Bio-Succinic Acid

Bio-succinic acid is a direct substitute for petroleum-derived succinic acid. BioAmber is capable of producing it cheaper, at scale, using its proprietary technology platform. For an overview of BioAmber’s bio-succinic acid, read below. To learn more about the markets and applications for BioAmber’s bio-succinic acid, go to the Solutions page.

What Is Succinic Acid?

Succinic acid is a naturally-occurring dicarboxylic acid composed of four carbon atoms. It can be found in plant and animal tissues. The name derives from Latin succinum, meaning amber, from which the acid was traditionally obtained. Succinic acid is used as a flavoring agent for food and beverages, as an intermediate for various industrial chemicals such as dyes, perfumes, lacquers, photographic chemicals and alkyd resins, and in pharmaceuticals. Up until the early 1900’s, succinic acid was used in Europe as a natural antibiotic and general curative.

Our Bio-Succinic Acid Has Earned the USDA BioPreferred® Designation

Biobased products are commercial or industrial products (other than food or feed) composed wholly or in significant part of biological products including renewable agricultural materials (plant, animal, and marine materials) or forestry materials. BioAmber’s bio-succinic acid is 97% biobased, as certified by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Forget Foreign Oil. We Grow Our Feedstocks.

It has been demonstrated that succinic acid can be used as a substitute to maleic acid or maleic anhydride as a feedstock for the production of several large volume chemicals such as 1,4 butanediol (BDO). Until recently, the common method of producing succinic acid was the catalytic hydrogenation of maleic acid or its anhydride, both of which are derived from benzene or butane in an oxidation process. Consequently, succinic acid cost has been relatively high and linked to the cost of petroleum.

Lower Cost. Higher Purity. Greater Impact.

BioAmber has developed a proprietary fermentation and downstream process to produce bio-succinic acid using raw materials from agriculture or forestry, as an alternative to petroleum (oil and gas) feedstocks. The cost of its bio-succinic acid is lower than petro-derived succinic acid, with a higher purity profile. BioAmber’s renewable process also consumes significant quantities of CO₂ and can therefore be an important contributor in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Protected Technology from End to End

BioAmber’s portfolio of intellectual property for succinic acid includes over 40 families of patents, covering the organism itself, the fermentation process, the purification of succinic acid, the transformation of succinic acid into value added derivatives, and the use of succinic and derivatives in specific applications.

First to Market

BioAmber operates the world’s first and only large-scale bio-based succinic acid production facility. The plant, located in France and owned by ARD, is under exclusive use to BioAmber through a toll manufacturing agreement. The plant has been producing bio-succinic acid since 2010 and the high purity, cost competitive bio-succinic acid is available for sale. BioAmber will move production to a global scale North American facility in 2013. The Sarnia, Ontario based plant will offer economies of scale and benefit from lower feedstock and utility costs than France, leading to a significant reduction in the price of BioAmber’s bio-succinic acid.