Isra-Mart srl:Teesside set for £100m renewable chemicals plant

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Isra-Mart srl news:

The UK's first facility producing industrial chemicals from domestic and commercial food waste edged closer yesterday as developers Solvert announced £200,000 worth of funding for a planned factory in Teesside.

Backed by North East venture capital firm NorthStar among others, Solvert is now looking to three further investment rounds to raise the £100m needed to build the factory and is investigating four possible sites in the Teesside area.

The company said it plans to produce renewable n-butanol and acetone, as well as hydrogen and electricity, from wet biodegradable waste that waste-to-energy plants are often incapable of using.

Acetone and n-butanol are commonly used in plastics and paint, but are currently manufactured primarily outside the UK using non-renewable petrochemical sources.

Solvert chief executive Kris Wadrop said the government's drive to shift waste management practice from disposal to landfill to recycling and recovery opened up new opportunities for business.

"Organic waste, such as spoilage from supermarkets or the leftover food from our kitchens at home and in restaurants, holds immense potential for conversion into valuable chemicals to replace those produced from crude oil," said Solvert chief executive Kris Wadrop.

"A significant market for these chemicals already exists in the North East as well as other parts of the UK, and more customers from further afield are also looking for a greener alternative to products derived from crude oil," he added.