Switzerland-based specialty chemicals company Clariant has started the construction of a cellulosic ethanol plant near the city of Craiova, in southern Romania.

The ethanol will be obtained from agricultural residues using Clariant's sunliquid technology, a registered trademark of the company, Clariant said in a press release last Wednesday.

"After more than a decade of research and development, Clariant has invested more than 100 million euro in its first sunliquid plant, a pioneering technology not only in Europe but also at a global level," Christian Kohlpaintner, member of Clariant's executive committee, said.

At its full capacity, the plant will process about 250,000 tons of wheat straw and other cereals from local farmers, resulting annually in 50,000 tons of cellulosic ethanol.

Clariant said it chose the Podari area near Craiova as a location for the new plant due to the existence of a safe source of supplies of raw materials as well as to the logistical and industrial infrastructure in the region.

Article by SeeNews: Switzerland's Clariant breaks ground for ethanol plant in Romania