S2G BioChemicals (S2G), a Vancouver BC-based developer of natural chemical conversion technologies, has announced that the company initiated production of fossil free bio-based glycols at the Memphis, Tennessee site of the company's operating partner, Pennakem LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Minafin Group.
S2G's proprietary process has been integrated into Pennakem's existing chemical facility to convert natural, non-food waste into usable sugar-based glycols. The natural glycols will serve as a drop-in replacement for common petroleum-based chemicals used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products such as resins, PET/PEF plastic drink containers, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, coolants and anti-freeze.
"Today's announcement is an important step forward for S2G as we move to the commercial scale operation of our bio-based chemical conversion process," said Mark Kirby, President and Chief Executive Officer of S2G BioChem. "The efficient and economical advantages of integrating our technology into existing facilities will have a significant impact on the business case of bio-based glycols. We look forward to bringing a new era of cost effective bio-based refining to the products we use every day, one based on working with nature rather than against it.
We have achieved two significant advancements including the integration of our process into an existing chemical plant, and its operation at commercial scale," said Jeff Plato, Director, Corporate and Business Development of S2G BioChem. "These are major milestones in S2G's commercialisation path and we look forward to demonstrating our ability to co-produce bio-based glycols and other high value speciality chemicals that can compete economically with fossil fuel chemicals on a meaningful scale."
"We are extremely impressed with the seamless integration of S2G's innovative, high yield bioconversion process into our existing chemical production infrastructure," said Tom Waldman, President of Pennakem. "The combination of S2G's innovative process and Pennakem's 75 years of manufacturing expertise using biorenewable feedstocks will lower costs and could catalyse the demand for sustainably and economically produced natural bio-based glycols."
S2G's ‘sugar to glycol’ technology is a simple, durable, and efficient process that utilises low cost renewable feedstocks to co-produce an economical supply of high value speciality chemicals and sustainable bio-glycols for use by consumer and industrial product manufacturers.
Adapted from press release by Francesca Brindle