MOSCOW (MRC) -- Evonik Industries and LanzaTech have signed a three year research cooperation agreement which will see Evonik combining its existing biotechnology platforms with LanzaTech’s synthetic biology and gas fermentation expertise for the development of a route to bioprocessedn precursors for specialty plastics from waste derived synthesis gas, said Evonik.
In this route, microorganisms placed in fermenters are used to turn synthesis gas into chemical products. Synthesis gases comprise mainly of either carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide and hydrogen and can come from a variety of gasified biomass waste streams including forestry and agricultural residues and gasified municipal solid waste.
"Industrial biotechnology is one of the core competences of Evonik. It enables new approaches to specialty chemicals and processes," explains Prof. Stefan Buchholz, the head of Creavis. Creavis, Evonik’s strategic innovation arm, is committed to developing alternative bio-based pathways for the production of such specialty chemicals, to not only reduce dependence on fossil fuels, but also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their manufacture. "The use of renewables and specific waste streams is one of the main focuses of our research and development work, and LanzaTech offers an additional interesting approach," says Buchholz.
"We are really happy to be working with Evonik," said LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren, "which has a tremendous biotech capability – so makes us feel good that they feel we are the experts in this sector plus they are not just trying to do all this work by themselves. We are also happy to be extending our chemicals tool box into precursors to plastics.
As MRC said before, Evonik Industries, the German specialty chemicals company, is significantly expanding its global isophorone (IP) and isophorone diamine (IPD) capacities by funding an investment of more than EUR100 million in Shanghai, China. The new production plants will be completed in the first quarter of 2014 and will increase the total capacities of IP and IPD significantly.
Evonik, the industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company form the heart of Evonik’s corporate strategy. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. The group is a global market leader in isophorone chemistry with production facilities in Herne, Marl (Germany), Mobile, Alabama (USA) and Antwerp (Belgium). Its products are known worldwide under the brand names of VESTAMIN, VESTANAT, VESTAGON and VESTASOL.
MRC