Cristal Union asserts its leading position in specialty alcohols in Europe, with ever more specialized products

Cristal Union produces 6 million hectoliters of agricultural alcohol per year, in addition to its sugar activities. Half of the alcohol produced is classed “specialty”. Its uses are highly varied: perfumes, cosmetics, spirits, detergents and even pharmaceuticals.
  • Cristal Union produces 6 million hectoliters of agricultural alcohol per year, in addition to its sugar activities.
    • Half of the alcohol produced is classed “specialty”. Its uses are highly varied: perfumes, cosmetics, spirits, detergents and even pharmaceuticals.
    • The other half of the alcohol produced is used in the production of bioethanol, which is used as fuel.
  • As leader in specialty alcohols in Europe, Cristal Union is able to offer its customers over 400 product lines in custom-manufactured alcohols!
  • At its Dislaub site, Cristal Union is also developing operations in regeneration of residual alcohols, supporting a circular economy approach.

A rich and constantly-evolving range of alcohols

By combining expertise in various fields and various procedures, Cristal Union, via its commercial arm Cristalco, has been developing a full range of rectified alcohols for several years, derived from the fermentation and distillation of agricultural raw materials such as sugar beet, wheat, and wine substrates.

In total, no less than 400 product lines in specialty alcohols are produced by the Group, broken down across 3 major families to answer 3 major types of requirements:

The superfine alcohol marketed by Cristal Union is particularly sought-after, because its odor is perfectly neutral. The state-of-the-art technology, developed in the Group’s distilleries, enables it to achieve a very high quality level by the filtration of all the impurities that arise in the distillation process. This alcohol is also very stable over time and is guaranteed natura, as certified by various ecolabels.

 

Ernst Van Der Linden Alcohol Marketing Director at Cristalco

Demand for natural and sustainable high-quality specialty agricultural alcohols is growing fast. As a leader in specialty alcohols in Europe, Cristal Union is pursuing its development in this segment with an adapted and differentiated offer to respond to the increasingly specific requirements of its customers. The bonds of trust built up with players at the very highest level in sectors such as fine perfumery and spirits empower the launch of innovative concepts to accompany the strong growth in the product range, in the context of exclusive partnerships. 

A modern and agile industrial tool

Customized manufacture of 400 different specialty alcohols demands major expertise and state-of-the-art techniques. With a sustained strong investment strategy for over 10 years, Cristal Union today offers four production sites with complementary expertise:

Focus on the production of regenerated alcohol at Dislaub:

The trend is towards recycling, and the Dislaub distillery has fully grasped this.  The site recovers products from its customers that are not suitable for sale (alcohols and solvents), purifies them and renews them. It’s a tailored service known as “travail à façon” (“custom work”). In effect, the distillery processes waste from its customers and regenerates it through distillation to make it reusable. This type of service applies to various sectors such as chemicals, the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, and also the paint and varnish sector.

Xavier Astolfi General Manager of Cristal Union

We are pursuing our investments over the coming years, in order to increase the performance of our distilleries. This positive dynamic of the Group contributes to the influence of the French and European industry. It also ensures production of a key resource on national territory. 

The figures to bear in mind