Michelin ResiCare names IMCD to distribute bio-based 5-HMF in Europe

Clermont-Ferrand, France – Michelin ResiCare has appointed speciality chemicals distributor IMCD Europe to market its bio-based 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) across Europe, ahead of the start-up of its first commercial production unit in France next year.

Under the agreement, IMCD will distribute 5-HMF produced at Michelin ResiCare's site in Peage-de-Roussillon, while providing logistics and local technical support to customers across Europe, Michelin said 24 July.

The move is intended to broaden access to the renewable platform chemical beyond Michelin ResiCare's direct relationships with major industrial customers, which Michelin said have been evaluating the material for various applications over the past two years.

Michelin is currently building a €60 million facility in Peage-de-Roussillon with a capacity to produce 3 kilotonne per annum of 5-HMF, with production due to start in early 2027. (ERJ report)

The French group said European production of 5-HMF would help secure regional supplies of the molecule, “rapidly growing in the materials and formulation chemical industries.”

"This partnership with IMCD represents a major step forward in our desire to popularise the use of 5-HMF," said Michelin ResiCare CEO Laurent Lemonnier.

With its "technical expertise", customer support capabilities and European presence, IMCD is "the perfect partner to speed up the distribution of this molecule of the future," he added.

Produced from fructose using green chemistry processes, 5-HMF is intended as a renewable alternative to certain fossil-based chemical intermediates and is already registered under the EU's REACH chemicals regulation.

According to Michelin, the molecule can be used in bio-based thermoset resins, intermediates for petroleum-derived aldehydes, and applications across sectors including construction, transport, electronics, agriculture, cosmetics and specialty additives.

The announcement follows Michelin's recent decision to enter exclusive talks with engineering group Axens to accelerate the global industrial deployment and licensing of its 5-HMF technology. (ERJ report)