Global Bioenergies makes advances on bio-based isobutene

In France, Global Bioenergies has made major advances in its process for converting plant-based feedstocks into isobutene. The resulting improved performance will speed up penetration of the cosmetics market over the next few years and allows to target production costs that would make this process the world leader for converting industrial sugars into biojet fuel. 

Since 2019, Global Bioenergies has focused on cosmetics applications for its process, isobutene derivatives being an important input for these markets, and recently launched its own make-up brand, LAST®, the first to combine longwear performance with low transfer in an over 90% natural product.

It is now building a production unit at Pomacle site near Reims, so the industry’s big names can start buying into this innovation, increasing the naturalness of their make-up formulations. The unit will come onstream in the first quarter 2022 with annual capacity of around 100 tonnes.

Global Bioenergies plans a larger plant for 2024, that will be able to produce thousands of tons and serve the vastly bigger skincare and haircare markets. Renewable isobutene derivatives will replace the fossil-fuel based ingredients currently used in skin and hair formulations. They will also help substitute volatile silicons which are being phased out by regulators.

These latest advances in process performance mean Global Bioenergies can now forge ahead faster with its step-by-step development plan. It opens the way toward its historic aim of making a positive environmental impact on a global scale via the mass production of biofuels. Specifically, the process could lead to aviation biofuels – a first flight took place this year – to massively decarbonize air travel.