MetGen integration with NewEnergyBlue will create full array of biochemicals refined from agricultural waste
LANCASTER, Pa. and KAARINA, Finland, Nov. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NewEnergyBlue, the clean-technology designer of biomass refineries that turn agricultural waste into highly decarbonized biofuels and biochemicals, and MetGen, the Finnish pioneer in advanced enzymes and lignin fractionization, today began integrating their renewable technologies and business units to vigorously compete with fossil-carbon products not just environmentally but economically.
"NewEnergyBlue's biomass conversion technologies, augmented by MetGen's capabilities, can create a broader array of higher-value, lower-carbon biochemicals without wasting a molecule," says Alex Michine, founder of MetGen. "We envision this partnership delivering specific end-to-end solutions from raw material to finished product that will attract a wellspring of capital investment to build out biomass refining projects around the world."
NewEnergyBlue's first U.S. biomass refinery is expected to begin operations in 2027 in Mason City, Iowa. By converting locally-sourced corn stalks left behind during the annual grain harvest, New Energy Freedom can produce 21 million gallons of second-generation biofuel and 150,000 tons of clean lignin.
"We know how to break down biomass into clean sugars and clean lignin—the foundation of all plants," says Thomas Corle, Chairman and CEO of NewEnergyBlue. "MetGen has spent 18 years developing enzymes that can do it more economically. And lignin fraction technology that can be scaled up to expand high-value markets for us."
About half of New Energy Freedom's lignin could become a solid that asphalt producers use as a natural binder, replacing oil-based bitumen in road paving. The other half would be liquids: high-performance phenols for sports equipment like Nike, toys like Lego, and fire-resistant construction materials; eco-friendly polyols for strong yet lightweight insulation foams; and other fractions for lighter, stronger weather-shielded cardboard that companies like Amazon might use for tape-free, moisture-resistant packaging.
"We're very excited by a carbon-neutral platform converting our lignin stream into a diverse range of bio-products that are competitively priced against oil-derived products," says Corle. "This significantly enhances revenues and profit to the biomass refinery operations."
Beyond the financial are game-changing environment benefits. MetGen's lignin-based products reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to burning lignin for energy. This aligns with global climate targets and further underscores the partners' commitment to sustainable industry transformation.
"While we scale up MetGen conversion technology at the Freedom refinery, the integration also brings new opportunities for Finland as a strategic hub," say Matti Heikkila, who heads up MetGen operations. "We're planning a commercial lignin-to-chemicals project next door to our Kaarina laboratories for early 2026."
The lignin will come from Meliora Bio, a Danish refinery processing wheat straw using Inbicon bioconversion technology. MetGen has tested the lignin and found it "highly suitable for our separation technologies." MetGen intends to explore alternate feedstocks, such a black liquor, and develop new high-value products with a strong environmental advantages. "We're just getting started—like the oil industry in the past century," says Heikkila.
After years of helping develop Inbicon technology, NewEnergyBlue recently purchased it from Ørsted. Over the next five years, plans call for building four additional American refineries that fully incorporate Inbicon and MetGen technologies. "For the Midwest, it means good construction and manufacturing jobs, a second income for corn farmers, and rural revitalization," Corle says.
In pulp-and-paper regions, Corle sees new opportunities for lignin and pulp refining that could revive a struggling industry. Internationally, interest already runs high for licensing the company's tech and business platform to refine sugar bagasse, corn stalks, wheat and other grain straws, and energy grasses like miscanthus. "Adding MetGen technologies lets us tell a powerful financial and climate story."
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