Avantium Begins Construction of Bio-MEG Plant in Netherlands
- The plant is part of a €15-20 million investment and will be operational in 2019.
- The European Innovation Council invested €146 million in top-class innovators.
- The plant will use Mekong technology to convert renewable sugars into bio-MEG.
- The biorefinery pilot plant for Zambezi technology is located in Delfzijl, Netherlands.
Introduction
Avantium N.V. has commenced construction of a demonstration plant in the Netherlands to produce bio-based mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) from renewable sugars. This development aims to provide an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil-based MEG, which is widely used in consumer goods like PET and PEF plastics and polyester textiles.
Investment and Technology
The plant is part of a €15-20 million investment in Avantium's advanced technologies and will be operational in 2019, employing up to 20 people. It will utilize Avantium’s Mekong technology to convert renewable sugars into bio-MEG, a process designed to meet the growing market demand sustainably.
European Innovation Council Support
The European Innovation Council has selected the Mekong technology for its €146 million investment in top-class innovators, entrepreneurs, small companies, and scientists. This selection underscores the potential of Avantium's technology to scale up internationally.
Objectives and Future Plans
The demonstration plant aims to scale up the novel bio-MEG technology, validate its technical and economic feasibility, and collect data for an environmental life-cycle analysis (LCA) to quantify sustainability benefits. Avantium is also exploring partnership opportunities for global commercialization of this technology.
Additional Developments
In parallel, Avantium is nearing completion of a biorefinery pilot plant for its Zambezi technology in Delfzijl, Netherlands. This biorefinery will produce high-purity glucose and lignin from non-food biomass, further contributing to Avantium's portfolio of sustainable technologies.