Avantium expands FDCA Pilot Plant with new polymerization pilot plant
Amsterdam, 3 September 2024 – Avantium, a leading company in renewable and circular polymer materials, announces the expansion of its FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) pilot plant in Geleen, The Netherlands, with the addition of a Polymerization Pilot Plant. This new facility is dedicated to polymerize the monomer FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) into the 100% plant-based and fully recyclable PEF (polyethylene furanoate) for technology and innovation purposes.
The Polymerization Pilot Plant has been engineered and constructed since 2022 and is now fully operational. This expansion of the pilot plant has been realized to further develop the YXY technology and applications, including recycling. The Polymerization Pilot Plant’s scope includes the polymerization of PEF and other polyesters. The facility is equipped to handle Melt Polymerization of approximately 50kg batches and Solid State Polymerization of 150kg batches. This scale of operation allows Avantium to inhouse test and enhance polymerization technology for a wide range of applications made from PEF, from packaging to textiles, thereby supporting the start-up of its FDCA Flagship Plant in Delfzijl. It also enables the Company to actively file new patent applications to protect its leading FDCA/PEF position in order to support its technology licensing strategy.
This expansion has been made possible with a grant from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO - Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland) as part of the Demonstration Energy and Climate Innovation (DEI+) scheme. “We are pleased to open our Polymerization Pilot Plant, which represents a major step forward in our mission to create a circular economy through innovative, plant-based polymer materials,” said Tom van Aken, CEO at Avantium. “This facility will enable us to further develop and commercialize our FDCA / PEF technology, providing a sustainable, high-performance alternative to conventional fossil-based plastics.”
About Avantium
Avantium is a pioneering commercial-stage company focused on renewable & circular polymer materials. Avantium develops and commercialises innovative technologies for the production of materials based on sustainable carbon feedstocks, i.e. carbon from biomass or carbon from the air (CO2). The most advanced technology is the YXY® Technology that catalytically converts plant-based sugars into FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), the key building block for the sustainable plastic PEF (polyethylene furanoate). Avantium has successfully demonstrated the YXY® Technology at its pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands, and is currently constructing of the world's first commercial plant for FDCA. The official opening ceremony for the FDCA Flagship Plant is set on 22 October 2024. Avantium also provides R&D solutions in the field of sustainable chemistry and is the leading provider of advanced catalyst testing technology and services to accelerate catalyst R&D. Avantium works in partnership with like-minded companies around the globe to create revolutionary renewable chemistry solutions from invention to commercial scale.
Avantium’s shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Brussels (symbol: AVTX). Avantium is incorporated in the Euronext Amsterdam SmallCap Index (AScX). Its offices and headquarters are in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information:
Caroline van Reedt Dortland, Director Communications
+31-20-5860110 / +31-613400179
mediarelations@avantium.com
