Dubai-based Emirates Biotech has signed a supply contract for Swiss fluid engineering company Sulzer to provide the equipment for a new bioplastics plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Sulzer would manufacture and supply equipment – including lactide formation, purification and polymerisation technology – to be used in the production of polylactic acid (PLA) from lactic acid, Emirates Biotech said on 27 May.
A partnership between Global Biopolymers and SS Royal Kit Emirates Investment, the company said the contract was a strategic milestone for its Falcon PLA project.
Lactic acid is typically derived from renewable plant-based sources such as corn, sugarcane or tapioca, and PLA is used in a wide range of applications, such as appliances, electronics, packaging, food service ware, 3D printing and fibres.
“With proprietary equipment now secured, we are firmly entering the execution phase. This is a major commitment – not just financially, but strategically – as we lay the foundation for a state-of-the-art PLA facility that will anchor the region’s transition to sustainable materials,” Emirates Biotech CEO Marc Verbruggen said.
Including the contract with Sulzer, Emirates Biotech said its investment in the Falcon PLA Project exceeded US$90M.
The new facility would be located in the KEZAD free zone in Abu Dhabi, with access to the deep seaport of Khalifa. It would be constructed in two phases, each with 80,000 tonnes/year capacity, the company said when first announcing the project in December.
Construction was expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year, with the plant scheduled to become operational by early 2028.
In an earlier agreement signed in April, Emirates Biotech appointed Samsung E&A as the contractor for the PLA facility, integrating Sulzer’s proprietary equipment within the wider plant infrastructure, including utilities, storage facilities and other site services.
