CLARIANT PRODUKTE (DEUTSCHLAND) GMBH

Their core work

Clariant is a major German specialty chemicals company that develops and manufactures catalysts, functional materials, and process chemicals for industrial applications. Within H2020, they focus heavily on bio-based chemistry — converting agricultural residues and lignocellulosic biomass into bioethanol, bio-isobutene, and other platform chemicals. They also contribute expertise in advanced materials for energy-efficient buildings and solar thermal integration for industrial processes. Their role in EU projects is that of an industrial end-user and scale-up partner, bringing commercial production capability to research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Clariant's early H2020 work (2015–2017) centered on advanced materials and process engineering — fluidic windows, process intensification, and industrial water management. From 2016 onward, a clear pivot toward bio-based chemistry emerged: yeast cell factories, lignocellulosic conversion, and biorefinery scale-up became dominant, culminating in their coordination of the LIGNOFLAG flagship plant. Their most recent project (FRIENDSHIP, 2020) signals a new interest in solar thermal decarbonisation for industry, suggesting they are broadening from bio-based feedstocks to renewable process heat.

Clariant is moving from laboratory-scale bio-based chemistry toward commercial-scale biorefinery deployment and integrating renewable energy into chemical manufacturing — expect future projects at the intersection of biomass conversion and industrial decarbonisation.

How they like to work

Clariant primarily joins consortia as a participant or third party (7 of 8 projects), contributing industrial-scale testing, process expertise, and market access rather than leading the research. However, when they do coordinate — as with LIGNOFLAG — they take on large flagship demonstrations with significant budgets (EUR 3.4M). With 90 unique partners across 17 countries, they maintain a broad European network, functioning as the industrial anchor that translates research results into commercial viability.

Clariant has collaborated with 90 distinct partners across 17 European countries, reflecting a wide and well-connected industrial network. As a Frankfurt-based multinational, they serve as a bridge between academic research groups and industrial-scale deployment across Western and Central Europe.

What sets them apart

Clariant brings something rare to EU consortia: the ability to take a lab-proven bio-based process and run it at commercial scale in their own production facilities. Unlike university partners or SMEs, they have the manufacturing infrastructure, regulatory experience, and supply chain relationships to move a biorefinery concept from TRL 5-6 to market. Their LIGNOFLAG coordination — building an actual commercial cellulosic ethanol plant — is proof they don't just participate in research; they build the factories.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LIGNOFLAG
  Clariant's only coordinated project and their largest (EUR 3.4M) — a commercial flagship plant for cellulosic bioethanol, representing a full value chain from lignocellulosic feedstock to market.
• OPTISOCHEM
  Large-scale demonstration (EUR 3.3M to Clariant) converting wheat straw residues to bio-isobutene, a versatile platform chemical for bio-based products.
• FRIENDSHIP
  Their most recent project, signaling a strategic expansion into solar thermal for industrial decarbonisation — a new direction beyond their bio-based chemistry core.