TotalEnergies Corbion
EMEA
Gorinchem
,
Netherlands
Scaleup
FOUNDED
2017
HEADCOUNT
101-500
FUNDING
Subsidiary
Keywords:
fermentation, organic_acids, bioplastics
BUSINESS
Formed in 2017 as a 50/50 joint venture between TotalEnergies and Corbion, headquartered in the Netherlands. TotalEnergies Corbion produces and markets Luminy PLA (polylactic acid) bioplastics. The company operates a 75,000 tonnes/year PLA polymerization plant in Rayong, Thailand, co-located with Corbion's lactic acid and lactide production facilities. Corbion supplies the lactic acid (produced by fermentation of sugarcane-derived sugar) which is converted to lactide monomer and then polymerized into PLA. The Luminy portfolio includes standard, high-heat, and low-heat PLA grades plus PDLA for stereocomplex compounds. Applications span food packaging, tableware, textiles, 3D printing, oil and gas, electronics, and automotive
BIOTECH INVOLVEMENT
The biotech component resides upstream at Corbion, which produces lactic acid via bacterial fermentation of sugarcane-derived sugars. TotalEnergies Corbion itself performs the chemical polymerization of lactide into PLA, which is a chemical process rather than a biological one.
TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
fermentation (lactic acid); polymerization
PRIMARY PRODUCTS
Luminy PLA bioplastics (various grades)