Cargill’s BiOH Polyols Business Expands to Latin America

Although Cargill currently has capacity to handle large volume needs through toll processing in the Midwestern United States, as volume grows it plans to open a dedicated U.S. manufacturing plant in addition to considering locations in Europe and Asia.

19/09/07 Cargill’s BiOH polyols business has added manufacturing capability in Brazil to serve its fast-growing Latin American customer base. The first commercially successful soy-based polyols for use in polyurethane cushioning, BiOH polyols are now being made at one of Cargill’s existing vegetable oil processing sites in Sao Paulo state.

“We are enthusiastic about providing Latin American foam manufacturers the ability to purchase biobased polyols from a Latin American manufacturing facility,” said Etore Silva, manager of the Cargill vegetable-based lubricant plant located in the city of Mairinque. “Our customers will benefit from a local supplier serving their local needs.”

This marks a significant step in Cargill’s vision to expand its BiOH polyol production capabilities globally. Although Cargill currently has capacity to handle large volume needs through toll processing in the Midwestern United States, as volume grows it plans to open a dedicated U.S. manufacturing plant in addition to considering locations in Europe and Asia.

“In Feb 2006 we promised the industry that we would build a global business,” said Yusuf Wazirzada, business manager for Cargill’s BiOH polyols. “Today we are serving customers on three continents -- North America, Europe and now Latin America. One of the reasons we can move with such speed is because our interests align with our customers’. Our success is their success.”

Derived from natural vegetable oils such as soybean oil, BiOH polyols help flexible polyurethane manufacturers reduce their environmental footprint and market their choice to downstream customers. Manufacturers are currently applying it to make flexible foam for bedding, furniture and automotive uses. Customers include some of the biggest names in those industries.

A preliminary life cycle analysis indicates that replacement of petroleum-based polyols with BiOH polyols results in 36 percent less global warming emissions, a 61-percent reduction in non-renewable energy use, and a 23-percent reduction in the total energy demand. For every 450 metric tonnes of BiOH polyol produced to replace petroleum- based polyols, about 2,200 barrels of crude oil are saved.

Cargill’s BiOH polyols technology won the 2007 President’s Green Chemistry Challenge Award, given by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Chemical Society. The Society of Plastic’s Engineers named BiOH Polyols best Emerging Technology at its 2007 Environmental Stewardship Awards. Last year, BiOH polyols captured the Alliance for the Polyurethanes Industry’s 2006 Technology Innovation Award.