Ground-breaking ceremony for first production plant for green ethyl acetate in Europe
CropEnergies builds new plant in Elsteraue
CropEnergies AG, Mannheim, is taking the next step on the road to a more sustainable world: With a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony with Sven Schulze, Minister of Economics, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of Saxony-Anhalt, the leading European producer of renewable ethanol initiated the start of construction of the first production plant of its kind for green ethyl acetate in Europe. Numerous guests from business and politics attended the event. With this project, CropEnergies is sending out a strong signal for the use of renewable resources and greater sustainability in the chemical industry.
CropEnergies AG is building a plant for the production of renewable ethyl acetate from sustainable ethanol at the Zeitz Chemical and Industrial Park. This not only significantly reduces the fossil carbon footprint of the products made from it, but also offers customers the opportunity to increase their security of supply thanks to domestic production in Europe. The total investment for the new production plant will amount to between 120 and 130 million euros. The new site will contribute to additional added value in the Burgenland district and create around 50 jobs for highly qualified employees. Commissioning of the plant is planned for the end of 2025.
With the new plant, CropEnergies gives the starting signal for the business segment with bio-based chemicals. Dr. Fritz Georg von Graevenitz, CEO of CropEnergies AG, welcoming the guests: "I am very pleased that the next phase of the construction of our new production plant is now beginning. The central challenge of our time is to make everyday products more sustainable. The defossilization of raw materials for these products is a key factor in achieving climate targets. This is precisely why this plant is not only an important investment in the future of CropEnergies, but also for future generations, as it makes a valuable contribution to climate protection.”
"Innovation from biomass - that is what CropEnergies is committed to," von Graevenitz continues, "We want to create innovative solutions for a sustainable future. The new ethyl acetate plant is a further step in this direction. We look forward to using our biobased chemicals in the future to make an important contribution to the transformation of an industry that is still based almost entirely on fossil raw materials. This brings us one step closer to our vision of a sustainable future."
In his welcoming address, Minister Schulze emphasized the importance of such investments for the regional economy: "The new ethyl acetate plant is an example of how we can combine sustainability and economic development. I am delighted that we have been able to secure such a forward-looking project for the Burgenland district and for Saxony-Anhalt as a business location."
The plant will use production technology from Johnson Matthey, London, UK, which uses an energy efficient process to produce ethyl acetate, which is considered to be the highest quality product on the market. The technical partner for the construction of the plant is De Smet Engineers & Contractors, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium.
The GETEC Group, Magdeburg, will construct an energy plant on the site of the Zeitz Chemical and Industrial Park to supply the ethyl acetate plant with heat and electricity in a climate-neutral manner, which can thermally utilize liquid and gaseous production residues in addition to biomass.
Source: CropEnergies AG