Avantium, a leader in renewable and circular polymer materials, has signed a collaboration with EPC Engineering & Technologies, an international technology provider as well as an engineering and plant construction company.

This partnership aims to advance the continuous PEF polyester production technology, targeting plant capacities of 100 kilotonnes per annum and beyond. The collaboration will combine the expertise of both companies to commercialize continuous polymerization of PEF (PEF cPol Technology).

Avantium and EPC will integrate their respective technologies and processes, together with the solid state polymerization (SSP) of POLYMETRIX AG. The PEF cPol Technology will be included in Vanadium’s YXY Technology license package. EPC will provide engineering, plant construction services and key equipment, including the SSP equipment from POLYMETRIX, to Avantium’s future licensees.

Avantium has developed its proprietary YXY technology to produce FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), the essential component for the fully plant-based and circular polymer PEF (polyethylene furanoate).

Karol Kerrane, Managing Director at EPC Engineering & Technologies, comments: “EPC continuously strives to find technical solutions to overcome global environmental challenges. Through this international collaboration with Avantium, we are fully confident to jointly achieve great success by offering world’s best practice for continuous PEF production.”

Bart Langius, Director Licensing at Avantium, adds: "This collaboration with EPC and POLYMETRIX marks a step forward in our mission to add our renewable and circular polymer PEF in the polyester industry. By combining our expertise with EPC and POLYMETRIX, we are confident that we can offer our potential licensing partners a comprehensive license package that integrates Avantium's YXY Technology with continuous PEF polymerization technology, providing a high performance alternative to fossil-based plastics.”