Project
Operational start of the sunliquid® plant
The construction in Podari, in the southwest of Romania, began in late 2019 and took two years as planned. Despite the challenging pandemic situation, not a single day was lost to COVID-19, while fully complying with all pandemic precaution measures. The plant also holds a strong safety record as it was built without any accident on the construction site.
After construction, the so-called commissioning phase began. Here the equipment and systems were checked and tested to verify that they are properly installed and the functional and safety specifications are met. This ensures a smooth preparation of the start-up of the plant operation. The site was then handed over to the operations team. After successful trial operations, the production of the sunliquid® plant has officially started on 14 June 2022 with the first drops of commercial cellulosic ethanol received. The official opening ceremony took place on 31 May 2022, as it was postponed due to the deteriorating COVID-19 situation in Romania last autumn.
Facts & figures on the sunliquid® plant
- The construction of the plant was supported by an EU funding of around €48 million via the EU projects LIGNOFLAG and SUNLIQUID.
- The total investment value is more than €100 million.
- One sunliquid® plant with an annual output of 50,000 tons of cellulosic ethanol can help avoid around 120,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year, which equals the annual CO2 emissions of around 35,000 cars.
- On 10 ha of land in Podari, Clariant has installed 22 process units with more than 600 pieces of equipment.
- In peak times, more than 800 persons were working on the construction of the plant.
- Currently, approximately 100 staff members are employed at the plant.
- Contracts with more than 300 local farmers in Dolj and Oltenia have been signed to ensure the supply of the necessary feedstock.
