S2G BioChemicals (S2G), a Vancouver, based developer of natural chemical conversion technologies, has announced that the company initiated production today of fossil-free bio-based glycolsat the Memphis, Tennessee site of the Company’s operating partner, Pennakem LLC,a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Minafin Group. S2G’s proprietary process has been integrated into Pennakem’s existing chemical facility to convert natural, non-food waste into usable sugar-based glycols. The natural glycols will serve as a drop-in replacement for common petroleum-based chemicals used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products such as resins, PET/PEF plastic drink containers, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, coolants and antifreeze.
“Today’s announcement is an important step forward for S2G as we move to the commercial-scale operation of our bio-basedchemical conversion process,” said Mark Kirby, President and Chief Executive Officer of S2G BioChem. “The efficient and economical advantages of integrating our technology into existing facilities will have a significant impact on the business case of bio-based glycols. We look forward to bringing a new era of cost-effective bio-based refining to the products we use every day, one based on working with nature rather than against it.”
“We have achieved two significant advancements today including the integration of our process into an existing chemical plant, and its operation at commercial-scale,” said Jeff Plato, Director, Corporate and Business Development of S2G BioChem. “These are major milestones in S2G’s commercialization path and we look forward to demonstrating our ability to co-produce bio-based glycols and other high value speciality chemicals that can compete economically with fossil fuel chemicals on a meaningful scale.”
“We are extremely impressed with the seamless integration of S2G’s innovative, high-yield bioconversion process into our existing chemical production infrastructure,” said Tom Waldman, President of Pennakem. “The combination of S2G’s innovative process and Pennakem’s 75 years of manufacturing expertise using biorenewable feedstocks will lower costs and could catalyze the demand for sustainably and economically produced natural bio-based glycols.”
S2G’s “sugar-to-glycol“ technology is a simple, durable, and efficient process that utilizes low-costrenewable feedstocksto co-produce an economical supply of high value speciality chemicals and sustainable bio-glycols for use by consumer and industrial product manufacturers.
Developed over 15 years and with an investment of $20M, the Sugar- to-Glycol technology, based on C6 corn glucose, led to a commissioned 10,000 MT/yr pilot plant in Northeast China in 2005. Based on the success of this pilot plant, a 200,000 MT/yr plant went on line in 2007 becoming the first green glycols plant worldwide.
In 2009, S2G BioChem was incorporated and, along with its partners, invested $10M to advance the technologys second generation. Substantial innovations include novel conditioning processes that are individuated for a significantly wider array of non-food based partner feedstock. Further improvements include longer lasting, more durable and efficient catalysts and improved purity.
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