CropEnergies AG

Sustainable Products from Biomass

CropEnergies AG, headquartered in Mannheim, is a European manufacturer of ethanol from renewable raw materials and a member of the Südzucker Group. In biorefineries in Zeitz (Germany), Wanze (Belgium), Wilton (United Kingdom) and Loon-Plage (France), mainly cereals (wheat, maize, barley, triticale) as well as starch- and sugar-containing residual materials from the Südzucker Group are processed. The production process comprises milling, mashing, saccharification, fermentation, distillation/rectification and drying with molecular sieves to a purity level of over 99%. In addition to 1.3 million m³ of ethanol for fuel applications and around 150,000 m³ of ethanol for technical and traditional applications, 650,000 t of DDGS, over 400,000 t of ProtiWanze® (CDS), over 60,000 t of wheat gluten and 165,000 t of liquefied biogenic CO2 are produced annually. Since 2024, a plant for the production of green ethyl acetate (50,000 t/year, technology licensor Johnson Matthey) is being built in Elsteraue. Customers are found in fuel applications as well as in the beverage, food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, chemical and feed industries.

Site

Mannheim

Processes

Biorefinery: saccharification, fermentation, distillation/rectification, drying with, Rectification and denaturation of alcohol (neutral alcohol, up to 150 million L/year), Decantation, evaporation, drying and pelleting (DDGS/ProtiGrain, ProtiWanze CDS), Gluten extraction: milling process, separation and drying of wheat protein (>60,000 t/year), CO2 capture, purification and liquefaction (biogenic CO2, purity >99%, 165,000 t, Production of green ethyl acetate from bioethanol (process without acetic acid, technology licensor, Refining of raw alcohol, Denaturation of alcohol

Materials

Wheat, Maize, Barley, Triticale, Rye, Sugar syrups, Sugar beet syrups, pre-liquefied wheat starch

Certificates

DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (Ryssen Alcools SAS, Loon-Plage), GMP+ Feed Safety Assurance Module 2020 (BioWanze SA), FSSC 22000 (BioWanze SA, Gluten), Halal (BioWanze SA, Wheat Gluten), Kosher (BioWanze SA, Wheat Gluten), DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (Ensus DDGS), ISO 9001, FSSC 22000 (Gluten), GMP+ FSA (Feed), Halal/Kosher (Gluten)

Founded

2006

Employees

523 (as of February

Industries

Fuel applications (transport/mobility), Beverage industry, Food industry, Cosmetics industry, Pharmaceutical industry, Chemical industry

1. 01

   Raw material purchasing (cereals, sugar syrups, residual materials)

2. 02

   Milling and mashing

3. 03

   Saccharification and fermentation

4. 04

   Distillation/rectification and drying with molecular sieves

5. 05

   Refinement into neutral alcohol or denaturation

6. 06

   Processing of the co-products (DDGS, CDS, gluten, biogenic CO2)

7. 07

   Ethyl acetate synthesis from bioethanol (from 2026/27)

8. 08

   Sales and logistics

Raw Materials and Processes

Production and Sales Locations

Zeitz

DE

Biorefinery: ethanol, neutral alcohol, ProtiGrain®, biogenic CO2

Materials

Wheat, maize, barley, triticale, sugar syrups

• Ethanol plant (biorefinery with mill, mashing, fermentation, distillation, molecular sieves)
• Neutral alcohol refining plant (up to 60,000 m³/year)
• Energy center with combined heat and power
• CO2 liquefaction plant (100,000 t/year via CTB Biocarbonic)

Elsteraue

DE

Plant for green ethyl acetate (CE Biobased Chemicals GmbH, under construction)

Materials

Bioethanol

• Ethyl acetate plant (50,000 t/year, technology licensor Johnson Matthey)

Weselberg

DE

Small/pilot plant for advanced ethanol from residual and waste materials (CE Advanced Bioenergies GmbH)

Materials

starch- and sugar-containing residual materials

• Small plant for ethanol from residual and waste materials

Wanze

BE

Biorefinery: ethanol, wheat gluten, ProtiWanze®, biogenic CO2

Materials

Wheat

• Ethanol plant with biomass power station
• Gluten separation (>60,000 t/year)
• CO2 liquefaction plant

Wilton

GB

Biorefinery: ethanol and Ensus DDGS (Ensus UK Ltd.)

Materials

Feed grain

• Ethanol plant (400,000 m³ ethanol/year)
• DDGS production (350,000 t/year)
• CO2 supply (250,000 t/year)

Loon-Plage

FR

Refining of raw alcohol into neutral alcohol (Ryssen Alcools SAS)

Materials

Bioethanol (raw alcohol)

• Alcohol refining plant (rectification, distillation, dehydration, denaturation, up to 90 million L/year)

Rotterdam

NL

Tank storage

Mannheim

DE

Headquarters and administration

Inside the production

Processes & technical limits

6 Anlagen & Maschinen

Quality and Certifications

Product quality is monitored by a quality assurance system with modern process control technology and in-house analysis laboratories – from raw material intake to delivery. Consistent complaint management as well as long-term supplier relationships and raw material specifications are further components of quality management.

History

1. 2005

   Commissioning of the Zeitz site

2. 2006

   Foundation of CropEnergies AG

3. 2010

   Ethanol production in Zeitz and Wanze certified as sustainable

4. 2011

   Introduction of Super E10 in Germany

5. 2013

   Ensus UK Ltd. (Wilton) becomes a member of the CropEnergies Group

6. 2015

   Collaboration with the racing team Four Motors; commissioning of the neutral alcohol refining plant in Zeitz

7. 2016

   Supply of the racing team Four Motors with a high-performance fuel containing 20% residual-material ethanol

8. 2023

   Foundation of CE Advanced Bioenergies GmbH (takeover of the business activities of EthaTec GmbH, Weselberg)

9. 2024

   Start of construction of the ethyl acetate plant in Elsteraue

10. 2026/27

    Planned production start for green ethyl acetate in Elsteraue (4th quarter of fiscal year 2026/27)