With the steel work that will house the main process reactor in place at its Atlas Point manufacturing site, Croda International Plc, is a step closer to completing the first plant of its kind in North America that will manufacture renewable non-ionic surfactants.
Atlas Point is near the Delaware Memorial Bridge in the New Castle area.
The main process reactor will produce ethylene oxide from bio-ethanol, allowing for the creation of the surfactants – active emulsifying agents used to bind oil and water in products like face creams, toothpaste, paints and laundry detergents. Price tag of the project is $170 million.
When the new plant becomes operational in 2017, the fully renewable ingredients will enable its customers to meet their goals to deliver 100 percent renewable products to their consumers.
“We’re very proud of this milestone and all the great things it represents for our customers, Croda and the state of Delaware,” said Bob Stewart, managing director of Operations – Croda North America. “This milestone is not only important to the production of these new surfactants; it also demonstrates a visual commitment to completing this project and Croda’s long-standing dedication to sustainability and putting innovation into action.”
Croda will bring more than 250 construction jobs to Delaware and approximately 30 new, full time positions to the site.
Atlas Point has experienced this commitment to sustainability through a number of other recent investments. In 2013, Croda invested $2.3 million in solar panels, which generates 5 percent of the site’s electricity.
In 2012, Croda invested $8 million in a renewable energy project that uses landfill gas to generate electricity and steam. The results of this project reduced Croda’s annual CO2 emissions by 11,600 tons. The projects combined now generate more than 60 percent of the site’s energy. Also in 2012, Atlas Point also achieved a 78 percent reduction in landfill waste by increasing the use of solid waste as fuel and furthering recycling opportunities.
Croda is a British-based company, acquired the Atlas Point site with the purchase of ICI’s Uniqema. The Atlas name comes from the Atlas Powder, which was divested from DuPont by antitrust regulators in the early 20th century and was later acquired by ICI.
ICI, once one of Delaware’s largest employers, is no longer in existence after selling off its various businesses. Its pharmaceutical unit went on to become part of present-day AstraZeneca.
