On November 9, Corbion officially broke ground on its new polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastics polymerization plant at its existing site in Rayong, Thailand.
Upon completion in 2018, it will be able to produce the complete Luminy portfolio of PLA neat resins: from standard PLA to innovative, high heat resistant PLA.
The Honorable Thailand Minister of Industry, Dr. Atchaka Sibunruang, the Netherlands’ Deputy Ambassador, Guillaume Teerling, as well as the Governor of Rayong and the Deputy Secretary General of the Thai Board of Investment (BOI) were present at the ground-breaking ceremony.
Corbion’s CEO Tjerk de Ruiter highlighted the importance of this milestone, “At Corbion, we believe in building a great future for the people of today and generations to come…that’s what we do here in Thailand with the construction of this plant, bio-based and biodegradable plastics will certainly help to minimize adverse impacts on human health and the environment.”
He added, “We are now entering the next stage of construction, and we are confident that our world class facility will deliver the innovative solutions that our customers are seeking.”
The new 75 kiloton per annum (kTpa) PLA plant will be constructed using Corbion’s and Sulzer’s proprietary polymerization technology, and key equipment will be supplied by Sulzer Chemtech Ltd. from Switzerland.
In addition to the construction of this new PLA polymerization plant, Corbion will expand its existing lactide plant in Thailand by 25 kTpa. The expansion will also enable the production of a wider range of lactides than is currently possible, said the company.
Source : China Plastic & Rubber Journal
