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AIT-STEIN: second contract in the biorefinery sector

Published the 2 October 2020

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Via its subsidiary Brown Fintube France SAthe AIT-STEIN group has just won a contract to supply 4 hairpin heat exchangers, which will be used for the Leuna biorefinery project in Germany. This confirms the group’s strong position in the biorefinery market.

On 30th January this year, 550 million Euros will be invested in a biorefinery in Leuna, Germany. The aim of this new type of refinery will be to transform solid wood into new-generation biochemical products: bio-monoethylene glycol (BioMEG) and a renewable lignin base. The biorefinery will also produce bio-monopropylene glycol (BioMPG) and industrial sugars. The biorefinery is scheduled to start up in 2022 and will reach an annual production of 220,000 tonnes.

In this new installation, AIT-STEIN has been chosen to supply 4 hairpin heat exchangers. These contribute towards optimising the process of transforming solid wood into next-generation biochemical products. This involves switching from fossil fuels to sustainable alternatives (100% wood-based biochemical products). For the group, this is currently the second contract secured in the biorefinery market. The first was the La Mède biorefinery in France.

Once the installation has been commissioned and optimised, it should achieve the target of 14% return on capital invested. The use of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels offers genuine added value for consumers while maintaining a competitive cost advantage.

This is a demonstration of AIT-STEIN’s strong position in the biorefinery market. Currently, molecular bioproducts are at the heart of innovation for a future beyond fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal, etc.). In this high-growth sector, AIT-STEIN has made energy transition one of its priorities and intends to offer comprehensive solutions to its clients in order to make their activities more sustainable, synonymous with reducing their carbon footprint.

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