BASF and the Dutch leading chemical technology company Avantium yesterday announced that they have established a joint venture (JV) called Synvina for the production and marketing of furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) produced from renewable resources (fructose from plants as feedstock rather than conventional oil derivatives), as well as marketing of polyethylenefuranoate (PEF), based on this new chemical building block.
The new products will be used in bottles for carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, dairy products, as well as personal and home care products. Customers will include Coca-Cola, Danone and Mitsui, a spokesman for Dutch-based Avantium said.
FDCA is the essential chemical building block for the production of PEF. Compared to conventional plastics, PEF is characterized by improved barrier properties for gases like carbon dioxide and oxygen.
This can lead to longer shelf life of packaged products. Due to its higher mechanical strength, thinner PEF packaging can be produced, thus a lower amount of packaging material is necessary. Therefore PEF is particularly suitable for the production of certain food and beverage packaging, for example films and plastic bottles. After use, PEF can be recycled.
Synvina will be headquartered in Amsterdam, but production of up to 50,000 metric tons of chemicals annually, will take place at BASF’s site in Antwerp, Belgium.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 