Plant set-ups: Rustark to construct biopolymer plant in Russia;

Russia-based Rustark, located in Lipetsk, in the south of Moscow, has started construction of its EUR200 million production plant to produce starch products and biopolymers, using wheat as a feedstock.

The new facility will be built in four stages over a period of 10-15 years, the company said. The first unit will have the capacity to process 500 tonnes/day of wheat and is expected to commence production in 2022.

Rustark partner Ivan Tyryshkin said at the event, “This is a purely innovative project. Advanced technologies will be applied which today, the whole world relies on for the production of biodegradable materials. The innovation is that we make use of wheat as a renewable source of raw materials.” He added that biopolymers made from wheat have a faster decomposition time, unlike (fossil-based) polyethylene and other plastics.

Rustark is reportedly Russia’s sole modified starch producer and the country has ample supply of the wheat it requires. The biopolymers can be used to make plastics for various disposable products such as packaging, plastic cutlery and some clothing.

To mark the launch of construction by Rustark, a time capsule laying ceremony took place on the site in Lipetsk Special Economic Zone district. The capsule is planned to open in 2035 when Rustark aims to form an industrial cluster in Lipetsk to supply biopolymers for the global bioplastics industry.