BioAmber, a Plymouth-based renewable chemistry business, said on Tuesday it will partner with Japanese trading firm Mitsui & Co. to build a manufacturing facility in Canada.

The plant, located in Ontario, will start commercially producing biosuccinic acid in 2013, by fermenting sugar from agricultural crops. The acid can be used as a food additive and also serve as an "intermediate" ingredient in chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

The plant, which will be able to produce up to 17,000 metric tons of biosuccinic acid annually, is one of three facilities that BioAmber and Mitsui plan to open in partnership. A second plant in Thailand is scheduled to open in 2014 and third plant in either North America or Brazil will follow. BioAmber said it is the majority shareholder in all of the plants.

Jean-Francois Huc, BioAmber's CEO, called Mitsui an "ideal partner" because of its reach into chemical markets, access to sustainable feedstocks, financial strength and its commitment to renewable chemistry.

"BioAmber's partnership with Mitsui & Co. is a strong endorsement of our technology platform," Huc said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Mitsui said the firm wants to play a leading role in the growth of renewable chemicals and believes the demand for biosuccinic acid will grow rapidly in the future.

BioAmber broke a national record for the most venture capital raised for a U.S.-based biotech chemical products business earlier this year. The company raised $45 million in venture capital in the second quarter, according to the MoneyTree Report, which started tracking this data in 1995.