Avantium Builds 10-Ton Demonstration Plant to Produce Bioplastics

The Dutch bioplastics company Avantium has opened a demonstration plant capable of producing 10 tons per year of mono-ethylene glycol (MEG), a compound used to make plastics, using plants as the starting material. Construction of Avantium’s plant began at Chemie Park Delfzijl, the Netherlands, last year. The plant will extract carbohydrates from agricultural waste and crops such as sugar beet, and then use a chemical process called hydrogenolysis to turn them into MEG, an essential ingredient in textiles and plastic bottles. This plant will model the manufacturing process and allow early troubleshooting. Avantium aims to have a fully commercial plant up and running by 2024. At present, 99% of MEG comes from the petrochemical industry, which generates high greenhouse gas emissions. Avantium aims to reduce society’s reliance on non-renewable fossil fuels by instead producing the material from crops and unwanted plant waste. The company estimates that its technology could reduce carbon emissions by 70% compared with traditional sources of MEG.