German chemicals giant Evonik has completed the expansion of its methionine production facility on Singapore's Jurong Island.

The expansion adds 40,000 tonnes of annual production capacity to the plant, bringing total capacity to 340,000 tonnes per year and making the plant the biggest methionine facility in the world. The plant is working at full capacity after shutdowns in late 2023 and early 2024.

The DL-methionine being produced at Jurong Island under the brand name MetAmino is an amino acid used in livestock feed.

Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu said: “Since its first sales office was set up here in 1969, Evonik has grown to be one of the largest players in Singapore's energy and chemicals industry,” adding that the company has invested around $1.5bn in the country over the years and now employs around 700 staff there.

“At the same time, the demand for green chemicals is also rising, buoyed by government policies on the use of sustainable materials and consumer choices for sustainable products,” added Fu.

“As these trends continue, we welcome partnerships with companies like Evonik to seize growth opportunities in the demand for speciality and sustainable chemicals, particularly in fast-growing end markets such as nutrition and agriculture, care chemicals, pharmaceuticals and mobility.”

Evonik says that, through process intensification, it has optimised its production plants to generate a surplus of steam that is used to produce on-site electricity. A 9MW alkaline electrolyser plant, which is run on-site by its partner Linde, enables Evonik's efforts to use green hydrogen for DL-methionine production.

Harald Schwager, Evonik’s deputy chairman of the executive board, commented: “Our collaboration with Linde on the implementation of green hydrogen in our Singapore facilities is a testament to our commitment to sustainability.”

Evonik operates two methionine plants in Singapore. The first was operational in 2014, while the second followed in 2019. Both existing plants have grown larger and are a part of the same Jurong Island complex.

"Evonik’s expanded Singapore methionine facility becomes world’s largest" was originally created and published by Investment Monitor, a GlobalData owned brand.

 

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