A based in Netherlands company creates new plant-based plastic, degradable in just one year.
Avantium in the emerging industry of renewable and sustainable chemistry, is working on new plant-based plastics, made from sustainably grown crops.
The YXY technology helps us produce a wide range of novel 100% bio-based materials and products by converting plant-based sugars (fructose) into plant-based chemicals and plastics, such as polyethylene furanoate (PEF).
We seek to take part in the opportunities of the transition towards a circular economy, with the goal of creating value for our stakeholders and society as a whole. Avantium’s mission is to aid the transition to a fossil-free world by developing groundbreaking products on the basis of renewable feedstock instead of fossil resources. Sustainable alternatives for fossil-based chemicals and materials include plastic bottles for drinks, films for food packaging and electronics, fibers for textiles and even material used in toys.
YXY Technology
Imagine a circular plant-based plastic with high performance properties and endless possibilities for application.
Our YXY Technology catalytically converts plant-based sugar (fructose) into a wide range of plant-based chemicals and plastics, such as polyethylene furanoate (PEF). PEF is a 100% plant-based, 100% recyclable plastic with superior performance properties compared to today’s widely used petroleum-based packaging materials.
PEF
PEF is a 100% plant-based and recyclable polymer with wide range of applications – packaging, textiles, film, and many more. It shows improved barrier properties for carbon dioxide and oxygen, leading to a longer shelf life of packaged products. It also offers higher mechanical strength, which means that thinner PEF packaging can be produced and fewer resources are required. In combination with the plant-based feedstock, that added functionality gives PEF all the attributes required to become the next-generation polyester, superior to the conventional PET.
FDCA
The main building block for PEF is furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). Given the huge potential of FDCA, industrial production of this building block has been pursued and researched for over 100 years, without success. As such, FDCA has been called ‘the sleeping giant’.
Avantium believes that its YXY Technology can finally unlock the full potential of FDCA. The FDCA monomer offers exciting opportunities to create a wide range of polymers. These include polyesters, polyamides and polyurethanes as well as coating resins, plasticizers and other chemical products.
source Avantium
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