News

05-02-2021

Biorizon investigates how an application center can accelerate market introduction of bio-aromatics

Biorizon Shared Research Center, located at the Green Chemistry Campus, is working on a business plan for an application center for bio-aromatics. This project is co-financed with a grant from the Dutch Research & Development Fund of Region West-Brabant. Bio-aromatics, which Biorizon develops, are essential for realizing a circular bio-economy and reducing the carbon footprint.

Value chain for the development of bio-aromatics

Bio-aromatics: sustainable alternative for the chemical industry

Biorizon Shared Research Center, an initiative of TNO and VITO, has been developing technologies for the production of bio-aromatics at the Green Chemistry Campus in Bergen op Zoom since 2013. Aromatics are important building blocks for the chemical industry: as many as 40% of all chemicals are aromatic in nature. They add essential functionality to products such as plastics, resins and coatings, including scratch resistance and UV stability.

Currently, these aromatics are petrochemical-based and this has a negative impact on the climate. Therefore, Biorizon is developing bio-aromatics based on biomass waste streams. These form a sustainable alternative for aromatics in existing petrochemical products, such as paints, adhesives and lubricants.

Market research and business plan Biorizon Application Center

In the past seven years, Biorizon successfully scaled up the production of bio-aromatics. The next steps are demonstration and commercial production. This requires intensive collaboration with the industry to apply bio-aromatics in actual products such as coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers and plastics.

Much knowledge, experience and equipment for application research is already available in the Netherlands and Flanders. Biorizon founders TNO and VITO together with the Green Chemistry Campus are now investigating how a Biorizon Application Center can best meet the needs of the industry and how Biorizon can optimally unlock and further develop the already present knowledge, experience and equipment in the field of bio-aromatics. In the coming months, Biorizon will develop a business plan with input from companies, governmental organizations, knowledge and educational institutions and partners from the ecosystem.

Intensive collaboration

The basis for success is intensive cooperation and the sharing of knowledge, experience and facilities as well as investments and risks. Companies develop new, sustainable products with unique properties that distinguish them from competitors. Together with the industry, Biorizon will enable the commercial production of bio-aromatics from 2025 onwards. In this way, we are working together to create a circular bio-economy and a strong region where the infrastructure already present is used optimally.

Call for participation

Companies, educational institutions and governmental organizations are cordially invited to participate in the market exploration for the Biorizon Application Center and to discuss opportunities for collaboration. For more information or an informal discussion, please contact Biorizon director Joop Groen at joop.groen@biorizon.eu and join Biorizon’s community.

This project is made possible by a financial contribution from the O&O fund of the Region West-Brabant. In the long term, this project will give an important impulse to innovation, making the economy more sustainable and improving the business climate for this region.