UPM’s Leuna biorefinery successfully reacheses stable hydrothermal breakdown of wood

In Finland, UPM has achieved an important milestone in the startup of production of commercial, wood-based chemicals in its Leuna biorefinery in Germany. The refinery, which is the largest industrial-scale investment in biochemicals in Europe, has started the production and commercialization of industrial sugars.

After successfully starting up the hydrothermal breakdown of wood on industrial scale earlier this year, the biorefinery has now reached stable operation in separating lignin and sugars. This critical process step is a prerequisite for the conversion of sugars to renewable glycols and lignin to renewable functional fillers.