Biorefining processes raw and residual materials from agriculture into biofuels, biomethane and bio-based chemicals.
Verbio SE
Zörbig · Leipzig · Bitterfeld-Wolfen · Schwedt/Oder · Pinnow · Szczecin · Punjab · Nevada, Iowa · South Bend, Indiana · Welland, Ontario · Budapest/GödöllőNew on Amplifa
About Verbio
Verbio SE, headquartered in Zörbig (Saxony-Anhalt), is a bioeconomy company that processes raw and residual materials from regional agriculture in its own biorefineries into biodiesel, bioethanol and biomethane (BioCNG/BioLNG) as well as bio-based chemicals. Feedstocks used include rapeseed, canola and soybean oil, rye, wheat, triticale, corn, corn stover and straw. Biodiesel production yields glycerin and phytosterols for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food; digestate is used to produce animal feed, plant proteins and fertilizers. Energy generation is around 11.9 TWh per year, with a CO2 handprint of 5.5 million tonnes. Sites are located in Germany, India, the USA, Canada, Poland and Hungary; administration and executive management are based in Leipzig. Since 2006 the company has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker VBK).
- Site
- Zörbig (registered office), administration: Leipzig
- Processes
- Biodiesel production (transesterification), Bioethanol production, Biomethane production (BioCNG/BioLNG) from straw, Production of bio-based chemicals (renewable molecules), Production of metathesis catalysts (XiMo), Extraction of glycerin and phytosterols from rapeseed oil, Extraction of plant proteins from digestate/mash, Humus fertilizer and fertilizer production
- Materials
- Rapeseed oil, Canola oil, Soybean oil, Rye, Wheat, Triticale, Corn, Corn stover
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001
- Industries
- Mobility/Biofuels, Chemical industry, Cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, Animal nutrition, Food, Agriculture
- 01
Procurement of regional raw and residual materials (grain, oils, straw)
- 02
Biorefinery processing (transesterification, fermentation, digestion)
- 03
Fuel and chemical production
- 04
Extraction of co-products (glycerin, phytosterols, proteins, fertilizers)
- 05
Return of fertilizers and animal feed to agriculture
Raw Materials and Processes
Rapeseed oil
Basis for biodiesel as well as glycerin and phytosterols for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food.
Canola oil
Feedstock for biodiesel production at the Welland site (Canada).
Soybean oil
Feedstock for biodiesel production at the Welland site (Canada).
Rye, wheat, triticale
Used in bioethanol production.
Corn and corn stover
Used in the combined bioethanol-biomethane biorefinery in Nevada (USA).
Rice straw/straw
Basis for biomethane (BioCNG) and humus fertilizer; 100,000 t/year are processed in Punjab.
Metathesis catalysts
Catalysts from XiMo for the production of renewable chemicals, polymers and other applications.
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biodiesel production (transesterification)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Rapeseed oil, Canola oil, Soybean oil |
| Bioethanol productionEngineering | – | – | – | – | Corn, Corn stover, Rye, Wheat, Triticale |
| Biomethane production (BioCNG/BioLNG) from strawEngineering | – | – | – | 100,000 tonnes of straw/year (Punjab) | Rice straw, Straw, Corn stover, Vinasse |
| Production of bio-based chemicals (renewable molecules)Engineering | – | – | 60,000 tonnes per year (Bitterfeld) | – | sustainable biomass |
| Production of metathesis catalysts (XiMo)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Extraction of glycerin and phytosterols from rapeseed oilEngineering | – | – | – | – | Rapeseed oil |
| Extraction of plant proteins from digestate/mashEngineering | – | – | – | – | Digestate, protein-rich mash |
| Humus fertilizer and fertilizer productionEngineering | – | – | – | – | Digestate, organic residual materials |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transesterification plant (biodiesel) | – | – | – | 2000 | Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany |
| Bioethanol plant | – | – | – | 2004 | Zörbig, Germany |
| Biogas plant | – | – | – | 2009/2010 | Zörbig and Schwedt, Germany |
| Biorefinery (combined bioethanol-biomethane plant) | – | – | – | 2021/2024 | Nevada, Iowa, USA |
| Biorefinery (biomethane from straw) | – | – | – | 2022 | Punjab, India |
| Biodiesel plant | – | – | – | – | Welland, Ontario, Canada |
| Ethanol plant | – | – | – | – | South Bend, Indiana, USA |
| Production plant for bio-based chemicals | – | – | – | 2026 (gepl | Bitterfeld, Germany |
| Production plant for metathesis catalysts | – | – | – | 2026 (gepl | Gödöllő, Hungary |
Quality and Sustainability
Verbio relies on sustainable raw materials, resource-conserving production and closed material cycles with the return of fertilizers and animal feed to agriculture.
| Evidence | Zörbig |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 |
History
- 1990
Claus Sauter takes over the management of the agricultural trading company Alois Sauter Landesprodukten-Großhandlung.
- 1995
First biodiesel production.
- 2000
Construction of a transesterification plant in Bitterfeld.
- 2004
Commissioning of the Zörbig bioethanol plant.
- 2006
Merger of the Sauter group companies into Verbio Vereinigte Bioenergie AG; IPO on 16.10.2006.
- 2009/2010
Construction and commissioning of biogas plants in Zörbig and Schwedt.
- 2010
Formal acquisition of Märka GmbH.
- 2011
Launch of a pilot project for straw processing for biogas production.
- 2018
Acquisition of XiMo (metathesis catalysts).
- 2019
Acquisition of the Welland biodiesel plant (Canada).
- 2021
Start of biomethane production from corn stover in Nevada, Iowa (USA).
- 2022
First BioCNG volumes from rice straw in Punjab (India).
- 2023
Acquisition of the South Bend ethanol plant; conversion into Verbio SE.
- 2024
Commissioning of the combined bioethanol-biomethane production, Nevada Phase II.
- 2026
Start of industrial production of renewable chemicals in Bitterfeld; planned commissioning of the Gödöllő catalyst plant.