Sunliquid into China

Clariant’s Biofuels & Derivatives business line has formed a strategic partnership with Chemtex Global to market its Sunliquid technology for second-generation biofuel projects in China. It will supply technology licences, technical services and starter cultures from its proprietary enzyme and yeast platform, while Chemtex will offer engineering, procurement construction services.

China is seen as a key growth market for Sunliquid. In 2017, its State Council endorsed a new strategic plan to further use more bioethanol from agricultural residue in motor fuels and a mandate was issued requiring all fuels to contain it as an additive. This will both make greener fuels and find more environment-friendly uses for the residues, which are now mostly burned in the fields.

Clariant signed its first Sunliquid licensing deal in China in January with Chemtex and Anhui Guozhen, a green energy company. Anhui Guozhen will build a 50,000 tonnes/year plant in Fuyang to produce cellulosic ethanol using the technology. More recently, it also signed a similar deal with Eta Bio of Bulgaria, which will use the technology to make cellulosic ethanol from wheat straw in a newly constructed, 50,000 tonnes/year facility at General Toshevo in the north-east of the country. This brings the total to four. Previous licensees have been in the ethanol and mineral oil sectors in Poland and Slovakia.