Polyethylene furanoate (PEF) likely to be replace polyethylene terephthalate

21-Sep-16

A new resin called polyethylene furanoate (PEF), will soon be mass-produced by Toyobo Co. for commercial purposes. The company hopes to replace polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in beverage packaging. The company said bottles using the resin will be lighter and more airtight, offering better protection for the freshness of the contents than the ubiquitous PET bottle.
Sharing technical expertise with Avantium, a biotech start-up in the Netherlands, Toyobo established a system to mass-produce the new material called polyethylene furanoate (PEF). Toyobo will team up with trading house Mitsui & Co. to send samples to beverage makers and other companies, urging them to buy the PEF resin, starting in 2017.

A small quantity of air passes through conventional PET bottles, making it difficult to prevent their contents from being oxidized. PEF allows only one-tenth of the amount of air to pass through. The resin maintains its functionality even when it is processed into thinner layers, making it possible to develop lighter plastic bottles, the officials said. Toyobo also said it has produced PEF from only plant-derived ingredients, an achievement that will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions during the manufacturing process.