1,3-butadiene (1,3-BD) is an important raw material for the polymer industry such as styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), polybutadiene rubber (PBR), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), etc. Flanders currently has a fossil-based 1,3-BD production capacity of 300 kt/year through BASF and Evonik. GREEN-B2B-2 aims to expand this capacity in a sustainable way by 10% (i.e., 30 kt/year), resulting in a CO2 emission reduction of 150 kt/year. This is achieved through the microbial production of 1,3-butanediol (1,3-BDO) from paper and board hydrolyzate (and CO2) followed by the acid catalyzed conversion to 1,3-BD. At the basis are innovations in genetic engineering,
catalyst design and synthesis, kinetic and process modelling, and a full techno-economic analysis and calibration of the entire process against conventional steam cracking and the conversion of ethanol to 1,3-BD.