Elevance Renewable Sciences has acquired the Delta BioFuels facility in Natchez, Miss., and will invest $225 million over five years to convert the facility to a biorefinery and derivatives operation.
Elevance will manufacture products for the lubricants industry in Natchez, Andy Shafer, executive vice president of sales and market development, told Lube Report, including decene, which is used in the manufacture of polyalphaolefins. The Elevance decene will be produced from renewable feed stocks, said Shafer.
In addition to components for lubricant base oils, additives and olefins, the plant will supply the personal care, detergents and other industries.
Headquartered in Bolingbrook, Ill., Elevance uses a technology called olefin metathesis to make specialty chemicals from natural oils. The Natchez plant will be its first U.S. manufacturing facility. Last year Elevance and Wilmar International formed a joint venture to build a biochemical refinery in Indonesia. That plant is expected to come online later this year.