PROFILE
St1 Biofuels Oy
produce 10 Mliters of the biofuel annually. This major milestone follows research and development that has resulted in a technology that enables the company to use sawdust from soft wood such as pine and spurge at a reduced production cost; it also enables cost efficient logistics and limited capital exposure. Located in Kajaani, Finland, the facility is to be co-located at a sawmill site and will use steamexplosion to open the cellulosic structures of the sawdust before using enzymatic hydrolysis to get cellulose to sugars for ethanol fermentation. “It soon became clear that the volumes of waste technology are limited; in response to this we made the strategic decision to develop the Cellunolix ethanol plant in Finland, which will use sawdust as its raw material,” explains Patrick. “This plant will generate ten million litres of bioethanol per year once it is complete; it is currently under construction and should be commissioning in 2016 and ready for operation in 2017.” The plant is owned by North European Bio Tech (NEB) a joint venture between St1 and a retail specialist associated company of SOK Corporation. Because Northern Europe has a large industrial sector based on forestry, the development of this new plant opens up opportunities for the commercial production of cellulosic ethanol based on softwood. Furthermore, the biorefinery supports the climate and energy strategy of Finland following the implementation of a mandate to increase the share of renewable energy in transport up to 20 per cent by 2020. “Using sawdust is economical for many countries as there are big players who can deliver large quantities; because of this, we are now looking at expanding into the US,
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Canada and also Europe where soft wood is largely harvested. Our plan is to finalise the plant and then look for the next plant, which will be bigger, in Finland, Sweden or Norway. Although there is a lot of opportunity to expand into new markets with our technology, right now we will be focused on seeing how this plant operates,” says Patrick. Indeed, with a strong reputation and several successful plants in place, the next step for St1 Biofuels is expansion into Western Europe through licensing agreements that will enable other firms to use its cutting-edge production technology. However, for now the company will continue with getting its new plant online, while also continuing with research projects that will optimise the production process. “We believe this plant has great potential for being licensed to other countries, which is why we want to ensure to product is operating well before we seek out the right customers in the future,” concludes Patrick.
It soon became clear that the volumes of waste technology are limited; in response to this we made the strategic decision to develop the Cellunolix ethanol plant in Finland, which will use sawdust as its raw material St1 Biofuels Oy st1biofuels.com
Products Waste-based advanced biofuels