Balrampur Chini Mills to set up India's first bio polymer unit in Uttar Pradesh

Balrampur Chini Mills Limited (BCML) plans to establish India’s first integrated Polylactic Acid (PLA) biopolymer manufacturing plant in Kumbhi, Uttar Pradesh, with an investment of INR 2,850-crore. The project will be financed through 40% equity and 60% debt. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, had attended the ground-breaking ceremony for the plant in February this year. 

Located next to BCML’s existing sugar factory, the plant is set to begin operations by October 2026. It will use raw materials sourced from the adjacent sugar mill, improving resource efficiency and optimising supply chain management. The plant will run entirely on renewable energy and will be the world’s first integrated facility where sugarcane is directly converted into PLA, setting a sustainability benchmark.

The facility will have an annual production capacity of 80,000 tonnes, manufacturing fully compostable and bio-based PLA. Additionally, PLA from the plant can be anaerobically digested to produce biogas and fertiliser, reducing waste and emissions. Global technology partners for the project include Switzerland’s Sulzer, Austria’s Alpine Engineering GmbH, and the U.S.-based Jacobs Solutions Inc. 

Speaking to PrintWeek on the sidelines of ResPack, Stefan Barot, president of the chemicals division at BCML, said “We are the second biggest sugar mill of India and the biggest ethanol producer. And we decided 15 months ago to enter PLA, polylactic acid, which is based on sugar. Which basically means you ferment sugar to lactic acid, purify it, then you make lactide and eventually PLA out of it.” The facility is currently based on imported technology. He added, “Right now we are bringing in PLA from outside to see the market and to understand the market.”

The project aims to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and strengthen Uttar Pradesh’s position as a biopolymer production hub. It is expected to boost India’s role in the global bio-based economy by leveraging the country’s biomass resources and creating export opportunities.

Through this setup, BCML aims to make polymers which can replace single-use plastics in products such as straws, disposable cutlery, food trays, bottles, curd cups, and carry bags. Barot says, “That's where we have to start to make these products compostable. We are going to make polymers and we will help the customers because we have a team now of six people in the market helping to convert.”

In terms of the challenges that they are anticipating, Barot says, “It is relatively easy to convert the equipment. That's not a challenge. The biggest challenge usually is to make the customer understand that this comes at an additional cost.”