Bio-based polyethylene and MEG: Production route
Real cane ethanol versus bio-content on paper
What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.There are three main ways to make bio-based PE and MEG. Ethanol dehydration (Braskem) is the only one at scale for PE. Mass-balance routes feed bio-naphtha or bio-propane from renewable diesel plants into ordinary crackers and allocate the bio share on paper (Borealis, SABIC, LyondellBasell, indicative). Bio-MEG is made either from bio-ethylene via ethylene oxide (India Glycols, indicative) or directly from sugars by hydrogenolysis (UPM Leuna, delayed). The economics depend on ethanol versus naphtha or ethane prices.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethanol dehydration to ethylene, then PE | nearly all dedicated bio-PE (Braskem) | about 1.7-1.75 t ethanol (about 2.2 m3) per t ethylene; about 26-28 t of cane (indicative) | Braskem Triunfo 260 kt/yr ethylene | about 95-99% of theoretical (indicative) | water | ethanol is about 70-80% of cash cost (indicative); at $0.5-0.6/l ethanol, about $1,100-1,300/t ethylene (indicative) |
| Mass-balance bio-attributed PE | growing in Europe (indicative) | about 1-1.2 t bio-feed per t of attributed PE (indicative) | existing crackers | same as fossil cracking | fuel gas, propylene, aromatics | bio-naphtha costs well above fossil naphtha (indicative) |
| Bio-MEG via bio-ethylene oxide | small | about 0.5 t bio-ethylene per t MEG (indicative) | India Glycols, Kashipur (capacity not verified) | standard EO yields | DEG, TEG | depends on ethanol price; not published (MEG tile) |
| Bio-MEG directly from sugars (hydrogenolysis) | demonstration to first commercial | not published | UPM Leuna biorefinery, Germany (indicative) | not published | MPG, lignin-based fillers (indicative) | not published |
How each route works
Ethanol dehydration to ethylene, then PEEthanol is dehydrated catalytically to polymer-grade ethylene, then polymerised to HDPE, LLDPE or EVA in conventional plants.
Proven and drop-in; ethanol cost sets the premium.
Braskem 2023; indicative Mass-balance bio-attributed PEBio-naphtha or bio-propane from hydrotreated vegetable oils and wastes (e.g. Neste) is co-fed with fossil feed into a cracker; certified (ISCC PLUS) bio content is allocated to some product.
No new plant needed; physical bio content not guaranteed.
indicative Bio-MEG via bio-ethylene oxideBio-ethylene from ethanol is oxidised to EO and hydrated to MEG; used in partly bio-based PET (MEG is about 30% of PET by weight).
Uses existing EO technology.
MEG tile; indicative Bio-MEG directly from sugars (hydrogenolysis)Glucose from hardwood or starch is hydrogenated and cracked to MEG and MPG over catalysts.
Lower steps; first-of-a-kind delays and cost overruns (indicative).
MEG tile; indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.