Page 58 - Plastics News Issue November - 2024
P. 58
PRODUCT NEWS
Inside Materials – PEF
needing high impermeability and durability. The
table below illustrates specific
Applications of PEF
EF represents the next generation of
sustainable PET by combining high-per-
Pformance quality with sustainability—two
essential requirements for today’s consumers.
As sustainability reshapes the plastic packaging
industry, companies actively pursue alternatives PEF’s outstanding properties are driving its de-
to PET. One of the most promising options is mand across various industries. Experts pro-
PEF (polyethylene furanoate). This biopolymer ject that the global market for this biopolymer
is derived from renewable resources, specifi- will reach USD 28 million by 2028. The highest
cally plant-based sugars such as fructose and adoption of Polyethylene Furanoate is seen in
glucose. packaging, followed by the fiber and textile in-
dustries. Additionally, its versatility enables its
What is PEF? use in sectors like automotive, pharmaceuticals,
electronics, and electrical applications.
Manufacturers produce PEF by polymerizing
ethylene glycol and 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid Challenges and Avantium’s New FDCA Plant
(FDCA), a compound that replaces terephthalic
acid in PET’s structure. This substitution allows Despite its exceptional qualities, manufacturers
PEF to retain many of PET’s key properties while have faced significant challenges in scaling up
adding benefits in terms of sustainability and PEF production to an industrial level. This is due
performance. to high production costs and technical complexi-
ties associated with processing FDCA. However,
PEF vs. PET: Key Advantages after years of development, Avantium recently
celebrated the opening of the world’s first com-
PEF provides several advantages over PET, in- mercial FDCA production plant on October 22.
cluding a lower carbon footprint and enhanced This milestone represents a significant advance-
thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties. For ment toward making Polyethylene Furanoate
example, PEF offers up to six times greater re- more widely available.
sistance to CO, making it ideal for applications
58 PLASTICS NEWS November 2024
