Avantium: pragmatic approach to environmental permits for innovative industrial processes

Companies that develop more sustainable products based on innovative processes must overcome many hurdles. These affect many aspects of doing business, including obtaining environmental permits. There are many questions and uncertainties, which means they need workable, pragmatic advice. For Avantium, a Dutch developer and manufacturer of bio-based chemical feedstocks, Witteveen+Bos guided the permitting process for a new factory in the Dutch city of Delfzijl.

Avantium is a national and international pioneer in green chemistry. The company does not use fossil sources to manufacture feedstocks. Instead, all their processes are based on a renewable raw material: fructose syrup (sugar).
The company has developed a patented technology for the production of bio-based building blocks (FDCA, MEG). Avantium uses these substances to produce PEF, a replacement for PET (from the familiar PET bottles). Unlike PET, PEF is largely non-fossil, but is just as recyclable and has better properties (including as a barrier to oxygen and CO2). PEF can also be used for other applications, including textiles.

Waste products

While companies such as Avantium are actively working to make the chemical industry sustainable, they are still chemical companies with cooling needs, emissions, noise sources and new sources of risk. In addition, by-products and waste products are released during the production of bio-based building blocks that do not arise with conventional chemistry. As is the case with conventional chemistry, sustainable chemical companies often use catalysts in their processes (often metals or minerals such as cobalt), which leads to the release of harmful waste products.

No harmful effects

Because some of these by-products and waste products are not regulated by existing legislation and regulations, they may adversely affect the permitting process. In the case of Avantium, we issued recommendations on how some of these compounds can be discharged without harmful environmental effects.
Witteveen+Bos adopted a facilitating role in this process between the clients (Avantium and Worley (Engineering, Procurement, Contracting)) and the competent authority. We were able to make optimal use of our expertise and experience in the field of substances of very high concern and the associated legislation and regulations.

Environmental impact assessment

We also carried out an environmental impact assessment for this client, in which we studied the effects of the production facility on the immediate environment. With assessments like this, our experts can assess all environmental effects – including harmful effects – at an early stage and advise clients how to adequately mitigate those effects.

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