US-headed Lummus Technology LLC, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, has announced that Vioneo has selected its "Novolen" polypropylene (PP) technology for a new grassroots plant in Antwerp, Belgium.
Owned by A.P. Moller Holding, the parent company of A.P. Moller Group, Vioneo aims to pioneer the sustainable transition of the plastics industry by using green methanol to produce fossil-free polypropylene and polyethylene at a commercial scale.
The first plant, based in the Port of Antwerp, will use green methanol to produce approximately 200,000 tonnes per annum of fossil-free virgin plastics using 100 percent segregated green propylene and ethylene as feedstock to produce a wide range of polypropylene grades.
The plant will be part of the Vioneo complex that, once complete, will be the world’s first industrial-scale fossil-free plastics production complex, which will also be highly electrified with renewable electricity and renewable hydrogen as key components in its operations.
With high-purity feedstock and proven technology, polypropylene will serve as a direct drop-in replacement for fossil-based alternatives.
The plastics produced will be fully traceable and carbon dioxide (CO2) negative, allowing customers to reduce their Scope 3 emissions.
Vioneo is driving the plastics industry’s transition by proving that large-scale, cleaner production with green methanol-derived feedstocks is economically viable, said Alex Hogan, CEO at Vioneo.
Proven technology suite
Lummus’ scope includes the technology license, process design package, support during the front-end engineering design phase, and catalyst supply during ongoing operations.
Lummus’ Novolen PP technology is part of the “Verdene” technology suite with proven technologies for sustainable polymer producers using bio-feedstock to produce fully bio-based polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and super absorbent polymers.
Our collaboration with Lummus Technology to license their premier Novolen polypropylene technology for our Antwerp facility is fundamental to this vision. This world-first plant will use fully certified green propylene and ethylene from industrially proven Methanol-To-Olefins technology, to produce a broad range of high-quality, drop-in bio-polypropylene grades, significantly advancing a sustainable plastics economy, Alex Hogan said.
The suite offers reduced to net-negative carbon dioxide emissions because of the sequestration of CO2-based carbon in the polymer itself. The polymer functions the same as polymers produced from traditional hydrocarbon sources.
Vioneo’s goal of delivering the world’s first fossil-free polypropylene plastics facility is bold, ambitious, and one we are honored to support. Our proven polypropylene polymerization technology will allow Vioneo to produce high-performance, drop-in polypropylene grades through a low-emissions process without compromising quality or flexibility, said Leon de Bruyn, President and CEO of Lummus Technology.
