Versalis, Eni's chemical company, announces that by the first half of 2020 all the plants of the Crescentino (Vercelli) plant will be in operation. The plant, acquired in November 2018, is dedicated to the production of bioethanol on an industrial scale and has been modernized with an investment of over 15 million euros.
The biomass plant for the generation of renewable electricity and part of the water treatment plant with the production of bio-gas have already been restarted and activities for the restart of the bioethanol plant expected within the first half of the year are now underway 2020, based on PROESA® proprietary technology, one of the most innovative in the biomass chemistry sector.
The configuration of the Crescentino plants allows you to use a total water recycling system and makes the site completely independent from an energy point of view, thanks to the enhancement of the lignin in the power plant.
The Versalis Biotech research centers in Rivalta Scrivia (Alessandria) and Novara are working to pursue further developments in the production of a complete range of fermentable renewable products such as bio oils for the biorefinery, totally biodegradable polymers (polyhydroxyalkanoates PHA), intermediates for bio polymers and bio chemicals, all from second generation sugars produced with PROESA® technology; they are also experimentally developing lignin in new market applications.
"Crescentino represents a strategic site to strengthen Versalis' competitive positioning in chemicals from renewable sources - declares Daniele Ferrari, Versalis CEO - with the aim of developing a totally integrated and sustainable platform, using only residual biomass that does not compete with the supply chain food ".