PDC News #3

In january Avantium announced that it has found an important solution for recycling polycotton waste textiles: link . PDC contributed to this development by performing the process development and techno-economic assessment and we’re excited to be acknowledged for this in the paper published by Nature, the leading international weekly journal of science.

PDC visited Paques Biomaterials in february in Balk, Friesland, NL to kick-off the conceptual process design tasks for producing PHA/PHBV in the context of the EU funded Promofer project.

Biodegradable bioplastics, known as biodegradable or renewable materials, are one of the most in-demand bio-based products. However, there is a need to improve the material’s properties and broaden its application areas to meet market demands.

PROMOFER aims to address this issue by producing high-value bioplastic applications from two kinds of feedstock – lignocellulosic biomass and food industry waste – and improving fermentation processes, as well as downstream purification.

PDC will perform the conceptual process design (CPD) of different fermentation and downstream separation processes. Secondly, the economic feasibility of the identified scenarios will be assessed including life cycle costing (LCC). Finally, the environmental effects caused within the project will be defined and quantified, by means of environmental life cycle analysis (LCA). More info here.

We visited the BIC Matchmaking event organized at Brussels Airport Zaventem in february. The BIC (Biobased Industry Consortium) is a non-profit organisation set up in Brussels in 2013 to represent the private sector in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the European Commission. It currently has 300+ Industry Members and 250 Associated Members. Its vision is to make Europe’s innovative, sustainable and competitive bio-based industry the leader of a circular bio society in Europe by 2050. PDC is a full member of BIC.

At the well-attended Matchmaking event the PDC team (represented by Claudia Amabile, Amin Delparish and Peter Baets) discussed and met with 50+ BIC members and attended pitches for project initiatives. Such discussions are instrumental to identify the right partners for project preparations under the 2025 call for proposals.

PDC is providing expertise in the field of conceptual process design, techno-economic assessment and LCA, assisted by its proprietary Prosyn.ai software. PDC invites project coordinators to reach out for participation in projects under the 2025 call for proposals, where such conceptual design services are needed.

BIORING develops biobased building blocks that allow the formulation of novel high-performance UV-curing biocoatings with enhanced thermomechanical performance.

PDC contributes to BIORING with conceptual process design and by doing the techno-economical assessment. A public summary of the most recent deliverable states that the CPD and TEA study shows that it is possible to develop a BIORING coating with ≥95% biobased content from different biomass-derived building blocks (polyols, end-cappers and a cross-linker) and a commercially bought isocyanate. Moreover, assessment of technical and economic Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) indicates that the project is on its way to achieving its overall objectives. Or in the words of the European Commission: “D5.2 reports and very credibly discuss the modelling and techno-economic analysis of the developed process steps. A preliminary Techno Economic Assessment reveals that the implemented methods generate results in the right order of magnitude and are therewith sufficiently reliable. This is already an important tool on considering strategic decisions and choices in the further experimental pathways for achieving the final BIORING goals.”

We are PDC. We are an international team of conceptual process design experts with a strong reputation in the industry. Our mission is to help create a lower carbon footprint and a more sustainable process industry.

As a process design innovator with close to 40 years of experience, PDC understands how to support and lead teams through the uncertainties of the conceptual process design flow to reach innovative solutions. The methods we share have, over the years, helped us quickly and effectively design solutions to a wide range of challenges.