Wilmar International and Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. has agreed to form a joint venture to construct a biorefinery.

The joint venture will use Elevance’s proprietary biorefinery technology to produce chemicals, advanced biofuels and oleochemicals.

Elevance says demand exists for these products in surfactants, antimicrobials, lubricants, renewable biodiesel and green jet fuels.

This commercial-scale manufacturing facility will begin with a capacity of 180 kilotonnes with the ability to expand up to 360 kilotonnes of products. The facility will be located within Wilmar’s new integrated manufacturing complex now under construction in Surabaya, Indonesia.

The new plant is expected to come online in 2011, and like all facilities based on Elevance’s biorefinery technology, it will be capable of operating using multiple renewable oil feedstocks, such as palm, mustard, soybean, jatropha or waste oils.

Once operational, the bio-refinery will produce green olefins, including a unique distribution of alpha and internal olefins for chemicals and advanced fuels; novel multifunctional esters and acids, including 9-decenoic acid, as well as a premium mixture of oleochemicals and advanced biofuels.