Elevance, Genting plan new Malaysia biorefinery

Elevance Renewable Sciences on Monday announced a new collaboration with Genting to be located in the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia.

The 25:75 collaboration between Elevance and Genting Plantations Berhad (GIB) will build a 240,000 tpy metathesis biorefinery based on Elevance’s proprietary metathesis technology, and will produce renewable, high-performance olefins and specialty chemicals that can be used in multiple end-product applications, including lubricants, surfactants and detergents.

“This collaboration extends our ability to deliver novel products with improved performance, helping to achieve a paradigm shift in the way companies are addressing industry and consumer demand — making better products while leaving a smaller environmental footprint — in personal care products, detergents and cleaners, engineered polymers, lubricants and additives, and other specialty chemicals markets,” said Elevance CEO K’Lynne Johnson.

As part of the collaboration agreement, GIB has agreed to pay Elevance license and design fees, and Elevance will provide intellectual property rights, knowledge transfer, and technical and consulting services. Elevance will also be exclusively responsible for the sale of all specialty chemicals that are produced at the biorefinery.

“Genting Integrated Biorefinery will spearhead ourgGroup’s expansion into the high value-added palm oil downstream segment that will showcase palm oil’s immense potential to serve an ever-increasing variety of applications and further complement the many pioneering initiatives we are pursuing in our ongoing drive to unlock palm oil’s full potential through scientific innovation,” said Genting Plantations Berhad CEO Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay.

The Elevance metathesis biorefinery produces multiple chemical streams similar to petroleum-based refineries. Elevance’s low-pressure, low-temperature process uses Nobel Prize-winning innovations in metathesis catalysis that consume significantly less energy and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% compared to petrochemical technologies, according to company officials.

A selective catalyst is used to break down natural oils and recombine fragments, resulting in a process with lower source pollution, production costs and capital expenditures than petrochemical refineries, according to Elevance representatives.