BioFuels Journal

Sud-Chemie and Linde to Jointly Develop Production Plants for Second-Generation Biofuels Such as Cellulosic Ethanol

Süd-Chemie AG, one of the world's leading manufacturers of catalysts and adsorbents, and Linde Group, a world leading gases and engineering company, have agreed to co-operate on an exclusive basis to develop and market plants for the production of second-generation biofuels.

This will involve a biotechnological process to extract fuels such as ethanol from plant matter containing cellulose, such as wheat and maize straw, grasses or wood.

Based on these renewable resources, second-generation biofuels offer a significant improvement in terms of climate and energy balance compared with the first-generation biofuels already in use today, for instance biodiesel made from rapeseed oil.

In addition, they do not compete with the cultivation of either food or animal feed.

The partners in this alliance, which is currently unique in Europe, offer highly-complementary mutual benefits.

Whereas Sud-Chemie will be contributing its know-how in the sectors of biocatalysis and bioprocess engineering, Linde with its subsidiary Linde-KCA-Dresden will provide leading engineering expertise in the areas of biotechnology and chemistry.

This competent partnership will be available to assist potential customers, such as ethanol producers and other companies in the industrial or agricultural sectors, as well as investors interested in second-generation biofuel plants, in planning and constructing these plants on a worldwide scale.

In view of the growing shortage and increasing price of oil, as well as the impending climate change, the extraction of biofuel from cellulosic vegetable raw materials represents a highly-attractive market of the future.

According to the management consultants McKinsey & Company, the entire global market for biofuel will grow to $61 billion by 2010.

Recent US legislation also stipulates that by 2022, about one quarter of current US fuel consumption is to be replaced by biofuel.

This is mainly to be achieved with the aid of bioethanol obtained from cellulosic vegetable raw materials.

"This co-operation with Linde is of major strategic importance for Sud-Chemie as we intend to bundle our activities even more closely in this highly-attractive market of the future," said Dr. Gunter von Au, managing board chairman of Sud-Chemie AG.

"The aim is to successfully develop to market maturity economic plants for climate-friendly biofuels that offer a high level of energy efficiency." von Au noted.

"This is a very good tie-up between two international technology enterprises," said Dr. Aldo Belloni, managing board member of Linde AG.

"Using bio-catalysis and biotechnological plant engineering we will develop economically-efficient processes for new biofuels on a large scale," Belloni explained.

"We are confident of making a joint contribution to solving key questions in the fields of energy, climate protection and mobility," Belloni said.

"We are delighted that with Linde-KCA, we have gained a leading facilities contractor in the biotechnology sector as a long-term partner," said Dr. Andre Koltermann, head of strategic research and development at Sud-Chemie AG.

"This co-operation represents the next major step in our development and commercialisation of second-generation biofuel plants based on biocatalysis and bioprocess engineering, and demonstrates the high level of maturity reached by this technology," Koltermann added.

Uwe Welteroth, head of the biotechnological plants division at Linde-KCA-Dresden GmbH, added, "We are pleased that as a result of this co-operation with Sud-Chemie, our engineers and biotechnologists will now also be able to contribute their vast experience in the development, design and construction of biotechnological plants towards creating facilities for the production of second-generation biofuels.

"This will ensure that partners and investors are provided with advanced, efficient and safe plants to manufacture tomorrow's fuels," Welteroth said.

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