French family-owned group Roquette has started up a second production plant for its plant-based material, isosorbide. Roquette said the facility in Lestrem, Pas-de-Calais, is the world's largest isosorbide production unit with a capacity of 20,000 t/y.

The company said the new plant means it can now reach high capacity for different grades of isosorbide and satisfy market expectations.

Roquette has developed a unique, patented process based on sorbitol that can produce isosorbide grades with a purity of above 99.5%.

The company's isosorbide is sold under the brandname Polysorb and can be used in performance plastics such as polyester, polycarbonate, and polyurethane, and curable resins (for example, epoxy and unsaturated resins, and coatings). It can also substitute bisphenol A in polycarbonate, and standard plasticisers like phthalates in PVC.