Coverage of the Renewable Materials Conference in Siegburg, Germany.

Day 2 of the Renewable Materials Conference started with presentations from Nova-Institut’s market update on its bio-based polymers report and an interesting review on algae-based polymers. I participated in this session where on behalf of Green D Market Analytics, I delivered an overview and capacity update on bio-based building blocks. However, I will not provide a summary of my presentation on this blog post as I prefer to have a one-on-one conversation for this. Rounding off the first main session panel was a presentation about galactaric acid from Royal Cosun.

There were other sessions on building blocks and polymers including updates on bio-based 1,4-butanediol from Geno; Covestro’s update on its bio-based aniline product development; updates on lactic acid from Corbion; R&D on thermoplastic elastomers based on furandicarboxylic acid from Fraunhofer Institute; lignin depolymerization for acrylic-based materials from VITO; update on Verbio’s metathesis plant; bio-based film formers and rheology additives from amynova polymers; and Econic’s CO2-based materials and chemicals commercialization updates.

I also attended a workshop on the burgeoning market for alternative naphtha. During the last session of Day 2, Nova-Institut presented this year’s Renewable Material of the Year Award to Sweden-based Reselo, a company that developed a sustainable rubber made from birch tree bark. The rubber is processable in existing industry equipment and is reportedly compatible with current vulcanization systems, elastomers and additives.

🌿 Nova-Institut’s recently released ‘Bio-based Building Blocks and Bio-Polymers Report’ covers 16 bio-based building blocks and 17 bio-based polymers. In 2023, the total capacity for these 17 bio-based polymers was estimated at 4.8 million tons. This capacity is expected to increase to 10.5 million tons by 2028, reflecting a CAGR of 17% driven by Asian capacity expansion in polylactic acid (PLA), polyamide (PA), and epoxy resins; global capacity increase for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymers; and North American capacity increase for bio-based polypropylene (PP). Asia currently occupies 55% of the global bio-based polymer capacity in 2023. Nova-Institut also reported the shares of the produced bio-based polymers converted or consumed in various end-market applications. Fibers, packaging, and functional polymers were the top-end markets for bio-based polymers in 2023. By the way, Nova-Institut is offering a 20% discount until 31 August 2024 for all of its Market and Trend reports.

🌿 Algae: Should they stay or should they go? Gillian Tweddle of Stripe Consulting and also part of the Nova-Institut market research team reported a short history of algae-based polymers development and noted the Green Chemicals Blog’s post on Neste’s announcement in 2023 for a planned algae pilot facility in Spain. According to Stripe Consulting, the development for algae in polymers and chemicals (whether macroalgae or microalgae) is still very much active with approximately 40 companies worldwide developing and/or producing mostly polymer-based products from (or including) seaweed. Examples include thin films or coatings, rigid plastics, PHAs, algae-based fibres or fibres incorporating seaweed, polyols and PU foams, and other early development stage polymers that are not yet identifiable. Most of the companies in this space are start-ups with small-scale product development. One major challenge for algae-based polymers development is the costly energy requirement for the removal of water from seaweed.

🌿 I am not very familiar with galactaric acid (also known as mucic acid) but Royal Cosun’s presentation noted this molecule’s potential application as a corrosion inhibitor, adhesive and a natural chelating agent. The molecule was derived from a sugar beet pulp in the form of D-galacturonic acid, a key monosaccharide. Royal Cosun has been developing a biorefinery concept based on sugar beet pulp that included cellulosic fibers, pectin and different types of monosaccharides.

🌿 My takeaway from the alternative naphtha workshop is that this is a complex market that requires in-depth knowledge on various feedstocks and processing pathways mostly in connection with biomass-derived fuel production such as HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The workshop session also noted the various chemical recycling processes using waste plastic feedstock that can produce naphtha. It is harder for chemical companies (with steam cracking capabilities) to educate end-market customers on how renewable naphtha can provide a possible solution for some of their Scope 3 emissions reductions because of the complexities of this industry especially with the use of the mass balance system incorporating renewable naphtha. Segregated renewable naphtha supply, which is what most end-market customers prefer, will only be economical if there is enough biomass and waste plastic feedstock for biofuel and renewable chemicals production.

🌿 Parallel to the main sessions, the recycling sessions covered mechanical, physical, and chemical recycling. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend these sessions, but from what I heard from some of the attendees, there have been setbacks and increasing negative perceptions from NGOs and some industry insiders with respect to the viability of chemical recycling. This is mostly driven by high cost-economics, several announced capacity projects that didn’t go through, and challenges on sourcing and pre-treatment of plastic waste products.

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