, a biorefining and cellulosic technology company, has announced a joint development agreement with Global Bio-chem Technology Group Ltd., a leading manufacturer of chemicals from industrial sugars. Following a letter of intent forged in July, the companies further cement their cooperation on developing the lowest cost process for converting corn stover to cellulosic sugars for use in the production of biobased chemical products.  

Ms. Xu Ziyi, executive director of Global Bio-chem, said, “China has a large and growing demand for biobased products. This partnership will allow us to further develop and commercialize our technology platform utilizing the millions of metric tons per year of corn stover available in the Jilin Province, while significantly reducing the production costs of corn stover-based sugar.”

Edeniq and Global Bio-chem plan to integrate their technologies in a commercial demonstration plant at Global Bio-chem’s facility in the Jilin Province of China. Construction has been initiated on the plant, with a target to produce 50,000 metric tons per year of sugars from corn stover. The two companies not only intend to supply the cellulosic sugars to Global Bio-chem for utilization in its existing sugar-based chemical production facilities, but also plan to forge partnerships with other companies to enable the production of a broad array of biochemicals and biofuels from its sugars.

“Edeniq is known for our capital efficient solutions, and this relationship with Global Bio-chem will allow us to quickly expand into the growing markets in China,” said Brian Thome, president and CEO of Edeniq. “Through this partnership, we are further demonstrating our commitment to developing next generation cellulosic technologies and the lowest cost route to efficient biofuel and biochemical production.”