Technip has entered into an agreement with METabolic Explorer for the evaluation of combined polymer technology.
Under the deal, the firms will evaluate the combined technology package, including 1,3-Propanediol (PDO) and Polytrimethylene Terephthalate (PTT) technologies.
The assessment will include a technical and commercial review, which is expected to help in bringing the bundled technology package to the market for licensing.
PTT will be used to produce quality textile fibers, packaging films and engineered plastics.
Technip said the growth potential of the PTT market is currently haltered by limited quantities of PDO, a feedstock used to produce PTT.
METabolic Explorer has developed a patented technology, which will be used to produce PDO through the fermentation of crude glycerins from either vegetable oils or recycled oils.
Located in Frankfurt of Germany, Technip’ s operating center licenses the PTT technology as Zimmer Process Technology, which was developed in the 1990s and commercialized in the early 2000.
By combining the complementary technologies, the partnership will develop an industrial solution for the production of biosourced PTT.
METabolic EXplorer founder and CEO Benjamin Gonzalez said: "I am glad about this partnership with Technip Zimmer which will accelerate the deployment of the PDO technology for the PTT applications, with a market mainly located in Asia.”
Technip Zimmer Process Technology managing director Andreas Bormann said: "By bundling PDO and PTT technologies, our goal is to offer a competitive product to a market that is in constant search for diversified, high quality polymers with a solid growth potential.”
