Suntory develops 100% bio-based beverage bottle

Suntory Corporation of Japan is the world's leading beverage company. Anellotech , a technology company focused on the development of renewable materials, has established strategic partnerships focused on the development and improvement of cost-competitive 100% bioplastic bottles.

The strategic cooperation between the two companies began in 2012 and has so far invested 15 million U.S. dollars. Suntory recently used 30% of plant-sourced packaging materials in the mineral water brand Tennensui .

The two companies will focus their current development on bio-aromatic compounds, including biological para-xylene. This substance can be used to make 100% bio-type PET beverage bottles. As part of the biobased value chain, Anellotech has Bio-TCATTM Thermal Catalytic Biomass Conversion Technology, which is extremely cost competitive and can produce green aromatics from non-food source biomass, including paraxylene and benzene.

According to Anellotech , the project has made substantial progress and the commercialization of 100% bio-polyester and bio- PET bottles has become a reality. With the perfect test equipment vendors and key equipment Tcat-8's, Anellotech ready for the end of January 2016, equipment installation.

The 25 -meter-high facility that began in 2016 will determine the feasibility and sustainability of the scale-up of the Bio-Tcat process, which is also required for the commercialization of the Bio-Tcat biocatalysis technology. TCat-8 is a catalytic device Anellotech its research partners IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) to design, the new catalyst will be used by the Anellotech and Johnson Matthey common development. After verifying through continuous operation of TCat-8 , Suntory plans to advance its first commercial scale Bio-Tcat plant.

"Through promote the use of alternatives to petroleum materials in everyday consumer products, we are expanding their commitments to abide by - reducing beverage packaging burden on the environment, including the reduction of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide," Suntory packaging, head of materials research and development department Munehiko Takada Said. “ We are very excited to see the progress made by Anellotech and its leading industry partners. This gives us confidence in the process development and commercial feasibility of bio-based aromatic compounds. ”

Suntory and some of the cross-border investment partners Anpingtech's existing partners IFPEN , Axens , and Johnson Matthey injected an initial investment of US$ 7 million, which was the first of a total of US$ 1 billion in investment.

Suntol explained that Anellotech 's process can produce 100% bio-based aromatic compounds through the use of cost-effective feedstocks and solid catalysts in fluidized-bed reactors . This eco-friendly material can be used to produce plastics. Anellotech 's process does not exhibit high-degree of oxidation bio-oil intermediates that are common in conventional thermal cracking processes, and avoids the need to add large amounts of expensive hydrogen.