Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits and Braskem Announce Bio-Acetone as a Coproduction Opportunity in Ethanol Facilities
Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits (LBDS) and Braskem announced a bio-acetone coproduction platform for corn-ethanol facilities. LBDS will engineer yeast for fermentation, while Braskem will provide separation technology and handle bio-acetone sales and market development. The companies cite global acetone demand of over 8 million tons per year and say the tech is available to the U.S. ethanol industry after five years of development.
How this was made

The 30-second read
Why it matters
The release positions bio-acetone as a renewable, drop-in substitute for fossil acetone and assigns Braskem responsibility for sales and market development, aiming to create a new coproduct revenue stream for biorefineries while preserving ethanol performance.
Market read
A commercialization step for a renewable acetone coproduct in U.S. ethanol facilities, but the article does not quantify financial impact.
What to watch
Adoption risk at ethanol plants, integration/retrofit costs, and whether “guaranteed demand” is contractually binding and priced competitively versus fossil acetone.
Background
LBDS and Braskem developed and validated a bio-acetone production platform over five years, combining engineered yeast fermentation with Braskem’s separation technology.
Ticker impact
Braskem’s NYSE-listed ADR is the named partner in the bio-acetone coproduction platform announced for U.S. ethanol facilities with LBDS.
Small-to-moderate positive reaction possible, absent disclosed financial metrics.
The release provides qualitative market-demand and technical validation details, but no numbers on volumes, margins, or contract duration.
Market effects
Supports the broader bio-based chemicals theme by linking ethanol fermentation to a drop-in acetone coproduct, potentially improving biorefinery economics.
U.S. ethanol industry is the commercialization target, which could influence demand expectations for renewable acetone supply chains.
Global acetone demand framing (over 8 million tons per year) may reinforce investor interest in renewable chemical substitutes.
Counterpoint
Without disclosed commercial volumes, pricing, or signed offtake agreements, the announcement may not translate into near-term earnings power.
Key entities
- companyLallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits
Provides proprietary yeast/fermentation technology for bio-acetone production during ethanol fermentation.
- companyBraskem
Provides bolt-on bio-acetone recovery technology and will handle bio-acetone sales and market development.
- productBio-acetone
Renewable, drop-in acetone substitute for cosmetics, paints/coatings, acrylics, adhesives, and personal care.



