On the heels of the agreement forged last May to build a BDO plant in Asia (see Plasteurope.com of 06.05.2011), Mitsubishi Chemical Corp (MCC, Tokyo / Japan; www.m-kagaku.co.jp) and Genomatica (San Diego, California / USA; www.genomatica.com) in late February 2012 announced that they had signed a deal granting MCC exclusivity to negotiate for said joint BDO facility, which will be using the US biochemical company’s technology. As part of the agreement, MCC has paid Genomatica USD 3.5m. The two companies said they are continuing to work towards a definite agreement, which they hope to reach by mid-2012.

Commenting on the deal, Genomatica CEO Christophe Schilling said: “As a major producer and consumer of BDO and its derivatives, Mitsubishi brings tremendous market knowledge and application expertise, and is well-positioned to leverage the differentiation that can be gained from a renewable approach to producing BDO.” MCC turns out 70,000 t/y of BDO derivative PBT at its plant in Yokkaichi / Japan.