In January, Bio Market Insight TV interviewed Dr Sarah Hickingbottom, General Manager of Circa Group, about the conversion of waste biomass into biochemicals, the benefits of sustainable solvents and the role of bio-based chemicals in decarbonising industry.

« This is our first plant: it is named the ReSolute plant, it is about renewable solvents. We are located in Northeast of France, it is a EU BBI-JU project of 11.6 million euros. BBI-JU is a fantastic initiative, a public-private partnership from Horizon 2020, the European Commission and private industry through the Bio-based Industries Consortium. Together, they are driving, funding and accelerating the commercialization of those technologies they have picked to have viability.

Circa has done extremely well to be chosen as a flagship project: Project ReSolute. We have an 11 strong consortium from industry (Merck, Huntsman, Talga) and a whole further ecosystem of government: local, national, European levels, industry and supply chains that are all making this ecosystem a reality.

ReSolute is a holistic project where, at the heart of it, we are building a 1,000 ton capacity plant to manufacture Cyrene. We are also looking at the ecosystem to create new supply chains. »