The new facility will convert plant-based sugars into the renewable building block which is required to make PEF, a bio-based plastic, for the food and beverage industry
Image: Stora Enso to build pilot facility for bio-based plastic packaging material. Photo: courtesy of Sarah Richter from Pixabay.
Finnish pulp, paper and other forest products manufacturer Stora Enso is set to invest €9m ($9.9m) to construct a pilot facility in Belgium for the production of bio-based plastic packaging material.
To be located at Stora Enso’s Langerbrugge Mill, the new facility will convert plant-based sugars into the renewable building block that is required to make PEF, a bio-based plastic, for the food and beverage industry.
The new facility will focus on developing a cost-competitive process for manufacturing FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) from sugars. FDCA is a key component of the bio-based barrier material PEF (polyethylene furanoate).
Stora Enso’s pilot intends to validate the chemical process and provide sample material to gain further insight into the market need and product demand.
Stora Enso will initially use industrially available fructose to produce high-value chemicals and materials for application testing and in the future, the company plans to run the process on sugars extracted from wood and other non-food biomasses.
Stora Enso Biomaterials division executive vice president Markus Mannström said: “Bio-based materials are of rapidly growing interest in the packaging world as companies look for sustainable packaging materials with high performance.
“With this pilot, we continue to build on our long-term R&D work while targeting new markets with innovative, renewable materials that replace fossil-based materials.
“We believe that innovation does not happen in isolation. We are, therefore, looking forward to expanding our cooperation within the field of bio-based chemicals.”
The plant is expected to open in the first quarter of 2021
According to Stora Enso, PEF’s barrier, mechanical and thermal properties will create new packaging opportunities, such as small liquid containers for soft drinks, juices and other beverages.
The design and engineering of the pilot facility have already started, while construction is scheduled to start in the second half of 2020.
The Langerbrugge paper mill provides space and infrastructure for hosting the pilot plant, which is expected to be open in the first quarter of 2021.
Earlier this month, the company planned to combine its containerboard business in the Packaging Solutions division with the Consumer Board division to create a new Packaging Materials division.