In the United Arab Emirates, Sulzer has licensed its biobased polylactic acid technology to Emirates Biotech, which plans to break ground on a production plant in 2025.
The facility will be developed in two phases, each with a capacity of 80,000 metric tons of PLA per year. The first phase is anticipated to be operational by early 2028. Once fully completed, the plant will boast a total capacity of 160,000 metric tons annually, making it the largest PLA production facility in the world.
Emirates Biotech estimates that the plant will generate enough bio-based plastic to replace around 3.2 billion plastic bottles and reduce CO2 emissions by over 300,000 metric tons each year. The production process will utilize lactic acid as the primary feedstock for PLA manufacturing.
Sulzer’s technology will allow Emirates Biotech to oversee all production stages from a single site, encompassing lactide production, purification, and polymerization. The facility will also employ plant-based feedstock to produce biodegradable PLA bioplastics on a large scale.
The announcement of the PLA plant and the establishment of the Emirates Biotech joint venture was made in July by SS Royal Kit Emirates Investment and Global Biopolymers Industries.