EU biofuels effort kicks off in Örnsköldsvik
Representatives from eleven European companies and universities gathered yesterday in the Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik, to kick-start the EU-funded project Rewofuel. The long-term aim is to lay the groundwork for many new biorefineries across Europe, using wood residues from the forest industry to produce biofuels.
Yesterday, Swedish clean-tech company SEKAB E-Technology hosted the kick-off for the EU-funded project Rewofuel in the Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik. Present were representatives from the eleven European companies and universities taking part in the project. The EU contribution to the project stands at 13,9 million euro, of which SEKAB has received 30 percent, around 4 million euro.
– This project will contribute to breaking free from our fossil oil dependence. SEKAB’s experience in using wood residues from the forestry industry will be very valuable. Through this collaborative project, we will be able to transition Europe even faster to renewables, says Jonas Markusson, Innovation Manager at SEKAB E-Technology.The three-year project will demonstrate and evaluate the whole value-chain, to show how to best use wood residues from the forest industry to produce biofuels. The long-term aim is to start many new biorefineries across Europe, using wood residues from European forest and sawmill industries, as well as forestry industry, as raw material.
– By combining technologies and know-how from the leading biofuels actors across Europe, the project Rewofuel will be able to demonstrate the increasingly important role of using forest materials in the European renewable energy transition. We look forward to contributing directly to the European climate and energy targets, says Jean-Baptiste Barbaroux, Chief Corporate Officer at Global Bioenergies.
It is the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, that has selected eleven European companies and universities to an international collaborative project called Rewofuel. Apart from Swedish clean-tech company SEKAB E-Technology, Swedish Peab Asphalt is also one of the selected companies.
– We are proud to deliver the technology needed in the first step of the value-chain to convert biomass, that will then be refined into biofuels. To phase out the oil in transport fuels, we see huge potential in using today’s unused residue products from the forest industry, says Monica Normark, Project Manager for Rewofuel.
Rewofuel started on 1 June this year and will run for three years. SEKAB’s role is to, with its patented technology CelluAPP, refine biomass into sugar and lignin, that in the next step can be converted to biofuels and other renewable products.
Facts about Rewofuel
Eleven companies and universities from eight EU countries are taking part in Rewofuel: SEKAB E-Technology, Peab Asphalt, Sky NRG, Global Bioenergies, Neste Engineering Solutions, Repsol, Ajinomoto, Eurolysine, IPSB, TechnipFMC and Linz University.
The total project budget is 19,7 million euros. The EU contribution from the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, is 13,9 million euros. The remaining part is covered by the project participants.
Text excerpted by SEKAB press release.
