Aurora Renewable Carbon Secures Financing for Empyro Restart

Aurora Renewable Carbon has successfully secured financing from Triodos Bank, Oost NL, a group of angel investors and the company's management to restart the Empyro plant in Hengelo. Thanks to this financing, production of sustainable pyrolysis oil from woody biomass residues will resume later this summer. At the same time, the investment lays the foundation for the next phase: the development of the world's first integrated wood pyrolysis-based biorefinery for the production of renewable chemical feedstocks.

Since 2015, the Empyro plant has produced pyrolysis bio-oil, a renewable liquid obtained by rapidly heating woody biomass residues in the absence of oxygen. This bio-oil has primarily been used as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Production was halted in early 2023. Aurora Renewable Carbon has now taken over the operation of the facility and will restart production this summer, initially supplying existing industrial customers.

The restart marks the beginning of a new chapter. Aurora Renewable Carbon plans to expand the existing facility with an innovative upgrading plant that converts pyrolysis bio-oil into high-value biobased feedstocks for the chemical industry. This will create the first integrated biorefinery in Hengelo, bringing together the complete value chain from woody biomass residues to circular chemicals at a single site.

The new upgrading facility will separate lignin and sugars from pyrolysis bio-oil and refine them to customer-specific quality standards. These products can be used as sustainable raw materials for resins applied in insulation materials, coatings, composite materials and other specialty chemicals. In this way, woody biomass residues such as sawdust are transformed into high-value materials that replace fossil-based feedstocks.

Bouke Hylkema, CEO of Aurora Renewable Carbon:"The restart of Empyro lays the foundation for our renewable chemicals platform. Pyrolysis oil is the key intermediate from which we can produce and further develop high-value chemical building blocks from biomass for industrial applications. By doing so, we make better use of woody biomass residues while reducing dependence on fossil raw materials."

Financing for Restart and Innovation

The restart and further development of the plant are supported by a consortium consisting of Triodos Bank, Oost NL, Aurora Renewable Carbon's management team, and a group of angel investors, including members of the Business Angels Oost NL network.

Joka Bosch, Senior Investment Manager Energy at Oost NL:"This investment demonstrates how proven sustainable technology can evolve into innovative applications with significant societal impact. By converting woody biomass residues into both renewable energy carriers and high-value chemical feedstocks, Aurora Renewable Carbon contributes to a circular economy and a future-proof chemical industry."

Oost NL is investing through the ION+3 Fund, which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and managed by Oost NL.

Harold Hofenk, Senior Relationship Manager Energy & Climate at Triodos Bank:"The restart of Empyro is an excellent example of how existing sustainable infrastructure can be given a second life while creating a platform for further innovation. Through our financing, Triodos Bank aims to accelerate both the energy transition and the biobased economy. We are therefore pleased to support entrepreneurs who demonstrate that sustainability and economic development go hand in hand."

The Aurora Renewable Carbon team: from left to right Edwin Noomen, Bouke Hylkema, Hans Bevers.

Aurora Renewable Carbon sees the expansion of the Hengelo site as a demonstration of a new generation of biorefineries. The company aims to contribute to the decarbonisation of the European chemical industry and the further development of the circular economy. The biorefinery builds on an earlier ERDF-supported project that helped develop both the technology and its intended applications.