Braskem Opens $20 Million Bioplastics Research Facility in Massachusetts

Braskem Opens a USD 20 Million Facility in Massachusetts

Image Credits: Plastics News

Braskem, a leading petrochemical company, announced its new USD 20 million facility in Massachusetts, focusing on expanding its bioplastic production. The company aims to reach 1 million tons of annual production capacity for bioproducts and bioattributed products by 2030.

The company’s biobased feedstocks are being used in around 40 different grades for a range of products, including packaging, reusable water bottles, footwear, toys, cables, cosmetics, paints, and more. The new facility is the newest seven-site network, having a team focused on biotechnology, process engineering, and catalysis.

Braskem’s new facility in the U.S. focuses on turning natural materials like sugar and plants into chemicals for green plastics, through constant R&D. The scientists use bacteria or yeast that can help turn natural substances into plastic material without the use of oil.

The major reason behind choosing Boston is the easy availability of scientific help and supplies from nearby universities.

Daniel MacEachran, the global head of biotechnology, said, “We want to identify and develop catalysts that can do the transformations we want to do, noting this may involve using or modifying existing chemicals’, “In some cases, it’s something entirely new. And that’s the work that the team is doing in here, that entirely new space.”

Daniel also mentioned the Boston life sciences network that is suited to the company’s work. The DNA can be ordered the night before and have it delivered in the morning, which eliminates the time consumption in these processes.

The facility has automated equipment of a modern range, which helps in managing thousands of sample packages in a timeframe of the traditional methods, where one person requires a week to manage 10 test samples.

The company’s green plastic sales were reported to rise by 23% in 2024, helping them to gain more popularity and expand their strategy of adding recycled plastics into their products.

MacEachran also said, “They don’t have to do any adjustments in the process. The final product meaning the bottle, the package, the bag it’s the same.”