Succinity GmbH, the joint venture between Corbion and BASF registered in 2013, has announced the successful start-up of its first commercial production facility.
The plant, located at the Corbion Purac site in Montmeló, Spain, has an annual capacity of 10,000 metric tons and is producing commercial quantities of bio-based succinic acid for the global market. In addition to this first facility, Succinity plans a second large-scale facility.
The final investment decision for this facility will be made following a successful market introduction.
BASF and Corbion Purac have been conducting research on bio-based succinic acid under a joint development agreement since 2009, combining the know-how of BASF, the global producer of chemical intermediates, and Corbion, a leading provider of bio-based food ingredients and bio-chemicals.
Here again, like for DSM (Holland) and Roquette (France) which have started-up their 10,000 tons plant in Cassano Spinola, Italy, under JV Reverdia, back in December 2012, food science, and chemistry teamed-up to innovate with an original proprietary white biotechnology process to produce bio-succinic acid.
The Succinity® process is based on renewable raw materials and fixes carbon dioxide. The proprietary microorganism Basfia succiniciproducens allows for a flexible usage of different feedstocks.
Furthermore, Succinity bio-based succinic acid can be produced efficiently without major waste streams thanks to a closed-loop process. An elaborate downstream processing method ensures the production of high quality bio-based succinic acid.
“The start-up of our first facility for Succinity® bio-based succinic acid represents a key milestone in our plan to become a major producer of bio-based succinic acid in the future,” comments Philipp Walter, Managing Director of Succinity. “The combined experiences of the team in Montmeló and the support from Corbion Purac and BASF have ensured the achievement of this important milestone within schedule. With the facility in Spain we will be able to serve the growing succinic acid market.”
Bio-based succinic acid features a significantly improved carbon footprint compared to conventional, fossil-based succinic acid or other dicarboxylic acids. It can be used in a variety of potential applications, such as bio-polymers like Polybutylene succinate (PBS), polyurethanes (PU), coatings and life science products.
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