Wedoany.com Report-Sept. 4, ABB Inc. (Zurich, Switzerland) has signed a supply agreement with Citroniq Chemicals, LLC (Houston) to provide automation, electrification, and digitalization solutions for a planned 100% biogenic polypropylene facility in Nebraska, U.S. The plant, scheduled to begin operations in 2029, is expected to be the world’s first full commercial-scale facility of its kind. Polypropylene is widely used in food and beverage packaging, automotive components, consumer products, and medical devices.

The new facility will produce fully certified biogenic polypropylene derived from the established corn-based ethanol industry in the U.S. Citroniq’s approach focuses on building a sustainable plastics manufacturing platform while reducing emissions in the plastics sector. At full capacity, Citroniq’s three-plant platform could reduce U.S. domestic polypropylene production emissions by up to 20%.

The first Nebraska facility will convert corn-based ethanol into polypropylene while capturing approximately three million tons of carbon dioxide annually. This CO₂ will be permanently stored as solid pellets, offering a pathway to emissions reduction in an energy-intensive industry.

Mel Badheka, President and Co-Founder of Citroniq, highlighted the significance of ABB’s role: “Our collaboration with ABB is a critical step to building an advanced world-class manufacturing facility that transforms the plastics industry. We worked with ABB from early on in the process due to their leadership in automation and their expertise, which is required for such a project.”

Once the final investment decision is made, ABB will supply its ABB Ability™ System 800xA® distributed control system, advanced process control, digital simulation, and engineering services. In addition, ABB will provide electrical infrastructure, instrumentation, and project support to optimize design, implementation, and long-term operations.

Per Erik Holsten, President of ABB’s Energy Industries division, said: “We are proud to collaborate on this complex project, bringing our technology and expertise to enable the development of a low-carbon manufacturing infrastructure in the U.S. Through our integrated automation and electrification solutions, we aim to help Citroniq achieve safe, efficient and reliable operations to support the decarbonization of a hard-to-abate sector.”

The partnership combines Citroniq’s strategy of sustainable polypropylene production with ABB’s expertise in digital and electrification technologies. Together, the companies aim to establish a scalable model for low-carbon plastics production that supports industrial decarbonization and advances more sustainable manufacturing practices.

This initiative positions Nebraska as a key location for pioneering large-scale biogenic polypropylene manufacturing, while contributing to global efforts to reduce industrial emissions and enhance sustainability in the chemical and plastics industries.