BioBTX has secured financing of over 80 million euros for the construction of the PETRA Circular Chemicals Plant at Chemie Park Delfzijl. The Groningen-based scale-up, which emerged from research at the Zernike Campus Groningen, is thus taking an important step toward becoming the world’s first commercial plant to convert mixed plastic waste into renewable aromatic feedstocks for the chemical industry.
The plant will produce approximately 10,000 metric tons of renewable aromatic oil per year, consisting of benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX), in addition to 8,000 metric tons of sustainable byproducts. Thanks to the ICCP technology developed by BioBTX, plastic waste streams are given a high-value new purpose, thereby reducing dependence on fossil raw materials and significantly lowering CO₂ emissions.
“Reaching this important milestone in the development of BioBTX is a major step toward our mission: enabling circular chemistry. I am immensely proud of the entire BioBTX team and our shareholders, whose dedication and commitment have made this possible. We are going to build the world’s first fully sustainable aromatics plant. A tremendous achievement!” said Ton Vries, co-founder and CEO of BioBTX.
After a 14-year development process—from laboratory research and a pilot plant at Campus Groningen to commercial application—BioBTX has now also made its Final Investment Decision. Construction of the plant is expected to begin in early 2027. The company then plans to roll out the technology globally through licenses to the chemical industry.
De Rijksuniversiteit Groningen heeft het ontwerp voor het nieuwe Interfaculty Learning Center op Zernike Campus afgerond. Het gebouw combineert moderne onderwijsruimtes, gespecialiseerde labs en inspirerende studieplekken.
Fermentatieprocessen, van voedselproductie tot andere toepassingen, roepen vragen op die betrouwbare data en testen vereisen. Het bedrijf SG Papertronics, gevestigd op Campus Groningen, ontwikkelt platformtechnologie voor biochemische en analytische testen, met fermentatie als specialisme.
Astronomer Francesca Rizzo of the University of Groningen (RUG) has won the KNAW Early Career Prize. The prize is intended for young scientists with innovative research ideas and consists of a work of art and 15,000 euros to support the further development of their careers. Rizzo is one of twelve researchers to receive the prize.
