29 November 2006 - Since PURAC announced the construction of its new plant in Thailand in September 2005, a great deal of progress had been made. The new plant, located in Rayong province on the eastern seaboard of Thailand, will add 100,000 tonnes capacity of L(+)-lactic acid and 15,000 tonnes of sodium/potassium lactate to the already existing capacity. The plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2007.
The groundwork for the PURAC Thailand plant started in October 2005 with the leveling of the land and the construction of foundations, roads and other infrastructure. In the past couple of months, the appearance of the construction site has changed dramatically, since the construction really took off. The major buildings have reached the stage where the roofs have been topped off and a large percentage of the structural steel has been erected. In addition, the first equipment, like separators, evaporators and fermentors, has been installed.
Safety comes first! That this is true for PURAC Thailand is proven by the fact that a total of 1,500,000 safe working hours on the site was reached. PURAC is very proud that, despite the large labor force on the site – around 1,400 people daily – this milestone could be reached.
In addition to all the site construction, other preparations for a successful startup are also in full swing. Staffing has increased, and it is important that the local staff are well-trained for the testing of all new equipment and to start up and operate the new plant. Furthermore, the work continues on finalizing the details of the design and the procurement of chemicals and raw materials.
In conclusion, PURAC is well on track with the construction of PURAC Thailand, the largest lactic acid factory in Asia, which will serve as a new sourcing center for the Asia region and markets elsewhere in the world.