Verbio has won the ICIS Innovation Award in the category ‘Best Product Innovation from a large company’. The prize was awarded in recognition of Verbio’s innovative technology for the production of biogenic carbon molecules for industrial chemical applications. The award was presented last Thursday in London. The world’s first industrial-scale ethenolysis plant for the production of renewable chemicals based on rapeseed methyl ester (biodiesel) is currently being built at Verbio’s Bitterfeld site (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany). The plant is scheduled to go into operation in the second half of 2026, and at full capacity it will produce up to 60,000 tonnes of bio-based molecules for the chemical industry annually.
ICIS (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services) – one of the world’s leading providers of market analyses for the chemical industry – presents the prestigious Innovation Awards annually in several categories, recognising innovative solutions that are playing a decisive role in shaping the future of the industry.
The prize was received on Verbio’s behalf by Dr. Andreas Kohl, Head of Specialty Chemicals and Catalysts at Verbio. In his acceptance speech, he emphasised: “Our technology gives the chemical industry access to bio-based C10 building blocks and platform molecules based on sustainable, regionally produced rapeseed oil. This is a significant innovative step towards greater sustainability and the reduction of indirect CO2 emissions – the so-called Scope 3 emissions. The award is a special recognition of the research and development work at Verbio and at XiMo, our Hungarian subsidiary. Without XiMo’s innovative metathesis catalysts, the entire process would not be possible. It is a special honour for me to receive the award on behalf of Verbio.”
Verbio sets new standards for a sustainable chemical industry
Dr. Kohl explains: “Verbio’s products and processes are particularly interesting for the chemical industry, which usually has a large ecological footprint. We are helping to replace fossil raw materials in the chemical industry with renewable molecules from sustainable biomass. Our bio-based chemicals support chemical companies in achieving their climate targets. We are already seeing great demand in the chemical industry worldwide, and we are holding intensive discussions with partners and customers.”
Verbio is using the solution honoured by ICIS to transfer the ethenolysis process, which was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2005, to industrial application – and in doing so it is setting new standards for greater sustainability in the chemical industry.
Verbio will produce the bio-based chemicals 9-DAME and 1-decene in the new production plant. These platform chemicals are used in the production of detergents and cleaning agents, high-performance lubricants, and plastics.
The Bitterfeld plant will have a nominal annual manufacturing capacity of 32,000 tonnes of 9-DAME and 17,000 tonnes of 1-decene. In future the objective is to manufacture an annual total of 60,000 tonnes of renewable products for the chemical industry.
Verbio is investing a total of about 100 million euros in the construction of the ethenolysis plant in Germany and in a production plant for the required speciality catalysts in Hungary, at the headquarters of XiMo, a Verbio subsidiary.
“As a reliable alternative to the fossil raw materials and biogenic options based on tropical oil that have been common up to now, our products made from regional rapeseed oil are not only convincing in terms of sustainability; they also strengthen regional agriculture and limit supply chain risks,” adds Dr. Kohl.
Green solution for the chemical industry expands Verbio’s product portfolio
Verbio’s business model is based on the development and continuous optimisation of CO2-efficient technologies and production plants, as well as the provision of green molecules from sustainably produced biomass for transport and industry.
Claus Sauter, CEO of Verbio SE, emphasises: “The expansion of the renewable molecules and green solutions product portfolio is an important basis for growth and stability for us. The production of bio-based speciality chemicals is of strategic importance to Verbio to enable it to break into a new market segment in addition to the biofuel market.”
With pride, he adds: “The ICIS Innovation Award is a great recognition of the professionalism and commitment of the teams at Verbio and XiMo. It emphasises the potential of our innovative products, and puts us on a par with large chemical groups. Verbio has the courage to break new ground even in difficult times. The award is therefore also an incentive to drive forward our development work for green solutions.”
About Verbio
At Verbio we make more from biomass. In our biorefineries at our locations in Europe, Asia und North America we convert raw materials and residual products from regional agriculture into climate-friendly fuels, green energy, and renewable products for the chemical industry and agriculture. In addition, we create high-value components from sustainably generated biomass for the animal feed and foodstuff industries. Our motto “Pioneering green solutions” sums up what drives our international team: with innovative technologies and green solutions, we are shaping the social and industrial transformation toward climate neutrality and ecological production. We contribute to preserving natural resources and to safeguarding the planet’s environment for future generations. We combine global growth with commercial success. For us, climate protection is an expression of social responsibility. At the same time, we contribute to security of supply by converting locally available biomass into renewable energy sources and sustainable chemicals. Verbio shares (ISIN DE000A0JL9W6/WKN A0JL9W) have been listed in the prime standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since October 2006. Our headquarters are in Zörbig, Germany.
Source
VERBIO, press release, 2025-11-17.
Supplier
ICIS
VERBIO - Vereinigte BioEnergie AG
XiMo AG
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