Agreements highlight Lummus and Citroniq's progress in meeting surging demand for sustainable polypropylene
Lummus Technology and Citroniq Chemicals announced that the two companies have signed licensing and engineering agreements for green polypropylene plants in the U.S. The first plant, scheduled for completion in 2027, will produce 400,000 tonnes/year of bio-polypropylene and will be the first in North America with this production capability.
"This agreement demonstrates the progress we continue to make with Citroniq in establishing the first world-scale sustainable bio-polypropylene production process in North America," said Romain Lemoine, Chief Business Officer of Polymers and Petrochemicals, Lummus Technology. "Combining Lummus' leadership in polypropylene licensing with Citroniq's carbon negative production capabilities will help us meet the growing demand for bio-polypropylene and accelerate the decarbonization of the downstream energy industry."
"Citroniq's four-plant bio-polypropylene licensing agreement with Lummus Technology is a testament of our commitment to bring sustainable plastics at world-class scale to the marketplace," said Mel Badheka, President & Co-Founder of Citroniq Chemicals.
In April 2023, Lummus and Citroniq formed a partnership to develop four green polypropylene plants in North America using Lummus' Verdene polypropylene technology suite. The licensing and engineering agreements announced today are for the first of the four plants.
The Verdene suite includes four Lummus technologies: ethanol-to-ethylene technology, dimer technology, olefins conversion technology and polypropylene technology. Lummus is the only technology provider able to supply all the proven, low energy technologies to produce renewable green polypropylene from biogenic ethanol.
The global market for bio-based polyolefins is forecast to multiply by a factor of more than 20 between 2022 and 2032, reaching a volume of more than 4.7 million tonnes according to a ground-breaking report released by MLT Analytics.
Bio-polyolefins leader Braskem is also mulling an investment in producing carbon negative bio-based polypropylene (PP) in the U.S. The project would utilize Braskem’s proven, proprietary technology to convert bioethanol into physically segregated bio-based polypropylene.
Lummus and Citroniq signing ceremony. Image courtesy of Lummus.