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San Donato Milanese (Milan), Italy; San Diego, Ca, USA – February 16th, 2016 – Versalis (Eni), a European producer in the polymers and elastomers industry, and Genomatica, a leader in bioengineering solutions, announced today that they have successfully advanced to pilot-scale production of bio-butadiene (bio-BDE) from fully renewable feedstock. Versalis used this bio-BDE to make bio-rubber, specifically, bio-polybutadiene (bio-BR). These accomplishments represent a remarkable milestone for the rubber industry, by enabling an improved technological and sustainability footprint; and to the broader industry for butadiene, one of the most widely-used chemicals in the world, with over ten million tons produced per year.
The success of this innovative undertaking results from a newly-developed process for the on-purpose production of butadiene which uses various types of sugars as feedstock, rather than the traditional use of hydrocarbon feedstocks. The project started with the establishment of a technology joint venture between Versalis and Genomatica in early 2013. The joint venture – with Versalis having the majority stake - has developed a complete process to make bio-BDE and plans to license the resulting technology.
The joint venture uses the proven and complementary strengths of both companies. Versalis and Genomatica together determined that 1,3-butanediol (1,3-BDO) was the most suitable intermediate to produce bio-BDE. Genomatica applied its ”whole-process’ systems approach to bioengineering to develop a microorganism that produces 1,3-BDO in a way that enables cost-efficient, scalable fermentation, recovery and subsequent process operations. Versalis leverages its industrial process engineering and catalysis capabilities, plus expertise in overall polymer production, to purify the 1,3-BDO, dehydrate it and then purify the resulting butadiene. Versalis has produced several kilograms of butadiene from 1,3-BDO made in 200 liter fermenters at their research centers at Novara and Mantova, and then made bio-polybutadiene, at the Ravenna R&D centre, using both anionic and Ziegler-Natta catalysis.
Initial testing of the bio-BDE and bio-BR demonstrates good compatibility with industry standards. Versalis is continuing to test the bio-BDE within its other proprietary rubber and plastics downstream technologies such as SBR (Styrene-Butadiene Rubber), SBS (Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene Rubber) and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene-Styrene).
The accomplishments demonstrates the common vision of the partners on the potential of this project: access to on-purpose butadiene from renewables will establish a competitive advantage and will ensure a strategic raw material from alternative feedstock, contributing at the same time to drive a greater sustainability profile for downstream applications in the plastics and rubber businesses.
About Versalis
Versalis (Eni) is interfacing with markets through globally-oriented strategies and a market-driven product portfolio. It leads the industry in manufacturing intermediates, polyethylene, styrenics and elastomers and has entered the green chemicals and polymers industry partnering also with worldwide biotech companies. Versalis prides itself on its wide range of proprietary technologies, wide-reaching distribution network and after-sales assistance. As part of its new strategy, the company aims to gain a significant position in fast-growing markets by leveraging its technological and industrial expertise. In Asia, Versalis has entered into partnerships with global petrochemical producers for development of its elastomer division.
To learn more, visit www.versalis.eni.com
About Genomatica
Genomatica is a widely-recognized leader in bioengineering. It develops biobased process technologies and solutions that enable its partners to produce chemicals a ”better way,’ from alternative feedstocks, with better economics and greater sustainability than using conventional feedstocks and processes. Partners include ENI Versalis, Braskem, BASF, Novamont and Cargill.
Genomatica is distinctive in its ”total-solutions’ and systems engineering approach. Its bioengineering platform intimately intertwines and co-optimizes microorganism design, process design and economics. This approach has consistently delivered reliable timelines for bioprocess design and scaleup, high product quality, and economic competitiveness.
Genomatica has earned widespread acclaim for its scientific, engineering and commercialization achievements. Awards include the Kirkpatrick Award, for ”the most noteworthy chemical engineering technology commercialized in the world,’ and the 2015 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer award.
For more info, see www.genomatica.com
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EnergIA (ener'dʒia) is a system based on Generative Artificial Intelligence.
Thanks to this technology, we can respond to your requests by querying the most relevant content and documents available on eni.com. (Note: financial documents from the last 12 months and press releases from the last 2 years are considered.)
Through EnergIA, you can delve into topics of interest and have a real-time window into the world of Eni.
If you wish to search for a specific document, press release or news, use the traditional search engine via the magnifying glass icon.
Like all systems that leverage Generative Artificial Intelligence, EnergIA may generate inaccurate or outdated responses. Always consult the sources that EnergIA proposes as the origin of the generated information.
If the system fails to find an exact match for the requested content, it still tends to provide a response.
If you find any inaccuracies in the provided response, please send us your feedback at the bottom of the page: it will be very helpful for us to improve.
Remember that the content generated by the system does not represent Eni’s official position. We therefore invite stakeholders to refer to their designated contacts for official statements: Press Office for journalists, Investor Relations for analysts and investors, Company Secretariat for shareholders etc..
EnergIA can understand questions posed in almost all languages, but we prefer to provide you with a response in English or Italian, the two languages available on eni.com. If you ask a question in Italian, the content on the site in Italian will be consulted. If you ask it in English or any other language, the content in English will be consulted. (Note: the language Eni uses for financial documents/content is predominantly English.)
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