Leuna biorefinery starts production of wood chemicals

The Finnish company UPM has started producing and marketing the first chemicals made from wood at its biorefinery in Leuna. "Reaching this milestone is an important step on the way to full operation in Leuna," said Massimo Reynaudo, President and CEO of UPM. The refinery has started producing industrial sugar.

Largest plant of its kind in the world

The Finnish company is investing almost 1.2 billion euros in the chemical park. According to the company, it is the world's first commercial biorefinery to convert wood into bio-based chemicals.

The biorefinery will produce chemical base materials from wood instead of fossil fuels such as crude oil. These could then be used in PET packaging, textiles or cosmetics, among other things. The company expects to launch further commercial products on the market in the first half of next year.