UPM Biochemicals and Haertol Chemie to develop sustainable coolants for auto market
UPM Biochemicals and Haertol Chemie announced a development partnership that will accelerate the introduction of renewable, sustainable forest-sourced materials into the automotive market and reduce fossil resource consumption.
UPM Biochemicals and Haertol, both headquartered in Germany, have agreed to form a strategic partnership to produce a new range of carbon neutral engine and battery coolants that will help automotive manufacturers reduce their CO2 footprint.
UPM is investing EUR750 million to build the world’s first industry scale biorefinery in Leuna, Germany, to convert sustainably sourced, certified woody biomass into next generation biochemicals that will enable the vital shift away from fossil-based to renewable materials across a wide range of industries, including automotive. The biorefinery aims to produce 220,000 tonnes/year in total, with start-up targeted to take place by the end of 2023.
UPM’s renewable bio mono-ethylene glycol (Bio-MEG), UPM BioPura, is produced from sustainably sourced, certified hardwood obtained from forests in the regions around Leuna in Germany. The biomass does not compete with food resources and is carbon negative, therefore enabling the first ever CO2 neutral coolant to be produced. UPM is actively working on optimising processes and material streams to further reduce emissions and enable carbon neutrality or even negativity of the other products produced in the Leuna biorefinery.
Haertol, an engine and battery coolant manufacturer in Europe, will be one of the first customers to integrate the renewable materials into their products.
UPM’s BioPura will enable Haertol to offer their customers, leading global automotive brands, a viable option to redefine their net zero targets and significantly reduce their scope three emissions by switching effortlessly from fossil-based, to a renewable, drop-in ingredient – allowing them to create a carbon neutral coolant.
The UPM biorefinery in Leuna is strategically positioned to shorten supply chains to European manufacturers. Haertol’s production facility in Magdeburg is only approximately 120km away.
