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Text Nienke Beintema Polystyrene revisited Wageningen UR is at the Dutch cutting edge when it comes to the development of bioplastics. An example is Biofoam, which resembles polystyrene but is made from sugarcane. Other applications are also about to emerge. INNOVATION Bright white chunks of styrofoam stuck on the banks of a small stream or left in the woods, ugly for eternity. If it is up to Karin Molenveld and her colleagues, that will change. These foams will then become ‘green’ materials, fully biodegradable. “Styrofoam is a very commonly used packaging material,” says Molenveld, researcher at the department of Biobased Products and responsible for the project Groen Piepschuim. “It is also very often used as insulation material, for example in homes. Making ecologically sustainable foam would mean a huge gain for the environment.” Conventional styrofoam is very hard on the environment. It is made from natural oil, a finite resource, and during its production, a great deal of carbon is released. For ‘foaming up’ the tiny balls of which styrofoam is made, pentene is required: A volatile compound that is highly flammable and polluting. Styrofoam waste cannot be recycled and is not biodegradable either. “In all these areas, our Biofoam is an improvement,” explains Molenveld. In the past three years, Wageningen UR has been working on this biodegradable foam, made from vegetable ingredients such as sugarcane. “With this project, we addressed a specific question from the industry,” Molenveld continues. “Synbra, a plastics manufacturer in the province of Brabant, approached as and asked: How can we make styrofoam more environmentally friendly? The company was facing increasingly strict regulations and wanted to become a leader in the area of bioplastics.” Lactic acid molecules The Biofoam production process is similar to that of conventional styrofoam. That is an advantage, as it means that manufacturers do not need to purchase new expensive machinery. Styrofoam is made of polymers: long molecules consisting of a repetition 2 / 3 ‘Every week, the number of possible applications increases’ Christiaan Bolck Karin Molenveld
photo’s: Guy Ackermans Bio as basis Biofoam is one of the biobased products Wageningen UR is working on. “We are also oriented towards other sustainable bioplastics,” says Christiaan Bolck, program coordinator of Biobased Products, “for example for manufacturing household appliances, electronic housing, automotive parts and components in paints, coatings and flooring.” This summer, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) awarded a subsidy to the national program Biobased Performance Materials, in which Wageningen UR participates together with eight other knowledge organizations and more than thirty companies. “In total, about eleven million euro is spent in this project, of which eight million from LNV,” according to Bolck. “There will be seven to eight projects; we’ve already started on the first one. We will focus on matters like improving water and temperature resistance, mechanical properties and price.” of the same building blocks. Granules made of those polymers are ‘foamed up’ into small balls, which are then compressed into the required shape. The polymer in conventional styrofoam is polystyrene, derived from natural oil. Biofoam, in contrast, consists of lactic acid molecules. Molenveld: “You obtain those by fermenting sugars from plants. That can be done with for example sugarcane, grain or tapioca, depending on the country in which your plant is located. Eventually, it also has to be possible to use waste streams.” Carbon dioxide is used to ‘foam up’ the lactic acid polymer granules. That is much cleaner than pentene, and not flammable. “Synbra is already using this process in practice,” says Molenveld. “We are now predominantly involved in its optimization. We are for example investigating how to make foam with a lower density and a higher thermal stability. Furthermore, we are looking into how to make the process cheaper and more efficient, for example through the use of certain additives.” When oil becomes scarce Synbra will produce its own lactic acid molecules in the future. To that end, the company, one of the biggest players in the market, is now setting up its own plant. The first products are expected to enter the market next year. “Every week, the number of possible applications increases,” adds Molenveld. “Not only packaging materials, but also more durable products such as planters, foils, coffee cups, insulation material for the construction sector and even fibers to make clothing.” And how about its price? “For the time being, Biofoam is still more expensive than conventional plastics,” says the researcher, “but if we end up paying for pollution at some point and the demand for sustainable products increases, the price difference will drop further and further. Certainly when oil becomes scarce.” Molenveld is optimistic: She thinks that increasingly, companies will want to acquire a ‘green’ image, and that consumers will pay more attention to that. “This trend will undoubtedly continue. And in Wageningen, we would like to contribute our two cents to it.” Though coins are not made from Biofoam yet. Info: karin.molenveld@wur.nl christiaan.bolck@wur.nl WAGENINGEN UPDATE 4/09
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