French energy group Total announced on Thursday that it would stop crude processing at its Grandpuits refinery and convert it into a production facility of sugar-based polylactic acid (PLA) and biofuels. The crude refining activity will be discontinued by the first quarter of 2021. Total will then overhaul the complex in a more than €500 million ($584 million) project that will also include a chemicals recycling plant. After the revamp, the facility will be partially solar-powered.
The proposed 100,000 tons/year PLA unit is expected to start up in 2024 and will be operated in a 50/50 joint venture with Corbion. Both firms have already collaborated in a PLA plant project in Thailand. The plant will help the company to meet PLA demand, which, according to Total, is growing 15% annually. PLA is a thermoplastic used in some industrial applications and film wrap.
Meanwhile, Total will own a 60% stake in the chemical recycling plant, with Plastic Energy holding the remaining stake. The recycling unit will help Total to meet the goal to produce 30% of its polymers from recycled materials by 2030. The plant will convert post-consumer plastic into pyrolysis oil called Tacoil, which will then be used to manufacture polymers with on par properties to virgin polymers.
The new Grandpuits plant will also produce biofuel aimed at the aviation industry. The renewable fuel will be made from used cooking oil as well as other vegetable oils, except palm oil. Total said that France plans to decarbonise its aviation sector, which includes a target of 2% of aviation renewable fuel by 2025, and of 5% by 2030. The biorefinery is expected to come online in 2024, with a capacity of 400,000 tons/year, including 170,000 tons/year of renewable aviation fuel, 120,000 tons/year of biodiesel, and 50,000 tons/year of renewable naphtha.
According to Total, the Grandpuits plant will have photovoltaic solar panels which can generate 28 MW peak of electricity. The company also noted that the conversion would not cut existing jobs as some workers are expected to take early retirement. The company estimated that during the construction phase, the project would create about 1,000 jobs.
