UPM Biochemicals and HAERTOL Chemie GmbH, both headquartered in Germany, have agreed to form a strategic partnership to produce a new range of carbon neutral engine and battery coolants that will help automotive manufacturers reduce their CO2 footprint.
UPM is investing Euro 750 million to build the world’s first industry scale biorefinery in Leuna, Germany, to convert sustainably sourced, certified woody biomass into next generation biochemicals that will enable the vital shift away from fossil-based to renewable materials across a wide range of industries, including automotive. The biorefinery aims to produce 220,000 tonnes annually in total, with start-up targeted to take place by the end of 2023.
UPM’s renewable bio mono-ethylene glycol (Bio-MEG), UPM BioPura, is produced from sustainably sourced, certified hardwood obtained from forests in the regions around Leuna in Germany. The biomass does not compete with food resources and is carbon negative, therefore enabling the first ever CO2 neutral coolant to be produced. UPM is actively working on optimizing processes and material streams to further reduce emissions and enable carbon neutrality or even negativity of the other products produced in the Leuna biorefinery.
HAERTOL, a leading engine and battery coolant manufacturer in Europe, will be one of the first customers to integrate the renewable materials into their products.
UPM Biochemicals offers innovative, sustainable and competitive wood-based biochemicals for replacing fossil-based raw materials and improving the environmental performance in various applications.
