June 2010
Elevance Announces Joint Venture with Wilmar International to Build a World Scale Biochemical Refinery
Elevance is pleased to announce today its joint venture with Wilmar International Limited (Wilmar), one of the largest global agribusiness groups, to construct a world scale biorefinery. The joint venture will use Elevance’s proprietary bio-refinery technology to produce high-value performance chemicals, advanced bio-fuels and oleochemicals.
The commercialization of the biorefinery represents a significant step in the transformation of the petrochemical industry to renewables. It allows Elevance to bring bio-based performance chemicals to commercial-scale production. Large existing and rapidly emerging new demand exists for these products in surfactants, antimicrobials, lubricants, renewable biodiesel and green jet fuels.
Novel, high performance renewable-based specialty chemical products including:
- 9-decenoic acid and methyl ester
- Alpha and internal green olefins
- Unique unsaturated fatty esters and triglycerides
Elevance is currently expanding sampling and development of the various products in anticipation of commercial production.
Wilmar’s extensive capabilities and existing operations in Asia will allow us to quickly build and begin operating an integrated facility, accelerating the delivery of cost-effective, high-performing, renewable-based specialty chemicals to the market. This joint venture represents the next step in growing Elevance internationally.
This commercial-scale manufacturing facility will begin with a capacity of 180kMT (approximately 400 million pounds) with the ability to expand up to 360kMT (approximately 800 million pounds) of products. The facility will be located within Wilmar’s new integrated manufacturing complex now under construction in Surabaya, Indonesia.
The new plant is expected to come online in 2011, and like all facilities based on Elevance’s biorefinery technology, it will be capable of operating using multiple renewable oil feedstocks, such as palm, mustard, soybean, and other renewable oils. Please see our press release for more information.
Environmental Protection is our #1 Priority?
The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to garner worldwide headlines and Americans are taking notice. According to a recent Gallop poll, Americans now prioritize environmental protection over energy production 55 percent to 39 percent, after a 50 percent to 43 percent division in favor of energy in March 2010.
Increased environmental sensitivities and coverage of the spill are clearly influencing public opinion on environmental protection. Still, a slight majority of Americans are in favor of more offshore drilling. The Gallup poll also found that 50 percent are in favor of increased drilling for oil and gas off U.S. coasts and 46 percent opposed.
As we wait for this recent disaster to be resolved, we should focus on new innovations in the clean and renewable energy industries. Risks are inherent, but with collaborative efforts, solutions that are both environmentally friendly and beneficial to the consumer can be found. If anything positive comes of this tragic spill, we hope it is increased attention on environmentally safe energy solutions.
Elevance’s Donde Anderson Featured in Green Jobs Ad
Donde Anderson, a catalyst chemist here at Elevance Renewable Sciences is being featured in BIO’s promotion of U.S. based green jobs. BIO worked with various green chemical companies to produce an ad featuring recent new hires in the bio-based industry sector.
Donde is responsible for providing process chemistry support for the manufacture of Elevance’s specialty chemicals. Donde leads efforts to lower the cost impact of olefin metathesis catalyst usage in process economics. Some of her efforts are sponsored by external agencies such as the United Soybean Board and the Saskatchewan Canola Development Council.
Her extensive research allows for the enhancement of established processes and the creation of new technologies. Donde’s previous experience includes positions at Dow Chemical where she was a member of the Rotational Assignments Program.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Northwestern University and was a member of the Integrated Science Program at Northwestern. Donde received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and completed her thesis under the direction of Professor Robert H. Grubbs, whose development of ruthenium olefin metathesis catalysts provided the technological foundation for Elevance.
The ad features other recent hires to the green and biobased community and links back to BIO’s web site. The ad will run throughout June on www.TheHill.com in the Energy and Environment section. We’re proud to have Donde as a member of the Elevance team, and to have her featured in the BIO ad.
Elevance Introduces NatureWax® Elite
We’re busy at Elevance bringing new products to the market. This week we are pleased to announce the commercialization and launch of NatureWax® Elite, a new line of natural, vegetable-based, high performance waxes for use in semi or automated candle filling lines.
NatureWax®, Elevance’s brand of vegetable based waxes, offers the best selections of premium natural waxes available to the candle industry. This advancement in our wax technology surpasses any wax product currently on the market.
These waxes provide an environmentally friendly alternative to multi-component paraffin blends, giving customers a fully-formulated, high performance natural wax without the fat bloom and cracking issues associated with other vegetable-based waxes.
Our exclusive NatureWax® Elite wax will be introduced industry-wide on July 7 at the upcoming 3rd World Candle Congress & Trade Show in Orlando, Florida. Candles featuring this new product will be available at Elevance’s booth at located at exhibit floor number 41 and we invite you to join!
The show is jointly sponsored by the National Candle Association and ALAFAVE (Latin American Candle Manufacturers Association) and is being held in Orlando, Florida on July 7-9, 2010.
Elevance Expands Partnership with Atkins & Pearce in Asia
Opportunities for products that perform and that are based on renewable resources are growing globally. Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. announced last week an expanded partnership with Atkins & Pearce’s Asia division, extending Elevance’s presence and making our products available to customers in several countries in the Pacific Rim.
Under the new agreement, Atkins & Pearce will market, sell, distribute and provide technical services for Elevance’s NatureWax® products to People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
NatureWax®, Elevance’s brand of vegetable based waxes, offers the best selections of premium natural waxes available to the candle industry, including high-performance votive, container and pillar blends.
Atkins & Pearce’s experience in optimizing candle systems and their global presence providing premium wick systems to the candle industry make them an ideal partner to market Elevance’s NatureWax® Premium Vegetable Waxes to candle customers in the Asia Pacific Region.
By expanding our agreement with Atkins & Pearce in Asia, Elevance will be providing Asian candle customers with improved access to the NatureWax® products and the technical support to make the transition from paraffin to vegetable based waxes successfully.
Please visit Atkins & Pearce’s Web site to learn more about our partner, and watch this space as we continue to establish partnerships that enable customers worldwide to benefit from the products that Elevance can produce from renewables.
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