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Can Europe build a bioeconomy?
Summary
This review examines Europe's capacity to build a bioeconomy, reporting on large-scale chemical plant construction projects across Finland, Germany, Slovakia, and France as indicators of industrial momentum toward bio-based production systems.
From the forested coast of southern Finland to the hills of central Germany and the mountain valleys of Slovakia and France, activity is stirring on the European continent. Shovels are breaking ground, and craftspeople are at work building large chemical plants. While the products these plants make will look familiar, the raw materials won’t. Bioproduction, powered by microbes and biomass, is being harnessed to meet the challenge of reindustrializing Europe. For this enterprise to get off the ground, the first requirement is a desire for sustainably produced molecules. In Europe, that demand appears to be present. “The customer base is in Europe,” says Wayne Ashton, senior vice president of home and personal care at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), a maker of ingredients for consumer products. “It's also important to say that the European customers are probably a little bit more advanced in wanting sustainability.” In March, the company announced a 50-50 joint venture with Kemira to use IFF fermentation technology to turn sugars into biopolymers at IFF’s facility in Kotka, Finland, which currently produces fructose and xylitol. The polymers, which can be derivatized, can replace acrylics and acrylates in products such as paper, detergents, and nonwoven fabrics. The venture, called Alpha Bio, will build a plant costing about $145 million. It is expected to open in 2027 with the capacity to convert up to 44,000 metric tons of plant sugars into the new polymers. Ashton says the decision to partner with Kemira was based on the compatibility of the
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