Clariant launches biofuel of the future
Photo (c) Clariant
Clariant, the Swiss specialty chemicals company, today inaugurated Germany’s biggest pilot plant for the production of climate-friendly cellulose ethanol from agricultural waste. Located in Straubing, Bavaria and supported by the Bavarian government and the Federal Ministry for Education and Research, the futuristic project will produce up to 1,000 tonnes of cellulose ethanol from around 4,500 tonnes of wheat straw based on the sunliquid® technology developed by Clariant. It represents an investment of around 28 million euros. Studies show that Germany potentially has around 22 million tonnes of straw that could be used for energy production without compromising essential soil regeneration. This would be sufficient to cover around 25% of Germany’s current gasoline requirements.
Clariant CEO Hariolf Kottmann declared: “The inauguration of the new plant marks an important milestone in the production of a climate-friendly biofuel that can also be used as a raw material for the chemical industry.” Kottmann appealed to politicians and industrialists to draw lessons from the failed start-up of biofuel E10 and to seek open dialogue with all interested parties. “Only when society recognizes the environmental benefits of climate-friendly biofuels can second-generation bioethanol be successful .”
