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Business

NatureWorks Mulls New Production

by Alexander H. Tullo
March 23, 2009 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 87, Issue 12

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Credit: NatureWorks
NatureWorks already makes polylactide in Blair, Neb.
Credit: NatureWorks
NatureWorks already makes polylactide in Blair, Neb.

NatureWorks, a joint venture between agricultural giant Cargill and Japan's Teijin, is considering building a second manufacturing plant to make polylactide polymers. At its Blair, Neb., plant, NatureWorks derives the resins from corn by fermenting dextrose and converting the resultant lactic acid into lactide, which it then polymerizes. The resins are used to make plastics and fibers. The company says that it would locate the second facility in the Americas, Asia, or Europe, depending on the strength of those markets and the availability of plant-based feedstocks.

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