NatureWorks

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NatureWorks LLC
legal form LLC
founding 1989
Seat Minnetonka , Minnesota , United States
management Marc Verbruggen (CEO)
sales € 1.185 billion (2013)
Branch biotechnology
Website NatureWorks LLC homepage

NatureWorks LLC is a US company headquartered in Minnetonka , Minnesota. The company is owned by the Cargill Incorporated group of companies and PTT Public Company Limited (PTT) of Thailand .

NatureWorks is a global leader in bio-based plastics based on starch from renewable raw materials (Nawaro). By fermentation produced lactic acid which for, biopolymer polylactide (PLA, polylactic acid) polymerized is. NatureWorks markets the polylactide portfolio under the brand name Ingeo . Their manufacturing facility is in Blair , Nebraska .

history

In 1989, in the Cargill concern, NatureWorks began research into the use of hydrocarbons from plants to produce useful and applicable plastic. In 2002, NatureWorks opened its first global PLA factory in Blair, Nebraska. With a capacity of 150,000 tons / year of biopolymer PLA Ingeo, it is still the largest PLA factory in the world today.

Cargill and the Japanese chemical company Teijin entered into a joint venture in 2007 in which Teijin acquired 50% of NatureWorks. The joint venture was dissolved in 2008 and Cargill returned full ownership.

In 2011, PTT Chemicals invested $ 150 million to purchase 50% of NatureWorks.

NatureWorks has offices in more than 10 countries. They sell to North America , Europe , Japan and Asia Pacific . In 2013, NatureWorks sold PLA- Ingeo for a billion pounds (approx. € 1.187 billion as of December 2, 2016). The current growth target is two billion pounds a year.

The plant in Blair is to be expanded by 75,000 tons / year for Ingeo made from corn from 2017 . As of 2018, further plants with a production capacity of 75,000 tons / year each are planned in Europe for Ingeo from sugar beet and in Thailand in the Rayon region for Ingeo from sugar cane.

raw material

The C6 sugar dextrose and sucrose from maize , sugar cane , sugar beet and cassava (mandioca) are currently used as raw materials for 1st generation PLA .

The development of the raw materials of the 2nd generation is moving towards raw materials containing cellulose such as bagasse , wood chips , switchgrass or straw . In the long term, methane CH 4 and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) are also being sought as 3rd generation raw materials in order to use them directly for the fermentation to lactic acid.

A long-term research partnership between NatureWorks and Calysta was concluded in 2013 to use methane as a raw material for lactic acid through fermentation. The laboratory facility was built in 2014. From 2023, a 75–150,000 tons / year production facility for Ingeo from methane should be in operation.

Areas of application for Ingeo

The polylactide (polylactic acid) - Ingeo is used as a biodegradable bioplastic. It is used in numerous manufacturing processes and industrial products: in products that come into contact with food (transport containers, drinking cups , disposable dishes ) and as a substitute for styrene (ABS); as a plastic film ( mulch film , adhesive film , plastic card , coating for laminate ); in fibers (sanitary wipes, composite fabrics, clothes ); as finishing chemicals (for thermoforming , in injection molding , as a fluid for 3D printing ); For plastic housings ( personal computers , laptops , cell phones , printers , screens , pens ) and as packaging (printable, solid packaging ; foam packaging products).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Natureworks LLC homepage
  2. ↑ a b c d RC. Bopp: NatureWorks Ingeo ™ Polylactide: Past, Present and Future
  3. ↑ a b c d e Marc Verbuggen: NatureWorks the next Decade 2016
  4. ↑ Miel Rhoda: With 1 billion pounds of PLA sold, NatureWorks sees rapid growth to 2 billion (English) . In: Plastics News , March 6, 2014. 
  5. ↑ About NaturWorks
  6. ^ Cargill, Teijin Form Joint Venture for NatureWorks . In: NatureWorks .  
  7. ↑ Ben Klayman: Cargill and Teijin dissolve plastics joint venture . In: Reuters . 
  8. ↑ PTT Chemical invests $ 150M in NatureWorks, which heads for Thailand , Biofuels Digest, October 12, 2011.

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