US Mainstream Pine Products plans CTO biorefinery in South Carolina

HOUSTON (ICIS)–US-based Mainstream Pine Products plans to invest $90m to build an 110,000 tonne/year crude tall oil (CTO) biorefinery near Charleston, South Carolina.

Groundbreaking is expected later this year, with operations to start up in 2023, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This facility will serve as the centerpiece of Mainstream’s strategy to become the highest quality, lowest cost producer of CTO derivatives in North America,” it said.

The company was founded in 2019 with the aim of developing a CTO biorefinery along coastal South Carolina.

CTO is a renewable, non-food resource and a byproduct of pine trees used in paper manufacturing.

It is a component of many chemicals, including renewable diesel processing products, lubricants, adhesives, inks, paints, coatings, and tire and rubber additives.