04 | 2010

News
Bioplastics at interpack 2011
For the third time at this triennial exhibition the interpack bioplastics trade fair will
be staging a group exhibit. With just under a year to go until the event gets under way a
total of 39 companies have already registered for the event, which is now fully booked.
Following the successes of 2005 and 2008, bioplastics will be exhibited next year in hall 9
alongside packaging materials, packages and package production. This means that in
2011 the pioneering green plastics industry will be moving out of the ‘Innovationparc
Packaging‘ for the first time to prove itself within the established sectors. “We are very
excited about this positive example which further underlines the success of our approach
of focusing on such hot topics,“ says Bernd Jablonowski, director of interpack.
Bioplastics have made rapid progress since the first group exhibition in 2005. With
an average annual market growth of 15-20 % the materials, which currently have a
market share of less than 1 %, already represent a sound and environmentally-friendly
alternative to conventional plastics in many areas. The industry expects to grow from
a global production capacity of just under 600,000 tonnes p.a. at present to over 1.4 million tonnes by 2013. Plastics from
renewable raw materials will play an increasingly important role, as in their manufacture the carbon derived from the carbon
dioxide taken in by plants is removed from the atmosphere for a period of years.
“The number of registrations in the bioplastics sector underscores the importance of interpack for our industry. Despite the
crisis over the last two years, companies continue to address the growing demand for products that are climate-friendly and
resource-efficient,“ says Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of the European Bioplastics. The industry association is looking
forward to finding out whether the previous show‘s record number of visitors will be surpassed in 2011. MT
www.bioplastics-in-packaging.com
Improved PLA compound
Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. and Teijin Limited recently announced in Tokyo, Japan their joint development of a highly
heat-resistant PLA moulding compound made 80% from plant-based renewable feedstock and providing significantly reduced
moulding cycle time of around half that of conventional PLA compounds.
In July 2010, Panasonic Electric Works started selling the new material as its MBA900H PLA moulding compound for use in
the housings of cell phones and other mobile devices and digital consumer electronics. The initial goal is 1,000 tons of annual
production by 2012/2013.
The bioplastic used in the MBA900H is Teijin’s Biofront, a highly heat-resistant PLA with a heat deflection temperature of
60-190°C (HDT A), depending on the grade, which is significantly higher than that of conventional PLA. Biofront also shows
better hydrolytic stability and achieves semi-crystallization in just 20-25% of the time required with conventional PLA. The
compound has been proven in testing conducted by the company to shorten moulding cycle time by roughly half compared to
conventional PLA compounds.
Efforts to shift from oil-based to biomass-based plastics are increasing as companies look for ways to help protect the global
environment and create sustainable societies. Bioplastics, for example, are being used increasingly in consumer electronics,
automotive interiors and other areas, but conventional PLA has low heat resistance and limited injection-moulding capability
because of its longer moulding cycle time. Moulding compounds have been developed by mixing PLA with oil-based plastics,
but attaining the desired levels of heat resistance and mouldability has required a high ratio of oil-based plastic.
The MBA900H solves these problems as a moulding compound that combines high biomass ratio with superior heat
resistance and mouldability which makes them ideal for durable applications. These compounds consisting of 80% (by wt) PLA
are of course not biodegradable any more.
Teijin will continue to accelerate its cultivation of new applications and markets for Biofront, which already is used in clothing,
interior goods, automobiles and consumer electronics. Teijin aims to mass produce some 5,000 tons of Biofront in fiscal 2011,
and then eventually several tens of thousands of tons of this advanced bioplastic. MT
www.teijin.co.jp/english
http://panasonic-electric-works.net
bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/10] Vol. 5