Braskem and Danish-based Haldor Topsoe, a maker of catalysts and surface products, have signed a technological cooperation agreement to develop monoethylene glycol (MEG) from sugar. The agreement calls for the construction of a demonstration plant in Denmark, starting in 2019.
MEG is a key component of PET resin, the main man-made raw material used by the textile and packaging industries that is also widely used to make bottles. The project is based on a two-step process developed at Topsoe’s labs along with own catalysts, and focuses on the conversion of sugar into MEG at a single industrial unit, which will reduce initial investment in the production and boost the competitiveness of the process.
Mateus Lopes, head of Innovation in Renewable Chemicals at Braskem, said: “This novel bio-based initiative allies 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. After the Green Polyethylene, this is another major step forward in our vision of using renewable polymers as a carbon capture tool and keep contributing to a more sustainable future.”
The demonstration plant will conduct tests to validate the technology and confirm its technical and economic feasibility, which is a critical step before launching production on an industrial scale and commercial operations. The unit will be flexible to validate the technology in different raw materials such as sucrose, dextrose and second-generation sugars.
Sugar cane for production of MEG.