Evonik (Essen / Germany; www.evonik.com) has begun a long-term cooperation with US-based BioAmber (Minneapolis, Minnesota; www.bio-amber.com) to develop and manufacture catalysts for 1.4-butanediol (BDO), tetrahydrofuran (THF) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) from bio-based succinic acid. Evonik estimates global demand for these products, whether petrochemical or bio-based, to be worth USD 4 bn.

In 2010, BioAmber licensed BDO hydrogenation catalyst technology from DuPont and has further developed this with Evonik and the US Center for Applied Catalysis at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. In parallel, BioAmber and Evonik have collaborated on a new generation of BDO catalysts. The US bioplastics specialist operates what it claims is the world’s only dedicated production plant for bio-succinic acid in Pomacle / France with a 350,000-litre commercial scale fermenter.

Together with Mitsui & Co. (Tokyo / Japan; www.mitsui.com), BioAmber also has broken ground on a 17,000 t/y bio-succinic acid plant at Sarnia, Canada, slated for start-up in late 2013, with plans to expand capacity to 34,000 t/y – see Plasteurope.com of 15.11.2011. Other plans for the partnership call for a 23,000 t/y BDO plant to start up in late 2014. The company also plans to build additional BDO and succinic acid facilities with the Japanese group.