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Sumitomo Chemical selects Axens “Atol” ethanol-to-ethylene technology

France-headed technology provider Axens has announced that it has signed an ethanol-to-ethylene technology "Atol" license agreement with Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd for Sumitomo Chemical’s waste-to-polyolefins project in Japan. In the project, to promote a circular economy, Axens’ Atol technology will transform ethanol produced from waste into polymer-grade ethylene that will be polymerized in Sumitomo Chemical’s assets into polyolefin, a key product in the petrochemical industry.

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In Japan, SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO. LTD and Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd, have formed a strategic alliance to benefit society by deploying technology for manufacturing polyolefin using waste as a raw material. This alliance combines SEKISUI CHEMICAl’s production technology for transforming waste into ethanol with Sumitomo Chemical’s technological know-how in manufacturing polyolefin, thereby promoting circular economy initiatives to chemically recycle waste into polyolefin (graphic courtesy Sumitomo Chemical).

The result of a partnership between Axens, Total, and IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN), “Atol” is, according to Axens, a technology for the “most profitable production” of polymer grade ethylene by dehydration of any kind of renewable ethanol from biomass or waste.

The ethylene produced can be integrated, partially, and/or in total replacement of fossil hydrocarbon-based ethylene in various downstream polymerization installations without requiring modifications.

Atol ethylene can therefore be fed into existing or new units of, for instance, polyethylene (PE), ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol, polyethylene-terephthalate (PET), polyolefins, alpha-olefins production for linear alkyl-benzene (LABs), and poly alpha olefins (PAOs), benzene alkylation for polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), and polyvinylchloride (PVC).

At full roll-out, the Sumitomo Chemical project will enable the production of waste-based polyolefin at an industrial scale, which will represent a leapfrog towards a sustainable economy based on renewable carbon.

This project addresses the waste plastics issue by reusing them as a feedstock in the context of greenhouse gas emission reduction. With its wide portfolio of renewable technologies, Axens is ready to support players in the industry to overcome the challenges of the future. Axens is excited to work with Sumitomo Chemical for this project with Atol technology, accelerating the deployment of circular economy in Japan, said Frédéric Balligand, Business Group Director, Axens Renewables.

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