DALLAS, Sept. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs
(NYSE:J) has completed front-end engineering design for a new
biopolymer production plant in Thailand for NatureWorks, the largest supplier
of polylactic acid (PLA), a low-carbon bioplastic derived from
renewable, agricultural resources. Now, Jacobs will begin final
detailed engineering design for NatureWorks' new plant, located at
the Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex in Nakhon Sawan province.
NatureWorks was the first and largest company to produce
biopolymers at commercial scale at its facility in Nebraska. While most plastics are made from
non-renewable fossil-based products like oil, NatureWorks' Ingeo™
biopolymer is made by using plants, like corn or sugarcane, to
capture and sequester carbon dioxide into sugars that are fermented
to make lactic acid. Partner companies transform the pellet product
into a range of consumer goods, from compostable food containers to
filament for 3D printers.
"NatureWorks' global expansion is a major step forward for
sustainable production of biopolymers from renewable resources, and
Jacobs is working in lockstep with them as they innovate,"
said Jacobs Advanced Facilities Senior Vice President
Koti Vadlamudi. "We have built a
collaborative relationship with a strong culture of transparency
and trust, which has enabled us to support NatureWorks as it
expands to meet demand for sustainable, biobased materials."
The plant is the world's first to be designed to be fully
integrated, featuring full cycle operations from the fermentation
of sugar through to the production of the Ingeo™ biopolymer
product. NatureWorks estimates that the plant will be operational
by 2024.
"As we approached the project to begin the global expansion of
our manufacturing capabilities, we sought out an engineering
partner that had deep expertise in both life science and polymers.
Bringing these disciplines together is fundamental to the design of
our new facility, which will be integrated from fermentation
through to polymerization," said NatureWorks Vice President of
Operations and Project Program Manager Steve Bray. "Through the selection process and
in our previous work with Jacobs on our first site in Blair, Nebraska, we found that Jacobs
understands the unique requirements of implementing our
manufacturing technology."
Jacobs began work on the project in 2019 and leverages its
experience with NatureWorks to continue delivery of the detailed
engineering design phase.
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forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A
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additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results
to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 2, 2020, and in particular the
discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk
Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's
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ended July 2, 2021, and in particular
the discussions contained under Part I, Item 2 - Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations; Part II, Item 1 - Legal Proceedings; and Part II, Item
1A - Risk Factors, as well as the company's other filings with the
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SOURCE Jacobs