CLARIANT AG 
-- Construction continues with over 650 workers on site
operating in full compliance with all COVID-19
pandemic precaution measurements
-- Majority of large key production equipment has
already been installed
-- Recruitment and training of plant operators and other
local staff members in progress
Muttenz, December 2, 2020-- Clariant, a focused, sustainable and
innovative specialty chemical company, today announced that it is making
good progress with the construction of its sunliquid(R) cellulosic
ethanol production plant in Podari, in the southwestern part of Romania.
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present a challenging situation,
Clariant's team was able to ensure that work on the construction site
continues while fully complying with all pandemic precaution regulations
as established by the Romanian authorities.
"It is truly impressive to see how our project team as well as all local
partners have been able to keep this important construction project
running while ensuring everyone's safety and health during the COVID-19
pandemic. Once completed, this sunliquid(R) cellulosic ethanol
production plant will be a cornerstone of our continuing transformation
into a leading specialty chemicals company and another proofpoint of our
commitment to innovation and sustainability," said Hans Bohnen,
Clariant's Chief Operating Officer.
The sunliquid(R) plant receives more than EUR 40 million in funding from
the European Union(1) and is constructed on a 10-hectare area in Podari
near Craiova in southwestern Romania, from where it has access to a
secure regional supply of feedstock and can benefit from the region's
existing logistic and industrial infrastructure. Once operational, the
plant will process approx. 250,000 tons of straw to produce 50,000 tons
of sunliquid(R) cellulosic ethanol on an annual basis. This is an
advanced, truly sustainable, and carbon-neutral biofuel that can readily
be blended into conventional fuel and be used in today's car
infrastructure.
"Over the past months, several milestones have been reached on the
construction site while also achieving the installation of the majority
of large key equipment. This puts us on track to complete the
construction by the end of 2021, after which start-up and production
will commence. We are proud to see already the substantial benefits that
our investment is bringing to the Podari region and look forward to see
its impact increase further once the plant is fully staffed and
operating at full capacity", says Christian Librera, Vice President and
Head of Business Line Biofuels and Derivatives at Clariant.
Clariant is also making headway with the recruitment and training of
staff members for its sunliquid(R) project in Romania. The company's
local employee population is expanding rapidly, with a total of 26
people so far. These team members benefit from a comprehensive training
program in Germany and Romania. They started their training at the
pre-commercial sunliquid(R) plant in Straubing, Germany, followed by
training sessions in collaboration with the University of Craiova, a
renowned educational center in the Southwest of Romania. In the
long-term, up to 100 staff members will be directly employed in the
plant, while about 300 jobs will be created in connecting businesses,
e.g., the collection, storage, and transportation of the feedstock.
On the
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Moleculist Blog on Clariant's website, the successful path that has
taken the sunliquid(R) technology platform from development and testing
in Bavaria, Germany to the first-of-its-kind commercial facility in
Podari, Romania is presented in greater detail.
CORPORATE MEDIA RELATIONS INVESTOR RELATIONS
Maria Ivek
Jochen Dubiel Phone +41 61 469 63 73
Phone +41 61 469 63 63 maria.ivek@clariant.com
jochen.dubiel@clariant.com
Alexander Kamb
Claudia Kamensky Phone +41 61 469 63 73
Phone +41 61 469 63 63 alexander.kamb@clariant.com
claudia.kamensky@clariant.com
Thijs Bouwens
Phone +41 61 469 63 63
Thijs.bouwens@clariant.com
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http://www.clariant.com www.clariant.com
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Clariant is a focused, sustainable and innovative specialty chemical
company based in Muttenz, near Basel/Switzerland. On 31 December 2019,
the company employed a total workforce of 17 223. In the financial year
2019, Clariant recorded sales of CHF 4.399 billion for its continuing
businesses. The company reports in three business areas: Care Chemicals,
Catalysis and Natural Resources. Clariant's corporate strategy is based
on five pillars: focus on innovation and R&D, add value with
sustainability, reposition portfolio, intensify growth, and increase
profitability.
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www.sunliquid.com
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www.clariant.com/romania
sunliquid(R) is an innovative biotechnological method for manufacturing
cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues such as cereal straw, corn
stover or sugar cane bagasse. In the completely integrated process,
highly optimized, raw material-specific biocatalysts decompose cellulose
and hemicellulose in high yields under stable processing conditions into
fermentable sugar. The process-integrated production of the biocatalysts
offers flexibility and reduces production costs. In the next step, an
optimized fermentation organism simultaneously converts C5 and C6 into
ethanol with high yields and short reaction times. A highly optimized
purification process is instrumental in enabling all the energy required
for the process to be derived from the process byproducts like insoluble
lignin. Since July 2012, Clariant has been operating a precommercial
plant in Straubing, Germany, which produces up to 1,000 metric tons of
cellulosic ethanol every year, confirming technical and economic
performance. In September 2018, Clariant broke ground for its
first-of-its-kind commercial facility in Podari, Romania, where the
construction is currently underway. Clariant licenses its sunliquid(R)
technology platform globally. So far, four license agreements have been
concluded with renowned industry players in Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria
and China.
(1)The project receives funding from the European Union's Seventh
Framework Program for research, technological development and
demonstration under Grant Agreement no. 322386 (SUNLIQUID
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) and from the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European
Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant
Agreement no. 709606 (LIGNOFLAG
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).
Attachments
-- Clariant Media Release Construction Update Sunliquid 20201202 EN
https://ml-eu.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/1673b32c-b519-4241-935f-5cb3ed5ba1da
-- Clariant Media Release Construction Update Sunliquid 20201202 DE
https://ml-eu.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/bbd058bb-e4db-49a8-bfe6-f5adc02d99c5(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 02, 2020 02:00 ET (07:00 GMT)
