11th Biorizon Event on Bioaromatics
The 11th Biorizon Annual Event on bioaromatics, co-organized by VITO, took place in Antwerp last November, providing a platform for the COUNTLESS project community to convene, share project objectives, and engage with stakeholders.
In her opening address, VITO CEO Inge Neven emphasized the critical global challenges we face today. She encouraged scientists and research organizations to remain optimistic in their development of solutions, despite the multitude of crises. One key challenge for the Biorizon Community she highlighted was the need to import biomass, connecting ports and processing plants to produce intermediates for the EU chemical industry.
Industry Perspectives
Several industry speakers showcased the solutions they are seeking from bio-based industries. Companies like Worlée, Unilin Insulation, and Unilever presented how they are actively looking to replace fossil materials with bio-based alternatives. For these companies, it’s crucial to consider the entire picture, from feedstock sustainability to the circularity of the final product. This holistic approach is particularly important when recycled or bio-based intermediates are more expensive than their fossil counterparts.
From Research to Market
The journey from research idea to a successful company is a long one, as exemplified by the Fabiola biorefinery. The Dutch research and technology organisation TNO has brought this biorefinery idea to prototype scale. It utilizes a range of second-generation biomass feedstocks to produce cellulose fibres, lignins, and sugars. Like many others in the field, they face a chicken-and-egg dilemma: bio-based chemicals are not yet widely available on the market, but product development with these materials can only begin once they are accessible. Innovators must reach a point where they can offer samples to application developers and convince them that their demo-plants will eventually reach full-scale production. The Biorizon community showcased different approaches to mitigate the risks associated with such developments, including:
– Stage-gating to ensure focus and alignment
– Early hotspot analysis via life cycle assessment and techno-economic assessment
– Technology validation, ensuring scalability
– Market validation, ensuring market fit by determining the key added value of new products
The Future of Bio-Aromatics
The Biorizon Event highlighted the growing importance of bio-aromatics in the chemical industry. These renewable aromatics provide new functionalities and offer a sustainable alternative to current petrochemical products that are difficult to reuse or recycle, such as paints, adhesives, and lubricants.
In the COUNTLESS project, coordinated by the Biorizon co-founder VITO, partners across the value chain will work to produce aromatic intermediates and develop applications for a range of sectors.
