Avantium (Amsterdam / The Netherlands; www.avantium.com) has signed an offtake agreement with Mitsui (Tokyo / Japan; www.mitsuichem.com) as it prepares to begin construction on its first industrial-scale plant for bio-based FDCA and PEF – see Plasteurope.com of 12.06.2014. As a start towards commercialising the products – the latter a renewable alternative to conventional PET – Mitsui will purchase “a sizable volume” of the plant’s output. Avantium said it will share details on the capacity, location and timeline for the construction of the commercial facility, which will use its proprietary YXY technology, in the first quarter of next year. The company currently operates a pilot plant at Geleen / The Netherlands.

The cooperation between the Dutch R&D firm and the Japanese chemicals giant includes a development and rollout agreement for PEF thin films in Asia and PEF bottles in Japan. The prospective partners also plan to launch other FDCA-based applications such as copolyesters. CEO Tom van Aken said the ambition is to introduce packaging products made of PEF and FDCA on the Japanese market “well in time for the Tokyo Olympics.”

The collaboration with Mitsui expands the company’s PEF development beyond bottles – as already supported by agreements with Coca-Cola, Danone and Alpla – into the new application of thin PEF films. Van Aken said Japan in particular is “very attractive,” as the country’s “highly innovative” packaging industry supports a large variety of formats to meet the high quality standards demanded by local consumers.

For Mitsui, the collaboration with Avantium is an extension of its strong bio-based chemicals portfolio, said Hidebumi Kasuga, general manager of the Specialty Chemicals Division II, Basic Chemicals Business Unit. He said the Japanese company sees the bio-based FDCA and PEF as “building blocks with a high market potential," adding that “this partnership fits well with Mitsui's strategy in pursuit of future bio-refinery structures, combining our strength in feedstock, project management, chemicals and end markets.”