ABB has entered a supply agreement with Citroniq to provide advanced automation, electrification and digitalization solutions for a 100 percent biogenic polypropylene facility planned in Nebraska, US. The project aims to become the world’s first full commercial-scale facility of its kind. Polypropylene is used in a wide range of applications, including food and beverage packaging, automotive parts, consumer goods and medical devices. According to the partners, the facility is scheduled to begin operations in 2029 and will produce fully certified biogenic polypropylene derived from the established corn-based ethanol industry in the US. Citroniq’s strategy focuses on building a more sustainable plastics manufacturing platform in the US and lowering emissions in the hard-to-abate plastics sector.
At full capacity, Citroniq expects a three-plant platform to have the potential to decarbonize US domestic polypropylene production by 20 percent. The first facility is designed to convert corn-based ethanol into polypropylene, capturing three million tonnes of CO2 per year and permanently storing it as solid pellets. The companies position the project as a step toward developing a low-carbon manufacturing infrastructure for polymers in the US, pairing bio-based feedstock pathways with process automation and electrification to enhance efficiency and reliability.
Under the supply agreement, ABB will work with Citroniq from early project phases. Upon final investment decision, ABB is set to deliver its System 800xA distributed control system, advanced process control, digital simulation, electrical equipment, instrumentation and engineering services. These systems are intended to support design optimization, project delivery and plant operations.
Scope of ABB supply
ABB’s package, contingent on the final investment decision, comprises integrated automation and electrification solutions centered on the System 800xA distributed control system, complemented by advanced process control and digital simulation. ABB also plans to provide electrical equipment, instrumentation and engineering services. The scope is aimed at enabling safe, efficient and reliable operation of the planned Nebraska facility and supporting Citroniq’s target of scaling bio-based polypropylene production.
“Our collaboration with ABB is a critical step to building an advanced world-class manufacturing facility that transforms the plastics industry,” said Mel Badheka, President and Co-Founder of Citroniq. “We worked with ABB from early on in the process due to their leadership in automation and their expertise, which is required for such a project.”
“We are proud to collaborate on this complex project, bringing our technology and expertise to enable the development of a low-carbon manufacturing infrastructure in the US,” said Per Erik Holsten, President of ABB’s Energy Industries division. “Through our integrated automation and electrification solutions, we aim to help Citroniq achieve safe, efficient and reliable operations to support the decarbonization of a hard-to-abate sector.”
