Picture : The raw material – a closely guarded secret mix of ingredients – is heated for three hours at 80 degrees Celsius.

So many of the products that we take for granted, like synthetic fibers, plastics, cosmetics and food additives, are made from petroleum. Despite growing calls around the world for more sustainable alternatives, the chemical industry has come up short. Until now, that is. The start-up Bloom Biorenewables has developed a patented procedure that separates the three main constituents of biomass (wood and agricultural waste). The process involves extracting lignin, the second largest constituent by volume after cellulose, in its native structure and converting it into molecules that provide a viable substitute to artificial polymers. A mini revolution with a potentially major reach!

“Although the range of applications is wide, we have decided to focus our energies on low volume, high value-added markets. Take the flavorings sector – only 1% of the vanillin produced worldwide is made from vanilla beans. The remaining 99% is the result of various chemical syntheses, most of which use guaiacol, a petroleum derivative. A number of large multinational food groups have already expressed an interest in our visionary, green solution”, explains Remy Buser, Managing Director and co-founder of the start-up.

The stars are aligned

Bloom Biorenewables is an off-shoot of an EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne) working group, making it a real product of technology transfer. Based at the Marly Innovation Center (MIC), the start-up works closely with various members of the Fribourg academic community on an Innosuisse project benefiting from a two-year research grant of CHF 800,000. Remy Buser could not be happier, “Thanks to the equipment and expertise of the ChemTech Institute of the Fribourg School of Engineering and Architecture (HEIA-FR), we will be able to complete the proof-of-concept phase and validate our formula by 2021. This support is invaluable and means that we do not have to make huge investments during the initial development phase.

In two years, the start-up has racked up multiple prestigious awards, including the W. A. de Vigier Award and Venture Kick. With prize money totaling CHF 2.5 million, the young managing director is feeling buoyant about the future, “The stars are aligned, so we have scaled up our ambitions and plan to open our own pilot plant by 2023, which will be able to handle 10,000 metric tons of biomass every year. In terms of location, the MIC is particularly appealing because it offers good technical facilities, land for development, and an innovative environment.”