Issue 01/2014

ioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 9 ISSN 1862-5258 

Highlights 

Foam | 26 

Automotive | 15 

Pharmafilter | 30 

Land use | 34 

January/February 

Cover-Story 

01 | 2014 

BioFoam ® 

Ice-cream container | 26 

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Editorial 

dear 

readers 

It is early February, and it is cold in Germany (and not only here)… but 

ice cream is a thing that I can enjoy all year round. And thanks to modern 

logistics and modern insulating materials, it can be enjoyed far away 

from its production site – even in summer. Our cover story is about such 

a modern insulating packaging solution. It is part of one of the editorial 

focal topics in this issue: foam. The other highlight is Bioplastics in automotive 

applications. Here we can see that this is not just about projects, 

but about real applications that you can already find on the market – for 

example in Ford, Volkswagen or Mercedes vehicles. 

In the Basics section we again address the topic of land use. How 

much of the arable land on this planet is used for the production of 

bioplastics (and other products) today – and in future. 

A very interesting experience for me and some colleagues was a visit 

to the Reinier de Graaf hospital, in Delft, the Netherlands. We wanted to 

see with our own eyes what Pharmafilter is doing there. bioplastics 

MAGAZINE already reported about Pharmafilter (bM 01/2010 and 04/2011) 

and the unique concept was awarded the second prize of the 8 th 

Bioplastics Award in December. 

But who was the actual winner of the 8 th Bioplastics Award? See yourself 

on page 9. 

Now, after a pause of two years, bioplastics MAGAZINE would like to 

invite you to the 3 rd PLA World Congress. We will hold this unique event 

again in Munich, Germany, on May 27 th and 28 th , 2014. Please have a look 

in the preliminary programme on page 10. We are still able to accept 

proposals for presentations. A few slots are still available. 

Until then we hope you enjoy reading bioplastics MAGAZINE 

Sincerely yours 

Michael Thielen 

Follow us on twitter! 

www.twitter.com/bioplasticsmag 

Be our friend on Facebook! 

www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine 

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol.9 3

Content 

Editorial ............................. 3 

News ............................. 5 - 7 

Event Calendar ....................... 42 

Suppliers Guide .................. 43 - 45 

Glossary ........................ 38 - 40 

Companies in this issue ............... 46 

01|2014 

January/February 

Events 

8 th Bioplastics Award – and the winner is... . 8 

8 th European Bioplastics Conference ...... 9 

3 rd PLA World Congress ................ 10 

Report 

Do bioplastics disturb recycling streams? ...............12 

Recycling of PLA for packaging applications .............22 

Pharmafilter: Reinventing waste as a resource ...........30 

Automotive 

Bio-materials at Ford ................................15 

PLA compounds for the automotive sector. ..............16 

PA 410 makes inroads into automotive market ...........18 

Bio-PPA to replace metal & rubber. ....................21 

Applications 

New bioplastic applications in windows .................25 

Foam 

PLA foam protects ice cream. .........................26 

Foam grade PBAT ...................................28 

Mushroom packaging. ...............................29 

Basics 

Facts on land use for old and new biobased plastics ......34 

Imprint 

Publisher / Editorial 

Dr. Michael Thielen (MT) 

Samuel Brangenberg (SB) 

contributing editor: Karen Laird (KL) 

Layout/Production 

Mark Speckenbach 

Julia Hunold 

Head Office 

Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

Dammer Str. 112 

41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany 

phone: +49 (0)2161 6884469 

fax: +49 (0)2161 6884468 

info@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Media Adviser 

Elke Hoffmann, Caroline Motyka 

phone: +49(0)2161-6884467 

fax: +49(0)2161 6884468 

eh@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Print 

Kössinger AG 

84069 Schierling/Opf., Germany 

Print run: 4,000 copies 

bioplastics magazine 

ISSN 1862-5258 

bM is published 6 times a year. 

This publication is sent to qualified 

subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues). 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on 

chlorine-free FSC certified paper. 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 91 countries. 

Not to be reproduced in any form 

without permission from the publisher. 

The fact that product names may not be 

identified in our editorial as trade marks is 

not an indication that such names are not 

registered trade marks. 

bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British 

spelling. However, in articles based on 

information from the USA, American 

spelling may also be used. 

Editorial contributions are always welcome. 

Please contact the editorial office via 

mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com. 

Envelopes 

A part of this print run is mailed to the readers 

wrapped in Green PE envelopes sponsored by 

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH and Oerlemans 

Plastics B.V 

Cover 

Cover Ad: Zandonella GmbH 

Foto: © Piotr Marcinski (fotolia) 

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News 

Compostable micro-irrigation systems 

Four companies are working together in the European 

Project DRIUS; the Spanish company Extruline Systems, 

the Israeli Metzerplas, the Spanish research organization 

AIMPLAS (Technological Institute of Plastics) and OWS N.V. 

(Belgium), as coordinator. 

The main objective of this project is to implement in the 

market new micro-irrigation systems 100% compostable as 

a solution to manage the plastic and the green waste in a 

composting plant at the end of the crop period. The new system 

will not require the separation or the burning of the pipes and 

green waste. 

The main applications of the system to be developed in 

DRIUS will be crops of small plants such as strawberries and 

tomatoes with short periods of cultivations, less than a year. 

Currently, the problem after the crop period is the difficulty 

in the recycling of the irrigation system because of the mix 

of plastic with plants and soil, so the common solution is the 

burning of the waste generated. However, the new compostable 

system will make possible to treat the waste in a composting 

plant. 

DRIUS is the continuation of a previous project called 

HYDRUS, where new biodegradable micro-irrigation pipes 

were developed and satisfactorily manufactured in industrial 

extrusion lines. 

The main focus of 

the present project 

is to manufacture 

biodegradable drippers 

by injection to obtain 

the complete system. 

The material and the 

geometry of drippers 

are important to have 

the water flow required in the different crops. The material 

adjusted for the drippers needs to be processable by injection, 

chemically compatible and weldable with the pipes and will 

maintain its shape and functionality during the use of the 

micro-irrigation systems in the field. 

The specific role of AIMPLAS in the project will be to 

optimize the suitable material for drippers to make possible 

the industrialization of the micro-irrigation system. Extruline 

Systems will be responsible for manufacturing the complete 

micro-irrigation system (pipes and drips) at industrial level. 

Metzerplas is going to design the new moulds and will be 

the injector for flat drippers. Lastly, Organic Waste Systems 

will carry out the complete study of biodegradation and 

compostability in order to obtain the compostability logo. 

www.drius.eu 

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News 

Bio-based engineering 

plastic for automotive 

touch panels 

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (headquartered in Chiyodaku, 

Tokyo, Japan) recently announced the development of a 

new grade of high-performance, high-transparency bio-based 

engineering plastic called DURABIOTM, using plant-derived 

isosorbide as its raw material. The new material features 

excellent optical properties and high resistance to heat and 

humidity. 

MCC will move aggressively to promote sales of Durabio for 

use in touch panels on automobiles, a sector where demand is 

expected to increase significantly. 

Touch panels for automobiles are used mainly to control air 

conditioning, audio, and car navigation systems. Durabio offers 

excellent flexibility in design and can enhance the appearance 

of automobile interiors, so MCC anticipates much wider use 

and steady growth in demand. 

In contrast to easily breakable glass, transparent plastics 

such as impact-resistant polycarbonate, are used for the 

front plate of automobile touch panels for safety purposes. 

The disadvantage of polycarbonates, however, is distortion in 

light transmission, which makes it difficult for users to see the 

touch panel, so a material that could overcome this problem 

has been eagerly awaited. 

MCC’s new grade of Durabio features excellent optical 

properties, and nearly eliminates distortion in light 

transmission, making it easy to see the touch panel surface. MT 

www.www.m-kagaku.co.jp 

Biodegradable 

exfoliator for shower gels 

Lessonia (Saint-Thonan – France) is a leading supplier 

of natural exfoliators for shower gels and peeling products. 

The company recently launched CELLULOSCRUB, a major 

innovation to replace the polyethylene beads in cosmetic 

products. Celluloscrub is a 100% renewable and biodegradable 

exfoliating ingredient made of modified cellulose extracted 

from wood pulp. It is said to offer the same high performance 

of PE. 

Other eco-friendly alternatives for PE beads are for example 

exfoliating products made from shells, kernels, minerals, 

bamboo, rice, natural waxes, PLA or microcrystalline 

cellulose. However, all these ingredients are inferior in all 

their characteristics compared to PE (i.e. white colour, stability, 

abrasiveness, suspension capacity, etc). 

Micro beads made of conventional plastics used as exfoliating 

ingredients in personal care products have raised concern 

among many environmental groups for its assumed impact 

on marine ecosystems. Because sewage and waste water 

treatment systems cannot filter out these non-biodegradable 

particles they are pumped straight into water courses and end 

up in the ocean where they cause irreparable damage to the 

oceans. Micro plastics are present in all the seas and oceans 

of the world. It is the responsibility of the cosmetic industry to 

reduce their impact on the environment. 

Leading cosmetics makers, such as Unilever or Lush, as a 

consequence, have announced their intention to phase out the 

use of these beads and are looking for environmental friendly 

alternatives. MT (Source: Lessonia) 

Pretreating cellulosic biomass 

Aphios Corporation of Woburn, Massachussetts, USA recently 

today announced that it was granted a US patent for its cellulosic 

biomass pretreatment technology platform (Aosic). 

Cellulosic biomass resources are currently greatly 

underutilized around the world. If effectively exploited, these 

resources can reduce climate change while alleviating several 

energy and environmental problems. Dr. Trevor P. Castor, 

inventor of the Aosic platform states that “Cellulosic biomass 

is tightly wound for obvious mechanical strength reasons. In 

order to breakdown cellulose into its individual sugar molecules, 

cellulosic biomass must be expanded to enhance the access of 

enzymes that cleave the polymeric bonds between individual 

sugar molecules.” 

Steam explosion is the most commercially used method for 

expanding cellulosic fibers that has several disadvantages 

including degradation of cellulose and hemicelluloses, the 

generation of toxic byproducts and high water and energy 

consumption. 

In the Aosic process, biomass is contacted with SuperFluids 

such as CO 2 

with or without small quantities of polar cosolvents 

such as ethanol, both sourced from the downstream fermentation 

process. Pressure is released and fibers are made more accessible 

to enzymes as a result of expansive forces of SuperFluids (about 

10 times those of steam explosion) and carbonic acid hydrolysis. 

Additional fiber separation is achieved by ejecting biomass 

through mechanical impact devices. Carbon dioxide is recovered 

and recycled; pressure energy is recovered in a turbine. 

Dr. Castor points out that “CO 2 

is consumed in the Aosic 

process which is a net consumer of carbon. It also utilizes 

significantly less water than steam explosion and the dilute acid 

pre-hydrolysis pretreatment process. It can be used for wood 

cuttings, bagasse, newsprint, corn fodder and spent biomass 

from the manufacturing of natural pharmaceuticals and 

nutraceuticals.” The primary potential application is pretreating 

biomass waste for conversion into ethanol which could then be 

used as a precursor for e.g. biobased Polyethylene or PET and 

much more. MT 

www.aphios.com 

6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

News 

Bacteria help convert syngas into Plexiglas 

For the first time, Evonik Industries has managed to use 

biotech methods to convert syngas to pure 2-hydroxyisobutyric 

acid (2-HIBA) under industrial conditions. 2-HIBA is a precursor 

used in the manufacture of PLEXIGLAS® (PMMA, Polymethyl 

methacrylate, acrylic glass). Waste gas is one example of a 

source of syngas. 

Syngases are gas mixtures consisting primarily of carbon 

monoxide or of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. These gases 

can be generated from municipal or agricultural waste, or 

from the waste gases produced in industries such as steel 

production. Syngas has been used for synthesizing chemicals 

for decades. For the ability to convert carbon monoxide, carbon 

dioxide, and hydrogen into more valuable molecules, Evonik 

looked to bacteria from earth’s earliest history—to a time when 

oxygen was not yet present in earth’s atmosphere. Certain 

microorganisms today still contain the genetic information for 

these processes. Evonik has used their enzymes to create a cell 

factory that generates specialty chemicals from syngas. 

Evonik scientists are now working at top speed to optimize 

these ideas and develop them still further. “We have a long way 

to go before we can use bacteria for converting syngas to highquality 

specialty chemicals on a large industrial scale,” says 

magnetic_148,5x105.ai 175.00 lpi 15.00° 75.00° 0.00° 45.00° 14.03.2009 10:13:31 

Prozess CyanProzess MagentaProzess GelbProzess Schwarz 

Dr. Thomas Haas, head of Biotechnology at Creavis, Evonik’s 

strategic innovation unit. “It will still take a couple of years until 

it is ready for the market.” 

As Haas explains, “We’re exploring third-generation 

biotechnology, because in addition to sugar or residual plant 

materials converted to syngas, waste from other sources such 

as municipal waste and industrial waste gas can also serve 

as raw materials. That makes us less dependent not only on 

fossil-based raw materials, but also on renewable resources 

that could potentially compete with the food supply.” 

2-HIBA can also be produced via chemical synthesis. Both 

the chemically-produced and biotech-produced products can 

be converted to methyl methacrylate (MMA). MMA is used in 

paints, varnishes, and anti-rust coatings, as well as in soft 

contact lenses and dental implants. Poly(methyl methacrylate) 

(PLEXIGLAS®) is used for creating sheets, profiles, roofs, 

soundproof walls, molded components for automotive 

engineering applications, and backlight units for illuminating 

flat-screen monitors and televisions. MT 

www.evonik.com 

Magnetic 

for Plastics 

• International Trade 

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Machinery & Products 

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from the Industrial Sector 

and the Plastics Markets 

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• Buyer’s Guide 

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Subcontractors 

and Services. 

www.plasticker.com 

• Job Market 

for Specialists and 

Executive Staff in the 

Plastics Industry 

Up-to-date • Fast • Professional 

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9 7

Events 

Wolfgang Bauer (company Helmut 

Lingemann) with Michael Thielen 

Chung-Jen (Robin) Wu (Supla) 

Peter Kelly (Pharmafilter) 

And the winner is ... 

8 th Global Bioplastics Award for Helmut Lingemann 

This year the prestigious “Bioplastics Oskar” was given 

to Helmut Lingemann GmbH & Co. KG (Wuppertal, 

Germany) for their innovative spacer profiles NIROTEC 

EVO for insulating window glazing. 

The Annual Global Bioplastics Award, proudly presented 

by bioplastics MAGAZINE, was awarded for the 8 th time now. 

The award recognises innovation, success and achievements 

by manufacturers, processors, brand owners or users of 

bioplastic materials. It was given to Wolfgang Bauer, Head 

of Quality Management of Helmut Lingemann on December 

10 th 2013, during the 8 th European Bioplastics Conference in 

Berlin. From a list of almost 20 proposals five judges from 

the academic world, the press and industry associations 

from America, Europa and Asia have selected five finalists 

and now announced the winner. 

Helmut Lingemann GmbH & Co.KG have been involved for 

more than 30 years as an innovative market leader in The 

new spacer system NIROTEC EVO is applied in windows and 

facades with a high level of insulation to reduce the energy 

losses by using double and triple glazing. 

The technological requirements are high strength and 

structural reinforcement (e.g. tensile modulus), low thermal 

conductivity, no fogging when used in insulating glass, no 

incompatibility with other components in the insulation 

of windows and facades. In combination with the target of 

reducing the use of fossil fuels this can only be achieved by 

using a biopolymer. Together with a partner, a tailor-made 

blend of different biopolymers based on PLA, biopolyester 

and further additives were developed, which met the 

requirements 100%. 

Until now about 2 million metres of NIROTEC EVO have 

been processed into insulating glass units. The biopolymer 

ratio is approximately 40 tonnes. If NIROTEC EVO were used 

for the total annual production of insulating glass units in 

Europe, about 18,000 tonnes of this bioplastic material could 

be applied. The material selection of stainless steel foil and 

this bioplastic material for the manufacture of such spacers 

is unique. The applicability and thermal characteristics 

of the material combination for the spacer NIROTEC EVO 

represents a milestone in innovation for the insulating glass 

industry. 

“The judges decided for Helmut Lingemann’s spacer 

profiles, because this is an example which shows that potential 

applications can be found in areas that do not come to ones 

mind immediately. And even though it offers a potential for 

high volumes of a bioplastic material,” said Michael Thielen, 

publisher of bioplastics MAGAZINE and member of the jury. 

“And the application makes use of the biopolymers very 

special properties, in this case the mechanical and thermal 

properties combined with the very important feature of ‘no 

fogging’ which is essential for this application. 

In addition the chosen biopolymer blend features very 

special adhesion properties and allows high speed bending 

procedures of the profiles. Modern thermal insulation 

technology meets modern materials; this is how ecological 

development should look like in todays technology age”, 

Michael Thielen added. 

This year for the first time also a second prize was awarded. 

Since both proposals had received the same number of 

points from the judges, this year the secoind prize went to 

two runner-ups: Supla and Kuender received the prize for 

the PLA-compound application introduced in the last issue of 

bioplastics MAGAZINE: Kuender’s 21.5” all-in-one touch screen 

PC. 

The other second prize went to Pharmafilter for the 

holistic approach of an anaerobic digestion system 

for hospitals (and other facilities). For more detailed 

information please read the article on pages 30f. 

www.bioplastics-award.com 


Events 

More than 350 participants from 215 companies caught up 

on the latest discussions, developments and progress in 

the bioplastics industry during the 8 th European Bioplastics 

Conference. Once more, the leading European event for the 

bioplastics industry provided excellent opportunities for networking, 

knowledge exchange and business contacts. 86 %of the participants 

came from Europe, 8 % from North America and South 

America, and the majority of the remaining 6 % from Asia. 

“Bioplastics made from bio-feedstock, and reintegrated into the 

biosphere as a nutrient, or recycled together with conventional 

plastic, clearly have a potential for being a truly sustainable 

material. And it could reduce fossil fuel consumption,” stated 

EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik in his opening 

speech to the 8 th European Bioplastics Conference on the 10 and 

11 December in Berlin, Germany. In his video message he pointed 

to the crucial role, bioplastics can play in Europe’s transition 

towards a circular biobased economy. 

Potočnik encouraged the bioplastics industry “to continue their 

work on making bioplastics a truly sustainable material, neutral 

in its impact on food production and biodiversity”. However, 

he also pointed out that the industry needs to continuously 

and transparently inform the public about their products and 

processes in order to clarify its position and prosper in the future. 

These recommendations were picked up directly by a group of 

experts in a panel discussion on sustainability criteria investigating 

the most relevant question: “How to assess the sustainability of 

bioplastics in a fair way?” The panel started with a presentation 

by Professor Matthias Finkbeiner from the Technical University 

Berlin on “Perspectives of Life Cycle Assessment of Bioplastics”. 

“LCA is still the best available tool to assess the environmental 

performance of bioplastics as fact-based as possible”, Finkbeiner 

stated and commented on the Product Environmental Footprint 

(PEF) approach introduced by the European Commission as 

“LCA overkill introducing pseudo solutions in order to achieve 

comparability”. 

8 th European 

Bioplastics 

Conference 

connected expert elite 

on bioplastics 

The panel discussion then focussed on the need to break down 

the complexity of assessing the sustainability of bioplastics, the 

need to use available and valid methodologies and to provide easy 

to use tools to consumers to understand these assessments and 

how they impact on the product they are using. 

Another highlight of the 8 th European Bioplastics Conference 

was the annual market data update by European Bioplastics and 

the Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (IfBB - University 

of Applied Arts Hannover, Germany). The data once more 

emphasised the success of bioplastics industry with production 

capacities multiplying from around 1.4 million tonnes in 2012 to 

more than 6 million tonnes in 2017. All material types are gaining 

ground with biobased, non-biodegradable ‘drop-in’ solutions, 

such as biobased PE and biobased PET, leading the field. 

As in previous years, bioplastics MAGAZINE got the chance 

to honour the winner of the Annual Global Bioplastics Award. 

The prize was awarded to company Helmut Lingemann GmbH 

& Co.KG for their new spacer system NIROTEC EVO. For more 

details see page 8. MT 

www.european-bioplastics.org 

Mark your 

calendar: 

The 9th European Bioplastics 

Conference will be in 

Brussels/Belgium on 

02-03 December 2014 


Events 

3 rd PLA World Congress 

27 + 28 MAY 2014 MUNICH › GERMANY 

bioplastics MAGAZINE presents: 


The 3 rd PLA World Congress in Munich/Germany, organised by bioplastics MAGAZINE 

is the must-attend conference for everyone 27 + 28 MAY interested 2014 in MUNICH PLA, its › benefits, GERMANY and 

challenges. The conference offers high class presentations from top individuals in 

the industry and also offers excellent networkung opportunities along with a table 

top exhibition. Please find below the preliminary programme. Find more details and 

register at the conference website 

www.pla-world-congress.com 

3 rd PLA World Congress, preliminary programme 

Tuesday, May 27, 2014 

(subject to changes, visit www.pla-world-congress for updates) 

08:00 - 08:30 Registration, Welcome-Coffee 

08.30 - 08.45 Michael Thielen, Polymedia Publisher Welcome 

08:45 - 09:15 Hasso von Pogrell, European Bioplastics Keynote Speech: t.b.d. 

09:15 - 09:40 Udo Mühlbauer, Uhde Inventa-Fischer PLA for fibres and textiles 

09:40 - 10:05 Emmanuel Rapendy, Sulzer Chemtech Latest developments in High Performance PLA Production 

10:05 - 10:30 Marcel Dartee, Polyone Raising the bar: PLA for durable applications 

10:30 - 10:55 Q&A 

10:55 - 11:20 Coffeebreak 

11:20 - 11:45 Frank Diodato, NatureWorks latest developments in Ingeo Biopolymers for packaging, 

fibres and durable applications 

11:45 - 12:10 Francois de Bie, Corbion-Purac High Heat PLA, from concept to reality ! 

12:10 - 12:35 Andrew Gill, Floreon Increasing the Functionality & Performance of PLA 

12:35 - 12:50 Q&A 

12:50 - 14:00 Lunch 

14:00 - 14:35 Patrick Zimmermann, FkUR Different markets, different requirements – Customized PLA-developments 

14:35 - 14:50 Daniela Jahn, IfBB Processing and stabilization of different types of PLA 

14:50 - 15:15 Kevin Moser, Fraunhofer ICT Profile Extrusion – New opportunities for PLA compounds 

15.15 - 15:40 Tang Junsheng, Tianjin Glory Tang Technology PLA commercial application & waste recycle 

15:40 - 15:55 Q&A 

15:55 - 16:30 Coffeebreak 

16:35 - 17:00 Bob Engle, Metabolix PLA modification using new PHA copolymers 

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 

09:00 - 09:25 Paolo Serafini, Taghleef Industries NATIVIA – The BoPLA film for packaging and labelling applications 

09:25 - 09:50 Jarl De Bruyne, Sidaplax Specialty Films The next generation of PLA shrink films 

09:50 - 10:15 Francesca Brunori, Roechling Automotive Plantura, ecofriendly automotive biopolymer 

10:15 - 10:40 N.N., t.b.c. A brand owners view to PLA: Chances and challenges 

10:40 - 10:55 Q&A 

10.55 - 11:20 Coffeebreak 

11:20 - 11:45 Peter Matthijsen, Synbra BioFoam expanding further 

11:45 - 12:10 N.N. t.b.c. 

12:10 - 12:35 N.N. t.b.c. 

12:35 - 12:50 Q&A 

12:50 - 14:00 Lunch 

14:00 - 14:35 Ramani Narayan, Michigan State University New developments & Strategies in PLA end-of-life – biodegradability - compostability 

and recycling issues 

14:35 - 14:50 Gerold Breuer, Erema Boost in recycling efficiency - the new Counter Current technology 

14:50 - 15:15 Steve Dejonghe, Looplife Upcycling of PLA waste 

15.15 - 15:40 Tanja Siebert, Fraunhofer IVV PLA recycling-techniques. State of the art and research. Chances and 

opportunities. 

15:40 - 15:55 Q&A 

16:00 - 16:30 Panel discussion: t.b.d. 

Call for papers is still open. 

Please send your abstract to mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com 



27 + 28 MAY 2014 MUNICH › GERMANY 

PLA is a versatile bioplastics raw material from 

renewable resources. It is being used for films 

and rigid packaging, for fibres in woven and 

non-woven applications. Automotive industry 

and consumer electronics are thoroughly 

investigating and even already applying PLA. 

New methods of polymerizing, compounding 

or blending of PLA have broadened the range 

of properties and thus the range of possible 

applications. 

That‘s why bioplastics MAGAZINE is now 

organizing the 3 rd PLA World Congress on: 

27-28 May 2014 in Munich / Germany 

Experts from all involved fields will share their 

knowledge and contribute to a comprehensive 

overview of today‘s opportunities and challenges 

and discuss the possibilities, limitations and 

future prospects of PLA for all kind of 

applications. Like the first two congresses 

the 3 rd PLA World Congress will also offer 

excellent networking opportunities for all 

delegates and speakers as well as exhibitors of 

the table-top exhibition. 

The conference will comprise high class presentations on 

Register now ! 

Early Bird discount ends Feb 28 

register online before 28 th February 2014 to 

benefit from the Early Bird discount. 

The conference fee is EUR 899.00 

before the Early Bird deadline you pay just 

EUR 799.00 

The conferece fee includes documentation, 

meals and refreshments. Don't miss the 

legendary Bavarian Night in a rustic Munich 

beerhouse 

› Please find the online registration form as well as 

an updated programme at 


• Latest developments 

• High temperature behaviour 

• Blends and Compounds 

• Foam 

• Processing 

• Additives 

• Stabilization 

• Applications (packaging and durable applications) 

• Fibers, fabrics, textiles, nonwovens 

• Recycling 

organized by 

we thank our sponsors:

People Report 

Do bioplastics disturb 

recycling streams? 

Just as a reminder: Bioplastics are A) biobased plastics 

made from renewable resources (which can be biodegradable 

or not) or B) biodegradable plastics (which can 

be made from renewable resources or not), thus some bioplastics 

are both (see also definition on page 38). 

Summary 

Biobased (non-compostable) plastics films, e.g. made 

from Braskem’s Green PE, are chemically identical to 

conventional plastics and are no more difficult to manage in 

plastic recycling streams. 

Compostable plastics are designed for organic recycling. 

They are clearly marked for this purpose with logos such as 

the Seedling logo (cf. p 14). 

In the event that compostable plastics do end up in 

conventional plastic recycling streams, the prevalent sorting 

technologies are able to sort them with little residual waste. 

When residual amounts remain, they are similar to, or 

easier to handle than current residual wastes in the PE stream 

(e.g. PS, PP, PET). They should not then add significantly to 

the cost or complexity of recycling processes, or the valuable 

recovery of recycled PE. 

This remains true up to a share of 10% compostable 

plastics in the waste stream. At this level or below, studies 

show negligible impact on the technical performance of 

recycled PE. 

As the market share of compostable plastics increases it 

will be economically rewarding to sort them out positively. 

This is technically possible today and should create new and 

valuable markets for the Waste Management Industry. 

The authors believe then, aside from the social and 

environmental benefits of bioplastics, the best evidence 

clearly shows that these materials are an economic 

opportunity, not a threat to the waste management industry. 

Bioplastics in mixed waste streams 

Modern waste recovery systems cope with intermingled 

materials, including a variety of different polymer types. 

Automated plants sort out the profitable parts of the waste 

stream (for example PE, or PET). The promising polymers 

are separated. The rest ends up in another container, usually 

marked and resold as ‘mixed plastics’. 

To achieve this advanced sorting systems use a variety of 

analytical methods including near infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray, 

laser, polarized light, fluorescent light, electrostatic, melting 

point and other techniques. These methods are effective in 

keeping contamination of the main recycling streams with 

unwanted material low. 

Biodegradable plastics should end up in biowaste bins. If 

such bins are not available they can still be clearly identified 

from their labels and sorted out for delivery to a biowaste 

processer. 

However, even in well working systems an intermingling 

of waste streams cannot be completely avoided. Nonbiodegradable 

plastics can end up in the organic waste 

stream (e.g. misthrows) and biodegradable, compostable 

plastics might be found in mechanical recycling (e.g. 

misidentification ). It is already the case that conventional 

plastics find their way, in low volumes, to the wrong stream. 


Report 

photo: Fotolia/azthesmudger 

It can then be stated that in well run waste management 

facilities most residual bioplastic will end up as ‘mixed 

plastic’ until such a time as recovery is profitable. It can also 

be said, even when incorrectly sorted, that bioplastics today 

do not enter the waste stream in sufficient volume to cause 

concern more than any other type of plastic. 

The case against bioplastics is not 

evidence-based 

Voices in some parts of the waste management industry 

claim that bioplastics are a serious disturbance to the 

established recycling streams of for example, PE or PET. 

The following research and evidence refutes these 

assertions. It suggests the influence on the collection and 

processing of profitable materials is negligible. 

Biobased Polyethylene (PE, not 

biodegradable or compostable) 

Biobased PE is obtained by polymerisation of ethylene 

monomers. Depending on the polymerisation process 

biobased LDPE or biobased HDPE can be produced. The only 

difference to fossil-based PE is the source, which is plant 

based (bioethanol made from sugar cane, sugar beet, wheat 

etc.). 

As a result fossil and plant based PE are chemically 

identical. They share the exact same physical properties. 

Therefore biobased PE can be mechanically recycled with 

the fossil based PE in the corresponding recycling streams. 

There is no new issue. 

PLA/PBAT blends (compostable according 

to EN 13432, ASTM D6400, etc) 

Studies by the University of Hanover/Germany [1], [2] 

examined the influence of different compostable plastics 

on low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The tested mixtures 

contained between 0.5 % to 10 % foreign material. The LDPE 

contaminants were a PLA/PBAT blend (Ecovio® by BASF), 

pure PBAT and a starch blend. They found: 

• Mixtures of LDPE with PLA/PBAT showed the same 

viscosity behaviour, elasticity, and tensile strength as pure 

LDPE. 

• No optical (i.e. transparency or appearance) changes could 

be observed. 

• There was a slight decrease in the melt-flow rate at 10% 

foreign material. 

The biodegradable polyester PBAT was also tested as a 

possible contaminant for LDPE. The blending of pure PBAT 

with LDPE had no influence on the viscosity behaviour 

compared with pure LDPE and was affirmed to have no 

influence on the processing properties. The values for melt 

flow rate were close to the ones of pure LDPE and were also 

described to result in no distinctive disturbances during 

processing of the material. Optical changes could also not 

be observed. 

Below 10% contamination there is no issue 


Report 

compostable 

Example of a compostability 

logo: the ‘Seedling’ logo of 

European Bioplastics, awarded by 

independent certification institutes 

Starch blends (compostable according 

to EN 13432) 

A study by BIOTEC [3] has evaluated tensile strength, 

elongation at break and specific impact resistance for 

mixtures of PE with possible contaminations with a starch/ 

PBAT (Bioplast® by Biotec) blend as well as PP and PS. It 

was shown that the biodegradable starch blend contaminates 

PE no more than a contamination with conventional plastics 

such as PS or PP. 

In most cases the properties of the mixtures of PE with PS 

or PP as contaminants showed worse performances than the 

contamination of PE with a starch blend. 

However, the same study found out that even smallest 

amounts of PET (2%) in a PE recycling stream results in 

serious problems. Due to the comparatively high melting 

temperature of PET (approx. 250°C), it was impossible to run 

a PE-based blown-film. 

These results suggest that the contaminating effect 

of a compostable plastic on PE is actually less than the 

contaminating effect of PET on PE. 

A study by the University of Hanover [1] also examined 

a starch blend used in flexible packaging applications. 

It was found that the influence on the viscosity and flow 

characteristics was only marginal up to the tested ratio of 

10%. 

Concerning the melt flow rate the influence on the 

processing properties was described as low considered 

with the pure LDPE. A change of colour was observed with 

increasing amount of starch blend. 

Tests carried out at the Plastics Testing Laboratory 

Foundation of the Polytechnic Institute of Milan and the 

Proplast Laboratories in Tortona/Italy (on behalf of CONAI, 

the National Packaging Consortium in Italy) [4], have 

confirmed that it is possible to reprocess and recycle bags 

of a starch based material (MaterBi® by Novamont) and 

traditional plastic shopping bag waste up to a concentration 

of 10% of starch-blends as input material. 

CONAI found that flexible, compostable packaging can be 

recycled with common plastics packaging materials up to a 

content of 10% without any problems [5]. 

CONAI concluded that even if biodegradable bags are not 

disposed off properly they do not interfere with the recycling 

stream of conventional plastics. MT 

This article is an abridged and edited version of a more 

comprehensive Meta-Study published by European 

Bioplastics. The complete Meta-Study can be downloaded 

from www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/201401 

References: 

[1] A. Kitzler, Bioplastics in Waste 

Management Streams, Dissertation, 

University of Hannover, 2013 

[2] H.-J. Endres, A.-A. de la Cruz, Influence 

of PLA/PBAT material (ecovio) on 

the recycling of conventional LD PE, 

University of Hannover, 2013 

[3] C. Heß, Influence of BIOPLAST-Material 

and conventional non-PE Plastics on the 

mechanical Properties of recycled PE- 

Film, BIOTEC, Presented at K Fair 2013 

[4] Italian National Packaging Consortium 

CONAI, Findings of Biodegradable 

Packaging Recovery Project. Presented 

at the European Bioplastics Conference, 

Berlin, 2013. 

[5] http://www.ecodallecitta.it/notizie. 

php?id=114824, last accessed Jan21, 

2014 


Automotive 

Bio- 

materials 

at Ford 

Instrument panel P Ford B-Max 

(Photo: IAC Group) 

As it is well-known, Ford Motor Company’s efforts to 

implement recycled and renewable materials in their 

vehicles are about a century old. In the early twentieth 

century, it was Henry Ford himself who led those efforts. 

Today, Ford has a comprehensive team working to fulfil its 

vision of ensuring that their products are engineered to enable 

their leadership on applying those sustainable materials 

without compromising product quality, durability, performance, 

or economics. 

The portfolio of biomaterials that Ford’s teams have been 

investigating and successfully managed to implement in their 

vehicles is quite extensive: from soy foams to ground tires 

mixed with bio-based foams; from natural fiber reinforced 

polypropylene to castor oil based polyamide (cf. bM 01/2013). 

Among these available bio-based materials, the natural 

fiber reinforced polypropylene (NF-PP) presents a great 

potential to multiply the number of applications in the 

short to-mid-term due to its good mechanical properties, 

environmental performance and attractive weight saving 

potential when replacing mineral and glass filled compounds. 

In order to exploit this potential, Ford Motor Company has 

been cooperating with material and component developers in 

several fields to fill up the gap preventing PP-NF large scale 

production of (and usage in) injection molded parts. 

Due to today’s short vehicle development time and the 

many and multifaceted requirements, the development of 

all car components using CAE methods and models is a 

crucial topic to series implementation. In order to fulfil this 

demand, the Ford Research and Advanced Engineering team 

in Aachen, Germany, has been leading a project to generate 

data and develop CAE methods that allow the simulation of 

natural fiber composites. 

The project, which is called Natural Fiber Composite-/ 

NFC-Simulation, is funded by the German Federal Ministry 

of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) 

through the Agency for Renewable Resources e.V. (FNR). It 

includes eleven partners covering the whole supplier chain 

and features experts from academic areas. This project 

aims at generating a complete and integrated solution for 

the simulation of NF composites, from material processing 

to crash simulation of automotive parts. In order to achieve 

these capabilities, many technical and scientific challenges 

had to be addressed and solved in detail and the results 

integrated into a holistic solution. The detailed tasks are: 

• establishing the micro-mechanical characteristics 

of natural fibers before and after compounding with 

polymer(s) 

• deriving suitable fiber orientation models 

• modeling typical side-effects when using NF plastics 

(fiber damage, separation etc.) 

• manufacturing NF compounds and test parts produced 

under uniform processing conditions 

• describing the rheological and thermal characteristics of 

NF compounds completely 

• determining quasi-static and dynamic mechanical 

characteristics 

• scaling up compound production for selected materials to 

(near-)series conditions 

• integrating material models with commercial CAE 

software, especially for processing and crash simulation 

purposes 

• simulating a series component (process and crash 

simulation) 

• producing the series component and conducting extensive 

mechanical testing, including crash response of high 

dynamic impact tests 

This project is running until mid of 2014. Once the work is 

completed, Ford Motor Company expects to have contributed 

to improving the acceptance of such materials and opening 

the door for NF compounds into mass production in the 

entire automotive industry. 

www.ford.com 


People Automotive 

PLA compounds 

for the automotive sector 

By: 

Francesca Brunori 

Advanced Development 

Engine Systems 

Röchling Automotive 

Laives, Italy 

www.roechling.com 

Francesca.Brunori@roechling-automotive.it 

Röchling Automotive (headquartered in Mannheim Germany) is now 

prepared to produce a wide range of automotive plastic parts made of 

Plantura PLA based biopolymers. According to the specialists in airflow, 

acoustic and thermal solutions for passenger cars and trucks, Plantura 

is a very interesting ecological and economical alternative to the usage of 

other (conventional) thermoplastic materials used for such applications today. 

It was in the early 1970s when Röchling Automotive started production of 

plastic applications with natural fibre reinforcement. A large quantity and 

variety of thermoplastic and thermoset solutions for the interior of passenger 

vehicles made the group one of the leaders in this field. From biologically 

reinforced parts to Plantura Röchling Automotive has taken various steps of 

development. 

Up to 95% Bio 

Röchling Automotive has built up internal competences in raw materials 

development for many years. together with various partners. For Plantura a 

very fruitful cooperation with a compounder and Corbion Purac (Gorinchem, 

The Netherlands) was established to enhance the technical expertise and 

abilities in the fields of bio-chemicals, polymerization and compounding. 

From the beginning, the target was to create a new bio-polymer family that 

can cope with the high technical requirements and specifications, set for 

Röchling Automotive’s product portfolio in the engine compartment, under 

the body and in the interior. 

The result of the hard work is the material family called Plantura. Due to 

the possibility of fine tuning the grades according to the applications, it is 

possible to have both hard and soft materials, maintaining good properties 

and a high biobased carbon content of up to 95%. As a result, the developed 

grades could be capable of competing with most polyesters available on the 

market (PC, PET, PBT) but also with polystyrenes (ABS), polyolefines (such as 

PP) and polyamides (PA6). 

Various grades for different requirements 

Four standard grades are already available and can target low to medium 

demanding under the hood applications, as well as interiors and underbody 

applications. The use in other than automotive markets, such as white goods, 

sports goods and many others, is not excluded. Every standard grade can be 

fine-tuned to meet customer needs and final application requirements. The 

compounds can be processed as well as recycled with established plastic 

processing and recycling technologies. 

Two of these grades were already certified for their biobased content by 

Vinçotte with the highest Class 4 score. The Ok Biobased conformity mark 


Automotive 

Fig. 1: Deflector made of 

unreinforced Plantura 

Fig. 2: Air - Filter-housing 

made of Plantura , 30 % 

reinforced with wood fibres 

can be applied on the products made from these grades. 

Plantura, in comparison to standard PLA, showed significant 

improvements in thermal stability and chemical resistance. 

An outstanding impact resistance for shockproof parts has 

been tested down to -30°C with the talcum filled standard 

grade. The materials exhibit an excellent hydrolysis resistance 

in a 100% humid environment at 70°C. The scratch resistance 

behavior of PLA, important for aesthetic trims, is well known 

and considered in the Plantura formulations. 

Tailor made with exceptional properties 

Prototype filter boxes were tested according to OEM’s 

specifications, withstanding thermal cycles up to 140°C 

with glass fiber reinforcement. The same parts performed 

also a vehicle testing and run 100.000 km without showing 

problems. By comparison, unreinforced standard PLA is not 

at all suitable for technical applications due to its low long 

term heat resistance of just 60°C. 

One of the four standard grades has been specially 

developed for automotive interior applications. The testing 

performed on this grade, according to OEM‘s specifications, 

showed very good results, especially in term of scratch and 

UV resistance. Plantura has a very good colourability, which 

can be further optimized by the addition of bio fillers. It is 

quite easy to obtain a glossy surface and a very natural 

aesthetic look. 

Supporting sustainability 

The environmental impact of Plantura is indeed much lower. 

Considerable improvements on automotive applications 

made in against PP, PC, ABS, or PA are possible. More in 

detail, the CO2 equivalent emission of Plantura for each kg of 

produced material is around 7 times lower with respect to PP 

and approximately 12 times lower than PA. 

A middle class passenger car contains approximately 147 

kg of petrochemical plastics which could be easily substituted 

by Plantura. This would mean a CO 2 

equivalent emission 

reduction of around 515 Kg CO 2 

equivalent per car. 

The continuous development of the material has led to 

higher, and increasingly interesting cost efficiency. With its 

significant contribution to an improved CO 2 

balance, Plantura 

could become an important concept in the automotive world. 

Fig. 3: Air-Filter-housing 

made of Plantura , 30 % 

reinforced with wood fibres 

Fig. 4: Interior trim parts made of Plantura 

grade (left natural color, unfilled, right ‘natural 

look’ 30%reinforced with wood fibres 


People Automotive 

PA 410 makes inroads 

into automotive market 

Polyamides based on renewable feedstocks are well suited for highperformance 

applications in the automotive industry, where OEMs are 

particularly keen to improve the sustainability of their operations and 

of their vehicles. DSM’s polyamide 410, trade named EcoPaXX ® , is 70% biobased 

derived from a renewable feedstock, castor oil. 

EcoPaXX has a very interesting property set: on the one hand it has 

mechanical properties such as stiffness and toughness that are similar to 

those of conventional aliphatic polyamides such as PA66, PA6; on the other 

hand, it has properties typical of long-chain polyamides such as PA610 and 

PA612: low moisture uptake, chemical- and hydrolysis resistance, and high 

thermal stability, for example. 

The main raw material of the polymer is sebacic acid, which is derived from 

castor plants, which can grow on semi-arid land in countries such as India, 

China and Brazil. EcoPaXX is carbon neutral from cradle-to-gate (see fig. 1), 

meaning that the carbon dioxide generated in producing the polymer is 

compensated by the carbon dioxide absorbed during plant growth. 

Polyamide 410 has a glass transition temperature, T g 

, of 70°C, a very high 

crystalline melting point, T m 

of 250°C, the highest of any bio-plastic, and a 

high crystallization rate. This results in a high tensile modulus in the dry state, 

close to that of PA66. Moreover, due to its low moisture uptake, the decrease 

of its tensile modulus after conditioning is limited. Its deflection temperature 

under load (DTUL or HDT-B ) is also impressive: 175°C under 0.45 MPa load. 

The material’s high melting point and rapid crystallization rate ensure short 

injection molding cycles. It also offers a broad processing window. 

Ideal for parts in engine compartments and exhaust systems 

Numerous automotive applications—notably engine compartment 

components—are increasingly subject to tougher specifications, be they 

in temperature resistance, dimensional stability or chemical resistance. 

EcoPaXX is a serious contender in such applications. 

The good hydrolysis resistance of EcoPaXX is important for several 

applications in engine compartment cooling systems: these include radiator 

& charge air cooler end caps, thermostat housings, water pump housings 

and impellers, water valves, coolant recovery tanks, and cooling water pipes. 

EcoPaXX provides a better/safer solution in cooling applications than current 

PA66 based applications, especially when temperatures increase above 130oC. 

Even at elevated temperatures, EcoPaXX resists everything from automotive 

liquids such as coolants, fuels, oil and grease to dilute acids, bases and 

detergents, to aqueous salt solutions such as calcium-and-zinc chloride. 


Automotive 

EcoPaXX shows superior retention of mechanical properties 

upon ageing in CE10 and B30 biodiesel. For example, while 

stiffness and strength of 30% glass reinforced PA12 after 500 

hours at 100°C in CE10 fuel is already at the level of an unfilled 

resin, performance of an equivalent reinforced EcoPaXX grade 

remains high for up to 1500 h. 

With its higher chemical resistance, EcoPaXX provides a 

better solution in AdBlue applications in SCR (selective catalytic 

reduction) systems than PA66 (see fig. 2), especially when 

temperatures increase to 80°C. AdBlue is a solution of urea in 

water used in SCR catalytic converters on diesel engines to break 

down hazardous nitrogen oxides (NOx) formed during combustion 

into nitrogen and water. 

DSM currently has five commercial injection molding grades 

of EcoPaXX: a general purpose, unfilled injection molding grade 

(Q150-D); two glass-reinforced types (30% and 50% respectively, 

Q-HG6 and Q-HG10) for use in applications where high stiffness 

and toughness are needed; a glass/mineral reinforced injection 

molding grade, especially suited for the injection molding of 

large parts which should have low warpage and excellent surface 

quality (Q-HGM24); and a halogen-free flame-retardant glass 

reinforced (30%) compound, with a UL 94 V-0 rating at 0.75 mm 

(Q-KGS6).Impact modified grades and grades with carbon fibre 

reinforcement are available for sampling. 

Proven applications 

Several interesting applications involving EcoPaXX have recently 

been commercialized. Mercedes-Benz, for example, chose 

EcoPaXX Q-HGM24, a glass/mineral reinforced injection molding 

grade, for the engine beauty cover of the latest version of its 

A-Class small family car (cf. bM 02/2013). The cover meets strict 

performance requirements and it provides good aesthetics. And 

even more, Mercedes Benz achieved its targets in reducing fuel 

consumption compared with the previous A-Class generation, as 

well as in reducing carbon footprint. 

Mercedes-Benz says production of an engine cover in EcoPaXX 

results in only around 40% of the quantity of carbon dioxide 

emissions that would be necessary in order to produce the same 

component from a conventional polyamide. 

Global Warming Potential** 

120% 

100% 

Retention of Ts [%] 

80% 

60% 

40% 

20% 

0 PA66 PC ABS PA610 PA1010 PP Eco- 

PaXX 

Base polymers* 

Assessment method: IPCC 2007 GWP 100a 

*Sources: Ecolnvent database; external publications; DSM primary data. 

**All GWP values are normalized to the highest value. 

Fig. 1: Cradle to gate carbon footprint of several polymers 

110 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 0 10 20 30 

Time [Days] 

40 

PA410-GF30 PA410-GF40-I PA66-GF30 

Fig. 2: Ts after AdBlue-ageing 


Automotive 

DSM has also partnered with automotive component 

specialist KACO in the development of a lightweight multifunctional 

crank shaft cover (cf. bioplastics MAGZINE issue 

05/2013) in EcoPaXX for the latest generation of diesel 

engines developed by the Volkswagen Group, resulting in 

a significant cost and weight reduction. 

Fig. 3: Concept in-mold-formed 

housing cover 

Future developments 

DSM is developing new high-performance reinforced 

injection moulding compounds of EcoPaXX. It is also 

actively involved in programs to develop high-speed 

processing technologies to produce automotive structural 

and semi-structural components in thermoplastics 

composites containing mats and tapes of continuous fibres 

pre-impregnated with thermoplastics. In an integrated 

production cell, parts are made by first creating a preform 

from the mat and/or tape, and then overmoulding it with 

an advanced polyamide such as EcoPaXX. At K2013, DSM 

showcased a concept in-mold-formed housing cover 

(fig. 3), developed with Weberit. This cover is made in a 

combination of a continuous glass reinforced EcoPaXXbased 

composite and an injection molded EcoPaXX 

compound. 

Composites containing carbon fibers based on EcoPaXX 

(as well as Akulon polyamide 6 and Stanyl polyamide 46) will 

facilitate significant weight reduction in automobile body 

and chassis parts, while glass fiber reinforced composites 

will be targeted at reducing the weight of semi-structural 

components. In all cases, the light weighting will result in 

increased vehicle fuel efficiency and reduced emissions of 

carbon dioxide. 

DSM is also a partner in the four-year EU-sponsored 

ENLIGHT project, which also includes several car 

companies and which aims to accelerate the technological 

development of materials capable of cutting weight and 

overall carbon footprint in medium-to-high volume 

next-generation electric vehicles. DSM further shows 

its strong commitment to the development of advanced 

thermoplastic composites by being one of the founding 

partners in AZL, the Aachen Center for Integrative 

Lightweight Production. 

www.ecopaxx.com 


Automotive 

Bio-PPA 

to replace metal & rubber 

Rilsan ® HT, the first flexible thermoplastic from the polyphthalamide 

(PPA) family available on the market, combines high temperature 

resistance with flexibility. Rilsan HT, made by Arkema (Colombes, 

France) is therefore filling a gap in the high heat resistant and flexible polymers 

as the inherent brittleness of classical PPA and other high-temperature 

thermoplastics has restricted their use to mainly rigid components 

and injection moulded parts. 

These characteristics make it aptly suited to replace metal and rubber 

in under-the-hood tubing applications. Weighing only a sixth of steel and 

a third of aluminium, it therefore helps reduce the weight of vehicles, their 

fuel consumption and their overall emission output (CO 2 

, CO, NO x 

, HC) – 

all at reduced cost compared to classical metal tubing or rubber hoses 

assembly. 

The impressive performance of Rilsan HT is further enhanced by 

environmental benefits. Rilsan HT is a durable high-temperature 

thermoplastic derived largely from renewable non-food-crop vegetable 

feedstock, thus offering a significant reduction in CO 2 

emissions compared 

to conventional petroleum-based high-temperature plastics and a reduced 

dependence on oil resources. Rilsan HT resin features a renewable carbon 

content of up to 70%, naturally fitting into the ecodesign concepts of many 

OEMs. 

Fig. 1 and 2: Rilsan HT flexible tubing in the engine 

compartment (top: exhaust gas recirculation system, 

bottom: blow by Line) 

Typical examples of use where Rilsan HT has established itself 

successfully to replace metal and rubber in flexible engine compartment 

tubing include the oil transport, blow by and control of exhaust gas 

recirculation. 

Thanks to its excellent hydrolysis resistance, Rilsan HT has been 

also recently successfully used in the most challenging application for 

polyamides, the aqueous media management, in the engine cooling and 

selective catalytic reduction (SCR) circuit where the material needs to 

withstand the hydrolysis attack at temperatures of the engine compartment. 

Cooling lines, until today, have been limited to the use of metal and 

rubber due to the lack of flexible thermoplastic materials with sufficient 

hydrolysis resistance at high temperatures. Now, Rilsan HT has been 

chosen for engine cooling lines, providing significant weight reduction 

versus metal-rubber assemblies. 

With the new Euro 6 emission regulation which will come into force next 

year, SCR becomes a crucial part of diesel engines and thereby Adblue ® 

tubing for SCR. The combination of resistance to aqueous Adblue solution 

with thermal aging tubing when close to the engine, is a challenge that 

Rilsan HT has proven to take. 

Finally, when temperature demands go extreme, Arkema has developed 

a new Rilsan HT grade specially designed for excellent hydrolysis stability 

at even higher temperatures. 

Now, cost-effective manufacturing of light-weight flexible tubing for even 

most challenging under-the-hood tubing applications is possible. 

Fig. 3: Rilsan HT flexible tubing for engine 

cooling lines 

www.rilsanht.com 


People Report 

Recycling of PLA for 

By: 

Christian Hopmann 

Sebastian Schippers 

Institute of Plastics Processing 

(IKV) at RWTH Aachen University 

Aachen, Germany 

Fig. 3: Fractions of multiple recycled 

material during continuous production 

with constant recycling rates 

21% 

25% 

70% 

11% 

2% 1% 

6% 

Recycling of 

30% waste 

2% 2% 

5% 

Recycling of 

45% waste 

Virgin PLA 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5+ 

55% 

In cooperation with two Belgian Institutes (Celabor of Herve, and Flanders’ 

PlasticVision Kortrijk) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability 

and System Reliability (LBF) in Darmstadt, Germany, the Institute of Plastic 

Processing (IKV), Aachen, analyses the recycling of PLA in flat film extrusion. 

The focus is on the evaluation of relevant packaging properties such as permeability 

and mechanical properties as well as the chemical structure (molecular 

weight) during various recycling routes. Preparation of internal PLA waste by 

means of crystallisation and drying is also included in the scope of the research. 

In this article the recycling with varying percentages of recycled PET, 

and the multiple recycling of films, is reviewed. Mechanical as well as chemical 

properties are evaluated. 

The extrusion trials are carried out on a 60 mm single screw extruder (L=38 D) 

and a calender stack. The extrusion line is equipped with a melt pump and 

a 400 mm flat film die. Additionally, a bypass-rheometer is included. Films 

produced from virgin PLA (Ingeo 2003D, Nature Works) are used for recycling. 

A shredder processes these films to flakes which are subsequently used 

as r-PLA (recycled PLA). The twin screw extruder ZSK26MC (Coperion) is 

combined with a water quenching system and a strand pelletizer unit. It is 

used to convert the flakes back to granules. 

The typical recycling route of converters includes shredding, crystallising, 

drying, re-granulation and reprocessing of the recycled waste to a new product. 

To prevent a high level of down-cycling typically the waste is not reprocessed 

at 100 %. Instead it is reprocessed with a defined recycled content. Depending 

on the packaging application, the recycling content may be up to 50 % of 

internal production waste. The molecular weight of different processing steps 

measured by GPC (Gel permeation chromatography) is shown in Fig. 1. 

The molecular weights shown are in a narrow range. To be able to detect any 

effect of a narrow variation of the molecular weight it is necessary to measure 

a test series with different films in the same GPC series, which is done here. 

In general, the molecular weight loss is low and due to deviations in the 

GPC measurements small effects are hardly significant. Virgin PLA loses 

molecular weight when processed to film. The molecular weight loss is in 

the range of 9 %. The molecular loss occurs due to the thermal and thermooxidative 

degradation which is inevitable during extrusion, especially for 

polycondensates like PLA. 

The film made of virgin PLA is milled into flakes and processed to granules by 

means of a twin screw extruder. Granules are advantageous since the material 

transport in pipes and dosing units, for example, is easier. Additionally, the 

process behaviour in the extruder during plastification is better. The melting 

process is more homogeneous than the melting of flakes since the geometry 

of the granules is similar to the geometry of the virgin PLA granules. During 

granulation in the twin screw extruder a marginal molecular weight loss is 

measured, which is a result of the additional processing step. 

During the subsequent reprocessing to new films with varying percentages 

of recycled PLA the molecular weight loss is low again. The difference between 

recycling quotas up to 45 % and film made from virgin PLA is very small. It 

accounts for less than 3 % during the recycling of 45 % r-PLA. The effect upon 


Report 

packaging applications 

the film properties is negligible. Only the processing of 100 % 

r-PLA leads to a higher molecular weight loss in comparison 

with the molecular weight of the film made by virgin PLA. A 

loss of approx. 5 % occurs. 

The same effect can be seen for the mechanical properties. 

Fig. 2 shows the Young’s modulus in a transverse direction 

(TD) for film with varying recycling content. 

The drop in the Young´s modulus accounts for nearly 8 %. 

The chain scission, which is due to the down-cycling of the 

PLA, leads to a lower tensile strength and a lower ductility. 

As a result the Young´s modulus decreases. 

During continuous recycling a decreasing amount 

of material runs multiple times through the extrusion 

equipment. To evaluate this influence on the PLA it is 

recycled to 100 % for a multiple of times. This leads to a 

higher degradation which enables the easier detection of the 

effects. The fraction of multiple recycled material decreases 

exponentially with increasing recycling steps. Fig 3. shows, 

as examples, the fractions for a continuous recycling rate of 

30 % and 45 %. 

Even for a recycling rate of 45 % the fraction of material 

which is recycled 3 times and more is often very low. 

Fig. 4 summarises the molecular weight and the viscosity 

(measured by the bypass rheometer) of multiple processed 

films. After each extrusion step the film is shredded to 

flakes and dried to below 250 ppm as recommended by the 

PLA supplier. Following this it is reprocessed to 100 %. The 

reprocessing in this way is repeated 6 times. 

A continuous decrease in both values can be seen. The 

increase in step 5 is the result of the blending of two different 

batches. R-PLA which is processed in two different trial 

series is mixed here. Both batches have been processed four 

times prior to mixing. The blending is necessary since a high 

amount of r-PLA is needed for the trials, which cannot be 

prepared in one test series. Due to start-up waste the amount 

of r-PLA is reduced at every step and the volume of the drying 

equipment is limited. The increase is visible in the molecular 

weight as well as in the viscosity, and other properties. 

The overall loss of the molecular weight over 7 extrusion 

steps accounts for 17 % percent. A loss of 17 % is relatively 

little, especially when taking into account that less than 

2 % of 5 times recycled PLA will be in a product which is 

continuously produced with 45 % r-PLA. 

The Young’s Modulus in machine (MD) as well as in 

transverse (TD) direction and the results of the dart drop 

tests of PLA processed 1, 3 and 7 times are shown in Fig. 5. 

Weight average molecular 

weight [kg/mol] 

Weight average molecular 

weight [kg/mol] 

220 

210 

200 

190 

180 Virgin 

PLA 

Film 

made 

of virgin 

PLA 

Granules 10% 

r-PLA 

240 2200 

230 2000 

220 1800 

210 1600 

200 1400 

190 1200 

180 Virgin 

PLA 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1000 

Number of extrusion steps [-] 

Molecular weight | Average viscosity 

30% 

r-PLA 

Fig. 1: Molecular weight at different process 

stages during recycling 

Young‘s modulus TD 

[MPa] 

1850 

1800 

1750 

1700 

1650 

1600 

1550 

1500 Film made of 

virgin PLA 

45% 

r-PLA 

100% 

r-PLA 

10% r-PLA 45% r-PLA 100% r-PLA 

Fig. 2: Young’s modulus in transverse direction 

of film with varying recycling quotas 

Fig. 4: Molecular weight and viscosity of multipleprocessed 

PLA films 

Viscosity [Pas] 


Report 

Young’s Modulus [MPa] 

2000 500 

1900 450 

1800 400 

1700 350 

1600 300 

1500 250 

1400 200 

1300 150 

1200 100 

1100 50 

1000 

1 3 7 0 

Number of extrusion steps [-] 

Young’s Modulus (MD) | Young’s Modulus (TD) | Dart drop 

Fig. 5: Young’s Modulus and dart drop 

of multiple processed PLA 

Number of extrusion steps 

1 3 7 

Degree of crystallinity [%] 1.2 2 2.7 

Table 1: Degree of crystallinity for multiple extruded 

PLA films measured by DSC 

References: 

[1] THRONE, J.; BEINE, J.: Thermoformen. 

Munich, Vienna: Carl Hanser Verlag, 

1999 

www.ikv-aachen.de 

Impact failure weight [g] 

The Young’s Modulus of the film increases with the 

number of extrusion steps. A growth of 5 % in both directions 

(TD and MD) is achieved between processing steps 1 and 

7. The impact failure weight as a result of the dart drop 

test is increased, too. This is due to a higher degree of 

crystallinity of the film. Unlike the results of the recycling 

with varying recycling quotas the molecular weight loss of 

the 3 times (10 %) and 7 times (17 %) recycled PLA is higher. 

A low average chain length (molecular weight) enables the 

polymer to crystallise more during the solidifying on the 

calender stack. This is well covered in published literature 

[1]. The degree of crystallinity is shown in table 1. 

The higher crystallinity increases the mechanical 

properties (Young’s Modulus). Since the increase in 

crystallinity is little, the overall effect on the mechanical 

properties is marginal. The crystallinity between steps 3 

and 7 does not change much. The mechanical properties 

remain almost constant. Chain scission through 

degradation compensates for the effect of crystallisation. 

With regard to further decreasing of the molecular weight 

the dart drop resistance decreases slightly. 

Conclusion 

The investigations into the recycling of PLA show that 

the industrial recycling of PLA is possible with a low loss 

of film properties. Because of the hygroscopicity and the 

hydrolysis of PLA the drying of r-PLA is necessary. The 

reprocessing with a recycling quota of up to 45 % leads to 

a marginal degradation of the PLA. The molecular weight 

drops around 3 % and the mechanical properties decrease 

by 8 %. 

Multiple recycling shows the long term behaviour of 

material which stays in the process over multiple recycling 

steps during continuous recycling. A low decrease of the 

molecular weight below 20 % of a 7 times extruded film can 

be found. This degradation can be ignored. Especially, when 

taking into account that during the continuous recycling 

only a small amount stays for 5 or more cycles in the 

process. The effect of the lower molecular weight affects 

the degree of crystallinity. This has a bigger effect on the 

properties than the achieved molecular weight loss. The 

mechanical properties of multiple recycled films are slightly 

increased with nearly constant elongation properties. The 

thermoforming behaviour is slightly decreased due to a 

higher crystallinity haze and clarity increase. 

The research project 44 EN of the “Forschungsvereinigung 

Kunststoffverarbeitung” has been sponsored as part of the 

“Collective Research Networking“ (Cornet) by the German 

ministry for technology and commerce (BMWi) following an 

act of the German parliament through the AiF. We would 

like to extend our thanks to all organizations mentioned. 


Applications 

New bioplastic 

applications in windows 

More and more architects and clients are demanding new, 

ecologically viable products which have maximum potential 

for reducing CO 2 

and conserving natural resources. With its 

green generation of products, German window and façade expert 

Schüco from Bielefeld is addressing the issue of finding potential 

alternative materials for petroleum based plastics. 

The FW 50 + .SI Green façade system and the AWS 90.SI + Green 

aluminium window system integrate components such as insulating 

bars, gaskets and pressure plates with a proportion of renewable 

materials. 

This development is possible in part due to the use of partly 

biobased polyamide (made using sebacic acid generated from 

castor oil), that forms the basis for the pressure plates of the FW 

50 + .SI Green façade system and for the green insulating bars which 

are integrated into the Schüco AWS 90.SI + Green window system. 

The castor oil is even used for the foam of these insulating bars. 

Schüco is also making a marketing contribution for the transfer of 

biotechnology for gaskets in both of these profile systems, by using 

EPDM (synthetic rubber) made from sugar cane based bio-ethanol. 

The same standards apply to all these materials: an initial and then 

annual inspection by an independent certification process (DIN 

CERTCO, 14 C analysis) guarantees that the proportion of renewable 

raw materials strived for is also achieved. With the Schüco AWS 

90.SI + Green and Schüco FW 50 + .SI Green system enhancements, 

the company is combining the approved use of renewable raw 

materials with thermal insulation to passive house level and above. 

The FW 50 + .SI Green façade system meets the strict passive house 

certification criteria set by the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt 

and has been certified as passive house standard since BAU 2013 

(building and construction trade fair in Munich/Germany). 

Combination of sustainability and energy efficiency 

Thermal insulation is the primary decisive factor in the energy 

revolution. Many local authorities have already pledged to 

implement thermal insulation to passive house level as standard 

when constructing new public buildings. The Schüco Green window 

and façade systems fulfil precisely these requirements. Both 

constructions combine the advantages of durable aluminium with 

thermal insulation to passive house standard, thereby conserving 

natural resources and reducing CO 2 

emissions. Equipped with 

plastics containing a significant proportion of renewable raw 

materials, these windows and façades now make a double 

contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases, since they have a 

lower potential for global warming. This means that using renewable 

raw materials releases fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere 

during manufacturing and it also conserves natural resources. MT 

Schüco Window AWS 90.SI+ Green 

(photo: Schüco International KG) 

1: Insulating bars: Bio-Polyamide 

Bio-content ( 14 C): > 25 % 

2: Insulating zone: Biobased PUR-foam 

Bio-content ( 14 C): > 25 % 

3: Glass rebate gasket: Bio-EPDM 

Bio-content ( 14 C): > 20 % 

Schüco Façade FW 50+.SI Green 

(photo: Schüco International KG) 

2 

1 

1: Contact pressure profile: BIO-Polyamide 

Bio-content ( 14 C): > 25 % 

2: Glass rebate gaskets: BIO-EPDM 

Bio-content ( 14 C): > 20 % 

System achieves level of „Passivhausniveau“ 

U cw 

≤ 0,80 W/m²K 

3 

www.schueco.de/aws-90si-plus-green-en 

2 

2 

1 

1 

2 


People Cover Story 

PLA foam 

protects 

ice cream 

By: 

Michael Thielen 

Sandro Zandonella, and his ancestors of the Zandonella 

family, have produced and sold gourmet ice cream for 

four generations - not in Italy, as the name would suggest, 

but in Landau, Germany. The ice cream specialties are 

not only sold in their local ice cream parlours but are also 

available in single-serve and multi packs, as well as in household 

size containers. Zandonella have recently introduced 

their new brand Sandro’s Bio with an exceptional natural 

taste, as Sandro Zandonella, Managing Director and inventor 

of Sandro’s Bio explains. The flavour line comprises classics 

such as chocolate or vanilla, cocktail types like Piña Colada 

as well as the very trendy vegan sorbet specialties. All these 

products are made with biological 1 or organic 1 ingredients 

grown locally in the vicinity of their company. “Zandonella is 

proud that the gourmet quality of their ice cream has been 

frequently confirmed in blind taste tests,” says Werner Oelschlaeger, 

Managing Partner of Zandonella. “We are always 

happy to invite new testers to compare our products with other 

ice creams, which is always a fun day…,” he adds. 

PLA BioFoam ® 

And what is it, which makes Sandro’s Bio unique? “This 

product is the first ice cream, worldwide, to be packed in 

PLA BioFoam made by Synprodo,” explains Mr. Oelschlager. 

This PLA particle foam is comparable to EPS (expanded 

polystyrene particle foam, sometimes also referred to as 

Styropor ® ). BioFoam is made from non-GMO crops, notably 

sugar cane. It is also compostable in industrial composting 

facilities, where a respective infrastructure is available. The 

ecological advantages of this packaging material are in line 

with the advantages concerning the deep-freeze-logistics 

and customer convenience, i.e. the ice cream can retain its 

deep-freeze temperature about one hour even in a warm 

environment, such as inside a sun-heated car. 

The first packaging product for Sandro’s Bio ice-cream 

made from BioFoam is a half litre household size container. 

In order to ensure maximum product safety, and not only with 

respect to the temperature, the whole packaging product is 

rather complex. The insulating outer box and lid are made 

from BioFoam. In addition a thermoformed inlay made of PLA 

and a PLA lidding film are used. Then the pack is wrapped 

in shrink film and an outer sleeve made of paper. It is the 

declared aim of Zandonella to replace even the shrink film 

and the sleeve by bioplastic materials by the end of this year. 

Werner Oelschlaeger, himself quite interested in 

environmental issues since his university times, explains 

to bioplastics MAGAZINE Zandonella’s motivation for using 

BioFoam: “One reason was some critical comments from our 

customers concerning the use of polystyrene. In addition to 

the fossil resources there is pentane being used as a blowing 

agent,” he says. “BioFoam gives us the unique position of 

using a packaging product that, just like expanded polystyrene 

before it, allows the ice cream to be kept safe and cold, but 

which is made from renewable resources and with CO 2 

as 

a blowing agent.” For Oelschlaeger it is important that the 

agricultural products which are used for their packaging do 

not compete with food. 


Foam 

Sandro Zandonella with a farmer in his local area 

During the development of the PLA packaging system, which 

was performed in a rather tight time-frame, some challenges 

had to be faced and solved. For example an existing mould, 

previously being used for the EPS version, could not be used, 

due to different wall thickness requirements. Together with 

Synprodo (Wijchen, The Netherlands) and even assisted by 

the expertise of the bio-packaging specialist Bio4Pack from 

Rheine/Germany, all problems were solved in time, so that a 

launch of the product at the BioFach trade fair in February in 

Nuremburg/Germany became an achievable goal. 

End of Life 

As an end-of-life scenario of the new Sandro’s Bio PLA foam 

packaging the company pursues different approaches. Of 

course all bioplastic parts of the packaging are compostable 

and even the whole system (foamed box, liner and lid-film) 

will be certified compostable according to EN 13432. Thus 

in areas where the respective infrastructure of bio-waste 

collection and commercial composting is available, a cradleto-cradle 

closed loop is the perfect solution. In countries such 

as Germany, where currently only bio-waste bags are allowed 

in the bio-waste collection bins, a source-separation into the 

yellow bins/bags-system is the most reasonable approach. 

Here the biobased plastics will end up in a waste-to-energy 

recycling process and renewable energy can be exploited. 

Since the plants have sequestered the same amount of 

CO 2 

from the atmosphere as is being exhausted during 

incineration, this also is a closed loop. And certainly, as soon 

as sufficient PLA ends up in the waste stream, it should be 

separated and recycled into PLA or lactic acid again. The only 

thing that is being considered a No-go is littering. And this 

should certainly be communicated to the end consumers. 

Come and see the BioFoam-ice 

cream packaging and taste the 

delicious ice cream at BioFach 

(12-14. Feb., Nuremberg/Germany) 

Hall 9 – booth 326 

1: Both words by the way are not exactly “precise“ terms to describe, what is really meant 

here. Unfortunately in many countries these expressions are being used to describe 

products that are produced on a “as much as possible” natural way, without using 

pesticides, fertilizers or even genetically modified organisms. MT 

www.sandros-bio.de 

www.synprodo.com 

www.bio4pack.com 


Foam 

Foam grade 

PBAT 

Jinhui ZhaoLong High Tech Co.Ltd is located at Shanxi 

Province, China with an annual PBAT (polybutylene 

adipate-co-terephthalate) production capacity of 

20,000 tonnes. Jinhui is using a one step ring-opening polymerization 

technology and started PBAT production in 

July 2013. A compostability test (according to EN 13432) 

was completed at Beijing Technology and Business University. 

The products will obtain DIN-Certco certification 

(EN 13432) in March 2014. FDA certification for food contact 

is also available. 

Foam products are widely used in packing industry 

because of high impact absorption rate, low density, high 

specific strength, high heat and sound insulation abilities. 

Conventional plastic foam products not only may have 

isocyanate residue problem (in the case of polyurethane), 

they are quite difficult to re-collect or re-use due to their 

bulky volume. In order to avoid white pollution, there is a 

strong market demand for biodegradable foam products. 

Drive Innovation 

Become a Member 

In many cases biodegradable plastic foam products 

show a low melt flow rate resulting at low expansion 

ratio as well as a low yield ratio (broken foam bubbles). 

Jinhui is offering a foam grade PBAT resin which offers an 

expansion ratio of around factor 10 using carbon dioxide 

as a foaming agent. The foam products have a density 

between 0.13 g/cm 3 to 0.2 g/cm 3 , foam bubble diameters 

below 20 μm and a resilience of more than 80%. 

Jinhui’s marketing strategy is focused on excellent 

consulting and after sales service. Their foam grade PBAT 

customers will benefit from on-site technical support at 

no extra cost as well as unique customer tailor-made 

solution. As an example, by adding a nucleating agent 

the degree of crystallization can be increased to obtain 

a higher impact resistance surface in order to meet the 

customer’s exact requirements. MT 

www.ecoworld.jinhuigroup.com 


Foam 

Mushroom 

packaging 

About a year and a half ago Sealed Air Corporation (Elmwood 

Park, New Jersey, USA) and Ecovative Design LLC (Green Island, 

New York) completed an agreement about the production, 

sales and distribution of Ecovative’s EcoCradle ® Mushroom ® 

Packaging, a unique technology for environmentally responsible 

packaging materials made from agricultural byproducts and mycelium, 

or mushroom roots. 

As part of the agreement, Sealed Air would be the exclusive 

licensee of Ecovative’s mycelium based material technology in 

North America and Europe for protective packaging applications. 

Sealed Air and Ecovative developed together plans for sales and 

marketing as well as the augmentation of production capabilities. 

Just recently, end of 2013, Sealed air started production in a 

converted facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

The packaging material — albeit not exactly a bioplastic — can 

replace conventional plastic foams, such as those made from 

polystyrene, polyethylene or polypropylene. It is made by inoculating 

agricultural waste, that can be anything from corn husks, rice hulls 

to chopped up plant stocks with fungal mycelia. The mycelia grow 

extensively to form an intricate, interwoven network as they feed on 

the substrate. The composite is then heated to kill the mycelia and 

fuse the mass into a rigid, plastic-like substance. The properties 

of the material can be tailored by varying the organic substrate 

and type of fungus to grow in it. Target markets include protective 

packaging, automotive components, construction materials, shoes 

and floral foam [1]. 

There are several problems with polystyrene foams, Ecovative 

CEO Eben Bayer said. Polystyrene is made from oil, a limited 

resource with a fluctuating price, in a process that uses a lot of 

energy. And plastic packaging, which typically ends up getting 

thrown away, takes a very long time to degrade – and finds its 

way to oceans and beaches around the world. By contrast, he 

said, Mushroom Packaging, is renewable and biodegradable, and 

made from crop waste bought from farmers, providing them with 

additional income [2]. 

Examples for protective packaging are a wine-botttle box or 

protective corners for (e.g.) household appliances. Other applications 

for Ecovative’s Mushroom materials include insulating panels in 

building and construction, surf boards and much more. MT 

www.sealedair.com 

www.ecovativedesign.com 

www.mushroompackaging.com 

References: 

[1] Plastics News online, Nov. 12, 2013 

[2] The Guardian online, Oct. 22, 2013 

Info: 

watch video clip at bit.ly/LjWfm2 


People Report 


2 

bioplastics MAGAZINE 

Reinventing waste 

as a resource 

Bacteria and biopolymers key players in 

innovative hospital waste management system 

By: 

Karen Laird 

www.pharmafilter.nl 

Due to the specific nature of health care activities, waste management 

in hospital environments poses problems not encountered 

elsewhere. In most hospitals, therefore, elaborate procedures 

have been put in place to ensure that the health-care waste they produce 

is appropriately managed. However, even with the strictest of segregation, 

transport and disposal regulations in force, cross-contamination 

and errors occur. Pharmafilter is a young Dutch company offering a new 

and innovative approach that completely eliminates these problems. At 

the heart of its solution is an anaerobic digester; over time, biopolymers 

will become a major source of digestible input material. 

Health-care waste includes a large component of general waste and 

a smaller proportion of hazardous waste. According to Eduardo van den 

Berg, director of Pharmafilter, one of the main problems is where to draw 

the line between the two. “In hospitals, waste is managed by segregating 

it, which creates a great many separate waste streams. We found that 

fully one-third of all movement in hospitals is related to waste. A lot of 

effort, for example, goes into carefully separating all the infectious waste 

from the general waste.” He added: “But then, if a patient - the source of 

the infection – uses a bedpan or goes to the toilet, that is infectious waste 

that goes directly into the sewer.” 

Down the drain 

Van den Berg is a creative thinker with a proven track record and 

experience in health-care settings. An earlier idea – the development of 

a hygienic, environmentally friendly, disposable vase for hospital flowers – 

had been successfully introduced in hospitals throughout the Netherlands 

and Germany. He was convinced that there had to be a safer, cleaner 

and especially, a more efficient approach to the transport, handling and 

treatment of the health-care waste produced in hospitals. So when he was 

approached by Reinier de Graaf hospital, in Delft, the Netherlands, who 

asked him to help devise a modern, safe and efficient waste management 

system for the new facilities that were being planned, he came up with an 

solution that was both impressively simple and remarkably effective. 

“I thought, why not simply treat all the waste produced as biohazardous 

waste? Then, instead of separating everything for segregated disposal, all 

the waste streams could be combined into a single stream, disposed of 

in a single contaminated area and processed all together,” he explained. 

How? “Simply by using the hospital’s existing sewage system.” 


Report 

Using the hospital’s internal drainage system would greatly 

decrease the amount of waste being transported through the 

hospital, thus considerably reducing the number of contact 

moments and contamination risks. In a purely practical 

sense, it would have the added advantage that far less use 

would be made of the elevators, reducing the waiting time for 

them, as well. 

First, however, a safe and workable system for 

implementation needed to be devised. “Obviously, because 

the municipality it not equipped to handle contaminated waste 

through the sewage system, some kind of self-contained 

treatment facility would be needed on site to process this 

waste. This was the start of Pharmafilter,” said Van den Berg. 

In 2008, the first Pharmafilter pilot plant was built, in order 

to test the feasibility of the idea and the configuration of the 

installation developed by Van den Berg. This pilot facility 

operated on a 10% scale at Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis in 

Delft and proved such a success that a full-scale system was 

installed in the existing H-building, which went on stream in 

the autumn of 2010. 

And today, construction of the new hospital facilities in Delft 

is in full swing, together with the integrated new Pharmafilter 

installation that will be ready for operation from day one. 

The new waste disposal system has also attracted attention 

from other hospitals as well, both in the Netherlands 

and abroad. Pharmafilter currently has 10 more projects 

for similar systems with hospitals in Belgium, Denmark, 

Germany, Holland, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 

Powered by bacteria 

Standing in one of the containers housing the Pharmafilter 

installation, Van den Berg called attention to the fact that 

there was no odor – nothing at all – even though underneath 

the floor all the waste from the hospital was going through a 

giant sieve to separate the solids from the water. 

“On all the wards, where the bedpan washers used to be, 

and in the operating rooms and other strategic locations, 

we’ve installed shredders, called Tontos, into which all waste 

is deposited, including food, sharps, disposables, human 

organic waste, plastic, paper, whatever. The self-cleaning 

Tonto unit grinds up the waste, adds water and delivers it 

via the hospital’s internal sewer system to where we are 

standing, together with the waste water from showers, 

washbasins and toilets,” explains Van den Berg. “We purify 

the air of all aerosols and possible pathogens, so there’s no 

smell or danger of contamination at all.” 

After sieving, the solids – metals, plastics, feces, food - 

are ground into pulp, suctioned into the hydrolysis unit and 

then fed into the anaerobic digester. Here, the organic waste, 

including all bioplastics, is digested by the bacteria in this 

unit, a process that takes around thirty days and occurs at 

a temperature of 60°C. The biogas produced in the process 

meets 65-70% of the power needs of the installation. 

The non-digestible remainder is largely decontaminated 

during the process as well, but is nonetheless treated at 

100°C prior to being compressed and further processed into 

briquettes that for instance can serve as fuel in the cement 

industry. Van den Berg hopes that, as the volumes increase, 

it will be possible to separate the metals and conventional 

non-digestable plastics out for recycling in order to achieve a 

true end-of-life cycle closed loop. 

No more pharmaceutical pollution 

The wastewater, which next to all else contains high 

amounts of pharmaceutical substances, from cardiovascular 

medicines to X-ray contrast fluids, undergoes rigorous 

purification treatment, as well. The water from the sewagesieving 

step and from the digester is first fed through 

a membrane bioreactor equipped with ultrafiltration 

membranes, where bacteria are responsible for nitrogen 

and phosphate removal and most of the contaminants are 

eliminated. Next, ozone is introduced into the water to get rid 

of any color, micro particles of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals 

remaining. The ozone causes chain scission into basic 

elements and metabolites. “After the ozone treatment, an 


Report 

active carbon step is carried out to filter out any toxic residue. We buffer the water, subject 

it to UV light and then reuse it,” says Van den Berg. “It’s a closed loop. It’s led to the hospital 

using 70% less drinking water.” 

He added: “Actually, this water is cleaner than drinking water – the amount of microcontaminants 

it contains is under the detection limit. Our process eliminates residual 

pharmaceuticals far better than the water purification plants do. However, it can’t be used 

as drinking water due to legal restrictions. It may be used as process water, though, and 

in the new building, the infrastructure is being put in place, so that there it will be used for 

everything except drinking purposes.” 

In fact, at the current Delft facility, the purified water is used to fill a fish aquarium, in 

which numerous goldfish are happily swimming around. Once a month, a fish is caught and 

thoroughly examined for any sign of problems.. 

Biopolymers hold the future 

A key element in the Pharmafilter concept is the replacement of the use of conventional 

hospital supplies by products made of biopolymers, as, next to providing a “green” alternative 

to conventional materials, these will serve to increase the amount of digestible organic matter, 

allowing the installation to produce more biogas and become a truly closed-loop system. 

According to Van den Berg, the hospitals are ready to embrace the use of biopolymers. 

Already, a list of over 200 products eligible for replacement by bioplastic alternatives has been 

compiled, opening up exciting possibilities for a host of new bioplastic applications. 

It will take time, however. Pharmafilter is investigating the possibilities of developing the 

new products itself, as manufacturers are generally reluctant to invest in unproven products 

with uncertain volumes. Van den Berg: “It’s a chicken and the egg situation. So we are currently 

experimenting with different blends of PHA and PLA to develop these products ourselves. 

What’s important is their digestibility. PLA is not anaerobically degradable, although in a 

blend, in a certain proportion, we have found that with the Pharmafilter patented system 

the bacteria will handle these blends.” and how this is achieved is Pharmafilters proprietary 

knowledge.” 

Already, PHA and starch-based bioplastics have been shown to be easily digestible in the 

digester. “Traditional metal bedpans have already been replaced by the bioplastic Olla, made 

of PHA,” noted Van den Berg. “It was designed for patient comfort, comes with an airtight lid 

and fits easily into the Tonto.” Prior to the introduction of the disposable bedpans, it was not 

uncommon for the (used) bedpans to pile up in the bedpan washer station because they could 

not be cleaned fast enough. “Imagine the smell,” he added. 

Other products include catheters, urinals and urine collection bags, with many others, 

such as serviceware, containers and trash bags, due to be introduced in the near future. 

But: “What we’re really looking forward to is the development of bioplastic incontinence 

material and diapers,” said Van den Berg. “It’s already a disposable. The volumes are huge. 

It’s a perfect product for us.” 


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People Report 

Facts on land use for 

old and new biobased plastics 

Methodology of land use calculation – using the example of PLA 

0.37 ha 1.04 ha 

0.18 ha 0.16 ha 

Fermentation 

CO 2 

H 2 

O 

H 

Hydrolysis 

2 

O 

H 2 

O 

Enzymes 

Dextrins 

Sugar beet Sugar cane 

Corn 

Wheat 

9.19 t 11.31 t 

2.39 t 3.54 t 

ferment. Sugar 

Starch 

1.47 t 

1.67 t 

Lactic Acid* 

1.25 t 

Dehydration 

Lactide 

1.00 t 

H 2 

O 

Glucose 

1.47 t 

Fermentation 

Lactic Acid* 

1.25 t 

CO 2 

H 2 

O 

Step 3 

Step 2 

Step 1 

By: 

Hans-Josef Endres and co-workers 

IfBB - Institute for bioplastics and Biocomposites 

Hanover, Germany 

Current discussions on land use requirements for bioplastics, 

or of the amount of renewable resources needed, 

are often centered on rather irrational estimates and 

groundless reservations. To counteract the widespread scepticism 

towards bioplastics and return to a more fact-based debate, 

the following contribution is made to show the relevant 

data on current and future land use for bioplastics and to support 

these data by drawing various comparisons. 

Catalyst 

Polymerization 

PLA 

1.00 t 

* Conversion Rates 

Sugar – Lactic Acid 85% 

Catalyst 

Dehydration 

Lactide 

1.00 t 

Polymerization 

PLA 

1.00 t 

H 2 

O 

Step 3: To calculate land use in this 

bottom-up approach, the producer-specific 

productioncapacities of a type of bioplastics 

were multiplied by the output data of the 

corresponding process routes 

Step 2: Feedstock requirements were 

calculated for the use of different crops. 

For final land use calculation only the 

most common used crop was taken into 

consideration. Yield data from FAO statistics 

served as a basis for calculation (global, nonweighted, 

average over the past 10 years). 

Step 1: Process routes show the 

manufacturing steps involved from the raw 

material to the finished product, specifying 

the individual process steps, intermediate 

products, and input-output streams. 

The mass flows were first calculated using 

a molar method based on the chemical 

process, with the introduction of known 

rates and conversion factors. The routes so 

established were confirmed with polymer 

manufacturers and the industry generally as 

far as possible. In so far as no loss rates due 

to the chemical processes or the process 

stages were included, the calculations were 

made basically assuming no losses. 

The mass flows differ depending on which 

of the following two aspects is considered: 

feedstock and/or land use requirements 

for the production of one metric ton of 

bioplastics, bioplastics output from one 

metric ton of feedstock, or per hectare or 

square kilometre. 

Bioplastics production capacities 2012 (by material type) 

Bioplastics production capacities 2017 (by material type) 

56.6%** 

Biobased/non-biodegradable 

43.4% 

Biodegradable 

83.8%* 

Biobased/non-biodegradable 

16.2% 

Biodegradable 

1.1 % 

Other (biobased/ 

non-biodegradable) 

2.4 % 

Bio-PA 

14.3 % 

Bio-PE 

38.8 % 

Bio-PET 30 

* Only hydrated cellulose foils 

** Comprises drop-in solutions and 

technical performance polymers 

in % 

total: 1.4 million 

tonnes 

13.4 % 

PLA 

13.7 % 

Biodegradable 

polyester 

11.4 % 

Biodegradable 

starch blends 

2.4 % 

PHA 

2.0 % 

Regenerated 

cellulose* 

2.0 % 

Other (biodegradable) 

1.6% 

Other (biobased/ 

non-biodegradable) 

1.4% 

Bio-PA 

4.4% 

Bio-PE 

76.4% 

Bio-PET 30 

in % 

total: 6.2 million 

tonnes 

* Comprises drop-in solutions and technical 

performance polymers 

Source European Bioplastics / Institute for 

Bioplastics and Biocomposites (December 2013) 

13.4 % 

PLA 

6.9% 

PLA 

3.6% 

Biodegradable polyester 

2.7% 

Biodegradable starch blends 

2.4% 

PHA 

0.6% 

Other 

(biodegradable) 


Report 

The importance of transparency for 

generating clear-cut estimates of land use 

Two sources of information served as a basis for an accurate 

estimate of land use. First, the production process of various 

biobased plastics including their feedstock conversion rates 

for individual process steps, and second, official data on 

agricultural yields as feedstock. See the example of PLA, as 

shown in Fig.1. 

When considering these process routes and the respective 

market volumes of the various bioplastics, the feedstock and 

land use requirements for these bioplastics can be derived in 

a clear and understandable way. 

Defining the scope of biopolymer 

materials under consideration 

Another essential aspect in the discussion is to clarify, or 

concretize, which biobased materials are considered and in 

particular also which ones are excluded. 

• For example, do the data for land use or feedstock refer 

to the resources required specifically for new types of 

bioplastics, i.e., those developed within the last 20 - 30 

years (New Economy)? What about traditional biopolymers 

such as cellulose derivatives (cellulose acetate, cellophane, 

etc.), rubber, linoleum, etc. (Old Economy) – are they also 

considered? 

• Are ready-to-use polymers the only ones covered? 

What about biobased polymer raw materials (bio-acids, 

alcohols, etc.) and functional oligomers or other polymers 

(plasticizers, etc.)? 

• Are biobased synthetic fibres, or even natural fibres, also 

included? 

• Are composites with biobased reinforcements (starch-filled 

polymers, natural-fibre reinforced composites, etc.) also 

covered? 

If no clear distinction is made regarding whether certain 

materials are included or excluded, this will result in a wide 

spread of values and lack of clarity in the assessment of land 

use and resource consumption for bioplastics. Eventually, 

there will be confusion on all sides. 

Resource consumption for biobased plastics: 

New Economy (2012 and 2017) 

When, based on these pre-considerations, New Economy 

bioplastics, with their annual production capacity of currently 

1.4 million tonnes are taken into focus, and it turns out that 

their land use is as low as 0.4 million tonnes per hectare. This 

is equivalent to only 0.008 % of the global agricultural area (5 

billion hectare) or 0,03 % of the global arable land (1.4 billion 

hectare) 

Even though global forecasts predict a rapidly growing 

market for these novel bioplastics in the next few years, the 

need for agricultural areas will be kept at a very low level. 

While the market for new bioplastics has been growing 

by around 15 % annually during the last three years and 

a sustained growth is anticipated for the future it can be 

assumed that land use for New Economy bioplastics by 2017 

(6.2 million tonnes), for example, will be as low as 0.02 % of 

the global agricultural area or less than 0.4 % of the arable 

land. 

Regardless of the significant growth rates, it should be 

mentioned that the market share of these New Economy 

bioplastics is still hovering at less than 1 % of the global 

plastics market and is likely not to exceed 2 - 3 % in the near 

future. 

Global production capacities of bioplastics 

6,185 

6,000 

1,000 

Biobased 

(partly or completely) 

Durable 

(and biobased) 

Chemically novel 

z.B. PLA, starch, 

PTT, PBS, PBAT 

Thermoplastics 

„New Economy“ 

Bio-Polymers 

Petroleum based 

(and biodegradable) 

Biodegradable 

(compostable) 

Biobased 

„Drop-Ins“, e.g. 

Bio-PE, Bio-PET, Bio-PA 

Thermoset resins 

Elastomers, TPE 

„Old Economy“ 

e.g. caoutchouc, 

Viscose, Linoleum, 

CA, Cellophane 

1,000 metric t 

5,000 

4,000 

3,000 

5,185 

2,000 

1,395 

1,161 

1,016 

1,000 

342 

674 

486 

675 

604 

791 

0 

2010 2011 2012 2017 

Biodegradable | Biobased/non-biodegradable| Total capacity 

Forecast 


Report 

Old and New Economy (2012 and 2017) 

In addition to these innovative and novel bioplastics, when 

considering the most important Old Economy bioplastics with 

their global production capacity of 17 million tonnes annually, 

it turns out that the share of New Economy bioplastics is 15 

times lower, i.e. 7.5 % of the market volume of all biobased 

plastics (including the Old Economy bioplastics), with rising 

tendency. 

By and large, Old and New Economy bioplastics (about 

18.5 million tonnes) have a combined share of presently 

6 - 7 % of the global plastics market. Taking into account 

the anticipated market growth, especially of New Economy 

bioplastics, over a 5-year period the market share of Old and 

New Economy bioplastics is expected to reach a maximum of 

10 % of the global market for plastics within the next 5 years. 

The corresponding land use of Old and New Economy 

bioplastics is currently at approximately 15.5 million hectares, 

which is equivalent to only 0.3 % of the global agricultural 

area or approximately 1% of the arable land. 

Comparing these figures reveals that New Economy 

bioplastics, which tend to be the sole focus of interest in land 

use discussions, use up only 3 % of the area required for all 

biobased plastics combined. 

Total substitution of all petro-based 

plastics by biobased plastics 

Even assuming, as a theory, that innovative biobased 

plastics would be introduced globally to fully substitute for 

the entire range of conventional petroleum-based plastics, 

this scenario would require just 1.5 - 2 % of the globally 

available agricultural area (approx. 5 billion hectares) or 

about 5 - 7 % of the currently available arable land (approx. 

1.4 billion hectares). 

Contrary to common belief, this indicates that, even in 

view of significant growth forecasts, bioplastics are not in 

competition with food production! 

Alternative utilisation of renewable resources: 

Energy-related utilisation of renewable 

resources 

In the past few years energy crops, which are grown as 

biomass for generating heat, fuels and electricity, were 

covering an area of 2 million hectares in Germany. This is 

equivalent to almost 17 % of the total arable land in Germany. 

On the other hand, the cultivation of sugar, oil or starchbearing 

crops for material usage takes up a negligible area of 

0.26 million hectares (2.1 % of the arable land) in Germany. On 

the other hand the German land use for biogas crops is nearly 

1 million hectare. So it can be inferred that less than 50 % 

of the arable land used to grow corn for biogas production in 

Germany would currently be sufficient for the entire global 

production of bioplastics. To modify the example, German 

arable land for biogas production could be used to produce 

feedstock for 1.6 million tonnes of bio-PET. This means that 

almost 10 % of the global demand for PET (or more than 50 % 

of the European, and 350 % of the German demand), could be 

satisfied with the German biogas land use. 

German bio-ethanol for global biobased PE production: 

613,000 tonnes of bio-ethanol, the total amount generated 

from growing fodder cereals and industrial beets on around 

250,000 hectares of German arable land, would suffice to 

produce 295,000 tonnes of bio-PE. This means that even 

with the German land use for bioethanol the current global 

demand for the biobased PE, of approximately 200,000 

tonnes, would be over-satisfied. 

To make things even more compelling, it is a fact that 

biobased plastics, even after multiple material usage, 

can still serve as an energy carrier. This means that 

additional crop lands, which are currently used for direct 

energy production, could be set aside for the production 

of bioplastics. Prior material usage of biomass, as in the 

case of bioplastics, still permits subsequent trouble-free 

energy recovery, whereas direct incineration of biomass (and 

also crude oil based products!) precludes an immediate 

Old and New Economy Biopolymers 

1 

PLA, PHA, PTT, PBAT, Starch blends, 

Drop-Ins (Bio-PE, Bio-PET, Bio-PA) and other 

2 

material use excl. paperindustry 

3 

calculations include linseedoil only 

56.000 

Linoleum 3 

400.000 

New Economy 

Biopolymers 1 2.900.000 

140.000 

Linoleum 3 

1.395.000 

New Economy 

Biopolymers 1 

Global 

land use (ha) 

Cellulose 2 

Global 

production 

capacity (t) 

5.800.000 

Cellulose 2 

12.000.000 

Natural Rubber 

10.978.000 

Natural Rubber 


Report 

subsequent material usage. In this case, furthermore arable 

land for plant cultivation is needed and consequently another 

photosynthesis process, in order to gain new resources once 

again as feedstock for material usage. 

Starch consumption rate for the paper 

industry 

The starch consumption rate for the paper and board 

industry, for instance in Germany (2010 about 660.000 tonnes), 

would be enough to cover one third of the total amount of 

petro-based PET needed for the plastics processing industry 

in that country with a 100 % biobased PET. With a 30 % 

biobased PET even the whole German petro based PET could 

be substituted with the starch used for Paper and board 

industry in Germany. 

Renewable resources instead of food waste 

25 % of all food products bought in Germany remain 

unused and are discarded. This amounts to 6.6 million 

tonnes (approximately 80 kg per person) each year. Increased 

awareness and prudent food purchases would avoid these 

losses and lead to an extra gain of 2.4 million hectares of 

arable land in Germany alone. This is six times the area 

currently used for New Economy bioplastics. Given that 

avoidably taken up area was used to produce bioplastics 

instead, it could substitute more than two-thirds of Germany’s 

PE demand with Bio-PE. Regarding PET with this wasted 

area in case of 100 % biobased PET more than 20 % of global 

PET and in case of a 30 % biobased PET even almost 80 % of 

global PET, i.e. 12.9 million tonnes could be substituted. 

Furthermore much less than 0.1 % of the global agricultural 

land taken up for producing discarded food (ca. 1.4 billion 

hectares according to FAO), would suffice to cover the 

current total production of New Economy bioplastics. Even 

when relating this context to the aforementioned maximum 

scenario of substituting biobased plastics for all petroleum 

based plastics, it can be reasonably calculated that around 7 % 

(in numbers 100 million hectares) of the global arable area 

that is now blocked in favour of discarded food would be 

sufficient. 

Against this background it seems entirely overstated to 

look at bioplastics - particulary the New Economy bioplastics 

- as the main cause or even a risk for food shortages! Plastic 

materials, including bioplastics, continue to make important 

contributions to improved transportation and storage of food 

products and help protect these from spoiling. 

More information on the market for 

bioplastics – free of charge 

A comprehensive statistical database for bioplastics has 

been established by the IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics and 

Biocomposites (Hanover University of Applied Sciences and 

Arts) and made available in 2013 via the Internet (see link in 

the box below). This platform provides free access to a wide 

range of information, including market figures, production 

capacities, regional distribution of bioplastics production, 

market shares for specific materials, detailed process routes 

for nearly all types of bioplastics, including conversion 

rates for the various process steps as well as feedstock and 

land use requirements, comparisons of area and feedstock 

efficiency, future forecasts, and more. Unrestricted access, 

free of charge, is provided via the Internet. All graphics and 

charts can be downloaded for free and used according to the 

copyright notice. 

www.ifbb-hannover.de 

100 % 

Global land area 

13,4 billion ha 

37 % 

10 Arable % land 


Global agricultural area 

5 billion ha 

Arable land 


The database, with statistics, can be found at: 

www.downloads.ifbb-hannover.de 

0,9 % 

Material Use 


Bioplastics 

0,003 % 0,00004 billion ha 


Basics 

Glossary 3.2 last update issue 02/2013 

In bioplastics MAGAZINE again and again 

the same expressions appear that some of our readers 

might not (yet) be familiar with. This glossary shall help 

with these terms and shall help avoid repeated explanations 

Bioplastics (as defined by European Bioplastics 

e.V.) is a term used to define two different 

kinds of plastics: 

a. Plastics based on → renewable resources 

(the focus is the origin of the raw material 

used). These can be biodegradable or not. 

b. → Biodegradable and → compostable 

plastics according to EN13432 or similar 

standards (the focus is the compostability of 

the final product; biodegradable and compostable 

plastics can be based on renewable 

(biobased) and/or non-renewable (fossil) resources). 

Bioplastics may be 

- based on renewable resources and biodegradable; 

- based on renewable resources but not be 

biodegradable; and 

- based on fossil resources and biodegradable. 

Aerobic - anaerobic | aerobic = in the presence 

of oxygen (e.g. in composting) | anaerobic 

= without oxygen being present (e.g. in 

biogasification, anaerobic digestion) 

[bM 06/09] 

Anaerobic digestion | conversion of organic 

waste into bio-gas. Other than in → composting 

in anaerobic degradation there is no oxygen 

present. In bio-gas plants for example, 

this type of degradation leads to the production 

of methane that can be captured in a controlled 

way and used for energy generation. 

[14] [bM 06/09] 

Amorphous | non-crystalline, glassy with unordered 

lattice 

Amylopectin | Polymeric branched starch 

molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, 

monomer is → Glucose) 

[bM 05/09] 

Amylose | Polymeric non-branched starch 

molecule with high molecular weight (biopolymer, 

monomer is → Glucose) [bM 05/09] 

Biobased plastic/polymer | A plastic/polymer 

in which constitutional units are totally or in 

part from → biomass [3]. If this claim is used, 

a percentage should always be given to which 

extent the product/material is → biobased [1] 

[bM 01/07, bM 03/10] 

such as ‘PLA (Polylactide)‘ in various articles. 

Since this Glossary will not be printed 

in each issue you can download a pdf version 

from our website (bit.ly/OunBB0) 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is grateful to European Bioplastics for the permission to use parts of their Glossary (see [1]) 

Readers who would like to suggest better or other explanations to be added to the list, please contact the editor. 

[*: bM ... refers to more comprehensive article previously published in bioplastics MAGAZINE) 

Biobased | The term biobased describes the 

part of a material or product that is stemming 

from → biomass. When making a biobasedclaim, 

the unit (→ biobased carbon content, 

→ biobased mass content), a percentage and 

the measuring method should be clearly stated [1] 

Biobased carbon | carbon contained in or 

stemming from → biomass. A material or 

product made of fossil and → renewable resources 

contains fossil and → biobased carbon. 

The 14 C method [4, 5] measures the amount 

of biobased carbon in the material or product 

as fraction weight (mass) or percent weight 

(mass) of the total organic carbon content [1] [6] 

Biobased mass content | describes the 

amount of biobased mass contained in a material 

or product. This method is complementary 

to the 14 C method, and furthermore, takes 

other chemical elements besides the biobased 

carbon into account, such as oxygen, nitrogen 

and hydrogen. A measuring method is currently 

being developed and tested by the Association 

Chimie du Végétal (ACDV) [1] 

Biodegradable Plastics | Biodegradable Plastics 

are plastics that are completely assimilated 

by the → microorganisms present a defined 

environment as food for their energy. The 

carbon of the plastic must completely be converted 

into CO 2 

during the microbial process. 

The process of biodegradation depends on 

the environmental conditions, which influence 

it (e.g. location, temperature, humidity) and 

on the material or application itself. Consequently, 

the process and its outcome can vary 

considerably. Biodegradability is linked to the 

structure of the polymer chain; it does not depend 

on the origin of the raw materials. 

There is currently no single, overarching standard 

to back up claims about biodegradability. 

One standard for example is ISO or in Europe: 

EN 14995 Plastics- Evaluation of compostability 

- Test scheme and specifications 

[bM 02/06, bM 01/07] 

Biomass | Material of biological origin excluding 

material embedded in geological formations 

and material transformed to fossilised 

material. This includes organic material, e.g. 

trees, crops, grasses, tree litter, algae and 

waste of biological origin, e.g. manure [1, 2] 

Biorefinery | the co-production of a spectrum 

of bio-based products (food, feed, materials, 

chemicals including monomers or building 

blocks for bioplastics) and energy (fuels, power, 

heat) from biomass.[bM 02/13] 

Blend | Mixture of plastics, polymer alloy of at 

least two microscopically dispersed and molecularly 

distributed base polymers 

Bisphenol-A (BPA) | Monomer used to produce 

different polymers. BPA is said to cause 

health problems, due to the fact that is behaves 

like a hormone. Therefore it is banned 

for use in children’s products in many countries. 

BPI | Biodegradable Products Institute, a notfor-profit 

association. Through their innovative 

compostable label program, BPI educates 

manufacturers, legislators and consumers 

about the importance of scientifically based 

standards for compostable materials which 

biodegrade in large composting facilities. 

Carbon footprint | (CFPs resp. PCFs – Product 

Carbon Footprint): Sum of → greenhouse 

gas emissions and removals in a product system, 

expressed as CO 2 

equivalent, and based 

on a → life cycle assessment. The CO 2 

equivalent 

of a specific amount of a greenhouse gas 

is calculated as the mass of a given greenhouse 

gas multiplied by its → global warmingpotential 

[1, 2] 

Carbon neutral, CO 2 

neutral | Carbon neutral 

describes a product or process that has 

a negligible impact on total atmospheric CO 2 

levels. For example, carbon neutrality means 

that any CO 2 

released when a plant decomposes 

or is burnt is offset by an equal amount 

of CO 2 

absorbed by the plant through photosynthesis 

when it is growing. 

Carbon neutrality can also be achieved 

through buying sufficient carbon credits to 

make up the difference. The latter option is 

not allowed when communicating → LCAs 

or carbon footprints regarding a material or 

product [1, 2]. 

Carbon-neutral claims are tricky as products 

will not in most cases reach carbon neutrality 

if their complete life cycle is taken into consideration 

(including the end-of life). 

If an assessment of a material, however, is 

conducted (cradle to gate), carbon neutrality 

might be a valid claim in a B2B context. In this 

case, the unit assessed in the complete life 

cycle has to be clarified [1] 

Catalyst | substance that enables and accelerates 

a chemical reaction 

Cellophane | Clear film on the basis of → cellulose 

[bM 01/10] 

Cellulose | Cellulose is the principal component 

of cell walls in all higher forms of plant 

life, at varying percentages. It is therefore the 

most common organic compound and also 

the most common polysaccharide (multisugar) 

[11]. C. is a polymeric molecule with 

very high molecular weight (monomer is → 

Glucose), industrial production from wood or 

cotton, to manufacture paper, plastics and fibres 


Cellulose ester| Cellulose esters occur by the 

esterification of cellulose with organic acids. 

The most important cellulose esters from a 

technical point of view are cellulose acetate 


Basics 

(CA with acetic acid), cellulose propionate (CP 

with propionic acid) and cellulose butyrate 

(CB with butanoic acid). Mixed polymerisates, 

such as cellulose acetate propionate 

(CAP) can also be formed. One of the most 

well-known applications of cellulose aceto 

butyrate (CAB) is the moulded handle on the 

Swiss army knife [11] 

Cellulose acetate CA| → Cellulose ester 

CEN | Comité Européen de Normalisation 

(European organisation for standardization) 

Compost | A soil conditioning material of decomposing 

organic matter which provides nutrients 

and enhances soil structure. 

[bM 06/08, 02/09] 

Compostable Plastics | Plastics that are 

→ biodegradable under ‘composting’ conditions: 

specified humidity, temperature, 

→ microorganisms and timefame. In order 

to make accurate and specific claims about 

compostability, the location (home, → industrial) 

and timeframe need to be specified [1]. 

Several national and international standards 

exist for clearer definitions, for example EN 

14995 Plastics - Evaluation of compostability - 

Test scheme and specifications. [bM 02/06, bM 01/07] 

Composting | A solid waste management 

technique that uses natural process to convert 

organic materials to CO 2 

, water and humus 

through the action of → microorganisms. 

When talking about composting of bioplastics, 

usually → industrial composting in a managed 

composting plant is meant [bM 03/07] 

Compound | plastic mixture from different 

raw materials (polymer and additives) [bM 04/10) 

Copolymer | Plastic composed of different 

monomers. 

Cradle-to-Gate | Describes the system 

boundaries of an environmental →Life Cycle 

Assessment (LCA) which covers all activities 

from the ‘cradle’ (i.e., the extraction of raw 

materials, agricultural activities and forestry) 

up to the factory gate 

Cradle-to-Cradle | (sometimes abbreviated 

as C2C): Is an expression which communicates 

the concept of a closed-cycle economy, 

in which waste is used as raw material 

(‘waste equals food’). Cradle-to-Cradle is not 

a term that is typically used in →LCA studies. 

Cradle-to-Grave | Describes the system 

boundaries of a full →Life Cycle Assessment 

from manufacture (‘cradle’) to use phase and 

disposal phase (‘grave’). 

Crystalline | Plastic with regularly arranged 

molecules in a lattice structure 

Density | Quotient from mass and volume of 

a material, also referred to as specific weight 

DIN | Deutsches Institut für Normung (German 

organisation for standardization) 

DIN-CERTCO | independant certifying organisation 

for the assessment on the conformity 

of bioplastics 

Dispersing | fine distribution of non-miscible 

liquids into a homogeneous, stable mixture 

Drop-In Bioplastics | chemically indentical 

to conventional petroleum based plastics, 

but made from renewable resources. Examples 

are bio-PE made from bio-ethanol (from 

e.g. sugar cane) or partly biobased PET (the 

monoethylene glykol made from bio-ethanol 

(from e.g. sugar cane, a development to make 

terephthalic acid from renewable resources 

are under way). Other examples are polyamides 

(partly biobased e.g. PA 4.10 or PA 10.10 

or fully biobased like PA 5.10 or 10.10) 

Elastomers | rigid, but under force flexible 

and elastically formable plastics with rubbery 

properties 

EN 13432 | European standard for the assessment 

of the → compostability of plastic 

packaging products 

Energy recovery | recovery and exploitation 

of the energy potential in (plastic) waste for 

the production of electricity or heat in waste 

incineration pants (waste-to-energy) 

Enzymes | proteins that catalyze chemical 

reactions 

Ethylen | colour- and odourless gas, made 

e.g. from, Naphtha (petroleum) by cracking, 

monomer of the polymer polyethylene (PE) 

European Bioplastics e.V. | The industry association 

representing the interests of Europe’s 

thriving bioplastics’ industry. Founded 

in Germany in 1993 as IBAW, European Bioplastics 

today represents the interests of over 

70 member companies throughout the European 

Union. With members from the agricultural 

feedstock, chemical and plastics industries, 

as well as industrial users and recycling 

companies, European Bioplastics serves as 

both a contact platform and catalyst for advancing 

the aims of the growing bioplastics 

industry. 

Extrusion | process used to create plastic 

profiles (or sheet) of a fixed cross-section 

consisting of mixing, melting, homogenising 

and shaping of the plastic. 

Fermentation | Biochemical reactions controlled 

by → microorganisms or → enyzmes (e.g. 

the transformation of sugar into lactic acid). 

FSC | Forest Stewardship Council. FSC is an 

independent, non-governmental, not-forprofit 

organization established to promote the 

responsible and sustainable management of 

the world’s forests. 

Gelatine | Translucent brittle solid substance, 

colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless 

and odorless, extracted from the collagen inside 

animals‘ connective tissue. 

Genetically modified organism (GMO) | Organisms, 

such as plants and animals, whose 

genetic material (DNA) has been altered 

are called genetically modified organisms 

(GMOs). Food and feed which contain or 

consist of such GMOs, or are produced from 

GMOs, are called genetically modified (GM) 

food or feed [1] 

Global Warming | Global warming is the rise 

in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere 

and oceans since the late 19th century 

and its projected continuation [8]. Global 

warming is said to be accelerated by → green 

house gases. 

Glucose | Monosaccharide (or simple sugar). 

G. is the most important carbohydrate (sugar) 

in biology. G. is formed by photosynthesis or 

hydrolyse of many carbohydrates e. g. starch. 

Greenhouse gas GHG | Gaseous constituent 

of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, 

that absorbs and emits radiation at 

specific wavelengths within the spectrum of 

infrared radiation emitted by the earth’s surface, 

the atmosphere, and clouds [1, 9] 

Greenwashing | The act of misleading consumers 

regarding the environmental practices 

of a company, or the environmental benefits 

of a product or service [1, 10] 

Granulate, granules | small plastic particles 

(3-4 millimetres), a form in which plastic is 

sold and fed into machines, easy to handle 

and dose. 

Humus | In agriculture, ‘humus’ is often used 

simply to mean mature → compost, or natural 

compost extracted from a forest or other 

spontaneous source for use to amend soil. 

Hydrophilic | Property: ‘water-friendly’, soluble 

in water or other polar solvents (e.g. used 

in conjunction with a plastic which is not water 

resistant and weather proof or that absorbs 

water such as Polyamide (PA). 

Hydrophobic | Property: ‘water-resistant’, not 

soluble in water (e.g. a plastic which is water 

resistant and weather proof, or that does not 

absorb any water such as Polyethylene (PE) 

or Polypropylene (PP). 

IBAW | → European Bioplastics 

Industrial composting | Industrial composting 

is an established process with commonly 

agreed upon requirements (e.g. temperature, 

timeframe) for transforming biodegradable 

waste into stable, sanitised products to be 

used in agriculture. The criteria for industrial 

compostability of packaging have been defined 

in the EN 13432. Materials and products 

complying with this standard can be certified 

and subsequently labelled accordingly [1, 7] 

[bM 06/08, bM 02/09] 

Integral Foam | foam with a compact skin and 

porous core and a transition zone in between. 

ISO | International Organization for Standardization 

JBPA | Japan Bioplastics Association 

LCA | Life Cycle Assessment (sometimes also 

referred to as life cycle analysis, ecobalance, 

and → cradle-to-grave analysis) is the investigation 

and valuation of the environmental 

impacts of a given product or service caused. 


Microorganism | Living organisms of microscopic 

size, such as bacteria, funghi or yeast. 

Molecule | group of at least two atoms held 

together by covalent chemical bonds. 

Monomer | molecules that are linked by polymerization 

to form chains of molecules and 

then plastics 

Mulch film | Foil to cover bottom of farmland 

PBAT | Polybutylene adipate terephthalate, is 

an aliphatic-aromatic copolyester that has the 

properties of conventional polyethylene but is 

fully biodegradable under industrial composting. 

PBAT is made from fossil petroleum with 

first attempts being made to produce it partly 

from renewable resources [bM 06/09] 

PBS | Polybutylene succinate, a 100% biodegradable 

polymer, made from (e.g. bio-BDO) 

and succinic acid, which can also be produced 

biobased [bM 03/12]. 

PC | Polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyester, 

petroleum based, used for e.g. baby bottles 

or CDs. Criticized for its BPA (→ Bisphenol-A) 

content. 


Basics 

PCL | Polycaprolactone, a synthetic (fossil 

based), biodegradable bioplastic, e.g. used as 

a blend component. 

PE | Polyethylene, thermoplastic polymerised 

from ethylene. Can be made from renewable 

resources (sugar cane via bio-ethanol) 

[bM 05/10] 

PET | Polyethylenterephthalate, transparent 

polyester used for bottles and film 

PGA | Polyglycolic acid or Polyglycolide is a 

biodegradable, thermoplastic polymer and 

the simplest linear, aliphatic polyester. Besides 

ist use in the biomedical field, PGA has 

been introduced as a barrier resin [bM 03/09] 

PHA | Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters 

produced in nature by bacterial fermentation 

of sugar or lipids. The most common 

type of PHA is → PHB. 

PHB | Polyhydroxybutyrate (better poly-3-hydroxybutyrate), 

is a polyhydroxyalkanoate 

(PHA), a polymer belonging to the polyesters 

class. PHB is produced by micro-organisms 

apparently in response to conditions of physiological 

stress. The polymer is primarily a 

product of carbon assimilation (from glucose 

or starch) and is employed by micro-organisms 

as a form of energy storage molecule to 

be metabolized when other common energy 

sources are not available. PHB has properties 

similar to those of PP, however it is stiffer and 

more brittle. 

PHBH | Polyhydroxy butyrate hexanoate (better 

poly 3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) 

is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), 

Like other biopolymers from the family of the 

polyhydroxyalkanoates PHBH is produced by 

microorganisms in the fermentation process, 

where it is accumulated in the microorganism’s 

body for nutrition. The main features of 

PHBH are its excellent biodegradability, combined 

with a high degree of hydrolysis and 

heat stability. [bM 03/09, 01/10, 03/11] 

PLA | Polylactide or Polylactic Acid (PLA), a 

biodegradable, thermoplastic, linear aliphatic 

polyester based on lactic acid, a natural acid, 

is mainly produced by fermentation of sugar 

or starch with the help of micro-organisms. 

Lactic acid comes in two isomer forms, i.e. 

as laevorotatory D(-)lactic acid and as dextrorotary 

L(+)lactic acid. In each case two 

lactic acid molecules form a circular lactide 

molecule which, depending on its composition, 

can be a D-D-lactide, an L-L-lactide 

or a meso-lactide (having one D and one L 

molecule). The chemist makes use of this 

variability. During polymerisation the chemist 

combines the lactides such that the PLA 

plastic obtained has the characteristics that 

he desires. The purity of the infeed material is 

an important factor in successful polymerisation 

and thus for the economic success of the 

process, because so far the cleaning of the 

lactic acid produced by the fermentation has 

been relatively costly [12]. 

Modified PLA types can be produced by the 

use of the right additives or by a combinations 

of L- and D- lactides (stereocomplexing), 

which then have the required rigidity for use 

at higher temperatures [13] [bM 01/09] 

Plastics | Materials with large molecular 

chains of natural or fossil raw materials, produced 

by chemical or biochemical reactions. 

PPC | Polypropylene Carbonate, a bioplastic 

made by copolymerizing CO 2 

with propylene 

oxide (PO) [bM 04/12] 

Renewable Resources | agricultural raw materials, 

which are not used as food or feed, but 

as raw material for industrial products or to 

generate energy 

Saccharins or carbohydrates | Saccharins or 

carbohydrates are name for the sugar-family. 

Saccharins are monomer or polymer sugar 

units. For example, there are known mono-, 

di- and polysaccharose. → glucose is a monosaccarin. 

They are important for the diet and 

produced biology in plants. 

Semi-finished products | plastic in form of 

sheet, film, rods or the like to be further processed 

into finshed products 

Sorbitol | Sugar alcohol, obtained by reduction 

of glucose changing the aldehyde group 

to an additional hydroxyl group. S. is used as 

a plasticiser for bioplastics based on starch. 

Starch | Natural polymer (carbohydrate) 

consisting of → amylose and → amylopectin, 

gained from maize, potatoes, wheat, tapioca 

etc. When glucose is connected to polymerchains 

in definite way the result (product) is 

called starch. Each molecule is based on 300 

-12000-glucose units. Depending on the connection, 

there are two types → amylose and → 

amylopectin known. [bM 05/09] 

Starch derivate | Starch derivates are based 

on the chemical structure of → starch. The 

chemical structure can be changed by introducing 

new functional groups without changing 

the → starch polymer. The product has 

different chemical qualities. Mostly the hydrophilic 

character is not the same. 

Starch-ester | One characteristic of every 

starch-chain is a free hydroxyl group. When 

every hydroxyl group is connect with ethan 

acid one product is starch-ester with different 

chemical properties. 

Starch propionate and starch butyrate | 

Starch propionate and starch butyrate can be 

synthesised by treating the → starch with propane 

or butanic acid. The product structure 

is still based on → starch. Every based → glucose 

fragment is connected with a propionate 

or butyrate ester group. The product is more 

hydrophobic than → starch. 

Sustainable | An attempt to provide the best 

outcomes for the human and natural environments 

both now and into the indefinite future. 

One of the most often cited definitions of sustainability 

is the one created by the Brundtland 

Commission, led by the former Norwegian 

Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. 

The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable 

development as development that ‘meets 

the needs of the present without compromising 

the ability of future generations to meet 

their own needs.’ Sustainability relates to the 

continuity of economic, social, institutional 

and environmental aspects of human society, 

as well as the non-human environment). 

Sustainability | (as defined by European Bioplastics 

e.V.) has three dimensions: economic, 

social and environmental. This has been 

known as “the triple bottom line of sustainability”. 

This means that sustainable development 

involves the simultaneous pursuit of 

economic prosperity, environmental protection 

and social equity. In other words, businesses 

have to expand their responsibility to include 

these environmental and social dimensions. 

Sustainability is about making products useful 

to markets and, at the same time, having societal 

benefits and lower environmental impact 

than the alternatives currently available. It also 

implies a commitment to continuous improvement 

that should result in a further reduction 

of the environmental footprint of today’s products, 

processes and raw materials used. 

Thermoplastics | Plastics which soften or 

melt when heated and solidify when cooled 

(solid at room temperature). 

Thermoplastic Starch | (TPS) → starch that 

was modified (cooked, complexed) to make it 

a plastic resin 

Thermoset | Plastics (resins) which do not 

soften or melt when heated. Examples are 

epoxy resins or unsaturated polyester resins. 

Vinçotte | independant certifying organisation 

for the assessment on the conformity of bioplastics 

WPC | Wood Plastic Composite. Composite 

materials made of wood fiber/flour and plastics 

(mostly polypropylene). 

Yard Waste | Grass clippings, leaves, trimmings, 

garden residue. 

References: 

[1] Environmental Communication Guide, 

European Bioplastics, Berlin, Germany, 


[2] ISO 14067. Carbon footprint of products - 

Requirements and guidelines for quantification 

and communication 

[3] CEN TR 15932, Plastics - Recommendation 

for terminology and characterisation 

of biopolymers and bioplastics, 2010 

[4] CEN/TS 16137, Plastics - Determination 

of bio-based carbon content, 2011 

[5] ASTM D6866, Standard Test Methods for 

Determining the Biobased Content of 

Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using 

Radiocarbon Analysis 

[6] SPI: Understanding Biobased Carbon 

Content, 2012 

[7] EN 13432, Requirements for packaging 

recoverable through composting and biodegradation. 

Test scheme and evaluation 

criteria for the final acceptance of packaging, 

2000 

[8] Wikipedia 

[9] ISO 14064 Greenhouse gases -- Part 1: 

Specification with guidance..., 2006 

[10] Terrachoice, 2010, www.terrachoice.com 

[11] Thielen, M.: Bioplastics: Basics. Applications. 

Markets, Polymedia Publisher, 


[12] Lörcks, J.: Biokunststoffe, Broschüre der 

FNR, 2005 

[13] de Vos, S.: Improving heat-resistance of 

PLA using poly(D-lactide), 

bioplastics MAGAZINE, Vol. 3, Issue 02/2008 

[14] de Wilde, B.: Anaerobic Digestion, bioplastics 

MAGAZINE, Vol 4., Issue 06/2009 


Exhibition area exceeds 220,000 sqm 

Over 2,900 exhibitors from 39 countries & regions 

14 country / region pavilions including Austria, 

Germany, Italy, USA, PR China & Taiwan 

120,000+ trade visitors from 130 countries 

2013-10-18

Events 

Subscribe 

now at 

bioplasticsmagazine.com 

the next six issues for €149.– 1) 

Event Calendar 

Special offer 

for students and 

young professionals 1,2) 

€ 99.- 

2) aged 35 and below. Send a scan 

of your student card, your ID or 

similar proof ... 

World Bio Markets 2014 

04.03.2014 - 06.03.2014 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

RAI Amsterdam 

www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com 

BioPlastics 2014: The Re-Invention of Plastics 

04.03.2014 - 06.03.2014 - Las Vegas, NV, USA 

Caesars Palace 

www.BioplastConference.com 

5th International Seminar on 

Biopolymers and Sustainable Composites 

06.03.2014 - 07.03.2014 - Valencia, Spain 

www.biopolymersmeeting.com/en/ 

+ 

or 

Green Polymer Chemistry 2014 

18.03.2014 - 20.03.2014 - Cologne, Germany 

Maritim Hotel, Cologne 

amiplastics.com/events/Event.aspx?code=C564&sec=3717 

Tage der Holzforschung 2014 

20.03.2014 - 21.03.2014 - Braunschweig,Germany 

www.ivth.org 

Plastics in Automotive Engineering (VDI) 

02.04.2014 - 03.04.2014 - Mannheim, Germany 

www.kunststoffe-im-auto.de 

7th International Conference on Bio-based Materials 

08.04.2014 - 10.04.2014 - Cologne, Germany 

Maternushaus 

www.bio-based.eu/conference 

Biopolymers Symposium 2014 

12.05.2014 - 13.05.2014 - Philadelphia PA, USA 

Loews Philadelphia Hotel 

www.biopolymersummit.com/venue.aspx 

3rd PLA World Congress 

27.05.2014 – 28.05.2014 – Munich, Germany 

Holiday Inn Munich City Centre 


GreenTech 

10.06.2014 - 12.06.2014 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

RAI Amsterdam 

www.greentech.nl 

Biobased Materials 

24.06.2014 - 25.06.2014 - Stuttgart, Germany 

10th Congress for Biobased Materials, Natural Fibres and WPC 

www.biobased-materials.com 

Mention the promotion code ‘watch‘ or ‘book‘ 

and you will get our watch or the book 3) 

Bioplastics Basics. Applications. Markets. for free 

1) Offer valid until 31 Apr. 2014 

3) Gratis-Buch in Deutschland nicht möglich, no free book in Germany 

9th European Bioplastics 

02.12.2014 - 03.12.2014 - Brussels, Belgien 

The Square, Brussels 


You can meet us! Please contact us in advance by e-mail.

Suppliers Guide 

1. Raw Materials 

AGRANA Starch 

Thermoplastics 

Conrathstrasse 7 

A-3950 Gmuend, Austria 

Tel: +43 676 8926 19374 

lukas.raschbauer@agrana.com 

www.agrana.com 

Shandong Fuwin New Material Co., Ltd. 

Econorm ® Biodegradable & 

Compostable Resin 

North of Baoshan Road, Zibo City, 

Shandong Province P.R. China. 

Phone: +86 533 7986016 

Fax: +86 533 6201788 

Mobile: +86-13953357190 

CNMHELEN@GMAIL.COM 

www.sdfuwin.com 

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH 

Siemensring 79 

D - 47 877 Willich 

Tel. +49 2154 9251-0 

Tel.: +49 2154 9251-51 

sales@fkur.com 

www.fkur.com 

39 mm 

Simply contact: 

Tel.: +49 2161 6884467 

suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Stay permanently listed in the 

Suppliers Guide with your company 

logo and contact information. 

For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you 

can be present among top suppliers in 

the field of bioplastics. 

For Example: 

Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

Dammer Str. 112 

41066 Mönchengladbach 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

Fax +49 2161 631045 

info@bioplasticsmagazine.com 


Showa Denko Europe GmbH 

Konrad-Zuse-Platz 4 

81829 Munich, Germany 

Tel.: +49 89 93996226 

www.showa-denko.com 

support@sde.de 

DuPont de Nemours International S.A. 

2 chemin du Pavillon 

1218 - Le Grand Saconnex 

Switzerland 

Tel.: +41 22 171 51 11 

Fax: +41 22 580 22 45 

plastics@dupont.com 

www.renewable.dupont.com 

www.plastics.dupont.com 

Tel: +86 351-8689356 

Fax: +86 351-8689718 

www.ecoworld.jinhuigroup.com 

jinhuibio@126.com 

Jincheng, Lin‘an, Hangzhou, 

Zhejiang 311300, P.R. China 

China contact: Grace Jin 

mobile: 0086 135 7578 9843 

Grace@xinfupharm.com 

Europe contact(Belgium): Susan Zhang 

mobile: 0032 478 991619 

zxh0612@hotmail.com 

www.xinfupharm.com 

1.1 bio based monomers 

Corbion Purac 

Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21 

4200 AA Gorinchem - 

The Netherlands 

Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695 

Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604 

www.corbion.com/bioplastics 

bioplastics@corbion.com 

1.2 compounds 

GRAFE-Group 

Waldecker Straße 21, 

99444 Blankenhain, Germany 

Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

Natur-Tec ® - Northern Technologies 

4201 Woodland Road 

Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA 

Tel. +1 763.225.6600 

Fax +1 763.225.6645 

info@natur-tec.com 

www.natur-tec.com 

PolyOne 

Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 

Zoning de la Fagne 

5330 Assesse 

Belgium 

Tel.: + 32 83 660 211 

www.polyone.com 

Sample Charge: 

39mm x 6,00 € 

= 234,00 € per entry/per issue 

Sample Charge for one year: 

6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 € 

The entry in our Suppliers Guide is 

bookable for one year (6 issues) and 

extends automatically if it’s not canceled 

three month before expiry. 

Evonik Industries AG 

Paul Baumann Straße 1 

45772 Marl, Germany 

Tel +49 2365 49-4717 

evonik-hp@evonik.com 

www.vestamid-terra.com 

www.evonik.com 

API S.p.A. 

Via Dante Alighieri, 27 

36065 Mussolente (VI), Italy 

Telephone +39 0424 579711 

www.apiplastic.com 

www.apinatbio.com 

WinGram Industry CO., LTD 

Great River(Qin Xin) 

Plastic Manufacturer CO., LTD 

Mobile (China): +86-13113833156 

Mobile (Hong Kong): +852-63078857 

Fax: +852-3184 8934 

Email: Benson@wingram.hk 

www.facebook.com 

www.issuu.com 

www.twitter.com 

www.youtube.com 

Natureplast 

11 rue François Arago 

14123 Ifs – France 

Tel. +33 2 31 83 50 87 

www.natureplast.eu 

t.lefevre@natureplast.eu 

Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd. 

No.33 Kefeng Rd, Sc. City, Guangzhou 

Hi-Tech Ind. Development Zone, 

Guangdong, P.R. China. 510663 

Tel: +86 (0)20 6622 1696 

info@ecopond.com.cn 

www.ecopond.com.cn 

FLEX-162 Biodeg. Blown Film Resin! 

Bio-873 4-Star Inj. Bio-Based Resin! 

1.3 PLA 

Shenzhen Esun Ind. Co;Ltd 

www.brightcn.net 

www.esun.en.alibaba.com 

bright@brightcn.net 

Tel: +86-755-2603 1978 



1.4 starch-based bioplastics 

6. Equipment 

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients 

ZAC „Les Portes de Riom“ - BP 173 

63204 Riom Cedex - France 

Tel. +33 (0)4 73 67 17 00 

Fax +33 (0)4 73 67 17 10 

www.biolice.com 

Metabolix, Inc. 

Bio-based and biodegradable resins 

and performance additives 

21 Erie Street 

Cambridge, MA 02139, USA 

US +1-617-583-1700 

DE +49 (0) 221 / 88 88 94 00 

www.metabolix.com 

info@metabolix.com 

1.6 masterbatches 

www.earthfirstpla.com 

www.sidaplax.com 

www.plasticsuppliers.com 

Sidaplax UK : +44 (1) 604 76 66 99 

Sidaplax Belgium: +32 9 210 80 10 

Plastic Suppliers: +1 866 378 4178 

6.1 Machinery & Molds 

Molds, Change Parts and Turnkey 

Solutions for the PET/Bioplastic 

Container Industry 

284 Pinebush Road 

Cambridge Ontario 

Canada N1T 1Z6 

Tel. +1 519 624 9720 

Fax +1 519 624 9721 

info@hallink.com 

www.hallink.com 

BIOTEC 

Biologische Naturverpackungen 

Werner-Heisenberg-Strasse 32 

46446 Emmerich/Germany 

Tel.: +49 (0) 2822 – 92510 

info@biotec.de 

www.biotec.de 

ROQUETTE 

62 136 LESTREM, FRANCE 

00 33 (0) 3 21 63 36 00 

www.gaialene.com 

www.roquette.com 

Grabio Greentech Corporation 

Tel: +886-3-598-6496 

No. 91, Guangfu N. Rd., Hsinchu 

Industrial Park,Hukou Township, 

Hsinchu County 30351, Taiwan 

sales@grabio.com.tw 

www.grabio.com.tw 

PSM Bioplastic HK 

Room 1901B,19/F, Allied Kajima 

Buil- ding 138 Gloucester Road, 

Wanchai, Hongkong 

Tel: +852-31767566 

Fax: +852-31767567 

support@psm.com.cn 

www.psm.com.cn 

1.5 PHA 

TianAn Biopolymer 

No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd, 

Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800 

Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2 

Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0 

enquiry@tianan-enmat.com 

www.tianan-enmat.com 

GRAFE-Group 



Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

PolyOne 

Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 

Zoning de la Fagne 

5330 Assesse 

Belgium 

Tel.: + 32 83 660 211 

www.polyone.com 

2. Additives/Secondary raw materials 

GRAFE-Group 



Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH 

Duesseldorfer Strasse 23-27 

68219 Mannheim, Germany 

Phone: +49 (0)621-8907-233 

Fax: +49 (0)621-8907-8233 

bioadimide.eu@rheinchemie.com 

www.bioadimide.com 

3. Semi finished products 

3.1 films 

Huhtamaki Films 

Sonja Haug 

Zweibrückenstraße 15-25 

91301 Forchheim 

Tel. +49-9191 81203 

Fax +49-9191 811203 

www.huhtamaki-films.com 

Taghleef Industries SpA, Italy 

Via E. Fermi, 46 

33058 San Giorgio di Nogaro (UD) 

Contact Frank Ernst 

Tel. +49 2402 7096989 

Mobile +49 160 4756573 

frank.ernst@ti-films.com 

www.ti-films.com 

4. Bioplastics products 

Minima Technology Co., Ltd. 

Esmy Huang, Marketing Manager 

No.33. Yichang E. Rd., Taipin City, 

Taichung County 

411, Taiwan (R.O.C.) 

Tel. +886(4)2277 6888 

Fax +883(4)2277 6989 

Mobil +886(0)982-829988 

esmy@minima-tech.com 

Skype esmy325 

www.minima-tech.com 

NOVAMONT S.p.A. 

Via Fauser , 8 

28100 Novara - ITALIA 

Fax +39.0321.699.601 

Tel. +39.0321.699.611 

www.novamont.com 

President Packaging Ind., Corp. 

PLA Paper Hot Cup manufacture 

In Taiwan, www.ppi.com.tw 

Tel.: +886-6-570-4066 ext.5531 

Fax: +886-6-570-4077 

sales@ppi.com.tw 

ProTec Polymer Processing GmbH 

Stubenwald-Allee 9 

64625 Bensheim, Deutschland 

Tel. +49 6251 77061 0 

Fax +49 6251 77061 500 

info@sp-protec.com 

www.sp-protec.com 

6.2 Laboratory Equipment 

MODA: Biodegradability Analyzer 

SAIDA FDS INC. 

143-10 Isshiki, Yaizu, 

Shizuoka,Japan 

Tel:+81-54-624-6260 

Info2@moda.vg 

www.saidagroup.jp 

7. Plant engineering 

EREMA Engineering Recycling 

Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH 

Unterfeldstrasse 3 

4052 Ansfelden, AUSTRIA 

Phone: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-0 

Fax: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-23 

erema@erema.at 

www.erema.at 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH 

Holzhauser Strasse 157–159 

D-13509 Berlin 

Tel. +49 30 43 567 5 

Fax +49 30 43 567 699 

sales.de@uhde-inventa-fischer.com 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG 

Via Innovativa 31 

CH-7013 Domat/Ems 

Tel. +41 81 632 63 11 

Fax +41 81 632 74 03 

sales.ch@uhde-inventa-fischer.com 

www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com 



9. Services 

10.2 Universities 

Biopolynov 

11 rue François Arago 

14123 Ifs – France 

Tel. +33 2 31 83 50 87 

www. biopolynov.com 

t.lefevre@natureplast.eu 

Osterfelder Str. 3 

46047 Oberhausen 

Tel.: +49 (0)208 8598 1227 

Fax: +49 (0)208 8598 1424 

thomas.wodke@umsicht.fhg.de 

www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de 

Institut für Kunststofftechnik 

Universität Stuttgart 

Böblinger Straße 70 

70199 Stuttgart 

Tel +49 711/685-62814 

Linda.Goebel@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de 

www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de 

narocon 

Dr. Harald Kaeb 

Tel.: +49 30-28096930 

kaeb@narocon.de 

www.narocon.de 

nova-Institut GmbH 

Chemiepark Knapsack 

Industriestrasse 300 

50354 Huerth, Germany 

Tel.: +49(0)2233-48-14 40 

E-Mail: contact@nova-institut.de 

www.biobased.eu 

Bioplastics Consulting 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

info@polymediaconsult.com 

UL International TTC GmbH 

Rheinuferstrasse 7-9, Geb. R33 

47829 Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany 

Tel: +49 (0)2151 88 3324 

Fax: +49 (0)2151 88 5210 

ttc@ul.com 

www.ulttc.com 

10. Institutions 

10.1 Associations 

BPI - The Biodegradable 

Products Institute 

331 West 57th Street, Suite 415 

New York, NY 10019, USA 

Tel. +1-888-274-5646 

info@bpiworld.org 

European Bioplastics e.V. 

Marienstr. 19/20 

10117 Berlin, Germany 

Tel. +49 30 284 82 350 

Fax +49 30 284 84 359 

info@european-bioplastics.org 


IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics 

and Biocomposites 

University of Applied Sciences 

and Arts Hanover 

Faculty II – Mechanical and 

Bioprocess Engineering 

Heisterbergallee 12 

30453 Hannover, Germany 

Tel.: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 22 69 

Fax: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 99 - 22 69 

lisa.mundzeck@fh-hannover.de 

http://www.ifbb-hannover.de/ 

Michigan State University 

Department of Chemical 

Engineering & Materials Science 

Professor Ramani Narayan 

East Lansing MI 48824, USA 

Tel. +1 517 719 7163 

narayan@msu.edu 

7. Biowerkstoff-Kongress 

International Conference 

on Bio-based Materials 

8–10 April 2014, Maternushaus, Cologne, Germany 

Organiser 

Venue & Accomodation 

Maternushaus Cologne, Germany 

Kardinal-Frings-Str. 1–3, 50668 Cologne 

+49 (0)221 163 10 | info@maternushaus.de 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM EUROPE: Bio-based Plastics and Composites 

– Biorefineries and Industrial Biotechnology 

1 st Day (8 April 2014): Policy and Industry 

• Policy & Strategy 

• Biorefineries in Europe 

• Innovation Award (6 presentations) 

2 nd Day (9 April 2014): Industry 

• Industrial Biotechnology & Bio-based building blocks 

• Bio-based plastics & polymers 

• Bio-based Composites 

3 rd Day (10 April 2014): Science 

• Science & Start-ups 

Book now 

10% reduction – enter code bio-based 

during your booking. 

www.nova-institute.eu 

Contact 

Dominik Vogt 

Exhibition, Partners, 

Media partners, Sponsors 

+49 (0)2233 4814-49 

dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de 

www.bio-based.eu/conference 


Companies in this issue 

Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert 

Agrana Starch Thermoplastics 43 

AIMPLAS 5 

Aphios Corporation 6 

API 43 

Arkema 21 

BASF 13 

Bio4Pack 27 

Biopolynov 45 

Biotec 14 44 

BPI - The Biodegradable Products Institute 45 

Braskem 11 

Celabor 22 

Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites 28 

CONAI 14 

Coperion 22 

Corbion Purac 10, 16 43 

DSM 18 

DuPont 43 

Ecovative Design 29 

Erema 10 44 

European Bioplastics 9, 10 45 

Evonik Industries 7 43, 47 

Extruline Systems 5 

FKuR 10 2, 43 

Flanders Plast Vision 22 

Floreon 10 

Ford 3, 15 

Fraunhofer ICT 10 

Fraunhofer IVV 10 

Fraunhofer LBF 22 

Fraunhofer UMSICHT 45 

Grabio Greentech Corporation 44 

Grafe 43, 44 

GreenTech 33 

Hallink 44 

Hanover University 13 

Helmut Lingemann 8, 9 

Huhtamaki Films 44 

Institut for Bioplastics & Biocomposites (IfBB) 9, 10, 34 45 

Institut für Kunststofftechnik 45 

Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) 22 

Jinhui ZhaoLong High Tech 28 43 

KACO 20 

Kingfa 43 

Kuender 8 

Lessonia 6 

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients 44 

Looplife 10 

Mercedes 3, 19 

Metabolix 10 

Metzerplas 5 

Michigan State University 10 45 

Minima Technology 44 

Mitsubishi Chemical 6 

narocon 45 

NaturePlast 43 

NatureWorks 10, 22 

Natur-Tec 43 

nova-Institut 5, 45 

Novamont 14 44, 48 

Organic Waste Systems 5 

Passive House Institute 25 

Pharmafilter 3, 8, 30 

Plastic Suppliers 44 

plasticker 7 

polymediaconsult 45 

PolyOne 10 43, 44 

Polytechnic Institute (Milan) 14 

President Packaging 44 

ProTec Polymer Processing 44 

PSM 44 

Rhein Chemie 44 

Roechling Automotive 10, 16 

Roquette 44 

Saida 44 

Schüco 25 

Sealed Air Corporation 29 

Shandong Fuwin 20, 43 

Shenzhen Esun Industrial 43 

Showa Denko 43 

Sidaplax 10 44 

Sulzer Chemtech 10 

Supla 8 

Synprodo 10, 26 

Taghleef Industries 10 44 

Technical University Berlin 9 

TianAn Biopolymer 44 

Tianjin Glory Tang 10 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer 10 44 

UL International 45 

University of Hanover 12 

Volkswagen 3, 20 

WinGram 43 

Wuhan Huali 7 

Xinfu Pharm 43 

Zandonella 26 1 

Roquette 34 

Saida 59 

Seemore New Materials 59 

ShanDong DongCheng 32 

Shandong Fuwin New Material Co 27, 58 

Shanghai Disoxidation 33 

Shenzhen Esun Industrial 58 

Showa Denko 58 

Sidaplax 59 

Siemens 37 

Solvay 31, 42 

Supla 13, 38 

Swiss Fed. Lab. f. Mat. Sc.+ Techn. 44 

Synbra 36 

Taghleef Industries 59 

Tecnaro 10, 12, 34 

Tecniq 36 

Texchem 30 

TianAn Biopolymer 59 

TPG 7 

Uhde Inventa-Fischer 15, 60 

UL International 60 

Univ. Modena + Reggio Emilia 26 

Univ. Pisa 26, 28 

Univ. Stuttgart IKT 60 

Wei Mon 59 

Weihenstephan Univ. App. Sc. 19 

Wifag Polytype 5 

WinGram 58 

Wuhan Huali 35, 59 

WWF 6 

Xinfu Pharm 58 

Zejiang Huju GreenWorks 31 

Editorial Planner 2014 

Issue Month Publ.-Date 

edit/ad/ 

Deadline 

02/2014 Mar/Apr 07.04.14 07.03.14 Thermoforming 

(Rigid packaging) 

Editorial Focus (1) Editorial Focus (2) Basics Fair Specials 

Polyurethanes / 

Elastomers 

Polyurethanes 

Chinaplas & 

Interpack Preview 

03/2014 May/Jun 02.06.14 02.05.14 Injection moulding Thermoset Injection Moulding Chinaplas & 

Interpack Review 

04/2014 Jul/Aug 04.08.14 04.07.14 Bottles / 

Blow Moulding 

05/2014 Sept/Oct 06.10.14 06.09.14 Fiber / Textile / 

Nonwoven 

06/2014 Nov/Dec 01.12.14 01.11.14 Films / Flexibles / 

Bags 

Fibre Reinforced 

Composites 

Toys 

Consumer 

Electronics 

PET 

Building Blocks 

Sustainability 

Subject to changes 

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6_2013

Issue 01/2014

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