Braskem and Haldor Topsoe successfully produced the first batch of monoethylene glycol (MEG) from sugar by applying a new technology. Both companies plan to provide samples for validation and testing before determining to develop the new technology to a commercial scale. MEG is a key feedstock to produce polyester PET fibres, films, and resins.
The new technology includes MOSAIK, a monosaccharide industrial cracker which cracks sugar into an intermediate product that can be converted into MEG, glycolic acid, and monopropylene glycol. Braskem and Haldor Topsoe completed a demonstration unit in Lyngby, Denmark last year. Since then, they have constructed the remaining process units and have put them in operation.
The existing process to produce renewable MEG involves dehydrating ethanol to produce ethylene that will be used to make MEG. Braskem and Haldor Topsoe develop a new technology that provides a more straightforward production process of renewable MEG. Some companies are also developing new technology to produce renewable purified terephthalic acid (PTA), another key feedstock to produce PET.
