ABB has been awarded a major contract by NatureWorks to automate their new, greenfield plant in Thailand, converting sugar cane to the polylactic acid biopolymer, Ingeo, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
The plant will ferment and distill plant-based sugars—in a process similar to making beer or wine—converting the sugars first to lactic acid, then lactide and then polymerize them into Ingeo. In the new site, these three separate production processes will be fully integrated, resulting in improvements in energy and production efficiency. In addition, the integration of the fermentation phase will secure the supply of lactic acid. The Thailand facility will use sugarcane as feedstock and is set to produce 75,000 tpy of sustainable plastic when fully operational. The anticipated projected startup for this greenfield facility is in the second half of 2024.
ABB’s scope of work is a two-part order including a FEED study followed by detailed automation project execution, with ABB acting as the main automation contractor. ABB will deliver the hardware, software, control room design solutions, engineering and site support to fully develop NatureWorks’ greenfield system. ABB’s distributed control system Ability System 800xA will maximize plant efficiency and reliability through automation. Leveraging this technology, ABB will integrate inputs from all key systems into one single user-friendly overview. As a result, operators will be able to utilize data insights from all areas of the plant, delivered in real time, to drive efficiency, reduce risk and ensure production optimization.
The project will apply state based controls, enabling operators to take fewer interactions to start up a unit and reduce risk by having access to the right information at the right time. In addition, ABB’s automated engineering batch application tool will be implemented for this project.
Part of NatureWorks’ global expansion plan, the plant will help meet the growing global demand for sustainable materials. Bioplastics represent less than 1% of all plastic produced globally but production is expected to grow over 260% between 2020 and 2026.
Ingeo is an eco-friendly, biobased material used in a wide-range of plastic and fiber products from compostable food packaging - coffee capsules, tea bags, food containers – to 3D printing filament, diapers and even refrigerator liners. Compared to traditional fossil-based polymers, manufacturing Ingeo produces approximately 80% less GHGs and uses 52% less non-renewable energy.
As per MRC, ABB has been awarded the contract to improve asset integrity across MOL’s downstream assets, through changing mindset, standardizing processes and software and ensuring integrity management is focused on the right equipment. The project spanning MOL DS Production plants in Hungary, Slovakia, and Croatia, will implement standardized asset integrity procedures in a move to drive production efficiency, improve safety and reduce risk.
mrchub.com