Valmet to deliver a pyrolyzer plant to Circa Group’s ReSolute project in France

Valmet Oyj’s press release on November 7, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. EET

Valmet has signed a contract with Circa to supply a pyrolyzer plant for the production of sustainable biochemicals at Circa’s ReSolute plant in France. Valmet’s delivery includes pyrolyzer technology, a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler and an automation system. The ReSolute plant will produce 1,000 tonnes of bio-based solvent called Cyrene^TM per year. It is used to replace fossil petroleum-based solvents used in a wide variety of industries.

The order is included in Valmet’s orders received of the fourth quarter 2022. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The equipment deliveries are scheduled for the second and the third quarter 2023.

“Our co-operation with Valmet has reached the first commercial milestone. We expect to continue the co-operation to reach our goal of producing 80 000 tonnes of Cyrene annually by 2030. Valmet’s concept for integrating the pyrolyzer and the energy production provides major savings in plant operating costs,” says Tony Duncan, CEO of Circa Group.

“We are actively developing technology to replace fossil raw materials with renewable ones. We are working with various applications for our pyrolysis technology. Together with Circa we have tested the biochemicals production process in various pilot trials. In this project we have combined our experience in other thermal conversion processes with our know-how in automation. This is an excellent example of widening our product portfolio into new technologies,” says Ari Saario, Vice President, Strategy and R&D, Pulp and Energy, Valmet.

This order is a continuation of the cooperation agreement signed in May 2022. The long-term objective is to develop deployable modules with a capacity of 10–15 thousand tonnes per annum.

The contract was signed by Valmet and Circa representatives at the Valmet head office in Espoo, Finland.
In the picture Bertel Karlstedt from Valmet and Tony Duncan from Circa Group.

Technical details about the delivery

Valmet’s delivery includes a Valmet Pyrolyzer system, a Valmet CFB boiler and a Valmet DNA Automation system. The pyrolyzer system has a capacity of 2 tonnes dry solids per hour, and produces raw material for Circa’s further distillation and hydrogenation processing. The CFB boiler, with a capacity of 10 MW fuel, produces energy for the pyrolyzer, the biomass dryer and for the distillation. The plant can produce its own thermal energy by utilizing pyrolyzer side product, biochar, in the CFB boiler. The Valmet DNA automation system covers the whole plant enabling optimization of the complete process.

Information about Circa

Established in 2006, Circa Group converts waste, non-food biomass into advanced bio-based chemicals with its proprietary Furacell™ process. Its developing product portfolio includes flavors, biopolymers, and bio-solvents including Cyrene™, an alternative to traditional polar aprotic solvents. By creating renewable chemicals from cellulose, Circa is extracting value from non-food, surplus biomass and contributing to industry as it transitions to a more circular economy. In March 2021, Circa Group listed on the Euronext Growth Market in Oslo, Norway.

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Corporate Communications 

For further information, please contact: 
Ari Saario, VP, Strategy and R&D, Pulp and Energy business line, Valmet, tel. +358 50 590 2046
Jari Niemelä, Director, New Technologies, Boilers and Gasifiers, Energy business unit, Valmet, tel. +358 50 317 8050

Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. With our automation systems and flow control solutions we serve an even wider base of process industries. Our 17,500 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers’ performance forward – every day.

The company has over 220 years of industrial history and a strong track record in continuous improvement and renewal. In 2022, a major milestone was achieved when the flow control company Neles was merged into Valmet. The combined company’s net sales in 2021 were approximately EUR 4.5 billion based on the respective company figures.

Valmet’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki and the head office is in Espoo, Finland.

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