Kureha debuts biodegradable plastic plant in West Virginia

In West Virginia, Kureha’s Belle Plant held its grand opening on September 26.  The facility is dedicated to the production of 8.8 million pounds of polyglycolic acid per year.  The plant conducted its initial operation in mid-June 2011 and began commercial production in August.

The polymer is marketed under the trade name Kuredux PGA. Its properties include high strength, biodegradability and low gas permeability. Kuredux has been certified as a biodegradable plastic in the United States, Europe and Japan. When Kuredux is used in multi-layered PET bottles as an inner layer, the bottle can be recycled using standard PET recycling processes.