Green company to offer totally biodegradable chemical solutions

BioAmber, a joint venture of Diversified Natural Products (DNP), a U.S.-based biotechnology company, and France-based Agro Industries Recherche et Developpement (ARD) announced plans for a new facility to produce a green, bio-based replacement for oil in the chemical market.

BioAmber will be a true bio-refinery, with the ability to make succinic acid — a full platform molecule used to make biodegradable chemicals — utilizing the CO₂ from a newly constructed ethanol facility located on the same premises. The plant will be able to generate green chemicals, ethanol, bio-diesel, and combination products of succinic acid and ethanol, all in one location.

This will be the first, true bio-refinery built anywhere in the world that will offer such a diverse mix of potential products.

“The creation of BioAmber and our new facility, not only moves the ball forward in developing green, planet-friendly products and chemicals but shows that it is economically viable to do so,” said DNP CEO Paul F. Jacobson. “We are excited to announce this new plant which will be at the forefront of the green global trend.”

The new facility, set to open in summer 2008 in the agro-industrial complex of Bazancourt-Pomacle, France and near BioAmber research facilities, will provide cutting-edge environmental solutions by producing succinic acid, a molecule that can be used to create a multitude of green chemicals, such as biodegradable deicers, coolants, plastics, environmentally safe solvents, personal care products and diesel fuel additives that reduce emissions.

BioAmber has already begun supplying samples of succinic acid to companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia who are looking to turn their products green, and will aggressively seek further partners to develop the business on a worldwide basis. It is important to note that succinic acid can be made from a variety of sources, and will not be reliant on a single crop. “We intend for BioAmber to prove that succinic acid can be used in a wide variety of industries to turn oil based products green,” said ARD CEO Yvon Le Henaff.

The succinic acid from BioAmber’s industrial demonstration plant, which will have an annual capacity of 5,000 metric tons, is made from sucrose or glucose fermentation using patented technology from the U.S. Department of Energy in collaboration with Michigan State University.