Biomass-balanced REDcert² certification for DMS and DME

There is increasing demand from the chemical industry and the consumer goods industry in particular for products in which fossil raw materials (crude oil, natural gas, coal, etc.) are demonstrably replaced by renewable raw materials (biomass) in the manufacturing process. In Frankfurt, we produce DME and DMS from methanol, one of the world’s most widely produced organic chemicals. Methanol production is usually based either on natural gas or on the gasification of coal (gray methanol). In our production, however, we replace part of this gray methanol with biomethanol (green methanol), which is obtained from sustainable biomass sources (e.g. from the fermentation of biowaste). Thanks to REDcert² certification, we have now received independent confirmation that our production processes are sustainable material flows and that our products are based 100% on natural raw materials by means of a biomass balance approach and proof of origin. What does biomass balancing mean for chemical products? Mass balancing is already used today in many product areas (green electricity, biofuels, fair trade chocolate or in sustainable forestry). The mass balance principle works in a similar way to green electricity. Consumers buy 100% green electricity from their electricity provider. However, a mixed product from conventional and sustainable energy sources comes out of the socket. The electricity provider therefore buys a quota of electricity generated from fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, etc.) and a quota of renewable electricity with guarantees of origin from wind, solar or hydropower plants, for example, or produces these quotas itself. Mass balancing allows the electricity provider to market the renewable share of the electricity volume purely mathematically as pure green electricity. We proceed in the same way with our biomass as a source material – the biomethanol share of the raw materials is mathematically allocated exactly to one part of the end products DMS and DME. When certifying these products, the auditors attach great importance to the proof of origin of the raw materials and the audit of the books. If a REDcert² audit reveals that a supplier sells more organic product than is mathematically possible with the amount of biomass purchased, not only would the certificate be withdrawn, but this would also be interpreted as fraud under criminal law. Certificate DMS Certificate DME