Technological watch

Successful scale-up of Pomacle commercial unit

Global Bioenergies announces that its first commercial production unit is now fully operational. All units (biological isobutene production, purification, condensation and packaging) have been validated and are now in operation. 

Frédéric Ollivier, Global Bioenergies’ Chief Technical Officer, said: “An industrial project is invariably an adventure. This is especially so in these troubled times. Nevertheless, we were able to successfully build and commission the unit in very good conditions. We are now producing about 1 tonne of isobutene per week. I would like to congratulate the entire Global Bioenergies team, who made this success possible.”

Global Bioenergies plans to sell purified isobutene for use in cosmetics and high value-added fuel applications that can cover what remains a very high production cost. 

Global Bioenergies will also convert some of the isobutene produced, via an established chain of tollers, into cosmetic-grade isododecane for sale to major cosmetic companies under the trademark Isonaturane® 12. The scale-up of this downstream chain was executed in parallel to the start of operations at the Pomacle unit.

Daphne Galvez, Global Bioenergies’ Head of Sales, said: “We will produce Isonaturane® 12 by campaigns. The first batch, which will be delivered in a few months, has already been sold in full, and our commercial discussions are now focusing on subsequent batches.”

Marc Delcourt, Global Bioenergies’ Chief Executive Officer, said: “The primary purpose of this unit is to generate revenue. Its second purpose is to pave the way in commercial, technical and regulatory terms for the 2025 launch of a new unit destined to produce 2,000 tonnes of isobutene and derivatives per year.”

© Global BioenergiesAbout GLOBAL BIOENERGIESGlobal Bioenergies converts plant-derived resources into compounds used in the cosmetics industry, as well as the energy and materials sectors. After launching the first long-lasting and natural make-up brand LAST® in 2021, Global Bioenergies is now marketing Isonaturane® 12, its key ingredient, to major cosmetics companies to improve the naturalness of their formulas whilst improving their carbon footprint. In the long run, Global Bioenergies is also aiming at cutting CO2 emissions in the aviation and road sector and thereby curb global warming. Global Bioenergies is listed on Euronext Growth Paris (FR0011052257 – ALGBE).

Publication date: 12/12/2022

Author: Yago Destro de Oliveira

Bio-based News



      

This project has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 837761.