Michelin and Avantium join forces to make tires with bio-based HMF!
In the Cerisea project under Michelin, France, Michelin's Engineering Polymers Division plans to build a demonstration plant with other partners for the industrial-scale production of 5-HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural), an innovative bio-based monomer extracted from fructose. This monomer can be used in many industrial fields, and the French tire manufacturer has tested it in ResiCare resin, which has replaced formaldehyde and resorcinol in many applications.
Currently, 5-HMF is only produced in small quantities in Asia, and the cost is high, making it difficult to meet the needs of industrial use. But as a precursor for the production of bioplastics, biofuels, resins and other green chemical products, it has great application potential, so it is also called the "sleeping giant".
The project promoted by Michelin will invest 60 million euros in the Osiris Chemical Platform, of which 20 million euros will be funded by the European Union through the "Horizon Europe/CBEJU" program and the Ademe agency. The plant is expected to be operational in 2026 with an initial annual production capacity of 3,000 tons, making it the world's largest 5-HMF production base. With a replicable model that can be promoted throughout Europe, the production capacity will be gradually increased to 20,000 tons/year through licensing agreements in the future.
The Cerisea project is supported by 13 industrial and academic partners, including Avantium, ADM, Arkema, Kraton, IFPEN, CNRS and UTC.
Michelin began exploring alternatives to formaldehyde and resorcinol in tire adhesive resins as early as 2008. In 2013, it developed a tire application technology that does not require the use of 5-HMF. Three years later, after Michelin found a small and high-cost source of 5-HMF, the substance was incorporated into ResiCare formulations, and these resins were initially used in non-tire fields such as plywood.
In 2021, the French group began a collaboration with the French IFPEN research center to develop a more stable production process starting from fructose, and conducted pilot and engineering studies at different scales, and the relevant work continued until 2023.
Today, although 5-HMF has not yet been applied in the tire field, it is used in all new Michelin ResiCare formulations, including those for plywood, abrasives and 3D printed parts.
