The companies said their collaboration will accelerate the use of bioethanol for chemicals and plastics and support the industry's drive toward a carbon neutral circular economy. Braskem, which regards itself as a pioneer supplier of renewable raw materials for bio-based plastics, recently announced its aim to produce 1 million t/y of its “I'm Green”-brand polyethylene by 2030. 

According to Braskem, cooperation with partners will be key to achieving this goal, and the link-up with Lummus will bring complementary knowledge and skills to shorten the timeline to the target, while at the same time extending the geographic reach of the technology as demand for green ethylene continues to grow.

Lummus, no stranger to polyethylene, claims to have licensed about 40 % of the global PE production technology currently in operation, giving it the technical capability as well as the licensing expertise to further develop and market the technology behind green ethylene. The partnership with Braskem, it said, will enable it to license the Brazilian group’s process to its clients worldwide.

Leveraging the combined experience and expertise of Lummus and Braskem to produce green ethylene will reduce the production sector’s carbon footprint and play a promising role in the energy transition, the companies added.

“Braskem has already been operating the technology successfully at a large scale, and together we are going to expand the world's production of low carbon chemicals and biopolymers from renewable feedstocks, helping our customers decarbonize their assets and produce greener products," said Leon de Bruyn, president and CEO of Lummus Technology.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist