Green Biologics inks Iowa demo plant deal with Easy Energy Systems

Markets for molecules

The company’s core focus is n-butanol, a chemical precursor for paints, coatings, adhesives, inks, plastics, pharmaceuticals, household cleaners and personal care ingredients with global markets exceeding $10 billion.

The global n-butanol market, n-butanol

“Globally, 80% of n-butanol goes to butyl acrylates and butyl acetate for paints, coatings, inks, and adhesives,” Sutcliffe told the Digest.

“But there are host of high value apps,” added Green Biologics North American president Joel Stone, “especially interesting are flavors and fragrances. Approximately 20% of the market is solvents and specialties that include personal care applications, food flavors and extractants, specialty cleaning applications, vitamins, textile swelling agents, aviation brake and hydraulic fluids, and fire retardants.

The bottom line

With the demo plant expected to be ready in mid-2014, it’s mid-decade for Green Biologics in terms of a first commercial plant. Limiting factors will be, as with all cellulosic plays, the cost and logistic of aggregating affordable feedstock. Interesting that they are working up in Emmetsburg, along those lines., With all the work done by POET Biomass in support of logistics for the POET-DSM Project Liberty, north-central Iowa is, for sure, one place that has come far in terms of learning how to handle biomass.

Learn more about Green Biologics via this free, downloadable 2-page summary, here.. The company’s website is here.