Project description
A promising biorenewable solvent moves toward mass production capability
Many chemicals are manufactured and stored in powder form, and taking advantage of them in reactions requires dissolving them in some sort of solution. Thus, solvents are critical to the chemical sector and to industries that rely on chemicals including the pharmaceutical sector. Dipolar aprotic solvents came into prominence in the 1960s with their ability to greatly enhance reactions, sometimes more than 100-fold, relative to common solvents like water and ethanol. However, many of these are facing increasing regulation due to their toxicity, and greener solutions are desperately needed. Cyrene is a biorenewable solvent whose production from cellulose also provides another valorisation pathway for the paper and pulp industries. EU funding of the ReSolute project is supporting the construction and operation of the first biorefinery dedicated to Cyrene mass production.
Objective
ReSolute Project aims to pave the way for the production, at full industrial scale, of novel, non-toxic and high performing solvent from wood biomass. The Chemical sector is today facing a number of challenges driving demand for higher performing and safer chemicals derived from biomass. In the meantime, in the face of declining demand for paper, the pulp and paper industry is actively exploring opportunities to diversify into new areas or business including bio-based chemicals. In response to these needs, Circa has developed, at demonstration scale, a proprietary process to produce a novel bio-paper sector. From LGO ca be derived a wide range of chemicals including solvents, specialty polymers, flavours & fragrances, pharmaceutical and agrochemical actives. Circa’s first commercial product – a novel solvent trademarked as Cyrene – has already been trialled by more than 400 compagnies and researchers across the world and, for a growing number of applications, outperforms traditional dipolar aprotic solvents such as NMP, DMF and DMAc, which are under intense regulatory pressure due to their toxicity. Building on Circa group’s unique experience gained over the last 10 years via its 4 pilots and its operating demonstration plant, one of ReSolute’s key objectives will be to build and successfully operate a first-of-its kind Flagship Cyrene plant. The biorefinery will be built in France on the Carling Saint-Avold platform site owned by Total. The Flagship plant is expected to be mainly fed with saw dust and have a nameplate capacity of 1,000 metric tonnes per year. To reach this ambitious target, ReSolute will bring together 11 key actors along the entire value chain and will look to valorize the main by-product (biochar) in the energy and activated carbon markets.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.3.2. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy Main Programme
- H2020-EU.2.1.4. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Biotechnology
- H2020-EU.3.2.6. - Bio-based Industries Joint Technology Initiative (BBI-JTI)
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
0279 OSLO
Norway
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.