Biorefinery
Demo Plant
World-leading research and development project
World-leading research and development project
In 2004, the Ethanol Pilot in the Domsjö factory area in Örnsköldsvik was inaugurated.
Here, Sekab E-Technology has carried out advanced research and development to verify all the process steps required to commercialise the biorefinery technology that utilises the value of residual products from forestry and agriculture. The goal: chemicals and propellants that neither require fossil resources nor arable land, and which live up to the demands of the future with respect to environmental benefit and sustainability.
Around a hundred different research and development projects on cellulosic ethanol are being conducted globally, and Sekabs CelluAPP technology is considered to be among the foremost in the world, especially when it comes to forest residues as the raw material. The demo plant has been financed by the Swedish Energy Agency, the EU and Sekab. Today the Demo Plant is operated in campaigns focusing on customer- and research projects.
The operations are financed through private funding.
What is unique in comparison to other development facilities is that it has been running continuously through shift work between 2004 and 2021. This means that Sekab has experience from 50,000 hours of operation in the demo facility, which has created unique know-how and knowledge that as yet cannot be found anywhere else in the industry. Today the demo plant is operated in campaigns and test runs focusing on customer projects and research.
The process developed by Sekab E-Technology consists mainly of four steps: pre-treatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation and reprocessing.