Paraxylene is used primarily as a feedstock for the manufacture of purified terephthalic acid (PTA), an important chemical in the production of bioplastic bottles.
Gevo is working with The Coca-Cola Company to deliver a new production technology for renewable paraxylene, a key building block for producing fully renewable PET for beverage bottles.
Research and development support for this plant was provided by The Coca-Cola Company under a joint development agreement.
Funding assistance for the construction of the paraxylene plant was provided by Toray Industries Inc. Gevo is working with Toray Industries Inc to develop renewable paraxylene, a building block for fully renewable polyester for packaging films and fibres used in textiles, clothing and other applications.
“We believe we have an elegant, viable route to fully renewable, non-petroleum derived PET and we are pleased that The Coca-Cola Company and Toray have supported this work,” said Gevos CEO Patrick Gruber. “Fully renewable PET has the potential to make the world a better place by reducing our dependence on oil and the environmental consequences associated with petroleum-based raw materials.”
“While the technology to make bio-based materials in a lab has been available for many years, we believe Gevo possesses technologies that have high potential to create it on a global commercial level within the next few years,” added Scott Vitters, general manager, PlantBottle Packaging Innovation Platform at The Coca-Cola Company. “The opening of this facility is an important milestone toward our vision of creating all of our PET plastic packaging from responsibly sourced plant materials.”
The majority of the world’s PET production is for synthetic fibres (in excess of 60%), with bottle production accounting for around 30% of global demand.
Gevo’s paraxylene, once converted to bio-based PET, has high potential for any commercial application currently served by petroleum-derived PET.
Source: Gevo
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