Swedish clean-tech company SEKAB E-Technology hosted the kick-off for the EU-funded project Rewofuel. Present were representatives from the eleven European companies and universities taking part in the project. The EU contribution to the project stands at at €13.9 million ($16 million), of which SEKAB has received 30 percent, around €4 million ($4.7 million).
“This project will contribute to breaking free from our fossil oil dependence. SEKAB’s experience in using wood residues from the forestry industry will be very valuable. Through this collaborative project, we will be able to transition Europe even faster to renewables,” said Jonas Markusson, Innovation Manager at SEKAB E-Technology.
The three-year project will demonstrate and evaluate the whole value-chain, to show how to best use wood residues from the forest industry to produce biofuels. The long-term aim is to start many new biorefineries across Europe, using wood residues from European forest and sawmill industries, as well as forestry industry, as raw material.
The EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, has selected the eleven European companies and universities collaborating on Rewofuel. Apart from Swedish clean-tech company SEKAB E-Technology, Swedish Peab Asphalt is also one of the selected companies.
“We are proud to deliver the technology needed in the first step of the value-chain to convert biomass, that will then be refined into biofuels. To phase out the oil in transport fuels, we see huge potential in using today’s unused residue products from the forest industry,” concluded Monica Normark, Project Manager for Rewofuel.
Rewofuel started on June 1st, 2018, and will run for three years. SEKAB’s role is to refine biomass into sugar and lignin, that in the next step can be converted to biofuels and other renewable products.
