Developments in Furanics

Dirk den Ouden

Dirk.denouden@avantium.com

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 Avantium

• Privately held Research & technology company in Amsterdam

• Origin: Spin-off from Royal Dutch Shell in 2000, high-throughput

catalyst development technology

• Developer of YXY technology for Furanics based green materials & fuels

• Completed EUR 30 million financing round in June 2011; Sofinnova

Partners is our new lead investor

• Building YXY pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands – on stream H2 2011

 YXY Technology
for Furanics building blocks

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Direction brand owners
“We are working to completely eliminate the use of nonrenewable fossil fuels in
our plastic bottles while maintaining quality and recyclability”

“Reducing the environmental impact of packaging: we will be developing

partnerships with 2nd and 3rd generation bioplastics manufacturers”

“Using 100% renewable or recycled materials for all products and packaging”

“Reduce the carbon footprint of our operations”

“Halve the greenhouse gas impact of our products across the lifecycle by 2020”

“Leading in the development and use of packaging materials made from

sustainably managed renewable resources such as bioplastics”

“Green. That’s how we’d like the world to be. As an environmental leader, we do
more than meet industry standards – we seek to raise them”
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 The standard tomorrow:
100% biobased - 100% recyclable

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The biobased alternative

Drop in or New

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 Green supply chain

A true alternative to oil-based products needs to deliver on

price and performance

Feedstock Conversion Green products

Feedstock flexible Superior economics Favorable properties

Fit with existing assets Processing fits with existing

infrastructure

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 YXY Technology
Conversion

Dehydration Oxidation Polymerization

Polyesters
Green
Carbohydrates RMF FDCA Polyamides
Materials/fuels
Polyurethanes
O O
O
O O
RO HO OH

Proprietary process technology:

• Chemical-catalytic process: fast and efficient
• 100% carbon efficient
• Fit with existing production installations
• Protected by strong patent portfolio
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Lead application: PEF bottles

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Moving to 100% biobased

• PET is the most widely used polyester made of TPA and EG

• Plantbottle launch in 2009 - PET with biobased EG and oil-based TPA
• PEF by Avantium: biobased FDCA + biobased EG = 100% green

100%

FDCA
TPA
TPA
Renewable
Oil-based

EG
EG
EG

0%
PET
 Biobased PET?

Biobased PET requires a biosourced version of TPA

(terephthalic acid):
• Advantage: drop-in replacement effect
• Disadvantage: it is exactly the same product as PET, so
long-term it can only compete on price, while it is unlikely
to be produced in an economic manner

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 The alternative: Biobased PEF

By using FDCA as a biobased replacement for TPA it is

possible to produce PEF

PEF is regarded as the next generation polyester:

• 100% Biosourced (when using green MEG)
• Excellent properties (barrier, thermal)
• Very competitive process economics (to oil based TPA)
• 100% Recyclable
• Can be processed in existing supply chains
• Highly attractive carbon footprint

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YXY Polyesters

Bottles Blown on a commercial ISBM line

using standard PET pre-forms and
molds

Spun on commercial fiber line at

Fibers
max speed

Processed on a commercial film

Film
extruder equipment

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 “We’ve got barrier!”

Superior barrier & thermal properties PEF:

• O2 barrier > 6 times better than PET

• CO2 barrier > 2 times better than PET

• H2O barrier > 2 times better than PET

• Tg of PEF is 11°C higher than PET

• Tm of PEF is 40°C lower than PET

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 Compete on price

TPA FDCA

• Oil-based • Bio-based

• Price drivers: • Price drivers:

 Oil price  Carbohydrate price
 Supply/demand  Economy of scale

• At scale (350 kt/a), the cost price of FDCA will be similar

to the cost price of pTA
• Drivers:
– An efficient catalytic conversion process
– Significantly lower feedstock cost
– Economic at moderate yield (65%, higher now)
– 100% carbon efficiency in the sugar dehydration
– More economic oxidation (under milder conditions)
– Use of existing PTA/PET assets
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 Safety

• REACH registration conducted (Annex 7)

• Focus on FDCA and derivatives
• Excellent results:
 Non-toxic
 Non-carcinogenic
 Non-irritating and non-sensitizing
• More and broader testing will continue

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 Closing the loop

Recycling of PEF:

• Reprocessing: proven

• Depolymerization to monomers: proven

• PEF in PET recycle streams (1,2 and 5%) doesn’t

affect recycled PET performance

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 Life Cycle Analysis
Collaboration with Copernicus Institute (Utrecht University; Patel & Faaij)
Comparison of PEF versus PET (revised 2010 PET data set)
80 5

GHG emissions ( tonne CO2 eq. / tonne )

69 4.4
62 3.8 4
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NREU ( GJ / tonne )

> 50%
3 reduction
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34 2.1
26 2
1.4
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1

0 0

 Significant reduction in NREU and CO2

 More reductions expected through process improvements
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What to expect for the coming years?

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 Go to market

Scale-up
Avantium is constructing 40 ton/year pilot plant to:
– Demonstrate YXY technology
– Produce FDCA and PEF for application development
Goal is to produce FDCA & PEF at commercial scale in 2015

Partnering
Avantium is in active partnering discussions with:
– Leading brand owners to develop PEF bottles, fibers and film
– Industrial companies to develop FDCA based materials
(polyamides, coatings, plasticizers, etc)
– Long-term: Avantium will license its YXY technology to enable
large-scale, world wide production and use of Furanics based
materials

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 Building Value Chains

• Avantium’s focus is on the chemical conversion of carbohydrates into YXY

building blocks
• Partnering for feedstock link and product development
• Creating an integrated value chain

Avantium’s Focus

Furan
Biomass Carbo- End
Intermedia FDCA Polymers Plastics
hydrates products
tes

Partnerships Partnerships
on first and on product
next and
generation application
carbohydrates development
 Summary

• YXY: a proprietary chemical process that unlocks a

range of new green materials and fuels

• Supported by feedstock suppliers, producers and

brand owners, creating an integrated value chain

• Technical drop-in with improved properties

• Pilot 2011; scale out to commercial in 2015

• YXY: the green alternative to oil-based products that

delivers on price and performance

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Contact Information
Zekeringstraat 29 info@avantium.com
1014 BV Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.avantium.com
Tel.: +31 (0)20 586 8080 www.yxy.com

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