Chempolis has begun construction and installation works aiming at advanced production of bioethanol and biochemicals from cellulosic non-food feedstocks such as agricultural residues and reeds. Earlier this year, Chempolis has already commissioned the main parts of the biorefinery, which is located in the city of Oulu, Finland. The biorefinery selectively fractionates biomass while process chemicals are fully recovered and recycled.
The expansion completes the biorefinery by introducing downstream processing of biomass fractions, including the hydrolysis of the cellulose fraction, fermentation of hydrolysate into ethanol and the purification of ethanol. Fractionation of biomass and production of cellulosic ethanol is based on Chempolis’s proprietary formicobio™ biorefining technology. The expansion is scheduled to become operational in the first quarter of 2010.
“The expansion of our biorefinery is an important step on the path leading to commercial production based on formico® technologies. We will demonstrate the production of ethanol from customer-sourced biomass on an industrial scale and obtain detailed data for the engineering of large industrial biorefineries,” says Chempolis President and CEO Esa Rousu.
formicobio™ enables the co-production of ethanol and biochemicals from lignocellulosic biomass using own bioenergy, and thus represents low carbon technology and a true third-generation technology for producing liquid biofuels. formicobio™ avoids the main problems associated with other technologies, providing an opportunity for highly profitable and sustainable biorefining.
For further information please contact:
Mr. Pasi Rousu, Chief Technology Officer, Chempolis Oy, tel. +358 (0)10 387 6669