— By Plasteurope.com correspondent — 

Emirates Biotech (Dubai, UAE; www.emiratesbiotech.com), a joint-venture company established in 2023 by compatriot investment group SS Royal Kit Emirates Investment and Hong Kong-based company Global Biopolymers Industries, has partnered with Swiss process engineering firm Sulzer Chemtech (Winterthur; www.sulzer.com) to construct a 160,000 t/y PLA production facility in the UAE.

The plans were originally announced in mid-2024. Construction, which is currently planned to be the largest in the world, is set to commence in 2025 and will consist of two phases. Each phase is set to establish an annual capacity of 80,000 t. The company expects the plant to be operational in early 2028.

Emirates Biotech plans to leverage Sulzer’s advanced PLA technology to manage all production steps from one location. This includes lactide production, purification, and polymerisation, the company said. It added that the facility will use plant-based lactic acid as the feedstock to produce high-quality PLA bioplastics at scale.

Sulzer Chemtech’s licensed PLA technology is in use at PLA facilities worldwide. It is used in applications such as packaging and disposable utensils, helping to reduce reliance on single-use plastics, the company said.

Related: Global bioplastics capacity forecast to rise 132% by 2029

The expected volume of bioplastic material produced at the planned site is enough to replace approximately 3.2 bn plastic bottles while reducing CO₂ emissions by over 300,000 t annually, said Emirates Biotech.