July 13, 2010
Netherlands-based lactic acid producer Purac – a subsidiary of the CSM bakery supplies and food ingredients company – is investigating a new source of feedstock for biopolymers. It has joined a consortium that will develop a process to make feedstock for lactic acid from cellulosic waste derived from the pulp and paper industry.
     Purac does not produce biopolymers itself, but is active in the production of lactides for polylactic acid. Joining the consortium will speed up Purac's program to use alternative non-food substrates such as agricultural by-products instead of sugars, glucose and tapioca starch as substrates for its fermentation processes.
     The other partners in the programme are Crown Van Gelder, a paper producing company, and Bumaga, a development centre in the paper and board industry. The project is part of the Dutch Biorefinery program and partially funded by the Dutch Ministries of Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Nature and Fishery.