Brazilian petrochemical group Braskem (São Paulo; www.braskem.com.br) is working with Danish catalysts company Haldor Topsøe (Ravnholm; www.topsoe.com) to develop a new technology that produces MEG from sugar. Haldor Topsøe has developed a two-step process that converts sugar into MEG in a single unit, which it said will reduce initial investment costs and boost the technology’s competitiveness. Under the terms of the deal, the companies will construct a demonstration plant at an undisclosed location in Denmark, with startup scheduled sometime in 2019. The plant will enable the companies to validate the technology for different raw materials such as sucrose, dextrose and second-generation sugars, as well as to confirm technical and economic feasibility.

“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,” said Mateus Lopes, Braskem’s head of innovation in Renewable Chemicals. The company already markets a bio-based PE made from sugarcane under the brand “I’m green”.

Kim Knudsen, executive vice president at Haldor Topsøe, added that catalysis will play an extremely important role in developing sustainable solutions from renewable sources such as sugars. “We look forward to applying our world-leading competencies within catalysis and process engineering in the further commercialisation of this important technology,” he said.

Braskem has recently been the subject of media speculation over whether it has received a takeover approach from LyondellBasell (LBI, Houston, Texas / USA; www.lyondellbasell.com), something the Brazilian group has so far denied – see Plasteurope.com of 02.11.2017.