Avantium is a frontrunner in developing and commercialising innovative technologies for the production of materials based on sustainable carbon feedstocks, i.e. carbon from biomass or carbon from the air (CO2). One of Avantium’s innovative technology platforms, called Volta Technology, uses electrochemistry to convert CO2 into high-value chemical building blocks and polyesters.
Under the HICCUPS programme, Avantium will convert CO2 from biogas produced at wastewater treatment plants into the sustainable plastic material PLGA (polylactic-co-glycolic acid). PLGA with 80% glycolic acid or more has an excellent barrier against oxygen and moisture and good mechanical properties. It is furthermore recyclable and both home compostable and marine degradable. PLGA can be used, for example, as coating material and in moulded plastic materials. This makes PLGA an excellent alternative for fossil-based polyethylene.
The HICCUPS programme, which has received a €5 million EU Horizon Europe grant in total, will demonstrate the full value chain from biogenic CO2 to polyester end-use and is expected to be executed over four years. Avantium will lead the HICCUPS consortium consisting of Avantium and 11 other industry and academic organisations: Funditec (Spain), University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), INRAE (France), ACCIONA (Spain), Nova Institut (Germany), VTT (Finland), University of Ferrara (Italy), Tecnopackaging (Spain), Aqualung (Norway), SINTEF (Norway) and Walki (Finland).
