Bioplastics: Furanova Relocates FDCA Pilot Plant

Bio-based plastics Startup Furanova Relocates FDCA Pilot Plant

2026-10-02 Source: Press Release Melanie Ehrhardt 2 min Reading Time

Furanova aims to produce a raw material for plastic bottles from sugar and green electricity—while also generating hydrogen in the process. The startup is now relocating its pilot plant to the Gendorf Chemical Park.

From left: ISG Managing Director Dominik Gschwendtner, Business Development Manager Christian Eichner, Furanova CEO Dr. Oliver Bolzern, Furanova COO Dr. Christian Keck, ISG Managing Director Dr. Christoph von Reden.(Bild: Heiner Heine) — From left: ISG Managing Director Dominik Gschwendtner, Business Development Manager Christian Eichner, Furanova CEO Dr. Oliver Bolzern, Furanova COO Dr. Christian Keck, ISG Managing Director Dr. Christoph von Reden.
(Bild: Heiner Heine)

The Gendorf Chemical Park is set to see further growth in the field of industrial deep-tech technologies: The startup Furanova is developing a chemical process for producing bio-based raw materials for plastics and will relocate its pilot plant from Raubling to Gendorf. With this move, Furanova aims to scale up its technology to an industrial pilot scale and lay the groundwork for further expansion phases.

As early as fall 2026, Furanova will move into office space in the Chemical Park. This will be followed by the relocation of the pilot plant to Gendorf, where it is to be built on the “Base ONE” site, which was specifically designed for deep-tech startups. Commissioning is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. Looking ahead, Furanova plans to build a demonstration plant and, later, a production plant in the chemical park.

Bio-based raw materials and green hydrogen

Furanova is developing a new technology for producing bio-based feedstocks for next-generation plastics. At the same time, this process also produces green hydrogen. In this way, the company is combining two key elements—reducing dependence on fossil raw materials and creating a more climate-friendly industry—into a single process.

The construction of the pilot plant in Gendorf is intended to test the technology on an industrial scale for the first time. At the heart of the process is the production of FDCA (2,5-furandicarboxylic acid), an important feedstock for bioplastics such as polyethylene furanoate (PEF).

Sugar and renewable electricity serve as raw materials. The planned scaling of the technology is intended to enable new value chains based on renewable raw materials and to support the development of sustainable and recyclable materials. In the long term, Furanova plans to create 60 to 80 jobs at its Gendorf location.

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High Market Potential for FDCA

The market potential for FDCA is significant: Furanova estimates the addressable plastics market at 100 to 200 million metric tons, including applications such as PEF bottles, PEF fibers, and PEF films, as well as other plastics sectors. PEF is fully recyclable and, compared to polyethylene terephthalate (PET), offers, among other things, a better gas barrier. As a result, carbonation, for example, is better retained in PEF bottles. (me)

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