For its large-scale plant project, Global Bioenergies, an industrial biology player, announces that it has received letters of intent representing over 2,500 tonnes of Isonaturane per year from cosmetics players based in several regions of the world. These purchase intentions represent annual sales of over 70 million euros.
From 2027, this plant, mainly dedicated to cosmetics, will market Isonaturane 12 and 16, natural equivalents to petroleum-based isododecane and isohexadecane. Limited to 2,500 tonnes of elements produced, the new site will be smaller than planned in order to concentrate on the most profitable markets: make-up and prestige skincare products.
"We had initially wanted to increase the plant's capacity to 10,000 tonnes, which would have meant addressing markets such as make-up remover and deodorant. These mass markets require large volumes at low cost, which would inevitably have driven down our selling prices. By limiting the size of the plant, we reduce the amount of Capex required to build it, and target markets willing to pay the best price for naturalness. The plant's economic profile maintains its margin prospects while reducing the investment required, with purchasing intentions now exceeding the plant's capacity and projected annual sales of over €70 million."explains Marc Delcourt, co-founder and CEO of Global Bioenergies.
In addition to cosmetics, the plant is intended to launch the market for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), using the same technology to produce a formulation that can be used perfectly as an aviation fuel, blending up to 50 % with fossil kerosene. Global Bioenergies' process is one of the few in the world to benefit from the necessary ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) certification. The company plans to deploy its process on a large scale in the aviation sector from the opening of the market in 2030, when the threshold for incorporating DAC into kerosene will rise to 6 % in the European Union.
The first plans for the plant have been finalized. Five areas will be formalized in the plant: isobutene production by fermentation, isobutene purification, conversion to isododecane and isohexadecane, effluent and energy management. The French government has already announced its support for the project at the end of 2023, with the award of €16.4 million in public aid via the Première usine call for projects led by Bpifrance as part of the France 2030 plan. The total cost of building the plant has been estimated at nearly 80 million euros.
Photo: Aesthetic Journey / Pixabay
