Polyethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate, also named poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate), polyethylene furanoate and poly(ethylene furanoate) and generally abbreviated as PEF, is a polymer that can be produced by

polycondensation In polymer chemistry, condensation polymers are any kind of polymers whose process of polymerization involves a condensation reaction (i.e. a small molecule, such as water or methanol, is produced as a byproduct). Condensation polymers are form ...

ring-opening polymerization In polymer chemistry, ring-opening polymerization (ROP) is a form of chain-growth polymerization, in which the terminus of a polymer chain attacks cyclic monomers to form a longer polymer (see figure). The reactive center can be radical, anion ...

2,5-furandicarboxylic acid 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is an organic chemical compound consisting of two carboxylic acid groups attached to a central furan ring. It was first reported as ''dehydromucic acid'' by Rudolph Fittig and Heinzelmann in 1876, who produced it v ...

(FDCA) and

ethylene glycol Ethylene glycol (IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an organic compound (a vicinal diol) with the formula . It is mainly used for two purposes, as a raw material in the manufacture of polyester fibers and for antifreeze formulations. It is an odo ...

.E. de Jong et al., Furandicarboxylic Acid (FDCA), A Versatile Building Block for a Very Interesting Class of Polyesters, in Biobased Monomers, Polymers, and Materials; Eds. Smith, P., et al., 2012J.-G. Rosenboom et al., Bottle-grade polyethylene furanoate from ring-opening polymerisation of cyclic oligomers, Nature Communications, 2018 As an aromatic polyester from ethylene glycol it is a chemical analogue of

polyethylene terephthalate Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods ...

(PET) and

polyethylene naphthalate Polyethylene naphthalate (poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) or PEN) is a polyester derived from naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid and ethylene glycol. As such it is related to poly(ethylene terephthalate), but with superior barrier properties. Pro ...

(PEN). PEF has been described in (patent) literature since 1951,US 2551731 A, Polyesters from heterocyclic components, 1951 but has gained renewed attention since the US department of energy proclaimed its building block, FDCA, as a potential bio-based replacement for purified

terephthalic acid Terephthalic acid is an organic compound with formula C6H4(CO2H)2. This white solid is a commodity chemical, used principally as a precursor to the polyester PET, used to make clothing and plastic bottles. Several million tonnes are produced annua ...

(PTA) in 2004.Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass
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Benefits over PET

One

life-cycle assessment Life cycle assessment or LCA (also known as life cycle analysis) is a methodology for assessing environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the Product lifecycle, life cycle of a commercial product, Process lifecycle, process, or ...

showed that replacing PTA in the production of PET by bio-based FDCA for the production of PEF has a potential for significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and

non-renewable energy A non-renewable resource (also called a finite resource) is a natural resource that cannot be readily replaced by natural means at a pace quick enough to keep up with consumption. An example is carbon-based fossil fuels. The original organic mat ...

use (NREU).A.J.J.E. Eerhart et al., Replacing fossil based PET with biobased PEF; process analysis, energy and GHG balance, Energy Environ. Sci., 2012 Furthermore, PEF exhibits an intrinsically higher gas barrier for oxygen,S.K. Burgess et al., Oxygen sorption and transport in amorphous poly (ethylene furanoate), Polymer, 2014 carbon dioxideS.K. Burgess et al., Carbon Dioxide Sorption and Transport in Amorphous Poly (ethylene furanoate), Macromolecules, 2015 and water vaporS.K. Burgess et al., Water sorption in poly (ethylene furanoate) compared to poly (ethylene terephthalate). Part 2: Kinetic sorption, Polymer, 2014 than PET and is therefore an interesting alternative for packaging applications such as bottles, films and food trays.

References

{{Authority control Organic polymers Furans