Braskem has opened last week a new R&D center in Campinas, São Paulo, that will focus on research and development of biotechnology and related chemical processes from renewable feedstock projects, reinforcing the company’s commitment to sustainable technological alternatives.

The R$30 million ($13.4 million) investment is being supported by Invest São Paulo, the state’s investment promotion agency.

The laboratory has 33 researchers who will work in the development of biochemical and chemical routes and purification systems, seeking viable solutions on an industrial scale. Among the main projects are technologies for the production of bio-based propylene and butadiene, metabolic engineering of microorganisms, and continuous technology improvement of their bio-based ethylene, which is the raw material used for Braskem’s bio-polyethylene plastic.

The laboratory will feature high-performance equipment such as High Throughput Screening Robot – HTS, the most modern automated robot in use in South America and the first for this application in Brazil, capable of multiplying up to 1,000 times the work of a researcher.

Braskem has reportedly spent R$200 million in research and innovation projects last year, and expects to do so again this year.