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.
The large-scale Lifelines population study is inviting new participants for the first time in twenty years. The study is seeking around 16,000 relatives of existing participants. This expansion has been made possible by a grant from the National Programma Groningen (NPG).
The 2026 Kavli Prize was awarded last week. Alongside the Nobel Prize, the Kavli Prize is regarded as one of the highest honours in science and is awarded every two years by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Who is developing the most impactful innovation in Life Sciences & Health in the Northern Netherlands? Five companies are in the running for the LIFE Science Innovation Award 2026: Flux Robotics, Limosa Immunodiagnostics, SPCTR, MimeCure and GlycanScan International. The nominees will present their innovations on Tuesday 22 September during the fifth edition of the LIFE Science Conference in Groningen. An independent jury will select the winner, who will receive a €10,000 cash prize.
