Avantium announces new flagship renewable polymers plant

Dutch renewable chemical company Avantium has announced its decision to build its Renewable Polymers subsidiary flagship plant in Chemie Park Delfzijl in the Netherlands' Groningen province.

The 5-kilotonne facility will produce plant-based furandicarboxylic acid, better known as FDCA - an important building block for a variety of plastics and chemicals. 

The plant, which is being financed to the tune of €30-million by a Regional Consortium comprised of investment groups and local authorities, is scheduled to be completed in 2023. All parties have expressed a belief that "the new plant will be an important step in helping transition the chemicals industry away from fossil resources and towards sustainable feedstocks."

The new FDCA flagship plant will be located near Avantium’s demonstration plant for plant-based MEG (mono-ethylene glycol), and its pilot biorefinery, producing glucose and lignin from non-food biomass.

“Avantium and Groningen share an ambition to support the transition to a circular economy,” said Nienke Homan, Regional Minister of the Province of Groningen, a member of the Regional Consortium helping to fund the project.

“Along with the increased innovation the flagship plant will bring to the region, the Avantium plant will create over 60 highly skilled jobs and provides significant indirect employment opportunities. Avantium’s decision to build its plant at Delfzijl is a testament to the strong ecosystem that the region provides for green chemistry,” she continued.

According to Cas König, CEO of Groningen Seaports, another member of the Consortium “Avantium’s business fits perfectly into our Chemport Europe ecosystem where we work together on a shared ambition: changing the nature of chemistry. It is our, goal to achieve a fully sustainable chemical industry by 2050.”

Avantium CEO, Tom van Aken said: “Groningen Seaports offers us an excellent location with the right infrastructure. The Province of Groningen is at the forefront of green chemistry development and has an exceptional reputation in investing in technologies for a sustainable future."

Speaking with reference to the project's funding, van Aken said: "We are on track to attract the funding for the FDCA flagship plant, which we aim to have in place before the end of 2020. We are now focused on progressing our discussions with potential strategic partners.”

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