Avantium Starts Production at FDCA Plant in Delfzijl

Avantium N.V. has produced the first batch of furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) at its new facility in Delfzijl, marking a further milestone in the plant’s commissioning process. The company said the key process units had already been successfully brought online. According to Avantium, the site is the world’s first commercial-scale production facility for FDCA.

The first production batch marks the start of the product qualification and operational stabilisation phase. During this stage, Avantium will assess whether the FDCA produced in Delfzijl meets customer specifications and will gradually move the plant from batch production towards continuous operation.

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Commercial sales targeted for late 2026
Avantium plans to begin commercial sales towards the end of 2026. The company expects the ramp-up to full nameplate capacity to take between 12 and 24 months from the start of plant operations.

Operating the facility under industrial conditions will also provide commercial-scale validation of Avantium’s proprietary “YXY” technology. The process uses catalytic conversion to transform plant-based sugars into FDCA.

FDCA is a key building block for polyethylene furanoate (PEF), a renewable polymer that Avantium markets under the “releaf” brand.

Commercial plant to support technology licensing
Once the start-up and qualification phase is complete, the Delfzijl facility is expected not only to supply FDCA to the market but also to demonstrate the scalability of Avantium’s “YXY” technology. The company also sees successful commercial-scale operation as an important basis for advancing licensing discussions with potential partners.

The process had previously been demonstrated at Avantium’s pilot plant in Geleen. The Delfzijl facility represents the first commercial-scale deployment of the technology.

The pace of the further ramp-up will depend on the optimisation of plant operations, additional production batches, product qualification and the transition to continuous production.

Avantium N.V. is a Dutch public limited company headquartered in Amsterdam. The company develops technologies and materials based on renewable carbon sources and operates pilot and research facilities in the Netherlands in addition to its FDCA plant in Delfzijl.

More information: www.avantium.com

Avantium, Amsterdam, Netherlands

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