Origin Materials and Avantium are teaming up
Sustainable chemical startup, Origin Materials, is planning to license parts of Avantium’s sugar-to-2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) technology for its upcoming site.
A little background. Origin developed a process that converts dry wood residues into chloromethyl furfural (CMF), hydrothermal carbon (HTC), levulinic acid, and furfural. CMF is where most of the action begins: it can be used as a platform chemical for several different polymers, but polyethylene furanoate (PEF) is of primary interest here. That’s because PEF is made via the polycondensation of ethylene glycol (MEG) and FDCA — and it’s Avantium’s way of making FDCA that was of interest to Origin.
Okay, so how do they do it? Avantium’s process starts with the dehydration of fructose in an alcohol, which makes an alkoxymethyl furfural, and ends with the oxidation of that alkoxymethyl furfural, which makes FDCA. It’s not exactly clear which furfural intermediate or CMF derivative Avantium and Origin’s processes have in common, but there’s at least enough crossover to justify a 100,000 ton per year FDCA plant...
Would you like to access the complete CEP Article?
No problem. You just have to complete the following steps.
You have completed 0 of 2 steps.
-
Log in
You must be logged in to view this content. Log in now.
-
AIChE Membership
You must be an AIChE member to view this article. Join now.
Copyright Permissions
Would you like to reuse content from CEP Magazine? It’s easy to request permission to reuse content. Simply click here to connect instantly to licensing services, where you can choose from a list of options regarding how you would like to reuse the desired content and complete the transaction.