Manatí site will produce methanol and other synthetic fuels from waste material to tap into potential multibillion-dollar market.
 
EnviroSafe Industrial Services Corporation of Puerto Rico (EnviroSafe) in San Juan recently acquired the former Schering Plough plant in Manatí for an undisclosed amount.

EnviroSafe plans to produce methanol and other synthetic fuels from waste
material that it will process in Startech Plasma Converter Systems in the
EnviroSafe Recycling Facility in Manatí. The system will convert all municipal, industrial and other solid waste into manageable and reusable material while at the same time producing green energy.

Plasmatech Caribbean Corp. is the exclusive distributor in the Caribbean for
Startech Environmental Corp. of the Plasma Converter Systems. Federico Padrón Garay, engineering vice president of Plasmatech, was unavailable for comment at press time, but in recent weeks indicated his company was involved in ongoing negotiations to take over the former Schering Plough facility.

Startech is an internationally recognized, award-winning environment and energy company that produces and sells plasma-processing equipment, including the Plasma Converter System.

Methanol, the principal product to be produced in Manatí is the cheapest and simplest of all alcohols that can be made, and is one of the most important of all industrial chemicals. Methanol is used in the preparation of many pharmaceutical and food-industry products. It stores and transports easily and has an international market of more than $5 billion annually.

Schering Plough announced in 2006 that it planned to close its manufacturing plant in Manatí by year-end and reduce its Las Piedras operation by 50 jobs. Approximately 600 jobs were lost in Puerto Rico.

Although many suspected the announced closure of Schering’ Plough’s Manatí plant was due to quality issues with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), which date back to 2001 and resulted in a $500 million fine, Schering Plough denied the closure had anything to do with quality issues, but rather was a global cost-cutting initiative.