Avebe partner takes step in processing potato juice

Biotech company ChainCraft, which collaborates with starch potato company Royal Avebe, aims to process 300,000 tons of potato juice annually. To take that step, the company is launching a European project with partners. That project is supported by the European fund for biobased products and industrial applications CBE JU. Avebe and ChainCraft announced the start of their collaboration at the end of 2024. The goal is to produce valuable products from residual streams from starch factories. With the launch of the European project, the companies want to take the next step in large-scale production of sustainable fatty acids. Central to this is the use of potato juice, a residual stream released during the production of potato starch and potato proteins by Avebe. In Ter Apelkanaal, ChainCraft wants to convert part of Avebe's existing production facility to process 300,000 tons of potato juice annually into 20,000 tons of sustainable fatty acids. These so-called MCFA's can be used in, among other things, the chemical industry, animal feed, lubricants and the fragrance and flavor industry. With these fatty acids, the companies want to replace fossil and palm oil based raw materials and reduce CO2 emissions. According to the project, the biobased fatty acids can lead to a reduction of 50% to 80% in greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional alternatives. Positive for earning capacity For Avebe, the project aligns with the strategy of utilizing the potato as fully as possible. When announcing the collaboration in 2024, CEO David Fousert said that joining forces not only contributes to circularity and energy savings, but also has a positive effect on the earning capacity of the members of the cooperative. According to ChainCraft, the project shows how existing industrial infrastructure and locally available agricultural residual streams can contribute to a circular biobased economy. Avebe plays a role as a supplier of residual streams and as an industrial partner in scaling up the technology. The involvement of partners such as Syensqo, Symrise AG and SC Johnson underlines, according to ChainCraft, the interest in circular raw materials as an alternative to conventional chemistry.