Our technology

About EcoXtract®

Using a 100% plant-based material to foster innovation

Our patented technology EcoXtract® uses a bio-based and safe solvent produced from non-food biomass. This efficient solution uses methyloxolane, a 100% bio-based molecule, to extract vegetable oils and other natural ingredients safely and sustainably
The scale-up and wide-spread adoption of this disruptive extraction solution will accelerate the transition to a safer and more sustainable supply of ingredients used in the food, feed, cosmetics and personal care industries
Manufacturing process

From biomass to a sustainable and safe bio-sourced solvent…

1.
Non-food biomass

The first step consists of recovering lignocellulosic biomass, the most abundant biomass resource available on earth. This biomass can come from multiple renewable feedstock such as corn cobs or sugar cane bagasse

2.
Furfural

This biomass is transformed by successive acid hydrolysis reactions of hemicellulose from the biomass into furfural, a platform molecule being a renewable building block for various industrial downstream products such as resins and polymers, solvents, lubricants, and fuel additives

3.
Methyloxolane

Following this intermediate step, the furfural building block is subjected to consecutive hydrogenation processes until the desired molecule is obtained, and further refined to a final purity of >99.9% methyloxolane

Our manufacturing plant, Pennakem LLC, a sister company of MINAFIN group, is located in Memphis in the United States

Benefits of our solution

Scale-up achievements

2020
Scale Up 1

After validation of the solution at lab and pilot scales, our team successfully adapted the extraction unit of Enat International in Salamanca (Mexico) with a capacity of 10 tons per day for continuous rapeseed oil extraction

The results of this first industrial trial in continuous mode were very promising. During the extraction, oil and meal desolventization and solvent recovery process, EcoXtract® provided a well defatted and desolventized meal containing <0.7% residual oil and <15ppm of residual bio-solvent with continuously recycled bio-solvent thanks to a simple decantation of the condensates

Our company successfully completed the conversion of the very first hexane-based unit using EcoXtract® technology at New Holland Extraction in the United Kingdom, in particular thanks to a grant from the European Innovation Council

2021
new-holland-extraction
Scale Up 4
Scale Up 5
Scale Up 3

Our certifications

USDA CERTIFIED BIOBASED PRODUCT

In 2019, EcoXtract® obtained the Certified Biobased Product label granted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) which highlights its 100% percentage of biobased content. Biobased products, through petroleum displacement, play an increasingly important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate global climate change. Also, utilizing renewable, biobased materials displaces the need for non-renewable petroleum-based chemicals

COSMOS-APPROVED

EcoXtract® technology is Cosmos-Approved, an international guarantee given to consumers allowing them to trust organic and natural cosmetic products. EcoXtract® was thus able to prove the compliance of its solvent with the various rules established by the certification :

  • Promote the use of products from organic farming and respect the biodiversity
  • Use natural resources responsibly and respect the environment
  • Use clean processing and manufacturing processes that respect the human and environmental health
  • Integrate and develop the concept of “green chemistry”

This certification can enable the development of new creative ingredients, such as oils and oleoresins, for premium organic products

Our awards

SOLAR IMPULSE EFFICIENT SOLUTION

EcoXtract® was attributed the “Solar Impulse Efficient Solution” Label following an assessment performed by external independent experts and based on verified standards. It is thereby joining the #1000solutions challenge, an initiative by the Solar Impulse Foundation to select solutions that meet high standards in financial viability and environmental sustainability

To receive the “Solar Impulse Efficient Solution” Label, EcoXtract® was thoroughly assessed by a pool of independent experts in collaboration with renowned institutions according to 5 criteria covering the three main topics of Feasibility, Environmental and Profitability

The aim of this initiative is to encourage the adoption of more ambitious environmental targets and fast-track the implementation of these solutions on a large scale

PIERRE POTIER PRIZE

EcoXtract® won 2021 Pierre Potier award for its innovative and sustainable bio-based solution which impoves consumer safety. Awarded by a panel of key figures in research, industry and ministries, this prize has become an important benchmark for business support organizations.

EcoXtract® is immensely honoured to have received the Pierre Potier award, one of the highest industry distinctions for chemistry professionals and academia” said Laurence Jacques, the Managing Director

We thank the experts panel for its recognition of our bio-based solution to substitute hexane and their support to a safer and petroleum free food chain. We are dedicated to improving the global food safety and supply and fight against food waste. Our commitment has become the ethic of EcoXtract® which lies into a sustainable-oriented mindset that we nurture for ourselves and consumers

RESPONSIBLE CARE AWARD

EcoXtract® received the CSR award-during the Responsible Care award ceremony held by France Chimie in Paris, France

The technology definitely convinced the jury with its undeniable sustainable dimension: an entirely bio-based extraction solvent from renewable resources which therefore does not require any exploitation of arable land or participation to deforestation, a safe alternative to petro-based extraction solutions

Our public fundings

HORIZON 2020

Delivering a new, efficient and biobased plant oil and protein extraction system, in short EcoXtract

EcoXtract® technology receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. The 2.8 million EUR grant is awarded by the European Innovation Council to support and develop breakthrough technologies and breakthrough innovations to create new markets, particularly, in the protein and vegetable oil sectors

This great achievement is the result of a proposal submitted by a consortium of 5 partners. All are private-for-profit entities established within the European Union. Along with Pennakem Europa (France), an affiliate of Minafin Group, the consortium comprises Vivaorganic GmbH (Cloppenburg, Germany), De Wit Speciality Oils B.V. (De Waal, The Netherlands), New Holland Extraction Ltd (New Holland, United Kingdom) and Donal Murphy-Bokern (Lohne, Germany)

The grant enables us to combine the technologies, skills and ambitions of five partners in four European countries. This allows us to accelerate our technical development and access pioneering markets at the same time to develop a more reliable, healthier and more eco-conscious oil extraction sector for the food and feed industry” says Laurence Jacques, the Managing Director

ADEME FUNDING

In collaboration with INRAE, the Institut Carnot France Futur Élevage and the University of Avignon, the EcoXtract® Protéines project was selected to receive total financial aid of €4.8 million under the PIA program operated by ADEME, the French government's ecological transition agency

The EcoXtract® Protéines project aims to offer the animal feed market a 100% biosourced and safe extraction solution for oils, vegetable proteins and natural ingredients. This technology will offer an alternative to the current extraction technique that uses hexane

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