Chemical sector companies sets sights on biofuels and await new regulations

Producers of industrial chemicals and Siarkopol Grzybow, a sulphur mine and chemical plant, are interested in producing biofuels. However these co mpanies are anxiously waiting for the new bill governing the production of biofuels. Ventures, a group of industrial advisers, which prepared a report on biofuels in Poland, is skeptical about the feasibility of these plans. According to them, in order to produce large volumes of biofuels, Polish agriculture would have to produce 3 million tons of rape each year, but the amount of by-product in the form of rape grain would be too large to be made use of. Rape grain may be used to produce animal feed, however, it requires two additives: methonine and lysine. Siarkopol Grzybow plans to produce these two additives and to become their only producer in Central Europe. The company is looking for licensing rights and an investor to help starting production, which would cost around zl. 300 million. The Kedzierzyn nitrogen plant, which plans to produce 100,000 tons of biofuels, has already entered a biofuels production consortium. The Tarnow nitrogen plant, which has prepared a project to produce 200,000-300,000 tons of biofuels is also hoping to find an investor. (Puls Biznesu, p. 5) P.W.