Belgium-based Futerro (Escanaffles; www.futerro.com), a leader in the production of polylactic acid (PLA), said it plans to build a fully integrated bio-refinery in the French industrial and port area of Port-Jérôme in the Normandy region, with planned capacity cited at 75,000 t/y.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Galactic (Brussels; www.lactic.com), Futerro has already started negotiations with local officials and area economic development agency Caux-Seine Développement regarding the site. The project would potentially create 250 direct jobs and 900 more in adjacent sectors.

The project comes after Futerro’s construction of its first PLA plant in Bengbu, China in 2020 in partnership with Chinese biological fermentation technology company BBCA Biochemical (www.bbcagroup.com). The plant has a PLA capacity of 30,000 t/y and is supplied with lactic acid feedstock from a new 80,000 t/y plant. The facility also feeds another Galactic subsidiary that produces food ingredients based on lactic acid for the Asian market (see Plasteurope.com of 28.10.2020).

Plans for the French plant include a lactic acid unit for transforming raw materials of agricultural origin, a PLA conversion unit, and a unit dedicated to molecular recycling of PLA.

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Normandy was picked as the plant location because it has a large industrial site that offers possibilities for future expansion. Low-carbon energy resources are also available in the area, as are agricultural raw materials and a pool of talent with technical skills relevant to the chemical and polymer sectors. Additional support is expected to come from local public and private actors who support large-scale projects for the sustainable reindustrialisation of the region, and good logistics that include access to waterways via the Radicatel terminal and the port of Le Havre.

Futerro has already put an option on a plot of land of approximately 26.5 hectares located in the commune of Saint-Jean-de-Folleville on the Port-Jérôme industrial estate and has begun the ecological and environmental analysis procedures on site. The project will also be the subject of a preliminary consultation in 2023.