Rhodia to Use Avantium’s YXY Technology to Develop Renewable Polyamides

Rhodia, member of the Solvay Group, and Avantium recently announced that they have entered into a partnership to jointly develop a range of new bio-based polyamides targeting a variety of applications.

This partnership expands and completes the previously announced development agreement in the field of bio-based engineering plastics between Solvay and Avantium. Building on the newly combined forces of Rhodia and Solvay, the extended relationship offers the partners a unique opportunity to explore a wide range of compositions and applications based on Avantium's YXY technology in the larger Polyamidefield. In the frame of this joint development, the companies will explore the market potential of polyamide compositions on the basis of YXY building blocks. Produced from renewable and bio-based feedstock, these compositions are expected to exhibit superior environmental profile and at the same time to deliver applicative performances at a competitive cost. Rhodia will test these new polyamides for fibers and engineering applications in various areas such as consumer goods, automotive and electronic materials. Rhodia and Avantium have entered into a multi-year, exclusive collaboration towards commercialization of these new polyamides.

"This collaboration perfectly fits with our strategy to deliver new sustainable products to our markets, and will combine our know-how in polyamides with Avantium's YXY technology to produce building blocks for green materials. This open innovation partnership is inspiring for our teams and we are confident that it will deliver breakthrough in the development of bio-based competitive polyamides", explained Louis Neltner, R&D Vice-President at Rhodia. Tom van Aken, CEO of Avantium, about the new collaboration: "Rhodia is a world leading player in the development, manufacturing and supply of polyamides. We are very pleased to work with Rhodia on developing performing, sustainable and competitive solutions for a broad range of customers. Together with our existing partnerships in polyamides, we are now completely covering all application areas for polyamides on basis of our green building blocks."

* YXY (pronounced icksy) is Avantium's brand name of a family of green building blocks for making materials and fuels that can compete on both price and performance with oil based alternatives, and which have a superior environmental footprint. Based on Avantium's patented catalytic technology to convert biomass into furanic building blocks, YXY can be implemented in existing chemical production assets.