BPF is a unique pilot facility that plays a role in developing and especially scaling up innovative technologies for the sustainable production of food, materials and chemicals. Founded in the 20th century by Gist Brocades, the pilot plant was for many years fully owned by biotech company DSM, which still holds 50% of the shares today. On a 5,000-square-metre site, BPF houses various facilities for biomass pretreatment, fermentation, biorefinery and various downstream processing.
Shareholders DSM, Corbion and TU Delft have put millions of euros into the facility, which is an important part of the ecosystem at the Biotech Campus in Delft. The European Union, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the province of South Holland and the municipalities of Rotterdam, Delft and The Hague also made substantial investments in BPF, which was reportedly running at a loss. Corbion withdrew as a shareholder earlier this year.
Image: BPF
