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8746432 
Journal Article 
Green chemistry. Intermediates. Roquette and DSM companies will produce "bio" succinic acid. New isosorbide industrial production for Roquette 
Badina, J 
2008 
45 
485 
28 
French 
The Roquette Frères and DSM companies will form a co-enterprise to develop bio succinic acid by a fermentation process starting with renewable raw materials in a several hundred tonnes/year pilot plant at Lestrem, France at the end of 2009. Succinic acid is a derivative of petroleum and natural gas used in pharmacy, foodstuffs, and the production of high performance polymers. The present market is an estimated 25,000-30,000 tonnes/yr and the sales price is over 2 euros/kg. One of the goals of DSM and Roquette is to produce a succinic acid the price of which will be less than the price of succinic acid produced chemically or petrochemically for a large range of uses. The new process is to accelerate the growth of the "green" polymers market, notably the biodegradable and biosourced polybutylene succinate (PBS) using succinic acid as intermediate. In the two years following 2009 a large scale plant is to be built. The fermentation process is expected to save 30-40% of the energy used in the conventional processes, thus reducing greenhouse gases. The 98 million euro project is supported by the Agency of Industrial Innovation to the amount of 43 million euros spread over 7 yr. In April 2007 Roquette started up an isosorbide plant at Lestrem of several thousands tonnes/year. This production will respond to the drastic exigencies of the industry for polymers of a specific grade, namely, Polysorb P. Roquette has also acquired the exclusive use of a DuPont patent on an isosorbide of high purity required by applications in polymers. Roquette has also acquired the go ahead from the Autorité Européenne de Sécurité Alimentaire for the use of isosorbide as monomer for PET [poly(ethylene-co-isosorbide) terephthalate, PEIT] for food use. Thus, isosorbide acquires the "green diol" label in foodstuffs packaging, a field in full expansion and hopeful of using raw materials of agricultural origin. Roquette also develops isosorbide derivatives as diesters, as PVC plastifier instead of phthalates, and as dimethyl isosorbide as "green" solvent for industrial use. All these developments are integrated into the BioHub program that is supported by the Agence française de l'Innovation Industrielle.