Odisha to UP, 10 km a day for 6 months: Journey of giant Belgian reactor

After nearly six months on the road, negotiating narrow stretches, overhead electricity wires and overbridge obstructions, a giant reactor from Belgium that will be at the heart of India’s first integrated sugar-to-bioplastic plant reached its destination in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri late on Thursday night.

Carried on a 260-wheel trailer from Odisha’s Paradip Port, the cyclisation reactor arrived at Balrampur Chini Mills’ Kumbhi facility after a painstaking journey across four states and seven districts of Uttar Pradesh, covering nearly 1,300 km by road at an average of just 10-12 km a day, with the entire journey costing about Rs 15 crore.

Its arrival marks a crucial step towards commissioning the company’s integrated polylactic acid (PLA) plant, which is expected to begin operations in November. The vessel, a cyclisation reactor, is a key component of the facility, which will convert sugarcane into polylactic acid (PLA), a biobased polymer used to manufacture bioplastics.

The plant is being established alongside the existing sugar mill, bringing the different stages of production under one roof. The sheer size of the consignment made its transportation a major logistical exercise. The machinery, loaded on the trailer, stood around 20 feet high, and measured approximately 147 feet in length and 23 feet in width.

A team of around 35 trained personnel deployed by a Mumbai-based company accompanied it throughout the journey. A senior technical official travelling with the machine told The Indian Express that several electricity wires had to be lifted and obstructions along overbridges cleared to facilitate its passage.

Where roads were too narrow, temporary pathways were created using heavy iron sheets to allow the trailer to negotiate the stretches. Months before the vessel left Paradip Port, engineers conducted a detailed route survey across Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to identify bottlenecks and assess the suitability of roads and bridges.

District administrations coordinated with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Public Works Department, local police and traffic police, municipal bodies, forest officials and electricity departments to facilitate its movement.

An official said the transportation alone cost around Rs 15 crore, with the contract awarded to a Mumbai-based transportation company. Explaining the production process, Yadav said sugarcane would be used as the raw material to produce lactic acid, which would then be converted into PLA.

The polymer would subsequently be processed into pellets that industries could use to manufacture a range of products. “The material will be made from sugarcane. Lactic acid will be produced first and then converted into polylactic acid.

Pellets will be made from this, which industries can use to manufacture their products,” he said. PLA is a biobased polymer produced from renewable resources such as sugarcane, cornstarch and other plant-based feedstocks.

It offers an alternative to conventional plastics derived from fossil fuels and is used in applications such as packaging and textiles. The integrated design of the Kumbhi facility will allow sugarcane processed at the existing mill to serve as feedstock for the biopolymer plant.

Balrampur Chini Mills Limited had announced an investment of Rs 3,080 crore in the project, to be deployed in phases over approximately two-and-a-half years. A senior official said the greenfield facility is proposed to have an annual capacity of 80,000 tonnes and is intended to be India’s first industrial-scale PLA manufacturing plant.

Officials said the project incorporates a Zero Liquid Discharge system to prevent the discharge of industrial liquid waste. With the reactor now at the Kumbhi site and installation underway, the next milestone is commissioning of the plant, which is expected to begin operations in November.

Maulshree Seth is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, based in Lucknow. With over 15 years of experience in mainstream journalism, she has built a formidable reputation for her on-ground reporting across Uttar Pradesh.

Her expertise spans a wide array of critical beats, including state politics, governance, the judiciary, and rural development. Authoritativeness Maulshree’s work is characterized by depth and historical context. Her coverage of high-stakes state elections and landmark judicial rulings has established her as an authoritative voice on the intersection of law and politics in Northern India.

She is frequently recognized for her ability to gain access to primary sources and for her nuanced understanding of the socio-economic factors that drive the world's most populous sub-national entity. Trustworthiness & Ethical Journalism Her reporting is rooted in rigorous fact-checking and a steadfast dedication to neutral, unbiased storytelling.

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