Aurora Renewable Carbon secures financing to restart Empyro plant
- Financing package from Triodos Bank, Oost NL (via ION+3 Fund/ERDF), a group of angel investors and Aurora management secured the restart.
- Empyro will resume production of pyrolysis bio-oil from woody biomass residues later this summer, initially supplying existing industrial customers.
- The plant produced pyrolysis bio-oil since 2015 but halted operations in early 2023; Aurora has taken over operation.
- Aurora plans an on-site upgrading facility to separate lignin and sugars and refine them into customer-specific biobased feedstocks for resins, coatings, composites and other specialty chemicals.
Financing and partners
Aurora Renewable Carbon obtained financing from a consortium including Triodos Bank, Oost NL, a group of angel investors and the company’s management. Oost NL is investing through the ION+3 Fund, which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Plant restart
The Empyro plant in Hengelo, which produced pyrolysis bio-oil from woody biomass residues since 2015 and halted production in early 2023, will restart later this summer under Aurora’s operation. Production will initially serve existing industrial customers.
Upgrading and product slate
Aurora will expand the facility with an upgrading plant that separates lignin and sugars from pyrolysis bio-oil and refines them to customer-specific quality standards. The resulting biobased feedstocks are intended for resins used in insulation materials, coatings, composite materials and other specialty chemicals.
Strategic context
The project is presented as the foundation for an integrated wood pyrolysis-based biorefinery at a single Hengelo site, aiming to transform woody biomass residues into higher-value materials, support a circular chemicals value chain and contribute to decarbonisation. The plan builds on an earlier ERDF-supported project that developed the underlying technology and applications.
Source: Aurora Renewable Carbon