Covestro Launches Bio4PURConti — EU-Funded Project to Develop World's First Continuous Bio-Based Aniline Process
Leverkusen, June 16, 2026 — Covestro has launched Bio4PURConti (Bio-Based Continuous Production for Sustainable Polyurethane Industry), a pioneering EU-funded project aimed at developing the world’s first continuous industrial production process for bio-based aniline. The project, coordinated by Covestro, brings together a 10-partner consortium spanning seven countries with a total budget of €8.4 million, of which €7 million is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme. The project runs for 42 months.
The Strategic Importance of Aniline
Aniline is a critical chemical building block, serving as the primary precursor for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) — the largest-volume polyurethane raw material globally. MDI-based polyurethanes are essential for insulation foams in construction and refrigeration, automotive components, adhesives, coatings, and elastomers.
Current production: Virtually all of the ~6 million tonnes of aniline produced annually worldwide is derived from benzene via nitration and hydrogenation — a fossil-based, energy-intensive process with a significant carbon footprint.
The opportunity: A bio-based route to aniline could dramatically reduce the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) of the entire polyurethane value chain, from rigid insulation foams that improve building energy efficiency to lightweight automotive components that reduce fuel consumption.
The Bio4PURConti Innovation
Bio4PURConti builds on Covestro’s earlier breakthrough in developing a biotechnological process to produce aniline from plant-based feedstocks (using industrial biotechnology to convert sugars into aniline via a proprietary microbial pathway). The project’s core innovation is transitioning this process from batch to continuous operation — a critical step for industrial competitiveness.
Key Technical Objectives
| Objective | Target |
|---|---|
| Process mode | Continuous fermentation and downstream processing |
| Space-time yield | Significant increase vs. batch baseline |
| Carbon footprint reduction | Substantial PCF reduction vs. fossil aniline |
| Feedstock flexibility | Utilization of C5/C6 sugar streams from lignocellulosic biomass |
| Process integration | Coupled fermentation and purification for efficiency |
Consortium Partners
The project unites industrial and academic excellence across the value chain:
| Partner | Country | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Covestro (Coordinator) | Germany | Project management, process development, scale-up, commercialization |
| Fibenol | Estonia | Lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment, C5/C6 sugar supply |
| University of Stuttgart | Germany | Bioprocess engineering, continuous fermentation optimization |
| Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP) | Belgium | Pilot-scale demonstration, process validation |
| Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) | Norway | Systems biology, strain engineering, metabolic modeling |
| Axel’One | France | Process safety, regulatory compliance, industrial integration |
| VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland | Finland | Techno-economic assessment, life cycle analysis (LCA) |
| Additional partners | Various | Downstream processing, purification, product qualification |
Executive Perspectives
Dr. Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer at Covestro:
“Bio4PURConti is a landmark project — not just for Covestro or the aniline market, but for the entire field of industrial biotechnology. Developing the world’s first continuous production process for bio-based aniline would prove that biotechnology can compete with established petrochemical processes on cost, scale, and reliability. This is a decisive step toward defossilizing the polyurethane value chain.”
Dr. Per-Olof Syrén, Professor of Bioprocess Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology (advisory role):
“The shift from batch to continuous fermentation for commodity chemicals is one of the great challenges of industrial biotechnology. Bio4PURConti addresses this head-on with a consortium that spans the full innovation chain — from feedstock to final product qualification. Success here creates a blueprint for continuous bio-manufacturing across the chemical industry.”
Market Context and Regulatory Drivers
The project aligns with converging policy and market forces:
- EU Green Deal & Circular Economy Action Plan: Mandating defossilization of chemical production
- Corporate Sustainability Commitments: Major brands (automotive, construction, furniture) setting science-based targets requiring low-carbon materials
- Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): Creating cost incentives for low-carbon domestic production
- Revised EU State Aid Rules: Enabling public funding for carbon-intensive industry transformation
Timeline and Milestones
| Phase | Period | Key Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Months 1-12 | Feedstock qualification, strain optimization, continuous reactor design |
| Phase 2 | Months 13-30 | Pilot-scale continuous demonstration at BBEPP, process integration |
| Phase 3 | Months 31-42 | Techno-economic validation, LCA, regulatory dossier preparation, commercialization roadmap |
Resources
- Covestro Press Release: Bio4PURConti Kick-off
- Horizon Europe Project Database: Bio4PURConti
- Covestro Sustainable Polyurethanes Brochure
About Covestro
Covestro is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their precursors. With products ranging from polycarbonates and polyurethanes to coatings, adhesives, and specialty chemicals, Covestro serves key industries including automotive, construction, electronics, and furniture. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany, the company operates production sites worldwide and employs approximately 17,500 people (2025). Covestro is committed to becoming fully circular and climate-neutral, driving the transition to a circular economy through innovative materials, alternative raw materials, and renewable energy.
Source: Covestro press release, June 16, 2026