Stora Enso invests in bio-plastics pilot plant as PEF prepares to challenge PET
12 Dec 2019 --- Finnish company Stora Enso is investing €9 million to build a pilot facility for the production of bio-based plastics as barriers in transparent packaging. Located at the company’s Langerbrugge Mill in Gent, Belgium, the pilot plant will convert plant-based sugars into furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), which is a key component for making bio-based plastic polyethylene furanoate (PEF) for food and beverage containers. The investment in bio-based chemistry is set to further strengthen Stora Enso’s opportunities to replace fossil-based materials with renewable and recyclable materials.
“PEF is a renewable and recyclable alternative for packaging applications. It offers attractive barrier, mechanical and thermal properties for new packaging opportunities. The technology looks very attractive, and we see that the combination of price and performance will trigger substantial demand,” Markus Mannstrom, Head of Biomaterials division tells PackagingInsights. 
Unlike fossil-based plastics like PET, PEF is a renewable alternative for packaging applications but with similar qualities. “PEF allows you to make a bottle that keeps bubbles in and oxygen out, without the need of complex multi-layer solutions that are expensive and hard to recycle. Also, a PEF-based jar will not deform if you fill it with a hot product like a sauce,” he explains.
European Bioplastics recently indicated that PEF could make a wide-scale market entry in 2023. The organization announced “dynamic growth” in the global bioplastics industry as a whole, in which packaging remains the largest field of application with almost 53 percent (1.14 million metric tons) of the total bioplastics market in 2019.
The pilot plant will focus on developing a cost-competitive process for manufacturing FDCA from sugars, the former being a key component of the bio-based barrier material PEF. In addition to its renewable nature, PEF’s attractive barrier, mechanical and thermal properties open up new packaging opportunities, such as small liquid containers, aerosol cans and bottles, beverage can replacements, says the spokesperson.
“The FDCA building block that we aim to produce for PEF is of major interest among customers, manufacturers and brand owners seeking new packaging options that perform better and are also more sustainable. The global packaging market is growing and changing rapidly, especially due to the demands of the eco-conscious consumers, the growth of the middle class and the mobile lifestyle,” they note.
Stora Enso’s pilot facility aims to provide sample material to gain further insight into market need and product demand. The pilot facility will initially use industrially available fructose to produce high-value chemicals and materials for application testing. Building on these results, the intention is to run the process on sugars extracted from wood and other non-food biomasses in the future.
Let the construction begin
The Langerbrugge paper mill in Gent provides adequate space and infrastructure for hosting the facility, given it is one of the largest paper mills in Europe. It produces 540,000 metric tons of recycled newsprint and magazine papers annually, the company says. Moreover, the production is exclusively based on paper for recycling and the pilot plant investment will not impact the mill’s paper production.
“The mill’s existing infrastructure, such as engineering support, safety networks, utilities, facilities, is a great asset. The Ghent/Antwerp area of Belgium is home to a large number of chemical and petrochemical production sites, and thus a relevant area for the expertise required to successfully run such chemical pilot operations,” the spokesperson says.
The pilot facility’s design and engineering has already begun and construction will begin in the second half of next year. The plant is estimated to be ready in the first quarter of 2021. Decisions about commercialization will follow after evaluating the results of the pilot-scale production. The pilot project will be run by Stora Enso's Biomaterials division.
Active in sustainability trend
Stora Enso actively provides renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper. The company states that it believes that “everything that is made from fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow.” In this space, Stora Enso has already developed a paperboard, which can be used to produce paper cups, without the need for a traditional plastic coating layer.
The company has also launched a paperboard tube for cosmetics as an eco-friendly alternative to plastic tubes. The paperboard tube is suitable for the primary packaging of skin cream products and marks a step away from less environmentally-friendly materials, with only the tube opening still consisting of plastic.
Stora Enso has also collaborated with a number of other companies also active in this space to develop a range of sustainable food and beverage packaging. Last month, it partnered with HS Manufacturing Group, a plant-based barrier coatings producer, to develop oil- and grease-resistant barriers for formed fiber products.
In a bid to appease consumer concerns about single-use plastic straws, Stora Enso also recently teamed up with Sulapac to create a microplastic-free, recyclable straw that biodegrades “like tree leaves in nature,” Suvi Haimi, CEO of Sulapac, tells PackagingInsights.
By Anni Schleicher
