The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made a conditional commitment of $213. 6 million for sustainable chemicals manufacturer Solugen and its plan to expand a production facility in Minnesota, USA, of biological acids that can be used in carbon-emitting industries, such as cement and energy.
Bioforge Marshall will be an expanded 500,000-square-foot edition of Solugen’s Houston facility and will be manufactured from biomass.
Solugen said the facility is designed to reduce CO2 emissions by 18,000 tonnes a year compared to traditional production methods, in emissions from the energy source of 3,500 homes per year.
The chemical industry is one of the largest emitters of CO2, generating around 935 million tonnes in 2022, with the largest percentage of emissions coming from the production of ammonia (45%) and methanol (28%).
Solugen’s technology, developed at its Houston plant, amounts to an enzymatic chemistry process in which biomass derived from agricultural feedstocks, specifically dextrose, is fed into an enzymatic oxidation reactor and steel catalysts to produce a product similar to that produced by classical petroleum and petrochemical processes. .
At the Houston plant, Solugen can produce one ton of product for every ton of raw material.
The plant will also be adjacent to the Archer Daniels Midland corn processing complex, where it will produce dextrose. The DOE attributed the facility’s CO2-saving features to its local sourcing of biogenic feedstocks.
The DOE expects Solugen’s products to “relocate commercial production capacity” for chemicals that are largely produced in countries such as China, which accounted for 15% of global ammonia production in 2021.
The subsidiary has calculated that Solugen chemicals have a savings of up to 40% compared to existing chemical products.
Gaurab Chakrabarti, CEO of Solugen, said, “U. S. production is at an inflection point and we are proud to have the opportunity to work with DOE to bring critical onshore chemical production functions to communities like Marshall.
“By developing cutting-edge technologies, we are responding to national demand for cutting-edge responses and setting global criteria for sustainable biomanufacturing. “
Solugen expects production to begin on-site in the third quarter of 2025, with the creation of a structure of one hundred jobs and 56 permanent positions once operational.
Over the next decade, the company intends to expand its chemical production portfolio to include plastics, amines, and glycols.
Manufacturing from algae biomass waste
Pioneer of renewable plastic from biomass
TerraPower and SCS Install Test Facility to Advance Fused Chloride Fast Reactor
New integrated net-negative system captures carbon and produces ethylene
Joint report calls for immediate action against greenhouse gases
Researcher in Risks / Process Safety
Quality and Process Professional
Project Manager – Process Optimization
Process Automation Engineer
A verbal exchange with experts: Watch recordings of our past webinars and log in to attend long-form webcasts online.
You don’t want to be a chemical engineer to enroll in IChemE. Our global network of members includes Americans from a variety of disciplines who have an interest in and/or delight in chemical engineering.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, reviews, and work from The Chemical Engineer. Below are the last 4 issues. Check out a wider variety of archives in the Journal segment of this site.
We offer readers a wide variety of subscription features and are sure to find the one that suits their needs.
Researcher in Risks / Process Safety
Quality and Process Professional
Project Manager – Process Optimization
Process Automation Engineer
Process Automation Engineer
Process Engineer
Industrial Process Engineer – Locomotive
Coatings specialist
© 2024 Institution of Chemical Engineers
Site through technical laboratories.