AFYREN is inaugurating its first large-scale plant, AFYREN NEOXY, in Carling Saint-Avold (Grand Est, Moselle, France) on the Chemesis industrial platform. A factory that came online within its deadline and budget: After the start of construction in December 2020, major milestones included obtaining the operating permit, completion of civil engineering work, construction of the plant and the gradual industrial commissioning of its various units. All told, it only took 20 months for AFYREN NEOXY to open its doors, on September 29, 2022.

Perfectly operational and secure, the biorefinery has reached production start-up phase in the 2022 calendar year, as announced. AFYREN plans to gradually increase volumes to produce 16,000 metric tons of carboxylic acids within two years, a world first. At this stage, 70% of AFYREN NEOXY's target production of organic acids has already been pre-sold.

Thanks to its location in the center of the European beet-producing basin, AFYREN NEOXY has been able to commit to respecting short supply chains through a contract that provides for the delivery of co-products from sugar-beet crops located within a maximum radius of a few hundred kilometers from the factory. As it is close to its main customers in Northern and Eastern France, the Benelux countries and Germany, the plant can offer secure, low-carbon delivery to its partners. Based on natural micro-organisms and protected worldwide by ten patent families, AFYNERIE® technology produces seven 100% biobased organic acids.

These acids have several applications in six key sectors: human food, animal feed, flavors and fragrances, lubricants, materials science and life sciences. The carboxylic acids produced by AFYREN offer a low-carbon alternative to their traditionally petro-based equivalents. They are directly derived from sugar beet co-products and are transformed on the Saint-Avold platform through fermentation, extraction and purification steps.

This biomimetic process also produces a fertilizer that can be used in organic agriculture, optimizing resources in a completely circular approach. By producing biobased acids that have the same application performance as petro-based acids, and that meet stringent certifications, AFYREN offers a sustainable alternative to its partners, allowing them to achieve a significantly improved carbon footprint. AFYREN has raised a total of more than €80 million euros in funding from public and private sources to complete this industrial project: To take its technology into the industrial phase, AFYREN chose to partner with Bpifrance, through its Société de Projets Industriels (SPI) fund.

AFYREN NEOXY is a joint venture, 51% owned by AFYREN and 49% by the "Société de Projets Industriels" (SPI) fund managed by Bpifrance. The company has also benefited from strong support from the European Union and the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU), which initiated the creation of the AFTER-BIOCHEM international partnership platform, which brings together 12 key bioeconomy players. As part of the conversion of the Carling Saint-Avold platform, Total Energies not only provided financial support but also offered operational assistance, supporting AFYREN NEOXY as it navigated issues related to the environment, utilities, services and methods, facilitating the industrial hosting of the plant on the platform.

In addition, the construction of the production site benefited from significant support of the Grand Est Region and the Communauté d'Agglomération de St-Avold Synergie (CASAS), both very involved in the development of the bioeconomy sector. AFYREN also relied on financing from the France Reliance recovery plan to set up its Saint-Avold site and to do some of the advance work for the AFYREN NEOXY plant. AFYREN NEOXY was also able to count on the support of its long-standing partners in the structuring of its bank financing: BNP, Banque Populaire, Crédit Agricole and Bpifrance.

The commissioning of the site involved the recruitment of 60 people, covering the whole range of industrial professions (production, maintenance, quality control, security, and administration). AFYREN NEOXY set up a partnership with Pôle-emploi and the IUT of Saint Avold to recruit its factory operators, selecting a wide variety of candidate profiles according to their capacities and skills, and training them in the trades required. With the recruitment of this diverse and competent team, AFYREN seeks to strengthen its CSR governance model, grounded in benevolence and the involvement of its employees within a meaningful project.

While solidly anchored in its region, the company is contributing to the development of the bioeconomy sector in France and Europe, serving a growing global demand and creating industrial jobs that cannot be outsourced.