Michelin, IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) and Axens have unveiled an industrial-scale demonstrator in Bassens near Bordeaux, France, for producing bio-based butadiene, a key ingredient in synthetic rubber production. This development is part of the BioButterfly project, which the three partners have been collaborating on with the support of ADEME, the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management. The project aims to manufacture butadiene from biomass-derived ethanol instead of petrochemical sources, Michelin said.
The demonstrator, operational since July 2023, aims to confirm the technological and economic feasibility of the production process, with a capacity of 20 to 30 metric tons per year, the companies said.
“For Michelin, which currently uses butadiene from petroleum to manufacture its synthetic rubbers, this technology is a wonderful opportunity to help reach the objective of using 100% renewed or recycled materials in its tires by 2050,” Eric-Philippe Vinesse, executive vice president of research and development at Michelin, said.
The project, representing over €80 million ($86.7 million) in investment, has also received regional support and created around twenty jobs at the Michelin site in Bassens, Michelin said. The aim is to foster the growth of renewable butadiene production and to construct multiple plants globally to meet the demand for sustainable, bio-based materials.
