Praj Industries inaugurates bioplastics ‘demonstration facility’ in Maharashtra

Praj Industries has opened India’s first-of-its-kind ‘demonstration facility’ for biopolymers or bioplastics showcasing indigenously developed integrated Polylactic Acid (PLA) technology at Jejuri in Maharashtra. The facility was inaugurated by Union Science & Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on October 13.

The facility was opened in the presence of Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, Dept. of Biotechnology, Dr. Ashish Lele, Director, National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) and Dr. Pramod Chaudhari, Executive Chairman, Praj Industries.

Praj Industries held that under its Bio-Prism portfolio of Renewable Chemicals And Materials (RCM), Polylactic Acid is the first biopolymer in a series to be scaled up at this demonstration facility. The state-of-the-art facility houses fermentation, chemical synthesis, separation, and purification sections, along with other supporting units spread over three acres.

“Praj’s Demonstration facility for Biopolymers is spanning approximately 3 acres. “The plant features a production capacity of 100 TPA for Lactic Acid and 60 TPA for Lactide equivalent to 55 TPA of Polylactic Acid,” said Praj.

In the pursuit of facilitating ‘Make-In-India’ and accomplishing goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Praj is aligning with the recently announced BioE3 Policy (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment), and BioRIDE scheme.

With this landmark initiative, Praj aligns with the shared vision of establishing India as a ‘Global Bio Manufacturing Hub’ for Bioplastics. The company claims that it embraces a comprehensive approach to bioplastics technology development, covering the entire production process from feedstock selection to application development.

It mentions, “We are actively developing technologies for Polylactic acid (PLA) and Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), leveraging advanced strain engineering, fermentation techniques, and efficient downstream processing, Praj ensures cost-effective bioplastics production without compromising quality or performance.”

Moreover, Praj has also established the Parimal and Pramod Chaudhari Centre of Excellence and Innovation for Biopolymers (PPC-COEI) at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. This Centre focuses on developing various applications for bioplastics.