Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.chemeurope.com
The GENDORF Chemical Park is set to welcome another addition from the field of industrial deep-tech: The startup Furanova is developing a chemical process for producing bio-based raw materials for plastics and will relocate its pilot plant from Raubling to GENDORF. With this move, Furanova aims to scale its technology up to an industrial pilot scale and lay the groundwork for further expansion phases.
Furanova will move into office space at the GENDORF Chemical Park as early as fall 2026. This will be followed by the relocation of the pilot plant to Gendorf, where it is to be built on the “Base ONE” site, which was specifically designed for deep-tech startups. Commissioning is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. Looking ahead, Furanova plans to build a demonstration plant and, later, a production plant at the GENDORF Chemical Park.
“With Furanova, the GENDORF Chemical Park is gaining another company working on solutions for industrial transformation,” says Dr. Christoph von Reden, Managing Director of InfraServ Gendorf. “The startup is making a concrete contribution to the decarbonization of the chemical industry and opening up new possibilities for sustainable value chains. By establishing itself in Gendorf, a promising innovation is being scaled up from the laboratory to the pilot and demonstration stages. This strengthens our position as the ‘Home of Bavarian Deeptech,’ where new technologies become industrial applications.”
Milestone: Technology for a More Climate-Friendly Chemical Industry
Furanova is developing a new, highly efficient technology for producing bio-based feedstocks for next-generation plastics. At the same time, this process generates green hydrogen. In doing so, the company combines two key elements—reducing dependence on fossil raw materials and creating a more climate-friendly industry—into a single process.
With the construction of the pilot plant in Gendorf, the technology is set to be tested on an industrial scale for the first time. At the heart of the process is the production of FDCA (2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid), an important feedstock for bio-based plastics such as polyethylene furanoate (PEF). Sugar and renewable electricity serve as the raw materials. The planned scaling up of the technology is intended to enable new value chains based on renewable raw materials and support the development of sustainable and recyclable materials. In the long term, Furanova plans to create 60 to 80 jobs at the Gendorf site.
High Market Potential for FDCA
The market potential for FDCA is vast: Furanova estimates the addressable plastics market at 100 to 200 million metric tons, including applications such as PEF bottles, PEF fibers, and PEF films, as well as other plastics sectors. PEF is fully recyclable and, among other things, offers a better gas barrier than PET. As a result, carbonation, for example, is better retained in PEF bottles.
Ideal Location: GENDORF Chemical Park
For Furanova, the transition from the laboratory to the pilot scale represents a decisive milestone on the path to the industrial implementation of the technology. The chemical park’s existing infrastructure, the availability of technical services, and the support provided by InfraServ Gendorf in areas such as regulatory affairs, planning, and project implementation were key factors in the decision to locate there. Additionally, the Base ONE concept enables a quick and straightforward entry into the chemical park.
Furanova’s establishment underscores the GENDORF Chemical Park’s development into a hub for future-oriented industrial technologies. With offerings such as BASE ONE—an industrial site specifically designed for startups and scaleups—along with the availability of technical services and support in areas such as regulatory compliance, planning, and project implementation, site operator InfraServ Gendorf is purposefully creating the right conditions for technology-oriented companies making the transition from the laboratory to industrial application. As a result, GENDORF is increasingly establishing itself as a hub for industrial deep-tech innovations in Bavaria.
“For us, setting up operations in Gendorf is the next logical step on the path to scaling our technology industrially,” says Furanova founder and CEO Dr. Oliver Bolzern. “Here, we find the infrastructure, the experience, and the industrial environment needed to quickly bring our pilot plant online and lay the groundwork for the next phases of expansion. With our office in Gendorf and the pilot plant at Base ONE, we’re establishing a key anchor for long-term development at this location.”
