Group opens cogeneration unit from bagasse in Porto Feliz
Valor Econômico
German group Lanxess opens today, in its Porto Feliz (SP) complex, a cogeneration plant from sugarcane bagasse. This plan should assure energy self-sufficiency to the São Paulo plant that produces iron oxide pigments, the so-called Xadrez (chess) powder. The unit will have the capacity to produce 4.5 megawatts, enough power to supply 125 thousand homes (with four inhabitants each), said Marcelo Lacerda, CEO of the company in Brazil. The project, envisioned by the group in 2008, received investments of nearly € 8 million.
This model of cogeneration of renewable energy may be adopted in other units of Lanxess around the world in the future. In India, for instance, the power-generating unit could be from peanut bark, said Lacerda. Nevertheless, according to the company, there are no investments underway at this moment.
According to the Executive, Lanxess has prioritized the sustainability projects. At the Porto Feliz plant, the company should use 145 thousand tons of bagasse a year. "We will buy the raw material from several suppliers in the region". The global division of pigment businesses of the German company is responsible for earnings of € 1.93 billion (2008 data), nearly 30% of the total earnings of the group.