Production of Polylactic Acid (PLA) : using a circular economy approach

Title of the Project - Production of Polylactic Acid (PLA) using a circular economy
approach
Project summary - In Ghana,Plastic pollution is building up in our beaches,rivers and
lakes and throughout our natural environment and precious wildlife.
Plastic accumulating in our oceans and on our beaches has become a national crisis . It’s
estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish .Our company
Shemen Eco-industries intends to address the plastic pollution by using cassava to produce
PLA .PLA are eco friendly products that can easily be recycled and use again without creating
any wastage.
Shemen Eco-Industries
PROFILE
We are a green manufacturing company that focal center is researching, developing and
producing environmental ow carbon dioxide products in the industrial manufacturing space
aim at sustaining the natural environment.Shemen Eco-Industries was establish in the year
2020 in Accra, Ghana.
There are a number of projects we are planning of bringing out such as starch processing,
bioethanol production and in renewable technologies such as, biomass utilization, solar
photovoltaic, as well as in the hybridization of renewables with conventional energy.
The campaign by the world health organization, international bodies and the society to put
increasing pressure on brands,retailers and manufacturing industry to stop pollution of the
environment because it is making people sickn has force brands,retailers and
manufacturing to consider to transform t it's operation to meet the world health
organization, environmental activist and society standards in order to survive in the world
competitive market. .Shemen Eco-industries was set up to develop technological solutions
to address the global need to reduce plastic waste, tackle climate change and transition into
a circular, sustainable biobased economy.
Goal

Our goal is to use economically competitive and scalable chemicals and materials that are produced
based on renewable feedstocks, fully recyclable, with a significantly lower carbon footprint, and with
superior advantages to the petroleum-based alternatives.
Mission
Shemen Eco-Industries
WE DEVELOP AND OPERATE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE
We deal in designing, developing and building projects such as factories, warehousing for storage
and distribution, office spaces and others, We are a complete real estate solution providers
resource focusing on exceptional service.
PIONEER IN GREEN INDUSTRIAL INNOVATIONS
All our beneficiary companies who we have design and develop their environmental friendly project
have achieved the lowest amount of carbon emission and maximum efficient use of their raw
materials
We develop our sites as green hubs where companies are smartly integrated to exploit synergies,
reduce wastage and establish a strong environmental footprint.
FACILITIES
We provide unique facilities tailored to the needs of every project with specific attention to client
requirements
SUSTAINABILITY
We design systems that combine manufacturing production with environmental friendly tools in
reducing carbon emission and maintaining the natural environment.
CONTACTS
Shemen Eco-Industries
[phone]

[e-mail]
Shemen Eco-Industries, Accra, Ghana
Established-2020
Copyright © All Rights Reserved
PROJECT ENVIRONMENT SETTING
The organization (Shemen Eco-industries) selected AFRAM PLAINS district
in the eastern region because the region is the largest producer of
cassava roots in the country.The Afra, plains is the leading producer of
cassava (accounting for 27 per cent of national total), followed by Brong
Ahafo (21.7 per cent), Ashanti (14.9 per cent), Central (12.8 per cent),
Volta (9.4 per cent) and Northern (8.2 per cent) (A Value Chain Analysis of
the Cassava Sector in Ghana, WACOMP 2019).
Figure 1: Regional Percentage of National Total Cassava
Production in Ghana
25%
19%
14%
12%
9%
7%
15%
Eastern Region
Brong Ahafo
Ashanti Region
Central Region
Volta Region
Northern
Others
According to SRID(.The Statistics Research and Information Directorate)
facts and figures (2010), the best area to cultivate cassava is around
Eastern, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions because of the region’s
ecological features which supports cassava growth. The Afram Plains
district in the Eastern Region is the leading producer of cassava roots in
Ghana, followed by Awutu-Effutu-Senya (Central Region), West Akim

(Eastern Region),Fanteakwa (Eastern Region), Atebubu Amantin (Bono
East Region), Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira (Central Region), West Gonja
(Savannah Region), Kwahu West (Eastern Region), Atiwa (Eastern Region)
and Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem (Central Region) (A Value Chain
Analysis of the Cassava Sector in Ghana, WACOMP 2019).
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
1. Job creation: At a full scale the project is expected to provide
direct employment for approximately 50 -200 people while employing
over 500 people indirectly.
2. Infrastructure development: As part of our production
development plan, we plan to develop water and power infrastructure that
in many instances will be benefit the neighbouring community.
3. Land Protection: The project will embark on an
EIA(Environmenal Impact Assessment) assessment to ascertain potential
environmental impact and mitigating measures of our project on the
community. This is in addition to the detailed ecology studies we will carry
out before identifying the land to acquire.
4. National Income: We will contribute to national income by
producing value-added cassava, which has the potential to revolutionize
Ghana's economy. Furthermore, local cassava starch manufacturing will
ensure that more of the additional value stays in the Ghanaian economy.
5. Pollution Reduction: Our factory will use best-in-class waste
management solutions to reduce pollution to the environment. We plan to
commission a bio gas plant that will use waste matter from our effluent
water as fuel as part of optimization of the project.

Project importance
.2 Project Benefits
1. Through training, apprenticeships, knowledge transfer and
best practices, employees, farmers and other stake holders will be able to
build their capacities. This will be a fulfilment of SDG 4
2. The project will employ substantial number of females to take
up vital positions in the cassava production and the processing factories in
fulfilment of SDG 5.
3. The project will ensure the use of clean and affordable energy
such as biogas and Solar PV Minigrid. Hence, a fulfilment of SDG 7.
4. Quality employment will be created within the bioethanol and
starch plants. Also, substantial economic opportunities will be created for
farmers. Hence, a fulfilment of SDG 8
5. The cassava farm will be fully mechanized and the starch and
bioethanol processing will be fully automated. This step will be in
alignment of SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
Project priority
To address the problem of plastic waste that is suffocating the planet and
polluting the environment
Project break down
4.4 PLA Production Technology

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a transparent plastic produced from Glucose. As
the only commercial Technology of PLA bioplastic, the NatureWorks
production process called “Cargill Dow process” is applied in this study. As
shown in Figure 3, cassava roots are used as feedstock to produce PLA
resins. Cassava root produced in Thailand has 25 wt% starch content
which can convert to lactic acid with the weight ratio of 1.3 to 1 (TTSA,
2010). The expected production capacity of PLA in Thailand was estimated
from the availability of cassava production studied by the NIA (Suppasri
and Sermcheep, 2010). By transforming cassava starch to glucose, to
lactic acid, and to PLA, cassava meals and gypsum are the two main by-
products. In the whole production process, certain amounts of wastewater
are also produced.
a. Starch Production
In order to meet its annual PLA production, the project would require 30,000 MT of starch,
which would be sourced from its own starch factory. Figure 3 illustrates how the starch
would be sourced.
i. Starch Extraction Process
Cassava starch technology has undergone major transformation from subsistence to
commercial production. This is in order to meet global starch demand and compete
favourably with starch from other sources such as maize and potato. The technological
transformation is more pronounced in Asia and Latin America, especially Thailand and
Brazil. The starch extraction process from cassava roots is outlined below:
.Figure 4:
THE PROJECT Break down