15. Jan 2018

Synvina to extend PEF pilot phase

Synvina to extend PEF pilot phase

Synvina, the joint venture between Avantium N.V. and BASF established to produce and market furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and to market polyethylenefuranoate (PEF) announced today that, following a broad feasibility assessment, the company would not yet be scaling up to commercial production just yet.

bThe decision to extend the pilot phase was made in order to optimize future commercial-scale production of FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) in the Reference Plant the company plans to build in Antwerp. FDCA is a 100% bio-based monomer and the essential chemical building block for the production of the polymer PEF (polyethylenefuranoate). PEF is a polyester based on FDCA and bio-MEG (ethylene-glycol).

The assessment, which looked at product performance, market appetite and technical process, confirmed that product performance and customer demand are strong. In the technical process evaluation, Synvina identified some steps that require improvement. It recommends undertaking additional development work on these steps, to ensure the most efficient process and best product for current and future customers. As a result, Synvina intends to extend the pilot phase, which will in turn extend the timeline to start up the Reference Plant by 24 to 36 months.

“The confidence of Avantium, BASF and Synvina in the product performance and its market potential has only increased since Synvina was founded. Encountering technical challenges is not uncommon in innovative, ground-breaking technologies of this kind. Synvina is working closely with BASF and Avantium to resolve these challenges. We are all confident that this will result in a production process that runs smoothly and reliably, and a product that is as pure as the market demands. We believe the Reference Plant will be operational in the 2023-2024 timeframe,” says Avantium CEO Tom van Aken.

Synvina was established in October 2016 with the intent to build and operate the Reference Plant. Worldwide, this will be the first commercial-scale plant to produce FDCA. Synvina currently produces FDCA at pilot plant scale in order to further research on the applications and to sample selected customers. Synvina aims to become the market leader in the production and marketing of FDCA as well as the marketing of PEF.

https://www.synvina.com

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