22. Jan 2019
METEX announced in December the signing of the financing agreement for METEX NØØVISTA, a joint venture between Bpifrance and majority shareholder METabolic EXplorer (METEX), an industrial biochemical company specialising in the development and industrial application of green and sustainable fermentation processes.
METEX holds a 55% and Bpifrance a 45% stake in METEX NØØVISTA. With that, METEX NØØVISTA had the financing needed to start the construction of the first biochemical production unit at the Carling Saint-Avold site.
The METEX subsidiary will operate a plant there for the bio-based production of 1,3 Propanediol (PDO) and butyric acid (BA), two natural molecules of natural origin with applications in the cosmetics, animal nutrition and health, and bio-based polymers industries (e.g. textiles).
The first stage of this plant will have a capacity of 6kt (5kt of PDO and 1kt of BA) and directly create 48 new jobs.
Following the announcement of the closing of METEX NØØVISTA’s financing with the SPI (“Société de Projets Industriels”) fund managed by Bpifrance, an EPCM (Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management) contract was signed with the DE SMET Engineers & Contractors (DSEC) Group, an internationally-renowned Belgian engineering firm specialised in the agroindustry field, particularly in the sugar, edible oils, biofuel and green chemicals sectors.
The PDO/BA technology developed by METEX is a disruptive technology that employs a single process to obtain two distinct products – PDO and BA – each of which is intended for different markets where performance and naturalness are differentiating and highly valued characteristics.
These two products will meet needs in the following markets:
With this production unit, METEX will be able to market PDO and BA through its subsidiary METEX NØØVISTA either directly or through distribution agreements or, in the case of PDO for polymers, through licencing agreements. Effective commercialisation is scheduled to begin late in the second half of 2020.
https://www.metabolic-explorer.com