Catalytic refinement of plant oils into bio-based platform chemicals (OleiX) for the chemical industry.
Simplyfined GmbH
Emil-Figge-Str. 80, 44227 DortmundNew on Amplifa
About Simplyfined
Simplyfined GmbH, based in Dortmund, develops and produces bio-based platform chemicals under the product name OleiX. The core of the value creation is a catalytic process for standardizing plant oils, which for the first time makes multiply unsaturated oils usable for catalytic reactions that were previously only possible with petroleum. The products are available as triglyceride, ester or free fatty acid and are offered in the variants OleiX PR (Premium Ready), OleiX CR (Chemistry Ready) and OleiX IR (Innovation Ready). Fields of application include surfactants, lubricants, polymers and foams, cosmetics, adhesives, inks as well as paints and coatings. In addition to standard products, the company offers contract refinement of customer-specific plant oils. The team of chemical engineers, founded in 2025, operates a fully continuous reactor at the Dortmund site and relies on regional, renewable raw materials.
- Site
- Dortmund
- Processes
- Catalytic process for standardization/refinement of plant oils (OleiX process), Production of bio-based platform chemicals (OleiX PR – Premium ready), Production of bio-based platform chemicals (OleiX CR – Chemistry ready), Production of bio-based platform chemicals (OleiX IR – Innovation ready), Contract refinement of customer-specific plant oils, Refinement of plant oils into bio-based platform chemicals (OleiX: triglyceride, ester, free, Catalytic process for standardizing plant oils
- Materials
- Plant oil (triglyceride), Ester, Free fatty acid, OleiX (bio-based platform chemical), Triglyceride, Free Fatty Acid, OleiX PR (Premium Ready), OleiX CR (Chemistry Ready)
- Founded
- 2025
- Industries
- Chemical industry, Surfactants, Lubricants, Polymers/Foams, Cosmetics, Adhesives
- 01
Raw material: plant oils of regional origin
- 02
Catalytic standardization in the fully continuous reactor
- 03
Refinement into triglyceride, ester or free fatty acid
- 04
Preparation as OleiX PR / CR / IR
- 05
Delivery or contract refinement for customers
Raw Materials & Products
Triglyceride
Standardized triglycerides as a starting basis for downstream chemical processes.
Ester
Plant-oil-based esters for applications such as surfactants and lubricants.
Free Fatty Acid
Free fatty acids as a ready-to-use platform chemical.
OleiX PR (Premium Ready)
Fully refined premium product, ready for direct use.
OleiX CR (Chemistry Ready)
Chemistry-ready variant for entry into further chemical processing.
OleiX IR (Innovation Ready)
Innovation-ready variant for development and new applications.
Site
Dortmund
DESite/office with production facility
- Materials
- Plant oils (triglyceride, ester, free fatty acid)
- Fully continuous reactor (2025)
Product Variants
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalytic process for standardization/refinement of plant oils (OleiX process)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Plant oils, Multiply unsaturated plant oils |
| Production of bio-based platform chemicals (OleiX PR – Premium ready)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Plant oils |
| Production of bio-based platform chemicals (OleiX CR – Chemistry ready)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Plant oils |
| Production of bio-based platform chemicals (OleiX IR – Innovation ready)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Plant oils |
| Contract refinement of customer-specific plant oilsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Plant oils |
1 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fully continuous reactor | – | 1 | – | 2025 | Dortmund |
Additional services
History
- 2021
Started as a doctoral project by Maximilian Spiekermann: development of a catalytic process for standardizing plant oils.
- 2022
Successful laboratory-scale tests and first scaling steps.
- 2024
EXIST research transfer funding of 1.7 Mio. € approved.
- 2025
First fully continuous reactor goes into operation; founding of Simplyfined GmbH.
- 2025
1st place at DemoDay High-Tech.NRW; won the start2grow start-up competition; Jochen Block Prize 2025 awarded to co-founder Thomas Seidensticker.
- 2026
Visit by NRW Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur to the site.