AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals and Renmatix, maker of plant-based technology, will jointly develop biomass-based performance additives that reportedly improve the properties of architectural paints and construction materials. Renmatix is one of the winners of the 2017 Imagine Chemistry challenge, a program through which AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals collaborates with startups, scale-ups, scientists and others to uncover business opportunities for sustainable chemistry.
Renmatix's proprietary Plantrose Process utilizes “supercritical” water under high temperature and pressure to convert biomass into cellulosic sugars and bio-fractions, which are valuable green chemistry building blocks. It is the first application under a joint development agreement signed by the companies to research, develop and commercialize novel products using Crysto Cellulose, a form of crystalline cellulose and the newest bio-fraction isolated by Renmatix.
"I am impressed by Renmatix's thinking and their development of a biomass conversion technology that is not only disruptive technically and economically, but also enables green chemistry," says Geert Hofman, general manager of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals' Performance Additives business. "Being able to access and work with unique cellulose materials derived from biomass fits closely with our growth strategy and innovation agenda and will give a significant sustainability advantage to our customers,"
Annika Karlsson, AkzoNobel specialty chemicals RD&I director, adds, "This collaboration is another testament to the success of the Imagine Chemistry challenge and shows that startups, scale-ups and corporates can work together efficiently to break barriers in innovation."
The collaboration with Renmatix is the second success story of the 2017 edition of the Imagine Chemistry challenge. Earlier this year, AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals announced that it will use watermark technology developed by FiliGrade that provides an invisible watermark for packaging.
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