Covestro launches EU-backed Bio4PURConti to scale continuous bio-based aniline production
- Total budget €8.4 million with €7 million in EU funding.
- Project duration is 42 months.
- Aims to deliver continuous fermentation plus catalytic conversion to produce 100% plant-carbon aniline compatible as a drop-in for MDI.
- Scaling from lab to 1.5 m³ semi-industrial demonstrations at Ghent and Leverkusen.
Project aim
Bio4PURConti, coordinated by Covestro, aims to develop the world’s first continuous production process for bio-based aniline. The route uses a tailored microorganism to ferment plant-based industrial sugars into an intermediate, which is then converted by chemical catalysis into aniline that contains 100% plant-based carbon and is drop-in compatible with existing MDI and polyurethane value chains.
Technical approach and scale-up
The project replaces fed-batch fermentation with a continuous fermentation process and integrates cell recycling, real-time analytics and downstream processing. It will scale the technology from laboratory to a 1.5 m³ semi-industrial demonstration at Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (Ghent) and Covestro (Leverkusen), targeting higher space-time yields and a significant reduction in product carbon footprint (PCF).
Consortium, funding and role
The 10-partner consortium spans seven countries and includes industrial and academic partners such as Fibenol Imavere, University of Stuttgart, Bio Base Europe, NTNU and VTT. The project has a total budget of €8.4 million, with €7 million in EU funding, and will run for 42 months. As a leading aniline producer with capacity above one million tonnes per year, Covestro coordinates the effort to scale the bio-based route.
Source: Covestro