{"id":154329,"date":"2024-11-26T07:05:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T06:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=154329"},"modified":"2024-11-22T15:43:42","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T14:43:42","slug":"metgen-integration-with-newenergyblue-will-create-full-array-of-biochemicals-refined-from-agricultural-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/metgen-integration-with-newenergyblue-will-create-full-array-of-biochemicals-refined-from-agricultural-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"Metgen integration with NewEnergyBlue will create full Array of Biochemicals refined from agricultural Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\u00a9 MetGen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

NewEnergyBlue, the clean-technology designer of biomass refineries that turn agricultural waste into highly decarbonized biofuels and biochemicals, and MetGen, the Finnish pioneer in advanced enzymes and lignin fractionization, today began integrating their renewable technologies and business units to vigorously compete with fossil-carbon products not just environmentally but economically.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cNewEnergyBlue\u2019s biomass conversion technologies, augmented by MetGen\u2019s capabilities, can create a broader array of higher-value, lower-carbon biochemicals without wasting a molecule,\u201d says Alex Michine, founder of MetGen<\/strong>. \u201cWe envision this partnership delivering specific end-to-end solutions from raw material to finished product that will attract a wellspring of capital investment to build out biomass refining projects around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

NewEnergyBlue\u2019s first U.S. biomass refinery is expected to begin operations in 2027 in Mason City, Iowa. By converting locally-sourced corn stalks left behind during the annual grain harvest, New Energy Freedom can produce 21 million gallons of second-generation biofuel and 150,00o tons of clean lignin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe know how to break down biomass into clean sugars and clean lignin\u2014the foundation of all plants,\u201d says Thomas Corle, Chairman and CEO of NewEnergyBlue<\/strong>. \u201cMetGen has spent 18 years developing enzymes that can do it more economically. And lignin fraction technology that can be scaled up to expand high-value markets for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

About half of New Energy Freedom\u2019s lignin could become a solid that asphalt producers use as a natural binder, replacing oil-based bitumen in road paving. The other half would be liquids: high-performance phenols for sports equipment like Nike, toys like Lego, and fire-resistant construction materials; eco-friendly polyols for strong yet lightweight insulation foams; and other fractions for lighter, stronger weather-shielded cardboard that companies like Amazon might use for tape-free, moisture-resistant packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re very excited by a carbon-neutral platform converting our lignin stream into a diverse range of bio-products that are competitively priced against oil-derived products,\u201d says Corle<\/strong>. \u201cThis significantly enhances revenues and profit to the biomass refinery operations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the financial are game-changing environment benefits. MetGen\u2019s lignin-based products reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to burning lignin for energy. This aligns with global climate targets and further underscores the partners\u2019 commitment to sustainable industry transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhile we scale up MetGen conversion technology at the Freedom refinery, the integration also brings new opportunities for Finland as a strategic hub,\u201d say Matti Heikkila, who heads up MetGen operations<\/strong>. \u201cWe\u2019re planning a commercial lignin-to-chemicals project next door to our Kaarina laboratories for early 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lignin will come from Meliora Bio, a Danish refinery processing wheat straw using Inbicon bioconversion technology. MetGen has tested the lignin and found it \u201chighly suitable for our separation technologies.\u201d MetGen intends to explore alternate feedstocks, such a black liquor, and develop new high-value products with a strong environmental advantages. \u201cWe\u2019re just getting started\u2014like the oil industry in the past century,\u201d says Heikkila<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

After years of helping develop Inbicon technology, NewEnergyBlue recently purchased it from \u00d8rsted. Over the next five years, plans call for building four additional American refineries that fully incorporate Inbicon and MetGen technologies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cFor the Midwest, it means good construction and manufacturing jobs, a second income for corn farmers, and rural revitalization,\u201d Corle<\/strong> says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In pulp-and-paper regions, Corle sees new opportunities for lignin and pulp refining that could revive a struggling industry. Internationally, interest already runs high for licensing the company\u2019s tech and business platform to refine sugar bagasse, corn stalks, wheat and other grain straws, and energy grasses like miscanthus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAdding MetGen technologies lets us tell a powerful financial and climate story.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NewEnergyBlue, the clean-technology designer of biomass refineries that turn agricultural waste into highly decarbonized biofuels and biochemicals, and MetGen, the Finnish pioneer in advanced enzymes and lignin fractionization, today began integrating their renewable technologies and business units to vigorously compete with fossil-carbon products not just environmentally but economically. \u201cNewEnergyBlue\u2019s biomass conversion technologies, augmented by MetGen\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":154331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"NewEnergyBlue\u2019s first U.S. biomass refinery is expected to begin operations in 2027 in Mason City, Iowa","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5838,5842,5831,10416,11828,17493],"supplier":[25229,4464,24885,17128],"class_list":["post-154329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioeconomy","tag-biomass","tag-biorefinery","tag-circulareconomy","tag-lignin","tag-refinery","supplier-meliora-bio","supplier-metgen","supplier-newenergyblue","supplier-orsted"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154329","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\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154329\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154329"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=154329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}