Evonik Industries AG is planning to build a new facility to produce catalysts for the manufacture of biodiesel in Puerto General San Martin, Argentina. Basic engineering for this plant, which will have capacity of over 60,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) and is build on the same site as Terminal 6 S.A., which operates a large biodiesel facility, has now been completed and construction work is expected to start in July 2011. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2012 at the latest. The plant will produce ready-to-use alcoholates for use as catalysts in the production of biodiesel from renewable raw materials. The project is still contingent on the approval of the relevant authorities.

Evonik has started up a new production facility in Mobile, AL, USA, in 2009 with a capacity of 60,000 m.t./yr. The plant was built in just nine months and serves the growing North American market for biodiesel. The plan is to use the same technology for the new facility in Argentina. In the new process, alcoholates are produced by reacting alcohol with a lye.

• Evonik Industries AG, Essen, Germany