International. Avantium, a provider of renewable chemistry technology, announces that it has received a €0.76 million grant from the EU's Horizon Europe programme for its participation in the Rebiolution research and development programme.
The program aims to design and synthesize biodegradable and bio-based polyester blends based on FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) and other bio-based monomers, for use as a plastic coating for food packaging and mulch films for agricultural applications.
The grant of €0.76 million will be paid in instalments to Avantium over a period of three years.
Avantium has developed the YXY technology that converts plant-based sugars into FDCA, which can be polymerized together with plant-based monoethylene glycol (MEG) into the sustainable plastic PEF (polyethylene furanoate). As a monomer, FDCA provides the opportunity to create a variety of polymers, from polyesters, polyamides and polyurethanes to coating resins, plasticizers and other chemicals.
Avantium is currently building the world's first commercial FDCA facility in Delfzijl, the Netherlands, with a capacity of 5,000 tonnes per year and scheduled to open in 2024. Under the Rebiolution program, Avantium will provide several hundred kilograms of FDCA for the development and production of a biodegradable and compostable polyester blend.
The intention is to use the resulting Rebiolution bioplastic as a plastic coating for food packaging (paper/plastic composites), as an alternative to fossil-based polyethylene (PE). Another intended application for Rebiolution bioplastic is to use it as mulch films for agricultural applications. As such, this new polyester could be an entirely biological alternative to the widely used PBAT (butylenedipathe-co-terephthalate), which is partly of fossil origin.
"The FDCA is a key element in the Rebiolution strategy. The potential of FDCA is based on its plant origin and its structural similarity to the higher-volume chemical PTA (purified terephthalic acid)," said Kai Siegenthaler, Rebiolution project coordinator and responsible for biopolymer research at BASF.
"By reacting FDCA with other bio-based monomers, we aim to produce a 100% bio-based and biodegradable polyester that also meets requirements for processing, shelf life, performance and cost-effectiveness. We strongly believe that the resulting bioplastic can help achieve the challenging circularity targets set by the EU," added Siegenthaler.
"We are delighted to supply FDCA for the Rebiolution project. Avantium's polymerization grade FDCA is not only the key component for the plant-based plastic material PEF, but has many other potential applications in various markets, as demonstrated by this project," said Bas Blom, Director of Avantium Renewable Polymers.
