Italy-headed industrial group Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. has announced that its subsidiary NextChem S.p.A. has been awarded a contract by Total Corbion PLA to carry out a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) for a 100 000 tonnes per annum Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) plant in Grandpuits, France.
An error occurred
On your profile you can see what subscriptions you have access to and more information.
Is some of the information wrong – please contact our customer service.
Please reload the page
Do you want to read the whole article?
- Six editions per year
- Full access to all digital content
- The E-magazine Bioenergy international
- And more ...
In September 2020, France-headed oil and gas major Total S.A. revealed that it planned to invest over EUR 500 million to repurpose its Grandpuits refinery in Seine-et-Marne, France into a zero-crude platform for the production of renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and bioplastics by 2024.
As part of this repurposing, Total Corbion PLA, a 50/50 joint venture between Total and Netherlands-headed Corbion nv, also announced in September 2020 its intention to build a 100 000 tonnes-per-annum biobased polylactic acid (PLA) plant at Grandpuits.
Due to be operational in 2024, it will be the first of its kind in Europe and would make Total Corbion PLA the global market leader in PLA, firmly positioned to cater to the rapidly growing demand for its “Luminy” PLA resins.
Signing this contract with NextChem is an important milestone as it reinforces our commitment to the global bioplastic market as the first company to launch commercial-scale Lactic Acid to PLA capability in Europe. We are proud to enable our customers to propose sizeable solutions to the market and support the circular economy development, said Thomas Philipon, CEO of Total Corbion PLA.
Renewable and recyclable
Luminy PLA resins are biobased and made from renewable resources, offering a reduced carbon footprint versus many traditional plastics. At the end of their useful life, PLA products can be mechanically or chemically recycled.
The biodegradable and compostable functionalities of PLA make it the material of choice for a wide range of markets and applications including fresh fruit packaging, food service ware, durable consumer goods, toys, and 3D printing.
Maire Tecnimont Group’s heritage in the polymerization of traditional plastics combined with NextChem’s portfolio of innovative solutions for green chemistry ensures the necessary know-how to manage this industrial initiative.
This award is a confirmation that our Group is a trusted and valued technological and engineering partner for large-scale, innovative, and complex projects. We are proud to work with a Joint Venture of our long-time client Total to increase the availability of sustainable plastics in Europe, said Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem.
