The European Joint Undertaking on Bio-Based Industries (BBI), consisting of representatives from the European Union and the bio-based industry, granted EUR 25M to “PEFerence”, a consortium of eleven companies. The grant supports the establishment of an innovative value chain for bio-based raw materials as well as chemicals and materials based on polyethylenefuranoate (PEF). It includes the intended construction of a 50,000 tons FDCA reference plant, the main chemical building block for the production of PEF. Synvina will be coordinating the “PEFerence” project.
Based on renewable feedstock, products made of PEF will significantly help to replace fossil-based packaging materials and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, following BBI’s assessment. PEF is an innovative polyester suitable for applications such as bottles, films and polyurethanes.
PEF bottles can be recycled and used again as raw material for bottles, as well as for packaging and textiles. Additionally, PEF offers superior product properties in comparison to conventional polyethylene terephthalate (PET). It also offers a higher mechanical strength, thus thinner PEF packaging can be produced and fewer resources are required. PEF is suitable to produce bottles for carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, foil pouches as well as personal and home care products.
