Details remain to be worked out and contracts still must be signed but the industrial development authority has announced the successful recruitment of a new industry that will bring in a $50 million investment and 100 new jobs. The City of Barnesville has approved the sale of 32 acres to Attis Industries Inc. for an operation that will use patented technology to convert wood chips into high value products for use in construction, plastics extrusion and other areas. The land involved is the former site of the Greenco recycling facility located on Roger Brown Drive in the industrial park. The company is expected to present the IDA with a memorandum of understanding soon. The property is well suited in that it has the needed utilities for the plant which will remove lignin from wood chips. Lignin is a complex polymer that is the chief noncarbohydrate portion of wood. It binds to cellulose fibers and hardens and strengthens the cell walls of plants. The Barnesville facility will generate roughly $35 million in annual revenue and contribute 40 direct green collar jobs to the local economy, with plans to increase to over 100 jobs within two years. The facility will be designed to process and convert 200 dry tons per day of biomass into a portfolio of biobased products, including pulp for paper products, sugar for renewable fuel production, melt-flowable lignin for use in plastics applications, and biobased chemicals for use in everyday products, according to an Attis news release. ’Barnesville welcomes Attis Industries to our industrial community. We are proud to be a partner in such innovative technologies and we appreciate their choice to be the first commercial scale biorefinery location in Georgia,’ city manager David Rose said. ’The synergies with our existing industrial base in Lamar County are appreciated and the addition of this facility creates an opportunity for good quality jobs, which is our mission – creating economic wealth,’ added Kathy Oxford, IDA executive director. ‘We look forward to future developments as the company grows.’ Attis selected Barnesville after evaluating many factors, including feedstock availability, proximity to finished product markets and economic incentives. Barnesville is centrally located in Georgia with ready access to road and rail distribution, as well as strategic ports in Savannah and Brunswick, and a major international airport in Atlanta. The site is also closely situated to four colleges, each of which have an array of relevant technical programs producing talent for internships, recruitment and technology development. ’Barnesville has been fantastic to work with and we look forward to continuing our relationship well into the future as Attis expands its manufacturing footprint,’ said Attis CEO Jeff Cosman. The Barnesville facility will bring major advances to the traditional pulping industry in the Southeastern U.S. It will have the capacity to produce over 30,000 tons per year of pulp for sale into conventional pulp and paper markets and as a feedstock for renewable fuel production. In addition, Attis will manufacture 20,000 tons per year of a unique, melt flowable form of lignin that makes an ideal candidate for use in various plastics applications such as injection molded parts, composite decking, siding, sheet and films. The lignin can also be used as a direct replacement for fossil fuel-derived raw materials in adhesive applications. The yield and quality of the lignin polymer extracted by Attis surpasses all known commercial biomass processing capabilities and essentially allows Attis to generate about 50% more revenue per ton of biomass processed than the technologies that preceded it. The new plant will also include finished product manufacturing for selected products. ’The markets for our bioproducts are far reaching. We’re excited to develop those markets as we work to position ourselves as a leader in the bioeconomy by executing on our vision to build more than fifty biorefineries across the United States over the next ten years. We remain in conversations with previously announced states for additional facilities but we’re excited by the Barnesville site selection and we want to take this opportunity to thank the state of Georgia and Barnesville for being such great partners in this process,’ Cosman concluded. Attis Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: ATIS) is a diversified innovation and technology holding company defined by its commitment to servicing its clients with unwavering respect, fairness and care. We are focused on finding and implementing solutions for the resource needs and challenges of our customers with a fundamental objective to seek rewarding solutions through technology and innovation. Our healthcare business centers on creating community-based synergies through collaborations and software solutions. Our innovation business strives to create value from recovered resources. For more information, visit: www.attisind.com
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