How are bio-based and CO2-based routes reshaping mixed xylene supply?

How are bio-based and CO2-based routes reshaping mixed xylene supply?
Emerging non-petroleum routes are gaining traction. The world's first CO2-to-aromatics demonstration project, combining Tsinghua University research with Inner Mongolia Jiutai's coal chemical expertise, started construction, targeting a 10,000-tonne/year fluidized-bed unit. This could partially ease China's heavy reliance on oil-based aromatics and pave the way for coal-based synthesis gas routes to aromatics. Meanwhile, bio-based PX technologies are maturing: Anellotech's Bio-Tcat process, using pine chips, has run a 40,000-tonne/year commercial BTX plant since 2018 with 7,500 hours of continuous operation, and a second 200,000-250,000-tonne/year plant is under construction. Virent's BioForm-PX, converting carbohydrates to hydrocarbons, has completed a 30,000-tonne/year trial, with commercial scale planned at 225,000 tonnes/year. These routes remain small versus China's 38.7 million tonnes of conventional capacity but signal long-term feedstock diversification.