The use of renewable resources in the production of chemicals is in the perspective of sustainability highly desirable. It is believed to create numerous societal benefits such as the revitalisation of rural areas. These drivers are increasingly recognized, especially by brand owners. At the same time biorefining and biochemicals processes become increasingly cost efficient. Consequently, chemicals produced from biomass feedstocks, including woody biomass, are considered to become a major growth area. In that context UPM-Kymmene Corp. (Finland), SEKAB E-Technology AB (Sweden), METabolic Explorer SA (France) and the Technische Universität Darmstadt (TUDA, Germany) have partnered, joining competences of forest, chemical and bio-technology industries.
ValChem (Value added chemical building blocks and lignin from wood) utilised the existing demonstration plants of the four project partners, aiming to combine and integrate the individual processes as well as to demonstrate the complete value chain, starting from wood as raw material to produce the bio-alternative of the platform chemical monopropylene glycol (MPG) as well as lignin-based performance chemicals (Figure 1).
The project successfully achieved the objectives of process integration and demonstrated the technical viability of the overall process by producing industrial grade MPG from wood. Due to the progress of competing initiatives at UPM and METEX, however, and the necessity of prioritization, the consortium members jointly with BBIJU decided to suspend the project by the end of the second reporting period.
