São Paulo, June X, 2016 - The Great ABC region has tradition in the industry and is equipped with a laboratory with the latest technology, located in the Capuava Petrochemical Complex. It consists of the Process Technology Development Laboratory (LDTP) of Braskem, the largest thermoplastic resin producer in the Americas. Since 2014, the unit has received investments of over R$10 million for the modernization and purchase of equipment, which should strengthen the development of production process technologies for resins, basic petrochemicals, and specialties.

"There is a global trend for the pursuit of sustainable processes that contribute to the optimization of resources such as raw materials, energy, water, and technological solutions that add value to the production chain. At the laboratory, we study how to improve the performance of existing processes and develop new technological routes in line with the Company's strategy," said Roberta Paola Manzini, coordinator of the laboratory.

The state-of-the-art equipment acquired during this process is includes e-nose - an analyzer that identifies substances that cause odor -, which will be used to improve processes and products. To simulate the main stages of the industrial units, the laboratory also acquired a few reactors and one laboratory-scale still, as well as various analytical devices with an emphasis on the characterization of polymers and other tools for fundamental analysis of basic petrochemicals.

These devices should collaborate with the improvement of models and simulations, acquisition and generation of base data for the design of new equipment, as well as the development and optimization of process conditions and final product quality.

"The initiative is part of our strategy of investing in innovation and technology to enhance the competitiveness of the industry and the development of sustainable processes. Disbursements with technology have been growing year by year. In the past seven years, we have reached R$1.1 billion, not counting the amounts invested in 2016. These investments made by the company increase the positive outlook to allow our customers to stand out in the market," said Patrick Teyssonneyre, the Company's Chief Innovation & Technology Officer.

Braskem's Innovation Area has two Innovation & Technology centers (one in Brazil and one in the United States), 23 laboratories and seven pilot plants, where 302 members. In December 2015 alone, the Company's portfolio included 276 projects for the development of new products and processes. In the same year, 51 new patent applications were filed, 23% of which were related to technologies that use renewable raw material. The total number of patents filed by Braskem 2015 has reached the milestone of 903.