Avantium awarded €6 million EU grant to accelerate its technologies

Company will lead a 4-year research programme 'IMPRESS' consortium containing ten industry and academic organisations across Europe

Avantium N.V. announces that it has been awarded €6 million as part of a SPIRE grant to accelerate its Dawn and Mekong technologies in addition to utilizing its expertise in Catalysis. SPIRE, part of Horizon 2020, is the European subsidy programme to facilitate the region’s Sustainable Process Industry. Avantium will participate in a 4-year research programme entitled IMPRESS starting in September 2019. Avantium will lead the IMPRESS consortium consisting of ten industry and academic organisations across Europe. The consortium received a total SPIRE grant of €13 million.

Avantium is a forerunner in developing and commercializing innovative technologies for the production of plant-based chemicals and materials. In its Renewable Chemistry business, the company is scaling up its new biorefinery process called Dawn and a novel catalytic process for plant-based MEG (mono- ethylene glycol) called Mekong. The IMPRESS consortium aims to demonstrate a new biorefinery concept based on integrating novel processes such as Avantium’s Dawn and Mekong technologies for the first time. It also intends to develop new separation and purification methods.

Avantium’s Dawn TechnologyTM converts non-food plant-based feedstock into industrial sugars and lignin. The Mekong technology converts these industrial sugars into plant-based MEG. Together, these processes enable the production of nature derived polyesters and supports the transition of the chemicals and materials industries to non-fossil resources. The integration of Dawn TechnologyTM with the production of plant-based MEG by the Mekong technology will be further improved by using the advanced high throughput R&D systems of Avantium Catalysis. The objective is to create a value chain starting from non-edible biomass to renewable chemicals and materials that meets both economic and sustainability criteria.

In addition to Avantium, the IMPRESS consortium consists of nine leading companies and knowledge institutes across Europe: Sulzer (CH), Knauer (DE), IRCELYON (CNRS, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 university, FR), Lenntech (NL), Vogelbusch Biocommodities (AT), PDC (Process Design Centre, NL), Thinkstep (DE), Aalto University (FI) and South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk, FI).

Tom van Aken, CEO of Avantium, says: “The introduction of new plant-based chemical products and materials to the market requires the combination of sourcing plant-based feedstock, deploying disruptive technologies, and successfully engaging with the end-product market. Leading the IMPRESS programme is a fantastic opportunity for us to work with like-minded organisations towards a fossil-free future. It truly leverages the synergies of Avantium’s portfolio of technologies and areas of expertise.”

 

This project has received funding under SPIRE programme under grant agreement No 869993. SPIRE, part of Horizon2020 is the European subsidy programme to facilitate a Sustainable Process Industry in Europe.

 

About Avantium

Avantium is a leading technology development company and a forerunner in renewable chemistry. Avantium develops novel technologies based on renewable carbon sources as an alternative to fossil- based chemicals and plastics. The company currently has three technologies at pilot and demonstration phase. The most advanced technology is the YXY® plant-to-plastics–technology that catalytically converts plant-based sugars into a wide range of chemicals and plastics, such as PEF (polyethylene furanoate). Avantium has successfully demonstrated the YXY Technology at its pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands. The second technology is the Dawn TechnologyTM that converts non-food biomass into industrial sugars and lignin in order to transition the chemicals and materials industries to non-fossil resources. In 2018, Avantium opened the DAWN pilot biorefinery in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The third technology is called Mekong and catalytically converts industrial sugars to plant-based MEG (mono- ethylene glycol). Avantium is currently building a new demonstration plant for Mekong with an opening planned in Delfzijl in November 2019. Next to developing and commercializing renewable chemistry technologies, the company also provides advanced catalysis R&D services and systems to customers in the refinery and chemical industries. Avantium works in partnership with like-minded companies around the globe to create revolutionary renewable chemistry solutions from invention to commercial scale.

Avantium’s shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Brussels (symbol: AVTX). Its offices and headquarters are in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Source

Avantium, press release, 2019-08-26.

Supplier

Avantium Technologies B.V.
Horizon 2020

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