Borealis invests €100M to expand PP compounding in Schwechat

Borealis is investing over €100 million to expand and upgrade its #polypropylene (PP) compounding facilities in Schwechat, Austria.

The new PP compounding line is expected to begin operations in the second half of 2026. 

#Borealis did not disclose the capacity of the new line.

The investment comes just months after the Austria-based polymer producer announced another €100 million for a new line to produce High Melt Strength polypropylene (#HMSPP) at its Burghausen plant in Germany.

“This is our third significant investment this year, following the expansion our energy business and the increase in capacity for our recyclable, lightweight polymer foam solutions,” said Stefan Doboczky, Borealis CEO.

“Over the past decade, Borealis has built strong expertise in circular solutions that meet our customers’ expectations for quality. With more capacity, we can deliver more of the materials they need, helping them hit performance targets and move closer to their sustainability goals. This project transforms innovation into tangible solutions – bringing our We4Customers strategy to life,” Doboczky added.

PP compounds may incorporate recycled materials to create speciality compounds with tailored properties. Borealis’ #DaplenPP compound grades contain PCR content, for example.

Borealis had plans to build a 60,000 tonnes/year #polyolefin mechanical #recycling plant at Schwechat, due to start operations in late 2025. The company has recently put the project on hold, however, saying the plant would not achieve its target performance under current market conditions.

Borealis’ #BorcycleMtechnology transforms post-consumer #polyolefinwaste into high-performance polymers suitable for demanding applications.

source : Borealis/Sustainable Plastics

Avantium Successfully Starts Up First Part of its FDCA Flagship Plant

Avantium N.V., a leader in renewable and circular polymer materials, is pleased to announce the successful start-up of the sugar dehydration (SDH) unit and all auxiliary systems and utilities at its FDCA Flagship Plant in Delfzijl. This achievement marks a key technical achievement in the phased commissioning and start-up of the world’s first commercial facility dedicated to the production of #FDCA (#furandicarboxylicacid), a key building block for the 100% plant-based and recyclable polymer #PEF (polyethylene furanoate), branded as #releaf®. #Avantium now expects to begin commercial sales under its existing offtake agreements in the first quarter of 2026.

The FDCA Flagship Plant, located at Chemie Park Delfzijl, is the first of its kind and is designed to produce up to 5 kilotonnes of FDCA per year. Construction was completed in October 2024, and Avantium has been gradually commissioning and starting up different parts of the facility.

The SDH unit is the largest part of the plant and plays a crucial role by converting plant sugars into #methoxymethylfurfural (MMF), an important intermediate in the FDCA production process. #MMF is now successfully being produced in the SDH unit. The successful start-up of the SDH follows the FDCA Flagship Plant’s utility and auxiliary systems, such as the tank farm and steam systems, which were put into operation earlier this year.

With the SDH unit now operational, the next steps include the finalization of commissioning and sequential start-up of the remaining units that handle oxidation and purification. Avantium has identified quality issues in the piping and certain electrical components. These will be repaired or replaced to ensure a safe and reliable start-up of the remaining units.

The FDCA produced at the FDCA Flagship Plant will be polymerized by tolling partner Selenis, using biobased #monoethyleneglycol (MEG), to create PEF. Following performance testing and regulatory validation for food contact applications, Avantium now expects to begin commercial sales under existing offtake agreements in the first quarter of 2026, with plans to reach full production capacity within 24 months.

“This milestone is a tremendous accomplishment for the team and a major step forward on our path to commercializing FDCA and PEF,” said Bram Hoffer, Chief Operations Officer at Avantium. Jeroen Vogelzang, Flagship Plant Manager, added: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together, including our unwavering commitment to safety as the start-up process continues. Thie successful start-up is a major demonstration of the scalability of our #YXYtechnology.”

source: Avantium

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : First NCAMP approval for VARTM with Tenax™ dry reinforcements

 Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

🚀 First NCAMP approval for VARTM with Tenax™ dry reinforcements

Together with Syensqo, we have reached an important milestone:

Our Tenax™ IMS65 E23 24K non-crimp fabrics (NCF) and unidirectional (UD) reinforcements, when used with Syensqo's PRISM® EP2400 epoxy resin system, have been approved by NCAMP for the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) infusion method. It is the first process and material approval of its kind.

The advantages:

🔹Out-of-autoclave processing with autoclave-like performance

🔹High fiber content with near-zero void content

🔹A long shelf life for preforms, which is ideal for large, complex components

🔹Global availability of all components by sea, land, or air

🔹Accelerated FAA certification with publicly available B-basis airworthiness values

Special thanks go to our partner, the Advanced Composites Institute (MSU-ACI) at Mississippi State University, which played a key role in validating process robustness and material consistency.

With this certification, we offer OEMs and suppliers a scalable, forward-looking alternative to traditional prepreg processing. Together with Syensqo, we open up new possibilities for efficient and sustainable manufacturing in the aerospace industry.

source : Teijin Carbon Europe GmbH

Asahi Kasei to unveil PFAS-free polyamide and CFRP recycling technology at K 2025

Diversified global manufacturer Asahi Kasei will unveil its newest innovation in PFAS-free polyamide (PA) and recycling technology of continuous carbon fibers at K 2025 in Hall 8a, Booth E23. The company will also showcase its diverse material solutions for automotive applications, improved connectivity, and lightweighting. K 2025, considered the world's No. 1 trade fair for plastics and rubber, will take place during October 8–15, 2025, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Asahi Kasei has developed a groundbreaking recycling technology that enables the recovery of continuous carbon fibers from CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) pressure vessels used in automobiles. Utilizing electrolyzed sulfuric acid, the process completely decomposes the resin matrix while preserving the carbon fibers' original strength and continuous structure. Unlike conventional recycling methods that result in chopped fibers, this technology allows for the perpetual recycling of high-quality, cost-effective continuous carbon fibers from CFRP pressure vessels. At K 2025, Asahi Kasei will showcase over 200 meters of recycled continuous carbon fiber.

Asahi Kasei will also display PA and SEBS (hydrogenated styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer) compounds utilizing a bio-based and biodegradable cellulose nanofiber (CNF). This material is made from cotton linter and has high heat resistance and network-forming ability. CNF-reinforced polyamide becomes less viscous when agitated, making it highly suitable for 3D printing applications for easy printing, dimensional accuracy, smooth appearance, and mechanical performance. CNF-reinforced SEBS features a unique softness, which can be adjusted by changing the internal structure of the molded product. In addition, it shows a very low warpage and shrinkage, and good hydrolysis resistance. These properties make this material suitable for a wide range of applications, for example, jigs & tooling or prosthetics & orthotics devices.

In response to the increasing demand for PFAS-free materials, Asahi Kasei is developing a PFAS-free low-friction LEONA™

 PA and will introduce the new grade for the first time in Europe. Based on internal evaluations, the material has the same low-friction properties as fluororesin, making it suitable for sliding applications in various industries, including automotive, robot parts, office equipment parts, and sporting goods.

 

Materials for lightweighting and streamlined production of automotive parts

There has been a growing emphasis on reduced weight and improved design in automotive manufacturing. Asahi Kasei will display various technologies to address the most pressing concerns of automotive manufacturers at K 2025. One such solution is AZP™ transparent polymer

 featuring almost no birefringence and light weight. It overcomes the challenges of conventional transparent polymers in applications with polarizing light, such as virtual reality and augmented reality devices and automotive head-up displays (HUD), while maintaining superior processability for large-scale production of injection-molded optical components. The company will exhibit an interactive automotive demonstration at K 2025 to showcase how AZP™ contributes to next-generation HUD.

Conventional approaches to automotive instrument panels, door panels, armrests, or center consoles have used different materials and production technologies for skin, foam, and core layers. Asahi Kasei’s SEBS

 material is suitable for skin and foam layers, which can be molded in one step by utilizing a core back injection molding process, with strong chemical bonding between all the layers to eliminate the need for additional adhesive layers. SEBS contributes to reducing the total number of materials, simplifying the manufacturing process, and improving the recyclability of interior components.

Another solution from Asahi Kasei that streamlines the manufacturing process for OEMs is SunForce™ mPPE (modified polyphenylene ether) particle foam beads. This material is well-suited to mass production of thin-walled, complex-shaped parts that require low tolerances, high heat stability, or UL94 V-0 flame retardancy. These properties make SunForce™ a perfect fit for thermal management solutions in electronic devices, transportation trays for Li-ion battery cells, insulation parts for HVAC equipment, and foam cores for FRP composite parts.

With the increasing number of radar applications across industries, the pressure to reduce material, production costs, and weight is rising. Slotted waveguide array antennas for automotive millimeter-wave radars are typically made of metal, requiring costly and time-consuming milling processes. Asahi Kasei’s XYRON™

 mPPE features proven wet-platability, omitting the milling process and allowing for mass production of resin antenna parts via injection molding, which lowers cost and increases scalability.

source : Asahi Kasei

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Solar Trees Could Save Forests From Deforestation

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Solar Trees Could Save Forests From Deforestation While Generating the Same Power as Solar Farms

Picture a forested hillside stripped bare, replaced by row after row of black solar panels. That’s the tradeoff many communities face: renewable power at the cost of ecosystems. But a growing body of research suggests it doesn’t have to be that way. The solution may look less like an industrial solar farm and more like a forest solar trees.

Researcher Dan-Bi Um at the Korea Maritime Institute compared conventional flat-panel arrays with solar trees structures designed to mimic real trees, with panels branching upward like leaves. Their results were startling. “Linear arrangements of these structures achieve superior power capacity compared to conventional fixed panels while preserving existing forest cover,” the team reports.

Why Trees Make Better Solar Farms

Unlike ground-mounted panels that demand clearcuts, #solartrees are built and installed vertically into the canopy. This design allows light to filter down to understory plants while still capturing energy above. In simulations using Google Earth satellite imagery, Dan-Bi Um found that solar trees preserved 99% of the forest, compared to just 2% left standing when flat-panel plants were installed. All without sacrificing power output.

Conventional #solarfarms need a lot of land. In #SouthKorea, that’s meant cutting forests to install large arrays of flat-panel plants, a process that “completely destroy the biodiversity of the #forestecosystem,” Um warns. Between 2016 and 2018, deforestation tied to solar farms in the country more than quadrupled.

Solar trees sidestep #deforestation. By placing them along hiking trails or forest boundaries at 20-meter intervals, the researchers showed that 63 trees outfitted with high-efficiency panels could match the one-megawatt capacity of a conventional plant all while leaving the forest intact.

The advantages, of course, go beyond forests. In cities, solar trees provide shade for pedestrians and cars while generating #cleanelectricity. Some models include charging ports for electric vehicles or benches equipped with wireless charging . Researchers also note their cooling effect in urban “heat island” zones, where rising summer temperatures threaten public health.

The Bigger Picture:

This research arrives at a critical moment. Nations have pledged at recent climate summits to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 while halting deforestation. The problem is that those goals often collide. In South Korea, deforestation tied to solar projects surged from 529 hectares in 2016 to 2,443 hectares in 2018. Similar conflicts play out worldwide, from the Amazon to Appalachia.

source : ZME Science

ExxonMobil Seeks Exit From European Chemicals Sector

ExxonMobil is considering selling its chemicals plants in the UK and Belgium, Reuters reported today based on an article in the Financial Times. The Houston-based #petrochemicals giant reportedly has held early-stage discussions with advisors on possible sales that could bring in up to $1 billion, the news outlets reported.

Europe’s #chemicals industry is in disarray, as it wrestles with high energy costs, US tariffs, and cheap imports from Asia. At the beginning of the year, industry intelligence organization ICIS set the tone with an article that carried the headline, “Europe’s chemical industry, and its economy, face an existential challenge.” The #EuropeanCommission unveiled an action plan to address this issue in July of this year. The initiative to reduce #energy prices and enact safeguards against unfair competition was deemed “too little, too late” by UK-based chemicals company #Ineos. The European chemicals sector overall nodded in agreement. It’s within this context that #ExxonMobil is exploring a divestment of its chemicals assets in Europe.

Exxon owns an ethylene plant in Fife, Scotland, as well as several production sites in Belgium. If it can’t find any buyers, ExxonMobil has also discussed simply shutting them down, according to the FT and Reuters.

This development follows recent announcements of plant shutdowns in Europe.

As reported in #PlasticsToday in July 2025, #Dow is cutting back on European production of chlor-alkali and vinyl, with the closure of its facility in Schkopau, Germany. An ethylene cracker in Böhlen, Germany, and a basics siloxanes plant in Barry, UK, are also on the chopping block.

Vynova announced that same month that it would cease #PVC production in the Netherlands, which has an annual capacity of 225,000 metric tons. The company cited “ongoing economic, regulatory, and market challenges” for the closure.

LyondellBasell and Sabic also recently revealed that they would be reducing their European footprint.

source : Plastics Today

BMW relies on hydrogen technology

Hydrogen technology is making its way into the BMW Group Steyr site: The company announced the start of series development of the fuel cell system, which will also be produced at the Steyr site from 2028. "After the start of series production of electric motors, the entry into hydrogen technology in development and production is our next big milestone.

This variety of drive technologies gives us the flexibility to continue to respond to global customer demand in the best possible way in the future. This ensures the stability of the location – and thus also employment and innovative strength in Austria," says Klaus von Moltke, Managing Director of the BMW Group Plant Steyr.

To this end, the company is initially investing up to 50 million euros in development and production. In the photo: Markus Steidl, Head of the BMW Group Development Centre in Steyr, Michael Rath, Head of Hydrogen Vehicles BMW Group, Klaus von Moltke, Head of Engine Production at BMW AG, Governor Mag. Thomas Stelzer

Photo: BMW