The Netherlands – CropEnergies of Germany has invested EUR 1.8m to purchase a 50% share in Syclus of the Netherlands, a startup developing biobased chemicals.

The idea is to construct a large-scale facility for the manufacture of renewable ethylene from renewable ethanol. Initial design work is expected to begin in the latter half of 2023. By 2026, Syclus expects to have completed construction on a plant with an annual output of around 100,000 tons. A sum of EUR 85ā€“100 million would be needed for this.

Feasibility study

Syclus will spend this time determining the logistical and financial feasibility of producing renewable ethylene in the Chemelot Industrial Park in Geleen, the Netherlands.

Ethylene is a fundamental chemical that is commonly produced from fossil oil and gas and has numerous applications in the chemical industry, including the production of plastics and polymers. Europe’s annual ethylene demand averaged around 20 million tons in the past.