Roquette anuncia el lanzamiento de una nueva unidad de producción de isosorbida

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La empresa francesa Roquette anunciaba el pasado 9 de abril en una nota de prensa, el lanzamiento de la unidad industrial de producción de isosorbida más grande del mundo. Dicha unidad está ubicada en su planta de Lestrem (Pas-de-Calais, Francia), buque insignia de la compañía y una de las biorrefinerías más grandes de Europa. De esta manera, Roquette apuesta con fuerza por el desarrollo de soluciones innovadoras fundamentadas en materias primas sostenibles para los mercados de los polímeros de alto rendimiento y, en general, de las especialidades químicas.

Figura 1. Nueva unidad de producción de isosorbida de Roquette en Lestrem

La nueva unidad tiene una capacidad nominal de 20.000 toneladas al año y su eje es un proceso patentado basado en el sorbitol. Los diferentes pasos de purificación permitirán obtener grados con un 99,5% en contenido de isosorbida. La construcción de esta unidad es un paso natural tras los éxitos de una planta piloto puesta en marcha en 2002 y de una primera unidad industrial de menor tamaño lanzada en 2007.

La isosorbida es un compuesto heterocíclico derivado de la glucosa que se puede obtener por doble deshidratación del sorbitol. En condiciones normales, presenta una apariencia de copos blancos altamente hidroscópicos. Es biodegradable y térmicamente estable. Se usa en medicina como agente diurético y para tratar la hidrocefalia y el glaucoma. También se puede utilizar como bloque modular de construcción de polímeros termoplásticos o de resinas curables. Este último es el campo en el que Roquette desea abrir brecha y en la nota de prensa destaca su aplicación en la síntesis del PEIT (PolyEthylene Isosorbide Terephthalate) que presenta una resistencia frente a la temperatura mejorada en comparación con el PETG manteniendo unas excelentes características de transparencia y su potencial como sustituto del bisfenol A en policarbonatos.

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