Polimeri Europa (Eni group) and Novamont together for a bio-based chemical complex. A new age for the Italian chemical industry

The new Joint Italian Venture has as its mission the designing, building and managing of chemical plants using vegetable oil feedstock for the production of bio-chemicals (bio-plastics, bio-lubricants and bio-additives for elastomers)

San Donato Milanese, – Polimeri Europa (the biggest Italian chemical company, a subsidiary of Eni) and Novamont (a global market leader in biodegradable plastics) set up 13th June a new JV named Matrica SpA with plans to build an innovative bio-based chemical complex in Porto Torres (Sardinia, Italy).
With a total investment of 500 million Euro, the project consists of seven new plants - an integrated production chain from vegetable oil to bio-plastics - to be completed within the next six years, and a research center devoted to bio-chemistry that will be operative in the next quarter.
The fifty-fifty Joint Venture set up by Polimeri Europa and Novamont will execute the bio-based chemical complex, where the basic engineering of the first phase has already been completed. Eni also plans to invest an additional approximately 230 million Euro in a biomass power station to provide the electric power.
Matrica’s target market is the global bio-based chemical sector. According to recent analyst research this sector will grow at 17.7% per year reaching 8.1 million tons in 2015 (Lux Research, September 2010).
Novamont brings to the venture technologies and research and innovation skills in the sector of bio-plastics and bio-based products, whilst Polimeri Europa boosts this highly innovative project with its engineering and commercial capabilities in carrying out and managing big industrial complexes.
Polimeri Europa will convert the Porto Torres production from traditional fossil into bio-based productions: all the traditional chemical plants at the site with the exception of nitrilic rubbers NBR will be shut down, creating an available skilled workforce and facilities for the new project.
The bio-based chemical complex will be one of the most important in the sector at a global level – due to its innovative integrated production chain, its size and the massive overall installed capacity of 350 kt/a of bio-products.