MOSCOW (MRC) -- Anellotech, IFPEN and Axens said they have completed construction on a fully-integrated development and testing plant, “TCat-8”, for the production of bio-based paraxylene, benzene, toluene, ortho-xylene and meta-xylene (BTX), from non-food sources, said the company on its site.
Anellotech is now ready to commence installation onsite. Operational in 2016, this 82 foot- high unit will confirm the viability and suitability of the Bio-TCat process for scale-up.
With the news, Anellotech, IFP Energies nouvelles, and Axens said they are expanding their partnership and accelerating the development and commercialization of bio-based BTX molecule production.
As part of a multi-year R&D collaboration with Anellotech, IFPEN will be integral in the commissioning and operation of TCat-8, leading to commercialization and exclusive licensing of Bio-TCat technology by Axens. In addition to extensive activities at its R&D center in Solaize, France, IFPEN will dedicate three, full-time senior engineers and technical experts at Anellotech’s U.S. location for two years to support the efforts, beginning in 2016. Anellotech’s highly collaborative program leverages IFPEN’s extensive and comprehensive process development experience, and its specific expertise in catalytic reactor modeling, catalyst regenerator design and aromatics processing.
As MRC informed earlier, the global bio-polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market was valued at USD457.9 mln in 2014, and is projected to reach USD1317.5 mln by 2019, at a CAGR 23.5% from 2014 to 2019. The use of bio-based bottles offers better value in terms of functionality, quality, and performance. Therefore, bio-based bottles are primarily used in varied applications, such as beverage packaging and medicine packaging among others.
Anellotech is a green innovation and technology company developing an efficient and eco-friendly process for producing bio-based BTX from non-food biomass. We use proprietary breakthrough technology to produce these sustainable chemical building blocks as an alternative to their identical counterparts derived from fossil sources. By using biomass as a source feedstock for aromatic chemicals, Anellotech is helping broaden the world’s access to renewable chemical and energy sources, while lowering these chemicals’ lifecycle carbon footprint to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
MRC