LANXESS will produce ion exchange resins from Total Biocyclic styrene

LANXESS and Total Energies have reached a cooperation on the supply of biocyclic styrene. Unlike conventional styrene, the raw material used by Total Energy is based on tall oil. Tall oil is derived from a resin and is a by-product of pulp production. LANXESS uses this styrene to produce sustainable ion exchange resins. These products are used in a wide range of industries, such as chemical process treatment, food purification and wastewater treatment.

The sustainable source of styrene is certified according to the mass balance method of the ISCC PLUS standard (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification). According to the mass balance method, certified and non-certified materials, although practically mixed, are recorded separately on the books. With the mass balance approach, companies can record and track sustainable materials in complex production processes and ensure full traceability throughout the supply chain. ISCC PLUS certification for styrene is an important requirement, because LANXESS also supplies products according to this certification standard, so LANXESS needs the same transparency in its raw materials.

Marcel Beermann, Head of Global Procurement Logistics at LANXESS Group Functions, said: "Our customers are increasingly demanding sustainable solutions, and raw materials with a low carbon footprint are a key way to meet this requirement. By working with Total Energies, we can further expand our respective product portfolio for our customers. ”

Jean-Fran, Vice President of Basic Chemicals Marketing for Total's Refining & Chemicals? Ois Renglet said: "We are delighted to establish this partnership with LANXESS, which demonstrates TotalEnergiatic's ability to offer sustainable products to its customers and help them reduce their carbon footprint. This perfectly illustrates the direction of TotalEnergies' refining and chemicals division to develop low-carbon intensity products, in line with the company's climate goal of working with society as a whole to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. ”

In addition to styrene, LANXESS also sources many other sustainable fossil material counterparts. LANXESS uses biocyclic acrylonitrile to produce another ion exchange resin; The preservative also uses various fatty acid blends based on sunflower oil; Adiprene Green brand prepolymers contain starch-based polyether polyols; About half of the intermediate trimethylolpropane Scopeblue is sustainable n-butyraldehyde; The composite Tepex Scopeblue is based on flax and polylactic acid; The high-performance plastic Dureton Scopeblue is made from biocyclic cyclohexane and waste glass.

LANXESS aims to be climate-neutral along the entire value chain

In August 2022, LANXESS announced plans to make its upstream and downstream supply chains climate-neutral by 2050. This includes indirect emissions, especially from purchased raw materials, but also from logistics and final products. For direct emissions from production and emissions from purchased energy, LANXESS set a climate-neutral target by 2040 three years ago.

The renowned Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has previously confirmed that LANXESS' climate targets are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

To achieve this goal, LANXESS has launched a net-zero value chain program. One of the pillars of the plan is the further procurement of bio-based, sustainable raw materials derived from recycling processes or manufactured from renewable energy. LANXESS is also pursuing several initiatives to achieve "green" logistics and launch more climate-neutral product portfolios.