Under the name Biorefinery Alliance (previously REnew Europe), the four partners will collaborate and draw on one another's competencies and expertise to drive biomass forward and establish the framework for a new Danish biorefining industry worth potentially billions of crowns. An independent secretariat will be physically placed next door to CCC.

Denmark is strongly positioned in management and utilisation of biomass. Danish agriculture has a tradition of collecting excess biomass, Denmark has the world's biggest enzyme companies, we have a long tradition of utilising biomass for energy and we have the world's first second-generation biofuel facility, Inbicon.

"Basically, our driving ambition is to achieve third-generation utilisation of biomass and to position biomass even higher in the value chain. Our goal is to attain a leading international position in the field, as the technologies required for biorefining are exceptionally difficult to copy. Therefore a first mover position in this field offers exceptional international market potential," explains Charles Nielsen, development director with Dong Energy and chairman of the initiative's board of directors.

Potentially worth billions
Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster is already working with innovation platforms and international market positioning of Danish cleantech, and the decision to place the secretariat next door to CCC is therefore a logical one. It is also a decision that is supported by Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster's head of secretariat Nicolai Sederberg Rottbøll.

He explains: "It certainly makes good sense to focus on biomass in such a big and effective way. This has the potential to grow into an industry worth billions for those who come first, as it will result in many new workplaces and there are also good opportunities to interconnect with many of the other technologies that we have in Denmark. So placing the Biorefinery Alliance next door to CCC is an excellent idea, precisely because we are working to create a cohesive force in Danish cleantech that can make us even stronger in the face of global competition."

Biorefinery Alliance strategy can give Denmark:

• A further 10 million tonnes of biomass from agriculture for more foodstuffs as well as biofuel and biomaterials such as acrylic acid, which is used in globally widespread bioplastic materials such as diapers, hygiene products and paints
• Based on trends in recent years, it could potentially generate turnover of DKK 50 billion a year
• At least 10,000 new workplaces, particularly in peripheral areas.
   

Source: Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster

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Learn more about Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster, Dong Energy, the Danish Agriculture & Food Council and Haldor Topsøe on State of Green.