Total Corbion PLA (Gorinchem / The Netherlands; www.total-corbion.com) has officially inaugurated its 75,000 t/y polylactic acid (PLA) plant in Rayong / Thailand, which it said is the second-largest PLA bioplastics plant in the world. The new facility will produce a broad range of “Luminy” PLA resins from renewable, non-GMO sugarcane sourced locally in Thailand – including standard PLA, high-heat PLA and PDLA.

The opening ceremony, which took place on 9 September 2019, was chaired by Duangjai Asawachintachit, secretary general of the Thailand Board of Investment, and Stéphane Dion, CEO at Total Corbion PLA, as well as the two parent companies of the 50:50 joint venture, Total and Corbion. The plant was first blessed by monks in a religious ceremony.

In addition, Total Corbion PLA operates a 100,000 t/y lactide plant in Rayong, which produces the monomer required for PLA production, and a 1,000 t/y PLA pilot plant, used for product development. Combined with Corbion’s lactic acid plant, located on the same site, this enables a fully integrated production chain from sugar to PLA.

In December 2018, Total Corbion PLA announced the start-up of its new plant in Rayong – see Plasteurope.com of 06.12.2018.