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DELAWARE INC

Work underway on Croda bio-ethanol plant

Scott Goss
The News Journal
Croda plans to develop a $170 million bio-ethanol plant at its Atlas Point site over the next two years.

An international specialty chemical manufacturer recently marked a milestone in the construction of a $170 million upgrade at its plant near New Castle.

British-based Croda Inc. last week announced completion of the steel frame that will house the main processor reactor for the bio-ethanol plant being built at its Atlas Point facility near the Delaware Memorial Bridge.

The new plant, reportedly the first of its kind in North America, will convert corn-based ethanol, or alcohol, into ethylene oxide.

The chemical then will be used to make Croda products, such as emulsifying agents that bind oil and water to make face creams, toothpastes, paints and laundry detergents.

The bio-ethanol plant, slated to come online in 2017, also will eliminate the need for long-distance rail shipments of hazardous ethylene oxide from Texas, according to company officials.

The project is expected to create more than 250 construction jobs and up to 30 new, full-time manufacturing positions, while protecting nearly 50 existing jobs at the Atlas Point facility that could have been transferred elsewhere. The site currently employs about 125.

The Delaware Economic Development Office last spring approved nearly $2.5 million in grants to help support the project.

Croda seeks Coastal Zone permit for plant work

“We’re very proud of this milestone and all the great things it represents for our customers, Croda and the state of Delaware,” Bob Stewart, the company’s managing director of operations for North America, said in a release.

Croda has made a long-term push to make its products “sustainable” and environmentally sound. About 70 percent of Croda’s raw materials currently come from renewable sources, according to company officials.

In 2012, the company broke ground on an $8 million project at Atlas Point that is engineered to produce electricity from landfill gas piped from the nearby Cherry Island Landfill. Other sustainability initiatives launched at the facility have included a $2.3 million solar power installation that produces about 5 percent of the site’s electricity.

Contact business reporter Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.