Dragos Gavriluta, Clariant: We take pride in building a cellulosic ethanol plant at the highest standards that will have a significant positive impact at community level, bringing economic and social development for the Oltenia region.

Clariant, a focused and innovative specialty chemical company, continues construction works at the cellulosic bioethanol plant in Podari, Dolj county – the largest ongoing investment in the Craiova region. The plant will be completed in 2021, and this will be the fourth bioethanol plant based on the company’s technology portfolio using the sunliquid® technology, together with the ones in Germany, Poland and Slovakia. The Clariant cellulosic bioethanol plant in Podari will have an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons. The project will have an investment volume of over EUR 100 million, and will receive EUR 40 million funding from the European Union.

The new plant is constructed on a 98,000 sqm area observing the highest technological standards, while paying close attention to the comfort and life of the local population. The civil constructor is a Romanian company, and the construction works involve a team of about 800 workers.

“With the construction phase, Clariant’s project in Podari has reached an important milestone. In parallel with the construction, we are in full preparation of the production, including farmers’ agreements and straw collection. We take pride in building a cellulosic ethanol plant at the highest standards that will have a significant positive impact at community level, bringing economic and social development for the region, while being extremely safe for the public health and the environment. The ultimate recognition of the performance of our technology and our commitment to safety is the European funding received”, stated Dragoş Gavriluţă, project director sunliquid® Romania.

Cellulosic ethanol is an advanced, sustainable and practically carbon-neutral biofuel. It is produced from agricultural residue such as wheat straw and corn stover, which is supplied by farmers. The straw is converted into cellulosic sugars. This is followed by fermentation to produce cellulosic ethanol. By using plant residues, cellulosic ethanol can extend the current production of biofuels to new feedstock and contributes to optimizing the efficiency and sustainability of biofuels. Cellulosic sugars also have the potential to serve as a building block for future production of bio-based chemicals.