US biochemical company Genomatica (San Diego, California; www.genomatica.com) is one step closer to beginning commercial-scale production of 1,4-butanediol sourced from renewable raw materials. On 19 August 2011, the San Diego-based company inked an agreement with Italy’s Novamont (Novara; www.novamont.com), creating a joint venture for a new bio-BDO plant “at an existing” site in Italy. The 20,000 t/y facility is scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2012. It remains unclear whether the new plant will be located in the bioplastics hub Novamont and Eni (Rome / Italy; www.eni.it) plan to set up in ailing Porto Torres – see Plasteurope.com of 31.05.2011.

Genomatica only began producing its proprietary bio-BDO in June this year. Ahead of that achievement, the US group signed a similar deal to establish an Asian bio-BDO joint venture together with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC, Tokyo / Japan; www.m-kagaku.co.jp). The proposed plant is scheduled to begin operations sometime in 2014 – see Plasteurope.com of 06.05.2011. BDO is an intermediate chemical used in the production of PBT, TPU and synthetic fibres.

Aside from renewable butanediol, Genomatica is currently developing both a technology and process design for renewable butadiene – another relatively new field. Another player active in this field is France’s Global Bioenergies (Evry; www.global-bioenergies.com), which at the end of July 2011 announced a cooperation with Synthos (Oswiecim / Poland; www.synthosgroup.com) to develop butadiene sourced from renewable feedstocks – see Plasteurope.com of 22.07.2011.