Reverdia: Biofuels Digest’s 2015 5-Minute Guide

Reverdia is a joint venture between Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, and Roquette Frères, the global starch and starch-derivatives company. Reverdia is aiming at the market for sustainable succinic acid, focusing on market development by establishing partnerships with direct and indirect customers, building on customer needs and Reverdia’s strengths.

Biosuccinium succinic acid is a green chemical building block that enables customers to develop superior sustainable products. The company’s first product is the first non-fossil feedstock derived chemical building block that allows customers in the chemical industry to choose a bio-based alternative with a lower eco-footprint for a broad range of applications, from packaging to footwear.

Awards and Rankings

Biofuels Digest “Chemical Of The Year” Award: Biosuccinic acid,: Reverdia, BioAmber, 2015

The 40 Hottest Smaller Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy for 2014-15: #24, 2014/15

Model:

Owner-operator and technology licensor.

The Situation:

Reverdia currently has a production capacity of about 10,000 tonnes per year of Biosuccinium at their Cassano, Italy plant. “By licensing the Biosuccinium technology as well as selling product direct, we are ensuring that more customers can benefit from Reverdia’s experience in technology and application development. The licensing offering is essential to unlock the biobased market and is the next logical step in our evolution.”

In December, ICIS reported that “Researchers at the University of Utrecht have shown that a low-pH yeast route to succinic acid has the lowest environmental impact in terms of energy use and carbon emissions yeast-based route to succinic acid is best,” and the report and graphs are related here.

According to ICIS, the report backs “the belief by Reverdia that its new process has environmental benefits over the petrochemical and also bacteria-based bio-routes.”

Past Milestones:

In February 2015, “pivotal patents” were granted to DSM in Europe, Japan and Canada for its innovative yeast-based succinic acid production technology, with exclusive rights awarded to Reverdia. The new patents cover key technology which is essential to make economically-viable and sustainable bio-based succinic acid.

In October 2014, Reverdia announced that it is now licensing its Biosuccinium succinic acid, a building block for the production of polymers and chemicals including PBS, resins for paints and coatings, phthalate-free plasticizers and polyester polyols for polyurethanes. Reverdia’s low pH yeast fermentation process has best-in-class carbon performance as demonstrated by the published cradle-to-gate LCA by the University of Utrecht. The acid is the first non-fossil feedstock-derived chemical building block that allows customers in the chemical industry to choose a bio-based alternative with a lower eco-footprint for a broad range of applications, from packaging to footwear.

In December 2012 Reverdia has began operations in Cassano Spinola, Italy, as planned, which has a capacity of about 10,000 tonnes/yr, is unique in its kind, being the world’s first dedicated large-scale plant for the production of succinic acid from renewable resources. It is also the only commercial facility to benefit from experience gained using low-pH yeast technology on a demonstration plant scale; Reverdia regards this as essential to be able to promise further improvements in product quality.

In October 2012, a collaboration between Proviron and Reverdia resulted in the introduction of Provichem 2511 Eco, a di-methyl-succinate that can be used as a solvent and a raw material for fine chemicals such as pigments and UV stabilizers.  Reverdia produces and sells Biosuccinium, its registered brand of bio-based succinic acid, which is produced using a unique and proprietary low pH yeast technology. Proviron’s Provichem 2511 Eco will be produced in Belgium and commercial volumes are available now. Biosuccinium will be produced in the world’s first large scale commercial plant for renewable succinic acid, in Cassano Spinola, Italy.

In May 2011 Reverdia announced the construction of a commercial-scale plant for the production of Biosuccinium

In June 2010, Royal DSM N.V., the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company headquartered in the Netherlands, and Roquette Frères, the global starch and starch-derivatives company headquartered in France, announced the signing of a joint venture agreement, named Reverdia, for the production, commercialization and market development of Biosuccinium™, sustainable succinic acid.

Future Milestones:

Further sales of technology licenses by Reverdia.

Website.