Who’s Tackling the Challenges in biobased chemicals and biomaterials? Looking at EUBCE 2025

By Jim Spaeth
Special to The Digest

Renewable chemicals and biomaterials are no longer niche—they are the future of carbon. Europe stands at the threshold of massive opportunity, from decarbonized manufacturing to circular materials innovation. But crossing that threshold? That’s another story. The technology exists. The markets are interested. The policies are warming. And yet, many will fail. Not because the science is flawed—but because threading the needle between scale, financing, offtake, and trust is one of the most complex challenges in industrial innovation today. 

Too many startups get caught between investor needs and buyer realities. Too many proven technologies stall at semi-works scale. And too many public policies reward intent, not infrastructure. Still: for those who get it right, the rewards are enormous. In this conversation, our panel will explore the real frontlines—the engineering realities, the business strategies, and the systemic shifts—that will determine who persists, and who fades.

Where to Look: Six High-Impact Opportunities in Renewable Chemicals and Biomaterials

The opportunities are real—but only for those who know where to look. Today, six markets stand out for their potential to reward focused, well-supported innovation.

On the demand side, three product arenas show exceptional potential:

• PET packaging (including bottles and caps) remains a global standard. Solutions that allow for bio-based content or full circularity without disrupting sorting or performance have immediate industry and regulatory appeal.
• Other bioplastics—including polylactic acid (PLA), FDCA-based polyesters, and PHA—offer targeted opportunities in high-value packaging, durable goods, and compostable materials.
• Fragrance, flavors, and cosmetics are already sensitive to carbon footprints and ingredient transparency. They often adopt new bio-based inputs faster than bulk chemicals, and punch above their weight in symbolic and brand impact.
• On the feedstock side, three circular streams deserve focused attention:
• Dairy industry waste (such as acid whey) is both abundant and problematic—yet contains valuable molecules if processed intelligently.
• Woody biomass from forestry residues or municipal waste streams is plentiful but heterogeneous; technologies that can handle complexity have a true edge.
• Textile waste, especially blended fibers, is both a landfill crisis and an untapped feedstock. Biological and hybrid recycling platforms could unlock entirely new materials loops.

These are the places where the puzzle pieces are closest to fitting. But they don’t snap into place on their own.

Who’s Tackling the Challenges?

If we know the barriers—offtake, feedstock complexity, policy delay, scale-up risk—then the most important question becomes: who is solving them? That’s where this year’s EUBCE lineup comes into focus. These aren’t just technical sessions—they’re real-world responses to the exact bottlenecks industry is facing now.

PET Packaging and Polymer Innovation

For those working on circular solutions for PET and other packaging polymers, researchers like Michel Weber (Technical University of Munich) are showing how bio-based PBS copolymers can offer the performance needed across diverse applications. Meanwhile, Carla Dias (Universidade Nova de Lisboa) is sharing breakthroughs on reinforcing bioplastics with nanocellulose—offering hope for low-carbon, high-function materials that don’t disrupt established supply chains.

Fragrance, Flavors, and Cosmetics Feedstocks

The need for transparency and traceability in cosmetics and personal care? Michael Daramola (University of Pretoria) and Silvia Donzella (Unimi) both present on extracting rare bioactives and functional sugars from agri-food residues—solutions that matter to brands balancing sustainability with sensory performance. Their work represents the kind of detail-rich refinement that makes new molecules attractive to formulators and regulators alike.

Textile Waste and Advanced Biomaterials

As the fashion sector shifts toward circularity, Tooba Qureshi (Aalto University) brings needed clarity to the challenge of scaling man-made cellulosic fibers from waste. And in the quest for biodegradable, compostable options, Piero Mastrorilli (Politecnico di Bari) is developing biolubricants from waste oils—applicable across textiles, packaging, and industrial inputs alike.

Dairy Waste, Digestate, and Nutrient Loops

How do we turn problematic waste into platform molecules? Kenichi Furuhashi and Ioana Ionel are exploring digestate valorization—converting dairy and agricultural residues into high-quality fertilizers and active agents. These sessions speak directly to innovators hoping to tap circular feedstocks without triggering new compliance headaches.

Woody Biomass and Feedstock Variability

Technologies that handle heterogeneity are rare, but at EUBCE, Brigita Hocevar and Paul Jusner showcase real progress in lignin depolymerization—a key challenge in forestry residue conversion. Their work helps move beyond pilot bottlenecks, especially in Europe’s diverse biomass markets.

Platform Chemicals from CO₂ and Waste Gases

Finally, for those watching the rise of synthetic methanol, green aromatics, or syngas fermentation, speakers like Lukas Horndasch (PtX Lab Lausitz) and Ines del Campo (Fundación Cener) offer hard numbers and promising pathways. These aren’t just theoretical concepts—they’re serious engineering responses to industrial-scale decarbonization targets.

What is so unique about EUBCE

• It is a place where the state of the art and latest achievements can be discussed, presented, and debated.

• There is a broad topical coverage from science and technology to industry, products, applications, operations, economics, business models, markets, policy, and so on!

• The whole sector is genuinely covered.

• It is an excellent place to get an overview on everything that matters in biomass.

• A meeting point for biomass specialists from around the world.

• Presentations here allow science to be openly accessible to all.

• It is a perfect place to find opportunities for new ideas and collaborations.

To find out more about the EUBCE 2025, go to https://www.eubce.com/.