GLOBAL VIEW
Sugary solution
Sustainable product demand in bioplastics is forcing companies to explore new manufacturing methods
I
n Brazil, Braskem already produces sugarcane- based polyethylene (PE), and has now teamed up with Haldor Topsoe to develop a new route to produce monoethylene glycol (MEG) from sugar. The companies will use Topsoe’s MOSAIK
(MOnoSAccharide IndustrIal Cracker) sugar- to-biochemicals process to produce MEG in a demonstration plant in Denmark, with operation expected to begin in 2019. The demonstration unit will be flexible to validate the technology in differ- ent raw materials such as sucrose, dextrose and second-generation sugars. The goal is to start-up a commercial plant in 2023. The MOSAIK process involves cracking sugars to
an intermediary product that can be further con- verted into MEG or other chemicals using Topsoe’s processes and catalysts. ‘Current processes to produce MEG from biomass involve several steps. This can be reduced to two simple steps with MO- SAIK and Topsoe’s unique catalyst and technology for production of MEG,’ the Danish company states. This allows the conversion of sugar into MEG in a single industrial unit – bringing down investment costs and boosting productivity to a level where it says it can compete commercially with traditional production from fossil feedstock, naphtha. Mateus Lopes, head of innovation in renewable chemicals at Braskem, said the initiative combines ‘a cutting-edge technology with deep expertise in process design, scale-up and industrial operation, which will allow us to push the renewable chem- istry to a whole new level. After green PE, this is another major step forward in our vision of using renewable polymers as a carbon capture tool.’ Braskem has the capacity to produce 200,000
t/year of bio-based PE at its site in Triunfo, Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. The green PE is produced in the same polymerisation plants as for fossil-derived PE, but uses ethylene from sugarcane-based ethanol. Braskem says its bio- based ethylene plant, which required a $290m investment, is supplied with about 460m litres/ year of ethanol. The company has also been developing a bio-based propylene route for the production of green polypropylene (PP). However, plans to invest in commercial-scale bio-based PP production appear to have stalled while the company focuses on new investments in the US to take advantage of the shale gas boom. Braskem announced in 2009 a technological cooperation agreement with Novozymes to develop a new competitive route to green PP, which it had already obtained on labora-
tory scale in 2008. Also, in 2012, Braskem began a partnership with W. R. Grace to develop processes and catalysts for obtaining chemicals from renew- able sources. With the agreement with Topsoe, Braskem
says it wants to expand its portfolio of renewable products to complement its bio-based PE. ‘With this new partnership, we strengthen our position as protagonists in the development of innova- tive solutions that will leverage the competitive- ness of different biomasses and complement the traditional solutions offered by the petrochemical industry,’ said Gustavo Sergi, director of renewable chemicals at Braskem. MEG is predominantly used in manufactur-
ing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins, films and fibres. The global MEG market is estimated at approximately $25bn, and is predicted to grow by 5-6% over the next few years, driven by rising demand for PET packaging. Global production of bio-based PET was ap-
proximately 540,000t in 2017, according to a report by European Bioplastics and nova-Institute. How- ever, plans to increase production of bio-based PET have not been realised at the rates predicted a few years ago. ‘Instead, the focus has shifted to the development of PEF (polyethylene furanoate), a new polymer that is expected to enter the market in 2020,’ says the report. PEF is comparable with PET but is 100% bio-based and is said to feature superior barrier and thermal properties. Looking at bioplastics in general, global produc- tion capacity is forecast to grow by 20% over the next five years, from 2.05m t in 2017 to 2.44m t in 2022, says the European Bioplastics/nova-Institute report. The growth in investments is being driven by rising demand from both consumers and brand owners, as well as by the development of new materials with improved properties and new func- tionalities. Efforts by brand owners include plans by Danone and Nestlé Waters to introduce a 100% bio-based PET bottle by 2020 that uses second- generation ligno-cellulosic feedstock. ‘The transition to a low-carbon and circular
economy, stronger policy support for the bioec- onomy, and an increased consumer awareness of sustainable products and packaging are driving the expansion,’ says European Bioplastics chairman François de Bie. ‘We are witnessing a growing num- ber of major brands switching from fossil-based to bio-based materials or to offer biodegradable solu- tions for their products in response to the increased consumer demand for more sustainable products.’
[The initiative combines] a cutting-edge technology with deep expertise in process design, scale-up and industrial operation, which will allow us to push the renewable chemistry to a whole new level
Anna Jagger is a journalist interested in the Latin American chemicals industry
Brazil
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