In the world’s first commercial plant, Avantium will produce 5 kilotons of FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) per annum, the essential building block for 100% plant-based and circular plastic PEF (polyethylene furanoate), known under the brand name Releaf.
According to Tom van Aken, CEO of Avantium, Releaf will transform the plastics industry. It is a revolutionary material that offers a viable alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics, with versatile applications including bottles, packaging, films and textiles.
The grand opening event, held adjacent to the FDCA plant, was attended by approximately 300 guests from the Netherlands and abroad. The program commenced with speeches from Avantium CEO Tom van Aken, John Bell, the ‘Healthy Planet’ Director of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and the Dutch Minister of Climate and Green Growth Sophie Hermans.
She presented the royal decoration ‘Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion’ to Avantium’s Chief Technology Officer prof. dr. Gert-Jan Grüter, recognising his exceptional contributions to sustainable chemistry and his commitment to innovation and societal impact.
After the opening ceremony and a tour of the facility, Queen Máxima engaged in conversations with stakeholders of Avantium, about the market for Releaf, circularity and the transition from fossil resources to biobased feedstock.
PEFerence
The flagship plant in Delfzijl received funding from the public-private partnership of the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) with the European Commission (BBI JU, predecessor of the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking CBE JU).
BIC member Avantium is also leading the PEFerence consortium, a five-year European project to establish an innovative supply chain for FDCA and PEF. Other partners include nova-Institut, Worley, Henkel, Kebony, Spinverse, Tereos, the LEGO Group, Kronenbourg Brewery and Carlsberg Group.
For more information see the Avantium and PEFerence websites.
Images: R. Zeemering/Avantium
