Balrampur Chini gets government grant for biopolymer R&D facility

New Delhi: Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd (BCML) has received Rs 75 crore in grant assistance from the government to set up a pilot-scale research and development facility for polylactic acid (PLA) co-polymers, the company said on Thursday.

The grant has been awarded by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under the Department of Biotechnology's BioE3 initiative. The proposed facility will have a capacity of 100 tonnes per annum and will be located at BCML's integrated manufacturing complex at Kumbhi in Uttar Pradesh.

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The facility will focus on developing specialised PLA grades and co-polymers for higher-value applications and generating the process know-how needed to move products from laboratory research to commercial-scale manufacturing.

It will be located at the same site where BCML is setting up what it says will be India's first integrated commercial PLA manufacturing facility, with a planned capacity of 80,000 tonnes per annum.

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"The facility will help build indigenous technology, develop next-generation bio-based materials and create the scientific and technical capabilities required for India to lead the global transition towards sustainable manufacturing," said Avantika Saraogi, executive director at Balrampur Chini Mills.

BCML, one of India's major integrated sugar producers, currently operates 10 sugar factories in Uttar Pradesh alongside distillery and power cogeneration businesses.