Borealis is collaborating with Infinium to replace fossil fuels with electrofuels in polyolefin production.
Infinium is a US-based producer of electrofuels, also known as efuels, a class of synthetic fuels manufactured using captured carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide.
The company will supply Borealis with its eNaptha, a drop-in alternative to traditional fossil-based naphtha made from waste carbon dioxide (CO2). Infinium produces eNaptha using renewable power, water, and captured CO2. It says the product has negative carbon intensity at plant gate, contains no aromatics, and has high paraffin content.
Borealis will process commercial volumes of eNaptha at its Porvoo refinery in Finland, according to a company statement. Infinium is the first company to produce commercial volumes of eNaptha in the world. It shipped its first batch in May.
Plastics made from Infinium eNaphtha can be produced using the same facilities and manufacturing equipment and recycled in the same way as with a conventional naphtha-based product, Borealis said in a statement. The alternative feedstock produced at the Infinium Pathfinder facility has received ISCC PLUS certification.
“We are excited to be using Infinium eNaphtha to expand our portfolio of sustainable products,” said Mirjam Mayer, VP circular economy solutions at Borealis. “Atmospheric carbon is a strategic element of the Borealis Circular Cascade approach to foster the transition toward greater circularity in plastics and carbon. It allows us to serve the needs of our customers while reducing their carbon footprints. Through this collaboration with Infinium, we show that atmospheric carbon, obtained by effectively capturing and storing carbon emissions in products during their lifetime, can constitute a circular building block for the future. This is one of the ways that Borealis is reinventing essentials for sustainable living,” she concluded.
The potential climate benefits in polymer production using atmospheric carbon depend on the amount of CO2 that can be absorbed in the material, which can be up to 50% of the polymer’s mass, according to research by the International Energy Agency (IEA). A polymer containing 20% CO2 by weight shows life cycle CO2 emissions reductions of 15% relative to the conventional production process, for example.