July 11, 2012

France's Tereos, DuPont to develop betaine production

A new plant for the production of betaine, a food additive for pigs and poultry, at Tereos' site in Origny Saint Benoite, northern France has been officially opened Monday (July 9) by French sugar, ethanol and starch maker Tereos and US conglomerate DuPont.

The two companies have signed a partnership agreement for 15 years.

The facility, which employs 20, will be the largest in the world for the activity of extraction of betaine from sugar beet vinasse, which was so far used by Tereos as fertiliser.

Tereos has not injected money in the project but will provide raw material, know-how and equipment coming from its sugar distillery.

DuPont, on the other hand, has invested EUR 30 million (US$36.9 million) in the plant construction, according to L'Usine Nouvelle.