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Hycail Facts & Figures

Hycail manufactures PLA polymers and resin for such divers applications as rigid packaging, electronics, films, emulsions, flexibilisers, adhesives, binders, coatings and chewing gum base. Since April 2004 the semi commercial plant for is operational. Semi-commercial as we operate as a normal production company but at a very limited scale. Currently we manufacture a few hundred tonnes of PLA polymers and resind. Production is located in Noordhorn, the Netherlands (near Groningen). Offices are located in Noordhorn, Netherlands and Turkku Finland. Hycail is fully owned by Dairy Farmers of America. Hycail runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and currently employs about 40 people. Hycail BV is certified according ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and BRC/IoP. Hycail products are certified according EN 13432 and safe for food contact use. Currently we are preparing the construction of our first European plant with an annual capacity between 25000 and 150000 metric ton.

Hycail BV

Hycail BV started as a spin-off of the Rijks University Groningen in 1997. Its technology was initially based on elements of the work of Professor Pennings. Professor Pennnins started pioneering work on the relationship between molecular architecture-property relationships of polylactic acid (PLA) in the 1970’s. Today Professor Pennings is still a scientific advisor to Hycail.
In 1998, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), the world’s largest dairy cooperation, took a stake in Hycail BV with the intention to add value to the whey permeate. Whey permeate is a by-product of cheese production processes. Whey permeate contains lactose that can be fermented to lactic acid, which in turn can be polymerized into PLA.
Besides whey permeate, other agro sources like sugar beet, sugar cane, corn and wheat can be used as a raw material for PLA. PLA has a unique set of properties of which compostability is one. Since its foundation, Hycail has made important, proprietary strides in process- and product development. This has resulted is a broad spectrum of products ranging from plastics to binders, flexibilisers, coatings, chewing gum base, and emulsions. Many of these products and processes are patent protected. Given the fact that our products need to be cost competitive, we have entered into an extensive cooperation with a world wide operating carbohydrates company, that has developed a break thru in efficient lactic acid production.

Hycail Finland Oy

Hycail Finland Oy was founded in 2004. Hycail Finland Oy. serves as commercial  and technical bridgehead into Scandinavia. It’s location in Turkku allows easy access to the scientific expertise on lactic acid and PLA around Turkku university.. Hycail Finland Oy has it’s own laboratory facilities and performs fundamental research for Hycail BV. It also provides technical service support for our customers in the region. Hycail Finland Oy. is our intermediary to Universities and Knowledge Institutes. All commercial activities for Hycail in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe are executed by Hycail Finland Oy.

History in a nutshell

• 1970 Prof. Pennings starts his research in the field of PLA
• 1980 start of working group by Prof. Pennings at the University of Groningen
• 1992 start working group Agripolymer
• 1995 Agripolymer starts with a laboratory and pre-pilot plant in Noordhorn, the Netherlands
• 1997 start Hycail B.V.
• 1998 Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) gains an interest in Hycail
• 1999 start building of pilot plant  in Noordhorn
• 2002 proven technology in pilot plant
• 2002 start collaboration with lactic acid partner
• 2004 Productions Start-up
• 2005 Hycail Finland Oy. Started
• 2005 First Commercial Launch

Hycail bv
Industrieweg 24-1  
9804 TG Noordhorn
Nederland

T: +31 (0)594 50 57 69
F: +31 (0)594 50 62 53
E: info@hycail.com