bioplasticsMAGAZINE_1201

ioplastics magazine Vol. 6 ISSN 1862-5258
January/February
01 | 2012
Highlights
Automotive | 10
Basics
Basics of PLA | 54
... is read in 91 countries

FKuR plastics – made by nature! ®
Enjoy a cold drink at our NPE booth!
Transparent cups made from Biograde ®
FKuR invites you to stop by Booth 57042
at NPE 2012 to see our innovative
& fascinating developments.
FKuR Kunststoff GmbH
Siemensring 79
D - 47877 Willich
Phone: +49 2154 92 51-0
Fax: +49 2154 92 51-51
sales@fkur.com
www.fkur.com
FKuR Plastics Corp.
921 W New Hope Drive | Building 605
Cedar Park, TX 78613 | USA
Phone: +1 512 986 8478
Fax: +1 512 986 5346
sales.usa@fkur.com

Editorial
dear
readers
It was quite a shock last week, to read about ADM ending the Telles
joint venture. I cross my fingers and hope that Metabolix soon find a
new partner (or partners), and a new business model.
Meanwhile, let’s have a look into this latest issue. ‘Automotive’ is
in first place, as usual for the beginning of a year. In addition to
a new episode in the life of my favourite racing car we present a
number of interesting articles about automotive applications and
other developments related to the automotive industry.
‘Foam’ was also promised, but we are getting a bit short of news
for this issue. Initially planned just for the ‘Basics’ article, PLA has
become another real highlight in this issue.
Here you will also find our NPE’2012 preview. After 40 years in
Chicago this big North American trade show has moved to the
Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Besides a
preview, with brief notes about some of the exhibiting companies,
we offer a detachable centrefold with a floor plan of the exhibition
as a special service to all NPE visitors. If you are coming to the show
be sure to drop in to the bioplastics MAGAZINE booth and say hello
(booth # 58047).
If you prefer Europe as the place to pick up the latest news and
information on the innovations in our business, then please take
a look at the recently published programme (page 6) for our
2nd PLA World Congress on May 15th and 16th, 2012, in Munich,
Germany. I sincerely hope to see you, either here or there …
… and until then, we hope you enjoy reading bioplastics MAGAZINE
Sincerely yours
Michael Thielen
Follow us on twitter:
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Be our friend on Facebook:
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Register now! www.pla-world-congress.com
2 nd PLA World
C o n g r e s s
15 + 16 MAY 2012 * Munich * Germany
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 3

Content
Materials
New biobased plastic for technical applications ...... 24
Transparent packing material from birch .......... 31
Four-unit process technology for PLA manufacturing . 50
Application
The biological bearing material ................... 27
Editorial ...................................3
News ......................................5
Application News ...........................40
Suppliers Guide ............................62
Event Calendar .............................65
Companies in this issue .....................66
NPE
Show Preview .............................32
Show Guide ...............................36
01|2012
January/February
Foam
PHBV foams and its engineered composites ......... 28
Report
BIOCORE – a biorefinery concept .................. 42
Successful start in Thailand ...................... 52
From Science & Research
PLA nanocomposites ............................ 46
Basics
Basics of PLA .................................. 54
Did you know ?
Photovoltaic vs biofuels .......................... 58
Interview
Pilar Echezarreta ............................... 60
Automotive
BioConcept-Car .......................... 10
Fuel line made of bio-PA 1010 ............... 13
Bioplastics in automotive applications ......... 14
PLA and carbon nanotubes .................. 18
Automotive parts must be predictable ......... 20
Rubber from dandelions for tyres ............. 22
80% Bioplastic in Toyota SAI ................. 23
Imprint
Publisher / Editorial
Dr. Michael Thielen
Samuel Brangenberg
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
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47807 Krefeld, Germany
Total Print run: 7,200 copies
bioplastics magazine
ISSN 1862-5258
bioplastics magazine 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.
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readers wrapped in envelopes sponsored and
produced by Minima Technologies
Cover: Michael Thielen
4 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7
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News
Telles JV is ending – Mirel shall go on …
Metabolix announced on Jan. 12, 2012 that ADM has given
notice of termination of the Telles, LLC joint venture for PHA
bioplastics. Metabolix however, will remain committed to
successfully commercializing PHA bioplastics, as Richard
Eno, Chief Executive Officer of Metabolix points out.
The effective date of the termination will be February
8, 2012. Telles was established as a joint venture between
Metabolix, Cambridge, Massachussetts, USA, and ADM,
Decatur, Illinois, USA in July 2006. The joint venture sold
PHA-based bioplastics, including Mirel and Mvera, in the
USA, Europe and other countries.
All Metabolix technology concerning PHA bioplastics that
was used in the joint venture, including intellectual property
rights, will revert solely to Metabolix.
“Clearly, we are disappointed by ADM’s decision to withdraw
from Telles. While this is a setback, we remain committed to
successfully commercializing PHA bioplastics. Over the past
few years, we now have proven the technology at industrial
scale and believe that we now have the opportunity to launch
this business with a different business model,” said Richard
Eno. He continued, “We sincerely thank our customers,
distributors, and partners for their interest in developing
PHA-based solutions to address a growing market need
for bioplastics. We will be evaluating alternate plans for
commercialization and clearly wish to supply this growing
market in the future.”
Being asked by bioplastics MAGAZINE how such alternate
plans could look like, Richard Eno responded:” Given
Metabolix’s PHA intellectual property technology portfolio and
longtime experience within the industry, we’re confident that
we’ll be successful in finding a new option for manufacturing
and commercialization. The Company has been in contact
with potential partners who expressed interest – these
include raw materials suppliers, manufacturers, industry
players and customers. Metabolix will continue to engage in
new partnering discussions and evaluate options to launch
its PHA bioplastics business with a new model.”
And he added: “The bioplastics market is growing at 20
percent per year, and based on our experience, we can see
where a PHA offering can participate in this growth – as is
evidenced by the strong customer validation we’ve had for the
product. Metabolix’s PHA technology platform is a valuable
contribution to the industry, and as such, the Company plans
to continue to focus on the development of PHA bioplastics.
Metabolix is also developing biosourced industrial chemicals
and a proprietary platform technology for co-producing
plastics, chemicals and energy, from crops. We believe
that Metabolix is positioned for growth, as the demand for
biobased technologies
continues to rise.”
And finally, Eno is
keen to: “... express
my appreciation for
the efforts put forth
by the Telles and ADM
Polymer teams, who
have demonstrated
the commercialization
of PHA bioplastics at
world scale. MT
www.metabolix.com
Richard Eno, CEO, Metabolix
Rodenburg acquired Optimum
Rodenburg Biopolymers BV, Oosterhout, the Netherlands, manufacturer of potato starch based Solanyl bioplastic compounds,
has purchased Optimum BV, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, producer of FlourPlast biodegradable biopolymers. Details about
the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Both products, Solanyl and FlourPlast, were developed with the German company Wacker Chemie from Munich.
The acquisition enables Rodenburg to serve both the converter and the compounder markets with biopolymers. The raw
materials for their Solanyl compound are based on reclaimed side stream starch from the potato processing industry. This
is now complemented by Optimum’s proprietary FlourPlast biopolymer, based on grain-derived products, which can be
directly compounded with existing biopolyesters. In addition, FlourPlast allows processors to fine-tune bioplastic or polyolefin
formulations to achieve desired properties and reduce costs. Solanyl, available since 2004 can be used in injection moulding,
sheet extrusion, thermoforming and blow moulding. It is sold as a compound, where as FlourPlast is sold as a pre-compound
system. MT
www.biopolymers.nl
www.optimumbioplastics.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 5

News
bioplastics MAGAZINE presents:
The 2nd PLA World Congress in Munich/Germany is the must-attend
conference for everyone interested in PLA, its benefits, and challenges.
The conference offers high class presentations from top individuals in the
industry and also offers excellent networkung opportunities. Please find below the
preliminary programme. Find more details and register at the conference website
2 nd PLA World
C o n g r e s s
15 + 16 MAY 2012 * Munich * Germany
www.pla-world-congress.com
2nd PLA World Congress, Preliminary Program
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
08:00 - 09:00 Registration, Welcome-Coffee
09:00 - 09:15 Michael Thielen, Polymedia Publisher Welcome
09:15 - 09:45 Harald Kaeb, narocon Keynote Speech: Bioplastics - Future or Hype ?
09:50 - 10:15 Udo Mühlbauer, Uhde Inventa-Fischer Latest developments in production of PLA
10:15 - 10:40 Chae Hwan Hong, Hyundai-Kia Motors Development of Four Unit Process Technologies for PLA Manufacturing
10:40 - 10:55 Q&A
10:55 - 11:20 Coffeebreak
11:20 - 11:45 Mark Vergauwen, NatureWorks The Latest in Ingeo Performance Developments
11:45 - 12:10 Francois de Bie, Purac High Heat PLA for use in high performance fibers and other durable appl.
12:10 - 12:35 Kevin Yang, Shenzhen Brightchina ESUN PLA
12:35 - 12:50 Q&A
12:50 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 14:35 Patrick Zimmermann, FkUR Modifying PLA to the next level
14:35 - 14:50 Karin Molenveld, Wageningen (WUR) Strain induced crystallisation as a method to optimize PLA properties
14:50 - 15:15 Daniel Ganz, Sukano PLA Masterbatch Technology – State of the art and latest trends
15.15 - 15:40 Marcel Dartee, Polyone Additives / Masterbatches for PLA
15:40 - 15:55 Q&A
15:55 - 16:30 Coffeebreak
16:35 - 17:00 Jan Noordegraaf, Synbra PLA particle foam
17:00 - 17:25 N.N., Toray International Toray‘s modified PLA materials
17:25 - 17:50 Mr. Shim, SK Chemicals title t.b.c.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
09:00 - 09:25 Karl Zimmermann, Brückner Latest Technology in Film Stretching
09:25 - 09:50 Frank Ernst, Taghleef NATIVIATM – The BoPLA film for packaging and labelling applications
09:50 - 10:15 Larissa Zirkel, Huhtamaki Innovative Concepts of Functional PLA Films
10:15 - 10:40 Shankara Prasad, SPC Biotech Bio conversion of agriwaste to polylactic acid
10:40 - 10:55 Q&A
10.55 - 11:20 Coffeebreak
11:20 - 11:45 Johann Zimmermann, NaKu Processing PLA (title t.b.c.)
11:45 - 12:10 N.N., Ireland, t.b.c. Processing PLA (title t.b.c.)
12:10 - 12:35 Mathias Hahn, Fraunhofer IAP Modification of PLA with view to enhanced barrier and thermal properties
12:35 - 12:50 Q&A
12:50 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 14:35 Steve Dejonghe, Galactic Building the recycling scheme for PLA
14:35 - 14:50 Gerold Breuer, Erema Closing the loop on bioplastics by mechanical recycling
14:50 - 15:15 Sebastian Schippers, (IKV) Recycling of polylactic acid and utilization of recycled polylactic acid
15.15 - 15:40 Ramani Narayan, Michigan State University Positioning and branding PLA products from carbon footprint and end-of-life
15:40 - 15:55 Q&A
16:00 - 16:30 Panel discussion: End of life options
(subject to changes, visit www.pla-world-congress for updates)
6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

News
New plants to produce succinic acid and BDO
BioAmber Inc. from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, a next
generation chemicals company, and Mitsui & Co., Chiyodaku,
Tokyo, Japan, a leading global trading company, have
partnered to build and operate the previously announced
manufacturing facility in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The initial
phase of the facility is expected to have production capacity of
17,000 tonnes of biosuccinic acid and commence commercial
production in 2013. The partners intend to subsequently
expand capacity and produce 35,000 tonnes of succinic
acid and 23,000 tonnes of 1,4 butanediol (BDO) on the site.
Bioamber and Mitsui also intend to jointly build and operate
two additional facilities that, together with Sarnia, will have
a total cumulative capacity of 165,000 tonnes of succinic acid
and 123,000 tonnes of BDO. BioAmber will be the majority
shareholder in the plants.
Succinic acid and 1,4-BDO are used to make polybutylene
succinate biopolymer (PBS), a biodegradable polymer that
until now is made from petroleum. “The use of BioAmber
Biosuccinic Acid enables the PBS biopolymer to be not only
biodegradable, but also partially renewable and — more cost
effective”, as Babette Pettersen, Senior VP Marketing & Sales
of BioAmber explained to bioplastics MAGAZINE, “in addition,
BioAmber also has a low-cost route to Bio-1,4-BDO, based
on technology licensed from DuPont, that enables us to
tranform biosuccinic acid into Bio 1,4-BDO. This will enable a
100% renewable biopolymer (Bio-Succinic Acid + Bio-BDO).”
One of the key issues with biopolymers to date has been
lack of performance. PBS takes this to another level, and
BioAmber‘s mPBS (modified PBS) enhances these properties
further. Designed and formulated using BioAmber’s
proprietary technology, their mPBS meets end-user
requirements for higher performing, biodegradable plastics.
The uniformity, performance and processability of mPBS in
existing equipment has been confirmed by a number of end
users, with applications ranging from foodservice cutlery
and coffee cup lids to plates, bowls, straws and stirrers,
through to durable applications in Automotive, Building &
Construction...
BioAmber and Mitsui plan to build and operate a second
plant in Thailand, which is projected to come on line in 2014.
The partners are currently undertaking a feasibility study for
the Thailand plant with PTT MCC Biochem Company Limited,
a joint venture established between Mitsubishi Chemical
Corporation and PTT Public Company Limited. BioAmber
and Mitsui & Co. also plan to build and operate a third plant,
located in either North America or Brazil, which will be
similar in size to the Thailand project.
“Our goal is to play a leading role in the growth of renewable
chemicals, as evidenced by our recent joint ventures with
BioAmber in North America for biosuccinic acid and The
Dow Chemical Company in Brazil for biochemicals,” said
Masanori Ikebe, General Manager of Mitsui’s Specialty
Chemicals Division. “We believe that biosuccinic acid and
bio‐BDO will experience rapid growth over the next decade,
and BioAmber’s technology leadership is an excellent fit with
Mitsui’s strength across the supply chain,” he added.
“BioAmber’s partnership with Mitsui & Co. is a strong
endorsement of our technology platform,” said Jean‐
Francois Huc, CEO of BioAmber. “Mitsui is an ideal partner
thanks to its long term commitment to renewable chemistry,
its extensive reach into chemical markets and its strategic
access to sustainable feedstocks. Mitsui also has the
financial strength to support our expansion and help us
compete internationally,” he added. MT
www.bio-amber.com
www.mitsui.com
CHINAPLAS 2012 Grand Returns to Shanghai
CHINAPLAS 2012 (The 26th International Exhibition on Plastics and Rubber Industries), which is dedicated to showcasing
the world-class cutting-edge plastics and rubber technologies, will grandly return to Shanghai and held at Shanghai New
International Expo Centre on April 18-21, 2012. One of 11 theme zones the organizer has set up in order to highlight the
development of each specialized area comprehensively by displaying their cutting-edge technologies, techniques and
applications for various industries is dedicated to bioplastics.
The Bioplastics Zone will be the second year established in CHINAPLAS 2012, expecting more than 40% increase in the
area. With the growing global concern on green manufacturing, bioplastics is inevitably the focus in the plastics industry, with
enormous potential in the market. As the international platform for advanced technology in the plastics and rubber industries,
CHINAPLAS 2012 will introduce the world’s leading bioplastics suppliers and their products like PLA, PHA, PBS, PPC, PCL,
PVA, TPS, PA and PTT. The renowned exhibitors include Cardia, Danisco, Ecomann, Esun, Hisun, Kingfa, Mirel Plastics,
NatureWorks, Nuvia, etc. Highlighting advanced technology and latest development on bioplastics, the 4th International
Conference on Bioplastics and the Applications will be held concurrently with CHINAPLAS 2012. Like the last edition held in
2011, speakers from the leading bioplastics suppliers will be invited. Overseas and Chinese plastics associations will continue
to support the conference.
www.chinapasOnline.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 7

News
Congress unveiled two-figure
growth in WPC production
With nearly 300 participants from 21 countries and 30
exhibitors, the 4 th German WPC Congress, Cologne (13 th -14 th
December 2011) organised by nova-Institute once more lived
up to its reputation as the industry’s leading European event.
The European market for Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs)
has been growing at an average annual rate of 35% since
2005. Given the current levels of investment in expanding
production and growing interest from both trade and
consumers, the industry is optimistic about the future and
expects continued growth in every sector in the coming years
over the next few years.
WPCs are predominantly used in applications that
emphasise product characteristics such as great rigidity
and low shrinkage (compared to pure plastics) and better
durability and mouldability (than pure wood products).
However, as prices for plastics rise, it is only a matter of a
few years before WPC pellets are cheaper than pure plastic
pellets (they are presently 20-30% more expensive) and can
then conquer mass markets.
Winners of the WPC Innovation Prize –
Evonik, Möller and Werzalit
The presentation of the ‘WPC Innovation Prize’, which was
sponsored this year by BASF Color Solution Germany was
awarded to three companies. The audience of the congress
voted for their favourites out of a short list of six innovations.
1 st place: Evonik Industries, Essen, Germany
- PLEXIGLAS ® Wood PMMA-wood composite
Together with Reifenhäuser, Evonik developed a pure
PMMA-wood composite that could be used to produce directly
extruded profiles. Evonik says that the new material ‘takes
WPCs to a whole new level in terms of weather resistance,
colour stability, dimensional stability and technical strength’.
The 2 nd place went to Möller, Meschede, Germany for a new
WPC noise protection profile and the 3 rd place was awarded to
Werzalit, Oberstenfeld, Germany for their process technology
for in-mould coating of injection-moulded WPC parts. MT
www.wpc-kongress.de
Coca-Cola signed agreements
to develop 100% plant based bottles
In Mid December 2011 the Dutch company Avantium,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands announced an agreement
with The Coca-Cola Company to further co-develop their
YXY technology for producing PEF bottles. First milestones
include the start-up of an Avantium PEF pilot plant last
December. Avantium plans to initiate commercial production
of PEF in about three to four years.
The Coca-Cola Company at the same time announced
multi-million dollar partnership agreements with two other
leading biotechnology companies to accelerate development
of the first commercial solutions for next-generation
PlantBottle packaging made 100% from plant based
materials.
The Coca-Cola Company‘s first generation PlantBottle
packaging is the only fully recyclable PET bottle made with
up to 30% plant-based material available today. PlantBottle
packaging is made up of two components: MEG (monoethylene
glycol), which makes up 30% of the PET, and
is already made from plant materials, and PTA (purified
terephthalic acid), which makes up the other 70%. In the
next step, PTA will be replaced with plant-based materials,
too.
Therfore, Coca-Cola signed agreements with Virent
and Gevo, also industry leaders in developing plant-based
alternatives to materials traditionally made from fossil fuels
and other non-renewable resources.
Virent, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, has a patented
technology that features catalytic chemistry to convert plantbased
sugars into — among others — bio-based paraxylene,
a key component needed to deliver plant-based terephthalic
acid.
Gevo, Englewood, Colorado, USA is going develop and
commercialize technology to produce paraxylene from biobased
isobutanol.
Since introduced in 2009, the
Coca-Cola Company has already
distributed more than 10 billion partly
biobased PlantBottle packages in 20
countries worldwide. MT
www.thecoca-colacompany.com
www.yxy.com
www.gevo.com
www.virent.com
8 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

News
New crystal clear bioplastic
for injection moulding
End of last year FKuR from Willich, Germany presented its further
developments of the cellulose acetate based Biograde® products. The
highlight of this development is Biograde® V 2091 which is a completely
transparent injection mouldable grade that has been developed for
thin wall parts with long flow paths. Along with its high transparency,
Biograde V 2091 stands out due to its smooth and shiny surface.
Moreover, especially for thin walled parts, it outperforms standard
polystyrene (PS) as to flexibility and heat distortion temperature.
With these extended properties, the product line Biograde sets new
standards and allows for the realization of diverse applications within
the electronic and household appliances sector.
Plate and cup made from transparent Biograde
V 2091 (Photos FKuR Kunststoff GmbH)
www.fkur.com
FKuR will present more details on
their PLA activities at the
2 nd PLA World
C o n g r e s s
15 + 16 MAY 2012 * Munich * Germany
Contact sales@fkur.com, to get a
15% discount on the conference fee.
organized by bM
A truly globally diverse
conference addressing the entire
value chain.
Experience networking and
interactive events for real-time
collaboration unlike any other.
www.biopolymerworld.com
Mestre-Venice, Italy, 23-24 April
+1 858.592.6951
Early Bird
Discount Ends
24 February
Latest technology, future
directions, & emergent trends
that will leave you inspired.
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 9

Automotive
BioConcept-Car –
New approaches into
biomaterials
By Michael Thielen
The rear hatch made of
flax and hemp
The new ‘Bio-Rocco’ (Michael
Thielen as passenger)
The BioConcept-Car has become a true and faithful companion
of bioplastics MAGAZINE. In our first ‚automotive issue‘
in early 2007 we introduced the Ford Mustang racing car
with bodywork made of flax fibre reinforced linseed acrylate. In
2009, during the Composites Europe trade show the next generation
BioConcept-Car, a green Renault Mégane Trophy was shown
and bioplastics MAGAZINE reported in issue 01/2010. Last autumn
the current BioConcept-Car, in this case a Volkswagen Scirocco,
was introduced on the famous German race track, the Nürburgring,
and during this event I was invited to experience a lap in
the passenger seat of the car. I must admit: “What an experience
!” Thomas (Tom) von Löwis of Menar, head of the Four Motors
racing team, drove me around the legendary Nordschleife (‘The
green hell’) at up to 240 km/h (150 mph) — up and down the ‘Eifel’
hills and through one hairpin bend after another …. It was a great
day. And after this experience I spoke with Tom von Löwis as well
as with Prof. Hans-Josef Endres 1 , who consults for Four Motors
with regard to the future use of bioplastics in the BioConcept-Car.
On automanager.tv (an Internet platform) the editor and
presenter Guido Marschall conducted an interview 2 with these two
gentlemen. This article comprises parts of both these interviews.
The Volkswagen Scirocco BioConcept-Car — in short the ‘Bio-
Rocco’ — is a biodiesel driven racing car like its predecessors, but
fuelled with a new generation of biodiesel, the so-called ‘NExBTL’.
And it is becoming more and more sustainable. As a first step, the
car was equipped with a rear hatch made of hemp and flax fibres.
MT: What were the main reasons to convert the rear hatch to
this special material?
TvL: Besides the fact that we are trying to use as much biobased
material as possible, lightweighting is an important issue.
HJE: The topic of lightweighting is certainly important not only
in order to win races, but also with a view to the fuel consumption
and the exhaust emissions. But another very important fact here
is the topic of resource conservation in terms of the materials
used. We want to build highly efficient cars, however, not simply
by using the resources that are available today. We also want
to do this in 50 years from now. We want to apply plastics, with
their fantastic properties, in the future, and also for demanding
technical applications. Thus we need materials that do not
depend on limited resources but are available even in the long
term — and with the technical properties we need.
10 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Automotive
The ‘Bio-Rocco‘ (Photo: Four-Motors)
GM: Now, these new materials are not being developed in
the first place with the aim of achieving new records in car
racing, but motor sport offers the possibility of testing these
new materials to the limit, and then to take advantage of
these experiences for series production vehicles. Besides the
fun that motor sport offers, this has been common practice
for years, even in Formula 1. Which new insights are being
collected with biomaterials used in motor sport today?
TvL: One example is lightweighting, which we just
mentioned. Let us compare this new version with a
component in the first Mustang in 2006. The natural fibre
reinforced material at that time was slightly heavier than a
fibreglass material. Today, for example with the support of
Professor Endres, the new hemp/flax version is almost as
light as carbon fibre.
HJE: We have learned a lot. Natural fibres in fact show
similar, although different, properties from those of glass or
carbon fibres. And subsequently the processing is similar but
also different. Here questions had to be resolved, for example
concerning the draping of a fabric. How does the weaving
technology have to be adopted in order to optimise the
draping behaviour? What is the optimum weight per area of
a fabric so that the fabric can absorb enough resin and lead
to an optimum final density? What about the compatibility
(fibre/matrix adhesion) of the natural fibres and the resins?
What are the resulting material properties of the composite?
We are at the very beginning of an exciting learning process.
GM: What kind of biomaterials are we talking about here?
HJE: The natural fibres we are using are flax and hemp. For
the time being we are combining these with petroleum based
castable crosslinked resin systems because we wanted to
concentrate first on the optimisation that we mentioned in
terms of fibres and weaving. But in future steps we also want
to look into resin systems based on vegetable oils, such as
linseed or sunflower. For the thermoplastic materials we are
looking at different technical bioplastics like bio-PA or new
biopolyesters, and in future also at biobased polypropylene.
GM: Which components in the racing car can be replaced
by components made from biobased materials?
TvL: I would not venture to say all, but most probably all
those body parts that can be replaced in a racing car, such as
the hood, left, and right doors, the rear hatch, the front and
back bumpers, fenders etc. can all be made from these new
natural fibre composites.
MT: Are these natural fibre composites as stable as
conventional ones?
HJE: They can withstand the same loads as body parts
made from fibreglass or carbon fibre, and one additional
advantage is that they do not splinter in crashes.
GM: And this is most especially desirable if we think about
converting the material to series production vehicles.
HJE: Yes, and they are lighter today than fibreglass parts,
and only 30 percent of the weight of a steel version. In a small
production series they can even be manufactured at a lower cost.
Tom von Löwis, Hans-Josef Endres and Guido
Marschall on automonager.tv (photo: automanager.tv)
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 11

GM: For example in the field of electromobility consumers
set great store on showing that they are doing good for the
environment. Shouldn’t biomaterials offer the possibility of
showing this particular property, i.e. of being ‘green’? Or is
it still a ‘no-go’ to leave natural fibres openly visible in a car?
TvL: For carbon fibre parts it is sexy to see the black fabric
through the resin in an unpainted part. People want to see
and show what high tech parts they have. We should take
a similar approach. Make it visibly clear that we are using
biobased materials — and be proud of it.
Hans-Josef Endres and Tom von Löwis
MT: And what comes next?
HJE: In addition to the doors, fenders etc, we will look into
three-dimensional parts such as mirror housings or parts of
the dashboard. But here completely different thermoplastic
processable bioplastics are needed. And even here we want
to compete with petroleum-based materials in terms of
quality, durability and cost.
GM: Will all this also be suitable for mass production? We
know from carbon fibre applications that it was not possible
to convert the manufacturing processes easily to series
production. Now we are getting there slowly, and step by step.
HJE: Of course we see a chance here and this is a challenge.
But we are only at the beginning of the development. In fact
there are already quite a number of bioplastics in automotive
applications today. These are parts in the interior such as
hatracks, spare-wheel covers or parts of the instrument
panel. All these can be manufactured with existing mass
production techniques. However, most of these parts are
invisible or covered. One of the next steps is to make exterior
parts and visible parts.
GM: Let’s talk about money. The OEMs and sub-suppliers
are always interested in the cost factor. I assume these
new materials are not cheaper than the conventional ones,
otherwise the automotive industry would be applying them
already.
HJE: Well, you should not only look at the raw material cost
but at the complete system. If we consider for example the
‘end of life’, we know that in waste incineration glass fibres
would create ash. Natural fibres, however, don’t leave behind
so much ash but contribute to what we call ‘renewable
energy’. If we look at the processing we see that glass fibres
are more abrasive, whereas natural fibres are not abrasive.
Thus the life-time of tools and dies is much longer.
MT: In addition it can be observed that the cost of traditional
plastics is rising with the increasing price of oil. So biobased
plastics will become competitive in the mid to long term,
and not only via economies of scale with larger production
capacities.
But after all this talking about materials and renewable
resources, there is one more important target for Tom von
Löwis and his team: They want to drive and win races with
their BioConcept Car. Good luck for the coming season!
www.fourmotors.com
www.ifbb-hannover.de
www.fnr.de
1: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans Josef Endres, IfBB,
Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites,
University Hanover, Germany. Supported by the
FNR (Agency for Renewable Resources within the
German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and
Consumer Protection) the IfBB will assist Four
Motors to develop more and more components
made from biobased materials (natural fibres and
bioplastics) for the BioConcept Car.
2: We are grateful to Guido Marschall and
autmomanager.tv for the permission to publish
parts of their ‘auto-talk’ interview of Dec. 13th
2011. www.automanager.tv
Covergirl Christine also took a ride in the
Bio-Rocco. She said: “Amazing, a ‘green car’
in the’green hell’ and with more biobased
plastic parts it becomes even greener.”
12 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Automotive
Photo: DuPont
Fuel line made of bio-PA 1010
The fluid transfer system supplier Hutchinson SRL, of
Rivoli, Italy, has specified a DuPont Zytel ® RS polyamide
grade based on PA 1010 for the production of
fuel lines used with both diesel and biodiesel. The renewably-sourced
long-chain nylon was chosen in preference to
competitive grades of PA12 on the basis of its superior temperature
resistance and long-term aging performance in biodiesel.
The extruded, monolayer fuel line from Hutchinson is
already in use on commercial new turbo and multijet diesel
engines used on several Fiat vehicles, including the Fiat 500,
Panda, Punto, Lancia Delta, Alfa Romeo MiTo and Giulietta.
As well as seeking to increase the use of renewablysourced
polymers to reduce dependence on fossil fuels,
automotive manufacturers, OEMs and materials suppliers
are modifying engine and fuel systems to run efficiently
on the latest generation of biofuels, including biodiesel.
Components for such systems must resist the chemicallyaggressive
biofuels, temperature extremes and mechanical
stresses for the lifetime of the vehicle. This specific Zytel
RS grade based on PA1010, which contains more than 60%
renewably sourced ingredient by weight, offers properties
typical of flexible polyamides with additional benefits such
as superior high temperature resistance when compared
to materials such as PA 12, high chemical resistance and
low permeability to fuel and gases. It is suitable for a range
of extrusion applications including fuel lines, hydraulic
hoses, corrugated tubes, transmission oil cooler hoses and
pneumatic tubes.
“We were seeking a polymer for our fuel line application that
was preferably renewably-sourced, for a more sustainable
solution, and was able to provide the best aging stability in
biodiesel,” explains Katia Rossi, development manager at
Hutchinson. “We considered a number of flexible polyamides,
including PA12 as they had previously been specified for similar
fuel line systems, but material testing showed Zytel RS PA1010
to meet our requirements. It combines, for example, superior
temperature resistance to PA12 with the best resistance to
biodiesel at high temperatures.” Data on aging performance in
biodiesel was obtained by immersing the materials in the most
common biodiesel – rapeseed methyl ester (RME) – at 125 °C
(257 °F) for 1,000 hours and measuring retained mechanical
properties. The B30 biodiesel used for testing is made up of
30% biofuel from rapeseed and recycled vegetable oil and 70%
standard diesel and is suitable for many diesel cars.
By specifying the DuPont material for its fuel line for diesel
engines, Hutchinson gains a longer-lasting solution that
is also market leading in terms of its renewably-sourced
content. “With more than 60% by weight, this Zytel RS grade
based on PA1010 has one of the highest levels of renewablysourced
content currently available for a high performance
nylon,” confirms Mario Delbosco, development programs
manager at DuPont Performance Polymers. The renewable
carbon in PA1010 comes from sebacic acid, which in turn is
derived from castor oil.
The successful adoption of renewably-sourced Zytel nylon
for the fuel line, which is already in commercial use on
diesel-engined cars, has encouraged Hutchinson to extend
the application to other automotive manufacturers in Europe
and beyond as well as other fuel system applications.
www.dupont.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 13

Automotive
Bioplastics in
automotive applications
By
Daniela Rusu, Séverine A.E. Boyer
Marie-France Lacrampe, Patricia Krawczak
Ecole des Mines de Douai, Department of
Polymers and Composites Technology &
Mechanical Engineering, Douai, France
Nowadays, polymeric materials represent approximately 20 % of the
total weight of an automobile, in other words 100 to 150 kg/car.
This substantial need in plastics, and recent economical and ecological
issues such as the increasing crude oil price, accelerated depletion
of fossil resources, together with the new regulations for controlling
greenhouse gas emissions and management of the end-of-life of vehicles,
has encouraged the automotive industry to develop, adapt or revive
some long existing more eco-friendly plastic materials and biocomposites
for their modern cars.
Currently bioplastics cover a wide range of materials, from commodity
thermoplastics up to engineering materials and thermosetting resins.
Within these bio-based polymeric materials, some are already validated
for different automotive applications: it is the case for some bio-based
polyamides and bio-based polyurethane foams, but also for polylactic
acid formulations and fabrics.
Other bioplastics with potential/validated use in automotive industry
are belonging to the class of bio-based polyesters and copolyesters,
starch plastics, bio-based polyolefins and bio-based thermosetting
polymers such as unsaturated polyester resins or bio-based epoxies (for
more details see [1]). And even if some of their present features are not
yet optimal for durable automotive applications, they could offer in future
real alternatives for petrochemical plastics in modern cars.
Taken from Handbook of Bioplastics and
Biocomposites Engineering Applications
edited by Srikanth Pilla – Wiley-Scrivener 2011
(http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/
productCd-0470626070.html).
14 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Automotive
The following shows three examples of bioplastics and vegetal fibre
reinforced bioplastics to have an idea about the potential of these types of
materials for automotive applications.
Biopolyamides (Bio-PA)
Polyamides (PA) are engineering thermoplastics that combine excellent
mechanical properties, such as high mechanical strength and stiffness,
wear properties, good heat resistance, together with chemical resistance
to oils and solvents, dielectric properties, fire resistance, good appearance,
and good processability. All these interesting features design them for
high-end automotive applications, especially for under-the-hood car
compartment. In fact, PA and PA composites represent about 10% of the
plastics parts in modern cars.
Until recently, the polyamides for car applications were petro-based,
except the Rilsan ® PA 11 from Arkema, derived from castor oil, and already
used for flexible tubing, mono-wall fuel lines and Rilperm ® multi-layer fuel
lines, such as in ESD-Flex conductive fuel-pump module for General Motor
car models, and for friction parts, quick connectors, pneumatic brake
noses.
Today, several other new bio-based polyamides appeared on the market,
derived (at least partly) from renewable feedstocks such as castor beans
and sugar cane. A recent example of an under-the-hood application of a
biopolyamide, the DuPont Zytel ® RS, PA 6.10 (with 62.5% biobased carbon
content), is the new automotive radiator end tank proposed by Toyota,
Denso and DuPont Automotive consortium, and used in some 2009 Toyota
Camrys vehicles.
In appears that current and emerging bio-PA are promising new solutions
for replacing the petrochemical polyamides, but also for extending the
metal substitution in car applications, improving automotive comfort,
design and insulation, and enriching the performances with fuel economy
and reduced CO 2
emissions.
PLA and PLA-based composites
While the biopolyamides already represent themselves as engineering
polymers for high-end automotive applications, PLA is a rather new polymer
in automotive applications and from some aspects, still in development.
For long time, this aliphatic biodegradable polyester was intended only for
biomedical and packaging uses, but in the last years, new PLA-improved
materials were proposed for durable applications, such as transportation,
electrical applications and electronics.
Up to now, PLA fibers and fabrics were proposed for floor mats, in
Toyota Raum and Prius cars (2003), and for canvas roof and carpet mats
in Ford Model U (2003). The more recent Biofront stereocomplex PLA codeveloped
Teijin & Mazda, is intended for automotive applications such as
car seat fabric, as for Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid vehicle, but also
floor mats, pillar cover, door trim, front panel and ceiling material.
Vegetal fibre reinforced PLA is another class of green materials, with
current and potential car applications. For instance, Toyota is already
proposing automotive applications for PLA/kenaf biocomposites, such
as the cover spare wheel on Toyota Prius and Toyota Raum (2003) or the
translucent roof PLA/kenaf and ramie biocomposites on Toyota 1/X plug-in
hybrid concept vehicle.
Castor plant
Accelerator pedal made from bio-PA 6.10 (prototype)
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 15

However, the long-term properties of PLA-based materials intended
for durable applications are to be validated over different time periods
and aggressive environment conditions, before thinking to extend their
automotive applications.
Bio-based polypropylene (bio-PP)
Petrochemical polypropylene (PP) is largely used in modern
cars, and this is an important motivation for developing alternative
greener materials with similar features, able to substitute it. Several
attempts were made for obtaining bio-PP via bio-ethanol from
different renewably feedstocks. For instance, Braskem and Novozymes
announced a research partnership to develop large-scale production of
green PP from sugarcane, a resin already obtained on laboratory scale
(Braskem) and certified as 100% renewable. In the same time, Mazda
is actively developing a bio-route for obtaining various PP and ethylenepropylene
copolymers from cellulosic biomass. These new bio-based
materials are intended in future to replace their petrochemical
counterparts automotive applications such as (i) car bumpers and
bumper spoilers, lateral siding, roof/boot spoilers, rocker panels,
body panels; (ii) dashboards and dashboard carriers, door pockets
and panels, consoles; (iii) heating ventilation air conditioning, battery
covers, air ducts, pressure vessels, splash shields.
In future, the new bio-based PP could also gradually shift the
petrochemical PP from its biocomposites with natural fibers, in trim
SusPack
conference on sustainable packaging
2012
www.suspack.eu
For the second time at the Anuga FoodTec, the conference
„Sustainable Packaging - SusPack 2012“ is taking place from
March 29th - 30th 2012.
At the two-day conference (at Koelnmesse, Cologne) current issues
and solutions for sustainability in the packaging industry will be
presented and discussed. The focus is on bio-based packaging:
Where and in what form have they been able to establish? What
benefi ts do they bring? What has to be considered in the use? And
fi nally, what innovations, trends and potentials are becoming evident?
Topics
new developments in bio-packaging
End-of-life options
overview over packaging market
SusPack 2012:
booking now on
www.suspack.eu
how to reduce food decay through new packaging solutions
packaging from bio-based Polyethylen
Call for papers & SusPack Award
PLA based car seat fabric
(photo: Mazda)
parts applications in dashboards, door panels,
parcel shelves, seat cushions, backrests and
cabin linings, car disk brakes and even for exterior
applications, such as the engine/transmission
covers in Mercedes-Benz Travego Coach.
General Conclusions
Recent economical and ecological increasing
concerns are offering strong motivations for
substituting the well-known polymeric materials
derived from fossil feedstocks and, in some
cases, some metal materials with more ecofriendly
materials from renewable resources, for
a wide range of durable applications.
More particularly, the green high-end polymeric
materials are presenting a large potential for
car applications and this trend is expected to
grow over the next decades, knowing that the
next-generation of vehicles will need to show
enhanced efficiency in material use and increased
technical and functional performances, while
providing improved ecological footprint and less
dependence on fossil feedstock costs.
www.mines-douai.fr
[1] Handbook of Bioplastics and Biocomposites
Engineering Applications, chapter “Bioplastics
and Bioplastics and Vegetal Fibre Reinforced
Bioplastics in Automotive Applications”, edited by
Srikanth Pilla
Take part and send your application to Ms. Lena Scholz,
phone: +49 (0)2233 48 1448, e-mail:
lena.scholz@nova-institut.de, by January 27 th , 2012.
Organiser
www.nova-institut.eu
Partner
www.anugafoodtec.de
Do you have any questions
concerning SusPack 2012?
We are happy to help you!
Mr. Dominik Vogt
Tel.: +49 (0) 22 33 – 48 14 49
dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de
16 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

BIOADIMIDE TM IN BIOPLASTICS.
EXPANDING THE PERFORMANCE OF BIO-POLYESTER.
NEW PRODUCT LINE AVAILABLE:
BIOADIMIDE ADDITIVES EXPAND
THE PERFOMANCE OF BIO-POLYESTER
BioAdimide additives are specially suited to improve the hydrolysis resistance and the processing stability of bio-based
polyester, specifically polylactide (PLA), and to expand its range of applications. Currently, there are two BioAdimide grades
available. The BioAdimide 100 grade improves the hydrolytic stability up to seven times that of an unstabilized grade, thereby
helping to increase the service life of the polymer. In addition to providing hydrolytic stability, BioAdimide 500 XT acts as a
chain extender that can increase the melt viscosity of an extruded PLA 20 to 30 percent compared to an unstabilized grade,
allowing for consistent and easier processing. The two grades can also be combined, offering both hydrolysis stabilization and
improved processing, for an even broader range of applications.
Focusing on performance for the plastics industries.
Whatever requirements move your world:
We will move them with you. www.rheinchemie.com

Automotive
PLA and carbon nanotubes
Nanotechnology for automotive applications
Conductivity (S/cm)
1,4
1,2
1
0,8
0,6
0,4
0,2
0
By
A. Tielas, V. Ventosinos, M. de Dios
Plastic Product / Process Area
Engineering & Development Department
Galician Automotive Technological Centre
(CTAG)
Porriño, Spain
PLA/CNT (7%) PLA/CNT (7%)
Talc (10%)
PP/CNT (7%) PP/CNT (7%)
Talc (10%)
Fig. 1. Conductivity measured by the Van der Pauw method
of 15x15x2 mm polylactic acid (PLA) and polypropylene (PP)
pieces filled with the same content of CNT. PLA pieces
exhibit more than five times the conductivity of PP samples.
R impact
Impact
R t=∞
Fig. 2. Resistance profile in a polymer/CNT sample
during an impact.
The continuous development of science is making possible
the design of new materials with properties that were unthinkable
a few years ago. The constant searching for lighter
compounds, durable and compatible with the environment, has
become one of the main goals of many researches today. In this
sense, nanotechnology has quickly revolutionized the whole picture
of current design of high added value materials due to the
unique properties that those composites exhibit in fields as diverse
as electronics, mechanics, optics or magnetism.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) perfectly illustrate all the benefits
that nanotechnology can bring, especially in the manufacture
of polymer based nanocomposites. This is due to, among other
reasons, their high electrical and thermal conductivity, which
are transferred to the polymer, even using relatively small loads
of CNTs. Many studies are being carried out to optimize the
fabrication of polymer/CNT compounds, especially to improve the
dispersion of CNTs within the polymer matrix.
The Galician Automotive Technology Centre (CTAG), through its
Engineering and Development department in the area of plastic
products, seeks to explore and exploit all the inherent advantages
of joining together polymer science and nanotechnology.
Committed to the need to preserve respect for the environment
by using, as far as possible, renewable sourced materials, CTAG
currently develops compounds based on polylactic acid (PLA) and
CNTs intended for diverse applications.
Indeed, one of the most interesting properties of PLA/CNT
composites from the standpoint of the practical applicability is
their electrical conductivity. It is known that internal CNT networks
are formed beyond a given threshold concentration of filler, the
point at which a great increase of the electrical conductivity of the
material appears. The electrical behaviour of the polymer also
largely depends on the degree of alignment and dispersion of CNTs
within the polymer matrix. PLA favours the dispersion of CNTs due
to its polar character, and, in fact, PLA/CNT compounds exhibit
in the order of five times the conductivity of PP/CNT composites
(Figure 1).
It has been shown that an external factor that can alter the
disposition of CNTs, further produces conductivity changes in
the sample. This behaviour allows, for example, the detection of
impacts, by conductivity measurements, on pieces made of this
material. The potential applications are vast, from the dynamic
monitoring of structural damage of key parts of a car, to the
localizing and counting of impacts on the surface of an airplane
fuselage (Figure 2).
Based on the same principle, we have developed prototypes
of smart pedals that can detect emergency braking situations
and activate adequate safety measures in case of an imminent
18 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Automotive
collision. Drivers react instinctively by contracting their bodies
under impact danger situations, and this fact can reduce the braking
efficiency just at the very moment prior to a possible collision. The
conductivity of a pedal made of polymer/CNT composite depends on
the pressure exerted over its surface, thus it is possible to predict
risky braking scenarios and enhance the security profile of the
entire car (Figure 3).
An added advantage of PLA/CNT composites relies on their
ability to act as electromagnetic shields. As many parts of an
automobile, and generally many everyday electronic devices, have
electronic circuits susceptible to emitting radiation, it is necessary
to make use of materials of capable EM shielding in order to
avoid interferences between them, and also for the provision of a
radiation free environment that meets the current electromagnetic
emissions legislation for health (e.g. UNE-EN 50083-212007).
First results show the suitability of this kind of material for
electromagnetic shielding purposes, to a certain extent due to their
high conductivity, in the order of 1 S/cm (S=Siemens), which is in the
range of semiconductors.
Fig. 3. Fully functional prototype of a brake pedal
sensitive to the pressure exerted
Although the use of PLA offers many advantages, this material
still does not meet the requirements of durability and resistance
needed in the automotive industry. It remains a challenge to
clearly understand the biodegradation mechanisms of PLA/CNT
composites. Although there are numerous studies on the influence
of the incorporation of CNTs over the degradation kinetics of the
material, the role of nano-fillers over the structural stability of the
composite is still unclear. Several factors, such as concentration
and functionalization of CNTs, or the surface to volume ratio of
the sample, have to be taken into account in order to minimize
the degradation and maintain the added value of the nano-filled
materials; nevertheless, much more effort should be made with the
aim of better understanding PLA/CNT interactions.
Nanotechnology offers a great variety of compounds allowing not
only the enhancement of electric properties of the polymer, but also
the optical, magnetic and mechanical ones. In the near future, and
even at present, two important challenges must be faced. First, to
try to better comprehend the behaviour of nanometric composites
in order to control a large range of amazing new properties, and the
most important, to take advantage of those properties, keeping in
mind the necessity of producing environmental and health friendly
materials for a sustainable progress. Although there remains
much hard work to find the best way to combine renewably sourced
polymers such as PLA with nanoscale structures, is a foregone
conclusion that the partnership between polymer science and
nanotechnology opens a new era of intelligent materials with
astounding properties.
www.ctag.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 19

Automotive
Automotive parts
must be predictable
Material and flow models for natural fiber reinforced injection
molding materials for practical use in the automotive industry
By
Erwin Baur
M-Base Engineering + Software GmbH
Aachen, Germany
Fig. 1: Automotive part made from natural fiber
reinforced PP with 30% Sisal (Source Ford)
For many years natural fibers (NF) have been considered for reinforcement
of plastics. They show good mechanical properties
and the principle qualification has been demonstrated in many
projects. However, natural fibers are a relatively new type of material,
unknown to the classical plastics industry. The producers of natural
fiber reinforced plastics and even more the producers of fibers have a
hard time to match all expectations of potential users concerning product
information, support in design and processing, and predictability of
products. Very interesting high volume application fields, like in the automotive
industry, can not be served due to this lack.
Natural fibers can be processed in many different ways, but
considering the actual use of plastics in the automotive industry, injection
molding applications seem to be most promising. Polyproylene would be
the most likely matrix material, because it is already broadly used in
relevant applications and its thermal properties allow the compounding
with natural fibers.
Today the automotive producers are strongly interested in the use
of materials from renewable sources and a reduction of the carbon
footprint of their products. The willingness to use bio materials has
increased, even against well established concerns towards unstable
qualities, challenging processing and small processing windows. In one
point, however, the automotive designers do not like to compromise:
every part needs to be predictable, which means the material must allow
simulation of performance during processing/manufacturing and in the
final use. All components must show complete theoretical proof that
they meet product safety requirements and are fit for purpose through
using digital simulation. This is a fixed, established procedure in the
automotive industry to meet today’s development times.
So far injection moldable natural fiber reinforced thermoplastics
could not offer the requested predictability. A new project, coordinated
by M-Base Engineering + Software GmbH, Aachen, Germany has been
started in order to bridge this gap. During a phase of three years relevant
models for the simulation of natural fiber reinforced materials shall be
developed, material parameters shall be measured and the validity of
the new models shall be proofed with a realistic serial part. At the same
time the basic simulation parameters shall be identified for as many
different natural fibers as possible, so the results can be used for future
projects.
This project aims to open the way to enable natural fiber reinforced
plastics to be designed theoretically and simulated in the automotive
20 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Automotive
i
k
Ti-1,i
FHi
Fig. 3: First results of flow simulation using
specific mechanical properties of a natural
fiber in a fountain flow. These patterns allow
prediction of the most important effects
during injection molding (Source: Tim
Osswald, University of Wisconsin, Madison).
Fig. 2: Mechanistic model for a single
fiber (Source: Tim Osswald, University
of Wisconsin, Madison)
Fi-1,i
THi
Fc k,i
Fi+1,i
Ti+1,i
industry and subsequently in other industries. This will
give natural fiber reinforced plastics the same status as
established conventional plastics when selecting materials
and in the long term their use in the industry will grow.
The project will consider all aspects of simulation, the
mechanical calculations will focus on simulating crash
response (including in total vehicle simulation), which is vital
for most automotive applications.
Meeting these aims means considering the process as a
whole, especially the anisotropic mechanical properties have
to be considered, which follow completely different laws,
compared to classical glass fibers. The following tasks are
necessary, in order to find an integrative solution, covering
the complete process:
• Establishing the micro-mechanical characteristics of
natural fibers before and after processing
• Deriving a suitable fiber orientation model
• Modeling typical side-effects when using NF plastics
(fiber damage, separation etc.)
• Produce NF compounds and test pieces
• Describing the rheological and thermal characteristics of
NF compounds completely
• Determining quasi-static and dynamic mechanical
properties
• Integrating the fiber orientation model with commercial
flow simulation software
• Scaling up compound production for selected materials to
near-series level
• Integrating material models with commercial CAE
software, especially for processing and crash simulation
purposes
• Simulating a serial component
• Producing the serial component and conducting extensive
mechanical testing, including crash response
During the project numerous combinations of several
different PP matrix materials with natural fibers (Flax,
Hamp, Sisal, Wood, Straw, Cellulose Regenerate) will be
compounded and analyzed. The elementary mechanical
properties of the fibers will be measured and incorporated
into the flow models. Using special mechanistic models
the flow behavior of the fibers during processing will be
evaluated, including orientation, fiber damage and fiber
matrix separation. Based on these first steps, new flow and
orientation models will be incorporated into commercial
injection molding simulation software, allowing prediction
of the orientation in real parts. The orientation information
will be used to determine the anisotropic mechanical
properties of the parts. In addition to the fiber properties,
the characteristic rheological and thermal properties for
process simulation will also be measured for all compounds.
Especially the viscosities curves will be challenging, due to
fiber jamming in conventional capillary rheometers.
The project partners offer a unique combination of
expertise and equipment that is needed to fulfill these tasks
efficiently:
• Ford Research & Advanced Engineering, Aachen
• IAC (International Automotive Components), Krefeld
• LyondellBasell, Frankfurt
• Kunststoffwerk Voerde Hueck & Schade GmbH & Co. KG,
Ennepetal
• Simcon Kunststofftechnische Software GmbH, Würselen
• M-Base Engineering + Software GmbH, Aachen
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison
• Hannover Technical College, Institute of bioplastics and
biocomposites, Hannover
• Hochschule Bremen, Bremen
• Technical University Clausthal, Institute of polymer
materials and plastics, Clausthal
• Deutsches Kunststoff Institut (DKI), Darmstadt
The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Food,
Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) via the Agency
for Renewable Resources (FNR).
www.m-base.de
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 21

Automotive
Even the rubber industry has felt the impact of a shortage
of raw material and so is seeking alternatives to the supply
of natural rubber from the Hevea brasiliensis tree.
This tree grows very slowly and needs about 20 years before
it yields its harvest. “Natural rubber is gaining in interest
because of the price of oil”, says Dirk Prüfer, professor and
head of department at the Institute for Plant Biochemistry
and Biotechnology at the Wilhelms University in Münster. The
amount produced today will hardly be enough to cover demand.
As an alternative dandelions are possibly a solution. During
World War II the Americans, Soviets and Germans were looking
at such alternatives. The idea of using dandelions as a natural
source of raw materials was initiated by the Soviets in the
early 1930s. When the Japanese occupied South-East Asia the
Russians and Americans started to look seriously at producing
a natural product from dandelions. On the occupation of the
region by the Americans the Germans were using the technology
Rubber from
dandelions
Could Taraxacum koksaghyz
be a future source of rubber
for the tyre industry?
Taraxacum koksaghyz
(photos: Christian Schulze Gronover)
Dandelion produces in its root, amongst other things, natural
rubber, and can be successfully grown in wide areas of Europe
which in other respects are not particularly fertile. If this were to
be done on a commercial scale then the numerous existing wild
species would have to be grown under agricultural conditions.
In particular it will be a case of increasing the yield.
A German group of six research partners have been working
since spring 2011 on the methodical basis of a cultivation
programme for Caucasian or Russian dandelion (Taraxacum
koksaghyz).
The project is being promoted by the German Federal Ministry
of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) via the
Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR).
The first step in the research programme is the adaptation
of existing biotechnical cultivation methods to dandelion
cultivation. Alongside this the researchers want to obtain
seeds in kilogram quantities. The Continental Tyre Company
(Continental Reifen AG), an industrial partner of the group, is
planning tests of the first natural rubber samples.
In terms of cultivation the researchers, unlike in other
European R&D projects on the same topic, are focussing on
two year old plants. They expect to obtain, among other things,
a higher potential yield in the second year. The disadvantage of
a 2-year cycle is that the cultivation takes longer because only
in the second year do the plants produce seed. For this reason
the scientists want to use methods such as special analysis
techniques to accelerate the process as much as possible.
In February of this year, a new project, supported by the
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
will be launched. The project partners are: Continental Reifen
Deutschland GmbH, Synthomer, Südzucker AG, Fraunhofer
IME & ICB, Aeskulap GmbH, University Stuttgart, Max-Plack-
Institute for Plant Breeding, Julius Kühn Institut, LipoFIT
Analytic GmbH. The goal is the sustainable development of
dandelion as an alternative source to replace natural rubber,
latex and inulin. Stay tuned - bioplastics MAGAZINE will keep you
updated on this project. MT
22 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Automotive
80% Bioplastic
‘Ecological Plastic’ covers
80% of new Toyota ‘Sai’ interior
Toyota Motor Corporation has successfully used ‘Ecological Plastic’ to
cover approximately 80% of the total interior surface area in the partially
redesigned Japan-market ‘Sai’ gasoline-electric hybrid sedan.
‘Ecological Plastic’ is Toyota’s collective name of plastics developed by the
company for automobiles and that use plant-derived material and are more
heat- and shock-resistant, etc., than conventional bio-plastics.
www.toyota.com
Toyota announced that they achieved 80% coverage through the use of
a new bio-PET-based Ecological Plastic in the seat trim, floor carpets,
and other interior surfaces that require a higher abrasion-resistance than
could be achieved with an earlier Ecological Plastic used in other parts
of the interior. Bio-PET means that 30% by wt. (the monoethylenegykol
component) is derived from renewable resources, here sugar cane. Toyota’s
new material dramatically outperforms other general bioplastics in terms
of heat-resistance, durability, and shrink-resistance, and performs on par
with petroleum-derived plastics, with cost of parts included.
Ecological Plastic is considered by TMC to be instrumental to cutting
CO 2
emissions and to using less petroleum resources over the lifecycle of a
vehicle, from manufacturing through to disposal. This is because the plastic
uses plants, which absorb CO 2
from the atmosphere as they grow, as a raw
material instead of petroleum-derived plastics. Furthermore, the benefits
of an environmental technology like Ecological Plastic are increased when
used in mass-produced products such as automobiles.
Total Ecological Plastic coverage
approx. 80% of interior surface
Toyota has been working on applying Ecological Plastic to automobiles
since 2000. In May 2003, TMC became the first in the world to use bioplastic
made from polylactic acid in a mass-produced vehicle when it introduced
the material in the spare-tire cover and floor mats of the Japan-market
‘Raum’ compact car. They achieved another world-first when it used its bio-
PET Ecological Plastic in the trunk lining of the Lexus CT 200h released in
January 2011. bioplastics MAGAZINE reported about these developments.
The Japanese car manufacturer continues its proactive push in the
development of new technologies and practical applications to further
expand the use of Ecological Plastic in vehicle parts. MT
New Ecologial Plastic coverage
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 23

Materials
New biobased plastic for
technical applications
Ratio of Plant-based content
High
Moldability
By
Masaya Ikuno
Design for Environment Group
Fuji Xerox CO.
Kanagawa; Japan
Conventional ABS plastic
The former plastic
The new plastic
The new plastic
The former plastic
ABS plastic
HB V-2 V-1 V-0 5V
Flame retardance level (UL94)
Alloy PLA plastics in the market
Fig. 1: The new bio-based plastic’s position
in the Japanese market of flame-retardant
polylactic-acid-based plastics.
Ratio of
plant-based content
5
4
3
2
1
0
Impact
resistance
1. Introduction
As the issue of climate change was discussed as one of the main agendas
in the G8 summit and in the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, the subject is now attracting attention around the world.
Under these circumstances, the Japanese government promotes the use
of the renewable resource ‘biomass’ through the ‘Biotechnology Strategic
Scheme’ and the ‘Biomass Nippon Strategy’ policies. This is because
the government focuses on the ‘carbon neutrality’ of biomass to prevent
climate change and also aims to reduce the use of fossil resources by using
biomass as a renewable resource. In response to the above two policies,
the size of the Japanese market for biobased plastic is expanding gradually,
although the speed is still far slower than expected by the government.
In 2007, to be more environmentally friendly, Fuji Xerox developed a plantbased
plastic (hereinafter referred to as former plastic) that represented
an alternative to petroleum-based flame-retardant acrylonitrile butadiene
styrene (ABS). This plastic was introduced for movable sections inside
multifunctional machines and printers. Parts made of the former plastic
were the first to acquire the Japanese BiomassPla logo (BP logo see Fig. 3)
for multifunctional machines and printers. A BP logo is a certification
provided to plastic products with a plant-based content of more than 25
percent by weight by the Japan BioPlastics Association (JBPA) (see bM
02/02008). After that, this plant-based plastic has been progressively
introduced for parts in new Fuji Xerox products.
The former plastic, however, was a material with a biomass ratio
(by weight) that is comparatively low for biobased materials because it
consisted of a polymer alloy of polylactic-acid (PLA) and a ‘petroleumbased
resin blend’. In recent years, to have customers use multifunctional
machines and printers more safely, high flame retardancy (according to
UL 94) has been required for some plastic parts. Flame retardancy of the
former plastic was not high enough (rated V-2) to be introduced for such
parts.
Therefore, with a strong design concept to develop a high plant-content
plastic without using rapidly depleting resources but by fully utilizing the
experiences in developing the former plastic, Fuji Xerox succeeded in
establishing the new formulation of biobased plastic that has a high plantbased
content and high flame retardancy, and succeeded in introducing the
plastic for use in movable sections inside multifunctional machines and
printers.
Flame
retardance
Flexibility
2. Characteristics of the new plastic
Heat resistance
Fig. 2: Comparison of characteristics between Fuji
Xerox’s new biomass plastic, the former biomass
plastic, and conventional ABS plastic
Fig. 1 shows the position of the new plastic in the Japanese market. The
main characteristics of this plastic are a biobased content of approximately
60 % and flame retardancy rated V-1 (UL 94). Since the biobased content
is comparably high, the new plastic was the first in the multifunctional
machine and printer industry to acquire the BiomassPla 50 logo, which is
provided to plastic products with a plant-based content of more than 50%
by wt. by the JBPA.
24 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Materials
Fig. 2 shows the comparison between the characteristics
of the new plastic with those of the former plastic and
those of Fuji Xerox’s conventional flame-retardant ABS
plastic. Although the new plastic holds the advantage in
terms of biobased content and flame retardancy, some of
its properties are inferior to those of the former plastic
and those of the conventional ABS plastic. Collaboration
between the material development department and
the engineering design department led to an improved
material so that it can now be used for those movable
sections in multifunctional machines and printers.
Fig. 3 shows the Drum Cover, which is one of the parts for
which the new plastic is being used. Since it is a movable
section, the evaluation must reflect its actual usage. The
static and dynamic loads applied to this movable section,
which is opened and closed for cleaning or replacement
of parts by customers or service engineers, were closely
examined.
For example, it was predicted how often the part will
be opened and closed, and opening and closing tests for
several hundreds of times were conducted. By repeating
such tests reflecting the actual usage of each part, it could
be confirmed that there are no issues in practical use and
Fuji Xerox was confident to introduce the new biobased
plastic to products.
3. Technology Summary of the New Plastic
As is shown in Fig. 1, many of the PLA based materials
in the market consist of polymer alloys of PLA and
petroleum-based resins. This is because it is difficult to
ensure flame retardancy and strength for plastics which
only use plant-based resins (PLA) as its base constituent,
compared to polymer alloys.
Fuji Xerox overcame this issue by selecting effective
phosphorous flame retardants and combining the flame
retardants to achieve higher retardancy (rated V-1, UL 94)
in the new plastic based on polylactic acid resin compared
to that in the former plastic. To achieve high flame
retardancy, it is necessary to include higher amounts of
flame retardants, which generally have a negative impact
on some of the properties of the plastic. Therefore, it was
essential to develop a material that delivers high flame
retardancy and still maintains the characteristics required
for the plastic parts.
Actually, a material based on the combination of
only PLA and flame retardants would result in a plastic
material with insufficient properties and it would be
impossible to be used in a multifunctional machine. To
ensure the strength of the plastic, the additives to increase
the adhesion between the base resin and additives (Fig.
4) were optimized, as well as the molecular weight and
cross-linkage of the base resin to create a material that is
highly resistant to impact (Fig. 5 and Fig. 6). By introducing
this technology, eventually a plastic of high biobased
content and high flame-retardancy was introduced for
movable sections.
Additive
Before adding the new additive
Fig. 3: Drum cover of Fuji
Xerox copy machine
Additive
After adding the new additive
Fig. 4: Comparison of adhesion of additives and base resin in
plastic before and after adding the new additives
High
Flexibility
Elongation at break %
Five Five times times higher
Low
Before adding the new additives
After adding the new additives
Fig. 5: Comparison of flexibility before and after
adding the new additives
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 25

Materials
Crack
Before adding the new additive
After adding the new additive
Fig. 6 Surface impact test
The result after dropping a 500 g iron ball
from a certain height
4. Mouldability of new plastic
As is shown in Fig. 2, since the viscosity and thus the
flow behaviour of the new plastic is improved compared
to the former plastic and the conventional ABS plastic,
it is possible to create thin plastic parts and reduce the
weight of the parts. On the other hand, since polylactic
acid resin is a crystalline resin, there are remaining
issues such as demoulding and post-shrinkage
after demoulding when compared to conventional
materials. First successes in solving these issues were
reached through collaboration with the manufacturing
technology department so that the new plastic could be
introduced to manufacture products.
5. Future efforts for new plastic
The new plastic was introduced as the improved
type of the former plastic to be used for parts inside
machines. Research is on-going to further improve
its flame retardancy and properties to introduce the
plastic to outside parts where flame retardancy rating
of 5V (UL 94) is required. Fuji Xerox is also aiming to
increase the bio-based resin content in a product.
Currently, work is on-going on the environmentallyfriendly
design of plant-based plastic parts from
the material design phase, the moulding phase, the
engineering design phase, and to commercialization
by communicating with the related departments. The
target is to develop plant-based plastic that is equivalent
to conventional plastic in terms of properties, cost, and
mouldability through closer collaboration with related
members inside and outside Fuji Xerox to expand the
use of environmentally-friendly plastic.
Fuji Xerox has evolved the new biobased plastic
from the materials it developed in 2007 with technical
assistance from FUJIFILM Corporation aiming to not
use petroleum-based materials. UNITIKA LTD. has
also been cooperating in developing the system for
mass production.
wwwfujixerox.co.jp
26 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Applications
The biological
bearing material
Plain bearing made of iglidur N54
Polymer researcher and bearings specialist igus GmbH,
Cologne, has developed a plain bearing material that
is based on 54% renewable raw materials. About 90%
of the material for the new ‘iglidur N54’ plain bearing consists
of a partly biobased PA 6.10 which is made from 62%
vegetable oil rather than finite crude oil. The company’s mechanically
and tribologically optimised biological plastic is
suitable for universal use in the low-load range: “Not only at
K’2010 we observed a distinctive trend towards biopolymers“
said igus product manager René Achnitz, “so we asked ourselves
how we could exploit the potential for the benefit of our
customers?” igus thought that bioplastics could be an ideal
solution to make environmentally friendly products such as
the lubricant free plain bearings even ‘greener’. René Achnitz:
“The new, lubricant-free ‘iglidur N54’” material joins
our broad range of high-performance materials for general
purpose, low-load applications and is a first serious step towards
‘green bearings’.” As well as general mechanical engineering
applications, igus mainly sees possibilities in consumer goods
markets, for example furniture or other items of daily use.
Ecological advantage of polymer bearings
The new bio-bearing smoothly fits in with the company’s
concept of developing environmentally friendly alternatives
for more and more applications that currently work with
lubricated metallic plain and roller bearings. On the one
hand, ‘iglidur’ bearings help to protect resources and the
environment due to the incorporated solid lubricants.
Polymer bearings from igus do not require any oil and
grease, are lubricant- and maintenance-free, which means
no contaminants are released to the environment. In
addition, they have a low weight in comparison with metallic
options, leading to lower masses and thus reduced energy
consumption. Furthermore, the energy balance for the
production of plastics is significantly better than for metals.
Whereas the energy from 15 litres of crude oil is necessary
to produce 1 litre of aluminium, and 1 litre of steel requires
11 litres of crude oil calculated on the same basis, the
production of 1 litre of plastic only needs an average of 1.8
litres of crude oil. According to igus, this value is expected to
fall even further on account of the major progress currently
being made in the field of vegetable oil based polymers. MT
www.igus.de
New ‘basics‘ book on bioplastics
This new book, created and published by Polymedia Publisher, maker of bioplastics
MAGAZINE will be available from early April 2012 in English and German language.
The book is intended to offer a rapid and uncomplicated introduction into the subject
of bioplastics, and is aimed at all interested readers, in particular those who have not
yet had the opportunity to dig deeply into the subject, such as students, those just joining
this industry, and lay readers. It gives an introduction to plastics and bioplastics, explains
which renewable resources can be used to produce bioplastics, what types of bioplastic
exist, and which ones are already on the market. Further aspects, such as market
development, the agricultural land required, and waste disposal, are also examined.
An extensive index allows the reader to find specific aspects quickly, and is
complemented by a comprehensive literature list and a guide to sources of additional
information on the Internet.
The author Michael Thielen is editor and publisher bioplastics MAGAZINE. He is a
qualified machinery design engineer with a degree in plastics technology from the
RWTH University in Aachen. He has written several books on the subject of blowmoulding
technology and disseminated his knowledge of plastics in numerous
presentations, seminars, guest lectures and teaching assignments.
110 pages full color, paperback
ISBN 978-3-9814981-1-0: Bioplastics
ISBN 978-3-9814981-0-3: Biokunststoffe
Pre-order now for € 18.65 or US-$ 25.00 (+ VAT where applicable, plus shipping and handling, ask for details)
order at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books, by phone +49 2161 6884463 or by e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 27

Foam
A
B
CO 2
CO 2
Photosynthesis/
carbon fixation
Photosynthesis/
carbon fixation
Figure 2:
(a) Synthesis of PHBV by
bacterial fermentation process;
(b) Direct synthesis of PHBV in
crop plants. Graphic according to
Y. Poirier, Nature Biotechnology,
Vol. 17, p. 960, 1999
Propionic
acid
Starch
Glucose
PHBV
Harvest &
processing
Fermentation
Harvest &
processing
Threonine 2-ketobutyrate isoleucine
Propionyl-CoA
Acetyl-CoA Fatty acids
PHBV
PHBV
Harvest &
processing
PHBV foams and its
By
Alireza Javadi 1,2 , Srikanth Pilla 2 ,
Lih-Sheng Turng 2,3 , Shaoqin Gong 1,2
1
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Wisconsin–Madison, WI, USA
2
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery,
Madison, WI, USA
3
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Wisconsin–Madison, WI, USA
3HB
PHBV
3HV
Figure 2: Schematic chemical structure of Poly
(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV).
Introduction
In the past few years, extensive research on biobased and
biodegradable polymers has led to a better understanding
of their properties and morphologies, as well as their
structure–property relationship. Poly(hydroxyalkanoates)
(PHAs), a family of linear polyesters produced in nature by
bacterial fermentation of various renewable sources such
as sugars, lipids, and alkanoic acids, are among the most
promising biobased and biodegradable materials currently
being investigated [1]. Among PHAs, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)
(PHB) and its copolymers Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-
hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) have attracted a lot of attention in
the past two decades due to their unique properties. PHBV
is either produced directly from plants or synthesized by
microorganisms by consuming sugars in the presence of
propionic acid (Figure 1) [2]. PHBV (Figure 2) is available
commercially under various names including Tianan
Biologic’s ENMAT Y1000P, Biomer’s Biomer L, and
Metabolix’s Mirel.
In spite of improved mechanical (e.g., toughness) and
thermal properties compared to PHB, PHBV still exhibits
some disadvantages including low strain-at-break, narrow
processing window, slow crystallization rate, and higher cost
as compared to petroleum-based synthetic polymers [3].
In order to tailor its properties and decrease its total cost,
several approaches have been proposed such as forming
blends or composites with biodegradable polymers, natural
fillers, or inorganic fillers.
PHBV-based polymer blends and composites have
been extensively studied in order to reduce their material
cost, improve their processability, and engineer their
28 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Foam
Figure 3: Representative
scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) image of the tensile
fractured surface of a
component processed by
microcellular injection
molding.
engineered composites
mechanical (e.g., toughness) and thermal properties (e.g.,
degree of crystallinity) [4]. In order to fully utilize PHBV in
diverse applications, improving its thermal and mechanical
properties (such as brittleness and low strain-at-break)
and employing economic processing techniques (such as
microcellular injection molding [5]) is important.
Processing
Similar to other thermoplastics, PHBV processing can also
be done using conventional polymer processing equipment
such as twin-screw extruder, injection-molding machine, etc.
However, due to its sensitivity to thermal degradation, it is
critical that lower processing temperatures are employed.
Since this is practically difficult to implement with conventional
processing equipment, a special fabrication technology has
been implemented by the authors in all of their work on
PHBV. This unique processing method, called microcellular
processing technology, is an environmental-friendly polymer
processing method capable of mass-producing components
with minimally compromised material properties while
consuming less energy and materials, as compared to
components produced by the conventional processes [6]. The
microcellular process uses a supercritical fluid (either CO 2
or N 2
) which acts as a plasticizing agent thereby reducing
the processing temperature of PHBV. Some of the most
common types of microcellular processes available today are
microcellular extrusion, injection molding, and blow molding.
The microcellular process encompasses three major steps:
gas dissolution, cell nucleation, and cell growth. Due to their
unique properties, microcellular components (Figure 3)
are particularly attractive for applications such as food
packaging, automotive industry, sporting equipments, roof
sheet insulators, microelectronic circuit board insulators,
electronic wire insulation, and molecular-grade filters [37].
Properties
One of the major drawbacks of PHBV is its poor thermal
stability [7]. This co-polyester, similar to other types of
polyesters, undergoes thermal degradation and hydrolysis
which can lead to a reduction in molecular weight at
temperatures above 170°C. Several methods such as
incorporation of supercritical fluids (discussed above) [8],
natural fibers (including kenaf fiber [9], pineapple fiber
[10], and bamboo fiber [11]), and inorganic nanofillers [7]
(e.g. organically modified nanoclay) into the PHBV matrix
have been shown to improve the thermal stability of PHBV.
Another significant drawback of PHBV is its brittleness
which can be attributed to: (1) low nucleation density and
a slow crystallization rate which leads to the formation
of large spherulites [12]; (2) a logarithmic increase in the
degree of PHBV crystallinity during storage time when more
amorphous regions integrate into the crystalline regions,
which will result in physical aging and a significant reduction
in the impact strength [13]; and (3) circular and radial
cracks inside the large spherulites which can act as stress
concentration spots and promote the brittleness of PHBV
[14]. To improve the mechanical properties of PHBV, several
approaches such as blending with tough polymers (including
poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) [4] and poly(butylene
adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT)) [5], and organic/inorganic
nanofillers [7, 15] (including hyperbranched polymers and
nanoclay) have been utilized to improve the PHBV’s strainat-break
and toughness [15].
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 29

Foam
Applications
Owing to the fact that it has similar mechanical and
thermal properties to polyolefins, PHBV is considered a
promising alternative for fossil resource based polymers in
the automotive, construction, agricultural, and packaging
industries [16]. PHBV exhibits excellent barrier properties;
thus, can be used in packaging and agricultural industries
[17,18]. In the agricultural industry, PHBV is also used as a
carrier for pesticides in order to achieve the controlled release
of pesticides via PHBV biodegradation [18]. Additionally, due
to its natural origin and microbial polymerization process,
PHBV does not contain any catalytic residues, which makes
it suitable for biomedical applications such as bone tissue
engineering, cartilage tissue engineering, nerve guidance
channels, intestinal patches, wound dressings, surgical
sutures, and drug carrier systems [19].
Several research groups have blended PHBV with other
biodegradable polymers such as PPC (polypropylene
carbonate) [4] and PBAT (polybutylene adipate terephthalate)
[5] to modify its mechanical, biodegradation, and
morphological properties and to broaden its applicability in
various industries. Also, natural fibers such as wood fiber
[20], bamboo fiber [11], wheat straw [21], flax [22], abaca [22],
jute [23], and coir fiber [24], which are cheap, lightweight, and
abundantly available, have been incorporated into the PHBV
matrix to tailor its mechanical properties and reduce its weight
and production cost. Moreover, inorganic nanofillers such as
nanoclays have been incorporated into the PHBV matrix to
modify the mechanical and thermal properties of PHBV [25].
With the continuous development of new PHBV-based blends
and composites and new processing technologies, an even
broader range of applications are anticipated for biobased
and biodegradable PHBV.
References
1. K.G. Satyanarayana, G.G.C. Arizaga, F. Wypych,
Progress in Polymer Science, Vol. 34, p. 982, 2009.
2. A. K. Mohanty, M. Misra, G. Hinrichsen, Macromolecular
Materials and Engineering, Vol. 276, p. 1, 2000.
3. S. F. Wang, C. J. Song, G. X. Chen, T.Y. Guo, J. Liu,
B.H. Zhang, S. Takeuchi, Polymer Degradation and Stability,
Vol. 87, p. 69, 2005.
4. J. Li, M.F. Lai, J.J. Liu, Journal of Applied Polymer Science,
Vol. 98, p. 1427, 2005.
5. A. Javadi, A. J. Kramschuster, S. Pilla, J. Lee, S. Gong, L.
S.Turng, Polymer Engineering and Science,
Vol. 50, p. 1440, 2010.
6. S. Gong, L.S. Turng, C. Park, L. Liao, “Microcellular Polymer
Nanocomposites for Packaging and other Applications,”
in: A. Mohanty, M. Misra, H.S. Nalwa, eds., Packaging
Nanotechnology, American Scientific Publishers, pp.144, 2008.
7. M. Avella, E. Martuscelli, M. Raimo, Journal of Materials
Science, Vol. 35, p. 523, 2000.
8. M.J. Jenkins, Y. Cao, L. Howell, G.A. Leeke, Polymer,
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9. M. Avella, G.B. Gaceva, A. Buzarovska, M.E. Errico, G. Gentile,
Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 104, p. 3192, 2007.
10. S. Luo, A.N. Netravali, Polymer Composites,
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11. S. Singh, A. K. Mohanty, T. Sugie, Y. Takai, H. Hamada,
Composites: Part A, Vol. 39, p. 875, 2008.
12. G. J. M. Koning, P. J. Lemstra, Polymer, Vol. 34, p. 4089, 1993.
13. G. J. M. Koning, A. H. C. Scheeren, P. J. Lemstra, M. Peeters,
H. Reynaers, Polymer Vol. 35, p. 4598, 1994.
14. J. K. Hobbs, T. J. McMaaster, M. J. Miles, P. J. Barham,
Polymer, Vol. 37, p. 3241, 1996.
15. P. J. Barham, A. Keller, Journal of Polymer Science Part B:
Polymer Physics, Vol. 24, p. 69, 1986.
16. L. Jiang, E. Morelius, J. Zhang, M. Wolcott, J. Holbery,
Journal of Composite Materials, Vol. 42, p. 2629, 2008.
17. C.A. Lauzier, C.J. Monasterios, I. Saracovan, R.H.
Marchessault, B.A. Ramsay, Tappi Journal, Vol. 76, p. 71, 1993.
18. P. A. Holmes, UK Patent Application, Great Britain,
2160208, 1985.
19. C.W. Pouton, S. Akhtar, Advanced Drug Delivery Review,
Vol. 18, p. 133, 1996.
20. S. Singh, A.K. Mohanty, Composites Science and Technology,
Vol. 67, p. 1753, 2007.
21. M. 26, G. Rota, E. Martuscelli, M. Raimo, P. Sadocco, G. Elegir,
Journal of Materials Science, Vol. 35, p. 829, 2000.
22. N.M. Barkoula, S.K. Garkhail, T. Peijs,
Industrial Crops and Products, Vol. 31, p. 34, 2010.
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Technology, Vol. 70, p. 1687, 2010.
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Materials Science and Engineering: C, Vol. 30, p. 749, 2010.
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of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 93, p. 655, 2004.
30 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Materials
VTT Technical Research Centre, Espoo, Finland and
Aalto University, Espoo/Helsinki, Finlandm have
developed a method which for the first time enables
manufacturing of a wood-based and plastic-like material
in large scale. The method enables industrial scale
roll-to-roll production of nanofibrillated cellulose film,
which is suitable for e.g. food packaging to protect products
from spoilage.
Nanofibrillated cellulose typically binds high amounts
of water and forms gels with only a few per cent dry
matter content. This characteristic has been a bottleneck
for industrial-scale manufacture. In most cases, fibril
cellulose films are manufactured through pressurised
filtering but the gel-like nature of the material makes
this route difficult. In addition, the wires and membranes
used for filtering may leave a so-called ‘mark’ on the
film which has a negative impact on the evenness of the
surface.
www.vtt.fi
Transparent plastic-like packing
material from birch fibril pulp
magnetic_148,5x105.ai 175.00 lpi 15.00° 14.03.2009 10:13:31
magnetic_148,5x105.ai 175.00 lpi 75.00° 0.00° 45.00° 14.03.2009 10:13:31
Prozess CyanProzess MagentaProzess GelbProzess Schwarz
According to the method developed by VTT and
Aalto University nanofibrillated cellulose films are
manufactured by evenly coating fibril cellulose on plastic
films so that the spreading and adhesion on the surface
of the plastic can be controlled. The films are dried in a
controlled manner by using a range of existing techniques.
Thanks to the management of spreading, adhesion and
drying, the films do not shrink and are completely even.
The more fibrillated cellulose material is used, the more
transparent films can be manufactured.
Several metres of fibril cellulose film have been
manufactured with VTT’s pilot-scale device in Espoo. All
the phases in the method can be transferred to industrial
production processes. The films can be manufactured
using devices that already exist in the industry, without
the need for any major additional investment.
VTT and Aalto University are applying for a patent for
the production technology of NFC film. Trial runs and the
related development work are performed at VTT.
K
The invention was implemented in the Naseva –
Tailoring of Nanocellulose Structures for Industrial
Applications project by the Finnish Funding Agency for
Technology and Innovation (Tekes) that is included in the
Finnish Centre for Nanocellulosic Technologies project
entity formed by UPM, VTT and Aalto University.
Nanofibrillated cellulose grade used was UPM
Fibrilcellulose supplied by UPM.
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
Magnetic
www.plasticker.com
for Plastics
• International Trade
in Raw Materials,
Machinery & Products
Free of Charge
• Daily News
from the Industrial Sector
and the Plastics Markets
• Current Market Prices
for Plastics.
• Buyer’s Guide
for Plastics & Additives,
Machinery & Equipment,
Subcontractors
and Services.
• Job Market
for Specialists and
Executive Staff in the
Plastics Industry
Up-to-date • Fast • Professional
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 31

Show Preview
NPE’2012 will take place April 1-5, 2012 at the Orange
County Convention Center in Orlando, USA, after 40 years
in Chicago. The improved economies and logistics of this
new venue have encouraged many NPE’2012 exhibitors to bring
more machinery to the show, much of it to be operated on-site,
according to John Effmann of ENTEK Manufacturing Inc, who is
chairman of NPE’2012. But not only machinery will be presented
in Orlando. Besides conventional plastics NPE will again be
a showcase and technology exchange for polymers derived from
corn, castor beans, soybeans, potatoes, tapioca, and other natural
resources. Again bioplastics will be one of the most interesting
topics in this year‘s NPE‘2012, The International Plastics
Showcase organized by SPI (The Society of the Plastics Industry).
bioplastics MAGAZINE will not only be an exhibitor (please come
and see us at booth 58047, South & North Halls) but will also offer
a comprehensive show preview below (including a floor plan as a
centerfold in this issue) and a show review in issue 03/2012. On
our website you will find more bioplastics related info about NPE
as we approach the show …
Resirene
The BIORENE ® family of Resirene are hybrid resins of
PS or PP and thermoplastic starch, and they represent a
biobased alternative to traditional plastics. The PS-Starch
blend, Biorene HA-40 is ‘OK Biobased’ certified and be
used to produce a wide range of everyday products, such
as disposables, pen barrels, cutlery and the like.
BIORENE resins deliver a competitive performance
versus traditional plastics and can be processed in the
same machinery as ordinary plastics. Another benefit
is that Biorene uses lower processing temperatures, up
to 50°F, thus enhancing productivity and saving energy
costs.
The benefits using Biorene:
• Easy to process
• Competitive performance
• OK-Biobased certified
(editor’s note:) However, Biorene products should
not be marketed as biodegradable, as they content non
biodegradable PS or PP
www.resirene.com
63027 South & North Halls
Teknor Apex
The Bioplastics Division of Teknor Apex will be
highlighting the following new products:
High-impact, high-heat PLA: Enhanced PLA
compounds overcome the inverse relationship between
heat distortion temperature (HDT) and Izod impact
strength that is typical in standard PLA. Injection molding
grades provide up to two times the HDT and up to six
times the Izod impact strength of standard PLA resins.
Extrusion/thermoforming grades exhibit up to two times
the HDT and more than four times the Izod impact
strength.
Compostable compound for blown film: A blend of
thermoplastic starch (TPS) and biodegradable copolyester
(PBAT) degrades more rapidly than the copolyester alone,
broadening application possibilities for film products
intended for composting.
Additives for PLA:
A series of pellet
masterbatches with PLA
carrier resins enhance
the processing and enduse
performance of PLA.
The additives include
products for increasing
impact strength,
enhancing melt strength,
and serving as a release
agent in molding and
extrusion.
www.teknorapex.com
58038 South & North Halls
32 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

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IDES
The IDES Prospector Plastics Search Engine includes
84463 plastic material datasheets from 864 global resin
manufacturers. At NPE 2012 IDES will be highlighting
the bioplastics search functionality in their Prospector
Plastics Database. The number of bioplastics listed in the
system has grown tremendously and there are now nearly
2500 grades that are biodegradable, include recycled
content or are derived from renewable resources.
Additionally, several bioplastics within the database are
available for medical and healthcare applications.
www.ides.com
34020 South & North Halls
RTP Company
Global custom engineered thermoplastics compounder
RTP Company has received ‘USDA Certified Biobased
Product’ labels for two of its PLA-based bioplastic
specialty compounds through the USDA‘s BioPreferred
Voluntary Labeling Initiative. Following the program‘s
requirements, RTP Company‘s compounds were thirdparty
tested in accordance with ASTM D6866 procedures
and renewable biobased carbon content is reported as a
percent of total carbon content.
RTP 2099 X 121249 C Natural, is a 30% glass fiber
reinforced PLA grade. Because the glass fiber component
of this compound does not contain any carbon, this
product has been certified to have a biobased carbon
content of 99%. With tensile strength and flexural
modulus properties exceeding those of 30% glass fiber
reinforced polypropylene (PP) and comparable to 30%
glass fiber reinforced polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).
RTP 2099 X 126213 Natural, is a polylactic acid/
polycarbonate (PLA/PC) alloy with a biobased carbon
content of 26%. With shrinkage, impact, and heat
distortion temperature similar to many PC/ABS alloys
www.rtpcompany.com
39027 South & North Halls
Photo courtesy of Brooks Sports Inc.
Merquinsa
Merquinsa presents several commercial applications
from large global brands applying Bio TPU from renewable
sources (bio content from 20% up to 90% according to
ASTM D6866). One example is Ford Motor Company’s
use of renewable-sourced materials which prompted
the selection of Pearlthane ® ECO for the Lincoln MKZ
tambour console door. Other sports, footwear, automotive
& industrial companies have adopted and turned to Bio
TPU since then: Bio TPU is now a commercial reality
globally. Merquinsa’s Bio TPU is used for example by
Brooks Sports in running goods.
The Bio TPU product portfolio includes UV-stabilized
grades in a wide range of hardnesses for molding and
extrusion applications:
In addition, Bio TPU allows part weight reduction up to
7%. From 80 Shore A up to 95 Shore A hardness, Bio TPU
offers lower density, and thus, is a lower cost solution.
See data below on standard petroleum-based Pearlthane
vs. Renewable-sourced Pearlthane ECO TPU grades:
Merquinsa was recently acquired by The Lubrizol
Corporation. The Merquinsa products will be integrated
into Lubrizol’s Engineered Polymers business.
Leistritz
Wide ranging twin screw extrusion technologies will be
displayed at the Leistritz NPE 2012 exhibit. A partial list of
what will be exhibited includes:
A ZSE-50 MAXX twin screw extruder configured for both
reactive and direct extrusion. The model as exhibited is
particularly suited for the processing of biopolymers
The ZSE-40 MAXX on display will be equipped with a
new swing-gate strand die assembly. The co-rotating
twin screw extruder is ideal for masterbatch and
custom compounding production. The swing gate frontend
assembly is ideal for processing shear sensitive
bioplastics.
In a special Lab-scale twin screw extruder display
area Leistritz will display a nano-16 twin screw extruder
system (particularly beneficial for processing biopolymer
compounds in the early stages of development when
material availability is limited to 100 grams or less), a
ZSE-18 twin screw extruder: and a Micro-27 modular,
multi-mode twin screw extruder. The co-/counterrotating
feature of the Micro 27 facilitates wide ranging
development efforts for biopolymer compounds.
www.leistritz –extrusion.com
5975 West Hall
www.merquinsa.com
35004 South & North Halls
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 33

Show
Guide
North & Shouth Halls
Austin Novel Materials, North America 52059 27
BASF 24000 8
bioplastics MAGAZINE 58047 33
Biopolymers & Biocomposites Research Team 62044 42
Braskem 59042 38
Braskem 22006 44
Chase Plastic Services, Inc. 37027 19
Chemtrusion, Inc. 30015 11
DuPont 35013 16
DuPont 57046 33
Eastman Chemical Co. 39013 23
Ecospan, LLC 58044 36
EMS 35021 17
Evonik Degussa Corporation 34023 15
Evonik Degussa Corporation 55020 29
Ex-Tech Plastics 33027 13
Extrusa 59048 37
FKuR Kunststoff GmbH 57042 32
FKuR Plastics Corporation 57042 32
Hallink RSB Inc. 19013 5
Heritage Plastics Inc. 19004 3
IDES 34020 14
Jamplast, Inc. 26033 9
Jarden Plastic Solutions 57009 31
Kal-Trading 36009 18
Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd 19008 4
Kureha America Inc. 21013 7
LTL Color Compounders, Inc. 50020 25
Mathelin Bay Associates LLC 61000 40
Merquinsa North America, Inc. 29022 10
Minima Technology Co., Ltd. 53048 28
Nanobiomatters Industries, S.L. 50046 26
NatureWorks LLC 57048 33
Nexeo Solutions 61002 41
Phoenix Plastics L.P. 38008 20
PolyOne Corporation 15030 2
PolyOne Corporation 39006 22
Polyvel, Inc. 31022 12
Purac 54048 28
Resirene, S.A. de. C.V. 63027 43
Rhe Tech Inc 60044 39
RTP Company 39027 24
SPI Bioplastics Council 60047 37
Teinnovations Inc. (PSM Bioplastic) 19027 6
Teknor Apex Company 58038 35
TP Composites, Inc. 38023 21
Tradepro, Inc. 13013 1
United Soybean Board 55039 30
Zhejiang Hangzhou Xinfu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd 60042 38
South Hall
South Hall
North Hall
Entrance
bioplastics MAGAZINE
Food Court
Not in the North & South Halls, but still active in bioplastics:
West Hall
Gneuss, Inc. 6685
IndiaMART.com 1386
Leistritz 5975
Recycling Solutions 3687
NPE /SPI
Recycling
Center

On this floor plan you find the majority of companies
offering bioplastics related products or services,
such as resins, compounds, additives, semi-finished
products and much more.
For your convenience, you can take the centerfold
out of the magazine and use it as your personal
‘Show-Guide’ .
Shaping the
future of
biobased
plastics
www.purac.com/bioplastics
Entrance
North Hall
South Hall
South Hall
Register now! www.pla-world-congress.com
(Source: www.npr.org)
2 nd PLA World
C o n g r e s s
15 + 16 MAY 2012 * Munich * Germany

Show Preview
Purac
New applications, new
markets and improved product
performance have always been
the focus of Purac’s continuous
innovation efforts and
partnerships. At the NPE 2012
Purac will present solutions for
the heat-resistant PLA. High
purity PLLA and PDLA are now commercially available.
The technology offers the unique possibility to increase
the heat-stability of PLA to reach 80 - 150 °C. D-Lactide
can be used to develop a range of heat-resistant PLA
products for plastics, films, fibers and foam applications.
To learn more about this technology meet Purac team at
the booth in the “What’s hot in the Plastics Technology”
zone.
PSM Bioplastic (Teinnovations)
PSM Bioplastic, gives manufactures the flexibility to
achieve a wide variety of environmental goals.
PSM biodegradable resins (HL-300 series) are specially
designed to be run as a standalone material where endof-life
disposal is the primary consideration. These resins
can be used to produce parts that are 100% compostable
by ASTM standards (e.g. D6400, D5338).
PSM bio-based resins (HL-100 series) increase the
bio content of products traditionally made entirely of
petroleum based plastic, while still remaining extremely
cost competitive. Blending a high percentage of PSM with
a small amount of conventional plastic, yields excellent
results. But using even just a small amount of PSM
Biobased material will add an ecologically friendly aspect
to just about any product, and has very little impact on
part cost, performance, and production. (editor’s note:)
However, the material will not be biodegradable.
All PSM materials have a very high temperature
tolerance for demanding injection molding,
thermoforming, and flexible film applications.
www.purac.com
54048 South & North Halls
SPI Bioplastics Council
The SPI Bioplastics Council is the leading North
American bioplastics group focused on the development
of bioplastics as an integral part of the plastics industry.
At NPE’2012 the SPI Bioplastics Council will be hosting
the ‘Business of Bioplastics’ educational program on
Tuesday, April 3 as part of SPI’s Business of Plastics
Conference. The session, focused on the state of the
industry, will include leaders from the bioplastics industry
and U.S. government as well as a highly interactive panel
discussion.
In addition, representatives from the SPI Bioplastics
Council will be in the booth to talk about the Council’s
activities and its 2012 focus on education, awareness,
communication and policy/government issues that are
impacting the industry.
www.psmna.com
19027 South & North Halls
www.bioplasticscouncil.org.
60047 South & North Halls
36 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Show Preview
Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research
Team
The Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research
Team (BBRT) at Iowa State University will introduce
new biorenewable plant containers developed for the
specialty crop industry. The containers are a sustainable
replacement for petroleum-based containers and degrade
harmlessly when planted in a garden. This research
was recently awarded a $1.9 million grant from USDA’s
National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
BBRT will also display other biobased materials
including carbon fibers, self-healing biorenewable
polymers, biobased coatings and plastics; and composites
made from natural oils, fibers, and agricultural coproducts.
BBRT promotes research and development of new
formulations and processes for biorenewable polymers
and composites. BBRT focuses on renewable oils
polymerization, protein-based plastics processing,
protein-based adhesives, and cellulosic-based
composites. The team has a broad range of knowledge
including polymer chemistry, characterization, and
processing.
www.biocom.iastate.edu
62044 South & North Halls
Gneuss
Gneuss is a specialist for filtration, processing and
measurement technology. The patented Gneuss Rotary
Filtration Systems enable fully automatic, process and
pressure constant filtration. Gneuss Melt Pressure
and Temperature Sensors are characterized by their
extremely high precision, combined with a high degree
of robustness. Both, Gneuss filtration and measurement
technology have been applied for bioplastics such as PLA
since several years. The patented MRS Multi Rotation
System offers completely new possibilities with regard
to the efficient degassing and extrusion of polymer melts
and has been tested with PLA as well.
LTL Color Compounders
LTL Color Compounders is a custom color compounder
of engineered thermoplastic resins including biopolymers.
Standard product lines include ColorFast ® , ColorRx ®
medical and non-biocompatible grade resins, Surlyn
Reflection Series ® thermoplastic alloy, and EcoFast
recycled compounds. Some markets served are electronics,
lawn & garden, medical, personal recreational
vehicles, automotive, optical, sports, and agricultural.
LTL offers live customer service, no minimum orders,
short lead times, and toll compounding. Labs are staffed
with experienced color matchers and lab technicians,
and lab extrusion equipment is available for customer
trials. The company is ISO9001:2008 and ISO13485:2003
certified. Dongguan LTL Color Compounders in China is
ISO9001:2008 certified and their operation mirrors LTL’s
US operation. In 2010 LTL celebrated its 20th anniversary,
and they have many years of experience manufacturing a
multitude of resins and color matching to their customers’
requirements. LTL‘s R&D department is continually
developing new products, many of which are UL listed.
www.ltlcolor-com
50020 South & North Halls
NatureWorks
NatureWorks, the world’s leading supplier and
innovator of biopolymers, plastics made from plants,
not oil, is displaying a host of extruded, thermoformed,
injection molded, and spun bond and melt blow films,
fibers, durable, and semi-durable products. Finished
goods include everything from baby wipes to iPhone
covers and food-service cutlery to deli containers.
Since 2003, NatureWorks has been producing world
scale commercial quantities of Ingeo biopolymer and
working with the supply chain to develop best practices
for conversion of these new grades of resin into the
broadest possible range of products. The NatureWorks
technical sales team will be on hand to answer questions
from engineers, designers, product managers, and
plant personnel about the latest in resin grades and
developments in converting. There will also be information
about the second Ingeo production facility scheduled to
come online in 2015, feedstock diversity, and production
volume increases. Visitors can compare the price stability
aspects of Ingeo with petroleum-based polymers.
www.natureworksllc.com
57048 South & North Halls
www.gneuss.com
6685, West Hall
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 37

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FKuR
Bioplastics specialist FKuR Plastics Corp. will be presenting a broad variety of biodegradable,
biobased and natural fiber reinforced compounds.
“During the last few months we have concentrated our development work on new
formulations for injection molding and film applications“, says Patrick Zimmermann,
Director Marketing & Sales at FKuR. ”These intelligent and tailor made compounds made
from renewable resources enable our customers to capture new applications and markets“,
explains Mr. Zimmermann.
Besides the already well-established product lines Bio-Flex ® and Biograde ® FKuR will
present new tailor-made green polyethylene compounds under the brand name Terralene,
based on Braskems’ Green PE.
www.fkur.com
57042 South & North Halls
Minima Technology
Minima Technology has expertise in biodegradable and
100% compostable polymer applications with innovative
compounding techniques and International certifications.
Minima Technology has built its research and
development center to include a broad range of mechanical
options which give prospective clients flexibility when
discussing environmental options. A family of likeminded
companies in different fields of processing expertise
assist Minima Technology with manufacture is required.
The options available include: Extrusion, Printing, Resin
Compounding, Conversion, Physical/Chemical foaming,
Thermoforming, Blow Molding, Injection Molding.
The core philosophy of the company is to find a relatively
simple way of ‘Love Earth Directly’ as ‘along nature by
nature’ is the best way, by means of biodegradable plastic
to replace and minimize conventional Petrol-plastic to be
continually impacting onto earth environment.
The registered readers of bioplastics MAGAZINE get this
issue in an envelope sponsored by Minima Technology
and made from one of their film blowing grades.
United Soybean Board
Kansas State University Installs Soy-Based Turf on
Athletic Facilities. The University installed about five
acres of AstroTurf ® GameDay Grass, which features
BioCel ® technology, a soy-based polyurethane backing.
From professional-level to high-school sports, hundreds
of teams in 42 states across America compete on more
than 365 hectares (900 acres) of soy-backed AstroTurf.
Soy-Based Composites Used in Waterless Urinals. Soy
represents a versatile feedstock for any company looking
to replace petrochemicals with environmentally friendly
alternatives. Waterless Company represents an example,
using soy-based products in their urinal products.
Waterless offers urinals with up to 35% Envirez ® , a soybased
resin from Ashland Chemical.
Soy-Based Polyols Offer Green Gasket Options to Auto
Industry. Soy continues to grow in its role in the automotive
industry, with soy-based gaskets, in addition to soy foam
in seats, soy plastics in body parts and other uses. The
auto industry continues to look to soy-based products
to provide sustainable products that meet or exceed
the requirements and performance of petrochemical
products.
www.minima-tech.com
53048 South & North Halls
www.soynewuses.org
55039 South & North Halls
30
38 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

NPE2012, the world’s largest plastics conference, exposition and
technology exchange, blasts into Orlando, Florida USA this April
to reshape the future of our industry! Showcasing more than 2,000
exhibitors, NPE is the only global event that allows you to:
See large-scale, running machines in action
Explore more than 2 million square feet
of solutions for every segment of the
plastics industry supply chain
Discover new and emerging technologies
among hundreds of on-site demos every day
Meet 75,000 plastics professionals from more
than 120 countries
Access hundreds of timely programs, from business
development to the latest technical advances
Connect with the entire lifecycle of the plastics industry
And much, much more!
REGISTER NOW AT NPE.ORG
Co-located at NPE2012:

Application News
Biocomposite canoe
An all natural composite canoe designed and manufactured
in the UK using flax fibre and a linseed oil based resin was
be showcased at the recent Composites Europe trade show.
The canoe has been built by Flaxland and is made from a
flax fabric (Biotex Flax 4x4 Hopsack) supplied by Composites
Evolution, Bridge Way, UK, and a UV cured bioresin (EcoComp
UV-L) supplied by Sustainable Composites, Redruth, UK. It
is constructed using a marine plywood and European pine
frame that is covered using the Biotex flax material and then
impregnated with the linseed based resin.
Simon Cooper, owner of Flaxland, is a traditional boat
builder with a strong interest in using all natural materials.
“I became interested in the use of Flax as a sustainable crop
for the production of oil and fibre to make a boat. I wanted
to find new, novel, but natural materials, and in my search
found the Biotex website” he explained.
Flaxland trialled many flax fabrics and found that Biotex
suited the needs of the project best. Owner, Simon Cooper
felt that Biotex had good impregnation, wet out and very good
tear strength which was equal to the synthetic materials
allowing for a flexible yet strong canoe which could be been
made without the use of a mould tool.
Flaxland have made a total of seven prototypes so far,
using both the Biotex Flax 4x4 Hopsack and Biotex 3H Satin
weaves. The Hopsack version offers a resilient and durable
canoe which has a net weight of just less than 12 kg and the
Satin version gives a lighter weight option, at just 8 kg, for
racing.
The canoe is currently undergoing long term durability and
water resistance tests and, according to Simon, has shown
good results for over one year already. He is now looking to
roll out the design to larger rowing boats.
www.compositesevolution.com
www.flaxland.co.uk
www.suscomp.com
Designer headphones
with PLA
Advertised as the World’s first recyclable designer
over-ear headphones the Noisezero 0+ Eco edition
headphones were recently introduced. The headphones
were developed by British-born and Hong Kong based
Designer Michael Young, in collaboration with music
technology brand EOps (New York and Hong Kong) and
marketed through the Paris/France based online store
Colette. The Noisezero 0+ Eco edition are made from
stainless steel, aluminium and PLA, all of which are
recyclable. The headphones feature 50mm titaniumcoated
HD drivers with a neodymium iron-boron magnet
for a great sound without unwanted vibration. The PLA
ear chambers and sheep leather ear pads improve the
sound quality and give a unique feeling of comfort. The
headphones are compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod
and come with a microphone and a three-button remote
module to control playback and volume.
“The majority of all hard plastic parts including
the earcup chamber, the mic housing, the cable plug
are made of PLA,” as Michael Young told bioplastics
MAGAZINE. And asked for his motivation to use this
material he added that PLA is “eco friendly as it‘s
made from renewable resources, it’s recyclable and its
biodegradeable compared to traditional plastics like ABS
that is not eco friendly.”
Concerning his future plans, Michael Young said that
he would like to try to use bio plastics as much as he can,
but it is a little limited. Michael: “If we accept changes it
is fine, for example, colors are harder to control, but that
is ok — it‘s just a change. Production access can also be
limited but more manufacturers are prepared to spend
time with the process to make it work.” So Michael Young
is absolutely willing to proceed onwards. MT
www.michael-young.com
www.eopstech.com
www.colette.fr
40 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Application News
New Cellulose
Acetate for frames
Mazzucchelli 1849, Castiglione Olona, Italy is a worldwide leader in the
production and distribution of the plastic material traditionally used for
the production of optical frames: Cellulose Acetate (CA). Mazzucchelli
is the most important consumer of this polymer derived from Cellulose,
derived from renewable sources widely present in nature. The process
covers the treatment of two types of fibres: fibres from seeds (cotton)
and fibres from wood (conifers and broadleaves). The company today is
the most important manufacturer of Cellulose Acetate granules used in
optical market and other industrial areas.
Now Mazzucchelli introduced a new eco-friendly product: M49 ® , a
new CA-material, for which an application of an International Patent has
been filed. The new material is especially suited for the production of
spectacle frames
M49 is phthalate-free and is therefore compatible with other polymers,
such as the polycarbonate or polymethylmetacrylate. Such plasticizers
tend to migrate from CA into PC or PMMA resin of the glasses, making
them hazy over time.
Standard Acetate frame with
Polycarbonate lenses, after the
accelerated aging process
M49 Acetate frame with
Polycsrbonate lenses, after the
accelerated aging process
Biobiojoux
Designer Lili Giacobino has launched her
own business making jewellery out of kitchen
cupboard staples such as flour, tapioca and
chocolate. The 31year old entrepreneur
turns the everyday items in our homes into
individual, biodegradable and eco-friendly
beauty accessories.
From her tiny kitchen in Surbiton, UK, the
Kingston University graduate creates eye
catching earrings, bracelets and necklaces
using food ingredients that are completely
natural and skin friendly. Lili said: “I spent
hours slaving over a hot stove – not to
make tasty food but to create fantastic
jewellery. People don’t believe me when
I say I make earrings from potato flour –
but I do. “I’m using ingredients that our
mothers and grandmothers were familiar
with. The jewellery is made from such
simple ingredients that the end products are
harmless to eat, good for your skin and look
great when you wear them.”
Lili’s creations are already proving popular
among fashion conscious south Londoners
thanks to her stall at the Greenwich Market
on Fridays. One of Lili’s favourite ingredients
is bio-glycerine which has been used for
centuries in thousands of common items
such as soap, desserts and cough mixture.
Lili’s bio formula creates a bendy raw material
which is also known under the expression
‘bioplastic’ which takes a week to set before it
can be crafted into a piece of jewellery.
Exsocial worker Lili is originally from
Switzerland and moved to the UK in 2008
to study product and furniture design at
Kingston University – MT
www.lili-design.com
The new material M49 has undergone exhaustive tests at specialized
laboratories (OWS) and has been declared 100% biodegradable according
to EN/ISO 14855. But M49 is also recyclable and can be re-worked with
different technologies giving life to many other products.
The natural derivation of M49 can also be ‘touched’ with a pleasant
effect of ‘warm and silky’, which allows the user with a sense of luxury
which can only come out from natural substances.
The material can be manufactured with all Mazzucchelli technologies,
and the working processes are the same as the traditional acetate sheet.
It can be used in all the markets of fashion accessories, from frames to
costume jewellery and design items. As far as the spectacle frames are
concerned, M49 is compatible with all types of lenses. – MT
www.m49.it
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 41

Report
biocore – a biorefinery
Today, concerns linked to climate change and modern
society’s excessive dependency on fossil resources are
providing the necessary impetus for the transition towards
a new economy that will use biomass as its primary
source of carbon and energy. In this respect, biomass (plant
and animal-derived resources alike) is completely unique,
because it is the only naturally renewable energy source that
can also supply carbon for the production of the chemicals
and products that are vital for our daily life.
The FP7 European project BIOCORE (BIOCOmmodity
REfinery), managed by INRA (French National Institute for
Agricultural Research), has been built to conceive and analyze
the industrial feasibility of a biorefinery concept that will allow
the conversion of cereal by-products (straws etc), forestry
products and short rotation woody crops into 2nd generation
energy, chemical intermediates, polymers and materials.
The first challenge for Biocore is to demonstrate the
feasibility of an advanced biorefinery operation that uses
diverse biomass feedstocks. To achieve this, activities in
Biocore are focusing on important areas, such as feedstock
supply, using a case study approach, which accounts for
variations in biomass type and annual availability, and
transport logistics. Case studies are currently underway in
several European regions and in India.
From a technical point of view, Biocore is developing and
optimizing a series of technologies to perform the different
stages of lignocellulosic biomass refining and to extract
maximum value and products from available resource.
Regarding the initial extraction of the biomass components:
cellulose hemicellulose and lignin, Biocore is using patented
technology developed by CIMV S.A., Levallois Perret,
France, a specialist in lignocellulosic biomass fractionation,
which supplies the three components as separate, refined
platform intermediates. To further transform these into
useful products Biocore partners are focusing on a variety of
chemical, thermochemical and biotechnological processes
that will lead to the production of a wide range of products
including 2nd generation fuels and other chemicals that
can be used to make polymers (bio-PVC, bio-polyolefins,
polyurethane, polyesters etc), detergents, food ingredients
and wood panels.
Beyond the development of individual processes and
technologies, Biocore is also in the business of demonstrating
the feasibility of value chains. Focusing on a certain number
of mature technology that form part of the Biocore portfolio,
pilot scale testing is being used to further establish industrial
feasibility in conditions that are close to the market.
Additionally, process engineering is being used to model the
whole Biocore biorefinery process and to scope for process
optimization, notably through unit operation integration, the
reduction of energy consumption and the reduction and/or
recycling of waste streams.
Finally, beyond the performance of unit operations and
manufacturing efficiency, tomorrow’s biorefineries will have
to conform to all of the criteria of sustainability, which take
into account environmental, economic and sociopolitical
impacts.
By
Michael O’Donohue, Coordinator of Biocore
and
Aurelie Faure, European Project Manager,
INRA Transfert, Paris, France
Varied
biomass
Cereal byproducts
Forestry waste
Fractionation
Hemicellulose
Cellulose
Intermediates
Final products
2 nd generation fuels
Ethanol
Thermoplastics
PVC, polyolefins,
polyurethanes, polyesters
Chemistry
Biotechnology
Resins/Adhesives
Food additives
Detergents
Application sectors
Building Packaging Materials Energy
SRC wood
Lignin
Wood panels
Ethanol
Adhesives
and paints
42 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Report
concept
Residues of rice straw in the
Punjab region (photo: courtesy
Michael Carus)
Therefore, Biocore researchers are analyzing the whole
of the biorefinery process, from the production of the
feedstock through to the ultimate use of the biorefinery
products, using a variety of assessment methods in order to
ensure that a comprehensive appraisal of the benefits of the
Biocore concept will be available at the end of the project.
Bioproducts and bioplastics
In Biocore, white biotechnology and chemical technologies
are major workhorses that form the basis of sophisticated
integrated processes that will manufacture products for
various market sectors.
In particular, Biocore focuses on the production of
key chemicals such as organic acids, aromatics and
olefins. Those compounds are major building blocks for
many commonly used thermoplastics (e.g. polyolefins,
polyurethanes, PVC, etc.) which together represent 70% of
the global plastic market. Additionally, Biocore will provide
pipelines for 2nd generation biofuels, adhesives, resins and
feed ingredients.
70%
PVC
PET PE (HD
and LD)
PU
Other
PP
PS
PE: polyethylene (high
and low density)
PP: polypropylene
PU: polyurethane
PVC: polyvinylchloride
PET: poly(ethylene
terephthalate)
PS: polystyrene
The EU plastics resin market: Biocore activities focus on four
of the ‘big five’ polymers (PVC, PET, PE and PP) that make up
the EU plastics resins market. Together with polyurethane
(PU) these represent 70% of this market.
EREMA will present more details on
their PLA activities at the
2 nd PLA World Congress
15 + 16 MAY 2012 * Munich * Germany
Contact marketing@erema.at, to get
a 15% discount on the conference fee.
organized by bM
Bio meets plastics.
The specialists in plastic recycling systems.
An outstanding technology for recycling both
bioplastics and conventional polymers
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 43

Report
N° Organisation name Short name Country Organisation type
1 Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique INRA France Res
2 Valtion teknillinen tutkimuskeskus VTT Finland Res
3 Energy research Centre of the Netherlands ECN The Netherlands Res
4 Compagnie Industrielle de la Matière Végétale CIMV France SME
5 Chimar Hellas AE Chimar Greece SME/end-user
6 Arkema SA Arkema France MNI/end-user
7 National Technical University of Athens NTUA Greece HE
8 Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg IFEU Germany Res
9 Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KULeuven Belgium HE
10 Syral SAS Syral France MNI/end-user
11 SYNPO, akciová společnost Synpo Czech Republic Res
12 Stichting Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek DLO The Netherlands Res
13 Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola AB Chalmers Sweden HE
14 Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry IWC Latvia Res
15 INRA Transfert IT France Other
16 The Energy and Resources Institute TERI India Res
17 CAPAX environmental services CAPAX Belgium SME
18 nova-Institut GmbH NOVA Germany SME
19 Institut für Umweltstudien - Weibel & Ness GmbH IUS Germany SME
20 Imperial College London Imperial United Kingdom HE
21 Solagro Association SOLAGRO France NGO
22 Szent Istvan University SZIE Hungary HE
23 Tarkett SA Tarkett Luxemburg MNI/end-user
24 DSM Bio-based Products & Services B.V. DBPS The Netherlands MNI/end-user
The Team
15 Research
organizations,
8 companies,
1 NGO
Regarding olefins, Biocore develops a portfolio of original
processes and engineered microor-ganisms that produce
ethylene, a polyethylene precursor and isopropanol, a
precursor of propylene, which is the building block of
polypropylene. Moreover, using pilot scale equipment and
smart integration pathways for both biotechnological and
chemical pro¬cesses, Biocore will demonstrate a cellulose
to bio-PVC value chain.
Development of Lignin-based Polymers
When applied to wheat straw, the CIMV organosolv process
provides a lignin fraction that is composed of linear polymers.
Coherent with Biocore’s ambition to develop new ligninbased
polymers, researchers from Synpo, Czech Republic,
have developed a solvent-free method for the preparation
of a polyurethane formulation. The integration of CIMV
biolignin into a conventional PU formulation has provided
elastomers with enhanced mechanical product properties,
in particular increased tensile strength and toughness, with
surface hardness being significantly increased. Synpo’s novel
formulation, particularly appropriate for the manufacture of
flooring materials and electrical appliances, constitutes one
of Biocore’s first commercially-promising inventions.
New bio-based PVC
PVC is manufactured using ethylene, thus logically this
well-known polymer can be produced partly from biomass. In
Biocore, a combined research effort involving several partners
is focused on the development of PVC from 2nd generation
ethanol. In this process, ethanol is first dehydrated to afford
ethylene, then the ethylene is converted into vinyl chloride
monomers, which are finally polymerized to obtain PVC. The
aim of work in Biocore is to first determine how the use of 2nd
generation ethanol can influence the quality of the ethylene
obtained, and also to establish the economic sustainability of
the whole process, within the framework of a multiproduct
refining scheme.
In a further effort to make ‘greener’ PVC, Biocore
researchers are also working on bio-based alternatives
to DEHP, which is a widely-used additive that plasticizes
PVC. Using biomass as raw material, chemists from DLO
(Wageningen, The Netherlands) have synthesized a biobased
phthalate, which is actually more efficient in making
PVC flexible than DEHP. In tests, PVC containing 30% of the
new plasticizer is about twice as flexible as PVC containing a
similar amount of DEHP, without compromising the strength
of the product.
Biocore: Indian case studies
Biocore aims to reveal how biorefineries can be
implemented within defined local contexts. To achieve this,
critical factors such as feedstock availability and logistics,
but also social impacts and policy, will be examined and
accounted for during the course of the Biocore project.
Specific actions aim to critically analyze regional availability
of lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks (straws, hardwood and
SRC (short rotation coppice) wood) in different parts of Europe
and India and optimize their supply for Biocore biorefineries in
an economically-, socially- and environmentally-sustainable
way.
Bioenergy is an excellent opportunity for India and so the
Biocore project aims to play a part in its development, by
providing an analysis of how a biorefinery could work, and
thus provide benefits, in India. To achieve this, the Indian
case study will focus on rice straw, which is a major resource
in India, and more widely in Asia. Currently rice straw is
44 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

not exploited by Indian farmers, being burnt in the field,
thus provoking significant environmental pollution and
wasting precious biomass resources. The Energy and
Resources Institute (TERI), the Indian partner of Biocore,
will investigate feedstock provision potential at regional
level and availability requirements, providing cost-supply
curves for different scenarios in Punjab and Haryana.
Evaluation of agronomical and environmental impacts and
benefits related to the use of rice straw will be studied. As
well as contributing to benchmarking studies and supply
chain modeling, TERI will be active in the definition of the
settings for a comprehensive sustainability assessment
that will take into account social, legal and political
factors, key points that will ultimately determine public
acceptability and market diffusion of new technologies.
To probe some of these aspects, a meeting was held in
India in November 2011, at which Indian stakeholders
(including policymakers, farmers and NGOs) and Biocore
partners discussed biorefinery and exchanged views on
the opportunities and hurdles that would characterize the
implementation of a next generation biorefinery plan in
India.
bioplastics MAGAZINE will watch the development and
keep the readers updated.
Michael Carus of nova-Institute during the meeting in
India, Nov. 2011 (photo: courtesy Michael Carus)
O
O
O
O
www.biocore-europe.org/
www.international.inra.fr/
Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP)
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 45

From Science & Research
Figure 1: Principal steps in
realization of PLA-gypsum
AII-clay (nano)composites via
melt-compounding technology in a
co-rotating twin-screw extruder
Drying all
components
(1) Gypsum AII
+ clays
(dry-mixing)
(2) Gravimetric
dosing
PLA and AII - clay
(3) Melt compounding in
twin-screw extruder
Leistritz type ZSE 18 HP-40D
(ø=18 mm, L/D=40)
(4) Granulating
(granules for
injection molding)
PLA nanocomposites
Tailored with specific end-use properties
by
Philippe Dubois, Marius Murariu
Laboratory of Polymeric and
Composite Materials
Center of Innovation and Research
in Materials and Polymers (CIRMAP)
University of Mons (UMONS) &
Materia Nova Research Center
Mons, Belgium
The ‘green’ challenge:
polylactide (PLA)-based (nano)composites
Polylactide or polylactic acid (PLA) is currently receiving considerable
attention for rather conventional utilizations such as packaging materials
as well as production of textile fibers, and more recently PLA has attracted
increased interest for technical applications as well. [1-3] Actually, novel grades
of PLA and related high performance PLA-based materials with higher added
value are continuously searched for engineering applications such as electronic
devices, electrical accessories, automotive parts, household appliances, etc.
Consequently, the profile of PLA properties need to be tuned up for specifically
reaching the end-user demands, and the combination of PLA with micro- and/or
nano-fillers together with either flame retardants, impact modifiers, plasticizers
or even other (bio)polymers represents a straightforward and readily scalable
technical approach [2-8].
It is worth noting that the University of Mons (UMONS), through both the
Center of Innovation and Research in Materials and Polymers (CIRMAP) and
Materia Nova center, has significantly contributed to the field of bio(nano)
composites. This involvement is exemplified by the large panel of R&D activities
and projects ranging from the fundamental/laboratory level to industrial scale
production mostly performed by reactive processing (particularly reactive
extrusion, so-called REx). Additionally, to allow the rapid implementation of novel
products, UMONS and Materia Nova have recently created NANO4 S.A., a spinoff
company specialized in production, functionalization, characterization and
processing of nanofillers, incl. renewable biosourced nanoparticles, and their
related masterbatches. Accordingly, NANO4 S.A. allows for the up-scaling of
new bio(nano)composites characterized by specific end-use properties such as
gas barrier, flame retardancy (FR), UV absorption, antibacterial action, tailored
electrical behavior, etc.
46 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

From Science & Research
Two selected key-results, relying upon the original
production of innovative bio(nano)composite materials
using PLA as polyester matrix, with targeted applications
in packaging, in textile fibers and in the field of engineering
sector, are summarized hereinafter.
350
300
250
200
RHR (kW/m 2 )
PLA
PLA- AII - clay (nano(composites:
Decrease of pRHR,
higher ignition time ...
Case study 1:
PLA-gypsum-clay (nano)composites with
specific flame retardant properties
The traditional technology for the production of lactic acid
(LA) leads in the formation of large amounts of hydrated
calcium sulphate, i.e., for each kilogram of LA, about one
kilogram of gypsum is formed as a by-product [4, 5]. In
response to the demand for extending the range of PLA
applications, while reducing production cost, it has been
demonstrated that commercially available PLA can be
effectively melt-blended with previously dehydrated gypsum
(so-called CaSO 4
β-anhydrite II (hereafter noted AII), thus
the by-product directly issued from LA fabrication process
[4]. For achieving high performance PLA composites and
for preventing polyester chain degradation by hydrolysis, it
is important to specifically use AII microparticles, which is
actually formed by dehydration of gypsum hemihydrate at
500 °C.
These two products (PLA and AII) from the same source
as origin can lead by melt-mixing to polymer composites
characterized by remarkable thermal stability, high
rigidity, good tensile strength and barrier properties even
at high AII content (up to 40 wt%). Such performances
could be ascribed to the fine microfiller dispersion and
good interfacial characteristics. Moreover, like for other
mineral-filled polymers, addition of a third component into
PLA–AII compositions, e.g., plasticizers, flame retardants,
nanofillers, has been considered in order to generate new
PLA grades with specific end-use performances. It was
discovered (WO 2008/095874 A1 and US 2010/0184894 A1
patents: ‘Polylactide-based compositions’) that co-addition
of dehydrated CaSO 4
(AII form) and adequately selected
organo-modified layered silicates (OMLS) triggers synergistic
effects on PLA fire-resistant properties. [5, 6] Interestingly
enough, the production of these ternary PLA-AII-OMLS
bio(nano)composites, has been successfully conducted by
melt-compounding in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder as
illustrated in Figure 1. The different starting materials that
were investigated are:
• PLA, was supplied by NatureWorks LLC as PLA 3051D
(M n(PS)
= 112 000; M w
/M n
= 1.95; D-isomer = 4.3 %).
• Calcium sulphate hemihydrate, the by-product obtained
from lactic acid production process (d 50
of 9 μm) was
provided by Galactic S.A. Starting from this filler,
β-anhydrite II (AII) was obtained by drying at 500 °C for 1 h.
A natural calcium sulphate anhydrite (USG CAS-20-4, d 50
of
4 μm) kindly supplied by USG Company was also studied.
This product was used only as alternative for gypsum from
150
100
50
PLA-
AII - clay
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
— PLA
— PLA- 40% AII (9) - 3% B104
— PLA- 40% AII (4) - 3% C10A
Figure 2: RHR plotted against time: neat PLA compared to
PLA- gypsum AII- clay (nano)composites (by courtesy, tests
performed by Dr. Antoine Gallos –ENSC Lille)
lactic acid production process and as microfiller of lower
dimensions.
• Bentone 104 (Elementis Specialties) and Cloisite 10A
(Southern Clay Products, Inc.), two montmorillonite-type
clays organo-modified with benzyl dimethyl hydrogenated
tallowalkyl ammonium, respectively coined as B104 and
C10A, were investigated as OMLS.
Highly filled (nano)composites, i.e., PLA with 40 wt% in AII
and 3 wt% in clay, were thus produced at semi-pilot scale
in a twin-screw extruder (Leistritz type ZSE 18 HP-40D,
Ø = 18mm, L/D = 40) and the so-produced granules were
characterized using various techniques. Firstly, it is worth
mentioning that the good thermo-mechanical performances,
comparable to those of conventional filled engineering
polymers, are ascribed to the excellent filler (AII and OMLS)
dispersion throughout the polyester matrix as evidenced by
electronic microscopy [4, 5]. By considering the high content
in inorganics (e.g., 40% and 3% in micro- and nano- fillers,
respectively), these materials are characterized by good
tensile strength (≈ 37 MPa), whereas the rigidity, i.e., Young’s
modulus, is above 6300 MPa, that means an increase of 125%
with respect to neat PLA (2800 MPa).
Besides, as evidenced by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA)
these (nano)composites are characterized by improved
thermal stability (e.g., following as criterion the temperature
for 5% weight loss- T 5%
), whereas DSC analyses attest for
the preservation of principal thermal parameters with even
some increase of the PLA crystallization rate, property that
can be considered as very promising in the perspective of
further applications. Remarkably, the co-addition of gypsum
AII and OMLS largely improves the fire-resistance of PLA as
evidenced by cone calorimetry testing (Figure 2). The time
to ignition (t ig
) is increased and the peak of maximum rate of
heat release (pRHR) is reduced by almost 50% with respect to
neat PLA. In addition, the horizontal fire test UL94 HB reveals
a low speed of burning (29-31 mm/min) - corresponding to
(a)
Time (s)
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 47

From Science & Research
PLA 3051D
PLA - 40% AII- 3% B104
Residual specimens
Figure 3 (A-C): UL94 HB fire testing: specimens (~3.1 mm
thickness) of (a) neat PLA burning with dripping and without
char formation; (B) PLA- 40% CaSO4 AII (9 μm) - 3% B104
(nano)composites burning without any dripping and with
intensive charring (as shown on the residue remaining at the
end of the test (C))
HB classification (max. admissible value of 40 mm/min),
together with the total absence of dripping and the formation
of an intensive char (Figure 3). On one hand, the specimen
samples based on either unfilled PLA or PLA filled only
with AII (even at content as high as 40-50 wt%) burned with
intensive dripping (continuous formation of burning droplets)
and without charring. On the other hand, even if no flamed
droplet was generated upon burning the binary PLA-OMLS
nanocomposites, their burning rate increased preventing HB
classification [5, 6]. Therefore, only the ternary PLA-AII-OMLS
(nano)composites reached HB classification and displayed
intensive charring attesting for the unique synergistic effect
between the CaSO 4
microfiller and organo-modified nanoclay.
In relation to other key-properties, it is firmly believed that
these novel PLA-based (nano)composites are perfectly suited
for technical applications (e.g., electronic devices, electrical
accessories, automotive parts, household appliances, etc.)
due to their thermal stability and excellent processing ability
evidenced using traditional techniques such as extrusion,
injection and compression molding.
A
B
C
Case study
2: PLA-ZnO nanocomposite films and fibers:
anti-UV and antibacterial properties
ZnO nanoparticles are well-known environmentally
friendly and multifunctional inorganic additives that could
be considered as nanofillers for PLA providing properties
like antibacterial action or intensive ultraviolet absorption.
However, ZnO as well as other Zn derivatives are known
as very efficient catalysts in ring-opening polymerization
of lactide but also in ‘unzipping’ depolymerization of PLA.
Indeed, preliminary studies revealed that addition of
untreated ZnO nanoparticles into PLA at melt-processing
temperature led to severe degradation of the polyester
matrix, i.e., drastic reduction of PLA molecular weight,
resulting in a sharp reduction of their thermo-mechanical
characteristics [7].
Noteworthy, to make PLA matrix less susceptible to the
catalytic action of ZnO during the melt blending process
and any subsequent film/fiber processing, various filler
surface treatments with selected additives (stearic acid,
stearates, (fatty) amides, etc.) were tested with relatively
low effectiveness. Remarkably, ZnO surface-treated by
triethoxy caprylylsilane (i.e., commercial grade Zano 20 Plus
supplied by Umicore Zinc Chemicals) leads to PLA-based
nanocomposites characterized by very good preservation
of the intrinsic molecular parameters of PLA and related
physicochemical characteristic features. Furthermore,
the surface-coated ZnO nanoparticles proved to finely and
regularly disperse within the polyester matrix as highlighted
by TEM (Figure 4).
Additionally, whatever the nature of the PLA matrix,
i.e., spinning or extrusion grade, the nanocomposites
filled from 1 to 3 % surface-treated ZnO show mechanical
properties, e.g., a tensile strength in the range 55 - 65 MPa,
at least comparable and even somewhat higher than those
obtained for the neat polyester matrix [7]. Noticeable, these
nanocomposites show the onset of thermal degradation
(T 5%
) at significantly higher temperature (from 20 to 40 °C)
with respect to the samples containing untreated ZnO. Such
improvements represent a real interest in the perspective
of their utilization in production of films or fibers, and are
mainly attributed to the effect of the –Si-O-Si-O- layers
that cover the nanofiller surface and behave as a protecting
barrier limiting the catalytic effect of ZnO able to promote
unzipping of the nearby PLA chains.
Interestingly, the related PLA-ZnO nanocomposite
films as produced by compression molding or extrusion,
proved to be characterized by very effective anti-UV action
(Figure 5), in fact a total anti-UV protection is obtained for
an amount of nanofiller as low as 1%. On another hand,
PLA-ZnO nanocomposites have been also melt-spun and
a highly efficient antibacterial protection on knitted fabrics
was evidenced to both gram positive and gram negative
bacteria [7].
48 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

From Science & Research
Further prospects:
PLA-based hybrid nanocomposites
Other nano-reinforcements for PLA are under development,
but the most extensively studied so far, remain natural clays
(like montmorillonite, sepiolite and halloysite) or carbon-based
nanoparticles, mostly carbon nanotubes (CNT) and expanded/
exfoliated graphite. As illustration, exfoliated graphite as
nanofillers combine the lower price and the layered structure
of clay nanoplatelets with the superior thermal and electrical
performances of CNT, whereas other specific end-use properties,
e.g., mechanical rigidity, lower coefficient of friction, better abrasion
resistance, have been highlighted. Also, PLA-expanded graphite
(EG) nanocomposites proved to be characterized by increased
kinetics of crystallization as well as thermo-mechanical properties
allowing the application of these materials at higher temperature
[8]. Furthermore, co-addition of EG and CNT into PLA paves the
way to hybrid nanocomposites characterized by an interesting
set of properties: higher tensile strength and rigidity, improved
FR, conductive electrical characteristics even in presence of tiny
amount of CNT. Again, the extent of the nanoparticle dispersion
throughout the matrix remains a challenge where adequate
surface treatment and/or addition of interfacial compatibilizers
represent the best tools to get rid of filler aggregation.
Conclusion
Following the recent expansion of bioplastics and in response
to the demand for enlarging PLA applications, it has been
emphasized that PLA can be effectively melt-blended with
selected micro- and nano-fillers to produce novel bio(nano)
composites. Successful up-scaling of laboratory results via
continuous twin-screw extrusion technology has been achieved
paving the way to industrial applications. In this contribution,
two case studies are discussed: i) PLA filled with CaSO 4
(AII) and
selected organo-modified clays yielding high performance (nano)
composites, and ii) PLA-(surface-treated) ZnO nanocomposites
leading to nanocomposite films and fibers with specific end-use
properties : anti-UV protection and antibacterial action. Based on
these illustrations, very promising developments in the synergy
aspects are clearly expected from the combination of nanofillers
and more efforts are to be consented in this direction.
90
80
0% Zn0
neat PLA
70
1% Zn0
60
3% Zn0
50
40
30
on PLA films
(0.2 - 0.3 mm thickness)
20
10
PLA - ZnO
Wavelength (nm)
0
200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Transmittance (%)
Figure 5: UV-vis spectra of selected samples of PLA-ZnO
(silane treated) films compared to neat PLA evidencing total
anti-UV protection
Figure 4: TEM picture of PLA (spinning grade) -1% ZnO (silane
treated) attesting for good nanofiller dispersion into PLA matrix
http://morris.umons.ac.be/CIRMAP
www.materianova.be
Authors thank the Wallonia Region, Nord-Pas de Calais
Region and European Community for the financial
support in the frame of the INTERREG – MABIOLAC and
NANOLAC projects. They thank all partners, especially to
ENSC Lille and ENSAIT- Roubaix (France), for technical/
scientific support and helpful discussions, and all
mentioned companies for supplying raw materials.
CIRMAP acknowledges supports by the Région Wallonne
in the frame of OPTI²MAT program of excellence, by the
Interuniversity Attraction Pole program of the Belgian
Federal Science Policy Office (PAI 6/27) and by FNRS-
FRFC.
References
1. Platt D. Biodegradable Polymers - Market report.
Smithers Rapra Limited UK, Shawbury, Shrewsbury,
Shropshire, 2006.
2. Madhavan Nampoothiri K, Nair NR, John RP. Biores.
Tech. 2010;101:8493–501.
3. Dubois Ph, Murariu M. JEC Composites Magazine
2008;45:66-9.
4. Murariu M, Da Silva Ferreira A, Degée Ph, Alexandre
M, Dubois Ph. Polymer 2007;48(9):2613-8.
5. Murariu M, Bonnaud L, Yoann P, Fontaine G, Bourbigot
S, Dubois Ph. Polym. Degra.d Stabil. 2010;95:374-81.
6. Dubois Ph, Murariu M, Alexandre M, Degée Ph,
Bourbigot S, Delobel R, Fontaine G, Devaux E.
Polylactide-based compositions. WO Patent 095874 Al,
2008.
7. Murariu M, Doumbia A, Bonnaud L, Dechief AL, Paint
Y, Ferreira M, Campagne C, Devaux E, Dubois Ph.
Biomacromolecules 2011;12:1762-71.
8. Murariu M, Dechief AL, Bonnaud L, Paint Y, Gallos A,
Fontaine G, Bourbigot S, Dubois Ph. Polym. Degrad.
Stabil. 2010;95:889-900.
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 49

Materials
M
Electrodialysis
Feed Solution
o
E. Coli
C
o
C C
C C C
o o o
o
H 2
O
Anode
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Dilute
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
+ H 2
O
+ OH
+
+
+
+ Cathode
+
+
Concentrate
O
O
O
O
Biomass
Fermentation
A
Separation / Purification
B
Conversion
C
Resin Manufacturing
D
Schematic diagram of (A) fermentation, (B) Separation and Purification, (C) Lactide Conversion and (D) PLA polymerisation.
Four-unit process technology
for PLA manufacturing
www.hyundai.com
By
Hong, Chae Hwan
Kim, Si Hwan
Soe, Ji Yeon
Han, Do Suck
CAE & Materials
Research Team
Hyundai·Kia Motors
Gyeonggi-do
Uiwang Samdong,
South Korea
Polylactide (PLA) is one of the most important biodegradable and biocompatible
polyesters derived from annually renewable resources. The most efficient method
for preparation of PLA is ring-opening polymerisation of the dimeric cyclic
ester of lactic acid, i.e. lactide.
Fermentative production of the PLA precursor, lactic acid, offers the great advantage
of producing optically pure L-or D-lactic acid depending upon the strains selected
for fermentation. The optical purity of lactic acid is crucial for the physical properties
of PLA. Though L-lactic acid can be polymerised to give a crystalline product (PLLA)
suited to commercial uses, its application is limited by its low melting point. Complexing
PLLA with poly-D-lactic acid (PDLA), however, raises the melting point thus presenting
an attractive solution to the heat sensitivity of PLA. However, fermentation of sugars
to D-lactic acid has been studied very little and its microbial productivity is not well
known. Therefore, Hyundai·Kia Motors investigated D-lactic acid fermentation with a
view to obtaining improved strains capable of producing D-lactic acid with enhanced
productivity, and finally a maximum lactic acid production of 60 g/l was achieved.
A fermentation-based process requires maintenance of a near neutral pH for high
productivity and this necessitates the addition of alkali in most of the cases. Alkali
addition produces a salt of lactic acid instead of lactic acid itself. To overcome this salt
problem, the processes based on electrodialysis that do not require then addition of acid
or alkali to convert lactate salts into lactic acid was tested. Electrodialysis technology
(see picture) is based on electromigration of ions through a stack of cation and anion
exchange membranes. Basically, it involves two steps. The first step called conventional
electrodialysis (CED) separates and concentrates lactate salts. The second step called
bipolar electrodialysis (BED) converts lactate salts into lactic acid. These two processes
were adopted and D-lactic acid was produced.
Lactide is prepared in a two-stage process: first, the lactic acid is converted into
oligo(lactic acid) by a polycondensation reaction; second, the oligo(lactic acid) is
thermally depolymerised to form the cyclic lactide via an unzipping mechanism.
Through catalyst screening test for polycondensation and unzipping depolymerisation
reaction a new method was developed to shorten the whole reaction time to 50% of the
conventional method.
Poly(L-)lactide was obtained from the ring-opening polymerisation of L-lactide.
Various catalysts and polymerisation conditions were investigated resulting in the best
catalyst system and the scale-up technology.
50 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Report
75,000 tonnes/a Lactide
plant (plant overview)
Successful start
New 75,000 tonnes
lactic acid plant
started operation
By
Lex Borghans
Manager Corporate Marketing
Purac, Gorinchem, the Netherlands
Shirts with tie – supporting
high heat fibers
Purac, Gorinchem, the Netherlands, has successfully
completed the construction of its new 75,000 tonnes/
year Lactide plant in Thailand. The construction of this
EUR 45 million state-of-the-art plant started in March 2010
and has recently been finalized. At the moment the plant is
being commissioned and the first test runs have already been
finalized. Several batches of high quality PURALACT ® Lactides
have been produced and actual deliveries of Puralact to
customers are scheduled to start early 2012.
This investment is driven by the commitment of Purac
and its parent company CSM to play a leading role in the
development of the market for lactic acid based bioplastics
(Poly Lactic Acid or PLA). PLA contributes, with commercially
viable and readily available products, to a significantly lower
carbon footprint compared to traditional fossil-based plastics.
The PLA market is highly attractive as many Brand Owners
are increasingly developing and launching sustainable
products. The new plant will produce Lactide monomers for
biobased resins and plastics, which will be supplied to Purac
business partners in the polymer and chemical industry.
The PLA polymers made from the Puralact L and Puralact D
monomers aim at gaining a significant share of today’s
plastics market and enables Purac’s partners to produce
PLA with application temperatures up to 180 °C (266 °F).
François de Bie, Marketing Director Bioplastics comments:
“This new Lactide plant will take us to the next step in
developing the PLA market, together with our partners. In
addition, we have made good progress in our application
development program for bioplastics. Based on our
proprietary technology we have demonstrated the benefits of
Purac’s PLA building blocks in demanding applications in the
packaging, foam, fiber and consumer products industries.”
52 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Report
Food containers – supporting
high heat food tray
in Thailand
PLA homopolymer resin produced from Purac’s stereo
chemically pure L-Lactide has recently been tested and
validated in a range of high end applications. In the segment
of fiber spinning, a technical performance comparison was
made between a regular, commercial PLA fiber grade and a
comparable Puralact L based PLLA homo-polymer. With the
PLLA homo-polymer, fully-drawn yarn with excellent mechanical
and thermal properties was successfully made, due to the
significantly higher melting point of PLLA homo-polymer. The
fast crystallization and high levels of crystallinity of the PLLA
provide important benefits to physical properties of fibers and
fabrics.
75,000 tonnes/a Lactide plant (detailed visual)
In close co-operation with partners in the packaging arena,
a product formulation was developed based on blends of PLA
homo-polymer resins i.e. Puralact based PLLA and PDLA. This
blend was extruded into a sheet material and subsequently
thermoformed on an industrial production line for applications
such as hot food trays. This demonstrates that when using
Puralact based PLA resin, it is possible to meet the high heat
requirements typical for these type of applications.
“The successful start up of our 75,000 ton Lactide plant marks
another milestone in Purac’s commitment to the development of
the PLA market” says Jeroen Jonker, Vice President Bioplastics
at Purac, “We are now able to supply monomers that can be
transformed into high performance PLA, whilst providing the
scale and security of supply as required by the end use markets.
I am particularly excited that we are increasingly able to attract
customers in the high end markets, a clear confirmation of our
high performance PLA strategy”
www.purac.com
Purac will present more details on
their PLA activities at the
2 nd PLA World
C o n g r e s s
15 + 16 MAY 2012 * Munich * Germany
Contact f.de.bie@purac.com at Purac,
to get a 15% discount on the conference fee.
organized by bM
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 53

Basics
PLA (polylactide or polylactic acid) belongs to the group
of biopolymers chemically prepared from biobased, renewable
raw materials. In this class of materials PLA
is today’s most important thermoplastic biopolymer on the
market. PLA is an aliphatic polyester based on lactic acid, a
natural acid, that is mainly produced by fermentation of sugar
or starch with the help of micro-organisms. Lactic acid exists
in two optically active enantiomeric forms, i.e., as L-(+)- or (S)
lactic acid and as D-(―)- or (R)-lactic acid.
STARCH, SUGAR, BIO-
GENIC WASTE MATERIALS
CONDITIONING OF
SUBSTRATES
Fermentation
IsolATION
MiCroorganismS
InoCulATION
LACTIC ACID
ProduCt
PROCESSING
PLA
MATERIAL
Blending/
AdditivES
PLA
PolymeriZation
SynthesIS
LactidE
(Source: [1])
Basics of PLA
O
O
O
O
(R,R)- lactide
or D-lactide
(Source: Purac)
By Michael Thielen
This article is based on a chapter in the new book
“Engineering Biopolymers” [1] as well as personal
information of Sicco de Vos (Purac) and Andreas
Grundmann (Uhde-Inventa-Fischer)
O
O
O
O
(S,S)- lactide
or L-lactide
O
O
O
O
(R,S)- lactide
or meso-lactide
Polymerisation
Most of the lactic acid today is being produced by
fermentation. Here biological material is being converted
with the aid of bacteria, fungal or cell structures, or by
adding enzymes. However, to manufacture lactic acid and —
in the next step — polylactide a certain amount of process
engineering is necessary (see graph). The biological feedstock,
this engineering as well as the purity of the lactic acid play
an important role on the quality, the properties and not least
the cost of the final PLA. In the last 10-15 years, mainly by
optimising the process technology and the ‘economy of scale’
with larger manufacturing capacities, the price of PLA could
be reduced significantly. Further significant reductions in the
manufacturing cost seem possible in the future, especially
when raw material costs are reduced, i. e., by the use of
biogenic residues or wastes, such as whey, molasses, or
wastes containing lignocellulose.
In order to convert lactic acid into PLA, the lactic acid is in
a first step prepolymerised to form small prepolymers by socalled
oligopolycondensation and then depolymerised into
cyclic lactides. This means two lactic acid molecules form
a cyclic dimer, lactide, which, depending on the constituting
isomers, can be a D-D-lactide, an L-L-lactide or a mesolactide
(having one D and one L isomer).
These lactides are then connected in a ringopening
polymerization process, producing long, linear
macromolecules: the PLA resin. This process can be
performed using stirred tank cascades or horizontal reactors
as they are known from polyester chemistry. The majority of
the industrially relevant production processes for PLA have
54 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Basics
in common that they are continuous melt processes, operated at high
temperatures without the use of solvents. The capacity of such plants
varies from 5,000 to 140,000 tonnes per annum.
Apart from some exceptions, like clear film and fiber, virgin PLA resin as
it exits the polymerization reactor, cannot be directly processed into final
plastic products. Hence, as is usual with most plastics, virgin PLA resin is
modified for specific applications by compounding with functional additives
and/or by blending with other polymers (bioplastics or traditional, oil-based
polymers). Such modifications have already resulted in PLA compounds
with sufficient performance to replace PET, HIPS, PP and even ABS. In
order to prevent the PLA pellets from sticking together during storage and
transportation, virgin resin pellets are commonly crystallized. The resulting
semi-crystalline, heat resistant granulate can be shipped around the globe
without problems. In its crystalline state the chemical stability of PLA –
and PLLA homopolymer in particular - is higher and its water absorption,
swelling behavior, and rate of biological degradation are lower than those
of amorphous PLA.
PLA production
For the production of PLA approximately 0.1 to 0.25 ha (in Europe rather
0.2 to 0.5 ha) of agricultural area is needed for 1 tonne. For comparison,
cotton requires almost 3x more land for the production of the same quantity.
Hence, PLA exhibits very high land use efficiency and other comparisons
can be found in [1, 2].
The world’s first large PLA production unit with a capacity of 140,000
tonnes per annum began production in the USA in 2002. Industrial PLA
production facilities can now also be found in the Netherlands, Japan and
China. For example one Dutch company is going to expand their 5,000
t/a capacity to 35 – 70,000 t/a. A recent announcement from China was
about an expansion of their PLA capacity to 50,000t/a in 2013 from 5,000
t/a currently. In Germany a 500 t/a industrial pilot plant started operation
in 2011 and in Switzerland a 1000 t/a industrial pilot plant will become
operational in the first quarter of 2012.
Gattinoni Obama Dress
100% NatureWorks Ingeo PLA
(Picture: Gattinoni)
Properties
Advantages of PLA are its high level of rigidity, transparency of the
film, cups and pots, as well as its thermoplasticity and good processing
performance on existing equipment in the plastics converting industry.
Nevertheless PLA has some disadvantages at the moment: as its softening
point is around 60°C, the unmodified material is not suitable for the
manufacture of cups for hot drinks. Modified PLA types can be produced
by the use of additives like nucleating agents or impact modifiers, or by
a blending PLLA and PDLA, the homopolymers of of L- and D- lactides
(stereocomplexing), which then have the required morphology for use at
higher temperatures (see bM 02/2008). A second characteristic of PLA
together with other bioplastics is its low water vapour barrier. Whilst this
characteristic would make it unsuitable, for example, for the production of
bottles, its ability to “breathe” is an advantage in the packaging of bread or
vegetables.
Applications
Transparent PLA is very similar to conventional mass produced plastics,
like PS, PP, PET and PMMA, not only in its properties but it can also be
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 55

Basics
processed on existing machinery without modification. PLA and PLAblends
are available in granulate form, and in various grades, for use
by plastics converters in the manufacture of film, moulded parts,
drinks containers, cups, bottles and other everyday items. In addition
to short life packaging film or deep drawn products (e.g. beverage or
yoghurt pots, fruit, vegetable and meat trays) the material also has
great potential for use in the manufacture of durable items.
Examples here are casings for mobile phones, possibly reinforced
with natural fibres, desktop accessories, lipstick tubes, and lots
more. Even in the automotive industry we are seeing the first
series application of plastics based on PLA. Some Japanese car
manufacturers have developed their own blends which they use to
produce dashboards, door tread plates, etc. (see bM 02/2008).
Fibres spun from PLA are even used for textile applications,
because PLA offers several interesting benefits over the traditional
polyester fiber material, PET, and cotton. On the market we can
already find all kinds of textiles from articles of clothing through
children’s shoes to car seat covers.
Furthermore there are lucrative special markets, for example
in medical and pharmaceutical applications where PLA has been
successfully used for decades. From screws etc. that are slowly
resorbed into the body, to nails, implants and plates made from PLA
or PLA copolymers, the parts are used to hold broken bones in place
as they heal. The PLA is broken down within the body and assimilated
by the human metabolism, so saving the patient the problem of a
second surgery to remove the previously implanted parts.
[1] Endres, H.-J., Siebert-Raths, A.:
Engineering Biopolymers, Hanser
Publsihers, 2011
[2] Patel, M.: Ökobilanzierung von
Biopolymeren und biogenen Rohstoffen;
4. BioKunststoffe (conference), Hannover/
Germany, 12-13 April 2011
Uhde Inventa-Fischer will present more
details on their PLA activities at the
2 nd PLA World
C o n g r e s s
15 + 16 MAY 2012 * Munich * Germany
Contact andreas.grundmann@thyssenkrupp.com at
Uhde Inventa-Fischer to get a 15% discount on the
conference fee.
organized by bM
End of life
Basically PLA is recyclable, biodegradable and compostable,
and can be incinerated for energy recovery and accelerated
carbon recycling. However, copolymers or blends of polylactides
are rapidly, slowly, or not at all biodegradable, depending on
their composition, morphology, geometry, and not in the least the
environmental conditions. Whilst PLA is actually quite stable under
typical, dry, indoor conditions for years, it can be degraded under
industrial composting conditions in a few weeks. Blends of PLA
with non-biodegradable plastics, such as PLA/PC, are commonly
not biodegradable let alone compostable, but that is also not the
purpose of such a durable compound. This underlines the special
diversity of this bio-based bioplastic that can be used in a form that
rapidly degrades in industrial composting, or, if required, in a more
durable composition that can be used for years and will most likely
be recycled or incinerated in the end.
As soon as significant amounts of PLA can be collected, recycling
becomes feasible and worthwile. That is why for instance brand
owners like Danone encourage their competitors to use PLA, in order
to achieve a critical mass for recycling as soon as possible. Besides
material recycling, where PLA is ground up and reprocessed into new
products, also chemical (or feedstock) recycling is possible. Here the
PLA is converted back into lactide monomers and lactic acid, and
can be used for PLA again or for completely different purposes.
www.ifbb-hannover.de
www.purac.com
www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com
56 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Did you know ?
From the
field to the
wheel:
Photovoltaic is 40 times
more efficient than the
best biofuel
(source: shutterstock/alphaspirit)
By Michael Carus
Managing Director
nova-Institute
Hürth, Germany
Solar radiation in Germany in gigajoules per hectare per year
36,000 (+/- 10 to 12 % depending on region)
Photosynthesis
About 2% of 20,000 GJ per
hectare and cultivation period:
400 GJ per hectare per year
Mechanical and chemical
processes > Biofuels
50 to 135 GJ per hectare
per year (bioethanol,
biodiesel, BTL)
Degree of efficiency of
distribution and combustion
engine (fuel > wheel)
About 35%
18 – 47 GJ per
hectare per year
(bioethanol,
biodiesel, BTL)
Photovoltaic cell > national grid
Total degree of
efficiency about 10%:
3,600 GJ per, hectare per year
Inverter (DC > AC)
Efficiency 90%
Network losses: 6%
Remainder for the car battery:
3,050 GJ per hectare per year
From battery to vehicle
wheel
Total efficiency about 60%
1,800 GJ per
hectare per year
(solar
electric car)
The yield per hectare per year varies between a factor
of 40 (BTL) and 100 (biodiesel)
What will be the future of mobility? Which solution
is both land-efficient and sustainable? On the one
hand we have all different kinds of biofuels, like
biodiesel, bioethanol and BTL (biomass to liquid), and on the
other hand there is e-mobility sourced by renewable energy
sources.
Today we would like to compare the land efficiency, or the
average energy yield per hectare for different biofuels, with
that of a solar driven electric car - from the agricultural field
to the car wheel. As a region we have chosen Germany just
as an example. For most other regions the relationship of
the results will not be so different - if there is more sun, the
yield of the crops (as long they have enough water) and of
the solar panels will increase almost in the same order. In
regions with very long growing periods, or even two growing
seasons per year, and sufficient water supply, the yield will be
relative higher.
In Germany the average solar radiation per hectare per
year is about 10,000,000 kWh or 36,000 Gigajoules (GJ). This
energy is used by the leaves of the crops as well as by the
photovoltaic cell to transform and store energy.
1) Biofuels
The leaves of crops use the solar radiation by photosynthesis.
The theoretical maximum conversion efficiency
of solar energy to biomass is 4.6% for C3 crops and 6% for
C4 crops (maize, sugar cane, miscanthus), the best yearround
efficiencies realized are no more than 3% (Langeveld
2010). So a realistic value of the photosynthesis in plant
cells is about 2%, this is not very efficient. Because crops
normally are only 100 – 150 days in the fields (spring and
summer) the full yearly solar radiation cannot be taken into
58 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Did you know ?
account – we have to reduce the 36,000 GJ to around 20,000
GJ per hectare and growing period. That means that 400 GJ
per hectare per year (2% of 20,000 GJ) are transferred to
bioenergy in biomolecules. Further mechanical and chemical
processing to biofuels will reduce the efficiencies and the
yields significantly. In the range covering biodiesel from
rapeseed/canola, bioethanol from wheat, and sugar beet to
BTL (biomass to liquid) the energy yields are between 50 and
135 GJ per hectare per year. That means that between 0.3
and 0.7% of the solar energy is converted to biofuel. Finally
the internal combustion engine has an efficiency of about
35% (biofuel to wheel). 65% of the energy is lost as heat. This
brings us a final yield of between 18 and 47 GJ per hectare per
year or a total efficiency of between 0.1% and 0.2% related to
the solar radiation of 20,000 GJ per hectare over the growing
period. This does not look like the solution for the future!
(biodiesel) more efficient compared to the system of energy
crops plus a biofuel driven car!
That is one reason why the nova-Institute thinks that
biofuels are an intermediate technology that should be
substituted by solar (and wind) energy in the next 20 – 30
years. To switch from biomass to solar will set free huge
amounts of land for other applications, such as bioplastics:
we should rather use biomass for bio-based chemistry and
materials which cannot be produced by sun and wind.
Sources:
Langeveld, J.W.A. 2010: Biomass availability. In: Langeveld et al.
(editors): The Biobased Economy. Earthscan, London 2010.
Remark: Where is the energy lost in the crop?
Light-use efficiency of the average leaf of a crop is similar
to that of the best photovoltaic (PV) solar cells
transducing solar energy to charge separation
(approx. 37%). In photosynthesis most of the
energy is lost, being dissipated as heat during
synthesis of biomass. (Langeveld 2010)
2) Solar electricity
Photovoltaic panels have a realistic efficiency
of 10% as a yearly average today, and they work
during the full year. The latest commercial
systems have already efficiencies up to 15% and
it is expected this will increase to 20 – 40% in
the future. Today from the 36,000 GJ average
solar radiation solar panels can earn 3,600 GJ
of electricity (DC) and an inverter transforms
this to AC electricity, suitable to feed into the
national grid. Modern electrical inverters have
efficiencies of ca. 90%. There are also losses
in the grid, typically in Germany about 6%.
Thus, of the original solar radiation about 3,050
GJ reached the battery of the car. The system
battery (ca. 65%) and electric motor (ca. 95%)
have a total efficiency of ca. 60%. That means
that finally 1,800 GJ are transmitted to the car
wheel – or as a percentage of the solar radiation:
5%. This is much better than with biofuels.
Conclusion: Crops and solar panels are using
the same source of energy to transform, via
biofuels or electricity, into mobility, i.e. solar
radiation. The photovoltaic panel and electric
car system is 40 times (BTL) to 100 times
iBIB 2012
International Business Directory for Innovative
Bio-based Plastics and Composites
Pictures: nova-Institut, Sainsbury’s, Proganic
For the 2 nd time worldwide:
An entire overview of all suppliers of bio-based plastics and composites!
In spring 2012 iBIB 2012 the second international directory of major suppliers of biobased
plastics and composites will be published. Becoming an iBIB 2012 participant will
enable you to reach about 50,000 potential industrial clients from all over the world.
The print version will be distributed by the publishers and partners at trade fairs,
exhibitions and conferences worldwide
The PDF-version will be distributed widely by email and websides
Online-database with detailed index to reach your supplier in a target oriented way
iBIB 2012 : 250 pages – 100 companies, associations, R&D – 20 countries
Book your page(s) now at: www.bio-based.eu/iBIB
Deadline: 17 th February 2012
In cooperation with
www.bio-based.eu/iBIB
Book now: www.bio-based.eu/iBIB
Due to strong demand the new deadline
for registration is: February 17 th
Publisher
nova-Institute GmbH | Chemiepark Knapsack | Industriestrasse 300 | D-50354 Hürth
Dominik Vogt | Phone: +49 (0)2233 4814 – 49 | dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 59

Interview
Pilar Echezarreta is a recognized Spanish architect. Recently
she made some ‘inflatable architecture’ from
film material made of Biolice, a bioplastic manufactured
by Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients from maize flour
using a unique process in the bioplastics sector.
Pilar was born in Barcelona and lived in Mexico City for
around 20 years. After graduating in Architecture, she studied,
worked and lived between Paris, New York and Shanghai.
Parallel to these activities she’s been working during the
last 12 years in an on-going research project on inflatable
structures with materials that are not usually considered
for Architecture: air, paper, and plastics. Every unit is 100%
handmade.
How did you discover Biolice? What triggered the idea of
using Biolice in your art ?
During the month of December, you can buy in Paris
decorative plastic bags that are used as decoration at the
bottom of the Christmas tree. Once holidays are over, you can
place the tree inside and throw the whole to the waste, all
being biodegradable. During January you’ll find these trees
dressed in gold [golden pearls] under the rain. When I had
the opportunity to build an inflatable in Mexico, I decided to
contact Biolice. To my surprise, Biolice was very supportive to
my initiative and sent me the necessary amount of material.
The use of biodegradable film gave a new scope to the
design and construction: inflatable architecture can also be
biodegradable!
Pilar
Echezarreta
What makes Biolice unique for you?
I guess it is very simple. Biolice is a noble material. If I can
compare it to textiles, Biolice will be the silk of films. Biolice’s
films have a great balance between weight, resistance,
performance at warehouse, and color, and most important,
it is biodegradable.
Where did you show this kind of art?
In Mexico City in 2009 the solo exhibition Golden Pearl and
other prototypes proposed a colony of inflatable architectures
built with polymer, one of them built real size with capacity
for 8 people. The installation remained one month installed
at the gallery.
Later in 2010 I was invited by the Istituto Europeo di Design
[Madrid] to teach the Air Workshop. The constraint I gave to
the students was to build an inflatable structure out of 32
golden bags. The final presentation was a performance in the
Plaza de El Callao — one of the most crowded squares in
Madrid
The most recent construction was last November at the
IV Festival Architecture and Performance, at Madrid. The
project presented is a site specific unit called Assemblage
with Air, an inflatable concert hall. The unit measures around
20m long, by 5m high and 5m wide.
If not confidential, can you tell us what is the next step with
using bioplastics: working with ‘biosac by calcia’ bag, the
innovative compostable cement bag, in order to find a link
between architecture and raw materials for construction ?
Being a rigid material, biosac makes me think in the use of
paper in Architecture. Traditional Japanese architecture has
impressive examples on this. We’re still on a study phase, and
promise to keep you posted on the next biosac construction.
PDF
This is an abridged version of a longer
interview with Pilar Echezarret.
The complete interview as well as
more pictures can befound at
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/201201.pdf
www.biolice.com
60 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

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extends automatically if it’s not canceled
three month before expiry.
www.facebook.com
www.issuu.com
www.twitter.com
www.youtube.com
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
Zhejiang Hangzhou Xinfu
Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd
No. 50 Qinshan Road, Jincheng
Town, Lin‘an, 311300, China
Tel.: +86 571 6106 2167
Fax.: +86 571 6106 7360
grace@xinfupharm.com
www.xinfupharm.com
1.1 bio based monomers
PURAC division
Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21
4200 AA Gorinchem -
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695
Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604
www.purac.com
PLA@purac.com
1.2 compounds
API S.p.A.
Via Dante Alighieri, 27
36065 Mussolente (VI), Italy
Telephone +39 0424 579711
www.apiplastic.com
www.apinatbio.com
www.cereplast.com
US:
Tel: +1 310.615.1900
Fax +1 310.615.9800
Sales@cereplast.com
Europe:
Tel: +49 1763 2131899
weckey@cereplast.com
Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd.
Gaotang Industrial Zone, Tianhe,
Guangzhou, P.R.China.
Tel: +86 (0)20 87215915
Fax: +86 (0)20 87037111
info@ecopond.com.cn
www.ecopond.com.cn
FLEX-262/162 Biodegradable
Blown Film Resin!
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
Transmare Compounding B.V.
Ringweg 7, 6045 JL
Roermond, The Netherlands
Tel. +31 475 345 900
Fax +31 475 345 910
info@transmare.nl
www.compounding.nl
PolyOne
Avenue Melville Wilson, 2
Zoning de la Fagne
5330 Assesse
Belgium
Tel.: + 32 83 660 211
www.polyone.com
1.3 PLA
Shenzhen Brightchina Ind. Co;Ltd
www.brightcn.net
www.esun.en.alibaba.com
bright@brightcn.net
Tel: +86-755-2603 1978
PSM Bioplastic NA
Chicago, USA
www.psmna.com
+1-630-393-0012
Jean-Pierre Le Flanchec
3 rue Scheffer
75116 Paris cedex, France
Tel: +33 (0)1 53 65 23 00
Fax: +33 (0)1 53 65 81 99
biosphere@biosphere.eu
www.biosphere.eu
Grace Biotech Corporation
Tel: +886-3-598-6496
No. 91, Guangfu N. Rd., Hsinchu
Industrial Park,Hukou Township,
Hsinchu County 30351, Taiwan
sales@grace-bio.com.tw
www.grace-bio.com.tw
1.5 PHA
Division of A&O FilmPAC Ltd
7 Osier Way, Warrington Road
GB-Olney/Bucks.
MK46 5FP
Tel.: +44 1234 714 477
Fax: +44 1234 713 221
sales@aandofilmpac.com
www.bioresins.eu
Telles, Metabolix – ADM joint venture
650 Suffolk Street, Suite 100
Lowell, MA 01854 USA
Tel. +1-97 85 13 18 00
Fax +1-97 85 13 18 86
www.mirelplastics.com
62 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Suppliers Guide
3. Semi finished products
3.1 films
6. Equipment
6.1 Machinery & Molds
Tianan Biologic
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
1.6 masterbatches
Huhtamaki Forchheim
Sonja Haug
Zweibrückenstraße 15-25
91301 Forchheim
Tel. +49-9191 81203
Fax +49-9191 811203
www.huhtamaki-films.com
Cortec® Corporation
4119 White Bear Parkway
St. Paul, MN 55110
Tel. +1 800.426.7832
Fax 651-429-1122
info@cortecvci.com
www.cortecvci.com
FAS Converting Machinery AB
O Zinkgatan 1/ Box 1503
27100 Ystad, Sweden
Tel.: +46 411 69260
www.fasconverting.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
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
Eco Cortec®
31 300 Beli Manastir
Bele Bartoka 29
Croatia, MB: 1891782
Tel. +385 31 705 011
Fax +385 31 705 012
info@ecocortec.hr
www.ecocortec.hr
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
Arkema Inc.
Functional Additives-Biostrength
900 First Avenue
King of Prussia, PA/USA 19406
Contact: Connie Lo,
Commercial Development Mgr.
Tel: 610.878.6931
connie.lo@arkema.com
www.impactmodifiers.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
3.1.1 cellulose based films
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
Roll-o-Matic A/S
Petersmindevej 23
5000 Odense C, Denmark
Tel. + 45 66 11 16 18
Fax + 45 66 14 32 78
rom@roll-o-matic.com
www.roll-o-matic.com
The HallStar Company
120 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 1620
Chicago, IL 60606, USA
+1 312 385 4494
dmarshall@hallstar.com
www.hallstar.com/hallgreen
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
Sukano AG
Chaltenbodenstrasse 23
CH-8834 Schindellegi
Tel. +41 44 787 57 77
Fax +41 44 787 57 78
www.sukano.com
INNOVIA FILMS LTD
Wigton
Cumbria CA7 9BG
England
Contact: Andy Sweetman
Tel. +44 16973 41549
Fax +44 16973 41452
andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com
www.innoviafilms.com
4. Bioplastics products
alesco GmbH & Co. KG
Schönthaler Str. 55-59
D-52379 Langerwehe
Sales Germany: +49 2423 402 110
Sales Belgium: +32 9 2260 165
Sales Netherlands: +31 20 5037 710
info@alesco.net | www.alesco.net
NOVAMONT S.p.A.
Via Fauser , 8
28100 Novara - ITALIA
Fax +39.0321.699.601
Tel. +39.0321.699.611
www.novamont.com
WEI MON INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
2F, No.57, Singjhong Rd.,
Neihu District,
Taipei City 114, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tel. + 886 - 2 - 27953131
Fax + 886 - 2 - 27919966
sales@weimon.com.tw
www.plandpaper.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
MANN+HUMMEL ProTec GmbH
Stubenwald-Allee 9
64625 Bensheim, Deutschland
Tel. +49 6251 77061 0
Fax +49 6251 77061 510
info@mh-protec.com
www.mh-protec.com
6.2 Laboratory Equipment
MODA : Biodegradability Analyzer
Saida FDS Incorporated
3-6-6 Sakae-cho, Yaizu,
Shizuoka, Japan
Tel : +81-90-6803-4041
info@saidagroup.jp
www.saidagroup.jp
7. Plant engineering
Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH
Holzhauser Str. 157 - 159
13509 Berlin, Germany
Tel. +49 (0)30 43567 5
Fax +49 (0)30 43567 699
sales.de@thyssenkrupp.com
www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 63

Suppliers Guide
8. Ancillary equipment
10. Institutions
10.2 Universities
9. Services
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
Fax: +49(0)2233-48-14 5
Bioplastics Consulting
Tel. +49 2161 664864
info@polymediaconsult.com
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
www.european-bioplastics.org
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
University of Applied Sciences
Faculty II, Department
of Bioprocess Engineering
Heisterbergallee 12
30453 Hannover, Germany
Tel. +49 (0)511-9296-2212
Fax +49 (0)511-9296-2210
hans-josef.endres@fh-hannover.de
www.fakultaet2.fh-hannover.de
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64 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7

Events
Event Calendar
You
can meet us!
Please contact us in
advance by e-mail.
Feb. 20-22, 2012
Innovation Takes Root 2012
Omni ChampionsGate Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA.
www.innovationtakesroot.com
Feb. 28-29, 2012
Solpack 1.0
Munich, Germany
www.solpack.de
March 7-8, 2012
Fachkongress „Future-Packaging I
Verpackungstechnologien von morgen“
TFZ Technologie- und Forschungszentrum Wiener
Neustadt (Österreich)- Vienna (Wiener Neustadt)
www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/veranstaltungen/
future_packaging_i_verpackungstechnologie_morgen_188831.
html
March 13-14, 2012
World Biofuels Markets
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com
March 14-15, 2012
5th International Congress on Bio-based
Plastics and Composites
Cologne, Germany
www.biowerkstoff-kongress.de
March 20-22, 2012
Green Polymer Chemistry
Maritim Hotel, Cologne, Germany
www.amiplastics.com
March 21-22, 2012
Plastics in Automotive Engineering
Mannheim, Germany
www.kunststoffe-im-auto.de
March 27-30, 2012
BioPlastek 2012
An Interactive Forum on Bioplastics Today & Tomorrow
Westin Arlington Gateway, Arlington, VA, USA
http://bioplastek.com
March 29-30, 2012
Sus Pack 2012
Conference on Sustainable Packaging
Cologne, Germany
www.suspack.eu
April 1-5, 2012
NPE 2012
Orlando, USA
www.npe.org
April 18-21, 2012
Chinaplas 2012
Shanghai, China
www.chinaplasonline.com
visit bioplastics MAGAZINE
at booth 58047
April 19-20, 2012
2 nd Congress on biodegradable polymer
packaging
Sala Aurea, Camera di Commercio, Parma (Italy)
www.biopolpack.unipr.it.
April 23-24, 2012
Biopolymer World Congress
NH Laguna Palace Hotel, Mestre-Venice (Italy)
www.biopolymerworld.com
April 25-26, 2012
Durable Bioplastics
Minneapolis, MN, USA
http://infocastinc.com/index.php/Upcoming_Conferences
May 8-9, 2012
Bioplastics Compounding & Processing
The Hilton Downtown Miami, Miami, Florida, USA
www.amiplastics-na.com
May 9-10, 2012
5. BioKunststoffe
Hannover, Germany
www.hanser-tagungen.de/
May 10-11, 2012
2 nd Congress on Biodegradable Poplymers
Packaging
Centro Congressi Fiera di Milano – Rho, Milano, Italy
www.biopolpack.unipr.it/preregistration.htm
May 14-18, 2012
SPE Bioplastic Materials Conference
Renaissance Seattle Hotel - Seattle, Washington USA
www.4spe.org
May 15-16, 2012
2 nd PLA World Congress
presented by bioplastics MAGAZINE
Holiday Inn City Center, Munich Germany
www.pla-world-congress.com
May 16-18, 2012
SPE Bioplastic Materials Conference
Renaissance Seattle Hotel, Seattle, Washington USA
www.4spe.org
June 13-15, 2012
BioPlastics: The Re-Invention of Plastics
Hilton - Downtown, San Francisco, USA
www.BioPlastix.com
June 19-20, 2012
Biobased materials
WPC, Natural Fibre and other innovative
Composites Congress
Fellbach, near Stuttgart, Germany
www.nfc-congress.com
Sep. 5-6, 2012
naro.tech 9th International Symposium
Erfurt, Germany
www.narotech.eu
Oct. 2-4, 2012
BioPlastics – The Re-Invention of Plastics
Caesars Palace Hotel, Las Vegas, USA
www.InnoPlastSolutions.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 65

Companies in this issue
Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert
A&O FilmPAC Ltd 62
Aalto University 31
ADM 3, 5
Aeskulap 22
alesco GmbH & Co. KG 63
API S.p.A. 62
Arkema 15, 43 45, 63
Ashland Chemical 38
AstroTurf 38
Austin Novel Materials, North America 34
Automanager.tv 10
Avantium 8
BASF 34
BASF Color Solutions 8
BioAmber 7
BIOCORE 42
Biomer 28
Biopolymers & Biocomposites Research Team 34,37
Biosphere 62
BMBF 22
BMELV 10, 21, 22
BPI - The Biodegradable Products Institute 64
Braskem 16, 34, 38
Brooks Sports 33
CAPAX environmental services 43
Cereplast 62
Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola AB 43
Chase Plastic Services, Inc. 34
Chemtrusion, Inc. 34
Chimar Hellas AE 43
Chinaplas 7 61
CIMV 42
CIRMAP 46
Coca-Cola 8
Colette 40
Composites Evolution 40
Continental Tyres Germany 22
Cortec® Corporation 63
CTAG 18
Denso 15
Deutsches Kunststoff Institut 21
DSM Bio-based Products & Services B.V. 43
DuPont 13, 15, 34 62
Eastman Chemical Co. 34
Ecole des Mines de Douai 14
Ecomann 51
Ecospan, LLC 34
EMS 34
Energy research Centre of the Netherlands 43
Eops 40
Erema 6 43
European Bioplastics e.V. 64
Evonik 8, 34
ExTech 34
Extrusa 34
FAS Converting Machinery AB 63
FH Hannover 10, 54
Fiat 13
FkUR 6, 9, 34, 38 2, 62
Flaxland 40
FNR 10, 21, 22
Ford 10, 20, 33
Four Motors 10
Fraunhofer ICB 22
Fraunhofer IME 22
Fraunhofer UMSICHT 64
Fuji Xerox 24
Galactic 6, 47
Gattinoni 55
Gevo 8
Gneuss, Inc. 34,37
Grace Biotech Corporation 62
Hallink 63
Hallink RSB Inc. 34
Heritage Plastics 34
Hochschule Bremen 21
Huhtamaki Forchheim 63
Hutchinson 13
Hyundai-Kia Motors 6, 50
IAC (International Automotive Components) 21
IDES 33, 34
igus 27
Imperial College London 43
IndiaMART.com 34
Innovia Films 63
INRA Transfert 43
Institut for bioplastics & biocomposites 10, 21, 54
Institut für Umweltstudien -
Weibel & Ness GmbH
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique 43
Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Heidelberg
Iowa State University 34,37
Jamplast, Inc. 34
Jarden Plastic Solutions 34
Julius Kühn Institut 22
Kal 34
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven 43
Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd 34 62
Kunststoffwerk Voerde Hueck & Schade 21
Kureha America Inc. 34
Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry 43
Leistritz 33, 34
Lili Giacobino 41
Limagrain Céréales Ingrédient 60 62
LipoFIT Analytic 22
LTL Color Compounders, Inc. 34,37
Lubrizol 33
LyondellBasell 21
M-Base Engineering + Software 20
MANN+HUMMEL ProTec GmbH 63
Materia Nova Research Center 46
Mathelin Bay Associates LLC 34
Max-Plack-Institute for Plant Breeding 22
Mazzucchelli 41
Mercedes-Benz 16
Merquinsa North America, Inc. 33, 34
Metabolix 5, 28 62
Michael Young 40
Michigan State University 6 64
Minima Technology Co., Ltd. 4, 34, 38 63
Mitsubishi Chemical 7
Mitsui & Co. 7
MODA 63
Möller 8
Nano4 46
Nanobiomatters Industries, S.L. 34
narocon 6 64
National Technical University of Athens 43
Natur-Tec ® - Northern Technologies 62
NatureWorks 6, 34, 37,
47, 55
Nexeo Solutions 34
nova-Institut 8, 16, 43,
58
43
43
16, 59,
64
Novamont 4 63, 68
Novozymes 16
Optimum 5
OWS 41
Phoenix Plastics L.P. 34
Plastic Suppliers 63
Plastic Technologies, Inc. 34
plasticker 31
Polyone 6, 34 62,63
Polyvel, Inc. 34
President Packaging Ind., Corp. 63
PTT MCC Biochem 7
PTT Public Company 7
Purac 6, 34, 36, 62
52, 54
Recycling Solutions 34
Reifenhäuser 8
Renault 10
Resirene, S.A. de. C.V. 32, 34
Rhe Tech Inc 34
Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH 63
Rheinchemie 17
Rodenburg 5
Roll-o-Matic A/S 63
RTP Company 33, 34
Shenzhen Brightchina 6 62
Showa Denko Europe GmbH 62
Sidaplax 63
Simcon Kunststofftechnische Software 21
Solagro Association 43
Southern Clay Products 47
SPI (NPE) 32 39
SPI Bioplastics Council 34, 36
Stichting Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek 43
Südzucker 22
Sukano AG 63
Sustainable Composites 40
SYNPO, akciová společnost 43
Synthomer 22
Syral 43
Szent Istvan University 43
Taghleef Industries SpA, Italy 63
Tarkett SA 43
Technical University Clausthal 21
Teinnovations Inc. (PSM Bioplastic) 34, 36 63
Tekes 31
Teknor Apex Company 32, 34
Telles 3, 5 62
The Energy and Resources Institute 43
The HallStar Company 63
Tianan Biologic 28
Tianan Biologic 63
Toyota 15, 23
TP Composites, Inc. 34
Tradepro, Inc. 34
Transmare Compounding B.V. 62
Uhde Inventa-Fischer 6,54
Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH 63
United Soybean Board 34, 38
Universität Stuttgart 64
University of Mons 46
University of Wisconsin-Madison 21, 28
University Stuttgart 22
UPM 31
Valtion teknillinen tutkimuskeskus 43
Virent 8
Volkswagen 10
VTT 31
Wacker Chemie 5
Waterless Company 38
Wei Mon 57
WEI MON INDUSTRY CO., LTD. 63
Werzalit 8
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery 28
Wuhan Huali 26
Zhejiang Hangzhou Xinfu
Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd
34 62
66 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/11] Vol. 6

2 nd PLA World
C o n g r e s s
15 + 16 MAY 2012 * Munich * Germany
PLA is one of the bioplastics with the largtest market
significance. The versatile bioplastics raw material is made almost
completely from renewable resources. It is being used for packaging
applications, for fibres in woven and non-woven applications. Even
the automotive industry and consumer electronics are already
applying PLA. Blending PLA with other bioplastics or other blendpartners
as well as mixing it with natural fibres such as flax, hemp
or kenaf broadens the range of applications even more.
That‘s why bioplastics MAGAZINE is now organising the 2nd PLA
World Congress.
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.
The 2 full-day-conference will be held on the 15th and 16th of May
2012 in the Holiday Inn Munich City Centre Munich, Germany.
The 2nd PLA World Congress is the must-attend conference
for everyone interested in PLA, its benefits, and challenges. The
conference offers high class presentations from top individuals in
the industry and also offers excellent networkung opportunities.
Register now:
The conference will comprise
high class presentations on
• Latest developments
• Market overview
• High temperature behaviour
• Barrier issues
• Additives / Colorants
• Applications
• Reinforcements
• End of life options
Online registration is open at
www.pla-world-congress.com
www.pla-world-congress.com Tel.: +49 (2161) 6884469