New Delhi, 24 September: Union minister Jitendra Singh has formally launched the commercial use of polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastics under the government’s BioE3 framework, alongside support for a planned research facility at Balrampur Chini Mills Limited (BCML) in Uttar Pradesh.
A ₹75 crore grant from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), under the Department of Biotechnology, will support a pilot-scale facility with a capacity of 100 tonnes a year. It will be established at BCML’s integrated manufacturing complex at Kumbhi, the Ministry of Science and Technology said.
Research facility to support commercial scale-up
The grant-backed pilot facility and BCML’s commercial PLA venture have distinct roles. The commercial venture uses renewable sugar-based feedstock to produce PLA and bioplastics. The pilot facility will develop specialised PLA grades and co-polymers and help test processes before they are scaled up.
Its work will include product development, customer validation, generating technical and economic data, and building process know-how. It is also intended to support training and collaboration between industry, universities and research institutions.
Singh said research needed to move into commercially viable products through pilot facilities, validation, skilled personnel and industry participation. He pointed to sugarcane as an example of an agricultural resource that could supply materials beyond food.
Part of the BioE3 programme
BioE3 stands for Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment. The initiative seeks to connect biotechnology research with manufacturing and new uses for biological resources.
Singh said India’s bioeconomy had grown from about US$10 billion in 2014 to nearly US$195 billion. These figures and the expected benefits of the project were presented by the government; the release did not give a completion date for the pilot facility.
Medilytix previously reported on a separate biopolymer demonstration facility inaugurated in Pune in 2024.