Michelin ResiCare and Axens have entered exclusive negotiations toward a strategic partnership to industrialise and commercialise 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF). It’s a bio-based platform molecule with broad applications in green chemistry.
5-HMF is a building block for resins, adhesives and bio-based polymers derived from plant material. Among its most significant potential applications is the production of polyethylene furanoate (PEF). PEF is a bio-based plastic considered one of the most credible alternatives to PET for food packaging, bottles and textile fibres. The molecule can also substitute fossil-derived compounds such as formaldehyde with renewable alternatives.
The technology was developed through a joint R&D programme between Michelin ResiCare and IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN), with support from ADEME in France and the CBE JU in Europe. A first production unit with a capacity of around 3,000 tonnes per year is planned at Péage-de-Roussillon, France, operated by Michelin ResiCare and expected to be commissioned in early 2027.
Under the proposed agreement, Axens would contribute its licensing and engineering expertise to deploy the technology at industrial scale globally.
“We are convinced that 5-HMF is set to become a reference platform molecule for sustainable chemistry,” said Laurent Lemonnier, CEO of Michelin ResiCare. “Our planned partnership with Axens is a decisive lever to accelerate its global deployment.”
Jacinthe Frecon, VP Process and Equipment Innovation at Axens, said the collaboration offers an opportunity to accelerate the deployment of bio-based solutions for the transition to more sustainable chemistry.
