AustroCel is one of Europe’s most advanced integrated biorefineries, utilising up to 98% of the applied industrial wood residues and developing customised high-performance specialty products across three business sectors.
Every product is sustainable, biodegradable and carbon-reduced.
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Our Bioperformance products set new standards for a sustainable and innovative industry.
We supply essential solutions for pharmaceuticals, food, construction and textiles - from nitrocellulose ethers and casings to hydrogels for agriculture. Sustainable, powerful and amazingly versatile.
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To meet the rapidly growing demand, we supply next-gen green chemicals and bioethanol for low-CO₂ transportation fuels and green chemistry applications.
Our biogenic gas and energy also supply power generation, heating and fuels - for a clean, green future.
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We provide premium pulp for value-adding textile applications such as fireretardant fabrics and modal that meet the highest standards of sustainability and performance.
Our vision of sustainability begins where others reach their limits. We transform industrial wood residues into valuable, sustainable materials and drive forward the circular economy. What was once waste becomes a resource for a better tomorrow.
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Cellulose is a starting product in many everyday products. This ranges from the food and cosmetics industries to the cement industry.
AustroCel Hallein focuses on cellulose specialties that are suitable for the production of nitrocellulose, cellulose ethers, microcrystalline cellulose, sausage casings and other special applications. AustroCel Hallein works closely with the respective customers in the development of specialty grades in order to propose the appropriate solutions for dedicated markets.
Hydrogel is a water-absorbing polymer that can store large amounts of liquid and release it very slowly. It is used in agriculture to maintain soil moisture. Unlike petrochemical products, our hydrogel is fully biodegradable, a true bio-solution that performs when nature needs it.
Strong relationship with our customers based on solutions, proposal, long-term relationship and trust enables AustroCel to develop a tailor-made product range. Our viscosity- and purity-focused celluloses play a key role in improving the product functionality, regulatory compliance and consistent quality of our customers' products.
AustroCel Hallein is focused on the development of specialty cellulose tailored for various applications, including, among others, nitrocellulose, cellulose ethers, microcrystalline cellulose and sausage casings. By closely collaborating with customers, AustroCel optimises its portfolio for relevant applications and co-develops to meet industry requirements.
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To produce this sustainable and environmentally friendly resource, wood sugar is extracted from residues from pulp production. Fermentation and distillation produce Bioethanol 2G that replaces fossil petrol and saves around 35,700 tons of CO₂ every year – in Austria, this saves about 0,6% of the fossil fuel petrol.
As the largest wood-based materials plant of its kind in the world, the plant produces up to 30 million liters of bioethanol per year.
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AustroCel Hallein produces Bioethanol from wood residues, making it one of the most environmentally friendly biofuels available. Unlike conventional biofuels, it is not derived from food or feed crops, but from wood sugar – a byproduct of pulp production.
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The HYDI project to produce renewable e-fuel – methanol made from renewable hydrogen and biogenic carbon dioxide – marks the next step in creating value from biogenic residual streams. It further enhances both the production of future-oriented transport fuels and the cascading use of biomass as a renewable raw material.
Developed jointly with VERBUND Green Hydrogen GmbH, the HYDI project strengthens the Hallein site as a globally unique platform for producing energy carriers based on biogenic carbon. Together with bioethanol and biomethane, renewable methanol demonstrates the potential to create value from previously unused by-products and residual streams on an industrial scale.
By integrating these technologies within a single biorefinery, AustroCel showcases how biogenic carbon can be used efficiently to support the transition towards lower-fossil transport and energy systems, while creating innovative, renewable products with international relevance.
"While Biofuels are still being discussed in many places and production is often considered unprofitable, we at AustroCel are already one step ahead. We are showing that production of advanced bioethanol is feasible and profitable."
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In addition to self-supply, AustroCel Hallein feeds sustainable electricity and district heating into the public grid. Since 2016, biogas has been produced from filtrates from pulp production and further processed in a combined heat and power plant. This makes the plant one of the largest bioenergy producers in Austria and supplies 28,000 households with green electricity and 13,000 households with district heating – an important step towards a sustainable energy future.
The demand for high-quality biomaterials in textiles is growing as industries seek sustainable yet high-performance solutions.
Standard fibers no longer meet the increasing requirements for durability, functionality, and environmental responsibility. High-quality biomaterials are driving the next generation of textiles.
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With its long fibres and high purity, AustroCel Hallein's cellulose is an ideal raw material for the textile fibre industry. AustroCel Hallein sees itself not only as a supplier of pulp, but also supports customers in optimising their manufacturing processes and is available with its expertise in sustainable and resource-saving processes.
AustroCel Textile cellulose stands for consistent quality and customer service. In a short space of time, AustroCel Hallein has become the quality leader for viscose softwood pulp on the Chinese market. The range of textile pulps includes qualities for the production of viscose fibres and viscose yarns as well as filament modal fibres.
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