Report Novamont
Report Novamont Biorefinery Beyond oil – towards a bioeconomy Starch “Beyond oil, towards a bioeconomy: the Bio-Refinery integrated in the territory” was the topic of a meeting organized by Novamont S.p.A. at their headquarters in Novara, Italy in October of 2006. On the occasion of the opening of their new premises in Novara, Novamont announced the launch of their so-called “Green Bio-Refinery” in Terni, Italy. Once the plant is working at its full capacity, scheduled for 2008, Novamont will reach an annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes of bioplastics, which are completely biodegradable, can be used as fertilizers and have a limited environmental impact throughout their cycle of life, as the company stated during the meeting. Create Synergies The basic idea was to exploit synergies between the agricultural and the industrial sectors in the province of Terni and generate a possibility of growth for both. Thus a collaboration between Coldiretti, representing 600 local farmers, and Novamont (and others represented by the Industrial Association of the Province of Terni) was created in early 2006. For the agricultural sector that suffers from “set aside” zones (agricultural land that is left uncultivated) this collaboration will create new applications for agricultural products, which could compensate for the high cost of production and the low returns from the food market. In Italy alone, more than 800,000 hectares (approx. 1.98 million acres) of agricultural land are left uncultivated due to legislative decisions of the European Union (EU), for the time being attenuated by some contributions from the EU to the farmers. 32 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/07] Vol. 2
Report The Biorefinery ... Novamont Biorefinery in Terni will use the agricultural products of the region to produce bioplastics such as OrigoBi ® and MaterBi ® , both components of a vast range of products of everyday use and of intermediate products for the chemical industry. The Biorefinery is an environment friendly and financially valid model which aims at solving in an effective way the various problems related to the economy such as the high price of petrol and its limited supply, the said crisis in the agricultural sector due to the creation of “set-aside” zones and other serious environmental issues as a spokesman of Novamont pointed out. With the Novamont Biorefinery system, theoretically, it is possible to produce approximately 2 million tonnes of bioplastics, by re-converting these hectares of land into sweet corn and oleaginous plants cultures. This amount is equal to a quarter of the entire Italian demand of plastics, half of the entire quantity of disposable products. This project is, therefore, perfectly compatible with other kinds of cultures and may start an entire economic industrial chain, according to a systematic environmental competitiveness. ... is a role-model for others Catia Bastioli, CEO of Novamont said “We have signed an agreement with Coldiretti with a view to promoting specific cultivation destined for the production of bioplastics. This is an important resource for the local agricultural sector considering that the fact very soon incentives from the European Union will come to an end. Thus an agreement of collaboration has a strategic importance in facing the agricultural crisis, solving the growing problems of environmental pollution, understanding the needs of having to use renewable resources for production and avoiding wastage of energy”. And she added that Novamont Biorefinery is a model that can be reproduced in other territories, according to the availability of the appropriate agricultural space, the appropriate cultures and the attention to the environmental quality of the territory itself. Pellets all photos: Novamont bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/07] Vol. 2 33
