Syclus Taps Axens for Game-Changing Renewable Ethylene Plant Technology in Europe

Europe: Syclus has announced its plans to construct and manage a renewable Ethylene production plant located in Chemelot Industrial Park, Geleen, the Netherlands. Once operational, it will be the first-of-its-kind facility in Europe and have an annual production capacity of approximately 100,000 tonnes, supporting a more sustainable approach to plastic production using sustainable Ethanol as the plant's source material.

The Atol® technology from French company Axens will power this facility, offering several benefits such as high, cost-effective Ethylene yields and optimized process energy use that significantly reduce emissions. The technology produces high-quality Ethylene, which fulfills the required specifications of both Chemelot and ARG, the pipeline network supplying Ethylene to Northwest Europe.

Syclus has announced plans to begin basic engineering work later this year, with production set to commence by 2026. Renewable Ethanol will be supplied by CropEnergies, which operates a plant in the vicinity and acquired a significant stake in Syclus in 2022. The project is expected to require an investment of over €130 million.

According to Igor Hensing, Syclus' General Director, Axens has been selected to serve as licensor for the Ethanol to Ethylene project. Axens has garnered a reputation for its Atol® technology, which boasts unparalleled efficiency, minimal energy consumption, exceptional product quality, and top-notch safety performance. This decision aligns with Syclus' ambition to establish a new standard in renewable Ethylene production.

Syclus and Axens have come together to achieve Syclus' ambition, and Syclus is confident in their choice of partner for the plant's design, construction, and operation.

Stephan Meeder, the CEO/CFO of CropEnergies AG, expressed delight at Syclus' selection of Axens as a partner for the Ethanol to Ethylene project. Renewable Ethylene is a crucial component in cutting fossil fuels from plastic production, making it more environmentally friendly. Based on feasibility study results, CropEnergies plans to decide by year-end on the next phase: basic engineering.

Axens' Executive Vice President of Technology and Technical Support, Jacques Rault, is thrilled to be working on Atol's first European reference. Atol is a mature technology with five references worldwide and is a secure, dependable, low-carbon solution. Axens is convinced that Atol is the future of renewable Ethylene.

In 2021, a group of chemical industry professionals from the Chemelot-ecosystem in Limburg, the Netherlands, started Syclus, a young enterprise with a goal to reduce the carbon footprint of Ethylene used in plastics and chemical products at an industrial scale. The company plans to achieve this by producing large volumes of renewable Ethylene using efficient manufacturing processes at multiple sites. At economical prices, Syclus targets to furnish top-notch renewable Ethylene to polymer manufacturers and chemical companies in Europe.

Their efforts align with the future recycle economy of post-consumer plastics, filling the gap for new virgin renewable materials to compensate for recycling losses through regionally sourced renewable feedstock instead of fossil oil and gas-based resources.