The Hindu Business Line : SPC Green plans $100-m investment in biopolymer unit

Hyderabad June 8 SPC Green Plastics Inc, a US-based company, plans to invest up to $100 million in an integrated biopolymer unit based on corn and other agricultural wastes, to produce biodegradable plastic material with multiple applications in India.

A group of NRIs, who own SPC Green Plastics, would be funding the project. It will focus on eco-friendly plastics, bio-lubricants and bio-fuels, according to Mr M.S. Shankara Prasad, one of the company directors. The company is actively considering locating the manufacturing unit in the port city of Kakinada in Coastal Andhra Pradesh. It has approached the State Government for suitable land, Mr Prasad, who is also the Managing Director of SPC Biotech, told Business Line.

In addition to corn, Kakinada offers tapioca, mango kernel, tamarind seed etc., which are valuable raw materials for the company. It also gives the advantage of cheaper import of corn starch or cassava starch from Thailand and Malaysia if necessary, he said.

From corn, SPC Green Plastics intends to produce polylactic acid (PLA), which is 100 per cent biodegradable. It offers strong material properties and is comparable to PET (polyethylene terephthalate).

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad-based SPC Biotech, which is setting up a manufacturing unit to make high-end, biodegradable polymers, which are increasingly finding use in the medical industry as absorbable medical implants from agro-based renewable sources, is all set to operationalise it from July.

Medical implants, disposable syringes and stents made from these biodegradable polymers are to be made at the plant. The company proposes to use corn, sweet potato and other starch-based, agro-products to produce PLA. Corn-based plastics are available in the US. Dow Cargill (US), Novamont (Italy), and Mitsubishi (Japan) are some of the leading players in this growing segment, whose products are more environmentally friendly compared to petroleum-based plastics.

More Stories on : Foreign Direct Investment | New Projects | Plastics | Environment

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page