Bioproducts from biomass by biotechnology is now growing up!
Some 400 bio companies from Western Europe, Azia, and North America were represented at the World Bio Markets Conference, The Hague, June 10-11, 2025. It was a big surprise to me that so many companies produce products made from biomass using biotechnology. The products not only often have superior physical properties but are also biodegradable. Hence, if they enter nature they break down in water and carbon dioxide. This is an enormous advantage over fossil based chemicals that persist in nature as micro plastics and are harmful for living things. Being at this conference I felt like a little boy in large candy shop.
Not only large companies such as BASF, Evonik, DSM but also smaller companies and start-up companies presented their products and processes. Especially the latter gave lots of detail about their processes and their products. Some product classes are polymers, surfactants, and fibres.
Most companies are focused on product innovation in close cooperation with their customers and the customers of their customers. A nice example of such a company is Paques biomaterials. Joost Paques, presented the business case for producing PHA from residual organic waste, to be used in agriculture, covering seeds with a thin layer of PHA, rather than with polyurethane, the present material used. The latter creates microplastics spoiling soil and it may enter into humans. His pilot plant produces PHA at 25 kg/day. Customers now use the pilot plant product to do their applications testing. Joost is waiting for a European ban on using poly urethane in agriculture in 2028. By that time, he will have a demonstration plant producing 6000 ton/y.
I had wonderful discussions with many participants. They radiated optimism in this grim world.