Green news: Avantium proceeds to commercialisation of PEF production; Evonik advances pyrolysis oil capability with launch of Purocel series

Dutch materials firm Avantium has signed a collaboration with engineering firm EPC Engineering & Technologies GmbH to advance the continuous PEF (polyethylene furanoate) polyester production technology, targeting plant capacities of 100 kilotonnes/year. The collaboration will combine the expertise of both companies to commercialise continuous polymerisation of PEF.

Avantium and EPC will integrate their respective technologies and processes, together with the solid state polymerisation (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, which 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 commercialisation 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/year PEF continuous polymerisation plant using melt state polymerisation.

This conceptual design served as the starting point for the joint development agreement to further scale the polymerisation technology to 100 kilotonnes/year. Polymetrix will contribute with its continuous solid state polymerisation 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.

In other news, German chemical firm Evonik has announced a comprehensive suite of Purocel products and catalysts technologies that improve the quality of pyrolysis oil, driving greater circularity for plastics, It adds.

The series consists of Purocel adsorbents, including 505, 510 and 515, amongst other adsorbents, rejuvenated hydrotreating catalysts and a modular polishing skid (named as Rocket) – expanding the company’s pyrolysis oil capability.

Derived from plastic waste, pyrolysis oil requires upgrading and purification before it can be used as a feedstock in steam crackers or refineries. Evonik’s latest offering allows for the reduction of chlorides, silicon, TAN and other matters.

“The removal of organic chlorides from plastic pyrolysis oil has historically presented a challenging problem for the circular plastic industry. We’re committed to constant innovation at Evonik, which we know is vital to bringing a shared solution closer,” said Nirav Shah, Evonik Catalysts Global Director (EPC/Licensing, Re-refining/Recycling).

Evonik claims that Purocel 505 has demonstrated three times higher chloride removal than conventional organic chloride sorbents and can be used across a variety of pyrolysis oil fractions. Purocel 510 is regenerable, contributing to greater circularity; Purocel 515 assists with the polishing of pyrolysis oil and gas.

Evonik’s wider pyrolysis oil portfolio includes Purocel hydrotreating catalysts for the main catalytic bed: Purocel H100, H200, H300 and H400. These catalysts remove metals and organic chlorides and reduce olefins and aromatics, boasting comparable performance to fresh catalysts. They can be regenerated and reused to support sustainability efforts, while offering cost-saving benefits.

Polishing units for pretreating pyrolysis oil feedstock are also a part of the solution. Skid-mounted, this “Rocket” technology combines a tailored adsorbent with optimised fluid dynamics to improve purification performance. Complete modular skids can be modified to suit customers’ requirements.

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