Furfural and furanics (FDCA): Production route
A century-old corncob process meets a new sugar platform
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.The family has two very different halves. Furfural is a century-old process (Quaker Oats commercialised it from oat hulls in the 1920s, indicative) that uses cheap residues but lots of steam and gives low yields, about half of theoretical. It is made in many small plants near crop residues. The new furanics, HMF and FDCA, start from glucose or fructose and need precise catalysis and corrosion-proof equipment; they are at first-commercial scale. The PEF polymer is made in conventional polyester plants.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batch furfural (Chinese batch process) | largest share (IMARC) | about 8-12 t corncobs and 20-30 t steam per t (indicative) | 1-10 kt/yr plants (indicative) | about 40-50% of theoretical (indicative) | acetic acid, methanol; residue burned as fuel | corncobs plus coal steam; prices of $1,346-2,501/t (Sep 2026, IMARC) set the ceiling |
| Continuous and high-yield furfural (bagasse, rice husk) | minority (indicative) | lower steam per t (indicative) | 10-35 kt/yr (indicative) | up to about 60-70% of theoretical (indicative) | acetic acid, lignocellulosic residue | bagasse at near zero cost at sugar mills |
| Furfuryl alcohol and furan resins | about 60% of furfural use (indicative) | about 1.05 t furfural per t furfuryl alcohol (indicative) | China 320 kt FA output (2023, indicative) | high | none material | furfural plus hydrogen |
| FDCA via fructose dehydration and oxidation (Avantium YXY) | first commercial plant only | fructose or glucose (quantities not published) | Avantium Delfzijl 5 kt/yr FDCA | not published | levulinic acid and methyl levulinate (indicative) | not published; expected to be several times PTA ($687/t CFR India, Jan 2026, PTA tile) |
How each route works
Batch furfural (Chinese batch process)Corncobs are soaked in dilute sulphuric acid and steamed in batch digesters; furfural vapour is condensed and distilled.
Cheap to build; low yield, acid waste.
IMARC 2025; indicative Continuous and high-yield furfural (bagasse, rice husk)Continuous reactors with better steam stripping and catalysts raise yield; used in sugar-mill-integrated plants such as Central Romana and Illovo (indicative).
Better yields; higher capex.
IMARC key players; indicative Furfuryl alcohol and furan resinsFurfural is hydrogenated over copper catalysts to furfuryl alcohol, then condensed with acid catalysts to resins.
Mature; tied to foundry demand.
Teenablog 2023; indicative FDCA via fructose dehydration and oxidation (Avantium YXY)Plant-based sugars are dehydrated to methoxymethylfurfural and oxidised with air over a catalyst in titanium equipment to FDCA, then polymerised with MEG to PEF.
Bio-based, high-barrier polyester; unproven costs and long delays.
Avantium Jan 2026; Packaging Insights; PTA tile Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.