Investments in the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant

ERDF Flanders and Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP) recently signed an agreement for a EUR9.36 million investment in the context of the IMPACT project. This investment is being funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the region of Flanders, the Province of East-Flanders, the City of Ghent and the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant. The money will be used to create new research infrastructure specifically for gas fermentation and downstream processing.
 
Gas fermentation is a new, sustainable technology based on the use of microorganisms to convert waste gases such as CO2 and synthesis gas into a broad spectrum of chemical substances. This technology offers great potential for reducing the carbon footprint. The Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant will expand a unique scaling-up facility for gas fermentation with the aim of becoming a global reference point for gas fermentation and thus turning Flanders into the leading testing ground for this sustainable technology. Downstream processing entails the isolation and purification of the end product following the biotechnological or chemical conversion step. For the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant, this marks a further expansion of its downstream processing capabilities at high technology readiness level (TRL), which will enable full utilisation of the potential of the fermentation towers up to 15m3. 

The Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant ensures that companies and research centres have access to state-of-the-art pilot infrastructure for the biobased economy. This enables Flanders to not only remain at the forefront of industrial biotechnology, but also to make a significant contribution to the European innovation agenda. As a result, this investment will stimulate the economic development both within and far beyond the region.
 
The Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant is a testing facility for the biobased economy. It helps companies in the high-risk and costly scaling up of laboratory processes into industrial processes for innovative biobased products such as bioplastics, biodetergents, biosolvents, biochemicals, biomaterials and suchlike. The Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant has been operational since 2011 and today employs more than 60 people. Since its foundation, it has already worked on 180 projects in partnership with companies from the Netherlands and abroad. The testing facility has enabled them to take their innovations closer to the market in new advancements that have created numerous jobs. Additionally, the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant is a partner in 26 public consortia with a total of 123 partners.
 
In a short space of time, the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant has grown into a shining example and a pioneer of the biobased economy in Flanders and Europe. Thanks to the financial support from Europe, Flanders, the Province of East-Flanders and the City of Ghent it will be able to support even more innovation projects, leading to economic growth and job creation, both in Flanders and beyond.
 
Prof Wim Soetaert, CEO of the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant: “The Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant is a future-oriented facility that is growing very rapidly. Demand is currently exceeding our capacity, which is creating the need for additional research infrastructure. This apparatus will enable us to continue our growth and help more and more companies to advance their innovation processes.”
 
Minister Philippe Muyters, the Flemish Government’s Minister for Work, the Economy, Innovation and Sport: “Flanders is one of the partners that has taken up the gauntlet of working to tackle climate change and global warming. The best way to do this is by fully committing to innovation in close collaboration with our companies and knowledge institutes. On the one hand we are striving to reduce CO2 emissions and on the other we are searching for ways of utilising CO2 as a new material that can be used to make other products. By supporting the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant we are strengthening the position of the Flemish pioneers in this field and accelerating the practical application of research – which is good both for the climate and for the jobs in our steel sector and other industries.”