Foreword

This month we have a veritable glut of stories in the Chemicals section, with several biorefineries opening around the world, including Avantium in the Netherlands, Attis in the US and Leaf Resources in Malaysia. Biorefining technology continues to develop at an unprecedented rate, as new technologies are developed for the extraction of useful chemicals from biomass, and new value chains are established for those chemicals. As we look to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels in future, expect biorefining to become much more prevalent, and the presence of new plants worldwide is a testament to the potential of this sector........

Other News this Month Includes:

Policy

• BBIA refutes report into biobased plastic waste
• US defines product categories for BioPreferred program​

Markets

• Avantium makes progress in first half of 2018
• BioAmber fails to find buyer​

Research & Development

• How to identify promising biobased chemicals
• Overview of lignocellulosic biorefinery sector​

Polymers

• Anellotech closer to 100% biobased bottle
• Fully biobased thermoformable biocomposite developed
• ARLANXEO releases new TPVs​

Chemicals

• Biobased cleaning products for oil and gas industry
• Identifying greener hydrocarbon solvents
• Advances in biobased dicarboxylic acid production
• First plant-based cannabinoid medicine licensed
• Evaluating waste-based volatile fatty acids
• Oleon opens plant for biobased cosmetic building blocks
• Attis to open first commercial biorefinery
• Avantium to open biorefinery in Netherlands
• Sappi to build Xylex demonstration plant
• Agreement between PETRONAS and Leaf for Malaysian biorefinery offtake​

Consumer Products

• Biobased flip flop sandals
• Michelin targets 80% renewable tyres by 2048
• Yorkshire Tea switching to biobased plastic
• Chairs from Braskem's biobased plastic released
• Elopak produces 1 billion 100% renewable cartons​

Patents

Events

Price Information