📋 Tender Overview
The TLP-project will be executed by RenCom AB, a Swedish biotechnology SME established in 2018. The project consists of the construction of a biorefinery producing a renewable and bio-degradable biomaterial RENOL that is used in biocomposites for producing packaging films, such as wrapping plastics and plastic bags. The plant will produce 10 000t/a of RENOL intended to replace fossil-based plastics, such as polyethylene (PE, reference product). The feedstock is kraft lignin, a highly under-valorised by-product of kraft pulping industry. Currently, RenCom purchases lignin at 1000-2000 tonnes per year. An increased supply for the production plant has been ensured by letters of intent from two raw material suppliers in Europe, that operate with high sustainability concern and have Forest Stewardship Council -certified products. The feedstock agreement is expected to be signed by the end of 2021. The demand for the principal product RENOL is secured by Letters of Intent from five compounders and converters. The first commercial off-take agreements are expected to be signed by June 2021 with compounders making wrapping films. RENOL is patent-protected in the key markets in Europe, the US, Brazil and China. The investment project will be implemented based on the carefully selected and tested process technologies. The process technologies have been validated in RenCom's demo site in Knivsta, Sweden with capacity of 2000 t/a. According to the implementation plan, the project will reach the Financial Close in 2/2022. The construction will start in 8/2022 and the plant will start production tentatively in 11/2023. The investment project will help the EU achieve energy and climate goals with 470 108 tCO2 absolute GHG avoidance expected in the first 10 years of operations. It will also accumulate first-class technology know-how that can be scaled to create new business opportunities both for the plastics industry and the pulp and paper industry.
