Crude oil plays an important role in the chemical industry, as it is required for the production of cosmetics, paints and plastics, among other things. The industry's demand is correspondingly high. As a result, the chemical industry relies heavily on fossil raw materials. An NRW start-up now wants to change this: Simplyfined, based in Dortmund, has developed a new chemical process that uses natural oils such as sunflower oil for industrial use as an alternative to crude oil.
The advantage is that the product does not contain any fossil components. This significantly reduces the current high demand for crude oil. Additionally, the process is suitable for all known oil plants, meaning different plants can be used depending on the location.
There is high demand from industry: various chemical companies are currently testing samples from the team led by Maximilian Spiekermann, founder of Simplyfined, in their laboratories for the production of different products. Founded in 2024, the company is currently based at TU Dortmund University. Simplyfined plans to expand its team and operate a larger facility in a chemical park within five years to meet growing industrial demand.