BASF Invests in LanzaTech, ArcelorMittal’s Underway on Advanced Fuels, Syngenta Breaks 3B Gallon Mark, Leaf Gets an Accelerator: Partnership Frenzy in the Bioeconomy

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... But it shows also what smaller companies can do when they partner effectively – whether that means industrial giants like ArcelorMittal or BASF, technology accelerator schemes like Unreasonable Impact, or with the US ethanol industry.

And BASF, Lallemand, Leaf Resources and Syngenta’s Enogen corn are in the news this week in that way as well. It’s a showcase day for accelerating company fortunes through partnership.

Arcelor, LanzaTech break ground

First, to LanzaTech’s massive project. ArcelorMittal has begun construction of new premises at its site in Ghent, Belgium, to house a pioneering new installation which will convert carbon-containing gas from its blast furnaces into bioethanol. If proved successful, the new concept has the potential to revolutionize blast furnace carbon emissions capture and support the decarbonization of the transport sector.

This is the first installation of its kind on an industrial scale in Europe and once complete, annual production of bioethanol at Ghent is expected to reach around 80 million liters, which will yield an annual CO2 saving equivalent to putting 100,000 electrical cars on the road.

BASF invests in LanzaTech

In Germany, BASF Venture Capital is investing in LanzaTech, the Digest has learned.

“LanzaTech offers a promising technology that allows currently unused industrial residue and waste streams to be recycled,” says Markus Solibieda, Managing Director of BASF Venture Capital. “We support our customers and society with chemistry that makes optimum use of available resources, and we are working to integrate sustainability increasingly in all our business processes. One part of this is investment in technologies that help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.”

“Investment from BASF will help us realize our goal of a Carbon Smart Future,” says Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech. “BASF’s expertise in creating sustainable chemistry that benefits society aligns with our carbon recycling vision, where we capture and reuse waste carbon to make useful everyday items, displacing fossil feedstocks and keeping the sky blue for all.”

Leaf Selected for Accelerator Programme ‘Unreasonable Impact’

Meanwhile, Leaf Resources has been selected by Unreasonable Impact, a global partnership between Barclays and Unreasonable Group focused on scaling up ventures that have the potential to solve major environmental and societal problems while creating the jobs of tomorrow. Leaf is the only Australian company – as well as the only bioeconomy company – chosen for the current programme, focused on the Asia-Pacific region.

Leaf Resources was chosen thanks to its innovative Glycell process and biodegradable recyclable packaging product LeafCOAT.

BASF and Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits ink enzymes, yeast partnership

In California and Georgia, BASF Enzymes and Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits signed a marketing and sales collaboration agreement aimed at the US ethanol market. BASF will use its enzyme portfolio for applications in liquefaction and fermentation in order to maximize fermentation performance. LBDS will use its TransFerm yeast product line that provides increased ethanol yields and reduces the need for glucoamylase addition.

Syngenta hits 3 billion gallon, 30 plant mark for Enogen corn

In Minnesota, Syngenta now has agreements in place with more than 30 ethanol plants with a combined production capacity of approximately 3 billion gallons. As new plants come on board, Syngenta expects ethanol produced with Enogen corn enzyme technology to be approximately 2.5 billion gallons during 2018 alone.

Farmers who grow Enogen corn are eligible to earn an additional premium per Enogen bushel. During 2018, Enogen corn is expected to generate approximately $28.5 million of additional revenue for local growers contracting with plants using Enogen grain through per-bushel premiums. Numerous trials have shown that Enogen hybrids perform equal to or better than other high-performing corn hybrids. READ MORE