Evonik plans to build a new plant for catalysts for biodiesel in Argentina

31-Mar-2011 - Germany

Evonik Industries is planning to build a new facility to produce catalysts for the manufacture of biodiesel in Argentina. Basic engineering for this plant, which will have capacity of over 60,000 metric tons p.a., has now been completed and construction work is expected to start in July 2011. Following completion, which is scheduled for the end of 2012 at the latest, the plant will produce ready-to-use alcoholates for use as catalysts in the production of biodiesel from renewable raw materials. The project is still contingent on the approval of the relevant authorities.

"We are expanding our global leadership in catalysts for the production of biodiesel," says Patrik Wohlhauser, Chairman of the Board of Management of Evonik Degussa GmbH and, from April 1, 2011, the member of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries responsible for the South America region. “This investment is part of our strategy to enable us to participate in regional growth in South America,“ he adds. The new plant will supply the South America region, especially Argentina and Brazil.

The plant will be located in Puerto General San Martin, in the Rosario region, at the heart of Argentina’s biodiesel industry. Evonik is planning to build the plant on the same site as Terminal 6 S.A., which operates a large biodiesel facility. “Locating the facility at the Terminal 6 site enables us to use the existing infrastructure and gives us excellent logistics connections. It could therefore be erected swiftly, enabling us to supply catalysts competitively to customers in South America,” comments Jan Van den Bergh, who heads the Industrial Chemicals Business Unit.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/131658/evonik-plans-to-build-a-new-plant-for-catalysts-for-biodiesel-in-argentina.html