The collaboration will combine the expertise of both companies to commercialize continuous polymerization of PEF (“PEF cPol Technology”). Avantium and EPC will integrate their respective technologies and processes, together with the solid state polymerization (SSP) of POLYMETRIX AG. The PEF cPol Technology will be included in Avantium’s YXY® Technology license package. EPC will provide engineering, plant construction services and key equipment, including the SSP equipment from POLYMETRIX, to Avantium’s future licensees.
Avantium has developed its proprietary YXY® Technology to produce FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), the essential component for the fully plant-based and circular polymer PEF (polyethylene furanoate). PEF is branded by Avantium as releaf®. Avantium is currently in the process of starting up the world’s first commercial FDCA plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. This FDCA Flagship Plant will play a crucial role in Avantium's commercialization and licensing strategy. The commercial FDCA plant allows Avantium to sell FDCA and releaf® directly to offtake partners, while also offering technology licenses at full scale to industrial partners worldwide. Under such a technology license, industrial partners can produce FDCA and PEF in large-scale production facilities using Avantium’s proprietary YXY® Technology.
Avantium and EPC Engineering & Technologies already worked together in 2017, when EPC developed a conceptual design for a 25 kilotonnes per annum PEF continuous polymerization plant using melt state polymerization. This conceptual design served as the starting point for the Joint Development Agreement to further scale the polymerization technology to 100 kilotonnes per annum and beyond. POLYMETRIX will contribute with its continuous solid state polymerization know-how. With this collaboration, Avantium is able to extend its YXY® Technology license package to the full continuous PEF production process including performance guarantees at industrial scale, whether greenfield, brownfield or retrofit plant.
