Suntory Continues Investing In Company’s Biomass-Based Bottle Technology

Suntory Holdings and N.Y.-based Anellotech, which produces cost-competitive chemicals and fuels from non-food biomass, partnered six years ago to build a 25-meter-tall TCat pilot plant that would produce bio-based beverage bottles. Now that the plant has been commissioned, Suntory has invested another $9 million in Anellotech to continue development of a fully bio-based PET beverage bottle. The $9 million is part of a $15 million commitment based on the company’s achievement of certain performance goals. The next step is to test process viability and the ability to scale up to commercial operation at the plant. TCat-8 technology produces the renewable aromatic hydrocarbons known as BTX (viz, benzene, toluene and xylene) made from wood and agricultural residues used to make plastics. Suntory hopes to integrate Anellotech's bio-bottles into its sustainability program.