GFBiochemicals breakthrough levulinic acid technology ready for commercialisation

Biobased chemicals company GFBiochemicals is starting commercialisation of its levulinic acid thanks to its proprietary breakthrough technology. Commercial-scale production will start in Summer 2015 in Caserta, Italy plant.

A new experienced management team has been put in place to take GFBiochemicals forward. Marcel van Berkel is GFBiochemicals Chief Commercial Officer. Van Berkel spent more than 25 years at Solvay and DSM, including in DSM’s Bio-based Products and Services division. Davide Gremmi joins as Chief Financial Officer. Gremmi has more than 20 years’ finance experience, most recently at Chemtex Group. Marcello Taglietti is Chief Operating Officer with in excess of 20 years’ experience, including at Air Products and Ashland.

Rudy Parton and Aris de Rijke will spearhead R&D as Director Technology & Applications Development and Director Technology & Engineering. Both have more than 25 years’ experience at DSM and Shell.

CEO Maxim Katinov said, "Our team of experts has decades of experience in innovation, production and business development. We are now perfectly placed to bring biobased levulinic acid to market and enable new applications that will replace petro-based products.”

GFBiochemicals’ process technology has been developed and tested at demo-scale since 2008. The Caserta plant will scale-up to 8000MT/yr by 2017.