A little over a year after construction of the plant first began (see Plasteurope.com of 12.01.2012) Laurel BioComposite (Laurel, Nebraska / USA; www.laurelbiocomposite.com) has announced that the building stage of its new 1,100 m² “Bio-Res” polyethylene plant has been completed and it is ramping up the first production phase. For this initial phase, when the plant will turn out 3,170 t/y, the company has installed a special “Entek E-Max” 53mm twin screw extruder as well as an “Amtek” microwave system. Phase one is due to start in April 2013.

Phase two, which is due on stream in Q4 this year, will take total output to almost 22,000 t/y. A high-performance bio-material, “Bio-Res” PE is produced from distillers grains and can raise the renewable content of plastic products by as much as 40%, the company says. The “green” polyethylene is available in pellet form and can easily be blended with PE, PP, PLA and PLY, Laurel BioComposite added, saying it is particularly suitable for applications in the shipping, lawn and garden, agriculture and automotive markets.