Biochemtex Spa products

Success in cellulosic ethanol constitutes a feat with which Biochemtex, affiliate of the Mossi & Ghisolfi Group, challenged the chemistry world, already back in 2006. With a total investment exceeding 150M€ and over 7 years dedicated to research and development within the R&D center of Rivalta Scrivia in Italy, Biochemtex created Proesa™, a socalled “second generation” technology, which unlocks access to the fermentable sugars present in lignocellulosic biomass, for production of transportation fuels and other chemicals, thus lowering their GHG emissions, at competitive costs compared to fossil sources (i.e. oil and natural gas).

The MOGHI project aims at complementing Biochemtex research on conversion of lignocellulosic feedstock, by investigating the possible routes to transform lignin co-product produced at the Crescentino plant, into higher value molecules and/or products with already consolidated existing markets. An example of the resulting products achieved through such routes are BTX aromatics (Benzene, Toluene and Xylene), which currently originate from fossil oil, and which are the precursors of many mass-produced goods, such as polycarbonate, nylon, polyester fibers and polystyrene used in packaging. Other compounds obtained from such lignin transformation are long chain aliphatic molecules, which can easily be used to make jet fuel.