VEHICLE · Valorise Extensive quantities of HemIcellulosic and Cellulosic sugars from Lignocellulosic biomass into high-value End products

VEHICLE will demonstrate novel biotechnological and non-biotechnological technologies for providing and valorising low value sugar streams, thereby enabling significant progress in holistic & sustainable utilisation of lignocellulosic biomass. The main goals for this project are to demonstrate valorisation of dilute hemicellulose-containing prehydrolysate streams from pulp mills, which are currently waste streams with little value. The demonstration will take place by Ecohelix at the Domsjö Fabriker dissolving pulp mill in Sweden. In addition to widen the business and market opportunities of existing biorefinery investments by demonstrating the applicability of their sugar streams in several downstream options. Sugar streams will be provided by Avantium and Graanul from their demonstration and flagship facilities that are currently under construction. Subsequently the use of hemicellulose polymers from prehydrolysis streams in different pulp and paper product applications will be demonstrated by Kemira as well as the conversion of hemicellulose and cellulose based sugars into intermediate and building block chemicals – glycols (MEG and MPG), butanediol and long chain diacids – as well as into specialty sugars (glucosone, fructose) by Metgen, Avantium and Novamont. VEHICLE project will give special attention to secure the market demand and marketability of the produced intermediate molecules by demonstrating their use in a minimum of 5 end applications. In all 3 business cases VEHICLE maximises the weighted % of valorised feedstock, by covering more than one component and more than one product. UVIC will utilize well established LCA methodologies to assess the environmental and economic impacts of the developed products and processes. VEHICLE is based on sound business cases and business plans of three very promising value chains demonstrated by Ecohelix/Kemira, Avantium and Novamont. Combined with the 3 feedstock sources, up to 9 new value chains can be created.