Stories
Journey of 308-wheeled truck ends as Belgium vessel reaches Balrampur
- •The massive 180 to 200-tonne reactor from Belgium successfully reached the Balrampur sugar mill.
- •It is meant for India first and world fourth biopolymer plant being constructed at Kumbhi sugar mill.
- •Transporting the huge trailer required removing trees, electric poles, and even breaking a bridge in Kaimur.
- •The Rs 3,080 crore project aims to produce 80,000 tonnes of eco-friendly biopolymer annually.
Key Questions Answered
The heavy reactor vessel is intended for a biopolymer plant being constructed at the Kumbhi sugar mill in Lakhimpur Kheri, where it will be used to manufacture bio-based plastic, known as PLA, using sugar and starch derived from sugarcane.
The 180 to 200-tonne vessel was brought from Belgium via sea to Odisha and transported across multiple states on a special trailer. Because of its immense weight and size, the trailer moved at a very slow pace, requiring electricity poles and wires to be removed, roads to be closed, trees trimmed, and even a bridge to be broken in Kaimur to clear the route.
The Balrampur Sugar Mills group project is being built at an estimated cost of around Rs 3,080 crore with an annual target of producing 80,000 tonnes of biopolymer. According to the company, this facility will be India's first and the world's fourth such plant producing PLA as an alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics.
