Novacap to start up Singapore sodium bicarbonate plant in ‘17

Interview article by Nurluqman Suratman

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Novacap’s new 70,000 tonne/year sodium bicarbonate plant on Jurong Island, Singapore is expected to begin commercial production early in the second quarter of 2017, a senior executive of the French-headquartered pharmaceutical and a chemical company said on Thursday.

The new Singapore production unit will boost the Novacap’s global production capacity of sodium bicarbonate to around 300,000 tonnes/year, Novacap international projects manager Charles-Elie Lefaucheur told ICIS.

Novacap is currently studying the possibility of increasing its global sodium bicarbonate production by at least 50,000 tonnes/year, he said.

The additional capacity will likely be built in the EU but not necessarily in France, he added.

On 7 June, the company held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Singapore plant, which will produce high-quality sodium bicarbonate grades, to cater to growing regional demand for health care, dialysis, personal care, food and other industrial applications, Lefaucheur said.

The plant, which will be operated by Novacap subsidiary Novabay Pte Ltd, can increase its capacity in the future to 120,000 tonnes/year via a debottlenecking process, Lefaucheur said.

The debottlenecking could take place within six to seven years after the initial plant commissioning, “depending on market conditions”, he said.

The company will obtain its raw materials for its Singapore plant through various local or regional partners, according to Lefaucheur.

Demineralised water – NEWater  –  will be provided to the plant by Public Utilities Board in Singapore, while the carbon dioxide needed for production will come from various industrial production units, which will be good for sustainable development, he said.

Soda ash feedstock for the plant will be provided by subsidiary Novacarb or regional suppliers, Lefaucheur said.

Novacarb operates a soda ash mill in France with a nameplate production capacity of “a bit more than 150,000 tonnes/year of sodium bicarbonate”, he said.

Lefaucheur said that demand growth for sodium bicarbonate in Asia is estimated at around 7-8%, versus the 4% growth seen in the EU.

“We are targeting dialysis and effervescent pills markets for pharma, personal care [toothpaste, bath salts, etc], food [baking powder, energy drinks, shrimps breeding, etc] in south- and northeast Asia,” he said.

The Singapore plant’s output could also potentially go towards animal nutrition and flue gas cleaning applications, according to Lefaucheur.

“Sodium bicarbonate is well appropriate to capture acidic gases such as sulfur dioxide and hydrochloric acids released through the incineration of household wastes in municipal wastes incinerators e.g., allowing the release of cleaned flue gases compliant to local regulations,” he said.

Grounbreaking event for the new Jurong Island plant was held on 7 June. (Source: Novacap)