Avantium N.V., a Dutch leader in renewable and circular polymer materials, has secured a €200,000 grant from the European Union’s Horizon Europe program. The funding supports Avantium’s participation in a Michelin-led consortium focused on the industrial-scale production of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), a biobased platform chemical derived from sugars such as fructose.

The initiative, named CERISEA—short for “Competitive production of HMF and derivatives for an Eco-designed and Resilient Industry towards Sustainable European Autonomy”—has been awarded €20 million in total from Horizon Europe. The project brings together 12 partners across industry and academia, with Michelin Engineered Polymers at the helm. The aim is to design, construct and operate a flagship HMF production plant that will serve as a demonstration for the chemical’s wide-ranging industrial applications.

5-HMF is a promising intermediate in the shift toward more sustainable chemical processes. It can replace fossil-based building blocks in numerous applications and serves as a precursor for 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), the monomer used in Avantium’s proprietary PEF (polyethylene furanoate) technology. Despite its potential, no large-scale commercial process for HMF currently exists.

The CERISEA project will explore synergies between Michelin’s planned HMF production facility and Avantium’s FDCA Flagship Plant, which is already under development. These synergies are expected to create a more integrated, sustainable chemical value chain in Europe—one that enhances environmental performance and strengthens the region’s industrial resilience.

Other consortium members include IFP Energies Nouvelles, ADM Bazancourt SASU, Arkema, Kraton Chemical B.V., Université de Technologie de Compiègne, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the IFEU Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg, the Packaging, Transport and Logistics Technological Institute, the Energy Institute at Johannes Kepler University Linz, and Bioeconomy for Change.

Michelin Engineered Polymers brings to the consortium its expertise in developing advanced polymer materials. The industrial-scale HMF facility to be built through this project will not only showcase the viability of HMF production but also pave the way for broader commercialization of sustainable chemical intermediates.

By joining CERISEA, Avantium continues its commitment to advancing renewable chemistry solutions and contributes to the development of a competitive, sustainable, and autonomous European bioeconomy.

Avantium is a trailblazing commercial-stage company dedicated to renewable and circular polymer materials. The company develops and brings to market cutting-edge technologies that produce materials from sustainable carbon sources—specifically, carbon derived from biomass or captured from the air (CO2). Its most advanced innovation is the YXY® Technology, which uses catalytic processes to transform plant-based sugars into FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), the essential building block for PEF (polyethylene furanoate), a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics.