 4,69 million tons. This is according to the Bioplastics Market Development Update 2025, presented last week at the twentieth European Bioplastics Conference (EBC25) in Berlin.…
On November 27, the European Commission presented a new strategic framework intended to give the European bioeconomy a significant boost. The plan focuses on the large-scale replacement of fossil fuels with biological alternatives and the creation of a competitive and resilient European industry. The bioeconomy is already an economic engine; the sector…
The government will finalize its top sectors policy on January 1, 2026, and will opt for an industrial policy emphasizing six markets where the Netherlands can win globally. These include semiconductors, biotechnology, defense-related applications including 6G, radar, laser satellite communication, and quantum technologies, digital services with an emphasis on AI, mechanical engineering, and innovative chemistry. For the remaining business sector,...
(especially in the field of bio-based raw materials) There are a lot of conferences happening in the Netherlands these days. Open LinkedIn and you'll see one lineup after another. Because I'm in that bubble, meetings about energy and chemistry dominate my timeline. I attend some of them, like this week's annual Energy Day of the online magazine Energeia.
The Dutch biotech association HollandBIO is calling on the European Commission to explicitly embed biotechnology in European circular policy. In a November 11th press release, the organization explains that biotech can help close material and carbon flows more effectively, provided that regulations and market conditions allow for this. The timing is relevant, as Brussels is working on several…
On October 31, the cabinet sent Parliament a long-term vision for the future of the Dutch chemical industry. The letter states that the sector is strategically important for the economy and resilience and that it remains indispensable in a circular economy. The vision is accompanied by two documents with policy guidelines and…
ChemistryNL is making a total of €1,8 million available in the second round of three grant calls. These are for public-private projects in the areas of water quality and monitoring, bio-based feedstocks, and carbon capture and utilization. Applications can be submitted until 2:00 PM on Friday, January 16, 2026. The program focuses on research that directly contributes…
Dimethyl ether, or DME for short, is increasingly appearing as a clean fuel for cooking, freight transport, and industry. It's a gas that liquefies at low pressure, making it similar in use to LPG. A new study in Chemical Engineering Science by Yang and colleagues examines the life cycle of water use and other environmental impacts of DME from…
ChemistryNL presented its investment agenda to the cabinet on October 1st. With the agenda in place, the parties are exploring which projects are ready for scaling up to 2030. This way, the requested two billion will serve as a concrete test for policy and the market. The agenda was presented in The Hague to the Directors General of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and…
European Biomethane Week opened today in Brussels. The third edition runs from Monday, October 13th, to Friday, October 17th, and brings together policy, trade, and technology. The week's core event is the European Biogas Conference on Tuesday, October 14th, and Wednesday, October 15th, at Autoworld. There will also be a masterclass on Monday…
On October 7th, a webinar was held on strategy and communication regarding bioresources. The focus was on chemistry and materials, but the meeting covered much more than just technical innovations. The central question was: how do you convey a complex message about a sensitive topic convincingly, factually, and credibly? Facts as a foundation in a…
The energy transition requires collaboration and tangible solutions. In March, various parties discussed the opportunities and challenges surrounding biomethanol and e-methanol. Topics covered then were timing, skills, logistics, energy, price and affordability, legislation and regulations, and production. A follow-up meeting will be held in November, with more focus and room for decision-making.
It sounds almost like magic: turning agricultural and forestry waste streams into new raw materials that can both provide energy and fuel the chemical industry. Yet, that's exactly what a group of researchers recently worked on. In a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, they present an innovative technique, oxidative pyrolysis…
Fluxys Belgium presented its half-year results on September 24, which show that the system operator is increasingly positioning itself as a crucial hub for the transition to renewable energy and materials in Northwest Europe. Besides the growth in gas transport and the development of hydrogen and CO2 infrastructure, the rapid developments in biomethane and BioLNG are particularly noteworthy, which…
In early September, the European Commission once again explained why the bioeconomy is central to Europe's green and competitive future. In a short news item, the Directorate-General for Environment (DG-ENV) outlined the core in five points, emphasizing economic size, job potential, the innovation agenda, and its contribution to strategic autonomy. This news fits in…
The chemical industry is facing a major transformation. The use of oil and gas as raw materials and energy sources accounts for a large portion of global CO2 emissions. In a new white paper, TNO presents how electrification and so-called Power-to-X technologies can play a key role in making this sector climate-neutral. From fossil to green raw materials In the…
The transition to a sustainable economy is well underway. We see this in the rise of biobased plastics, the growing demand for circular building materials, and the development of green chemicals that replace fossil fuels. But while technology is advancing rapidly, there's one crucial element that's often overlooked: communication…
Scientists have made a remarkable discovery in the genetics of the poplar tree. These findings, resulting from research conducted by the University of Missouri in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Georgia, could fundamentally change the way we use biomass for fuels and sustainable materials. The study, published in the prestigious…
UPM is setting up a factory in Leuna that transforms wood into chemical building blocks for everyday products. Think bottles, fibers for clothing, rubber in tires, and coolants. The first shipment of beechwood has arrived, certification is in order, and start-up is getting closer. This will allow the factory to move into plastics and rubber...
Researchers in the United States are presenting a textile finish based on cottonseed oil. The goal is to make cotton water-repellent and wrinkle-resistant without formaldehyde and PFAS. The initial results will be shared this week at ACS Fall 2025 in Washington. According to the researchers, a simple chemical step can deliver similar functionality to traditional finishes, with a safer…
Companies looking to scale up gasification can still apply for the DEI Plus program. The application window for the Gasification of Waste Streams theme closes on Thursday, August 28th at 17.00:109 PM. The available budget is €30 million, with a maximum of €18 million per project. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) also reported on August XNUMXth that no applications have yet been received...
The European Commission opened a public consultation on August 4th for a European Biotech Act. Until November 10th, everyone can contribute their thoughts on what's needed to accelerate biotechnology from lab to factory. The questions concern access to capital, permits, skills, and the role of data and artificial intelligence. The…
Without targeted policy, biobased materials and recycling will lag behind fossil-based alternatives. Both recyclates and bioplastics are currently insufficiently rewarded by legislation and market systems. This is evident from recent signals from the recycling and biotechnology sectors. According to the trade association HollandBIO, biobased materials are barely gaining traction. Biodegradable plastics such as PLA or…
On July 9, 2025, the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) published its welcome to the new European Chemicals Industry Action Plan. Their announcement emphasized that bio-based chemicals are now recognized as a strategic route to making sectors more sustainable, decarbonizing industry, and promoting circularity. The core of the plan, bio-based as…
When Ingrid Goumans starts talking about her work at Avantium, where she's Director of Public Affairs, something shifts in her demeanor. Her eyes light up, her voice quickens, and it's immediately clear: this is someone who believes in what she does. Not because she has to, but because it feels like a meaningful choice. "The idea that your work contributes to a cleaner world—that's what makes the difference for me," she says.
The biobased bottle from chemical company Avantium has recently been officially recognized as recyclable within the existing PET recycling system. The certification was issued by RecyClass, a European organization that assesses the recyclability of plastic packaging based on industry standards. A full-fledged replacement, Avantium's bottle is made from a combination of PEF and PET. PEF stands for polyethylene furanoate,…
Biotech Booster, the valorisation programme supported by the National Growth Fund, is receiving a boost of €196,4 million to accelerate groundbreaking biotechnologies from lab to market. Within this fund, the transition to sustainable bio-based raw materials and biomass plays a recognisable role, in addition to applications in the areas of health, nutrition and the environment. Biotech Booster stimulates starting biotech entrepreneurs…
In the world of sustainable technologies, it is not only the innovations that make an impression, but especially the people behind them. Two of those people are Cees van Loon and Hans van Klink, the founders of Dutch Sustainable Development (DSD) and later also involved in Innovative Sustainable Technologies. In a sector that is often dominated by young start-ups, these 'pensionados' prove that experience, perseverance and idealism are at least as important as innovation.
The call to the European Commission to actively stimulate demand for sustainable products now has a hundred signatories. On 13 June, the Norwegian company Yara joined the so-called Call for Demand Creation to Drive Industry Investments, which was launched at the end of 2023 by, among others, VNO-NCW, VNCI and NVDE. Broad…
The chemical industry is concerned about the lack of important decisions now that the cabinet has fallen. According to the industry organization VNCI, necessary sustainability plans are in danger of being delayed due to political uncertainty. “The industry needs clarity in order to be able to invest,” says VNCI chair Nienke Homan. Sustainability under pressure Many chemical companies are busy switching to sustainable business operations.…
The aviation industry is under pressure to operate faster, more efficiently and, above all, more sustainably. Aircraft are increasingly made of lightweight composite materials, which contribute to lower fuel consumption. But these same materials are vulnerable to damage, for example from hail, collisions on the ground or rough baggage handling. Repairs are often time-consuming, expensive and lead to unnecessary waste of parts.…
On 28 May 2025, the European Commission launched a new strategy to support start-ups and scale-ups in the EU. This strategy, called 'Choose Europe to Start and Scale', aims to make Europe more attractive for technology-driven companies. For the bio-based sector, in which many innovative SMEs are active, this strategy offers opportunities to…
This morning, with a cup of coffee in one hand and my phone in the other, I was reading an article about a possible US-Ukraine raw materials deal. According to the reports, the Americans would gain strategic access to Ukrainian raw materials such as lithium and cobalt – materials that are essential for batteries, electric cars and the energy transition. My first thought? What does this mean for Europe? And what does this mean for the Netherlands?
The European Union is taking a new step towards a circular bioeconomy. Under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), 30 projects have been selected to receive €197,5 million in grants. These projects, spread across 33 countries and involving 416 organisations, focus on developing innovative bio-based solutions to reduce the dependency on…
Avantium, an innovator in renewable chemistry, is working with The Bottle Collective on a new type of sustainable fiber bottle. This collaboration should lead to a widely applicable, fully plant-based packaging solution that can eventually replace plastic bottles. The Bottle Collective is an initiative of PA Consulting and Swedish technology company PulPac, known for its patented Dry Molded Fiber technology.…
The last year the European petrochemical industry has entered into a downward spiral with almost weekly announcements of closures of production facilities. For me as a chemist working in the industry for more than 25 years, it is really fascinating to observe an industrial transformation in real time! The war in Ukraine and more recently…
Methanol is a versatile and much sought-after chemical building block. It is used as a raw material for plastics, adhesives, antifreezes and fuels. But methanol is also a problem child: the vast majority is produced from fossil sources such as natural gas and coal, resulting in substantial CO₂ emissions. This can be done differently, TNO states in a recent article: biomethanol, made from…
The dairy industry annually produces large volumes of whey permeate – a residual flow that has little economic value. While the protein-rich part of whey finds its way into food or animal feed, the sugar-rich and mineral part often remains as a low-value waste product. Yet this liquid holds surprising potential for the biobased industry. It…
Without effective gas cleaning, there is no future for high-quality biofuels and biochemistry from biomass. This is evident from a new publication by IEA Bioenergy, which explains how crucial this step is within the gasification process. The study shows which techniques are available, where the challenges lie, and why gas cleaning is often decisive for success. From…
The fashion industry is known for its significant ecological footprint. To reduce this impact, an interdisciplinary team from the University of Groningen is focusing on an innovative alternative: clothing made from mycelium, the root network of fungi. Thanks to a jubilee grant of €100.000 from the Gratama Foundation, they can continue this promising research. A collaboration between science and…
ChemistryNL is making €5 million available for public-private partnerships that contribute to a sustainable chemical sector. Project proposals can be submitted until 16 September 2025. The new funding round focuses on three themes: water quality and monitoring, carbon capture & utilisation (CCU), and bio-based feedstocks for circular materials. Each theme will be allocated one third of the total budget, with a…
On 11 April 2025, the government presented its vision to make the Netherlands a global leader in biotechnological innovation and application by 2040. With targeted investments, low-regulation testbeds and a focus on social applications, the government wants to use biotechnology as a key technology for health, sustainability and economic growth. Biotechnology offers solutions for urgent social…
Materiom, an organization that uses data and AI to support scientists, manufacturers and designers in the development of bio-based materials, has announced the launch of Materiom AI: an innovative chatbot that helps users discover biopolymers, ingredients and additives for sustainable materials development. The chatbot, powered by Google’s Gemini technology, is designed to simplify the…
As of today, 1 April 2025, the new EKOO-Biobased Circular (EKOO-BBC) subsidy scheme has been opened. This scheme, part of the Biobased Circular Growth Fund Programme, makes €2,5 million available for consortia that want to investigate the industrial and economic feasibility of innovative production and recycling processes and applications of biopolyesters. The subsidy is aimed at partnerships between companies and research organisations that…
BIC Trend Report 2024-2025 highlights the importance of biomanufacturing for Europe’s future Europe is facing a major transition towards a more sustainable industry. According to the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) Trend Report 2024-2025, biomanufacturing can play a key role in this transition. Biomanufacturing uses biological feedstock to produce materials and chemicals and…
Green Chemistry, New Economy (GCNE) plays a crucial role in making the chemical industry more sustainable. This initiative helps companies transition to a circular economy, where fossil resources are replaced by renewable and circular alternatives. The GCNE Monitor 2024 report by TNO Vector outlines the challenges, opportunities and contribution of…
The application of CO2 utilization in ethanol production offers promising opportunities to reduce emissions and promote circular processes. Recent research by IEA Bioenergy presents several practical examples in which CO2 emissions are no longer considered as a waste product, but are reused in valuable applications. Sustainable applications of CO2 Ethanol production emits a significant amount of CO2…
Making the chemical sector and derived materials more sustainable is a crucial and urgent challenge to achieve the EU’s climate neutrality target by 2050. The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) have jointly commissioned a study by the nova Institute. This study focuses on the question of whether there is sufficient sustainable…
Flemish biotech startup Zymofix has developed an innovative technology to convert low-value biomass waste streams, such as agricultural residues, into useful microorganisms. These microbes can be used to improve soil health, break down pollutants and replace traditional chemical processes in various industries. This was recently explained on the VLAIO website.…
Aromatics are the backbone of many products we use every day, from adhesives and coatings to cleaning agents and agrochemicals. Traditionally, these substances are derived from petroleum, but renewable alternatives are gaining ground. Cashew Shell Biorefinery (CSBR), located at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen, the Netherlands, is leading the way. The company has developed a technology to…
Relement has entered into an offtake agreement with Worlée Chemie GmbH, a leading German chemical company. This agreement secures a fixed quantity of Bio MPA, an innovative and biobased raw material for use in coating resins. Bio MPA, Relement’s first product, will be produced on a tonne scale via contract manufacturing by the end of 2025. This material was developed to replace fossil…
ChainCraft and Royal Avebe have signed a Heads of Agreement, laying the foundation for a strategic partnership. The partnership focuses on utilizing Avebe’s residual potato juice flows, which are converted into high-quality circular fatty acids and fertilizers using ChainCraft’s innovative fermentation technology. The Ter Apelkanaal location, located on and near the…
In a candid conversation with Timo van Roosmalen and Wim de Laat of BioscienZ, it became clear how deeply rooted their passion is for biotechnology and sustainable innovation. BioscienZ, founded by Wim de Laat, is a company that specializes in developing processes that convert biomass into valuable applications such as food ingredients and industrial materials. This makes the company an important example of how people with passion work towards a more sustainable future.
In a world where sustainability is becoming increasingly important, there are companies that are leading the way in developing innovative solutions to replace fossil resources with biobased alternatives. One of those companies is Eco-Point, where Jacco Quist, Product Manager, has been working with passion and dedication to make cleaning agents more sustainable for over 25 years. In this article, we share Jacco's insights and Eco-Point's philosophy.
Chemist Laura Jansen of Radboud University has succeeded in making a well-functioning soap from sugar beet pulp – a residual product of sugar beet. This breakthrough offers a sustainable alternative to the usual soaps. Jansen received her PhD on 8 November for this innovative research. Sugar beet pulp is a residual product that is created after sucrose has been removed from the sugar beet…
Starting this month, the West Brabant region will have a new facility aimed at accelerating innovations in the materials and energy transition. MNEXT, a collaborative initiative of Avans University of Applied Sciences and HZ University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with vocational training institute Curio, will open a brand new research lab on the Steenakker industrial estate in Breda. The festive opening will take place…
More than 95% of the world’s mussels are farmed on ropes that hang in the sea. These ropes, which are crucial for mussel farming, are wrapped with so-called mussel socks to ensure that the mussel seeds stick well. Traditionally, these socks are made of cotton, but their use has several environmental disadvantages and…
Chemical group BASF is taking a clear step towards biotransformation of their (meth)acrylate portfolio by switching to the production of bio-based ethyl acrylate (EA) from the fourth quarter of 2024. Thanks to a traceable C14 biocontent of 40 percent (DIN EN 16640), this reduces the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) by 30 percent compared to EA based…
The Moerdijk Port Authority and biocommodities producer Perpetual Next today signed a letter of intent for an intensive collaboration. As part of this collaboration, Perpetual Next will establish itself at the Moerdijk Industrial Park in mid-2025, where it will build a biomethanol plant with a capacity of 220.000 tons. The port authority will support the factory where possible by…
BioBTX, Dutch technology developer in circular chemistry, has raised more than €80 million to build its first commercial factory. This investment makes it possible to scale up BioBTX's innovative ICCP technology in the PETRA Circular Chemicals Plant in Delfzijl. In this factory, plastic residual flows are converted into aromatics, building blocks for chemical...
Enlargement of a biochar particle that has preserved the pore structure of the wood. Photo: TNO TNO has recently developed an innovative method called “EnerChar” to produce clean carbon on a large scale. This method makes it possible to produce biocarbon with various properties, while simultaneously generating heat and capturing CO2. The…
More than 1.000 visitors attended the second Circular Valley Forum in the Historical Stadthalle of Wuppertal (Germany) in November last year. The high-level event for the circular economy, organized by Circular Valley, Tech Tour and the Bio-Based Industries Consortium (BIC), brought together industry, policymakers, entrepreneurs, scientists and civil society organizations. The first day of…
Relement, Worlée Chemie and Baril Coatings have jointly developed a bio-based coating. The bio-raw material replaces phthalic anhydride, which is produced from fossil raw materials. The three parties worked on this development for three years. A successful demonstration proved that industrial performance coatings can be durable. It contains the highest percentage of biobased content ever achieved. For years, the…
Nouryon has announced that it is now certified to the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) standard for the production of green monochloroacetic acid (MCA) at its site in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The company is a leading global supplier of MCA and the first and only producer of green MCA sourced from sustainably sourced…
The Dutch government must set up a venture fund of € 1 billion to support promising companies ('game changers') in green chemistry. Arnold Stokking, leader of the Green Chemistry, New Economy (GCNE) platform, made this call last week during the Financing the Transition event at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen. On the initiative of…
ChemistryNL provides financial support to 11 new research projects at the intersection of biobased and chemistry. A total of one million euros will be allocated for these projects, which will be carried out by consortia of knowledge institutions and companies. Since the merger with TKI BBE, ChemistryNL has been working on the integration of the biobased economy field in various ways. The support…
Twelve partners from seven countries will demonstrate the full value chain from biogenic CO4 from wastewater to polymer end use over the next 2 years in the Horizon Europe project HICCUPS. HICCUPS literally stands for “Highly Innovative technology demonstration for biobased CO2 Capture and Utilization for production of bulk plastics applications.” This is an innovative method for biogenic...
In the Netherlands, many people work passionately with biomass as a raw material. They work on innovations, improve (production) processes or create policy for a fossil-free future. We have had a series of conversations with people who work at companies where bio raw materials are central. In this mini-series we highlight what drives them to work on the transition...
Groningen BioBTX, TU Eindhoven and the Groningen government have received a subsidy of €2,8 million from the Just Transition Fund (JTF) with the help of ASQA Subsidies. The Just Transition Fund (JTF) recently awarded financial support for an ambitious project related to sustainable technology in the Netherlands. This subsidy is intended for the implementation…
On October 9, the National Growth Fund definitively approved the first phase of the BioBased Circular program for the period 2024 – 2026. This is the starting signal for BioBased Circular to start recruiting a program management and management team. The first project proposals are also being prepared and the means of communication are taking shape. BioBased Circular states…
RVO Netherlands is organizing an innovation mission to Brazil in the field of bio-raw materials for chemicals from 11 to 15 December. The mission is interesting for companies that develop innovative ways to produce building blocks for the chemical industry from biomass and want to build or strengthen contacts with Brazilian knowledge parties, companies and governments. This innovation mission…
