Rennovia and Stora Enso to collaborate on bio-based processes

Renewable materials company Stora Enso Oyj (Helsinki, Finland; www.storaenso.com) and specialty chemicals company Rennovia, Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.; www.rennovia.com) have announced a joint development and license agreement to cooperate on bio-based chemicals development.   
 
Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will cooperate to develop processes for bio-based chemicals of interest to Stora Enso, employing Rennovia’s high-throughput catalyst-discovery infrastructure and process development expertise. Rennovia focuses on the technology development of novel catalysts and processes for the cost advantaged production of chemicals from renewable feedstocks.
 
As Stora Enso is targeting new markets and developing novel products as it transforms into a renewable materials company, the agreement is a logical step for the company.
 
“The joint development and technology agreement will accelerate some of the developments Stora Enso is working on and gives us a solid platform to move further in building a portfolio of sustainable bio-based solutions for our customers. We are looking forward to collaborating with Rennovia,” said Juan Carlos Bueno, Executive Vice President, Biomaterials division at Stora Enso.
 
“This agreement underscores the broad applicability of Rennovia’s catalytic technologies to the production of a wide range of bio-based chemical products,” said Robert Wedinger, President and CEO of Rennovia. “We are delighted that Stora Enso recognizes our catalyst and process technologies as an efficient, cost-effective platform for producing bio-based chemicals.”