Avondlezing door Ton Vries (Symeres), georganiseerd door de Rotterdamsche Chemische Kring.
Samenvatting
BioBTX introduction
‘Leader in Biobased and Renewable Aromatics and Circular Economy Technology’
BioBTX is a circular chemistry technology developer that makes it possible to replaces fossil resources for biomass & plastic waste. We use these renewable resources for the production of drop-in chemicals and aromatics to enable the production of sustainable and future proof materials.
Global warming, environmental pollution with microplastics, and the threat of depletion of raw materials: the world urgently needs solutions that reduce CO2 emissions, use scarce materials more efficiently and turn waste back into raw materials. This will make the Netherlands and Europe become less dependent on imported strategic raw materials. As expressed in European and National policy, functional, sustainable and circular material innovations are essential to achieve the radical technological transitions that are necessary to achieve a sustainable society. The transition to economically profitable production and use of sustainable and 100% circular materials combined with new functionalities is what we call the materials transition.
By focusing on this materials transition, the Netherlands seizes a huge economic opportunity: the development of a new industry around the next generations of solar cells and batteries, new recycling technology for plastics, and the creation of sustainable routes for important materials sectors such as steel, asphalt and composites. The use of sustainable and circular materials will also lead to a substantial reduction in the hidden costs for the environment and health. There is no time to lose and we must act now to enable this!
Circular plastics: circular plastics chains are required to avoid negative environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, plastic waste and microplastic pollution. To this end, it is essential to drastically change processes and structures in the plastics ecosystem so that the chains (completely) become circular. Plastics will continue to be essential for many applications in the future. The Netherlands has an excellent knowledge base, with strong collaboration between research and industry, with the aim of to achieve 50% circularity by 2030, then increasing to 100% by 2050.
BioBTX developed a unique and commercially attractive catalytic pyrolysis process that maximizes BTX yield and minimizes operational costs.
Through these renewable aromatics it is possible to become independent of fossil based resources and at the same time give plastic waste a high-quality application. At BioBTX we want to change the world; we want to make our future green and circular. That is why we develop technology for a sustainable and circular future!
BioBTX is a chemical technology development company based in Groningen, The Netherlands, that does research into the production of biobased and renewable aromatics in order to contribute to the circular economy. BioBTX has developed a technology that enables the conversion and upcycling of both biomass and end-of-life mixed plastic materials (e.g. PE,PP,PS,PET,ABS,PA,PUR) into platform chemicals from renewable carbon, i.e., aromatics and especially BTX (Benzene, Toluene, Xylenes). These are the basis of 40% of all petrochemical products produced worldwide. The developed technology allows for the achievement of both circularity and sustainability targets, like CO2 reduction, substituting the use of fossil resources and lowering the amounts of waste going into incineration or landfills. The technology makes it possible to produce chemical building blocks from waste streams like post-consumer waste plastics, agriculture, mixed-plastics, composites, etc.
The goal of BioBTX is to have the first global commercial factory operational by 2024 where aromatics are produced from mixed plastic waste. At this moment, BioBTX is operating a pilot plant in its facilities in Groningen to further optimize its technology and simultaneously develops the engineering and for the processing of mixed plastics and biobased waste streams into renewable BTX.
Ton will discuss the BioBTX technology and the opportunity to play an active role in making the chemistry industry sustainable and circular.
Curriculum vitae
Ton Vries received his PhD at the University of Groningen with Prof. Hans Wynberg. He started working at Syncom (1991) as research chemist and in 1998 became the CEO of Syncom (now Symeres). In 2020 he became the Head of innovation at Symeres and started as managing director BioBTX which he started in 2014 together with dr. Cor Kamminga and the RUG.
Ton is also active as managing director of Campus Groningen and has a strong interest in chemistry, chirality and sustainable solutions.
Introducé(e)s zijn van harte welkom.
Stuur daartoe een mail naar chemischekringrotterdam@gmail.com.
