Succinic acid: DSM and Roquette join forces.

 The Dutch chemical group, DSM, has announced the creation of a joint venture with the French company, Roquette Frères, the world leader in polyols and ranking fourth in starch derivative production, to develop "bio"-succinic acid using a fermentation process based on renewable raw materials.

Succinic acid, or butanedioic acid, is a derivative of oil and natural gas used in pharmaceuticals, the food industry and to manufacture high-performance polymers […]

The aims of DSM's and Roquette's joint project are to produce a succinic acid "with a considerably lower price than that of the product obtained by chemical and petrochemical means, which would also be used for a broader range of applications", explained Christophe Rupp Dalhem, director of the vegetal-based chemistry program at Roquette. […]