|
(Plastics Today) -- Polimeri
Europa and Novamont announced plans for a new chemical plant that will utilize
vegetable oil feedstock for the production of bioplastics, biolubricants, and
bioadditives for elastomers. The bio-based chemical complex will be located on
the island of Sardinia in Porto Torres, with a total estimated investment cost
of half a billion euros (USD 700 mln). The project consists of seven new plants
spanning an integrated production chain from vegetable oil to bioplastics. The
full project is scheduled to be completed within the next six years, but a new
research center devoted to bio-chemistry will start up in the third quarter.
Called Matrica, which means mother in the Gallurese dialect of Sardinia,
the 50:50 joint venture set up by Polimeri Europa and Novamont, has already
completed basic engineering of the first phase, which will feature the bio-based
chemical complex. Italian energy company Eni also plans to invest an additional
Euro 250 million in a biomass power station to provide electricity. The overall
installed capacity of so-called bio-products will be 350 KTa.
Matrica will target the global biobased chemical sector, which Polimeri
Europa and Novamont say is forecast to grow at 17.7% per year and 8.1 million
tons by 2015. Polimeri Europa will also convert existing Porto Torres production
from traditional fossil into bio-based productions. All the traditional chemical
plants at the site except for nitrilic rubbers will be shut down, with workers
transferred to the new project.
mrcplast.com
| 
