Vertoro - New ethanol plant makes lignin into a valorised product

Vertoro, together with their partner Takenaka Europe established a solution for integrating lignin valorisation into a 2G ethanol plant.

According to Vertoro, ethanol is a notoriously difficult business to operate in, with many ethanol producing giants being forced to shut down or indefinitely pause their production plants. This is because in the production of ethanol, lignin holds the largest output volume and is often burnt onsite for power generation. The act of burning the main product implies thin profit margins, compelling producers to use more marginal and contaminated feedstock types to make ends meet. This of course, carries substantial risks for the functioning of the plant, as contaminated and complex feedstock types may contain more sand and rocks.

The new Vertoro ethanol plant is a first of its kind - able to make full use of the lignin by converting it into crude lignin oil (CLO), which can be used directly as a sustainable marine fuel or processed into various other fuels, chemicals, and materials.