WOODRIDGE, Ill.—Eni S.p.A.'s chemical subsidiary Versalis has signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic partnership with Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc. to jointly develop and scale a new metathesis technology to produce bio chemicals from vegetable oils.
"This partnership with Versalis is a natural next step building on the commercial competitive demonstrations of molybdenum-catalyzed metathesis of natural oils that we have achieved in our partnership with XIMO," Elevance CEO K'Lynne Johnson said.
The firms will focus on developing new catalysts and leverage the progress of this technology that has already been accomplished by Elevance. They will assess the design and construction of the first world-scale ethylene metathesis-based production that will utilize renewable oils at Versalis' site in Porta Marghera, Italy.
The future technology will be applied in the personal care, detergents and cleaners, bio lubricants and oilfield chemicals markets, the firms said.
"The bio-based chemicals business is central to Versalis' new industrial and business approach," said Versalis CEO Daniele Ferrari. "The agreement with Elevance will further enhance our capability to progress in green innovation while boosting the transformation of one of our petrochemical sites into a more competitive and long-term sustainable complex, thus creating synergies between the renewable with the petrochemical industries."
Versalis manufactures intermediates, polyethylene, styrenics and elastomers and is entering the green chemicals and polymers industry by partnering with worldwide biotech companies.
Elevance is headquartered in Woodridge and creates novel specialty chemicals from natural oils for use in personal care products, detergents and cleaners, lubricants and additives, engineered polymers and other specialty chemicals markets.