Verbio SE at Bitterfeld-Wolfen Chemical Park to commission world’s first rapeseed methyl ester ethenolysis plant; 60,000 t/y bio-based chemicals
25 Years of Verbio in Bitterfeld: From Biodiesel Pioneer to Trailblazer in Bio-Based Chemistry: Investieren in Sachsen-Anhalt
25 Years of Verbio in Bitterfeld: From Biodiesel Pioneer to Trailblazer in Bio-Based Chemistry
Construction of the new ethylene cracking plant at the Bitterfeld site, August 2025
Verbio’s first production facility began operations in Bitterfeld in 2001
From biodiesel production to an integrated biorefinery
New ethenolysis plant expands production to include bio-based chemicals
Leipzig, September 7, 2026 – Twenty-five years ago, Verbio commissioned its first production facility at the Bitterfeld-Wolfen Chemical Park. On September 24, 2001, standard-compliant biodiesel flowed through the pipes here for the first time. What began with a production capacity of 87,000 metric tons of biodiesel per year has grown into an integrated biorefinery with an annual biodiesel capacity of approximately 250,000 metric tons. In addition to biodiesel, the site produces high-quality glycerin and phytosterols. With the new plant for bio-based specialty chemicals, Verbio is expanding the biorefinery to include another stage of value creation. From biodiesel producer to global bioeconomy company : Bitterfeld was the starting point for Verbio’s development into an international bioeconomy company. “Bitterfeld is where our industrial history began. From here, Verbio has developed step by step—with new sites in Germany and Europe, and later also in North America and Asia,” says Claus Sauter, CEO of Verbio SE. The site exemplifies Verbio’s innovative biorefinery concept. At its core is the consistent multi-use of the biomass employed: using European rapeseed oil as a feedstock, Verbio produces biodiesel for transportation and high-quality glycerin for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries here. Since 2015, phytosterols for the food and pharmaceutical industries have been extracted in an additional processing step. With the new plant for bio-based specialty chemicals, Verbio is consistently extending this principle. “We are continuously advancing our production. The new plant for bio-based specialty chemicals here in Bitterfeld is the latest example of how we at Verbio scale up innovative technologies to an industrial level,” says Jörg Pfeiffer, managing director of the Bitterfeld site. Bio-based Chemicals for New Applications The Bitterfeld site will continue to play an important role in Verbio’s development in the future: In early October, the company will commission the world’s first ethenolysis plant based on rapeseed methyl ester here. Verbio has invested nearly 100 million euros in this innovative technology and the new production facility. The long-term goal is to produce approximately 60,000 metric tons of bio-based chemicals per year. These chemicals replace fossil-based raw materials in the chemical industry and can be further processed into detergents and cleaning agents, high-quality lubricants, and plastics. “By producing bio-based specialty chemicals, we are expanding our business model beyond the biofuel market. We provide renewable carbon molecules that the chemical industry urgently needs to become less dependent on fossil raw materials—and thus more sustainable and competitive,” says Claus Sauter, CEO of Verbio SE. Investment Creates New Jobs Today, Verbio employs around 120 people in Bitterfeld in plant operations, the laboratory, and research and development. The new production facility for bio-based chemicals will create approximately 50 additional jobs. In addition, Verbio is committed to developing its own next generation of skilled workers and trains chemical technicians, among others, at the site.