In Brabant, a Silicon Valley for Plant-Based Chemistry Is Rising

For 25 years, Rodenburg has been producing bioplastics from potato starch for companies such as Mars, festivals, and mussel farming. With its subsidiary Tony Starch, the company is now taking the next step: producing biobased chemicals for hundreds of everyday products that currently rely on fossil-based materials, from sanitary pads to adhesive bandages. Rodenburg also has plans to build a large innovation campus for startups and other companies in the green, biobased chemistry sector.

Thijs Rodenburg is the third generation leading the family business.

“I dare say this is the gamechanger that will help phase out fossil feedstocks from chemistry. We’re talking about a massive market of more than a million tonnes of product per year,” says CEO Thijs Rodenburg of the family-owned company in Oosterhout, Brabant. He is referring to DAS (dialdehyde starch), a starch-derived molecule that has been researched for eighty years but never commercially manufactured. Together with its subsidiary Tony Starch, Rodenburg has developed patented technology to produce DAS at industrial scale. “More than four hundred applications have already been developed for it,” he says.

DAS can replace a wide range of oil-based chemicals and feedstocks that are polluting or hazardous, used in personal care, pharmaceuticals, and other chemical products. Examples range from leather coatings to paints, from sanitary pads and diapers to facial tissues, from plasters to wet wipes, and even seed coatings or fertilizers.

Pilot plant and demonstration plant

DAS is recyclable, biodegradable, and made from starch and renewable electricity. That starch comes from potatoes, just like Rodenburg’s bioplastics, but can also be sourced from tapioca, peas, wheat, or corn. The English word for zetmeel (starch) inspired the name Tony Starch. “Many parties have experimented with DAS at lab scale and developed products from it. But no one has ever managed to produce it at large, commercial scale,” Rodenburg says.

A key advantage of DAS is that it can match the cost of fossil alternatives. Consumers generally do not want to pay more for sustainable options. In January, Tony Starch will scale up its pilot plant in Oosterhout to a capacity of 50 kilograms of DAS per day. Customers are already lined up. At the same time, Rodenburg is seeking €50–60 million in financing for a demonstration plant that should produce 10 tonnes per day by 2027. Ultimately, a commercial facility planned after 2030 is expected to produce 200 tonnes per day, roughly 60,000 tonnes per year. Large customers may also produce DAS under license.

Watch how Tony Starch aims to transform traditional chemistry:

Side Stream Innovation Valley

Rodenburg is currently expanding its site with new silos and processing installations. Beyond the new Tony Starch campus, the company plans to build a larger campus on a nearby field, fully dedicated to companies active in green, plant-based chemistry.

The working title is Side Stream Innovation Valley (SSIV). The campus is comparable to Brightlands Chemelot Campus for chemical innovation in Limburg or Brainport Industries Campus (BIC) for high-tech manufacturing in Eindhoven. The Oosterhout campus will offer 65,000 square meters of production halls and 7,000 square meters of laboratories, offices, and shared facilities.

An impression of the Side Stream Innovation Valley in Oosterhout. | Credits: Rodenburg / RoosRos Architects

It aims to become a Silicon Valley for biobased chemistry. “We want to create a cluster of startups and scale-ups that complement each other and convert plant-based feedstocks into new materials. When you are all together in one place, synergy happens,” Rodenburg explains. “The BIC in Eindhoven is a major success. We want to achieve the same here, but focused entirely on plant-based chemistry.”

Rodenburg is already in talks with universities, applied science institutes, and Wageningen University & Research. Companies from the Netherlands and abroad express interest almost daily. “We are flooded by parties who want a place here,” says Rodenburg. “Demand is huge. Space in this region is the bottleneck.”

The Oosterhout municipal council has approved the zoning changes. Local environmental groups have filed objections, which the Council of State will evaluate next year.

Watch the plans for Side Stream Innovation Valley:

The first bioplastic plant did not actually make plastic

Thijs Rodenburg represents the third generation of the 80-year-old company. His grandfather produced animal feed from potato starch, a waste stream from major chips and fries factories. At the time, that waste was still dumped into the sea. In the 1990s, Thijs’s father began exploring other uses for the starch. Together with Wageningen University, he aimed to develop bioplastics.

While today’s startups struggle to bring plant-based chemicals and plastics to market, and flagship Avantium is only now launching its first 5,000-ton PEF plant after 25 years, Rodenburg’s father built a 20,000-ton bioplastic plant back in 2000. It still stands today.

What did that plant produce? “Not bioplastic,” Thijs says. “My father believed in it completely, but the market simply wasn’t ready. Meanwhile, we had this beautiful, expensive facility standing here. Those were tough years.”

Sustainability was not yet a mainstream topic. Ocean plastic pollution was not yet a global concern. Biobased, biodegradable plastics were more expensive than fossil plastics. Customers doubted whether the material would run properly in their machines. And consumers were not willing to pay extra for green products. The profitable animal feed division, since sold, kept the company afloat during that period.

Biobased materials for construction and horticulture

The company then explored alternative products that could be manufactured in the facility: raw materials for paper and wood glue, pots and plant ties for horticulture, stakes and geotextile mats for construction. All were produced from potato starch and, if needed, biodegradable or compostable, which is essential for applications in nature or at sea.

These materials are now used to restore coral reefs and mussel beds. “This product line is what keeps the company running. Bioplastics still haven’t scaled the way we hoped. It remains a difficult market where you need to find the right niches,” Rodenburg says.

BESE elements, affectionately known as potato mats, are biodegradable structures used to initiate ecorestoration projects.

Biodegradable wrappers for Mars

Even so, Rodenburg achieved major successes. In 2016, together with partners, the company developed a food-safe, compostable wrapper for Mars, Twix, and Snickers using its proprietary Solanyl material. “We were extremely proud of it. It performed very well, but Mars ultimately found it too expensive. So it’s no longer on the market,” Rodenburg says.

Other applications of the bioplastics include biobased and recyclable festival tokens and displays, trays and cups (including for a well-known airline), agricultural products, pens, bags, USB sticks, and promotional items. “Most products can be shredded after use and made into new plastic again,” he adds.

Watch where Rodenburg’s bioplastics are being used:

For more information please contact info@rodenburg.com

This article is a translated repost of Change.inc by Andre Oerlemans