Bio-based PET and polyesters – Origin Materials and Sustainea partner up.

Origin Materials, a company that produces carbon negative materials, and Sustainea, a company that produces bio-based Mono ethylene glycol (MEG), have launched a strategic partnership to develop 100% bio-based PET and polyesters.

• Using sustainable feedstocks like sugarcane and corn, Sustainea generates bio-based Mono ethylene glycol (MEG), an essential raw ingredient for PET and polyesters.

• Origin Materials uses non-food biomass, such as wood wastes, to manufacture Furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and bio-based pure terephthalic acid (PTA), two more critical components for PET and polyesters.

• By using 100% bio-based PET and polyesters instead of conventional materials, the collaboration hopes to lower greenhouse gas emissions and the amount of fossil fuels used.

Some international businesses that produce MEG based on bio:

• India Glycols: Using maize kernels as the feedstock, this business has been running the sole bio-based MEG factory on a commercial scale in India since 1989.

• Braskem and Haldor Topsoe: By pyrolyzing and hydrogenating glucose, these businesses have successfully produced the first bio-based MEG from sugar with the MOSAIK technology.

• Avantium: This business created the RAY Technology, a one-step direct method that uses catalytic hydrogenolysis of glucose to create bio-based MEG.

• Changchun Meihe Science & technology: To commercialize a novel technique for producing bio-based MEG from plant-based materials, this business has teamed up with Coca-Cola.

Since bio-based MEG is a sustainable and renewable substitute for fossil-based MEG, which is extensively utilised in the manufacturing of PET bottles and textiles, the market trend for this product is favourable.

India is the second-largest producer of PET and polyesters in the world, after China, with a production capacity of 4.3 million tonnes per year in 2020.

With bio-based PET and polyesters being more environmentally friendly and highly functional than traditional materials, India has a great chance to make and use these materials. A robust biotechnology industry, a large amount of renewable carbon resources, and a significant demand for sustainable goods makes India one of the best countries to kick off this business.

The worldwide market for mono ethylene glycol was estimated to be worth USD 24.16 billion in 2022 and is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2% from 2023 to 2030, according to a research by Grand View Research.

In the upcoming years, the development of novel applications for bio-based MEG, including in the manufacturing of batteries and green solvents, is anticipated to propel market expansion.