Avantium publishes LCA of its plantMPG

In the Netherlands, Avantium N.V has published Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data for its plantMPG™ (plant-based mono-propylene glycol) from its Ray Technology™: a chemical intermediate used in a variety of applications including in functional fluids and unsaturated polyester resins. The ISO-certified LCA for plantMPG™ shows a significant improvement of up to 81% in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the full life cycle when Avantium’s plantMPG™ is compared with its incumbents.

Avantium partnered with Sphera to perform a cradle-to-grave LCA for plantMPG™, produced with its Ray Technology™ from sucrose derived from Dutch sugar beet. The LCA takes into account wastewater treatment as the end-of-life for plantMPG™. Avantium’s plantMPG™ is compared to incumbent MPG production routes from fossil raw materials (naphtha- and shale-derived propylene) and renewable raw materials (soy- and rapeseed-derived glycerine). For the plantMPG™ production
process, electricity from wind power, green hydrogen based on wind power and thermal energy from natural gas was assumed. The plantMPG™ LCA study has been conducted according to the guidelines of ISO 14040/14044 and has been reviewed by an external independent critical review panel.
The impact on climate change of plantMPG™ is significantly lower, with 50% to 81% lower GHG emissions, compared to fossil-based and biobased incumbentsiii. The climate change reduction for plantMPG™ is largely driven by the use of plant-based feedstock (sugar beet) and the resulting biogenic nature, with the carbon being absorbed and stored by the sugar beets and re-entering the natural carbon cycle at the end of life of plantMPG™. Furthermore, the non-renewable primary energy demand of plantMPG™ is significantly lower (-41% to -82%) compared to other fossil and
renewable MPG alternatives. PlantMPG™ also outperforms all incumbent MPG technologies in water use (-13% to -99%).

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