Avantium and Henkel partner for bio-based adhesives in electronics

25 Jan 2023 --- Avantium and Henkel have signed an offtake agreement for five years, under which Avantium will supply Henkel with furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) produced in Avantium’s FDCA flagship plant, currently under construction in Delfzijl, the Netherlands.

Avantium expects to start production at this “world’s first” commercial facility for the production of FDCA from plant-based sugars in 2024. Henkel will purchase FDCA to launch innovative, high-performance polyurethane adhesives in electronics applications, enabling their customers to realize their environmental sustainability goals.

“Polyurethane adhesives in electronics are highly specific and tailored for individual application requirements. FDCA, however, can be used for polymers in different applications across markets once scale and costs are acceptable. The electronics business is a higher value and lower volume business and therefore a good starting point,” Kevin Becker, vice president Innovation Electronics at Henkel Adhesive Technologies, tells PackagingInsights.

Henkel and Avantium have been partners since 2019 when Henkel joined the PEFerence consortium. This consortium of partners, coordinated by Avantium, aims to establish an innovative supply chain for FDCA and PE furanoate (PEF).

Electronics customers aim to enhance the environmental sustainability and performance of their products, says Henkel’s VP Innovation Electronics Becker. Polyurethane for electronics
As part of the PEFerence project, Henkel has tested and positively evaluated the feasibility of FDCA for the use of polyurethane adhesives. Now, Henkel has decided to proceed and bring those adhesives to the market for use in electronics applications, such as consumer devices.

“Electronics customers aim to enhance the [environmental] sustainability and performance of their products. Thus, modern adhesives need to add more and more functionalities and features. This, for example, includes the replacement of plastic parts, an increased impact resistance, or the debondability on demand,” explains Becker.

“To increase [environmental] sustainability, we constantly develop products based on renewable carbon (biomass, CO2 or waste-based) and ensure the responsible sourcing of feedstocks.”

Bineke Posthumus, director Business Development at Avantium Renewable Polymers, comments: “We are very pleased that yet another partner of the PEFerence consortium has decided to sign an offtake agreement with Avantium.”

Supply chain transparency
Posthumus continues that one of the benefits of working with such a diverse group of “reputable companies within the PEFerence consortium is that it enables us to create new applications for FDCA and PEF. The decision of Henkel to use FDCA for polyurethane adhesives for use in electronics applications is a great example of the possibility to use our high-quality, plant-based chemical building block FDCA in various markets and applications.”

When asked how environmental sustainability along the value chain can be guaranteed, Becker asserts that Henkel continuously invests in its innovation and R&D capabilities to meet consumer demand.

“At the same time, we collaborate across the supply chain to ensure transparency about feedstock sourcing and to commonly find solutions that lower the dependency on fossil raw materials.”

For many years, Henkel has been committed to environmentally sustainable business practices. As a market leader for adhesives, sealants and functional coatings, Henkel is making an important contribution to climate protection by embracing innovative solutions that facilitate recycling and enable CO2 savings across the value chain.

PEF
Having begun constructing its flagship plant in the Netherlands last year, Avantium highlighted that solutions like its PEF material could relieve economic pressure caused by the Ukraine war. The company had therefore called for increased collaborations between industry, scientists and policymakers to boost the availability of biofuel and biomaterials amid the energy crisis.

Avantium CEO Tom van Aken told PackagingInsights that efforts to establish independent energy supplies must be more than a geographic transition.

The PEFerence consortium is supported with a “PEFerence” Horizon 2020 grant awarded by Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

By Natalie Schwertheim

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