Covestro launches Bio4PURConti — EU-funded project targets world's first continuous bio-based aniline production
Covestro has launched Bio4PURConti (Bio-Based Continuous Production for Sustainable Polyurethane Industry), a pioneering EU-funded project targeting the world’s first continuous production process for bio-based aniline. Aniline is a critical raw material for the plastics and chemical industries, serving as the primary precursor for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), a core building block for polyurethanes used in insulation, automotive, furniture and footwear applications.
Fossil-based aniline production generates approximately 20 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually worldwide. Covestro’s bio-based route uses a tailored microorganism to convert industrial sugars from plant-based biomass into an intermediate product through fermentation, followed by chemical catalysis to produce aniline with 100 percent plant-based carbon content. The resulting bio-based aniline is fully drop-in compatible with existing polyurethane value chains, meeting MDI specifications without requiring changes to downstream processes.
Bio4PURConti aims to advance this pathway by replacing the fed-batch fermentation method used to date with a continuous fermentation technology — a first for a high-volume chemical intermediate like aniline. Continuous operation promises higher space-time yields and significant improvements in product carbon footprint. The project will scale from laboratory to a 1.5 m³ semi-industrial demonstration at Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant in Ghent and at Covestro’s Leverkusen site, integrating cell recycling, real-time analytics and downstream processing.
“Bio4PURConti is a landmark project — not just for Covestro or the aniline market, but for the entire field of industrial biotechnology,” said Dr. Markus Dugal, Head of Process Technology at Covestro. “Demonstrating continuous fermentation at semi-industrial scale for a high-volume raw material like aniline will set a new benchmark for what biotech processes can achieve in the chemical industry. Biology and engineering, when combined at scale, can fundamentally reshape how we produce the materials the world depends on.”
The 10-partner consortium spans seven countries, bringing together leading industrial and academic organizations: Covestro Deutschland AG (Germany, coordinator), Fibenol Imavere OÜ (Estonia), University of Stuttgart (Germany), Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant VZW (Belgium), Center for Advisory Systems in Technology, Dortmund e.V. – ZEDO (Germany), Norwegian University of Science and Technology – NTNU (Norway), Axel’One (France), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd (Finland), Cluster Industrial Biotechnology – CLIB (Germany), and Asociación Española de la Innovación en el Marketing y la Inversión Sostenible – AEIMIS (Spain).
The project carries a total budget of EUR 8.4 million, with EUR 7 million in EU funding, and runs for 42 months. It is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, Grant Agreement No. 101292477.
As one of the world’s leading aniline producers with an annual capacity exceeding one million tonnes, Covestro is uniquely positioned to drive the transformation toward more sustainable aniline production. The continuous fermentation breakthrough, if successfully demonstrated, could establish a new paradigm for bio-based chemical manufacturing at scale, with implications extending well beyond the polyurethane sector.
Source: Covestro press release / FAPU, June 2026