Matrìca, the 50/50 joint venture between Versalis (Eni) and Novamont, recently hosted the International Open Day, led by its Chair, Daniele Ferrari, and CEO, Catia Bastioli; and, Barend Verachtert, Deputy Head of Biotechnologies Unit at the European Commission. Through the event, the European Stakeholders attending the third Bioeconomy Conference held in Turin, Italy, got the chance to visit the newly-built plant at Porto Torres, the bio-run industrial complex utilising the latest technologies and vegetable oils as raw materials.

The project, which was conceived in 2011, aims to convert the petrochemical plant at Porto Torres into one of the most innovative, integrated green chemistry industrial projectat world level, according to Matrìca. The firm now has a Research Centre with seven pilot plants and a world-scale bio-monomer unit up and running from June 2014, converting vegetable oils into monomers and intermediates ( such as azelaic acid and pelargonic acid), the building blocks from downstream processes of more complex bio-products, such as bioplastics.

As part of the completion programme of the Porto Torres project, the esterification cycle facilities, the polymers and rubbers additives plant are also going on-stream over the next few weeks.

Representing a global investment of about EUR180 million, the three plants will have a total capacity of approximately 70 thousand tonnes per year.

Matrìca says that its product portfolio is set to feed the tyre industry, amongst others, including a raft of innovative products with high added value, such as bases for bio-lubricants, plasticisers for polymers and products for cosmetic formulations.