Mechanical Engineer 3

Back in the western pipeline: renewable drop-in chemicals. Green Chemicals Blog August 4, 2026 Summer 2026 is not yet over but it has certainly produced a number of announced projects and funding involving renewable drop-in alternatives to established fossil-based chemicals. In Europe, BioBTX announced a positive final investment decision for its PETRA circular aromatics plant at Chemie Park Delfzijl in the Netherlands. The plant will apply BioBTX's Integrated Catalytic Cracking Process to mixed plastic waste, producing approximately 10,000 tons per year of renewable aromatic oil containing benzene, toluene and xylenes, together with approximately 8,000 tons per year of sustainable co-products. Process-module fabrication has started, construction at Delfzijl is scheduled to begin in early 2027, and plant start-up is targeted for mid-2028. BioBTX's technology can also process biomass, although the first commercial plant will focus on mixed plastic waste. Catalyxx announced the location for its first commercial-scale bio-based chemicals plant which will be in Sines, Portugal. The €120 million facility will convert bio-ethanol into butanol, hexanol and octanol for applications including coatings, resins, adhesives, lubricants, surfactants and personal care ingredients. Construction is scheduled to begin by the fourth quarter of 2026, supported by Worley and Quadrante. The Sines project has received Project of National Interest status from the Portuguese government and secured €20 million through the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits and Braskem are taking a different route in the USA by integrating bio-acetone production into existing corn-ethanol facilities. Their platform combines a proprietary Lallemand yeast and fermentation process with Braskem's bolt-on acetone recovery technology. According to the companies, the process produces acetone alongside ethanol without reducing ethanol performance. Following five years of development and validation, the technology is being offered to the US ethanol industry. Braskem will handle market development and sales and has indicated that demand will be available for the bio-acetone produced. Other projects are strengthening the technology pipeline but remain some distance from large-scale production. Covestro's Bio4PURConti Project is developing a continuous fermentation route for bio-based aniline using plant-derived industrial sugars, followed by catalytic conversion to aniline containing 100% plant-based carbon. The 42-month project has a budget of €8.4 million, including €7 million of EU funding, and will scale the process to a 1.5-cubic-meter semi-industrial demonstration system in Ghent and Leverkusen. Låkril Technologies and Arizona State University received $650,000 through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture for a three-year project running from 2026 through 2029. The project will investigate fermentation of corn stover into chemical intermediates, followed by Låkril's catalytic conversion technology to produce bio-based acrylates. The award expands the feedstock and product scope of Låkril's technology, but it remains a research and process-validation project rather than a commercial acrylic acid investment. Green D Market Analytics can support companies tracking these commercial developments through our custom market reports and GreenDMA database portal. Coverage includes affected chemical value chains, supplier activities, renewable material developments, technology scale-up, pricing signals, capacity build-out and commercial readiness. Which policies are changing demand? Which materials and chemicals face risk? Which technologies and companies are scaling, and where are new supply-chain opportunities forming? Green D Market Analytics can help provide answers to these questions. The GreenDMA Portal also provides ongoing news and market updates for products and companies that need regular tracking rather than one-off search. Doris De Guzman, principal of GREEN D MARKET ANALYTICS, will present at the Renewable Materials Conference (#2026RMC) in Siegburg/Cologne, Germany, on September 22, 2026. Her presentation, "Renewable Chemicals Market Update: Geopolitics, Protectionism, and Supply-Chain Realignment," will examine how shifting trade policies, regional industrial strategies and supply-chain disruptions are reshaping investment, production and commercialization across the renewable chemicals sector. The presentation forms part of the conference's opening session on the defossilization of the chemical industry. For this month's update, here are our latest curated news and analysis, some of which are featured in the GreenDMA Portal: * AROMATICS: Relement obtains ECHA registration for its 3-methylphthalic anhydride (bioMPA). * BUTANOL: Celtic Renewables partners with Evonik for low-carbon sustainable cosmetics. * CARBOXYLIC ACIDS: Itaconix lands first supply deal for its plastic-free dishwasher tablets. * DIOLS: Covation Biomaterials showcases new bio-based innovations, Xatryx(R) bioPTMEG, and Sorona(R) elasterell-p fiber. * EPOXY RESINS: Epigral invests in epoxy resins capacity. * FURANICS: Avantium announced collaboration on small PEF bottles for functional beverage shots and PEF-Based Textile Prototypes. * PINE CHEMICALS: VAROPreem acquires Sunpine. HitecVision and current major shareholder Taaleri are investing EUR 105 million into the Fintoil Group structure. * PHA and PLA: Paques Biomaterials via the PROMOFER project installs pilot PHBV production in Delfzijl, Netherlands. TotalEnergies Corbion introduces PLA foam as alternative to polystyrene. * POLYOLEFINS: Mondelez, Amcor, LyondellBasell and Taghleef Industries have unveiled a Marabou chocolate wrapper made with pyrolysis oil-derived PP. * POLYOLS: Level Nine has been awarded funding for lignin-based polyols development. Green D Market Analytics' new 243-page report, "Detailed Assessment of the Renewable Surfactants Market" is now available for purchase. Green D Market Analytics can provide a specialized report highlighting the market for bio-based chemical intermediates and monomers. We provide our clients with confidential reports on the current industry landscape, including new and planned projects. Please contact us at [email protected] for more information about our customized client services, detailed market data, and special reports. The GreenDMA Portal is unique in its ability to provide current data on the renewable chemicals market, including Capacity, Product Profiles, Market Players, Market Share, New Investments, New Plants, Critical Industry News, and analyses. Find out more at greendma.com/portal. LET'S CONNECT! Tagged in: More articles & posts.

ALBIS and Covestro expand partnership. 23 Jul 2026 ALBIS is extending its existing collaboration with Covestro to Brazil. The additional distribution rights include Polycarbonate and Polycarbonate blends Makrolon(R), Bayblend(R), Apec(R), Makroblend(R), as well as Thermoplastic Polyurethanes (TPU) Desmopan(R) and Texin(R). This expansion builds on the portfolio that ALBIS already distributes in other regions. The Brazilian market will be served by Tecnomatiz - An ALBIS Group Company, which has been part of ALBIS since 2025. With the new agreement, ALBIS is further strengthening its role as a global distribution partner of Covestro and expanding its presence in Latin America. Customers in Brazil will benefit from broader access to Covestro's polycarbonate resins and blends and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) as well as local advice and support. At the same time, ALBIS is continuing to develop its activities in South America and gradually make its international product and service portfolio available in Brazil. "The addition of Covestro products to the local portfolio is an important step in the further development of our activities in Latin America," says Pablo Esteras, Managing Director ALBIS Iberia and Regional Sales Director Latin America. "Going forward, we will be able to offer our customers in Brazil a broader range of materials for demanding applications with a trend towards sustainable solutions - particularly in the rapidly growing Automotive, E&E and Healthcare market segments." "Brazil is an important market for Covestro with significant potential across various industries, and we are pleased to continue our collaboration with ALBIS here as well," explains Jessica Martendal, Managing Director Covestro Brazil and Head of Engineering Plastics LATAM. "With Tecnomatiz - An ALBIS Group Company, we have a local partner that combines international distribution capabilities and technical expertise with local market knowledge. This provides a strong basis for supporting customers in Brazil in an even more targeted way." About Covestro: Covestro is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. With its innovative products, processes and methods, the company helps enhance sustainability and the quality of life in many areas. Covestro supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, telecommunications and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself. The company is geared completely to the circular economy. In addition, Covestro aims to achieve climate neutrality for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2035, and the Group's Scope 3 emissions are also set to be climate neutral by 2050. Covestro generated sales of EUR 12.9 billion in fiscal year 2025. At the end of 2025, the company had 46 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 17,600 people (calculated as full-time equivalents). About ALBIS ALBIS is one of the world's leading independent distributors of Standard Polymers, Engineering Plastics and Thermoplastic Elastomers. With deep technical expertise and one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in plastics processing, ALBIS helps customers identify the right material solutions for their specific requirements - reliably and close to their markets. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, the company operates 26 locations across EMEA, APAC, India and Latin America, with over 500 employees.

What would a data center look like in Baytown? Rural counties and unincorporated areas have been hotspots for planned data centers in Texas - with three performing extensive due diligence assessments in the Baytown, Chambers County region. According to the City of Baytown Comprehensive Plan for 2024, about 37% of the city is classified as rural, undeveloped land primarily in Chambers County. Data Centers are facilities, primarily warehouses, that house computer servers, data storage drives and hardware. They serve as the physical backbone of the internet, storing and process cloud files, streaming media to email, social media, banking transactions and artificial intelligence models. AI Data Centers are the newer model that run calculations and analyze information to generate answers for users who are using AI assistants. The fear around data centers for many rural areas stems from water shortages and strain on the Texas power grid, managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates independently from the rest of the country. Data centers, which now account for fewer than 1% of Texas' water use, could rise to between 3% and 9% by 2040 when cooling and power generation are both counted, according to a study published by the University of Texas at Austin. Some confirmed projects in Texas, however, are rectifying this by developing self-sustaining energy to fuel those data centers. Gov. Greg Abbott recently called Texas an "epicenter" of AI development. Abbott, however, has since announced he would make regulating the industry a priority for state lawmakers during the 2027 legislative session. Under Abbott's proposed regulations, the companies would prohibit the development of data centers in rural neighborhoods. The governor also called for data centers to add new power generation to the grid, pay for their own infrastructure costs, reuse their own water and implement measures such as setbacks, among other proposals aimed at limiting their impact on residential communities. The Public Utility Commission of Texas is currently reviewing submissions from companies planning to build AI Data Centers to ensure that the infrastructure costs required to construct and serve data centers are not passed on to its customers, per the governor's request. The City of Baytown already has restrictions in place for warehouses inside city limits. The counties which govern Extra-Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJs), Chambers and Harris, would be the entities that give the OK on the projects. "The City of Baytown has not been approached about providing water or wastewater service for a data center. Data centers can be designed to use different amounts and types of water, which also affects the amount and type of wastewater they produce," Director of Public Works and Engineering Carol Haddock said. "Any future request, including in our ETJ, would be carefully evaluated to ensure it does not affect existing customers, planned growth, or system capacity. Water reuse is a common strategy for extending water supplies and could reduce demand on drinking water, although additional treatment may be required." County officials have the power to grant tax incentives to those companies, by entering a Chapter 312 and, or Chapter 381 Agreements, which allows developers to build and operate their facilities without paying part, and sometimes all, of its property taxes for 10 years. The requirement for the applying company, however, is to prove their project will add job growth, economic gain and benefit surrounding businesses. In the long term, the county receives an expanded tax base and generates more revenue for the county, relieving the burden of the average taxpayer. The Baytown-West Chambers Economic Development Foundation helps develop and facilitate strategic growth plans for businesses and new companies to create high-paying jobs and increase the local tax base. "The City of Baytown can evaluate and accommodate a data center just as they would a large petrochemical facility," CEO of the Baytown-West Chambers County Economic Development Foundation BJ Simon said. Many Baytown industry giants, such as the ExxonMobil Baytown Olefins Plant (BOP), and Covestro already rely on their own power. The ExxonMobil BOP produces 550 megawatts through cogeneration, or combined heat and power and Covestro partners with regional energy providers like Calpine, which operates the nearby 896-megawatt Baytown Energy Center. The practice takes exhaust from the facilities and redirects it to turbines powering its electricity. Less demand on the power grid from major energy and petrochemical companies does not inflate energy rates for the average consumer. "The difference between industry, residential and commercial use are practices used by ExxonMobil and Covestro," Simon said. "They generate and power their own facilities, so they wouldn't necessarily be impacted by that strain on the energy grid, as people are worried about." Energy companies are entering the growing industry of AI through partnerships with tech giants and energy distribution companies to advance AI Data Center projects powered by self-sustaining energy. Another energy giant, Chevron, is entering the AI Data Center industry, with a confirmed AI Data Center project in West Texas, powered by a similar practice to ExxonMobil's cogeneration. Chevron announced mid-June that it is partnering with Microsoft to build a 2.7-gigawatt data center in Reeves County. The company is developing technology which would use natural gas converted to Hydrogen, powered by gas turbines to generate its own electricity sans the power grid provided by its partner Massachusetts-based energy company G.E. Verona Inc. and the turbine manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. One of the leading developers of AI Data Centers, Edge Cloud Link (ECL), uses hydrogen, without the use of Diesel generators, water and minimal-to-no carbon emissions. Another self-sustaining energy practice uses treated wastewater produced by fracking. The Permian Basin, where Chevron plans to build its center, is the station for approximately 45 companies with 15 companies responsible for 50% of the basin's oil output. Those companies include ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Occidental Petroleum. Those companies are responsible for producing nearly three barrels of wastewater per barrel of oil. The current response of the companies is to send the water back underground. The solution is to instead send the water into underground wells, where the companies could clean and sell it for industrial cooling, according to technology researchers at the Spanish news publication Vozpopuli. In Baytown, 127,232 people receive water, and 121,625 people are directly and indirectly receiving wastewater service within the ETJ. This is a combined figure comprised of direct City of Baytown customers and wholesale water systems purchasing water and wastewater services within the ETJ from the city. The Baytown area's economy and businesses could benefit from collocating sustaining practices. "We've got brackish water here, so you can foresee desalination operators coming in to treat the water and then use it for data center cooling," Simon said. "The water that is used in fracking is emerging as a source of cooling water as well. Typically, it was seen as a pollutant. Now, with some pretreatment it could be useful for data centers." The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, however, has not yet finalized a permit process for releasing treated oilfield wastewater into rivers or using it to irrigate crops, according to reports from the Houston Chronicle. "When we think about the potential for collocating data centers, we can envision having two different powering sources, one natural gas, the other hydrogen," Simon said. "If you have a hydrogen-fueled data center, it creates huge amounts of water, so not only would it be able to use the water for their cooling, but they could use the excess water that would be produced to help cool a gas-powered data center. That's within the reality of existing projects that we're working with right now." Data Centers 'off the grid' One option of AI Data Center development, however, would completely rectify the demand for water and power grid access. AI Data Centers using space-based power are gaining attention with Space Tech giants, such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Starcloud. The leader, however, is Aetherflux, a space solar start up established by Robinhood Co-founder Baiju Bhatt. The company is raising money for an estimated $2 billion project, which would help advance research and development of power-generating technology toward space data centers. The company announced in March that it is currently experimenting with laser power transmission on a satellite bus. The project is expected to be completed in 2027. Job creation. As of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data released in 2025, Texas encapsulates 10% of data-center employees in the country - the second most behind California with 17%. Four Texas counties, Travis, Dallas, Tarrant and Collin encompass 75% of the Texas employment, with Harris County trailing in fifth place. The majority of Data Center employment, however, comes from temporary construction jobs. "Post construction, these data centers are essentially self-sufficient, so you don't have a large number of jobs, but they are high paying jobs," Simon said. "You would have considerable indirect and induced job creation associated with that." If Baytown were to accommodate AI data centers, the industrial complexes would create a conducive climate for developers - their impact, however, depends on which energy practices the developer chooses to pursue and the precise location of the facility. "Basically, we're in a good spot," Simon said. Elena Mathews is a reporter for The Baytown Sun