I’ve written a special report about the bioplastics industry this month based on the European Bioplastics’ recent annual conference held in Berlin and the release of their industry data which was compiled by nova Institute. This report is only available for Tecnon OrbiChem’s Bio-Materials subscribers, but anybody can access the European Bioplastics Association’s press release … Continue reading
This collaboration between South Korea-based LG Chem and US agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) on a potential production of lactic acid and polylactic acid (PLA) in the USA has been announced before, but this time, the press release that came out yesterday stated the location and capacity of this project. The two companies held … Continue reading
I’ve been attending the 7th World PLA Congress this week reacquainting myself with the polylactic acid (PLA) and lactic acid/lactide markets. According to the 2021 Nova Institute data, the global market size for PLA last year (in terms of capacity) is at 450 ktpa although engineering and process technology firm Uhde Inventa Fischer thinks that … Continue reading
South Korea-based chemical company LG Chem has been making several news headlines within the past few months as the company announced its intention to invest KRW10 trillion ($8.5 billion) in eco-friendly and high-growth materials by 2025. Over 30 projects including M&As, joint ventures, strategic investments focused on ESG-based business portfolio are currently being reviewed according … Continue reading
Two big news in the bio-based chemicals sector were announced this month: A planned 65 ktpa fermentation-based 1,4-butanediol (BDO) capacity in Iowa, USA, to be built by a newly-formed joint venture called Qore, and a 75 ktpa polylactic acid (PLA) plant announced by NatureWorks to be built in Nakhon Sawan province in Thailand. Qore is … Continue reading
The lactic acid and polylactic acid (PLA) markets remain hot with announcements of capacity expansions or new production facilities worldwide. Corbion just announced that it is planning to expand its lactic acid capacity at its Blair, Nebraska by around 40%. However, it seems this expansion is geared more towards the use of lactic acid and … Continue reading
The renewable chemicals and bioplastics markets have been surprisingly strong and very active in terms of investments this year amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. At the 4-day 15th European Bioplastics (EUBP) Conference that virtually took place earlier this month, the organization reported its annual market update noting that the global bioplastics production capacity is set … Continue reading
thyssenkrupp actually announced this news earlier than the recent announcements from NatureWorks and Total Corbion PLA but we’re definitely seeing a theme here on PLA capacity expansions worldwide. According to thyssenkrupp, its plant engineering business recently won another order to build a bioplastics plant based on its patented PLAneo® technology. The new facility will be … Continue reading
Just a few hours after I posted the NatureWorks news on the expansion of its US PLA production, Total Corbion PLA, a 50/50 joint venture between Total and Corbion, announced yesterday its intention to build its second PLA plant with a capacity ramping up to 100,000 tons per annum. The new plant is planned to … Continue reading
I’ve been hearing that demand for biodegradable/compostable plastics have been very good this year, and PLA (polylactic acid) resins have been benefiting from this growing demand. NatureWorks, the world’s largest PLA manufacturer, announced this week that it will increase its production of Ingeo™️ (PLA) biomaterials portfolio by 10% by installing additional monomer purification technology at … Continue reading