14 December 2016
ABOUT Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions
READ MORE ABOUT PLA TECHNOLOGY
ABOUT PLA
Polylactide (PLA) is a 100% bio-based
and compostable plastic which is suitable
among other things
for processing into packaging materials, films
and engineering plastics
and can therefore replace
conventional oil-based polymers in many areas.
The raw material for PLA production is
lactic acid,
which is produced from renewable resources
such as sugar, starch or cellulose.
Polylactide is thus
both bio-based and bio-degradable.
DETAILS
To reduce dependency on petroleum-based plastics
has developed its own manufacturing process
for the bioplastic polylactide (PLA).
Now the company is building
the first commercial plant
based on its patented PLA technology
in Changchun, China.
The customer is COFCO Corporation,
a leading supplier of agri-products
offering a wide range of foodstuffs and services.
Once completed, the new plant will produce
around 10,000 tons of PLA per year.
Commissioning is scheduled for the first quarter of 2018.
In developing the PLA technology,
a subsidiary of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions,
profited from expertise gained from
the construction of more than 400 polymerization plants
and extensive experience
in the scale-up of new technologies.
PLA technology converts
lactic acid into PLA
in a particularly efficient and resource-friendly way.
Another advantage is its transferability
to large-scale plants with capacities
of up to 300 tons per day (100,000 t/year).
Thanks to its great flexibility the process
allows the production of tailored PLA types
with different degrees of crystallinity
and viscosity for a multitude of applications.
Sami Pelkonen,
CEO of the Electrolysis & Polymers Technologies
business unit,
Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions
“With our technology we want to help establish
bioplastics on the market.
It reduces the use of fossil raw materials
and significantly lowers CO2 emissions.
With it we enable our customers
to produce high-quality bioplastics
with custom properties
– and at a price that is increasingly competitive
with conventional petrochemical plastics.”
thyssenkrupp is providing
* basic and detailed engineering,
* key plant components and
* supervision of erection and
* commissioning
for the new PLA plant.
Contact
Frauke Riva
Head of Communications
Phone: +49 201 844 532549
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