Futerro pilot unit for PLA

Futerro, a 50-50 joint venture by Galactic and Total Petrochemicals, announced on March 16 the inauguration of its bioplastics production unit in Escanaffles (Belgium). The purpose of this unit is to develop state-of-the-art technology for the production of PLA bioplastics from renewable vegetable sources developed by both partners. This technology comprises two main steps: firstly, the preparation and purification of the lactide from lactic acid, which is obtained by fermenting sugar, mainly from beet; secondly, the polymerisation of the monomer to obtain PLA granules. The pilot unit, which has a capacity of 1,500 ton per year and represents an investment of 15 million euro, will be used to test the successive steps in this technology. Futerro is now able to produce a complete range of products from lactic acid, including lactide, and PLA oligomers and polymers. They will be used by the packaging industry, primarily food packaging, and in sustainable applications.