Avantium has inaugurated its plant-based MEG (mono-ethylene glycol) demonstration factory in Chemie Park Delfzijl, the Netherlands, bringing industry yet another solution to reduce the reliance on fossil resources.
Plant-based MEG: Ray Technology™
The opening ceremonies was hosted by Nienke Homan, regional minister of the province of Groningen, the Netherlands and Avantium CEO Tom van Aken. Avantium additionally announces the naming of this innovative technology to produce plant-based MEG: Ray Technology
™ - A Bright Step to The Future.
The Ray Technology
™ demonstration plant with an industrially relevant capacity of 10 tons annually will also produce plant-based MPG (mono-propylene glycol) which is used in a diverse set of industries such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food flavoring, and deicing.
To Commercialize Advanced Technologies
“
Avantium is proud to be the first company in the world to have brought three technologies to demonstration stage – our YXY® Technology, Dawn Technology™ and now our Ray Technology™. It truly demonstrates our ability to scale up and commercialize advanced technologies in the renewable polyester value chain,” said Tom van Aken, Avantium CEO.
Today, 99 percent of MEG is produced from fossil resources representing a value of approximately USD 25 billion. This market is expected to rapidly grow in the coming decades, providing a great opportunity for the introduction of plant-based MEG as part of the transition to a more renewable world. In addition to its sustainability advantages, the production of plant-based MEG with Ray Technology
™ is cost competitive to fossil-based MEG.
The end-to-end plant-based Ray Technology
™ demonstration plant will cover all process steps in converting industrial sugars to glycols, allowing to produce MEG and MPG samples that are representative of the final product from subsequent commercial-scale plants.
“
The opening of this demonstration plant signifies years of research and trials to achieve a significant step towards a commercial flagship plant, aimed for start-up in 2024. Commercial conversations are already ongoing with partners who see an economic opportunity with Ray Technology™,” commented Managing Director of Avantium Renewable Chemistries.
Source: Avantium