AVALON Industries AG, an entity of Swiss-based company AVA-CO2 Schweiz AGfounded in 2015, has announced that it has taken over all bio-based chemistry activities from AVA-CO2 with immediate effect.

In order to fully focus on biochemistry, AVA-CO2 has also decided to sell its Hydrothermal Carbonisation (HTC) technology to the globally active International Power Invest AG, a holding company investing in renewable energy projects. From now on, AVA-CO2 will act as a holding company.

In response to rapid application developments relating to the bio-based chemical
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) and following increased 5-HMF demand from value chain partners, AVALON Industries was created to take advantage of new market opportunities and to prepare for future large-scale production. A renewable alternative to petroleum-based materials, 5-HMF is used in a broad range of applications in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries. As a subsidiary of AVA-CO2, AVALON Industries is taking over all operational activities from AVA-CO2 and will focus on the global implementation of the Hydrothermal Processing (HTP) technology for the industrial-scale production of 5-HMF. This technology was successfully developed and patented by AVA-CO2 over the last seven years.

All technical, operational and commercial activities as well as the associated rights and obligations currently held by AVA-CO2 are being transferred to AVALON Industries. AVALON Industries will roll-out the HTP technology globally to be used in future, large-scale 5-HMF production plants in order to meet the huge demand of the rapidly growing market for bio-based chemicals – specifically in the areas of bioplastics as well as bio-based resins and adhesives.

Under the new structure, AVA Biochem BSL AG, the operator of the ‘Biochem-1’ aproduction plant in Muttenz, Switzerland, is to become an AVALON Industries subsidiary and will continue to focus on 5-HMF production for the fine chemicals market. This brings the existing 5-HMF production capacity, as well as the expertise and know-how related to the proprietary HTP technology under the control of AVALON Industries. In this constellation, AVALON Industries is fully equipped for the future successful, commercial, industrial-scale implementation of 5-HMF production.

International Power Invest AG, a holding company active in renewable energy projects, has acquired AVA-CO2’s HTC-0 industrial scale demonstration plant and all relevant HTC Intellectual Property rights. Among other renewable energy projects, IPI has also invested in the “Innovationspark Vorpommern” located in Relzow, Germany and plans to continue the development and international roll-out of the HTC technology.

The company said it was “excited about this new development, which brings us closer towards the large-scale commercialisation of 5-HMF and its downstream applications such as 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), Polyethylene Furanoate (PEF) as well as non-toxic, bio-based resins and adhesives.”

http://www.avalon-industries.com