PITTSBURGH, Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Braskem (B3: BRKM3,
BRKM5 and BRKM6; NYSE: BAK; LATIBEX: XBRK), the largest polyolefins
producer in the Americas and leading producer of biopolymers in the
world, today announced the successful completion of a $10 million investment towards the expansion of
the company's U.S. Innovation and Technology (I&T) Center located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The expansion
project adds eight new research and development laboratories with
state-of-the-art equipment for developing new proprietary
technologies to support innovations in Catalysis, Recycling and 3D
Printing.
In accelerating its scientific research capabilities, Braskem is
strengthening the development of proprietary technologies as well
as continuing to build on client R&D partnership and
collaboration programs. The new laboratories directly support the
company's broader sustainability based innovation objectives and
its Carbon Neutral Circular Economy goals. The I&T Center
facility expansion is focused on catalysis and petrochemical
process technology capabilities, expanding its 3D Printing research
capabilities, and also contains advanced polymer characterization
laboratories, which include chromatography, polymer cracking and
microscopy analyses. Overall, the expansion complements the site's
existing research and lab footprint and capabilities.
Srivatsan Iyer, Braskem Vice
President of Strategy, Planning and Innovation & Technology,
commented, "The successful completion of our U.S. I&T Center
expansion is designed to house the latest, cutting-edge equipment
for research, which will allow Braskem to explore new avenues for
growth. These new world class laboratories complement the diverse
expertise of our I&T team members, and support Braskem's
innovation goals, especially in the critical areas of circular
economy, sustainability, recycling as well as additive
manufacturing. The Braskem team's efforts to safely complete this
ambitious investment project amid a worldwide pandemic really
speaks to the commitment of Braskem towards technology development,
and the confidence we have in the future, both as a company and as
a client centric, technology innovator."
Much like Braskem's I'm green™ bio-based polyethylene (PE), made
from responsibly sourced sugarcane, inventing new chemical
processes to recycle post-consumer plastic that requires less
energy to produce, will help Braskem fulfill its commitment to a
future centered around the Carbon Neutral Circular Economy.
Braskem scientists and researchers in Pittsburgh will use the new labs to test new
ways to convert a mixed, post-consumer plastics stream back into
raw materials that can then be used to produce new plastics that
meets the requirements of strictly regulated industries such as
automotive, food and healthcare applications.
Gilfranque Leite, Braskem Innovation and Technology Director,
stated, "We have a clear value proposition when we make products
with a lower carbon footprint or use plastic waste in a circular
fashion. Our clients and brand owners have programs focused on
these important areas, yet many don't have the in-house technology
capabilities to do this R&D intensive work on their own. In
partnering with Braskem, we can directly support them in achieving
their sustainability goals, as well as create really exciting and
disruptive technologies in our Pittsburgh I&T Center."
The I&T Center expansion was designed in-line with Braskem's
broader, company-wide, commitment to sustainability. The project
used construction blocks containing the Center for Regenerative Design &
Collaboration's (CRDC) RESIN8TM technology which
utilizes a concrete aggregate replacement made from post-consumer
plastic waste. The use of CRDC's RESIN8 TM blocks
creates demand for formerly landfill-bound mixed plastics and
diverts plastic waste from otherwise escaping waste collection and
going back into the environment. Not only do the blocks have
additional strength and the same certifications as traditional
concrete blocks, but they also weigh less, which helps reduce their
carbon impact and lowers the cost of shipping in the transportation
process.
Braskem Global Innovation & Technology
Braskem's
U.S. Innovation & Technology Center in Pittsburgh is one of the largest of Braskem's
four global technology centers and is one of America's leading
polymer research centers. Braskem's Innovation & Technology
Center in Pittsburgh has been
named as a Top Workplace Award winner for six consecutive years by
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's list of Top Workplaces. Of the 299
people who work at Braskem's Innovation & Technology team
around the world, 55 work in Pittsburgh. Braskem's innovation structure is
composed of two Innovation & Technology Centers located in
Pittsburgh and Triunfo,
Brazil, a Center for Research on Renewable Technologies
located in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil and a Technical Center in Wesseling,
Germany.
ABOUT BRASKEM
With a global vision of the future
oriented towards people and sustainability, Braskem is committed to
contributing to the value chain for strengthening the Circular
Economy. The petrochemical company's almost 8,000 team members
dedicate themselves every day to improve people's lives through
sustainable chemicals and plastics solutions. Braskem has an
innovative DNA and a comprehensive portfolio of plastic resins and
chemical products for diverse segments, such as food packaging,
construction, manufacturing, automotive, agribusiness, healthcare
and hygiene, among others. With 41 industrial units in Brazil, the United
States, Mexico and
Germany, and net revenue of
R$52.3 billion (US$13.2 billion), Braskem exports its products to
clients in more than 100 countries.
Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of
Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the leading
producer of polypropylene in the United
States, with six production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, an Innovation and Technology
Center in Pittsburgh, and
operations in Boston focused on
leveraging groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and
advanced materials. For more information, visit
www.braskem.com/usa.
Braskem on English social
media:
www.facebook.com/BraskemGlobal
www.linkedin.com/company/braskem
www.twitter.com/BraskemSA
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SOURCE Braskem