One of the things we learned from Evonik is that material producers can reduce the carbon footprint of their materials through the use of renewable energies at their plants. Another material producer that will pursue this strategy in the AM industry is the French multi-national manufacturer of specialty materials Arkema. The company has just signed a long-term agreement for the supply of 300 GWh/year of renewable biomethane by ENGIE. The deal is said to be one of the largest private biomethane deal in Europe to date.
Through its business entity ENGIE Global Energy Management & Sales (ENGIE GEMS) and this 10-year partnership, ENGIE will provide Arkema with 3TWh of biomethane to support the Group in its decarbonization journey and further reduce very significantly the carbon footprint of its biobased high performance Rilsan® polyamide 11 and Pebax® Rnew® elastomers. This agreement will also support the acceleration of the biomethane sector in which ENGIE is already a major player in France.
Some of you may have discovered the capabilities of the Rilsan® polyamide 11 materials in textiles, fibers, brushes, and pipes but the bio-based powder has raised interest in the AM industry due to its ability to serve the needs of consumer, industrial, and aerospace applications. Currently produced in France entirely from renewable castor beans, they are recognized for delivering toughness, durability, lightweight and processing versatility.
“We are very excited to announce this milestone contract with ENGIE, which will enable us to lower the carbon footprint of our bio-based high performance materials even further, in line with our customers’ expectations. The transition towards sustainable materials is accelerating and Arkema is more than ever a partner of choice thanks to its broad range of bio-based and recycled materials”, said Erwoan PEZRON, Senior Vice-President of Arkema’s High Performance Polymers.
That being said, it should be noted that biomethane which is at the heart of this agreement, is produced through fermentation of organic matter and therefore is a renewable alternative to natural gas with a lower carbon footprint. The feedstock for biomethane in France is particularly respectful of the environment with more than 95% coming from the fermentation of agricultural residues and organic waste and with no competition with food.
“We are delighted to accompany Arkema -a historical client of ENGIE- in their sustainable transition journey with such a large green energy supply agreement. At ENGIE, we believe that biomethane will play an essential role in the European energy mix and will be a key vector for decarbonizing the energy usages of our clients. This landmark deal definitely represents a major boost in the energy intensive chemical industry and establishes further ENGIE as a reference biomethane player in Europe”, explains Paulo ALMIRANTE, ENGIE Senior EVP in charge of Renewables, Energy Management and Nuclear Activities.
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