Biotechnology company Circa Group has announced that its FC5 commercial demonstration plant is now online, paving the way to a regular supply of Circa’s bio-based solvent CyreneⓇ.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – 12 February 2019 – Biotechnology company Circa Group has announced that its FC5 commercial demonstration plant is now online, paving the way to a regular supply of Circa’s bio-based solvent CyreneⓇ.
A joint venture between Circa and Norwegian pulp and paper company Norske Skog, the FC5 plant is located in Tasmania, Australia. Now successfully commissioned and operated end-to-end, FC5 is starting to produce a steady stream of 99% pure CyreneⓇ, a non-toxic solvent made from certified and renewable cellulose waste.
CyreneⓇ is an alternative to traditional dipolar aprotic solvents, which are used in large volumes – over one million tonnes per year – and are under intense regulatory pressure due their toxicity. In the EU, Circa is a partner on BBI project ReSolve, which specifically aims to replace NMP – a fossil-derived solvent which has been categorised as a substance of very high concern (SVHC) under European REACH regulation. Safer solvents are urgently required and CyreneⓇ is a bio-based solution with a unique property set, including viscosity, surface tension and polarities. CyreneⓇ is sold worldwide through Circa’s distributors Merck/Sigma Aldrich and Will&Co.
Tony Duncan, CEO and co-founder of Circa Group, said, “Scaling up new technologies is always a challenge. After years of hard work, we’re delighted that FC5 is now online as this allows us to provide CyreneⓇ reliably and in larger quantities for product testing worldwide, particularly in Europe. Circa is now focused on supporting the development of FC6 – a larger, commercial-scale plant.”
The FC5 commercial demonstration plant.---
About Circa
Established in 2006, Circa Group converts waste biomass into advanced bio-based chemicals with its proprietary FuracellTM process at its prototype plant in Tasmania – a joint venture with Norske Skog. Circa’s developing product portfolio includes biosolvents, flavours and biopolymers, including CyreneTM, an alternative to traditional polar aprotic solvents. By creating renewable chemicals from cellulose, Circa is extracting value from non-food, waste biomass and addressing a gap in the market by providing bio-based, non-toxic alternatives.
www.circagroup.com.au
Media Contact
Bárbara Mendes-Jorge
Communications Consultant
Sustainability Consult
bmj@sustainabilityconsult.com
+32 2 233 81 47
www.sustainabilityconsult.com