About Johan Sanders and Sanovations

Sanovations started in 2001, as a consultancy for companies moving into biotechnology and the biobased economy, which was then still a new field. The first client was AVEBE, before Johan Sanders moved on to Wageningen University and Research.

During his professorship there, he co-founded two start-ups: Grassa, developing small-scale grass biorefinery, and Zeafuels, producing ethanol from corn and biogas from the residues. Zeafuels later became Byosis, after regulation phased out small-scale ethanol production, and shifted its focus to stripping ammonia from biogas fermenters. In 2021, after proving the technology at scale internationally, Byosis was sold to Nijhuis Solutions.

After retiring from Wageningen University as full professor of Biobased Commodity Chemicals and Valorisation of Plant Production Chains, Sanders expanded Sanovations' work in the Netherlands: first to support the biobased economy, and later to help tackle the country's nitrogen problem.

OUR TEAM

Johan Sanders

Johan P.M. Sanders received his PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Amsterdam in 1978. He became the first industrial genetic engineer in the Netherlands in 1977, at Gist-Brocades (now part of DSM). The company's first industrial enzyme, alpha-amylase, reached the market in 1983 after FDA approval. Phytase, now the second best-selling enzyme after laundry protease, followed from 1984, alongside a protein-engineering project with PGS in Ghent that improved half of Gist-Brocades' enzyme portfolio within ten years.

In 1993, Sanders became research director at AVEBE in Groningen, the world's largest potato starch company.

In 2002, he was appointed to a special chair in Valorisation of Plant Production Chains, focused on replacing fossil-based products with renewable alternatives, with biorefinery as a way to balance people, planet and profit. The chair became a full professorship in 2007, as the role of the biobased economy in addressing climate change became clear.

From 2014, projects ran first under Food & Biobased Research at Wageningen, and from 2017 onward under Sanovations. Sanovations still occasionally brings in extra people for specific projects.

Farewell speech upon retiring as Professor of Biobased Commodity Chemicals at Wageningen University on 23 January 2014

Evert ten Cate

Evert ten Cate is a researcher at Sanovations with a master’s degree in Food Technology from Wageningen University, specialising in biotechnology.

His experience includes fermentation research, process optimisation and scaling up biological processes from laboratory to pilot scale.

His work at Sanovations focuses on biological manure acidification and nutrient recovery, aiming to reduce nitrogen emissions and make better use of manure.

He combines an analytical mindset with hands-on experimentation to develop practical solutions.

Outside of work, he enjoys rowing, good food and working on cars.

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