Blogopmaak
Relement officially released as 25th spin-off company of TNO in presence of the EZK state secretary
November 12, 2020
TNO’s 25th spin-off company was announced during a digital working visit by Mona Keijzer, State Secretary for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK). This company, Relement, creates chemical building blocks based on bio-residuals instead of oil, thereby helping to make the chemical industry more sustainable.
Relement originated in the Tech Transfer programme that was set up more than three years ago to bring TNO’s knowledge to the market and thus realise societal impact. It was fitting that the State Secretary who is responsible for innovation and entrepreneurship (among other things) be involved in this important milestone.
Relement uses TNO knowledge to create new chemical ingredients based on bio-residuals instead of oil. These ingredients are of a higher quality than the fossil variants. For example, paint with these ingredients is more resistant to sunlight and insulating foam becomes stronger.
State Secretary Mona Keijzer (EZK): “I congratulate Roger Blokland, Managing Director and Founder of Relement, on this new company based on Dutch knowledge. And, of course, the same goes to TNO for their 25th spin-off. It is enormously important that a smart idea reaches the market quickly via entrepreneurs. This creates jobs and is also good for society – in the case of Relement, by making residual products (which everyone turns their noses up at) usable again. Thanks to institutions such as TNO, innovation can benefit our entire country.”
RELEMENT
Relement is a spin-off of TNO and was established for the development, production and marketing of bio-aromatics developed by TNO within the Biorizon Shared Research Center. Aromatics are essential raw materials for coatings, adhesives, insulating foams and other high-quality applications. 40% of all chemical building blocks consist of aromatics, which can currently only be produced from fossil raw materials. Relement wants to replace the current fossil aromatics with special bio-aromatics which are both much more sustainable and – above all – higher quality.
Roger Blokland, CEO and co-founder of Relement: “It’s fantastic news that Relement has become the ‘silver anniversary’ 25th spin-off of TNO. This helps us to find investors who share our sustainable vision. Paints, adhesives and lubricants are all products that we use every day. Our chemical ingredients are able to make these products not only more sustainable but also much better in terms of quality. I’m convinced that this unique technology will make an important contribution to increased sustainability in the chemical industry.”
TECH TRANSFER
TNO’s mission is to develop innovative knowledge and to apply that knowledge in order to create societal impact. This knowledge leads mainly to application by existing partners of TNO, companies and public authorities. When external capital is required to convert the knowledge into products, TNO opts for an additional method of achieving this: the creation of new companies. TNO therefore began the Tech Transfer programme over three years ago with the aim of getting the knowledge to the market.
Within the programme, this is done by developing business cases, doing market research, connecting entrepreneurs and involving investors. This creates new companies which can use TNO knowledge for employment and economic growth. In addition, these companies contribute to societal challenges such as the energy transition, security and health.
“The Tech Transfer programme makes an excellent contribution to the actual application of TNO’s innovations on the market. This applies to Relement but also to the 24 spin-offs which were previously established – results to be proud of,” says Cis Marring, CFO and a member of the TNO Executive Board.
Relement is honored and grateful to be among the winners of the Tech Tour Bio-Based Industries 2024 Award. The Tech Tour event highlighted >30 selected companies at the forefront of bio-based innovation, chosen through a rigorous selection process led by a panel of active investors. Our CEO Roger Blokland was on site to present our activities. He pitched about transforming sustainable biomass residues into high-performance bio-aromatics for coatings, adhesives, and materials, offering a renewable alternative to fossil-based ingredients while also enhancing product performance. The expert jury acknowledged Relement as one of the companies that is setting new benchmarks in sustainability, circular materials, and green technology. The Tech Tour Bio-based Industries 2024 event was co-organized by Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and co-hosted by Circular Valley and City of Wuppertal, as well as supported by partners like Bayer, DWNRW, ZAZ Ventures, and Shaping Bio. Of course, we would also like to congratulate the other winners: Arda Biomaterials, Blue Ocean Closures, Mevaldi, Origin by Ocean, Quorium and SenseUP Biotechnology.
Relement has completed its first collaboration project with Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Eindhoven (The Netherlands). During a 18 months period, a team of teachers and 21 students worked on alkyd coating research based on Relement’ launching product bio MPA. To accelerate the research, coating experts Joost van Dijk (Puroc) and Henk van den Haak (Resinconsult) advised the students with experimental setup and formulation work. A wealth of knowledge has been created supporting the commercial use of bio MPA in performance alkyd coatings. The Relement team enjoyed the project and is convinced about the effectiveness of collaborative applied research. We are thankful with at least 21 new ambassadors for sustainable chemistry! This project is partially funded with subsidy from KIEM GoChem, a joint subsidy program from the Dutch Regieorgaan SIA and ChemistryNL.
Relement has contracted R&D partners to further optimize the production process for our launching product bio MPA (3-methylphthalic anhydride), enabling us to commence industrial-scale manufacturing soon. The efforts resulted in: a leaner and more robust process; increased bio MPA product recovery; reduced formation of byproducts such as humins; reduced the use of organic solvents; reduced energy requirement. After the summer, we will select a Contract Manufacturing Organisation to begin the production of our launching product bio MPA. Join us on our mission towards a greener chemical future. Get in touch if you would like to purchase bio MPA for your coating, adhesive or composite resin. For more information please contact our CTO Stefano Iannacone: Stefano.iannacone@relement.eu
Relement achieved an important milestone by successfully demonstrating the use of our ingredient bio MPA in high-quality composite materials. Relement worked with Hobum to create this game-changing material: a high-performance, biobased composite material with a glass transition temperature of >110 degrees Celsius. Hobum aimed to develop composites parts made of plant fibres and a vegetable oil-based resins using a resin-transfer moulding process to create a bisphenol A-free product. Hobum reached out to Relement for the utilisation of our ingredient bio MPA to replace fossil-based anhydrides such as MHHPA in their resins. After 1.5 year of testing of various formulations, the partnership hit a breakthrough with a recipe based on admergenic acid (ADA), epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) and Relement’s ingredient 3-methylphthalic anhydride (bio MPA). This resulted in a prototype car interior panel part. The composite material reached the highest % biobased (85%) and the highest glass transition temperature (Tg 95-120 °C depending on catalyst and temperature). A higher Tg results in enhanced strength, stiffness and heat resistance. There is a strong demand worldwide on availability of lightweight composite materials with high performance. Bio MPA can be a gamechanger for this industry. HOBUM recently showed all technical data at their HOBUM Innovation Exchange Webinar. Please view the complete record using the link below:
Following meetings with AkzoNobel, Relement is excited to note that AkzoNobel has been following our progress and technology development to date with interest. Relement and Akzo Nobel are working together to explore use of Relement's launching product bio MPA (3-methylphthalic anhydride) in coatings and measure the impact of our bio MPA in coating performances. Together, we have also identified a number of other opportunities that can broaden the scope of this partnership and add value in multiple areas. For more information please contact our Chief Commercial Officer Monique Wekking: monique.wekking@relement.eu
We are excited to be part of the consortium AROMATICS in which 3 promising bio-aromatics production platforms will be further developed and scaled, including furfural based aromatics such as our launching product bio MPA The consortium consists of 14 partners and the entire value chain is on board including brandowners. We are looking forward to explore new applications based on bio MPA and bio HMA. AROMATICS stands for Aromatic Renewables as an Opportunity for MATerials with Improved Circularity and Sustainability and this 3-year project is performed with MOOI-funding from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate.
An important milestone for Relement has been achieved: the successful demonstration of bio MPA in industrial coatings! Relement teamed up with Worlée Chemie and Baril Coatings to successfully demonstrate this game-changer industrial coating: a first of a kind, high performance, waterborne alkyd coating. Incorporating our ingredient bio MPA to replace the fossil-based ingredient phthalic anhydride.
Relement is in the final stage of selecting a European Contract Manufacturing Organisation that will produce our launching product bio MPA at ton-scale in 2024. It is possible to pre-order samples now. Please indicate to us the volume bio MPA you would like to purchase in 2024 to boost the sustainability and performance of your products. Fill in the form below:
Relement conducted a carbon footprint analysis as part of the initial Life Cycle Assessment for our launching product bio MPA (3-methylphthalic anhydride) A cradle-to-grave analysis has been carried out by E-hoch-3 and confirms: the production of specialty bio-aromatics from furfural, derived from non-edible residual streams, results in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions compared to fossil equivalent. It’s Relement’s mission to change the world, starting with fossil free coatings. We provide the missing renewable element for coatings and more. Our specialty bio-aromatic products provide an unmatched combination of sustainability and performance. All elements matter. Are you interested in the details and would you like to join us and green the chemical industry together? Please contact Roger Blokland for more information at roger.blokland@relement.eu
Relement is one of the 10 startups selected for the Dutch Pole Position Greentech Program of Techleap.nl in 2023. This batch showcases the brightest minds and boldest innovations with a focus on sustainability and environmental impact in the Netherlands. Relement is part of this the Greentech Pole Position program together with CarbonX, CyBe Construction, OneThird , Photanol, QuinteQ Energy, SeaQurrent®, Tarnoc, RIFT and Thorizon. The team will experienced coaches, entrepeneurs, investors and of course it is always good to challenge and learn from other passionate deep tech entrepreneurs. The program runs until January 2024 and will accelerate our biobased scale-up journey.