Cellulosic ethanol helps decarbonize transportation in Europe<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nClariant\u2019s sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology converts unused agricultural residues into cellulosic ethanol, an advanced, highly sustainable biofuel that can already be used as a drop-in solution in fuel blending. Compared to fossil fuels, CO2<\/sub>savings of up to 95% can be achieved. \u201cBiofuels from agricultural residues play a key role in achieving the European Union\u2019s ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050. The investment in Romania thus makes an important contribution on the way to decarbonizing transport in Europe and building a more sustainable future,\u201d says Dr. Stefan Brejc, coordinator of the LIGNOFLAG project and Head of the Business Segment Biofuels & Derivatives at Clariant.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCreating a domestic source of renewable energy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0plant in Podari is in the ramp-up phase. The plant can process 250,000 tons of straw per year to produce 50,000 tons of cellulosic ethanol (nominal plant capacity) if the targeted technical parameters are achieved. The straw is sourced from local farmers, with whom Clariant has already signed more than 300 contracts to ensure the supply of the necessary feedstock to the plant. The use of agricultural residues from the immediate vicinity promotes the production of biofuels in Europe. This reduces dependence on fossil fuels and ensures a competitive domestic source of renewable energy for Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNew green jobs along the entire value chain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe bioethanol plant in Podari, a structurally weak area in southwestern Romania, will help to strengthen the local economy when it is in permanent commercial operation. The construction of the plant, co-funded by LIGNOFLAG, will not only provide farmers with an additional source of income, but also create green jobs along the value chain. Currently, about 120 employees work at the plant, and nearly 300 people are employed in connected businesses such as collection, storage, and transport of the feedstock. The construction of the plant employed around 800 workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Energy-efficient production process through utilization of co-products<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOne objective of the LIGNOFLAG project was also to establish an energy-efficient and highly sustainable production process for cellulosic ethanol by recycling the two co-products lignin and vinasse. Lignin can be utilized energetically in a combined heat and power plant for the production of steam and green electricity, a tangible example of a circular economy. For this purpose, a CO2<\/sub>-neutral biomass cogeneration plant based on lignin was built in Podari to supply the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0production plant with energy and steam.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe use of vinasse as a fertilizer also was the subject of research within LIGNOFLAG and turned out to be promising in field trials. Alternatively, vinasse can also be used as an energy source. Furthermore, a \u201cLife Cycle Assessment\u201d was carried out in LIGNOFLAG for the entire production process of the Podari plant and the potential socio-economic impact of an advanced biofuel market in Europe was researched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commercialization of the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTogether with the EU-funded LIGNOFLAG consortium, Clariant has developed a commercialization strategy for cellulosic ethanol based on the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology. This strategy includes a licensing business, which has already started. The aim of the technical optimization work at the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0plant is to ensure the commercial attractiveness of the technology. Potential customers intend to integrate the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology into their own production processes and thus expand their service portfolio of sustainable fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe planning and construction of the plant in Podari received a total of \u20ac48 million in funding from the European Union, including around \u20ac25 million from the BBI-JU-funded LIGNOFLAG project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Clariant\u2019s](\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2023\/06\/Bildschirmfoto-2023-06-14-um-13.06.55-1.png\")
Clariant\u2019s flagship sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0cellulosic ethanol plant in Podari, Romania. (Photo: Clariant)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe LIGNOFLAG project has received funding from the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 709606. The JU receives support from the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Bio-based Industries Consortium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant has built the first large-scale commercial plant for the production of cellulosic ethanol based on its sunliquid\u00ae\u00a0technology in Podari, in southwestern Romania, and commissioned it. The European Union supported the project with around 25 million euros as part of the LIGNOFLAG project. At today\u2019s final conference of LIGNOFLAG in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Clariant\u2019s sunliquid\u00ae technology converts unused agricultural residues into cellulosic ethanol, an advanced, highly sustainable biofuel that can already be used as a drop-in solution in fuel blending","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5839,5714,5842,19261,10416,5627],"supplier":[8031,11909,2104,5585,7768],"class_list":["post-128211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioethanol","tag-biofuels","tag-biomass","tag-cellulosicethanol","tag-circulareconomy","tag-energy","supplier-bbi-joint-undertaking","supplier-bio-based-industries-consortium-bic","supplier-clariant-international-ag","supplier-european-union","supplier-horizon-2020"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128211\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128211"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=128211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Creating a domestic source of renewable energy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0plant in Podari is in the ramp-up phase. The plant can process 250,000 tons of straw per year to produce 50,000 tons of cellulosic ethanol (nominal plant capacity) if the targeted technical parameters are achieved. The straw is sourced from local farmers, with whom Clariant has already signed more than 300 contracts to ensure the supply of the necessary feedstock to the plant. The use of agricultural residues from the immediate vicinity promotes the production of biofuels in Europe. This reduces dependence on fossil fuels and ensures a competitive domestic source of renewable energy for Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNew green jobs along the entire value chain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe bioethanol plant in Podari, a structurally weak area in southwestern Romania, will help to strengthen the local economy when it is in permanent commercial operation. The construction of the plant, co-funded by LIGNOFLAG, will not only provide farmers with an additional source of income, but also create green jobs along the value chain. Currently, about 120 employees work at the plant, and nearly 300 people are employed in connected businesses such as collection, storage, and transport of the feedstock. The construction of the plant employed around 800 workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Energy-efficient production process through utilization of co-products<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOne objective of the LIGNOFLAG project was also to establish an energy-efficient and highly sustainable production process for cellulosic ethanol by recycling the two co-products lignin and vinasse. Lignin can be utilized energetically in a combined heat and power plant for the production of steam and green electricity, a tangible example of a circular economy. For this purpose, a CO2<\/sub>-neutral biomass cogeneration plant based on lignin was built in Podari to supply the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0production plant with energy and steam.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe use of vinasse as a fertilizer also was the subject of research within LIGNOFLAG and turned out to be promising in field trials. Alternatively, vinasse can also be used as an energy source. Furthermore, a \u201cLife Cycle Assessment\u201d was carried out in LIGNOFLAG for the entire production process of the Podari plant and the potential socio-economic impact of an advanced biofuel market in Europe was researched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commercialization of the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTogether with the EU-funded LIGNOFLAG consortium, Clariant has developed a commercialization strategy for cellulosic ethanol based on the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology. This strategy includes a licensing business, which has already started. The aim of the technical optimization work at the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0plant is to ensure the commercial attractiveness of the technology. Potential customers intend to integrate the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology into their own production processes and thus expand their service portfolio of sustainable fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe planning and construction of the plant in Podari received a total of \u20ac48 million in funding from the European Union, including around \u20ac25 million from the BBI-JU-funded LIGNOFLAG project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clariant\u2019s flagship sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0cellulosic ethanol plant in Podari, Romania. (Photo: Clariant)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe LIGNOFLAG project has received funding from the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 709606. The JU receives support from the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Bio-based Industries Consortium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant has built the first large-scale commercial plant for the production of cellulosic ethanol based on its sunliquid\u00ae\u00a0technology in Podari, in southwestern Romania, and commissioned it. The European Union supported the project with around 25 million euros as part of the LIGNOFLAG project. At today\u2019s final conference of LIGNOFLAG in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Clariant\u2019s sunliquid\u00ae technology converts unused agricultural residues into cellulosic ethanol, an advanced, highly sustainable biofuel that can already be used as a drop-in solution in fuel blending","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5839,5714,5842,19261,10416,5627],"supplier":[8031,11909,2104,5585,7768],"class_list":["post-128211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioethanol","tag-biofuels","tag-biomass","tag-cellulosicethanol","tag-circulareconomy","tag-energy","supplier-bbi-joint-undertaking","supplier-bio-based-industries-consortium-bic","supplier-clariant-international-ag","supplier-european-union","supplier-horizon-2020"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128211\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128211"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=128211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
New green jobs along the entire value chain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe bioethanol plant in Podari, a structurally weak area in southwestern Romania, will help to strengthen the local economy when it is in permanent commercial operation. The construction of the plant, co-funded by LIGNOFLAG, will not only provide farmers with an additional source of income, but also create green jobs along the value chain. Currently, about 120 employees work at the plant, and nearly 300 people are employed in connected businesses such as collection, storage, and transport of the feedstock. The construction of the plant employed around 800 workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Energy-efficient production process through utilization of co-products<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nOne objective of the LIGNOFLAG project was also to establish an energy-efficient and highly sustainable production process for cellulosic ethanol by recycling the two co-products lignin and vinasse. Lignin can be utilized energetically in a combined heat and power plant for the production of steam and green electricity, a tangible example of a circular economy. For this purpose, a CO2<\/sub>-neutral biomass cogeneration plant based on lignin was built in Podari to supply the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0production plant with energy and steam.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe use of vinasse as a fertilizer also was the subject of research within LIGNOFLAG and turned out to be promising in field trials. Alternatively, vinasse can also be used as an energy source. Furthermore, a \u201cLife Cycle Assessment\u201d was carried out in LIGNOFLAG for the entire production process of the Podari plant and the potential socio-economic impact of an advanced biofuel market in Europe was researched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commercialization of the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTogether with the EU-funded LIGNOFLAG consortium, Clariant has developed a commercialization strategy for cellulosic ethanol based on the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology. This strategy includes a licensing business, which has already started. The aim of the technical optimization work at the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0plant is to ensure the commercial attractiveness of the technology. Potential customers intend to integrate the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology into their own production processes and thus expand their service portfolio of sustainable fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe planning and construction of the plant in Podari received a total of \u20ac48 million in funding from the European Union, including around \u20ac25 million from the BBI-JU-funded LIGNOFLAG project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clariant\u2019s flagship sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0cellulosic ethanol plant in Podari, Romania. (Photo: Clariant)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe LIGNOFLAG project has received funding from the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 709606. The JU receives support from the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Bio-based Industries Consortium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant has built the first large-scale commercial plant for the production of cellulosic ethanol based on its sunliquid\u00ae\u00a0technology in Podari, in southwestern Romania, and commissioned it. The European Union supported the project with around 25 million euros as part of the LIGNOFLAG project. At today\u2019s final conference of LIGNOFLAG in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Clariant\u2019s sunliquid\u00ae technology converts unused agricultural residues into cellulosic ethanol, an advanced, highly sustainable biofuel that can already be used as a drop-in solution in fuel blending","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5839,5714,5842,19261,10416,5627],"supplier":[8031,11909,2104,5585,7768],"class_list":["post-128211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioethanol","tag-biofuels","tag-biomass","tag-cellulosicethanol","tag-circulareconomy","tag-energy","supplier-bbi-joint-undertaking","supplier-bio-based-industries-consortium-bic","supplier-clariant-international-ag","supplier-european-union","supplier-horizon-2020"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128211\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128211"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=128211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
One objective of the LIGNOFLAG project was also to establish an energy-efficient and highly sustainable production process for cellulosic ethanol by recycling the two co-products lignin and vinasse. Lignin can be utilized energetically in a combined heat and power plant for the production of steam and green electricity, a tangible example of a circular economy. For this purpose, a CO2<\/sub>-neutral biomass cogeneration plant based on lignin was built in Podari to supply the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0production plant with energy and steam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The use of vinasse as a fertilizer also was the subject of research within LIGNOFLAG and turned out to be promising in field trials. Alternatively, vinasse can also be used as an energy source. Furthermore, a \u201cLife Cycle Assessment\u201d was carried out in LIGNOFLAG for the entire production process of the Podari plant and the potential socio-economic impact of an advanced biofuel market in Europe was researched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Together with the EU-funded LIGNOFLAG consortium, Clariant has developed a commercialization strategy for cellulosic ethanol based on the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology. This strategy includes a licensing business, which has already started. The aim of the technical optimization work at the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0plant is to ensure the commercial attractiveness of the technology. Potential customers intend to integrate the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology into their own production processes and thus expand their service portfolio of sustainable fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The planning and construction of the plant in Podari received a total of \u20ac48 million in funding from the European Union, including around \u20ac25 million from the BBI-JU-funded LIGNOFLAG project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The LIGNOFLAG project has received funding from the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 709606. The JU receives support from the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Bio-based Industries Consortium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant has built the first large-scale commercial plant for the production of cellulosic ethanol based on its sunliquid\u00ae\u00a0technology in Podari, in southwestern Romania, and commissioned it. The European Union supported the project with around 25 million euros as part of the LIGNOFLAG project. At today\u2019s final conference of LIGNOFLAG in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Clariant\u2019s sunliquid\u00ae technology converts unused agricultural residues into cellulosic ethanol, an advanced, highly sustainable biofuel that can already be used as a drop-in solution in fuel blending","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5839,5714,5842,19261,10416,5627],"supplier":[8031,11909,2104,5585,7768],"class_list":["post-128211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioethanol","tag-biofuels","tag-biomass","tag-cellulosicethanol","tag-circulareconomy","tag-energy","supplier-bbi-joint-undertaking","supplier-bio-based-industries-consortium-bic","supplier-clariant-international-ag","supplier-european-union","supplier-horizon-2020"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128211\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128211"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=128211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Commercialization of the sunliquid\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0technology<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n