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Biopolymer specialist announces USD 700m buildup of Georgia complex / New PHA plant plannedThe company plans to construct another large facility near its current campus in Bainbridge, Georgia (Photo: Danimer)US biodegradable polymer supplier Danimer Scientific (Bainbridge, Georgia; www.danimerscientific.com) said it is investing USD 700m (EUR 582m) for an upgrade of its headquarters site, adding a new production hall and nearly quadrupling its workforce from the current 100 employees. The companyâ??s biodegradable and compostable materials, based on renewable materials such as its â??Nodaxâ? PHA, are used in food packaging, bottling, additives, aqueous coatings, fibres, filaments, films, hot-melt adhesives, and injection-moulded items. A company goal is to replace conventional plastics with 100% renewable and biodegradable versions.
The company said it expects to break ground in Bainbridge in the first quarter of 2022 for a new PHA plant with a capacity of 114,000 t/y. Completion is anticipated in two phases, with an initial three fermenters expected to be operational in mid-2023 and the second set of three fermenters scheduled to come online in early 2024.
Danimer completed its first commercial-scale plant with 9,000 t/y of capacity at Winchester, Kentucky / USA in March 2020, and available production there is to be expanded to 30,000 t/y by 2022. The company reported 2020 sales of USD 47m and recently announced a partnership with sweets manufacturer Mars-Wrigley to develop compostable packaging for its products, with â??Skittlesâ? tapped to be the first brand to use the new packaging.20.04.2021 Plasteurope.com [247441-0]