Gloggnitz, Austria, 26.06.2025
GIG Karasek has received an order from Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd. (BCML) to supply a state-of-the-art industrial plant for the dehydration and distillation of lactic acid. The plant will be part of a production facility that manufactures polylactic acids (PLA) from sugarcane and other chemicals. It will be constructed in Kumbhi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and is scheduled to start operations in the second quarter of 2026.
As part of a groundbreaking flagship project, BCML is establishing India’s first industrial production facility for PLA. This project highlights the growing importance of sustainable technologies referring to the country’s ambitious climate goals, aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070. With the new plant, BCML is making a significant contribution toward this objective.
PLA, a biobased and 100% industrially compostable polymer derived from renewable resources such as sugarcane, corn starch and cassava, has become a globally recognized eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastics. It is widely used in applications such as packaging and textiles. Under industrial composting conditions, PLA decomposes within a few months and requires significantly less energy to produce than traditional plastics.
The large-scale plant from GIG Karasek includes four vertical thin-film evaporators of the ECOFILM P type, designed for the dehydration and distillation of lactic acid sourced from BCML’s in-house sugar production. GIG Karasek’s thin-film technology is specifically engineered for demanding thermal separation processes with maximum evaporation performance. The new plant at BCML will evaporate over 25 tons of feed material per hour.
From left to right: Shivesh Kumar Singh, Chief Technology Officer Projekt PLA, BCML; Andreas Schnitzhofer, Managing Director, GIG Karasek; Avantika Saraogi, Executive Director, BCML and B Srinivas, Chief Procurement Officer at BCML.
Andreas Schnitzhofer, Managing Director at GIG Karasek, explains: “This order represents a double milestone for us: First, we are part of an international flagship project that will have a lasting impact on the Indian bioplastics industry. Second, we will manufacture the largest ECOFILM P thin-film evaporators at our workshop in Attnang-Puchheim, Austria. These two units will also rank among the largest thin-film evaporators of their kind worldwide.”
Ms. Avantika Saraogi, Executive Director from BCML adds: “At BCML, we are proud to announce our strategic partnership with GIG Karasek, globally renowned for its exceptional industrial systems and cutting-edge process technology. Together, we look forward to driving innovation and excellence in the bioplastics industry in India.”
Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd. is one of India’s leading sugar producers, leveraging a comprehensive portfolio that includes sugar, ethanol, and energy production to capitalize on sustainable technologies and advance environmental and climate goals.
Would you like to learn more about the project?
Feel free to contact us: presse.gigkarasek@gigkarasek.at