In pursuit of offering solutions that are respectful of both human health and the environment, and supporting the resilience of European economy, Michelin and its partners joined their forces to launch CERISEA, a project dedicated to the construction of a plant, to produce for the very first time in the world, 3000 tons of 5-HMF (5-Hydroxymethylfurfural) per year. The process implemented will convert fructose and advanced fructose from non-food side streams.
Nicknamed the « sleeping giant », 5-HMF is a molecule of enormous potential and a wide range of possible applications. The “sleeping giant” is about to be awakened through this Flagship project involving 12 European pioneers. As a versatile building block, 5-HMF offers a sustainable alternative to harmful components currently used in the industry.
CERISEA will demonstrate how to overcome still existing challenges for the large-scale industrial production of 5-HMF by:
Tackling the technical challenges of a safe and sustainable industrial and bio-based production of 5-HMF
Building the first European value chain and the world’s first factory able to produce up to 3000 tons per year
Testing 5-HMF in its potential applications (araminolic resins, crop science, functionalized biopolymers, functionalized compounds, polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes, plasticizers…)
Duration
48 months
from April 2025 to March 2029
Funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program and the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking:
€ 20 M
12 Partners and 2 affiliated entities from 5 European countries:
4 Academic partners
UNIVERSITE DE TECHNOLOGIE DE COMPIEGNE (France), ENERGIEINSTITUT AN DER JOHANNES KEPLER UNIVERSITAT LINZ VEREIN (Austria), UNIVERSITE DE POITIERS (France), ESCOM (France)
4 Research centres
IFEU – INSTITUT FUR ENERGIE- UND UMWELTFORSCHUNG HEIDELBERG (Germany), INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO DEL EMBALAJE TRANSPORTE Y LOGISTICA (Spain), IFP ENERGIES NOUVELLES (France), CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE (France).
5 Large companies
MICHELIN ENGINEERED POLYMERS (France), ADM (France), KRATON (Netherlands), AVANTIUM RENEWABLE POLYMERS (France), ARKEMA (France)
1 Cluster
BIOECONOMY FOR CHANGE (France)
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