Austria starts up grass-fed bio-refinery project

27 May 2009 19:02  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--Austria has started up a grass-fed bio-refinery project, the world’s first such facility, the country’s ministry for transport, innovation and technology said on Wednesday.

The pilot project, in Utzenaich in Upper Austria, would convert grass silage into high-value amino and lactic acids, which were important basic materials in a number of industrial sectors, the ministry said.

It marked an important milestone as economies were trying to transition to renewable raw materials, minister Doris Bures said.

After a two-year trial run, the project was due to be up-scaled into a commercial-size facility, the ministry said.

It received €3.0m ($4.2m) in funding from the ministry, which was promoting such projects under its “BMVIT Factory of Tomorrow” programme, it said. Other stakeholders included the Upper Austria state and three local energy firms, it said.

($1 = €0.71)

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By: Stefan Baumgarten
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