Mater-Biotech is the world’s first dedicated industrial plant for the production of biobutanediol (1,4 BDO) directly from sugars. 1,4 BDO is a chemical intermediate characterized by a very high demand for a wide range of applications (textiles, electronics, automotive, etc.) as well as a building block for the production of bioplastics. Materbiotech plant covers an area of 200,000 sq.m., it has a productive capacity of 30.000 ton/year and is conceived to reuse by-products for its own energy purpose, optimizing the whole life-cycle process. Mater-Biotech hosts a high-efficiency cogeneration plant and a biodigester to degrade by-products and convert them into an energy source, specifically biogas, which is subsequently certified as “advanced” biomethane, " because it is produced with low emissions of greenhouse gases and fed into the grid. Mater-Biotech production activity issupported by research laboratories specialized in upstream and downstream biotechnological processes.