Chemical sector
The biobased chemical sector is increasing rapidly. The interest of chemical companies and research institutes in sustainable biobased chemicals, building blocks and materials is growing. Read all about the latest innovations and developments in this dossier.
“Industries play a key role in the circular economy”
More than 1,000 visitors attended the second Circular Valley Forum held at Wuppertal's Historic Stadthalle (Germany)…
Cescco2 to upcycle PVC with supercritical CO2
Making the PVC chain circular is coming within reach as Groningen-based start-up Cescco2 can move forward…
“We have started harvesting”
Shared Research Centre Biorizon will celebrate its 10th anniversary on 29 and 30 November with the…
“The European bioeconomy needs faster and bolder actions”
The US, India and China are diving fully into the opportunities that biomanufacturing offers for producing…
The human factor: a missing puzzle piece in the transition to a circular and biobased economy
Terms like 'circular economy' and 'biobased products' have nowadays become buzz words, but how far are…
‘Microbiology contributes significantly to green chemistry’
In the transition to a circular, biobased economy, the worlds of chemistry and biotechnology are increasingly…
The comeback of biomaterials: a sustainable solution to conventional plastics
Biobased materials and consumer goods have long been a part of our daily lives. From the…
“The time is ripe for polyASPs”
Polyacrylic acid is widely used in applications that are almost never recycled at end-of-life. This is…
‘The TRL train in the Northern Netherlands can finally move ahead’
The Chemport Innovation Centre (CIC) was launched in Delfzijl, in the Northern Netherlands: a new facility…
Bio-based raw materials as the basis for a new branch of industry
The chemical industry is facing a radical turnaround: from fossil fuels as the trusted basis for…
‘Bio-aromatics can make sportswear more sustainable’
Customers of outdoor sports brand Decathlon spend a lot of their time in nature. Sustainability is…
‘The right time for chemical recycling is now’
Will industry in the Netherlands survive? With that question, employers' organisation VNO-NCW sounded the alarm this…
Biorizon partner VITO opens LignoValue pilot plant in Flanders
In Mol (Flanders, Belgium), LignoValue was officially opened on 6 October. It is the first and…
‘Value chains do not end at the border’
“This is the beginning of a long-term cooperation with our eastern neighbours.” This is how Freek…
HAN BioCentre celebrates the power of the combination
Sixteen years after its establishment, the fifteenth anniversary of HAN BioCentre could finally be celebrated in…
Chemical recycling requires new coalitions
Europe wants to be climate-neutral, and that can only be achieved by investing fully in circularity.…
“Everybody wants biobased feedstocks”
Bio-based raw materials already exist and they are emerging. Especially in construction, it is no longer…
Moving forward by joining forces
A year after the launch in corona time, members of the Network Chemical Recycling of Circular…
GETEC PARK.EMMEN has a ‘hydrogen train’ station
Traditional textile yarns have not been made here for a long time, but GETEC PARK.EMMEN (GPE)…
Chemical recycling connects agrofood, waste and chemistry
Chemical recycling is currently attracting a lot of attention. Circular Biobased Delta (CBBD) organised a number…
Circular round table on best practices from the Delta region
Circular biobased entrepreneurship offers opportunities for economic growth and reduction of CO2 emissions. This was demonstrated…
2022 will be year of change for Circular Biobased Delta
In the new year, Circular Biobased Delta (CBBD) will enter a decisive phase: 2022 is to…
Scaling up bio-aromatics research and application development with the industry
It was supposed to be a physical meeting place, but the 8th Biorizon Annual Event in…
HAN BioCentre opens new laboratories
With a low-key open day, HAN BioCentre celebrated the inauguration of three new laboratories this month.…
SPRONG consortium on Sustainability of the chemical industry takes off
On 1 December, Hanze University Groningen, NHL Stenden, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and the University…
“Combining science with a business case is a valuable experience”
A leather-like material from wastewater, packing peanuts from bread and cleaning swimming water with duckweed: participants…
Green chemistry from biomass
Discussions about the sustainability of woody biomass, which have been taking place in the Netherlands for…
Making an impact with bio-based democases
The bioeconomy is flourishing in Europe. Biorefinery initiatives are sprouting up all over the place; the…
Fish show how to measure flow
In almost 4 billion years of evolution, nature has developed efficient and sustainable solutions for applications…
Chemical industry in the north of the Netherlands leads in climate transition
Rising temperatures on earth are causing worldwide dehydration and flooding, forest fires, landslides and changes in…
Getting the maximum value out of biobased feedstock
Biorefining is the way to get maximum value out of biobased raw materials and to close…
A crop with great opportunities for Europe
The Andean lupin contains more protein than soya and more oil than sunflower. It can be…
Innovation through cooperation
"Sometimes I feel like a boy with a chemistry box here," says Johan Visser, site director…
From waste plastics to ‘green’ raw material
The chemical industry of the future will no longer run solely on petroleum, but partly on…
Portugal potential champion of the European bioeconomy
Portugal has the potential to become the Green Deal champion of Europe. This is evident from…
Pyrolysis is becoming mainstream
While the Southern Netherlands Pyrolysis Testing Ground project is coming to an end, pyrolysis is becoming…
Biorizon on track for commercialisation of bio-aromatics
Biorizon is well on track towards the commercialisation of the production of bio-aromatics starting in 2025.…
‘Chemical recycling approach will become global blueprint’
Chemical recycling will become a game changer in the waste processing and chemical sector. It is…
‘Consider plastics from a fundamentally different perspective’
‘We need to consider plastics from a fundamentally different perspective. Not as waste but as man-made…
New developments in the field of PHA
Sewage water and sludge are raw materials for the production of PHA: biodegradable biopolymers made by…
“Data is our new beacon”
In today's world, customization, transparency and efficiency are of crucial importance for keeping industries competitive and…
ZAP: pivot between education, research and business
True innovation in the chemical and bioprocessing technology sector is being created in a fertile environment,…
Chemport Connect connects bio-economy experts
The Northern Netherlands is a prime location for the development of biopolymers, green chemistry and circular…
‘Great opportunity to get started as a start-up’
The 2020 BioVoice Challenges event is over. On 2 October the companies with which the Challengers…
“Saccharide offers opportunities for chemistry and agriculture”
Saccharides (sugars) are wonderful building blocks for the chemical industry. They are versatile molecules that can…
Research identifies promising chemicals for the Northern Netherlands
The availability of numerous basic chemicals at Chemical Park Delfzijl, combined with the region’s agricultural residual…
Circular Biobased Delta accelerates green transition
The green transition towards a circular biobased economy in the Delta region must be accelerated. The…
New biosurfactants are greener than ever
Surfactants, or surface active agents, can be found just about anywhere: in medicines, cosmetics, detergents, food,…
Emmen expands testing facility for sustainable plastics
Over the next three years, Senbis in Emmen, the Netherlands, will be investing €5.5 million through…
Biorizon forging ahead with bio-aromatics upscaling
With over 150 visitors, Biorizon Shared Research Centre’s annual event in Antwerp at the end of…
Bio-aromatics are outgrowing the lab’s fume hood
In the six years of its existence, the Biorizon Shared Research Centre has made important steps…
Magnet for companies in green chemistry sector
Not even a year after opening its Demo Facility, the Green Chemistry Campus in Bergen op…
‘Hydrogen key to the chemical industry in the Northern Netherlands’
The Northern Netherlands intends to produce billions of cubic metres of hydrogen. It intends to do…
Key role for biomass in climate plans
The draft Climate Accord relies heavily on biomass. Too heavily? In any case, it means that…
Source B to the next phase?
A period of reflection started in Limburg after the black gold disappeared from this southern province…
Five years of Source B, too brief for an anniversary
“Five years is really far too brief for an anniversary. Especially for a transition that takes…
Chemelot InSciTe’s success is just a foretaste
The Chemelot InSciTe pilot plant is currently buzzing with activity. Mechanics are working daily on the…
PHA, the new niche market for the Northern Netherlands
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a niche market with great promise. The share of materials in the total…
Smart golf balls measure the reactor process from the inside out
Chemical processes that work flawlessly in the lab can suddenly behave very differently when transposed to…
Cooperation: the foundation for success
Limburg has always been an outward-looking province, with intensive border traffic. No wonder: no other Dutch…
BioVoice: 13 new innovation contracts
Thirteen new contracts and a total of almost € 125,000 in innovation vouchers for researching, developing…
Growing interest in natural fibers
Natural fibers are getting more and more attention. For example as an insulation material, as a…
Bio-economy connects the Ems-Dollart Region
‘The bio-economy doesn’t stop at national borders, and neither does climate change.’ That was what Henk…
‘We need more Biorizons’
“We need more initiatives like Biorizon, if we want to meet our goals of reducing CO2…
Andean Lupin promising crop in Europe
On the volcanic ash in Iceland, on mountain slopes in Austria and in the bone-dry, dense…
Coatings and cosmetics from French sunflowers
The oleochemical company Oleon from Ertvelde has built a new plant to produce biobased building blocks…
Cumapol builds pilot plant for chemical PET recycling
In the Netherlands, PET bottles can be returned to any supermarket, thanks to the bottle deposit…
Space for innovations in green chemistry
The north of the Netherlands is the perfect place for working on green chemistry, thanks to…
‘There must be benefits for primary producers as well’
Ireland has a long and strong history of bio-based production and processing. The agrifood industry provides…
Vertoro at Brightlands Chemelot: Scaling up lignin crude
Michael Boot already went to the Chamber of Commerce before the summer vacation. With his company…
Broad focus on biopolymers
‘The Biopolymer Application Centre is intended to bring biopolymers in a general sense to the attention…
Role for Province of Limburg in the transition Decisive, proactive but also facilitating
A transition to a biobased/circular economy requires the public sector to have a proactive and facilitating…
New eco-friendly coating for boats based on shellfish waste
Researchers from the GREEN-CHEM network at Ghent University have developed a new coating for boats based…
Proper risk management needed
There are funding gaps that hamper the development of circular/biobased projects in the EU. Private investors…
Chemelot InSciTe: successes and validation
Chemelot InSciTe was launched at the start of 2015. The public-private joint venture has been active…
Seeking ties across the border: condition for transition to a biobased economy
Cooperation in a powerful network is crucial to ensure the efficient growth of biobased R&D and…
Rein Willems: Government, invest more in activity and R&D
The future of the Dutch chemical industry lies in lowering the bottom line and making it…
Masters in sustainable polymer engineering
The industry is searching for processes and products that are more sustainable. The same applies to…
Focus on biobased chemicals and materials
Ghent is the birthplace of bioenergy production in Belgium. No less than 90% of all biofuels…
API continues as Senbis Polymer Innovations
As of 1 January 2017, Applied Polymer Innovations (API) in Emmen is continuing its activities under…
Catalytic conversion of biomass CatchBio: focus on chemistry
CatchBio was rounded off at the end of 2016. Biomass catalysis was the central focus of…
Biobased Delta looks ahead ‘Our ecosystem is growing’
‘The larger programme lines of Biobased Delta are gaining increasingly more traction. We can see that…
Philippe Mengal: ‘Kickstart the bio-economy’
'The global paradigm shift from oil-based towards bio-based materials represents a unique opportunity for Europe to…
BE-Basic: focus on international dimension
BE-Basic is setting its sights more and more on the international aspects of the biobased economy.…
GFBiochemicals: Deeper into the chain
GFBiochemicals made a forward integration step at the start of this year through its acquisition of…
Jalila Essaïdi: Enough talk, now action!
Jalila Essaïdi reached the world press with a so-called bulletproof skin, a project that is being…
‘Major milestone at Brightlands Chemelot’
‘Development of a campus on the Chemelot grounds (editor’s note: Brightlands Chemelot Campus) went faster than…
The five value chains of Bioforever
There is already and will be a clear need in the future for chemicals and materials…
FDCA gets the green light
Recently completed toxicological research throws a new and positive light on the biochemical substance FDCA (2.5-furandicarboxylic…
BIC and Vanguard join forces: more alignment between international and regional developments
The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and the Vanguard Initiative have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)…
Green polyamides a step closer
At Chemelot InSciTe, an international research and knowledge institute for biobased and biomedical materials, DSM is on…
Corbion opens brand new lab
Corbion, a leading food ingredients and biobased chemicals company, has recently opened its advanced R&D and applications laboratory…
Biopolycarbonate with promising future
In Lestrem, Northern France, Roquette has its largest production site. In total, the French-based company processes roughly 8…
Four pilot plants under one roof
The brand-new Multipurpose Pilot Plant (MPP) at Brightlands Chemelot Campus will open its doors at the…
Stefaan de Wildeman wants to move ahead with biobased building blocks
As New Biobased Building Blocks group leader at Maastricht University, Stefaan de Wildeman is involved in…
BBI opens third call
The Bio-based Industries (BBI) Joint Undertaking (JU) recently publicized its third call, with room for three…
Syngip: isobutene from syngas
It is roughly a matter of two to three years when bacteria will be able to convert…
InSciTe biobased building blocks
The middle stage in RT&D - the valley of death - often signals the end of…
Agrofood sector extremely active
Biobased Delta was established in 2011 under the name Agro meets chemistry. Now, four years later,…
Focus on materials
Around ten years ago, Rob Vasbinder decided to become self-sufficient where renewable energy was concerned. After…
‘Missing link between pilot and commercial’
‘Biobased Delta is not a study club or discussion group, but the missing link in concrete…
‘Ultimate goal is year-around refining process’
‘We will be satisfied if at the end of 2015 the entire business case for the…
Chemical sector
The biobased chemical sector is increasing rapidly. The interest of chemical companies and research institutes in sustainable…
“Industries play a key role in the circular economy”
More than 1,000 visitors attended the second Circular Valley Forum held at Wuppertal's Historic Stadthalle (Germany)…
Cescco2 to upcycle PVC with supercritical CO2
Making the PVC chain circular is coming within reach as Groningen-based start-up Cescco2 can move forward…
“We have started harvesting”
Shared Research Centre Biorizon will celebrate its 10th anniversary on 29 and 30 November with the…
“The European bioeconomy needs faster and bolder actions”
The US, India and China are diving fully into the opportunities that biomanufacturing offers for producing…
The human factor: a missing puzzle piece in the transition to a circular and biobased economy
Terms like 'circular economy' and 'biobased products' have nowadays become buzz words, but how far are…
‘Microbiology contributes significantly to green chemistry’
In the transition to a circular, biobased economy, the worlds of chemistry and biotechnology are increasingly…
The comeback of biomaterials: a sustainable solution to conventional plastics
Biobased materials and consumer goods have long been a part of our daily lives. From the…
“The time is ripe for polyASPs”
Polyacrylic acid is widely used in applications that are almost never recycled at end-of-life. This is…
‘The TRL train in the Northern Netherlands can finally move ahead’
The Chemport Innovation Centre (CIC) was launched in Delfzijl, in the Northern Netherlands: a new facility…
Bio-based raw materials as the basis for a new branch of industry
The chemical industry is facing a radical turnaround: from fossil fuels as the trusted basis for…
‘Bio-aromatics can make sportswear more sustainable’
Customers of outdoor sports brand Decathlon spend a lot of their time in nature. Sustainability is…
‘The right time for chemical recycling is now’
Will industry in the Netherlands survive? With that question, employers' organisation VNO-NCW sounded the alarm this…
Biorizon partner VITO opens LignoValue pilot plant in Flanders
In Mol (Flanders, Belgium), LignoValue was officially opened on 6 October. It is the first and…
‘Value chains do not end at the border’
“This is the beginning of a long-term cooperation with our eastern neighbours.” This is how Freek…
HAN BioCentre celebrates the power of the combination
Sixteen years after its establishment, the fifteenth anniversary of HAN BioCentre could finally be celebrated in…
Chemical recycling requires new coalitions
Europe wants to be climate-neutral, and that can only be achieved by investing fully in circularity.…
“Everybody wants biobased feedstocks”
Bio-based raw materials already exist and they are emerging. Especially in construction, it is no longer…
Moving forward by joining forces
A year after the launch in corona time, members of the Network Chemical Recycling of Circular…
GETEC PARK.EMMEN has a ‘hydrogen train’ station
Traditional textile yarns have not been made here for a long time, but GETEC PARK.EMMEN (GPE)…
Chemical recycling connects agrofood, waste and chemistry
Chemical recycling is currently attracting a lot of attention. Circular Biobased Delta (CBBD) organised a number…
Circular round table on best practices from the Delta region
Circular biobased entrepreneurship offers opportunities for economic growth and reduction of CO2 emissions. This was demonstrated…
2022 will be year of change for Circular Biobased Delta
In the new year, Circular Biobased Delta (CBBD) will enter a decisive phase: 2022 is to…
Scaling up bio-aromatics research and application development with the industry
It was supposed to be a physical meeting place, but the 8th Biorizon Annual Event in…
HAN BioCentre opens new laboratories
With a low-key open day, HAN BioCentre celebrated the inauguration of three new laboratories this month.…
SPRONG consortium on Sustainability of the chemical industry takes off
On 1 December, Hanze University Groningen, NHL Stenden, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and the University…
“Combining science with a business case is a valuable experience”
A leather-like material from wastewater, packing peanuts from bread and cleaning swimming water with duckweed: participants…
Green chemistry from biomass
Discussions about the sustainability of woody biomass, which have been taking place in the Netherlands for…
Making an impact with bio-based democases
The bioeconomy is flourishing in Europe. Biorefinery initiatives are sprouting up all over the place; the…
Fish show how to measure flow
In almost 4 billion years of evolution, nature has developed efficient and sustainable solutions for applications…
Chemical industry in the north of the Netherlands leads in climate transition
Rising temperatures on earth are causing worldwide dehydration and flooding, forest fires, landslides and changes in…
Getting the maximum value out of biobased feedstock
Biorefining is the way to get maximum value out of biobased raw materials and to close…
A crop with great opportunities for Europe
The Andean lupin contains more protein than soya and more oil than sunflower. It can be…
Innovation through cooperation
"Sometimes I feel like a boy with a chemistry box here," says Johan Visser, site director…
From waste plastics to ‘green’ raw material
The chemical industry of the future will no longer run solely on petroleum, but partly on…
Portugal potential champion of the European bioeconomy
Portugal has the potential to become the Green Deal champion of Europe. This is evident from…
Pyrolysis is becoming mainstream
While the Southern Netherlands Pyrolysis Testing Ground project is coming to an end, pyrolysis is becoming…
Biorizon on track for commercialisation of bio-aromatics
Biorizon is well on track towards the commercialisation of the production of bio-aromatics starting in 2025.…
‘Chemical recycling approach will become global blueprint’
Chemical recycling will become a game changer in the waste processing and chemical sector. It is…
‘Consider plastics from a fundamentally different perspective’
‘We need to consider plastics from a fundamentally different perspective. Not as waste but as man-made…
New developments in the field of PHA
Sewage water and sludge are raw materials for the production of PHA: biodegradable biopolymers made by…
“Data is our new beacon”
In today's world, customization, transparency and efficiency are of crucial importance for keeping industries competitive and…
ZAP: pivot between education, research and business
True innovation in the chemical and bioprocessing technology sector is being created in a fertile environment,…
Chemport Connect connects bio-economy experts
The Northern Netherlands is a prime location for the development of biopolymers, green chemistry and circular…
‘Great opportunity to get started as a start-up’
The 2020 BioVoice Challenges event is over. On 2 October the companies with which the Challengers…
“Saccharide offers opportunities for chemistry and agriculture”
Saccharides (sugars) are wonderful building blocks for the chemical industry. They are versatile molecules that can…
Research identifies promising chemicals for the Northern Netherlands
The availability of numerous basic chemicals at Chemical Park Delfzijl, combined with the region’s agricultural residual…
Circular Biobased Delta accelerates green transition
The green transition towards a circular biobased economy in the Delta region must be accelerated. The…
New biosurfactants are greener than ever
Surfactants, or surface active agents, can be found just about anywhere: in medicines, cosmetics, detergents, food,…
Emmen expands testing facility for sustainable plastics
Over the next three years, Senbis in Emmen, the Netherlands, will be investing €5.5 million through…
Biorizon forging ahead with bio-aromatics upscaling
With over 150 visitors, Biorizon Shared Research Centre’s annual event in Antwerp at the end of…
Bio-aromatics are outgrowing the lab’s fume hood
In the six years of its existence, the Biorizon Shared Research Centre has made important steps…
Magnet for companies in green chemistry sector
Not even a year after opening its Demo Facility, the Green Chemistry Campus in Bergen op…
‘Hydrogen key to the chemical industry in the Northern Netherlands’
The Northern Netherlands intends to produce billions of cubic metres of hydrogen. It intends to do…
Key role for biomass in climate plans
The draft Climate Accord relies heavily on biomass. Too heavily? In any case, it means that…
Source B to the next phase?
A period of reflection started in Limburg after the black gold disappeared from this southern province…
Five years of Source B, too brief for an anniversary
“Five years is really far too brief for an anniversary. Especially for a transition that takes…
Chemelot InSciTe’s success is just a foretaste
The Chemelot InSciTe pilot plant is currently buzzing with activity. Mechanics are working daily on the…
PHA, the new niche market for the Northern Netherlands
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a niche market with great promise. The share of materials in the total…
Smart golf balls measure the reactor process from the inside out
Chemical processes that work flawlessly in the lab can suddenly behave very differently when transposed to…
Cooperation: the foundation for success
Limburg has always been an outward-looking province, with intensive border traffic. No wonder: no other Dutch…
BioVoice: 13 new innovation contracts
Thirteen new contracts and a total of almost € 125,000 in innovation vouchers for researching, developing…
Growing interest in natural fibers
Natural fibers are getting more and more attention. For example as an insulation material, as a…
Bio-economy connects the Ems-Dollart Region
‘The bio-economy doesn’t stop at national borders, and neither does climate change.’ That was what Henk…
‘We need more Biorizons’
“We need more initiatives like Biorizon, if we want to meet our goals of reducing CO2…
Andean Lupin promising crop in Europe
On the volcanic ash in Iceland, on mountain slopes in Austria and in the bone-dry, dense…
Coatings and cosmetics from French sunflowers
The oleochemical company Oleon from Ertvelde has built a new plant to produce biobased building blocks…
Cumapol builds pilot plant for chemical PET recycling
In the Netherlands, PET bottles can be returned to any supermarket, thanks to the bottle deposit…
Space for innovations in green chemistry
The north of the Netherlands is the perfect place for working on green chemistry, thanks to…
‘There must be benefits for primary producers as well’
Ireland has a long and strong history of bio-based production and processing. The agrifood industry provides…
Vertoro at Brightlands Chemelot: Scaling up lignin crude
Michael Boot already went to the Chamber of Commerce before the summer vacation. With his company…
Broad focus on biopolymers
‘The Biopolymer Application Centre is intended to bring biopolymers in a general sense to the attention…
Role for Province of Limburg in the transition Decisive, proactive but also facilitating
A transition to a biobased/circular economy requires the public sector to have a proactive and facilitating…
New eco-friendly coating for boats based on shellfish waste
Researchers from the GREEN-CHEM network at Ghent University have developed a new coating for boats based…
Proper risk management needed
There are funding gaps that hamper the development of circular/biobased projects in the EU. Private investors…
Chemelot InSciTe: successes and validation
Chemelot InSciTe was launched at the start of 2015. The public-private joint venture has been active…
Seeking ties across the border: condition for transition to a biobased economy
Cooperation in a powerful network is crucial to ensure the efficient growth of biobased R&D and…
Rein Willems: Government, invest more in activity and R&D
The future of the Dutch chemical industry lies in lowering the bottom line and making it…
Masters in sustainable polymer engineering
The industry is searching for processes and products that are more sustainable. The same applies to…
Focus on biobased chemicals and materials
Ghent is the birthplace of bioenergy production in Belgium. No less than 90% of all biofuels…
API continues as Senbis Polymer Innovations
As of 1 January 2017, Applied Polymer Innovations (API) in Emmen is continuing its activities under…
Catalytic conversion of biomass CatchBio: focus on chemistry
CatchBio was rounded off at the end of 2016. Biomass catalysis was the central focus of…
Biobased Delta looks ahead ‘Our ecosystem is growing’
‘The larger programme lines of Biobased Delta are gaining increasingly more traction. We can see that…
Philippe Mengal: ‘Kickstart the bio-economy’
'The global paradigm shift from oil-based towards bio-based materials represents a unique opportunity for Europe to…
BE-Basic: focus on international dimension
BE-Basic is setting its sights more and more on the international aspects of the biobased economy.…
GFBiochemicals: Deeper into the chain
GFBiochemicals made a forward integration step at the start of this year through its acquisition of…
Jalila Essaïdi: Enough talk, now action!
Jalila Essaïdi reached the world press with a so-called bulletproof skin, a project that is being…
‘Major milestone at Brightlands Chemelot’
‘Development of a campus on the Chemelot grounds (editor’s note: Brightlands Chemelot Campus) went faster than…
The five value chains of Bioforever
There is already and will be a clear need in the future for chemicals and materials…
FDCA gets the green light
Recently completed toxicological research throws a new and positive light on the biochemical substance FDCA (2.5-furandicarboxylic…
BIC and Vanguard join forces: more alignment between international and regional developments
The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and the Vanguard Initiative have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)…
Green polyamides a step closer
At Chemelot InSciTe, an international research and knowledge institute for biobased and biomedical materials, DSM is on…
Corbion opens brand new lab
Corbion, a leading food ingredients and biobased chemicals company, has recently opened its advanced R&D and applications laboratory…
Biopolycarbonate with promising future
In Lestrem, Northern France, Roquette has its largest production site. In total, the French-based company processes roughly 8…
Four pilot plants under one roof
The brand-new Multipurpose Pilot Plant (MPP) at Brightlands Chemelot Campus will open its doors at the…
Stefaan de Wildeman wants to move ahead with biobased building blocks
As New Biobased Building Blocks group leader at Maastricht University, Stefaan de Wildeman is involved in…
BBI opens third call
The Bio-based Industries (BBI) Joint Undertaking (JU) recently publicized its third call, with room for three…
Syngip: isobutene from syngas
It is roughly a matter of two to three years when bacteria will be able to convert…
InSciTe biobased building blocks
The middle stage in RT&D - the valley of death - often signals the end of…
Agrofood sector extremely active
Biobased Delta was established in 2011 under the name Agro meets chemistry. Now, four years later,…
Focus on materials
Around ten years ago, Rob Vasbinder decided to become self-sufficient where renewable energy was concerned. After…
‘Missing link between pilot and commercial’
‘Biobased Delta is not a study club or discussion group, but the missing link in concrete…
‘Ultimate goal is year-around refining process’
‘We will be satisfied if at the end of 2015 the entire business case for the…
Chemical sector
The biobased chemical sector is increasing rapidly. The interest of chemical companies and research institutes in sustainable…
“Industries play a key role in the circular economy”
More than 1,000 visitors attended the second Circular Valley Forum held at Wuppertal's Historic Stadthalle (Germany)…
Cescco2 to upcycle PVC with supercritical CO2
Making the PVC chain circular is coming within reach as Groningen-based start-up Cescco2 can move forward…
“We have started harvesting”
Shared Research Centre Biorizon will celebrate its 10th anniversary on 29 and 30 November with the…
“The European bioeconomy needs faster and bolder actions”
The US, India and China are diving fully into the opportunities that biomanufacturing offers for producing…
The human factor: a missing puzzle piece in the transition to a circular and biobased economy
Terms like 'circular economy' and 'biobased products' have nowadays become buzz words, but how far are…
‘Microbiology contributes significantly to green chemistry’
In the transition to a circular, biobased economy, the worlds of chemistry and biotechnology are increasingly…
The comeback of biomaterials: a sustainable solution to conventional plastics
Biobased materials and consumer goods have long been a part of our daily lives. From the…
“The time is ripe for polyASPs”
Polyacrylic acid is widely used in applications that are almost never recycled at end-of-life. This is…
‘The TRL train in the Northern Netherlands can finally move ahead’
The Chemport Innovation Centre (CIC) was launched in Delfzijl, in the Northern Netherlands: a new facility…
Bio-based raw materials as the basis for a new branch of industry
The chemical industry is facing a radical turnaround: from fossil fuels as the trusted basis for…
‘Bio-aromatics can make sportswear more sustainable’
Customers of outdoor sports brand Decathlon spend a lot of their time in nature. Sustainability is…
‘The right time for chemical recycling is now’
Will industry in the Netherlands survive? With that question, employers' organisation VNO-NCW sounded the alarm this…
Biorizon partner VITO opens LignoValue pilot plant in Flanders
In Mol (Flanders, Belgium), LignoValue was officially opened on 6 October. It is the first and…
‘Value chains do not end at the border’
“This is the beginning of a long-term cooperation with our eastern neighbours.” This is how Freek…
HAN BioCentre celebrates the power of the combination
Sixteen years after its establishment, the fifteenth anniversary of HAN BioCentre could finally be celebrated in…
Chemical recycling requires new coalitions
Europe wants to be climate-neutral, and that can only be achieved by investing fully in circularity.…
“Everybody wants biobased feedstocks”
Bio-based raw materials already exist and they are emerging. Especially in construction, it is no longer…
Moving forward by joining forces
A year after the launch in corona time, members of the Network Chemical Recycling of Circular…
GETEC PARK.EMMEN has a ‘hydrogen train’ station
Traditional textile yarns have not been made here for a long time, but GETEC PARK.EMMEN (GPE)…
Chemical recycling connects agrofood, waste and chemistry
Chemical recycling is currently attracting a lot of attention. Circular Biobased Delta (CBBD) organised a number…
Circular round table on best practices from the Delta region
Circular biobased entrepreneurship offers opportunities for economic growth and reduction of CO2 emissions. This was demonstrated…
2022 will be year of change for Circular Biobased Delta
In the new year, Circular Biobased Delta (CBBD) will enter a decisive phase: 2022 is to…
Scaling up bio-aromatics research and application development with the industry
It was supposed to be a physical meeting place, but the 8th Biorizon Annual Event in…
HAN BioCentre opens new laboratories
With a low-key open day, HAN BioCentre celebrated the inauguration of three new laboratories this month.…
SPRONG consortium on Sustainability of the chemical industry takes off
On 1 December, Hanze University Groningen, NHL Stenden, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and the University…
“Combining science with a business case is a valuable experience”
A leather-like material from wastewater, packing peanuts from bread and cleaning swimming water with duckweed: participants…
Green chemistry from biomass
Discussions about the sustainability of woody biomass, which have been taking place in the Netherlands for…
Making an impact with bio-based democases
The bioeconomy is flourishing in Europe. Biorefinery initiatives are sprouting up all over the place; the…
Fish show how to measure flow
In almost 4 billion years of evolution, nature has developed efficient and sustainable solutions for applications…
Chemical industry in the north of the Netherlands leads in climate transition
Rising temperatures on earth are causing worldwide dehydration and flooding, forest fires, landslides and changes in…
Getting the maximum value out of biobased feedstock
Biorefining is the way to get maximum value out of biobased raw materials and to close…
A crop with great opportunities for Europe
The Andean lupin contains more protein than soya and more oil than sunflower. It can be…
Innovation through cooperation
"Sometimes I feel like a boy with a chemistry box here," says Johan Visser, site director…
From waste plastics to ‘green’ raw material
The chemical industry of the future will no longer run solely on petroleum, but partly on…
Portugal potential champion of the European bioeconomy
Portugal has the potential to become the Green Deal champion of Europe. This is evident from…
Pyrolysis is becoming mainstream
While the Southern Netherlands Pyrolysis Testing Ground project is coming to an end, pyrolysis is becoming…
Biorizon on track for commercialisation of bio-aromatics
Biorizon is well on track towards the commercialisation of the production of bio-aromatics starting in 2025.…
‘Chemical recycling approach will become global blueprint’
Chemical recycling will become a game changer in the waste processing and chemical sector. It is…
‘Consider plastics from a fundamentally different perspective’
‘We need to consider plastics from a fundamentally different perspective. Not as waste but as man-made…
New developments in the field of PHA
Sewage water and sludge are raw materials for the production of PHA: biodegradable biopolymers made by…
“Data is our new beacon”
In today's world, customization, transparency and efficiency are of crucial importance for keeping industries competitive and…
ZAP: pivot between education, research and business
True innovation in the chemical and bioprocessing technology sector is being created in a fertile environment,…
Chemport Connect connects bio-economy experts
The Northern Netherlands is a prime location for the development of biopolymers, green chemistry and circular…
‘Great opportunity to get started as a start-up’
The 2020 BioVoice Challenges event is over. On 2 October the companies with which the Challengers…
“Saccharide offers opportunities for chemistry and agriculture”
Saccharides (sugars) are wonderful building blocks for the chemical industry. They are versatile molecules that can…
Research identifies promising chemicals for the Northern Netherlands
The availability of numerous basic chemicals at Chemical Park Delfzijl, combined with the region’s agricultural residual…
Circular Biobased Delta accelerates green transition
The green transition towards a circular biobased economy in the Delta region must be accelerated. The…
New biosurfactants are greener than ever
Surfactants, or surface active agents, can be found just about anywhere: in medicines, cosmetics, detergents, food,…
Emmen expands testing facility for sustainable plastics
Over the next three years, Senbis in Emmen, the Netherlands, will be investing €5.5 million through…
Biorizon forging ahead with bio-aromatics upscaling
With over 150 visitors, Biorizon Shared Research Centre’s annual event in Antwerp at the end of…
Bio-aromatics are outgrowing the lab’s fume hood
In the six years of its existence, the Biorizon Shared Research Centre has made important steps…
Magnet for companies in green chemistry sector
Not even a year after opening its Demo Facility, the Green Chemistry Campus in Bergen op…
‘Hydrogen key to the chemical industry in the Northern Netherlands’
The Northern Netherlands intends to produce billions of cubic metres of hydrogen. It intends to do…
Key role for biomass in climate plans
The draft Climate Accord relies heavily on biomass. Too heavily? In any case, it means that…
Source B to the next phase?
A period of reflection started in Limburg after the black gold disappeared from this southern province…
Five years of Source B, too brief for an anniversary
“Five years is really far too brief for an anniversary. Especially for a transition that takes…
Chemelot InSciTe’s success is just a foretaste
The Chemelot InSciTe pilot plant is currently buzzing with activity. Mechanics are working daily on the…
PHA, the new niche market for the Northern Netherlands
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a niche market with great promise. The share of materials in the total…
Smart golf balls measure the reactor process from the inside out
Chemical processes that work flawlessly in the lab can suddenly behave very differently when transposed to…
Cooperation: the foundation for success
Limburg has always been an outward-looking province, with intensive border traffic. No wonder: no other Dutch…
BioVoice: 13 new innovation contracts
Thirteen new contracts and a total of almost € 125,000 in innovation vouchers for researching, developing…
Growing interest in natural fibers
Natural fibers are getting more and more attention. For example as an insulation material, as a…
Bio-economy connects the Ems-Dollart Region
‘The bio-economy doesn’t stop at national borders, and neither does climate change.’ That was what Henk…
‘We need more Biorizons’
“We need more initiatives like Biorizon, if we want to meet our goals of reducing CO2…
Andean Lupin promising crop in Europe
On the volcanic ash in Iceland, on mountain slopes in Austria and in the bone-dry, dense…
Coatings and cosmetics from French sunflowers
The oleochemical company Oleon from Ertvelde has built a new plant to produce biobased building blocks…
Cumapol builds pilot plant for chemical PET recycling
In the Netherlands, PET bottles can be returned to any supermarket, thanks to the bottle deposit…
Space for innovations in green chemistry
The north of the Netherlands is the perfect place for working on green chemistry, thanks to…
‘There must be benefits for primary producers as well’
Ireland has a long and strong history of bio-based production and processing. The agrifood industry provides…
Vertoro at Brightlands Chemelot: Scaling up lignin crude
Michael Boot already went to the Chamber of Commerce before the summer vacation. With his company…
Broad focus on biopolymers
‘The Biopolymer Application Centre is intended to bring biopolymers in a general sense to the attention…
Role for Province of Limburg in the transition Decisive, proactive but also facilitating
A transition to a biobased/circular economy requires the public sector to have a proactive and facilitating…
New eco-friendly coating for boats based on shellfish waste
Researchers from the GREEN-CHEM network at Ghent University have developed a new coating for boats based…
Proper risk management needed
There are funding gaps that hamper the development of circular/biobased projects in the EU. Private investors…
Chemelot InSciTe: successes and validation
Chemelot InSciTe was launched at the start of 2015. The public-private joint venture has been active…
Seeking ties across the border: condition for transition to a biobased economy
Cooperation in a powerful network is crucial to ensure the efficient growth of biobased R&D and…
Rein Willems: Government, invest more in activity and R&D
The future of the Dutch chemical industry lies in lowering the bottom line and making it…
Masters in sustainable polymer engineering
The industry is searching for processes and products that are more sustainable. The same applies to…
Focus on biobased chemicals and materials
Ghent is the birthplace of bioenergy production in Belgium. No less than 90% of all biofuels…
API continues as Senbis Polymer Innovations
As of 1 January 2017, Applied Polymer Innovations (API) in Emmen is continuing its activities under…
Catalytic conversion of biomass CatchBio: focus on chemistry
CatchBio was rounded off at the end of 2016. Biomass catalysis was the central focus of…
Biobased Delta looks ahead ‘Our ecosystem is growing’
‘The larger programme lines of Biobased Delta are gaining increasingly more traction. We can see that…
Philippe Mengal: ‘Kickstart the bio-economy’
'The global paradigm shift from oil-based towards bio-based materials represents a unique opportunity for Europe to…
BE-Basic: focus on international dimension
BE-Basic is setting its sights more and more on the international aspects of the biobased economy.…
GFBiochemicals: Deeper into the chain
GFBiochemicals made a forward integration step at the start of this year through its acquisition of…
Jalila Essaïdi: Enough talk, now action!
Jalila Essaïdi reached the world press with a so-called bulletproof skin, a project that is being…
‘Major milestone at Brightlands Chemelot’
‘Development of a campus on the Chemelot grounds (editor’s note: Brightlands Chemelot Campus) went faster than…
The five value chains of Bioforever
There is already and will be a clear need in the future for chemicals and materials…
FDCA gets the green light
Recently completed toxicological research throws a new and positive light on the biochemical substance FDCA (2.5-furandicarboxylic…
BIC and Vanguard join forces: more alignment between international and regional developments
The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and the Vanguard Initiative have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)…
Green polyamides a step closer
At Chemelot InSciTe, an international research and knowledge institute for biobased and biomedical materials, DSM is on…
Corbion opens brand new lab
Corbion, a leading food ingredients and biobased chemicals company, has recently opened its advanced R&D and applications laboratory…
Biopolycarbonate with promising future
In Lestrem, Northern France, Roquette has its largest production site. In total, the French-based company processes roughly 8…
Four pilot plants under one roof
The brand-new Multipurpose Pilot Plant (MPP) at Brightlands Chemelot Campus will open its doors at the…
Stefaan de Wildeman wants to move ahead with biobased building blocks
As New Biobased Building Blocks group leader at Maastricht University, Stefaan de Wildeman is involved in…
BBI opens third call
The Bio-based Industries (BBI) Joint Undertaking (JU) recently publicized its third call, with room for three…
Syngip: isobutene from syngas
It is roughly a matter of two to three years when bacteria will be able to convert…
InSciTe biobased building blocks
The middle stage in RT&D - the valley of death - often signals the end of…
Agrofood sector extremely active
Biobased Delta was established in 2011 under the name Agro meets chemistry. Now, four years later,…
Focus on materials
Around ten years ago, Rob Vasbinder decided to become self-sufficient where renewable energy was concerned. After…
‘Missing link between pilot and commercial’
‘Biobased Delta is not a study club or discussion group, but the missing link in concrete…
‘Ultimate goal is year-around refining process’
‘We will be satisfied if at the end of 2015 the entire business case for the…