Elevance Announces Next Stage For Second World-Scale Biorefinery

Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc., a high-growth specialty chemicals company headquartered in Woodridge, Illinois, has announced the authorization of the next stage of its second world-scale biorefinery in Nachez, Mississippi. The Company also has a joint venture biorefinery with Wilmar International Limited located in Gresik, Indonesia.

Both commercial scale biorefineries are based on Elevance's proprietary metathesis technology. According to the Company's press release, the Nachez biorefinery will produce novel specialty chemicals, including multifunctional esters such as 9-decenoic methyl ester; a unique distribution of biobased alpha and internal olefins, including decene; and a premium mixture of oleochemicals. It will have a capacity of 280,000 MT (approximately 617 million pounds).

The high-value performance specialty chemicals, olefins and oleochemicals, produced at the Company's biorefineries will be used in personal care products, detergents and cleaners, lubricants and additives, engineered polymers, and other specialty chemicals markets.

The biorefineries produce Inherent™ renewable building blocks, including renewable C10+ olefins and high-value, di-functional specialty chemicals with superior functional attributes, that were previously unavailable commercially until now. These molecules combine the functional attributes of an olefin, typical of petrochemicals, and a mono-functional ester or acid, typical of biobased oleochemicals, into a single molecule. According to the press release, Inherent™ specialty chemicals enable detergents to be more concentrated and clean better in cold water; improved solvency for better hard surface cleaners; lubricant base oils with improved stability and fuel economy; and unique monomers for biobased polymers and engineered plastics, including long chain polyamides, polyurethanes, and polyesters.

For more information, a copy of the Company's press release is available online.