PR85007

SÃO PAULO and ROME, August 3, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

GranBio, a 100% Brazilian industrial biotechnology company, and NextChem, Maire

Tecnimont's subsidiary for energy transition announced a strategic partnership

to achieve global leadership in the licensing of patented GranBio 2G Ethanol

technology to produce cellulosic ethanol.

GranBio's 2G Ethanol technology converts lignocellulosic, non-food biomass to

renewable, low carbon intensity biofuels. NextChem is partnering with GranBio

to license this technology worldwide. The alliance combines GranBio's

technology and knowledge in second generation biomass and biofuels with

NextChem's engineering intelligence, EPC capabilities and Group global

presence, to offer integrated services, feasibility studies, integration projects,

engineering and construction of manufacturing plants around the world.

The technology developed by GranBio to produce 2G ethanol has already been

implemented in its factory located in São Miguel dos Campos, in Alagoas, the

first in the Southern Hemisphere dedicated to cellulosic ethanol.

"We will be pioneers in this business model, leading the development of the

cellulosic ethanol industry globally. Some countries already recognize the

renewable carbon premium; our flexible method allows the use all types of

agricultural waste and energy crops as feedstocks, such as cane straw,

miscanthus, and corn stover and even leftover wood such as pine and eucalyptus.

With the Alliance with NextChem, we have the ambition to conquer a significant

share of the available market: we have the security and reliability that our

technology is very promising," says Paulo Nigro, CEO of GranBio.

"This partnership with GranBio improves our technological portfolio in biofuels

with a flexible and profitable solution to produce ethanol, a globally used

chemical with many established industrial applications and enormous potential,"

says Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of NextChem and Maire Tecnimont. "GranBio's

reference plant is the only one of this kind, on an industrial scale, in

operation at a worldwide level. We are confident in a winning solution that we

shall be able to industrialize everywhere, thanks to our worldwide presence and

engineering capabilities."

GranBio, a 100% Brazilian industrial biotechnology company, controlled by

GranInvestimentos S.A., creates solutions to transform biomass into renewable

products. www.granbio.com.br

Contacts: Connectare Comunicação, claudia@connectarecomunicacao.com.br,

denise@connectarecomunicacao.com.br, +55 (11) 97663-4001/99832-4877

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A., is the head company of an industrial group leader in

the natural resources processing industry. Its subsidiary, NextChem operates in

the field of technologies for the energy transition. www.mairetecnimont.com

www.nextchem.com.

Contacts: mediarelations@nextchem.it,  mediarelations@mairetecnimont.it, +39

328 1297533 +39 366 6494966

Source: NextChem