Green news: Avantium starts up part of FDCA plant; Versalis/Veritas tie-up to recycle EPS waste in Italy

Dutch materials producer Avantium NV has announced the start-up of the sugar dehydration (SDH) unit and all auxiliary systems and utilities at its flagship FDCA plant in Delfzijl. This achievement, it adds, marks a key technical achievement in the phased commissioning and start-up of what it says is the world’s first commercial facility dedicated to the production of FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), a key building block for the 100% plant-based and recyclable polymer PEF (polyethylene furanoate), branded as releaf.

Avantium now expects to begin commercial sales under its existing offtake agreements in the first quarter of 2026.

The plant, located at Chemie Park Delfzijl, is said to be the first of its kind and is designed to produce up to 5 kilotonnes of FDCA per year. Construction was completed in October 2024, and Avantium has been gradually commissioning and starting up different parts of the facility.

The SDH unit is the largest part of the plant and plays a crucial role by converting plant sugars into methoxymethyl furfural (MMF), an important intermediate in the FDCA production process. MMF is now successfully being produced in the SDH unit. The successful start-up of the SDH follows the plant’s utility and auxiliary systems, such as the tank farm and steam systems, which were put into operation earlier this year.

With the SDH unit now operational, the next steps include the finalisation of commissioning and sequential start-up of the remaining units that handle oxidation and purification. Avantium says it has identified quality issues in the piping and certain electrical components. These will be repaired or replaced to ensure a safe and reliable start-up of the remaining units.

The FDCA produced at the plant will be polymerised by tolling partner Selenis, using biobased mono-ethylene glycol (MEG), to create PEF. Following performance testing and regulatory validation for food contact applications, Avantium now expects to begin commercial sales under existing offtake agreements in the first quarter of 2026, with plans to reach full production capacity within 24 months.

In other news, Versalis, Eni’s chemical company, and Veritas, one of Italy’s largest multi-utilities operating in the Metropolitan City of Venice and in parts of the Province of Treviso, have tied up to promote the circular economy, with a particular focus on developing joint initiatives to valorise post-consumer and post-industrial plastics.

The first step will focus on recycling expanded polystyrene (EPS) waste, such as boxes used in the fishing sector, which will be processed at the new Versalis plant in Porto Marghera, operational since March 2025.

At full capacity, the facility will be able to produce up to 20,000 tonnes/year of crystal polystyrene (r-GPPS) and expandable polystyrene (r-EPS) from secondary raw materials derived from post-consumer EPS waste.

The Porto Marghera plant represents the first step in the conversion of the Venice petrochemical site and is part of the broader transformation and relaunch plan for Versalis, signed at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy.

The two companies will work together to analyse and select waste streams and secondary raw materials from Veritas’s facilities in order to assess their suitability for Versalis’s recycling processes.

In Fusina, within Porto Marghera’s industrial area, Veritas manages through its subsidiaries the waste Ecodistretto. This integrated waste treatment hub is a tangible example of industrial synergy, where closely located treatment plants work together to reduce energy consumption and cut emissions. The agreement aims to develop a local integrated industrial supply chain for producing high-quality recycled plastics, supported by new investments.

“To achieve effective recycling of urban waste, we need both the active participation of citizens in proper waste separation, as well as sorting and recycling facilities capable of turning waste back into raw material. This agreement transforms those requirements into concrete actions, with a positive environmental impact on the City of Venice and the metropolitan area,” said Andrea Razzini, General Manager of Veritas.

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