Wilmar forms joint venture with Elevance

Singapore-listed Wilmar, Asia’s leading agribusiness group, said that it has formed a joint venture (JV) with U.S.-based Elevance Renewable Sciences to construct a bio-refinery in Indonesia. The facility, which will be able to refine multiple feedstocks such as palm, mustard, soybean, jatropha and waste oils, will have an initial capacity of 180,000 metric tons per year (MTPY) when it comes online next year, with the ability to expand up to 360,000 MTPY of refined products. It will be located within Wilmar’s integrated manufacturing complex, which is currently under construction in Surabaya, Indonesia. The JV will use Elevance’s proprietary biorefinery technology to produce high-value performance chemicals, advanced biofuels and oleochemicals such as green olefins. (June 28, 2010)