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ioplastics magazine Vol. 7 ISSN 1862-5258<br />
Basics<br />
Plastics from CO 2<br />
| 44<br />
September / October<br />
05 | 2012<br />
Highlights<br />
Fibers / Textiles | 16<br />
Polyurethanes / Elastomers | 34<br />
Cover-Story<br />
Textile bio-based materials design challenge | 16<br />
... is read in 91 countries
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sales@fkur.com<br />
www.fkur.com<br />
Office Scandinavia<br />
Polymerfront AB<br />
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Getå Gunnarstorp 1<br />
616 90 Åby • Sweden<br />
bjarne.hogstrom@sales.fkur.com
Editorial<br />
dear<br />
readers<br />
Are plastics made from CO 2<br />
to be considered as bioplastics? Not<br />
necessarily, I would say. If these plastics are in fact biodegradable<br />
they would fall under our definition of bioplastics (see our revised<br />
and extended ‘Glossary 3.0’ on page 50ff). And if such plastics are<br />
made from CO 2<br />
that comes, via combustion or other chemical processes,<br />
from fossil based raw materials, we should at least avoid<br />
calling call them biobased. Nevertheless, I believe that the use of<br />
such CO 2<br />
to make plastics (or other useful products) and so prevent,<br />
or at least delay, the CO 2<br />
from entering the atmosphere, is a good<br />
approach in the sense of our overall objectives. It will certainly require<br />
further evaluation and even standardisation until CO 2<br />
based<br />
plastics can/will be defined as a new (bio-) plastic class or category.<br />
Plastics produced from CO 2<br />
, definitely one of the major topics in<br />
this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE, is accompanied by further highlights.<br />
In several articles we report about biobased polyurethanes<br />
and elastomers and we present some articles about fibres and textile<br />
applications.<br />
In this issue we also present the five finalists for the 7 th Bioplastics<br />
Award. The number of entries was not as large as in previous<br />
years, however I doubt that the innovative power of this industry is<br />
flagging. So we kindly ask all of you to keep your eyes open and report<br />
interesting innovations that have a significant market relevance<br />
whenever you see them. The 8 th Bioplastics Award is definitely coming.<br />
The 7 th ‘Bioplastics Oskar’ will be presented on November 6 th in<br />
Berlin at the European Bioplastics Conference.<br />
Follow us on twitter!<br />
www.twitter.com/bioplasticsmag<br />
Until then, we hope you enjoy reading bioplastics MAGAZINE<br />
Sincerely yours<br />
Michael Thielen<br />
Be our friend on Facebook!<br />
www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 3
Content<br />
Editorial ...................................3<br />
News .................................05 - 10<br />
Application News .......................20 - 22<br />
Material News .........................30 - 35<br />
Suppliers Guide ........................54 - 56<br />
Event Calendar .............................57<br />
Companies in this issue .....................58<br />
05|2012<br />
September/October<br />
Events<br />
12 Will bioplastics benefit from Olympic boost?<br />
Bioplastics Award<br />
14 Bioplastics Award Shortlist<br />
Fibres & Textiles<br />
16 Textile bio-based materials design challenge<br />
18 Bioplastics – to be walked all over<br />
Materials<br />
24 PBS production<br />
26 From meat waste to bioplastics<br />
Polyurethanes / Elastomers<br />
36 A new compostable TPE<br />
38 PPC polyol from CO 2<br />
40 Polyurethanes from orange peel and CO 2<br />
42 Renewable building blocks for polyurethanes<br />
Basics<br />
43 No ‘greenwashing‘ with bioplastics<br />
44 Plastics made from CO 2<br />
48 Sustainable Plastic from CO 2<br />
Waste<br />
Imprint<br />
Publisher / Editorial<br />
Dr. Michael Thielen (MT)<br />
Samuel Brangenberg (SB)<br />
Layout/Production<br />
Julia Hunold, Mark Speckenbach<br />
Head Office<br />
Polymedia Publisher GmbH<br />
Dammer Str. 112<br />
41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany<br />
phone: +49 (0)2161 6884469<br />
fax: +49 (0)2161 6884468<br />
info@bioplasticsmagazine.com<br />
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com<br />
Media Adviser<br />
Elke Hoffmann, Caroline Motyka<br />
phone: +49(0)2161-6884467<br />
fax: +49(0)2161 6884468<br />
eh@bioplasticsmagazine.com<br />
Print<br />
Tölkes Druck + Medien GmbH<br />
47807 Krefeld, Germany<br />
Print run: 4,200 copies<br />
bioplastics magazine<br />
ISSN 1862-5258<br />
bioplastics magazine is published<br />
6 times a year.<br />
This publication is sent to qualified<br />
subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues).<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE (Eu) is printed on<br />
chlorine-free FSC certified paper.<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE is read<br />
in 91 countries.<br />
Not to be reproduced in any form<br />
without permission from the publisher.<br />
The fact that product names may not be<br />
identified in our editorial as trade marks is<br />
not an indication that such names are not<br />
registered trade marks.<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British<br />
spelling. However, in articles based on<br />
information from the USA, American<br />
spelling may also be used.<br />
Editorial contributions are always welcome.<br />
Please contact the editorial office via<br />
mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com.<br />
Envelopes<br />
A part of this print run is mailed to the<br />
readers wrapped in biodegradable<br />
envelopes sponsored and<br />
produced by Flexico Verpackungen<br />
Deutschland and Maropack<br />
Cover<br />
Photo: iStockphoto.com/mumininan<br />
4 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7<br />
Follow us on twitter:<br />
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News<br />
Metabolix to cooperate<br />
with Antibióticos<br />
Metabolix, Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA),<br />
announced end of July that it has signed a letter of intent<br />
(LOI) with Antibióticos S.A. for production of Mirel<br />
biopolymer resin (PHA) at its manufacturing facility in<br />
Leon, Spain.<br />
Under the terms of the LOI, Metabolix will begin work<br />
immediately with Antibióticos to conduct a series of<br />
validation production runs to demonstrate fermentation<br />
and recovery of Mirel biopolymer resin on full productionscale<br />
equipment at Antibióticos. The companies plan to<br />
enter into a definitive contract manufacturing agreement<br />
for Mirel biopolymers based upon the validation<br />
production runs as well as completion of economic and<br />
engineering feasibility studies. Metabolix will own the<br />
Mirel biopolymer resin produced during the validation<br />
production runs.<br />
“The agreement with Antibióticos represents a<br />
significant step forward in establishing a new supply<br />
chain for Mirel biopolymers to serve our customers<br />
worldwide and to continue product development in<br />
high value-added applications,” said Richard P. Eno,<br />
president and chief executive officer of Metabolix. “In<br />
addition, Antibióticos is located in the European Union<br />
near many of our targeted customers. We are impressed<br />
with the track record, technical expertise and facilities at<br />
Antibioticos, and believe their equipment is well-suited<br />
to the manufacturing process used to produce Mirel<br />
biopolymers at commercial scale.”<br />
“This agreement brings together our experience<br />
and technical capacity with Metabolix’s technology and<br />
processes in a way that supports the values and vision<br />
of both companies,” said Daniele Pucci Di Benisichi,<br />
president of Antibióticos. “The first step of our work<br />
with Metabolix will be to validate their technology in our<br />
facility. Then, we’ll look ahead to creating a contract<br />
manufacturing agreement. Antibióticos follows a very<br />
demanding and selective approach for new projects and<br />
partners, and we’re particularly pleased to be working<br />
with Metabolix to deepen our work in sustainable<br />
technologies and diversify our business portfolio.”<br />
Mirel biopolymers are based on polyhydroxyalkanoates<br />
(PHA), biobased, uniquely biodegradable, and suitable<br />
for a wide range of product applications. Metabolix<br />
has previously demonstrated production of Mirel<br />
biopolymer resin at industrial scale. Metabolix<br />
is currently supplying Mirel biopolymer resin to<br />
customers from existing inventory of approximately<br />
2,300 tonnes (5 million pounds). MT<br />
www.metabolix.com<br />
www.antibioticos-sa.com<br />
Bio-based acrylic acid<br />
Presently, acrylic acid is produced by the oxidation<br />
of propylene derived from the refining of crude oil.<br />
BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany), Cargill (Minneapolis,<br />
Minnesota, USA) and Novozymes (Copenhagen, Denmark)<br />
signed an agreement in mid-August to develop bio-based<br />
technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable<br />
feedstocks.<br />
“The cooperation combines BASF’s global market<br />
strength and innovation power with the excellent knowhow<br />
and competencies of Novozymes and Cargill who<br />
are global leaders in their respective industry segments.<br />
Together we are uniquely positioned to more sustainably<br />
meet market and society needs”, said Michael Heinz,<br />
Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE.<br />
New milestone towards commercialization<br />
Novozymes and Cargill have collaborated on renewable<br />
acrylic acid technology since 2008. Both companies have<br />
worked to develop microorganisms that can efficiently<br />
convert renewable feedstock into 3-hydroxypropionic<br />
acid (3-HP), which is one possible chemical precursor<br />
to acrylic acid. BASF has now joined the collaboration to<br />
develop the process for conversion of 3-HP into acrylic<br />
acid. BASF is the world´s largest producer of acrylic<br />
acid and has substantial capabilities in its production<br />
and downstream processing. The company plans<br />
initially to use the bio-based acrylic acid to manufacture<br />
superabsorbent polymers.<br />
The three companies bring complementary knowledge<br />
to the project. Novozymes, the world-leader in industrial<br />
enzymes, has years of experience with developing<br />
technologies for bio-based production of chemicals used<br />
in plastics, ingredients, etc.. Cargill brings its global<br />
expertise in sourcing renewable feedstocks and largescale<br />
fermentation to this collaborative project.<br />
Acrylic acid is a high-volume chemical that feeds into<br />
a broad range of products. One of the main applications<br />
is in the manufacture of superabsorbent polymers that<br />
can soak up large amounts of liquid and are used mainly<br />
in baby diapers and other hygiene products. Acrylic acid<br />
is also used in adhesive raw materials and coatings. The<br />
annual global market volume of acrylic acid is around<br />
4.5 million tons with a value of $11 billion 1 at the end of<br />
2011. The market has been growing at a rate of 4 percent<br />
per year. MT<br />
www.basf.com.<br />
www.cargill.com<br />
www.novozymes.com.<br />
1<br />
Based on ICIS pricing<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 5
News<br />
Photo: Lausitzring/BASF<br />
Waste from<br />
the race<br />
www.lausitzring.de<br />
www.kuvbb.de<br />
www.ecovio.de<br />
Photo: EuroSpeedway Verwaltungs GmbH / Tino Hanf<br />
BASF’s biodegradable plastic Ecovio ® FS Paper took center<br />
stage in a pilot project involving disposable and biodegradable<br />
tableware during the ADAC Masters Weekend motorsport event<br />
(August 24 to 26) at the German race track Lausitzring. During<br />
the weekend, the Polster Catering company (Lichtenstein,<br />
Germany) only used cardboard trays and paper plates that were<br />
compostable. Cups will follow suit next season.<br />
The disposable tableware, manufactured by Hosti<br />
(Pfedelbach, Germany), is made of paper that is coated with<br />
a thin layer of Ecovio FS Paper, a blend of partially biobased<br />
PBAT Ecoflex® FS and PLA. This creates disposable tableware<br />
made from more than 90% organic raw materials, the plastic<br />
coating consisting of more than 50% renewable raw materials,<br />
but 100% compostable. The tableware with this special<br />
plastic coating does not soak through and does not have to be<br />
incinerated – as is usually the case – after being used. Instead,<br />
it can be processed along with the organic waste in order to<br />
yield valuable compost. This high-quality soil is subsequently<br />
used again at the Lausitzring in order to upgrade the soil that<br />
has been stressed by the open-cast mining in that area. The<br />
Lausitzring is the first large-scale event location in Europe<br />
to introduce such a closed loop system, wich is part of the<br />
‘Green Lausitzring’. This project is supporting and testing<br />
environmentally friendly technologies.<br />
Using – collecting – composting<br />
The caterers collected the disposable tableware (charged<br />
with a € 1.00 deposit per item), together with the food residues,<br />
in likewise compostable trash bags and transported them to<br />
a nearby composting plant. The operators of the composting<br />
plant have set aside a dedicated area for composting the organic<br />
waste from the Lausitzring, where the degradation behavior can<br />
be precisely monitored and controlled. Consequently, this pilot<br />
project serves not only to underscore an active commitment<br />
to saving resources in the realm of motorsports but also to<br />
study the degradation behavior of large quantities of trays and<br />
plates that have been coated with Ecovio FS Paper. This study is<br />
being conducted by the Department of Waste Management and<br />
Material Flow of the University of Rostock in Germany.<br />
Pilot project: compostable and disposable<br />
tableware at large-scale events<br />
Numerous pilot projects have already enabled BASF to<br />
demonstrate that organic waste bags made of Ecovio FS degrade<br />
within a short period of time in industrial composting plants.<br />
Ecovio is a plastic that meets the strict statutory stipulations<br />
of European standard EN 13432 for the biodegradability<br />
and compostability of packaging. The pilot experiment at<br />
the Lausitzring is the first of its kind to test how disposable<br />
tableware with an Ecovio FS Paper coating can be composted in<br />
large quantities. Together with its cooperation partners, BASF<br />
intends to expand this closed-loop concept for biodegradable<br />
disposable tableware along the entire value-added chain, so<br />
that it can be deployed at large-scale events in stadiums or at<br />
trade fairs, or else in (fast-food) restaurants, office complexes,<br />
hospitals or leisure & sports centers. MT<br />
6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
News<br />
Bioplastics from<br />
Starbucks waste<br />
Starbucks Corporation, coffee giant headquartedered in Seattle,<br />
Washington, USA is trying to improve ways to handle their waste<br />
streams. One important step is the cooperation with biorefinery<br />
scientists to transform food waste from their stores into succinic<br />
acid, a key ingredient for making plastics and other useful<br />
products. This food waste could for example be the huge amount of<br />
stale bakery goods worldwide not only from Starbucks that might<br />
otherwise be wasted.<br />
A research team led by Carol S. K. Lin, Ph.D reported about a project<br />
launched in cooperation with Starbucks that is concerned with<br />
sustainability and seeking a use for this kind of food waste, at the 244 th<br />
National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society<br />
(19-23 August 2012, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.).<br />
The idea took shape during a meeting last summer between<br />
representatives of the nonprofit organization called The Climate<br />
Group and Lin at her laboratory at the City University of Hong<br />
Kong. The Climate Group asked her about applying her special<br />
transformative technology to the wastes of one of its members —<br />
Starbucks Hong Kong. To help jump-start the research, Starbucks<br />
Hong Kong donated a portion of the proceeds from each purchase<br />
of its ‘Care for Our Planet Cookies’ gift set.<br />
“We are developing a new kind of food biorefinery, and this<br />
concept could become very important in the future, as the world<br />
strives for greater sustainability,” Lin explained. “Using corn and<br />
other food crops for bio-based fuels and other products may not be<br />
sustainable in the long-run. Using waste food as the raw material<br />
in a biorefinery certainly would be an attractive alternative.”<br />
(Photos below: Starbucks)<br />
Lin described the food biorefinery process, which involves<br />
blending the baked goods with a mixture of fungi that excrete<br />
enzymes to break down carbohydrates in the food into simple<br />
sugars. The blend then goes into a fermenter, a vat where bacteria<br />
convert the sugars into succinic acid that can be used as one<br />
ingredient for the production of a number of bioplastics.<br />
The method isn’t just for Starbucks and of course not limited to<br />
bakery waste — Lin has also successfully transformed food wastes<br />
from her university’s cafeteria and other mixed food wastes into<br />
useful substances with the technology.<br />
Lin said that the process could become commercially viable<br />
on a much larger scale with additional funding from investors.<br />
“In the meantime, our next step is to use funding we have from<br />
the Innovation and Technology Commission from the Government<br />
of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to scale up the<br />
process,” she said. “Also, other funding has been applied to test<br />
this idea in a pilot-scale plant in Germany.”<br />
The scientists acknowledged support from the Innovation and<br />
Technology Commission (ITS/323/11) in Hong Kong, as well as a<br />
grant from the City University of Hong Kong (Project No. 7200248).<br />
MT<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 7
News<br />
Ingeo Biopolymer Stable in Landfills<br />
A peer-reviewed article appearing in the journal of<br />
Polymer Degradation and Stability concludes that Ingeo<br />
PLA is essentially stable in landfills with no statistically<br />
significant quantity of methane released. This conclusion<br />
was reached after a series of tests to ASTM D5526 and<br />
D5511 standards that simulated a century’s worth of<br />
landfill conditions.<br />
“This research is the latest in a series of NatureWorks<br />
initiatives aimed at understanding and documenting the<br />
full sustainability picture of products made from Ingeo,”<br />
said Marc Verbruggen, president and CEO, NatureWorks<br />
(Minnetonka, Minnesota). “We work with a cradle-tocradle<br />
approach to zero waste. What this means in terms<br />
of landfill diversion, for example, is ideally that Ingeo<br />
foodservice ware would be composted (…), and that<br />
(other products made of) Ingeo resins and fibers would<br />
be mechanically or chemically recycled and not landfilled.<br />
However, these systems are still emerging and developing.<br />
The reality today is that a percentage of Ingeo products<br />
end up in landfills. And now we can say with certainty that<br />
the environmental impact of that landfilling, in terms of<br />
greenhouse gas release, is not significant.”<br />
Verbruggen added that several months ago Ingeo was<br />
the first biopolymer to receive tandem certifications for<br />
sustainable agricultural practices in growing feedstock.<br />
“NatureWorks is looking at sustainability from a<br />
360-degree perspective – from sustainable agriculture<br />
to facilitating sustainable end-of-life scenarios for Ingeo<br />
bioplastic and fiber.”<br />
Conditions in landfills can vary considerably by<br />
geography, management practices, and age of waste. As<br />
a result, researchers Jeffery J. Kolstad, Erwin T.H. Vink<br />
and Bruno De Wilde, and Lies Debeer of Belgium-based<br />
Organic Waste Systems performed two different series<br />
of tests spanning a broad spectrum of conditions. The<br />
first was at 21˚ C (69.8˚ F) for 390 days at three moisture<br />
levels. The first series did not show any statistically<br />
significant generation of biogas, so the team decided to<br />
push the stress tests to a higher and more aggressive<br />
level and instituted a series of high solids anaerobic<br />
digestion tests. Today, some landfills are actively<br />
managed to act as ‘bioreactors’ to intentionally promote<br />
microbial degradation of the waste, with collection and<br />
utilization of the by-product gas. To capture this scenario,<br />
the second series of tests were designed to simulate high<br />
solids anaerobic digestion under optimal and significantly<br />
accelerated conditions and were performed at 35˚C<br />
(95˚ F) for 170 days. While there was ‘some’ biogas<br />
released in this aggressive series of tests, the amount<br />
released was not statistically significant according to<br />
the peer reviewed research paper. Both series of tests<br />
were designed to represent an examination of what could<br />
happen under a range of significantly accelerated anaerobic<br />
landfill conditions and were roughly equivalent to 100 years of<br />
conditions in a biologically active landfill. MT<br />
www.natureworksllc.com<br />
www.ows.be<br />
Info:<br />
Download the complete 10-page study<br />
http://tinyurl.com/PLA-landfill<br />
Biolice project<br />
launched in Brazil<br />
Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients (Ennezat, France)<br />
has just launched its industrial project to build a biolice<br />
bioplastic granules factory in Pato Branco, Brazil. These<br />
granules are made from corn flour and are biodegradable/<br />
compostable, with the project being carried out in<br />
conjunction with the Guerra family, which is already<br />
working with Limagrain in corn seeds in Brazil.<br />
This 2,000 m 2 factory will start operating in a year’s<br />
time, with a production capacity of 8,000 tonnes of biolice.<br />
The total amount invested has not been disclosed.<br />
Damien Bourgarel, VP for the Cereal Ingredients<br />
Division: “It is a great pleasure for me to lay the first<br />
stone of the bioplastic granules factory, which will play<br />
a part in forming a genuine waste composting chain in<br />
Pato Branco, with the Guerra family, which is leading<br />
the way in agri-business in Brazil. This partnership sees<br />
Limagrain providing the fruits of its research conducted<br />
over more than 10 years in biolice granules, which were<br />
first created in France, as well as its technical know-how<br />
and marketing methods. Alongside, the Guerra family will<br />
be providing its knowledge of the Brazilian market and<br />
access to a local production chain”.<br />
He added that “Our aim for biolice is to become globally<br />
involved in biodegradable plastics. Like India and China,<br />
Brazil is a target country for the biolice biodegradable<br />
and compostable raw material”. MT<br />
www.limagrain.com<br />
8 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
News<br />
Environmental<br />
Communications<br />
Workshop<br />
False or misleading communication<br />
of environmental product properties is a<br />
widespread problem in the marketplace.<br />
An almost fully<br />
biobased tailgate<br />
The German Fourmotors racing team, famous for its biodiesel<br />
driven Bioconcept Car (see for example bM 01/2007, 01/2010 and<br />
01/2012), and now closely cooperating with IfBB (Institute for<br />
Bioplastics and Biocomposites, Hanover University, Germany) have<br />
proudly announced the next step in their joint development. In<br />
early September, the first biobased vehicle tailgate was presented<br />
to representatives of the press on the German racetrack - the<br />
Hockenheim-Ring. The project is co-funded by FNR (the agency for<br />
renewable resources, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of<br />
Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV))<br />
The tailgate, which was already made from natural fibre reinforced<br />
petroleum-based resins, is now being produced from linen (flax<br />
fibres) and an epoxy resin made from renewable resources. “The<br />
amount of biobased components in the resin is currently at 45%, i.e.<br />
together with the natural fibers 75% in the composite, and we are<br />
constantly researching ways to increase this ratio with regard to the<br />
material performance,” says Professor Hans-Josef Endres of IfBB.<br />
For example the flax fibres are woven in a special twill-weave that<br />
allows the textile to be draped into the desired 3D-shapes. Currently<br />
still hand-laminated, as there are only a few parts needed for the<br />
racing car, IfBB is certainly also evaluating series production methods<br />
such as RTM and injection moulding of thermoplastic natural fiber<br />
reinforced biocomposites for the mass production of such parts.<br />
Motorsports have always been a playground and cutting-edge for<br />
innovative developments that finally found their way into automotive<br />
series production. The testing conditions for automotive components<br />
are definitely much tougher than normal traffic conditions. “Ten<br />
rounds on the famous ’Nordschleife‘ at the Nürburgring can be<br />
compared to about 10,000 kilometres in everyday traffic,“ says Tom<br />
von Löwis, head of Fourmotors.<br />
In line with its initiative for good<br />
environmental communication (see p. 43),<br />
European Bioplastics; the association for the<br />
European bioplastics industry; announce its 1 st<br />
Workshop on Environmental Communication<br />
for bioplastics.<br />
The workshop will take place on 5 th<br />
November 2012 at the Maritim proArte Hotel<br />
in Berlin, Germany (one day prior to the<br />
annual European Bioplastics Conference).<br />
Who should attend and what to<br />
expect<br />
Generally the workshop is open to everybody<br />
interested in the topic of environmental<br />
communication for bioplastics. However, the<br />
primary target group of this workshop are<br />
communications and marketing experts,<br />
brand managers and product designers of or<br />
interested in the bioplastics industry.<br />
The half-day workshop, 9.30 am<br />
(registration from 9:00) to 2 pm, will cover<br />
a number of examples after an introduction<br />
regarding environmental communication<br />
rules in general and specific for bioplastics<br />
benchmark. In the second phase of the<br />
workshop, the participants will focus in<br />
smaller groups on assigned environmental<br />
communication cases. The workshop will end<br />
with the presentation and discussion of the<br />
developed solutions.<br />
40 places are available, more details and<br />
registration via the website<br />
www.european-bioplastics.org/ecg.<br />
Thus the biobased tailgate is just one of a multitude of automotive<br />
plastic applications that can be converted into biobased versions.<br />
The team around IfBB and Fourmotors will continue their work.<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE will report on the project in more detail in issue<br />
01/2013. MT<br />
www.fourmotors.com<br />
www.ifbb-hannover.de<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 9
News<br />
NatureWorks<br />
broadens portfolio<br />
Sulzer Chemtech (Winterthur, Switzerland) has shipped<br />
proprietary production equipment to NatureWorks<br />
(Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA) facility in Blair, Nebraska<br />
that will enable NatureWorks to increase production<br />
of Ingeo PLA biopolymer and produce new, highperformance<br />
resins and lactides.<br />
Nameplate production capacity will rise by 10,000 to<br />
150,000 tonnes per annum. Commissioning is expected<br />
in the first quarter of 2013 with capacity increases and<br />
new products becoming available in the second quarter.<br />
Both companies have been working on the project<br />
for more than a year. Each company has contributed to<br />
the project with NatureWorks bringing its operational<br />
experience and intellectual property in lactides processing,<br />
and Sulzer bringing its proprietary equipment and<br />
engineering design expertise in this field. NatureWorks<br />
owns patents to the new process, to which Sulzer has<br />
exclusive sublicensing rights worldwide. Technical and<br />
financial details, however, were not disclosed.<br />
magnetic_148,5x105.ai 175.00 lpi 15.00° 75.00° 0.00° 45.00° 14.03.2009 10:13:31<br />
Prozess CyanProzess MagentaProzess GelbProzess Schwarz<br />
Magnetic<br />
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New polymer grades<br />
With the new technology, NatureWorks will be<br />
introducing new high-performance Ingeo PLA grades in<br />
the injection molding and fibers arenas. New injection<br />
molding grades Ingeo 3100HP and 3260HP are designed<br />
for use in medium and high flow nucleated formulations<br />
to provide an excellent balance of mechanical and thermal<br />
properties, while delivering up to 75% time savings over<br />
formulations based on current grades. Heat distortion<br />
temperatures (HDT/B @ 0.46 MPa) are expected to be<br />
15°C higher than what is achievable today.<br />
Fibers and nonwoven products made from the new Ingeo<br />
grades 6260D and 6100D will have reduced shrinkage and<br />
better dimensional stability. These improved features are<br />
expected to enable Ingeo use across a broader range<br />
of fiber and nonwoven applications and provide larger<br />
processing windows in fiber spinning and downstream<br />
conversion processes. NatureWorks also will assess new<br />
market and application opportunities for the technology<br />
in other processes, including thermoforming, film<br />
extrusion, blow molding and profile extrusion.<br />
New lactide<br />
NatureWorks will be the world’s first and only company<br />
to offer commercial quantities of a high-purity, polymergrade<br />
lactide rich in the stereoisomer meso-lactide.<br />
Identified as Ingeo M700 lactide, this unique, new<br />
commercial material will be used as an intermediate for<br />
copolymers, amorphous resins, grafted substrates, resin<br />
additives/modifiers, adhesives, coatings, elastomers,<br />
surfactants, thermosets and solvents.<br />
Several producers have addressed the functionality<br />
requested by the market with what are described<br />
chemically as racemic lactides. “Compared to these,<br />
the high-purity Ingeo M700 will be easier to process<br />
and an overall cost effective alternative to racemic, L-<br />
and D-lactides in a host of industrial applications,” said<br />
Dr. Manuel Natal, global segment leader for lactide<br />
derivatives at NatureWorks. MT<br />
www.natureworksllc.com<br />
www.sulzer.com<br />
10 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Polylactic Acid<br />
Uhde Inventa-Fischer has expanded its product portfolio to include the innovative stateof-the-art<br />
PLAneo ® process. The feedstock for our PLA process is lactic acid, which can<br />
be produced from local agricultural products containing starch or sugar.<br />
The application range of PLA is similar to that of polymers based on fossil resources as<br />
its physical properties can be tailored to meet packaging, textile and other requirements.<br />
Think. Invest. Earn.<br />
Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH<br />
Holzhauser Strasse 157–159<br />
13509 Berlin<br />
Germany<br />
Tel. +49 30 43 567 5<br />
Fax +49 30 43 567 699<br />
Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG<br />
Via Innovativa 31<br />
7013 Domat/Ems<br />
Switzerland<br />
Tel. +41 81 632 63 11<br />
Fax +41 81 632 74 03<br />
marketing@uhde-inventa-fi scher.com<br />
www.uhde-inventa-fi scher.com<br />
Uhde Inventa-Fischer
Events<br />
Will bioplastics benefit<br />
from Olympic boost?<br />
By<br />
Matthew Aylott<br />
Science Writer for the NNFCC<br />
Heslington, York, UK<br />
Dr John Williams, Head of Materials at bioeconomy consultants<br />
NNFCC and adviser to the London Organising Committee<br />
to the Olympic Games (LOCOG) discusses the role of<br />
sustainable packaging at the Games and asks: “Where do we go<br />
from here?”<br />
LOCOG wanted to devise a system for packaging that would help<br />
the organisers reduce waste to zero. If successful it would be the<br />
very first time an Olympic Games would deliver zero waste.<br />
This was no small task considering more than 3,300 tonnes of<br />
food and food related packaging waste would be created during<br />
the games. Tackling this problem would require an entirely new<br />
approach to packaging and waste management.<br />
NNFCC along with members of the Renewable Packaging Group<br />
and the wider waste and packaging industries worked with LOCOG<br />
to find a solution that was both economically viable and would help<br />
the organisers meet their ambitious environmental targets.<br />
Following these discussions LOCOG decided to use recyclable<br />
packaging and where that wasn’t possible they would use EN 13432<br />
certified compostable packaging. This would allow the majority of<br />
food packaging waste to be recycled or turned into compost.<br />
New approach to packaging<br />
Making the vision a reality would be a challenge but if successful<br />
would have a huge impact on the future of packaging at events.<br />
In February this year London Bio Packaging was appointed<br />
as non-sponsor food packaging suppliers to the London 2012<br />
Olympic Games. The company develops finished products that<br />
provide recyclable or compostable alternatives to less sustainable<br />
packaging materials.<br />
Compostable packaging was used because it helps to tackle one<br />
of the most challenging problems facing event organisers; how<br />
do you cut waste from difficult to recycle packaging streams like<br />
materials which become contaminated with food?<br />
This was particularly problematic for the Olympics, with an<br />
estimated 40% of waste generated during the Games coming from<br />
food or contaminated packaging. Compostable packaging offers a<br />
natural solution to this problem as it can be mixed with organic<br />
waste and the two can be composted together.<br />
12 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Events<br />
Many of the compostable materials used at the Olympics<br />
– such as cutlery and cups – were manufactured by Italian<br />
bioplastics specialists Novamont. Their Managing Director<br />
Catia Bastioli said: “We need to take stock and show greater<br />
awareness regarding the issue of the ‘end-of-life’ of so many<br />
everyday products and, therefore, the waste we produce and<br />
dispose of.”<br />
“We believe that bioplastics have a part to play in providing<br />
the solution to some aspects of this matter, thanks to the<br />
fact they can be sent for composting together with organic<br />
waste”, she added.<br />
Novamont’s Mater-Bi ® bioplastic is partly made from<br />
renewable raw materials and is versatile enough to produce a<br />
range of different materials – making it ideal for the Olympics.<br />
This also lead to Olympic commercial partner McDonald’s<br />
appointing Novamont to make their cutlery, straws, cups, lids<br />
and containers.<br />
“Many McDonald’s items were already compliant with<br />
the EN13432 compostability standards but did not have the<br />
certification. We obtained this by working alongside our<br />
suppliers for almost two years, with considerable investment<br />
in research and development,” explained McDonald’s<br />
environment consultant Helen McFarlane.<br />
But making the materials recyclable or compostable is<br />
only half the challenge, making sure it finds its way to the<br />
right destination is just as important.<br />
Disposal<br />
Organisers strategically positioned nearly 4,000 recycling,<br />
composting and residual waste bins in the busiest areas of<br />
footfall across all the Olympic venues. There were green bins<br />
for recyclable packaging, orange bins for compostables and<br />
smaller black bins for any residual waste – which would be<br />
used to generate energy rather than being landfilled.<br />
All packaging materials were clearly labelled according<br />
to their composition to help visitors identify which bin they<br />
should be placed in and, while there was some evidence to<br />
suggest this wasn’t strictly adhered to, waste had generally<br />
ended up in the correct bin.<br />
Paper was separated and recycled locally, while PET plastic<br />
was recycled by Coca Cola at its new £15 million Continuum<br />
Recycling plant in Lincolnshire, UK. Coca Cola aim to convert<br />
all PET disposed of in the Olympic Park into new bottles<br />
within six weeks.<br />
Waste management company Countrystyle handled the<br />
compostable packaging, alongside venue food waste, at its<br />
in-vessel composting facility in Kent, UK. To ensure that<br />
the packaging would break down, samples were sent to the<br />
facility prior to the Games and successfully put through the<br />
composting process.<br />
The time this process takes varies according to the material<br />
in question. According to Novamont Mater-Bi cutlery typically<br />
disintegrates within three months and biodegrades within<br />
six, whereas film can take as little as two to three weeks to<br />
break down.<br />
Legacy<br />
The innovative use of compostable materials, such as<br />
bioplastics, at the Olympics has demonstrated proof of<br />
concept for their use at large scale events but the key will now<br />
be to maintain the momentum and build on the success of<br />
the Games, while recognising where things can be improved<br />
for future events.<br />
NNFCC are now working with other organisations like the<br />
Government’s Waste & Resource Action Programme and the<br />
Renewable Energy Association’s Organics Recycling Group to<br />
share experiences from London 2012 and develop guidelines<br />
which can be applied to other events in the future.<br />
This will help event organisers reduce waste and meet<br />
their environmental targets, like those recommended in<br />
the UK Government’s new hospitality and food services<br />
industry voluntary agreement. The agreement sets two<br />
targets by 2015: to reduce food and packaging waste by 5%<br />
and to recycle, compost or convert into energy via anaerobic<br />
digestion at least 70% of the remaining waste. Should this<br />
model be taken up more widely it would be a major boost to<br />
the bioplastics industry.<br />
www.nnfcc.co.uk<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 13
Bioplastics Award<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE is proud to present the five finalists for the 7 th Bioplastics Award. Five judges from the academic world,<br />
the press and industry associations from America, Europa and Asia have reviewed the proposals so that we can now present<br />
details of the five most promising submissions.<br />
The 7 th Bioplastics Award recognises innovation, success and achievements by manufacturers, processors, brand owners or<br />
users of bioplastic materials. To be eligible for consideration in the awards scheme the proposed company, product, or service<br />
must have been developed or have been on the market during 2011 or 2012.<br />
The following companies/products are shortlisted (without any ranking) and from these five finalists the winner will be<br />
announced during the 7 th European Bioplastics Conference on November 6 th , 2012 in Berlin, Germany.<br />
Full Circle Design: Presentation and<br />
promotion system Clps [’klıps]<br />
The flexible and modular presentation and promotion<br />
system Clps [’klıps] is variable and universally applicable<br />
at the point of sale, for sales campaigns, presentations,<br />
shop designs and fairs.<br />
The extruded profiles are made of grass fibre reinforced<br />
plastic (PP) with a content of natural fibres of about 70%.<br />
They offer better mechanical properties than WPC. After<br />
use Full Circle Design offer to take them back and either<br />
refurbish them or recycle them in close cooperation with<br />
their raw material supplier. This supplier generates his<br />
energy in an own AD plant (biogasification) in kind of a<br />
biorefinery concept.<br />
The textile is a woven PLA fabric, uncoated, optically<br />
brightened, flame-retardant and is being chemically<br />
recycled in cooperation<br />
with Galactic. In future a<br />
knitted PLA fabric (own<br />
development) will be used.<br />
Thin pipes for fastening the<br />
PLA-textile to the frame are<br />
made of a biodegradable<br />
elastomer.<br />
The whole concept is<br />
based on renewable raw<br />
materials and a full takeback<br />
and recycle system.<br />
www.fullcircledesign.de<br />
TAKATA AG: Bioplastic steering wheel and<br />
airbag showcase project<br />
The proposed ‘showcase’<br />
(German word<br />
is ‘Demonstrator’, is a<br />
complete real steering<br />
wheel system) was<br />
developed to present the<br />
possibilities and limits of<br />
using biobased plastics in<br />
such sensitive products<br />
like airbags and steering<br />
wheels. To achieve an<br />
integrated solution the available biopolymers were<br />
benchmarked according the requirements and the most<br />
promising materials were chosen. After this the components<br />
were tested according the specifications of the automotive<br />
industry to verify the material limits in steering wheels and<br />
airbags. Some of the components were already approved<br />
according to these specifications, others are underway. For<br />
certain applications the specifications of the automotive<br />
industry might have to be modified, without sacrificing the<br />
safety of course. But the haptic and optic requirements of<br />
the foam and plastic parts around the steering wheel could<br />
for example be slightly adapted in order to align biobased<br />
material properties to part specification.<br />
Due to this project Takata illustrate their competence<br />
to develop biobased steering wheels and airbags and<br />
support their customers to define the technical limits of<br />
biopolymers.<br />
www.takata.com<br />
14 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Bioplastics Award<br />
Green Dot Holdings, new compostable<br />
thermoplastic elastomer<br />
GDH-B1 is a new compostable thermoplastic elastomer,<br />
made from >50% renewable plant based ingredients<br />
(starch). The bioplastic meets ASTM D6400 and EN 13432<br />
standards for compostability. The material has been found<br />
to biodegrade even in a home composting environment in<br />
a matter of months. GDH-B1 has been tested and verified<br />
by NSF International to be free from phthalates, bisphenol<br />
A (BPA), lead and<br />
cadmium, and<br />
meets child product<br />
safety standards in<br />
the U.S., Canada,<br />
Europe, Australia<br />
and New Zealand.<br />
GDH-B1 offers a<br />
range of physical<br />
attributes comparable to petroleum based thermoplastic<br />
elastomers. The material is strong and pliable with an<br />
exquisite soft touch. The characteristics of the bioplastics<br />
provide excellent performance in fabrication and can<br />
be used with existing manufacturing equipment in the<br />
majority of plastic processing applications including,<br />
injection molding, profile extrusion, blow molding, blown<br />
film and lamination.<br />
Green Dot’s soft plastic phone case, The BioCase is<br />
already successful on the market. Fort Collins, Colorado<br />
toymaker, BeginAgain Toys is also introducing Green<br />
Dot´s toxin free compostable elastomeric bioplastic<br />
to parents and children with two products, “Scented<br />
Scoops,” an imaginative ice cream play set and the Green<br />
Ring teether. The toys have received accolades for their<br />
creative design and sustainable materials.<br />
IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics and<br />
Biocomposites: Biobased tailgate of a<br />
racing car<br />
The biobased tailgate of the ‘Bioconcept’-racing car is<br />
the first step to convert as many parts into biobased plastic<br />
parts as possible. The focus lies on the development of<br />
sustainable parts for the automobile industry as well as<br />
the change towards a ready-for-the-future mobility.<br />
The tailgate, which was already made from natural<br />
fibre reinforced petroleum-based resins, is now being<br />
produced from linen (flax fibres) and an epoxy resin made<br />
from renewable resources. The amount of biobased<br />
components in the resin is currently at 45%, and IfBB is<br />
constantly researching ways to increase this ratio with<br />
regard to the material performance. The flax fibres are<br />
woven in a special twill-weave that allows the textile to<br />
be draped into the desired 3D-shapes. Currently still<br />
hand-laminated, as there are only a few parts needed<br />
for the racing car, IfBB is certainly also evaluating series<br />
production methods such as RTM and injection moulding<br />
of thermoplastic natural fiber reinforced biocomposites<br />
for the mass production of such parts.<br />
Other components (existing, under development or<br />
planned) include doors, hood, underbody (diffusor,) frontend<br />
(diffusor), mirror<br />
cover caps, various<br />
technical boxes,<br />
tank cap, covering<br />
of steering column,<br />
lamp housings and<br />
more.<br />
www.ifbb-hannover.de<br />
www.greendotpure.com<br />
Livemold Trading: ‘bioline’ indestructible sandbox toys including a unique end-of-life concept<br />
The latest product line ‘bioline’ by Martin Fuchs GmbH comprises among other items, a series of ‘indestructible’ sandbox<br />
toys. The material is a (>70% biobased) blend from PLA and other components (made by Linotech, Waldenburg, Germany and<br />
Livemold, Breitungen, Germany), which makes the products 100% biodegradable. “Not exactly compostable,” as Martin Vollet,<br />
Technical Manager of Martin Fuchs points out.” But composting is not the targeted end<br />
of life. At least, these toys will never be found by archaeologists.” For the end of life,<br />
this toy manufacturer has a very special solution. They ask consumers to send back<br />
their old toys, rather than dispose them. Fuchs promise to recycle even the oldest<br />
and dirtiest toys. This is possible by applying a special 2-component injection molding<br />
technology. Here the post-consumer scrap is injected as a core material in a 2-layer<br />
structure. The outer layer is beautifully colored virgin material.<br />
The use of plastics based on renewable raw materials in combination with taking<br />
back and further processing of the old toys is exemplary and helps to conserve<br />
resources of our environment. The use of the 2K-technology (monosandwich) plays a<br />
leading role in the processing of biopolymers. The biopolymer is in looks and feeling,<br />
in noise and sound behavior equivalent to normal plastics.<br />
www.spielstabil.de<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 15
Fibres & Textiles<br />
Textile bio-based materials<br />
design challenge<br />
A new innovation platform for designers, researchers and users<br />
The Biopro GmbH and the Cluster biopolymers (Federal<br />
State of Baden-Württemberg, Germany) started,<br />
early in 2012, an innovative project called the ‘textile<br />
bio-based materials design challenge’ (tbdc). The challenge<br />
provides all participants with a platform for cooperation and<br />
knowledge exchange for a period of one year. The interaction<br />
between the many players along the value creation chain will<br />
enable the early assessment of the function and capabilities<br />
of bio-based materials for application on the textile market.<br />
The objective of the challenge is to generate as many new<br />
project ideas as possible, which will then be implemented<br />
and driven forward in cooperation with suitable partners. Direct<br />
contact with potential partners will be possible through<br />
two partnering workshops as well as through an online partnering<br />
platform that will be up and running throughout the<br />
entire duration of the challenge.<br />
More than 50 researchers, designers, producers and<br />
users active in the fibre and textile industries came to<br />
participate in the first workshop in July. The delegates used<br />
the interdisciplinary environment to develop project ideas,<br />
exchange information and experience, and to make new<br />
contacts.<br />
Tina Kammer, CEO of InteriorPark, and Dr. Ralf Kindervater,<br />
CEO of Biopro Baden-Württemberg GmbH (both in Stuttgart,<br />
Germany), moderated the ‘material meets design’ workshop<br />
programme. During the first half of the one-day meeting,<br />
speakers either presented concrete project ideas relating<br />
to sustainable textile products or gave talks designed to<br />
encourage ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking and the development of<br />
new project ideas.<br />
During the second half of the meeting, participants used<br />
the tabletop exhibition to network with the speakers, to<br />
obtain more detailed information about project ideas that had<br />
been presented, and to identify potential common ground.<br />
“I was particularly impressed with the enthusiasm for already<br />
existing bio-based materials shown by a number of designers<br />
during the course of the meeting,” commented Kindervater,<br />
pointing out that the projects that were presented have<br />
served as an inspiration for several new product scenarios<br />
that will go on to be further developed jointly.<br />
Since the successful implementation of such projects<br />
always depends on financing, the final workshop session<br />
presented European and German funding programmes.<br />
The next Workshop will take place on November the 8 th in<br />
Denkendorf, near Stuttgart, Germany, and is open to all who<br />
are interested in textile bio-based materials. Please contact<br />
Esther Novosel through the tbdc website<br />
www.bio-pro.de/tbdc<br />
16 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
BIOADIMIDE TM IN BIOPLASTICS.<br />
EXPANDING THE PERFORMANCE OF BIO-POLYESTER.<br />
NEW PRODUCT LINE AVAILABLE:<br />
BIOADIMIDE ADDITIVES EXPAND<br />
THE PERFOMANCE OF BIO-POLYESTER<br />
BioAdimide additives are specially suited to improve the hydrolysis resistance and the processing stability of bio-based<br />
polyester, specifically polylactide (PLA), and to expand its range of applications. Currently, there are two BioAdimide grades<br />
available. The BioAdimide 100 grade improves the hydrolytic stability up to seven times that of an unstabilized grade, thereby<br />
helping to increase the service life of the polymer. In addition to providing hydrolytic stability, BioAdimide 500 XT acts as a<br />
chain extender that can increase the melt viscosity of an extruded PLA 20 to 30 percent compared to an unstabilized grade,<br />
allowing for consistent and easier processing. The two grades can also be combined, offering both hydrolysis stabilization and<br />
improved processing, for an even broader range of applications.<br />
Focusing on performance for the plastics industries.<br />
Whatever requirements move your world:<br />
We will move them with you. www.rheinchemie.com
Fibres & Textiles<br />
Artificial Turf (Photo Philipp Thielen)<br />
Bioplastics<br />
– to be walked all over<br />
By<br />
Bas Krins<br />
Director R&D<br />
API Institute - Applied Polymer Innovations<br />
Emmen, The Netherlands<br />
The API Institute (Emmen, The Netherlands) is an independent<br />
institute dedicated to research into high-end applications of<br />
polymers. In recent years investigations related to the use of<br />
bioplastics have become an increasing part of the portfolio. Among<br />
other projects API is currently developing products for which the biodegradation<br />
behaviour offers an advantage. This can be an advantage<br />
in the costs of the whole cycle from raw material to waste, or it can<br />
be an advantage in the end-use for the customer.<br />
Temporary carpets<br />
At many trade fairs, exhibitions or other events (such as the<br />
2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference) temporary carpets<br />
are used for a very limited period of time – a few days up to a few<br />
weeks maximum – after which they are dumped or incinerated. It<br />
would be a big advantage if the carpet could be made from plastics<br />
based on renewable resources. Such carpets from biobased plastics<br />
could be incinerated with energy recovery, thus delivering a carbon<br />
neutral source of renewable energy. Or, if made from biodegradable /<br />
compostable bioplastics, they could be composted afterwards<br />
instead.<br />
This however means that the multifilaments for the carpet have<br />
to be produced from appropriate biobased and/or biodegradable<br />
plastics. Also the fabric has to be redesigned, and last but not least<br />
the secondary backing that sticks the fibre loops to the fabric has to<br />
comply with the intended end-of-life scenario.<br />
18 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Fibres & Textiles<br />
The API Institute is involved in a project that is developing<br />
such temporary exhibition carpets from PLA based<br />
bioplastics, thus exhibiting both advantages, - renewable<br />
resources and the biodegradability/compostability. Here<br />
one of the advantages – apart from green credentials – is<br />
the reduction of the costs after use. Both, incineration with<br />
energy recovery and composting are cheaper than dumping<br />
the carpet in a landfill. Nevertheless, the price of the carpet<br />
is an issue and a fundamental condition of the project is<br />
that the final carpet should have a price that is not much<br />
higher than using traditional carpets. Unfortunately green<br />
credentials alone are general not a sufficient encouragement<br />
for users to choose the environmentally friendly solution as<br />
the market for the organisation of exhibitions is very price<br />
competitive.<br />
Artificial turf<br />
A somewhat comparable project is the development of<br />
a completely compostable artificial grass. At the moment<br />
the standard materials used are PE for the monofilaments<br />
(blades of grass), PP is used for the fabric and latex is used<br />
for the secondary backing in order to glue the monofilaments<br />
to the fabric. This system is very difficult to recycle, and in<br />
practice most of the artificial fields are burned after a period<br />
of use that can last up to 10 years. Recycling of the mats is<br />
sometimes carried out but it is an expensive procedure. Each<br />
soccer field produces up to 20 tonnes of plastic waste. In The<br />
Netherlands or Germany, for example, the number of soccer<br />
fields for amateurs using artificial grass instead of real grass<br />
is growing rapidly. In these countries with a high population<br />
density the fields are used quite intensively, and for that<br />
reason artificial grass is preferred. But this also means<br />
that the waste produced after the lifetime of the field is an<br />
increasing problem. The API Institute is developing, together<br />
with some industrial partners, a field that can be incinerated<br />
carbon-neutrally or that can be completely composted. In<br />
this case, there is probably no cost advantage for the investor<br />
of the artificial grass field. However the issue is that in The<br />
Netherlands most amateur fields for soccer are funded by<br />
local authorities and due to legislation these local authorities<br />
are forced to select a sustainable alternative if possible,<br />
although this alternative might be more expensive. For that<br />
reason there is a real market for these compostable artificial<br />
grass fields. The requirements for the grass mat are a real<br />
challenge. Their lifetime has to be about 10 years, and this<br />
means that the requirements regarding resilience behaviour<br />
are tough. Also the requirements regarding the degradation<br />
behaviour are difficult to meet: no biodegradation during<br />
10 years outdoors, but subsequently a fast biodegradation<br />
under composting conditions. And the field has to fulfil the<br />
requirements from FIFA regarding ball rolling, ball bouncing,<br />
sliding behaviour, and so on. Since the technical issues have<br />
now been solved, the PLA based artificial turf developed by<br />
API is expected to perform the FIFA test shortly and API will<br />
construct a test field.<br />
Real grass nets<br />
From artificial grass to real grass. In many cases real<br />
grass turf is cultivated on nets. These nets are mostly<br />
produced from PP, which means that the customers will find<br />
this net under their turf many years after installation. Even if<br />
appreciated by some people for its protective effect against<br />
moles, there remains one big disadvantage. In case the user<br />
need to dig a hole in the garden or needs to scarify the lawn<br />
grass, the net will destroy the grass field.<br />
API is now developing a net for turf lawns that supports<br />
the process of installing the turf, but since it is made from<br />
a bioplastics that will completely biodegrade in soil, it will<br />
disappear after a few months. Details about the resin however<br />
cannot be disclosed at this time, due to confidentiality<br />
agreements.<br />
Final remarks<br />
In addition to the examples mentioned above the API<br />
Institute is working on a lot more projects related to<br />
bioplastics commissioned by customers. In all projects the<br />
polymers have to be selected and/or compounded in order to<br />
meet the requirements for their application. For this reason<br />
the API Institute is working closely together with suppliers<br />
of the bioplastics resins, and the Institute has a lot of<br />
experience in making the materials fit for these applications<br />
by compounding with other polymers or additives, and by<br />
optimizing the processing conditions of the bioplastics.<br />
Acknowledgement<br />
The grants from the European Union, Provincie Drenthe,<br />
Gemeente Emmen, SenterNovem/Agentschap NL, Interreg<br />
and EDR are thankfully acknowledged.<br />
www.api-institute.com<br />
(Photo iStock/EyeJoy)<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 19
Fibres & Textiles<br />
Blended fabric<br />
with PLA<br />
Photo courtesy Jiangsu Danmao Textile Co.<br />
PLA/wool blend<br />
for clothing<br />
Jiangsu Danmao Textile Co., Ltd., an eco-conscious<br />
company with manufacturing facilities in Jiangsu<br />
Province, China, specializes in producing wool fabrics for<br />
high-end fashion. The company recently developed a new<br />
range of wool fabrics blended with Ingeo PLA fibers.<br />
Ingeo fiber is an economic and lower-carbon-footprint<br />
alternative to polyester for blending with wool. The PLA/<br />
wool fabric will be used for uniforms and informal and<br />
corporate wear. Jiangsu Danmao Textile Company has<br />
been investing in clean manufacturing technology for<br />
more than a decade and has made major investments<br />
in reducing water consumption and landfill waste. Its<br />
emphasis on being a leader in sustainable manufacturing<br />
led research and development personnel to explore<br />
alternatives to polyester. Ingeo met the firm’s criteria<br />
for performance, cost, and reduced carbon footprint.<br />
The biopolymer also reduced the company’s exposure to<br />
sourcing non-renewable materials.<br />
Jiaxing Runzhi Wenhua Chuangxiang Co Ltd is located<br />
in the Zhejiang province of China. The company recently<br />
developed a series of Ingeo PLA based products<br />
including underwear, camisoles, t-shirts, and infant’s<br />
wear, all of which are destined for the Chinese domestic<br />
market and sold under the YUSIRUN brand name.<br />
The new fabric is a blend of Ingeo, Tencel, nylon, and<br />
spandex. The owner of the firm Mr. Shang Jia lead an indepth<br />
product development effort focused on utilization<br />
of renewable materials. The company wanted to offer<br />
products that would appeal to environmentally concerned<br />
Chinese consumers, have measurable environmental<br />
benefits, and look and feel great.<br />
According to company officials, “The outstanding<br />
features of this garment collection include sensational<br />
touch, good drape, easy care, quick drying, excellent<br />
wicking performance, and low odor retention. These<br />
garments are comfortable and hypoallergenic.”<br />
Website: www.yusirun.cn<br />
www.danmaotex.com<br />
www.natureworksllc.com<br />
20 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Application News<br />
Biodegradable toothbrush<br />
FRISETTA Kunststoff GmbH (based in Schönau, Germany)<br />
recently introduced their new monte-bianco NATURE, a<br />
toothbrush with a replaceable head for adults. The handle and<br />
head are made from plastic which is biodegradable according<br />
to EU 13432/EN and US ASTM D6400 standards, and has<br />
natural bristles.<br />
The project was realized by a team from three<br />
companies, namely Frisetta Kunststoff, A. Schulman<br />
GmbH (Kerpen, Germany) and API S.P.A. (Mussolente,<br />
Italy) using API´s biodegradable thermoplastic<br />
polymer APINAT.<br />
The packaging of this product is<br />
also in line with the green concept.<br />
The plastic cover is made from<br />
biodegradable and compostable<br />
corn-starch based PLA. The<br />
back of the package consists of<br />
FSC-certified paperboard. The<br />
product is available in special<br />
bio shops in Europe.<br />
For more than 60 years<br />
Friseatta have been producing<br />
oral care products of a high quality at their location in the<br />
Southern Black Forest in Germany. The latest state-of-theart<br />
technology allows them to protect the environment whilst<br />
simultaneously producing technologically advanced and high<br />
quality products in their manufacturing process.<br />
With this new product Frisetta follows a general<br />
environmentally-friendly approach. The warm water from the<br />
cooling system used for cooling the production machines is<br />
then used for heating the rooms in the building during the<br />
winter. The cooled water then flows back into the production<br />
system. In summer, the water is cooled in a deep, in-house<br />
well. The required electricity is derived from 100% renewable<br />
energy from their neighbour, the Schönau (EWS) electricity<br />
generating plant<br />
Frisetta´s target is the constant improvement of their<br />
products and product range. The innovations of the past<br />
few months that complete the monte-bianco range are only<br />
a beginning. They are currently working not only on product<br />
optimisation but also on more new developments. MT<br />
www.frisetta-kunststoff.de<br />
www.aschulman.com<br />
www.apinatbio.com<br />
Green foam profiles<br />
NMC, headquartered in Eynatten, Belgium recently<br />
presented NOMAPACK ® Green, the first packaging profile<br />
that is certified as biosourced, made using renewable<br />
materials and 100% recyclable.<br />
With globalisation and easier transport, companies send<br />
their products all around the world. Fragile products need to<br />
be protected with reliable, lightweight, compact packaging.<br />
In this field, practical criteria are no longer the only deciding<br />
factors, and today, the sustainable dimension of a product is<br />
becoming more and more important.<br />
NMC decided to focus on renewable resources to create<br />
the Nomapack Green profile. The company has developed<br />
a process technology to produce profiles from renewable<br />
materials with similar properties to the traditional Nomapack<br />
profiles made from petroleum-based polyolefins; including<br />
foamability, excellent shock absorption and long-lasting<br />
mechanical properties. Nomapack Green is 100% recyclable.<br />
The raw material for the production of Nomapack Green<br />
profile has been developed by polymer experts from NMC’s<br />
Research and Development unit. The so-called NMC<br />
NATUREFOAM is a polyethylene blend with more than<br />
30% renewable raw materials. It has been tested by the<br />
Vinçotte International Institute, who certified it with one star<br />
for its level of non-fossil fuel materials (between 20 and<br />
40% of its components come from renewable sources). The<br />
availability of these<br />
components is not<br />
limited over time,<br />
so the production of<br />
Nomapack Green<br />
profiles is less<br />
dependent on the<br />
fluctuating price of<br />
petroleum-based<br />
raw materials. Last but not least, no genetically modified<br />
organisms (GMOs) are used in the composition of the<br />
Nomapack Green profile. The cultivation of these plant-based<br />
materials does not compete with food production and does<br />
not cause any problems of access to food for local residents.<br />
With Nomapack Green, NMC is investing more than ever in<br />
the development of sustainable products. As a pioneer in this<br />
field, the company has not used chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)<br />
and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) gases in the production<br />
of its products for over 20 years, putting it at the cutting edge<br />
of the synthetic foam industry. Over time, it has honed its<br />
choice of materials as well as its environmentally friendly<br />
manufacturing processes so that now a large proportion of<br />
its product range is recyclable. MT<br />
www.nmc.eu<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 21
Application News<br />
(Photo: Iggesund)<br />
Airline breakfast box<br />
The Swedish airline Malmö Aviation has recently launched<br />
new breakfast boxes made of Invercote Bio, a bioplasticscoated<br />
paperboard. The boxes save space on board, simplify<br />
handling and have a lower environmental impact than<br />
their plastic-based predecessors. In addition the bioplastic<br />
coated paperboard exhibits a very good structural stiffness<br />
compared to any pure plastics (or bioplastics) solution.<br />
The environmental impact is reduced because some<br />
members of the Invercote family of paperboard are certified<br />
compostable. The new breakfast boxes are the result of a<br />
long development process focusing on both functionality<br />
and user friendliness. Instigators of the development<br />
were the catering company PickNick (Bromma, Sweden),<br />
the converters Omikron (Jönköping, Sweden) and Malmö<br />
Aviation’s then project leader Annika Melin.<br />
The materials used in the boxes are the virgin fibre-based<br />
paperboards Invercote Bio from Iggesund Paperboard<br />
(Iggesund, Sweden). In a first step the box is made of Invercote<br />
Bio. In a later stage, the outer shell of the box will be made<br />
from conventional Invercote and a serving tray inside made of<br />
Invercote Bio to hold the fresh food. This tray will then be flow<br />
packed with a modified atmosphere to increase the food’s<br />
shelf life and help prevent fogging. The ingenious feature<br />
of Invercote Bio is that it is coated with bioplastic. Iggesund<br />
chose an extrusion coating version of a biobased Polyester by<br />
Novamont (Novara, Italy). This means that once the service<br />
is in full scale the tray will go into the same waste stream as<br />
the food scraps – they will all be sent directly to an anaerobic<br />
digestion plant to produce biogas without the need for prior<br />
sorting, just as PickNick has been doing with their food waste<br />
already in the past.<br />
”The combination of paperboard and bioplastic which are<br />
certified compostable to European standards means that the<br />
new box functions well in today’s end-of-life systems and will<br />
continue to do so in future systems,” comments Jonas Adler,<br />
commercial manager of the Invercote Bio products from<br />
Iggesund.<br />
“Because the new breakfast boxes are smaller than our<br />
current ones, we can load far more onto each serving trolley,”<br />
explains Malin Olin, inflight and lounge manager for Malmö<br />
Aviation. “That saves weight and space on board and helps<br />
the environment. The boxes also have two parts, making<br />
them easier to use.”<br />
Omikron has been working with catering materials since<br />
the beginning of the 1980s. It was a natural choice for the<br />
company to work with Invercote and Invercote Bio.<br />
“This has been an exciting development project, not least<br />
because Malmö Aviation has consciously chosen to invest in<br />
both quality and the environment,” comments Tony Norén,<br />
CEO of the converters Omikron. “Being able to reduce the<br />
space required by half and also to greatly extend the food’s<br />
shelf life are interesting effects, while both the environmental<br />
and climate impact are also reduced.”<br />
“Increasingly organisations and individuals are thinking<br />
about the ‘end-of-life’ issue of many products in everyday<br />
use, and therefore the creation and disposal of waste. We<br />
believe bioplastics can provide part of the solution to certain<br />
aspects of this issue as they can be composted together with<br />
organic waste,” said Catia Bastioli, CEO of Novamont. MT<br />
www.malmoaviation.se<br />
www.picknick.nu<br />
www.iggesund.com<br />
22 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Application News<br />
New BPI certified hot cup<br />
President Packaging (Tainan City, Taiwan) has been offering PLA coated paper cups<br />
with great success for two years now. A new insulated hot cup from this company<br />
is Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certified and warm to the touch, not hot,<br />
when filled with a hot beverage. The double-wall paper construction provides its own<br />
insulation and eliminates the need for an added outside sleeve for greater convenience<br />
and ease of use. The company reports that beverages stay warmer longer than in noninsulated<br />
paper hot cups. The leak barrier of the cups is provided by Ingeo PLA film<br />
from NatureWorks. Five sizes from 234 ml (8 oz.) to 709 ml (24 oz.) are available as<br />
are matching Ingeo lids. BPI certified products meet ASTM D6400 and are suitable for<br />
commercial/industrial composting facilities where they exist.<br />
“Ingeo is a product that enables our company to innovate for our customers in<br />
environmentally responsible ways,” said Jimmy Liu, export manager, President<br />
Packaging. “The utilization of this PLA resin, also helps further our corporate social<br />
responsibility goals.”<br />
“While PE lined cups are still the volume leader, an increasing number of coffee shops are moving to cups with higher<br />
quality and superior environmental credentials. These new cups add brand appeal and pull in business. Plus the excellent heat<br />
insulating properties and the rigidity when holding the cup gives the consumer the impression of a quality package for a quality<br />
product,” Jimmy said to bioplastics MAGAZINE. In addition, these cups that don’t need insulating sleeves eliminate the hassle of<br />
fitting sleeves to cups and reduces storage space requirements. MT<br />
www.ppi.com.tw<br />
www.natureworksllc.com<br />
organized by<br />
17. - 19.10.2013<br />
Messe Düsseldorf, Germany<br />
Bioplastics in<br />
Packaging<br />
Bioplastics<br />
Business<br />
Breakfast<br />
B 3<br />
PLA, an Innovative<br />
Bioplastic<br />
Injection Moulding<br />
of Bioplastics<br />
Subject to changes<br />
Call for Papers now open<br />
www.bioplastics-breakfast.com<br />
Contact: Dr. Michael Thielen (info@bioplastics-magazine.com)<br />
At the World’s biggest trade show on plastics and rubber:<br />
K’2013 in Düsseldorf bioplastics will certainly play an<br />
important role again.<br />
On three days during the show from Oct 17 - 19, 2013 (!)<br />
biopolastics MAGAZINE will host a Bioplastics Business<br />
Breakfast: From 8 am to 12 noon the delegates get the<br />
chance to listen and discuss highclass presentations and<br />
benefit from a unique networking opportunity.<br />
The trade fair opens at 10 am.<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 23
Materials<br />
O O<br />
O<br />
H<br />
O<br />
H<br />
PBS production<br />
The energy-saving, resource-efficient production<br />
of PBS using the 2-reactor process<br />
Uhde Inventa-Fischer, based in Berlin, Germany and<br />
Domat/Ems, Switzerland, can look back on over 50<br />
years of history serving the polymer industry. During<br />
this time more than 400 plants for the production of polyesters<br />
such as PET and PBT, as well as polyamides like PA 6<br />
and PA 6.6, have been successfully built and commissioned<br />
worldwide. Years of experience and intensive research and<br />
development work have enabled the company to launch and<br />
successfully establish a multitude of innovative technologies<br />
and concepts on the market.<br />
As well as technologies based on the processing of<br />
monomers obtained from fossil raw materials, Uhde<br />
Inventa-Fischer has greatly extended its commitment to the<br />
development of processes for producing biopolymers and<br />
has expanded its product portfolio to include the PLAneo ®<br />
polylactic acid technology and the process for producing<br />
polybutylene succinate (PBS). The PBS here is purely aliphatic<br />
polyester created from the polycondensation of succinic acid<br />
and butanediol. PBS is usually produced in a two-stage<br />
process. In the first stage the succinic acid is esterified with<br />
an excess of butanediol with the water removed. The second<br />
stage comprises the polycondensation of the esterification<br />
product with the butanediol removed (see Figure 1).<br />
Production of succinic acid and butanediol<br />
from renewable resources<br />
Even as recently as just a few years ago succinic acid was<br />
produced exclusively by petrochemical means. Due to the<br />
fact that succinic acid is found as an intermediate in the<br />
metabolic chain of a variety of organisms such as bacteria<br />
or yeast, however, the potential for biochemical production<br />
was identified early on and research into this aspect was<br />
promoted across the world. Today many companies are<br />
already producing succinic acid from renewable resources<br />
(see recent issues of bioplastics MAGAZINE). Furthermore,<br />
intensive research is being carried out on processes which<br />
enable the production of butanediol on the basis of renewable<br />
resources such as, for example, the hydrogenation of biobased<br />
succinic acid.<br />
2-reactor technology – for the continuous<br />
production of ultra-high-quality PBS<br />
granulate<br />
While developing a continuous process for the production<br />
of PBS a series of important outline conditions had to be<br />
taken into consideration. Based on a variety of laboratory<br />
Figure 1: 2-stage PBS production process<br />
2 step reaction:<br />
A) Esterification of succinic acid with butanediol:<br />
O<br />
H<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
H<br />
+ 2<br />
H<br />
O<br />
O<br />
H<br />
H<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
+ 2 H 2<br />
O<br />
succinc acid<br />
butanediol<br />
B) Polycondensation of bis-hydroxybutylenesuccinate<br />
H<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
H<br />
O<br />
O O<br />
O<br />
bis-hydroxybutylenesuccinate<br />
- approx. 170 – 200°C, mole ratio approx. ca. 1.1 – 2.0 BDO/SAC<br />
O<br />
O<br />
n<br />
O<br />
H<br />
+(n-1)<br />
O<br />
H<br />
O<br />
H<br />
bis-hydroxybutylenesuccinate<br />
PBS<br />
butanediol<br />
- approx. 200 – 240°C<br />
- approx. 0.1 – 1 mbar<br />
24 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Materials<br />
Table 1: Comparison of the properties of PBS<br />
with polypropylene and polyethylene<br />
PBS PP PE (LDPE / HDPE)<br />
By<br />
Christopher Hess<br />
Vice President Research and<br />
Development<br />
Uhde Inventa-Fischer<br />
Berlin, Germany<br />
Heat Distortion<br />
temperature (HDT-B)<br />
°C 97 145 88 - 110<br />
Melting temperature °C 115 - 118 164 108 - 130<br />
Glass transition<br />
temperature<br />
°C -32 +5 -120<br />
Crystallization<br />
temperature<br />
°C 75 120 80 - 104<br />
Tensile strength at break MPa 57 44 35 - 39<br />
Elongation at break % 700 800 400 - 650<br />
Crystallinity % 35 - 45 56 49 - 69<br />
Density g/cm³ 1.26 0.90 0.92 - 0.95<br />
Data source: Biodegradable Plastic, Product Data,<br />
SHOWA HIGHPOLYMER CO.. LTD., 2009<br />
tests, the most important parameters for the PBS process,<br />
e.g. the mole ratio of succinic acid to butanediol, the<br />
optimum quantity, appropriate type and ideal catalyst feed<br />
point, were set out first. Moreover, the ideal residence times<br />
during the individual process stages as well as the required<br />
temperature and pressure conditions had to be defined.<br />
The results that were achieved showed that the 2R process,<br />
which was developed and patented by Uhde Inventa-Fischer<br />
and includes both the ESPREE ® and DISCAGE ® reactors, was<br />
perfectly suited for the production of PBS. With this process<br />
the succinic acid can react and the polymer can be produced<br />
at very low temperatures and low thermal loads. High surface<br />
renewal rates mean that the chain can be quickly and gently<br />
built up to high molar masses (see Figure 2).<br />
Following technical modifications to the 2-reactor pilot<br />
plant at Uhde Inventa-Fischer, PBS granulate is being<br />
successfully produced at a capacity of around 40 kg/h. The<br />
material produced is of a very high quality and therefore<br />
ideally suited for commercial use. This was borne out in a<br />
multitude of tests which demonstrated that the PBS granulate<br />
produced on the 2-reactor plant, or even compounds made<br />
from it, were perfect for processing in various applications.<br />
Thanks to its high degree of flexibility, low energy and raw<br />
material consumption, and the low quantity of by-products<br />
formed, the 2R process is the ideal choice for producing costeffective,<br />
high-quality polyester. With the new continuous<br />
PBS technology Uhde Inventa-Fischer is gearing up its plans<br />
to establish other bio-based materials on the market.<br />
Impressive material qualities are what make<br />
PBS stand out<br />
The thermal and mechanical properties of PBS are very<br />
similar to those of polyolefins such as polyethylene (PE) and<br />
polypropylene (PP) (see Table 1).<br />
PBS can be easily processed on standard machinery into<br />
films, extrusions and injection-moulded parts. A major<br />
advantage of PBS, in addition to its good mechanical<br />
properties, is primarily its biodegradability, making it the<br />
ideal choice of material to be processed into films for use in<br />
agriculture, as well as into food packaging or biodegradable<br />
hygiene products. What‘s more, PBS is perfect for processing<br />
into compounds or blends with PLA, among other materials.<br />
The properties of PLA materials can be customized and<br />
modified, for example if greater elasticity is required.<br />
www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com<br />
Figure 2: 2-stage PBS production process<br />
ESPREE ® Reactor<br />
DISCAGE ® HV Reactor<br />
PBS<br />
Succinc acid<br />
+<br />
Butanediol<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 25
Materials<br />
From<br />
meat waste<br />
to bioplastics<br />
Fig. 1: The ANIMPOL process:<br />
From slaughterhouse waste to PHA<br />
By<br />
Martin Koller<br />
Institute of Biotechnology and<br />
Biochemical Engineering<br />
Graz University of Technology<br />
Graz, Austria<br />
The 36 month ANIMPOL project (‘Biotechnological<br />
conversion of carbon-containing wastes for ecoefficient<br />
production of high added value products’)<br />
funded by the EU was launched in 2010.<br />
ANIMPOL is developing a sound industrial process<br />
for the conversion of lipid-rich animal waste from<br />
the meat processing industry as a contribution to the<br />
production of biodiesel. The saturated biodiesel fractions<br />
which negatively affect biodiesel’s properties as fuel<br />
are separated and finally used as feedstock for the<br />
biotechnological production of polyhydroxyalkanoates<br />
(PHA), a versatile group of biopolymers for production<br />
of bioplastics. The remaining unsaturated biodiesel<br />
represents an excellent 2 nd generation biofuel.<br />
The significance of the project is obvious considering<br />
the high amounts of available ANIMPOL-relevant waste in<br />
Europe (500,000 tonnes of animal waste and about 50,000<br />
tonnes of saturated biodiesel fraction). The principle idea<br />
of the project is visualized in Fig. 1.<br />
Background<br />
PHAs are a well-known family of polyesters<br />
accumulated by micro-organisms in nature as an energy<br />
reserve. The right photograph in Fig. 1 shows bacterial<br />
cells containing PHA inclusions. The diverse desired<br />
properties of PHAs are accessible from renewable<br />
resources by the biosynthetic action of selected<br />
prokaryotes and this opens the door for replacing petrolbased<br />
thermoplastics, elastomers, or latexes (see Fig. 2)<br />
with these bio-inspired alternatives.<br />
Alternative Raw Materials<br />
The need for alternative materials, because of the<br />
finite sources of fossil reserves, is obvious and generally<br />
undisputed. In order to become a competitive alternative<br />
on the market, the price of a biopolymer for a certain<br />
application must be in the same range as the competing<br />
‘traditional’ plastic. Hence, the costs of PHAs have to be<br />
reduced considerably despite the current unstable price<br />
of crude mineral oil.<br />
Project Philosophy and Schematic<br />
The utilization of various renewable feed stocks for<br />
production of biochemicals, bioplastics or biofuels, and<br />
so coming into competition with food production, is<br />
frequently discussed. As an alternative solution, diverse<br />
waste streams exist which currently constitute severe<br />
disposal problems for the industrial branches concerned,<br />
and at the same time do not interfere with the nutrition<br />
chain. The utilization of these waste streams is a viable<br />
strategy to overcome a potential ethical conflict; it can be<br />
considered as the most promising approach in making<br />
PHAs economically more competitive. The ANIMPOL<br />
project aims at the value-added conversion of waste from<br />
26 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Materials<br />
slaughterhouses, the animal waste rendering industry,<br />
and biodiesel production. Lipids from slaughterhouse<br />
waste are converted to fatty acid methylesters (FAMEs,<br />
biodiesel). FAMEs consisting of saturated fatty acids,<br />
generally constitute a fuel that has an elevated cold filter<br />
plugging point (CFPP) which can be disadvantageous<br />
in blends that exceed 20% by vol. FAMEs. In ANIMPOL,<br />
these saturated fractions are biotechnologically<br />
converted towards PHA biopolymers. As a by-product<br />
of the transesterification of lipids to FAMEs, crude<br />
glycerol phase (CGP) accrues in high quantities. CGP<br />
is also available as a carbon source for the production<br />
of catalytically active biomass and the production of<br />
low molecular mass PHA. This brings together waste<br />
producers from the animal processing industry with meat<br />
and bone meal (MBM) producers (rendering industry),<br />
the bio-fuel industry and polymer processing companies.<br />
This synergism results in value creation for all players.<br />
The basic scheme is illustrated in Fig. 3, whereas Fig. 4<br />
provides a rough estimation for the available amounts<br />
of raw materials in Europe and the amounts of PHA<br />
biopolyesters that are theoretically accessible therefrom.<br />
Major Objectives of ANIMPOL<br />
The project activities are based on a total of 13 main<br />
pillars:<br />
1. Design of an integrated industrial process for<br />
microbial mediated, cost-efficient production of<br />
biodegradable PHA biopolyesters, by starting from<br />
waste from slaughterhouses, rendering industry, and<br />
biodiesel production. These wastes are upgraded to<br />
renewable raw materials. After the end of the project,<br />
data should be available for designing a pilot scale<br />
production plant.<br />
2. Improvement of the quality of biodiesel by removal of<br />
its saturated fraction.<br />
3. Assessment of the raw materials (lipids from animal<br />
waste, saturated biodiesel fraction, surplus glycerol<br />
from biodiesel production) for the fermentation<br />
process by selected microbial strains accumulating<br />
structurally diversified PHAs.<br />
4. For improvement of microbial growth and quality, and<br />
the amount of the PHA produced, appropriate strains<br />
are studied, including recombinant gene expression<br />
or host cell genome modification. Microbial growth<br />
and the PHA production phase are established to be<br />
scaled-up for optimized production of structurally<br />
predefined PHAs. Protocols for controlled PHA<br />
production are developed aiming at reproducible<br />
product quality.<br />
6. Development of an environmentally safe, inexpensive<br />
and efficient downstream process for recovery and<br />
purification of PHAs.<br />
Figure 2: Highly elastic medium-chain length PHA latex<br />
produced by a Pseudomonas strain on animal-derived biodiesel.<br />
(Picture: M. Koller, TU Graz)<br />
Rendering<br />
Industry<br />
MBM<br />
(Meat and Bone<br />
Meal)<br />
Carbon and<br />
Nitrogen source for<br />
microbial growth<br />
Grude Glycerol<br />
265.000<br />
metric tons/year<br />
Catalytically<br />
ActiveBiomass<br />
(0.4-0.5g/g)<br />
ANIMAL<br />
Lipids<br />
Biotechnological<br />
Production of PHAs<br />
Polymer Industry<br />
PHA<br />
120.000 t<br />
(0.3g/g)<br />
Animal Waste Lipids<br />
500.000 t/y<br />
Saturated<br />
Fraction<br />
50.000 t/year<br />
PHA<br />
35.000 t<br />
(0.7g/g)<br />
Slaughterhouses<br />
Biodiesel Industry<br />
(Transesterification)<br />
CPG<br />
(Crude Glycerol<br />
Phase)<br />
Carbon source for<br />
- Microbial growth<br />
- Low molecular mass<br />
PHA accumulation<br />
Saturated<br />
fraction<br />
Carbon source<br />
for PHA production<br />
Biodiesel<br />
Figure 4: Available raw materials for the ANIMPOL process<br />
and potentially accessible quantities of PHA biopolyesters<br />
Biodiesel<br />
(Fatty Acid<br />
Alkyl Esters)<br />
Figure 3: Application of different waste streams from diverse<br />
industrial branches to be utilized for biopolymer production in<br />
the ANIMPOL project<br />
Unsaturated:<br />
Biodiesel<br />
High Quality<br />
Unsaturated<br />
Fraction<br />
Excellent 2 nd<br />
generation<br />
Biofuel!<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 27
Materials<br />
7. Chemical, structural, biological, physical and mechanical<br />
characterization of the PHAs that are produced..<br />
8. Preparation of blends and composites of PHAs with<br />
selected polymeric materials including synthetic analogues<br />
of PHA, inorganic and/or organic fillers such as nanofillers.<br />
The organic fillers also include renewable agro-waste<br />
(lignocelluloses, polysaccharides and surplus crops),<br />
either directly or after appropriate physical or chemical<br />
modification.<br />
9. Engineering design of PHA production and extraction unit<br />
operations combined with the analysis of the cost efficiency<br />
of the industrial process as found in the down-stream<br />
processing of slaughterhouses, rendering and biodiesel<br />
factories.<br />
10. A key factor for the success of the project, i.e. its cost<br />
efficiency for industrial scale production of PHAs, is<br />
assessed in terms of the costs of raw materials, chemicals<br />
and energy required for the production of PHAs and its<br />
blends.<br />
11. Assessment of eco-compatibility with evaluation of<br />
biodegradability under different environmental conditions<br />
of the obtained PHA formulations, as well as of some<br />
selected prototype items based on relevant blends and<br />
composites. Validation of the eco-compatibility of selected<br />
items is assessed by means of LCA and ecotoxicity tests.<br />
12. Assessment of the biocompatibility of some selected PHA<br />
formulations and relevant items processed by means of in<br />
vitro cell toxicity and genotoxicity tests in respect of their<br />
potential value-added applications in food, packaging and<br />
biomedical fields.<br />
13. The utilization of novel bioplastics, as attainable by<br />
means of environmentally sound processes based on<br />
waste from renewable resources as the raw material, for<br />
environmentally friendly plastic materials, meeting the EC<br />
directive 62/94 and the subsequent national regulations,<br />
constitutes the ultimate goal of the project.<br />
The Project Team<br />
Industry<br />
Reistenhofer<br />
Argent Energy<br />
Termoplast<br />
Argus Umweltbiotechnologie<br />
Academic partners<br />
Graz University of Technology<br />
(Dr. Koller)<br />
Graz University of Technology<br />
(Prof. Narodoslawsky)<br />
Graz University of Technology<br />
Prof. Schnitzer<br />
University of Padua<br />
(Prof. Casella)<br />
University of Zagreb<br />
(Prof. Horvat)<br />
University of Graz<br />
(Prof. Mittelbach)<br />
University of Pisa<br />
(Prof. Chiellini)<br />
National Institute of Chemistry<br />
(Dr. Kržan, Ljubljana)<br />
Polish Academy of Science<br />
(Prof. Kowalczuk)<br />
University of Pisa<br />
Advisory Board<br />
KRKA (Slovenia)<br />
Novamont (Italy)<br />
Chemtex Italia<br />
(Gruppo Mossi e Ghisolfi, Italy)<br />
Eksportera USB (Lithuania)<br />
Austrian meat converter<br />
Large biodiesel producer (UK)<br />
Producer of plastic packaging<br />
materials<br />
German company, responsible<br />
for Downstream Processing<br />
Coordinator and expert on<br />
biotechnology<br />
Process engineering and<br />
Life Cycle Assessment<br />
Cleaner Production Studies<br />
Support in the field of microbiology<br />
and genetic engineering<br />
Mathematical modelling of<br />
bioprocesses<br />
Optimized conversion of animal<br />
lipids to biodiesel<br />
Special tasks in PHA<br />
characterization and composite<br />
preparation<br />
Special tasks in PHA<br />
characterization and composite<br />
preparation<br />
Special tasks in PHA<br />
characterization and composite<br />
preparation<br />
Tests for biodegradability and<br />
ecotoxicity of the novel materials<br />
Conclusion and Outlook<br />
From the already available data from the ANIMPOL project, it<br />
is obvious that important progress has been achieved in terms<br />
of combining the environmental benefit of future-oriented<br />
bio-polyesters with the economic viability of their production.<br />
This should finally facilitate the decision of responsible policymakers<br />
from waste-generating industrial sectors and from the<br />
polymer industry to break new ground in sustainable production.<br />
In future, PHA production from animal-derived waste should be<br />
integrated into existing process lines of biodiesel companies,<br />
where the raw material directly accrues. This can be considered<br />
as a viable strategy to minimize production costs by taking<br />
profit of synergistic effects.<br />
Info:<br />
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUnaZDCT7jA<br />
www.animpol.tugraz.at<br />
28 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Material News<br />
th<br />
www.bio-based.eu<br />
www.biowerkstoff-kongress.de<br />
Int. Congress 2013<br />
6on Industrial Biotechnology and<br />
Bio-based Plastics & Composites<br />
April 10 th – 11 th 2013,<br />
Maternushaus, Cologne, Germany<br />
Highlights from the world wide leading countries in<br />
bio-based economy: USA & Germany<br />
Organiser<br />
www.nova-institute.eu<br />
Partner<br />
ARBEIT<br />
UMWELT<br />
S T I F T U N G<br />
UND<br />
DER IG BERGBAU, CHEMIE, ENERGIE<br />
www.arbeit-umwelt.de www.kunststoffl and-nrw.de<br />
WWW.CO2-chemistry.eu<br />
Conference on<br />
Carbon Dioxide<br />
as Feedstock<br />
for Chemistry<br />
and Polymers<br />
CO2<br />
Bio-based tie layer<br />
Yparex B.V. (Enschede, The Netherlands) recently<br />
announced that it is the first supplier in the packaging<br />
industry to develop and commercialize an adhesive tie<br />
layer for multilayer packaging films that is to a great<br />
extent bio-based. This tie-layer resin is derived from 95%<br />
annually renewable resources and is fully recyclable,<br />
yet it meets the same performance specifications as<br />
non-renewable petroleum-based polymers of the same<br />
family. Being asked about the chemistry of the adhesive<br />
resin, Wouter van den Berg, General Manager of Yparex<br />
told bioplastics MAGAZINE, that it is a maleic anhydride-<br />
(MAH)-modified and functionalized polyolefin compound,<br />
where the polyolefin is biobased. More details cannot be<br />
disclosed here, but van den Berg is open to all kind if<br />
direct inquiries.<br />
Yparex’s response to the need for more sustainable and<br />
environmentally friendly packaging was to develop a biobased<br />
version of the company’s popular Yparex ® brand<br />
adhesive tie-layer resin for multilayer barrier-packaging<br />
producers. Adhesive tie layers are special polymers<br />
used in very-popular multilayer films that bond together<br />
dissimilar resins that otherwise would not adhere to each<br />
other. The new extrusion grade is suitable for blown or<br />
cast multilayer film structures that use common barrier<br />
resins like polyamide (PA) and ethylene vinyl alcohol<br />
(EVOH). The new polymer is the first of what the company<br />
hopes will become a growing family of bio-based ‘green’<br />
tie layer grades. Since the plant-based resin behaves<br />
exactly as the same grade of petroleum-derived resin<br />
does, it is a perfect drop in solution for packaging<br />
manufacturers looking to lower their carbon footprint<br />
and offer their customers a more sustainable product. MT<br />
www.yparex.com.<br />
CO 2<br />
as chemical feedstock –<br />
a challenge for sustainable chemistry<br />
10 th – 11 th October 2012, Haus der Technik, Essen (Germany)<br />
Organiser<br />
Partners<br />
Institute<br />
for Ecology and Innovation<br />
www.nova-institute.eu www.hdt-essen.de www.kunststoffland-nrw.de<br />
www.co2-chemistry.eu www.clib2021.de<br />
30 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7<br />
www.arbeit-umwelt.de
Material News<br />
New<br />
PLA/ABS blend<br />
Toray introduces High Plant<br />
Content Grade ECODEAR<br />
By<br />
Kotaro Sagara<br />
R&C Green Innovation Business<br />
Planning Dept.<br />
Toray Industries, Inc.<br />
Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan<br />
Toray Industries, Inc. (Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan) recently<br />
announced that it has developed a high plant content<br />
grade of the environmentally friendly biomass-based<br />
resin ECODEAR , which contains 50% or more polylactic acid<br />
(PLA) made from plant derived starch. Toray will start selling<br />
the material in September this year for office automation<br />
equipment and electronic products that need to comply with<br />
EPEAT, the environmental rating tool for electronic products<br />
in the U.S.<br />
Toray’s Ecodear is a biomass-based resin polymer alloy<br />
that combines PLA with ABS to give sufficient mouldability<br />
and physical properties, as PLA alone would have inadequate<br />
mouldability, durability, heat resistance and strength for<br />
certain applications. The use of PLA in Ecodear until now<br />
was limited to 30% to give the material the required physical<br />
properties, but the new development enabled to increase<br />
the content of PLA to 50% or more. This has resulted in<br />
further improving Ecodear’s potential to reduce emissions of<br />
greenhouse gases including CO 2<br />
.<br />
2 µm<br />
ABS<br />
PLA<br />
While PLA-based<br />
resins carry high<br />
expectations for<br />
expansion of its use<br />
in the future, they<br />
are less suitable for<br />
certain moulding<br />
processes compared<br />
with other materials<br />
and rather inferior to these materials in durability, heat<br />
resistance and strength over a long period. On the other<br />
hand, ABS resins have a wide range of applications including<br />
home electronics, office automation equipment, automobile<br />
and toys and are highly versatile given its well-balanced<br />
properties of high mouldability, durability, heat resistance<br />
and strength. Toray developed an alloy resin combining these<br />
two materials to offer Ecodear , which is an environmentally<br />
friendly and high-utility resin material.<br />
In recent years it has become an important issue to increase<br />
the content ratio of PLA resin while maintaining sufficient<br />
physical properties. Towards that end, a method has been<br />
proposed to add talc, a mineral used for reinforcement,<br />
to crystalize PLA to improve the physical properties of the<br />
material when increasing the portion of PLA resin. This<br />
method, however, is not productive and far from practical, as<br />
it requires moulding at the temperatures of 90°C or higher<br />
for crystallization.<br />
Toray aimed to achieve the level of mouldability and<br />
physical properties of the material containing 70% or<br />
more of ABS resins with the lowest possible content ratio<br />
of ABS polymer, and succeeded in evenly dispersing small<br />
amount of ABS resin in PLA resin by utilizing morphological<br />
control, which gives full command of control over molecular<br />
structure. This resulted in the realization of the high plant<br />
content grade of Ecodear that addresses PLA resin s existing<br />
weakness in mouldability and physicality with 30% less ABS<br />
resin content.<br />
www.toray.com<br />
General<br />
purpose<br />
ABS resin<br />
PLA resin<br />
Existing<br />
ECODEAR<br />
Newly<br />
developed<br />
grade<br />
Competing<br />
products<br />
by other<br />
companies<br />
Content ratio of PLA resin<br />
(% by weight)<br />
0 100 30 ≥50 ≥50<br />
Moldability<br />
Features<br />
Tool temperature<br />
(degree Celsius)<br />
40~80 40 40~60 40~60 ≥90<br />
Molding Time Short Long Short Short Long<br />
Charpy impact<br />
strength<br />
(kJ/m2)<br />
Heat Deflection<br />
temperature<br />
HDT/B<br />
( @ 0.45MPa)<br />
10~20 2 ≥10 ≥10 ≥10<br />
95 57 ≥80 >70 ≥80<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 31
Material News<br />
High-performance and bio-based—<br />
the Vestamid Terra product family<br />
Rayon fiber reinforced bio-PA<br />
high bio-content and a good reinforcement potential<br />
Evonik Industries (Essen, Germany) has developed and<br />
launched on the market a novel combination of biobased<br />
high-performance polyamides and bio-based<br />
high-performance fibers.<br />
Reinforcing fibers, particularly chopped fiberglass, are often<br />
mixed into a plastic to improve its mechanical properties. But<br />
in the case of bio-based polymers this means that the biocontent<br />
is lowered 1 , reducing the ecological advantage. The<br />
use of natural fibers, on the other hand, has so far resulted<br />
in significant deterioration of reinforcing potential, and also<br />
an unpleasant odor in the end product. VESTAMID ® Terra<br />
with rayon fibers retains the high bio-content — along with<br />
excellent reinforcing potential.<br />
Two polyamide grades of the Vestamid Terra product family<br />
form the polymer matrix: Terra HS (PA 6.10) and Terra DS<br />
(PA 10.10). These polyamides are fully or partially obtained<br />
from the castor oil plant. Commercially available chopped<br />
rayon fibers form the reinforcing fiber substrate. Rayon is<br />
also known as man-made cellulose or technically as viscose<br />
fibers. These fibers are obtained entirely from wood residues<br />
(dissolving pulp), and are therefore also based on renewable<br />
raw materials. The overall bio-content is thus high, lying<br />
between 67 and 100%.<br />
Compared with fiberglass reinforced systems, the<br />
combination of viscose fibers and polymer matrix offers a<br />
significantly improved carbon balance. As an example, CO 2<br />
savings for a viscose fiber system of PA1010 with a fiber<br />
content of 30% are 57% higher than for a 30% glass fiber<br />
reinforced PA66.<br />
Additionally, viscose reinforcing fibers have a significantly<br />
lower density than mineral fibers: Depending on fiber<br />
content, bio-polyamides reinforced with viscose fibers offer<br />
a weight reduction of up to 10%, for the same reinforcing<br />
performance.<br />
“With this product development, we want to further<br />
support the unrestricted expansion of bio-based products in<br />
technically demanding applications for our customers,“ says<br />
Dr. Benjamin Brehmer, Business Manager Biopolymers at<br />
Evonik.<br />
Evonik offers Vestamid Terra grades of varying fiber<br />
content, to satisfy a wide range of mechanical demands.<br />
1: Editor’s note: This means that the biomass content of the<br />
compound is reduced, because glass fibres do not contain any<br />
biomass. Since glass fibres do not contain any carbon, the<br />
bio-based carbon content of the compound remains the same.<br />
It is an ongoing discussion, which of these values are more<br />
important (see bM 03/2010) - MT<br />
www.evonik.com<br />
32 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Material News<br />
Growth in PLA bioplastics<br />
Production capacity of over 800,000 tonnes per annum<br />
expected by 2020<br />
t/a<br />
The nova-Institute (Hürth, Germany) recently published<br />
the first results of a multi-client market survey covering<br />
the international bioplastics market.<br />
25 companies have developed production capacity at 30<br />
sites worldwide of (currently) more than 180,000 tonnes per<br />
annum (t/a) of polylactic acid (PLA), which is one of the leading<br />
bio-based plastics. The largest producer, NatureWorks, has<br />
a capacity of 140,000 t/a. The other producers have a current<br />
capacity of between 1,500 and 10,000 t/a.<br />
According to their own forecasts, existing PLA producers<br />
are planning considerable expansion of their capacity to<br />
reach around 800,000 t/a by 2020 (see diagram). There should<br />
be at least seven sites with a capacity of over 50,000 t/a by<br />
that time. A survey of lactic acid producers – the precursor<br />
of PLA – revealed that production capacity to meet concrete<br />
requests from customers (who cannot yet be named) could<br />
even rise to roughly 950,000 t/a.<br />
Michael Carus, managing director of nova-Institute,<br />
reacted thus to the survey results: “For the very first time<br />
we have robust market data about worldwide PLA production<br />
capacity. These are considerably higher than in previous<br />
studies, which did not cover all producers. Forecasts of<br />
800,000 or even 950,000 t/a by 2020 show that PLA is definitely<br />
a polymer for the future.”<br />
The results are derived from the most comprehensive<br />
international market survey of bioplastics to date, which<br />
was carried out in conjunction with renowned international<br />
plastics experts. The ‘Market Study on Bio-based Polymers<br />
Evolution of PLA production capacities worldwide 2011-2020<br />
(source: nova-Institute)<br />
900.000<br />
800.000<br />
700.000<br />
600.000<br />
500.000<br />
400.000<br />
300.000<br />
200.000<br />
100.000<br />
and Plastics in the World’ will be published in January<br />
2013 and contains, along with a 300-page report, access to<br />
the newly developed ‘Bioplastics Producer Database’. It is<br />
the methodology of this market survey that is so special,<br />
since it provides a comprehensive study of every producer<br />
of over 30 different bioplastics around the world. The data<br />
covering the capacity, production, uses and raw materials<br />
was collected through over 100 interviews with senior and<br />
top-level managers as well as questionnaires and a literature<br />
review. Alongside this market data, the report will contain<br />
analyses of future trends by renowned experts Jan Ravenstijn<br />
(bioplastics consultant, The Netherlands), Wolfgang Baltus<br />
(National Innovation Agency NIA, Thailand), Dirk Carrez<br />
(Clever Consult, Belgium), Harald Käb (narocon, Germany)<br />
and Michael Carus (nova-Institute, Germany). The report<br />
and database access will be available for €6,500 net from<br />
January.<br />
A summer promotion that ended in September was extended<br />
for the readers of bioplastics MAGAZINE. Pre-order the study<br />
before October 31 st from books@bioplasticsmagazine.com for<br />
€5,500 net and save €1,000 on the original price.<br />
www.nova-institute.eu<br />
Info:<br />
Coordinated by nova-Institute, the multi-client<br />
survey has already been funded by more than 20<br />
renowned companies and institutions, which have<br />
also overseen the project as part of the Advisory<br />
Board. Additional partners are more than welcome.<br />
For €6,000 they receive not only the report and<br />
access to the “Bioplastics Producer Database”<br />
but can also sit on the Advisory Board. In-depth<br />
information about the survey programme and the<br />
partnership agreement, as well as the producer<br />
questionnaire, can be found at www.bio-based.eu/<br />
market_study<br />
Bioplastics producers that submit a completed<br />
questionnaire will not only be easy to find by<br />
potential new business partners via the ‘Bioplastics<br />
Producer Database’ but will also receive free online<br />
access for a limited period of time.<br />
0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 33
Material News<br />
JV for bio-based butadiene<br />
Versalis to partner with Genomatica and Novamont<br />
www.eni.com<br />
www.genomatica.com<br />
www.novamont.com<br />
Versalis (Milan, Italy), chemicals subsidiary of Eni (Rome,<br />
Italy) leader in the production of elastomers, together<br />
with Genomatica (San Diego, California, USA, a leading<br />
developer of process technology for renewable chemicals), and<br />
Novamont (Novara, Italy, a leader in biodegradable plastics and<br />
pioneer in third generation integrated biorefineries) are going<br />
to cooperate. On July 24 they signed a Memorandum of Understanding<br />
(MOU) to establish a strategic partnership to enable<br />
production of butadiene from renewable feedstocks. Butadiene<br />
is a raw material used in the production of rubber for tires,<br />
electrical appliances, footwear, plastics, asphalt modifiers, additives<br />
for lubricating oil, pipes, building components, and latex.<br />
The partnership, on the basis of which a joint venture will<br />
be established, will develop a comprehensive ‘end-to-end’ process<br />
for production of polymer-grade butadiene from biomass.<br />
Versalis will hold a majority interest in the joint venture holding<br />
company and aims to be the first to build commercial plants<br />
using the process technology upon project success.<br />
This unique and important agreement brings together the<br />
core competencies of all three companies. The partnership will<br />
leverage Genomatica’s proprietary technologies and intellectual<br />
property for producing butadiene, Versalis’ extensive expertise<br />
in catalysis process development and process engineering<br />
scale-up and market applications of butadiene derivatives,<br />
as well as Novamont’s experience in renewable feedstocks.<br />
Under this agreement, Versalis will use Genomatica’s process<br />
technology for economically competitive and sustainable<br />
process technology aspect production of an important supplyconstrained<br />
chemical. The process technology aspect of the<br />
agreement is intended to be made available for future licensing<br />
in Europe, Africa and Asia.<br />
Butadiene is a key intermediate for Versalis elastomers<br />
business. The raw material required to produce it, extracted<br />
from ‘C4’s (a mixture of molecules containing four carbon<br />
atoms) and produced by cracking plants, is increasingly subject<br />
to availability problems. Decreasing supplies and a lack of<br />
dedicated butadiene production facilities have resulted in<br />
significant long-term pressure on the price and volatility of the<br />
chemical, which in turn increases the price of butadiene-based<br />
products, including tires.<br />
Concerns of scarcity in the butadiene market are compounded<br />
by growth forecasts within the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia,<br />
India, China) where demand for automotive products made<br />
from butadiene, such as tires, is expected to increase.<br />
exemplary picture<br />
34 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Polyurethanes / Elastomers<br />
In this context, butadiene supplies from biomass become<br />
strategic to Versalis, because in times of C4 stream scarcity<br />
it can be freed from naphtha cracking processes. So the<br />
partnership represents a valuable opportunity to boost the<br />
supply of butadiene with the support of its know- how and<br />
the industrial system, and to expand its bio-based portfolio.<br />
“Genomatica’s process technology for on-purpose<br />
butadiene combined with our experience in downstream<br />
applications and our ability to rapidly scale and commercialize<br />
the process can expand our industry’s approach to C4<br />
production, seizing a promising business opportunity in<br />
a market that is experiencing a critical time” said Daniele<br />
Ferrari, CEO of Versalis. “This partnership, which follows<br />
the establishment of Matrìca, the equal joint venture with<br />
Novamont for the production of monomers, intermediates<br />
and polymers from renewable sources, accelerates the entry<br />
of Versalis in that business by strengthening its leadership<br />
in elastomers, in line with the new strategy of focusing on<br />
products with high-added value.“<br />
“Together we will have a great opportunity to apply<br />
Novamont’s concept of third generation integrated<br />
biorefineries to a well-known chemical like butadiene,<br />
applying new biotechnological and chemical processes<br />
to local biomass for an innovative industry at local level,<br />
thereby improving environmental, economical and social<br />
sustainability,” said Catia Bastioli, CEO, Novamont. “And<br />
the ability for on-purpose production will make it easier to<br />
adjust supply to meet local market demand while staying<br />
close to a low volatility feedstock and reducing environmental<br />
footprint.”<br />
“Versalis and Novamont are ideal partners to join us<br />
in leading the development of process technology for the<br />
production of butadiene from renewable feedstocks,” said<br />
Christophe Schilling, Ph.D., CEO of Genomatica. “Together<br />
we can cover the entire value chain, and drive from<br />
innovation to commercialization, providing a comprehensive<br />
solution. This partnership is further validation of the ability<br />
of Genomatica’s technology platform to address multiple<br />
chemical market opportunities.”<br />
The agreement between the three parties builds upon<br />
a series of recent key events including the June 2011<br />
formation of Matrìca, a 50:50 joint venture in bio-based<br />
chemicals production between Versalis and Novamont;<br />
the announcement that Versalis plans to heavily invest in<br />
innovation and capitalize on Elastomers, and Genomatica’s<br />
successful production of pound quantities of bio-based<br />
butadiene in August 2011. MT<br />
Bio meets plastics.<br />
The specialists in plastic recycling systems.<br />
An outstanding technology for recycling both<br />
bioplastics and conventional polymers<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 35
Polyurethanes / Elastomers<br />
A new<br />
compostable<br />
TPE<br />
By<br />
Kevin Ireland<br />
Communications Manager<br />
Green Dot Holdings LLC<br />
Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, USA<br />
Thermoplastic elastomers present a unique challenge<br />
for safety and sustainability. Consumers are increasingly<br />
concerned about the health risks and disposal issues<br />
surrounding these materials. Elastomeric plastics often<br />
contain phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) and are difficult to<br />
be recycled in many communities. Several plastics producers<br />
have introduced bio-based plasticizers to avoid the disadvantages<br />
associated with traditional petroleum elastomers. Unfortunately,<br />
these materials only contain a small percentage of<br />
bio-based feedstocks and the materials still face the same end<br />
of life issues, most often ending up in a municipal landfill in<br />
many countries. The limited physical attributes of some of the<br />
new compostable bioplastics made them ill suited for durable<br />
goods. Now there’s a new solution for sustainable soft plastics<br />
that provides cradle to cradle integrity with no compromise in<br />
performance.<br />
Green Dot, a new bioscience social enterprise headquartered<br />
in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, is introducing a new compostable<br />
elastomeric bioplastic GDH-B1 is a rubber-like material that’s<br />
soft, pliable and durable, It’s made from renewable plant based<br />
sources (starch). It’s been tested by NSF International to be<br />
free from phthalates, BPA, cadmium and lead. And GDH-B1 is<br />
the only soft plastic elastomer made in North America verified<br />
to meet U.S. (ASTM D6400) and E.U. (EN13432) standards for<br />
compostability.<br />
Green Dot’s elastomeric bioplastic offers a range of physical<br />
attributes comparable to petroleum based thermoplastic<br />
elastomers. The material is strong and pliable with an<br />
exquisite soft touch. The characteristics of the bioplastic<br />
provide excellent performance in fabrication and can be used<br />
with existing manufacturing equipment in the majority of<br />
plastic processing applications including, injection molding,<br />
profile extrusion, blow molding, blown film and lamination. It<br />
has a lower melt temperature compared to petroleum based<br />
elastomers, reducing energy cost and shortening production<br />
cycle times and it provides excellent compatibility with other<br />
thermoplastic elastomers. The starch based material also<br />
offers superior printing and scenting compared to silicone, PLA<br />
and Hytrel.<br />
GDH-B1 is ideal for durable soft plastic products that are<br />
designed to last. When the useful life of these products has<br />
ended the material can be returned to nature in a composting<br />
environment. The new elastomer does not require an industrial<br />
composting environment to biodegrade. The bioplastic will<br />
biodegrade in a matter of months in a home composting<br />
environment as well. The enhanced compostability is an<br />
36 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
attribute that is particularly important to North American<br />
consumers, who often do not have access to industrial<br />
composting facilities.<br />
Under the leadership of Mark Remmert Green Dot’s<br />
CEO and a thirty year veteran of the plastic industry the<br />
company has adopted an innovative strategy to introduce<br />
its bioplastic. “We don’t just sell resin,” he explained. “We<br />
work with companies throughout the entire process of<br />
product development from design to mold building and<br />
manufacturing. Our team works with OEMs to guide them<br />
through this process. We feel that the most effective way<br />
demonstrate the physical and environmental attributes<br />
of this new to the world material is to place it directly in<br />
the hands of millions of consumers, and we’re doing just<br />
that, with stylish products that enable users to contribute<br />
while they consume.” Green Dot’s team includes an in<br />
house industrial designer and a creative consultant,<br />
internationally renowned fashion designer Elizabeth<br />
Rickard Shah.<br />
PURALACT ® Lactides<br />
for biobased PLA in<br />
demanding applications<br />
Foam | Film | Fiber | Molded parts<br />
The companies initial product success is the market’s<br />
first compostable soft plastic phone case. The BioCase<br />
is designed and manufactured by Green Dot and is<br />
distributed by Nite Ize. Nearly 100,000 units have been<br />
shipped since the product’s introduction in December<br />
2011.<br />
Green Dot has also worked with Fort Collins, Colorado<br />
toy maker, BeginAgain Toys. BeginAgain is introducing<br />
Green Dot’s compostable, toxin-free bioplastic to parents<br />
and children with two products featuring GDH-B1,<br />
Scented Scoops’, an imaginative ice cream play set and<br />
the Green Ring teether. These toys have already received<br />
accolades for their creative design and sustainable<br />
materials. BeginAgain’s Chris Clemmer described<br />
GDH-B1 as “the most innovative eco-material we’ve ever<br />
had our hands on.”<br />
Green Dot serves both the plastics industry and styleconscious<br />
consumers who want to protect the Earth,<br />
not pollute it with enduring waste. Green Dot aspires to<br />
improve the environment in which we live, by building a<br />
more sustainable world with renewable bio-based resins<br />
and promoting their use through invention, creation<br />
and research so everyone can contribute to a more<br />
sustainable world.<br />
www.greendotpure.com<br />
PLA homopolymers<br />
High heat resistance | High impact resistance<br />
Biobased | Recyclable | Biodegradable<br />
purac.com/bioplastics<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 37
Polyurethanes / Elastomers<br />
PPC Polyol from CO 2<br />
Jiangsu Jinlong-CAS Chemical Co., Ltd., a Chinese<br />
company focusing on the reuse of carbon dioxide emissions<br />
to create new chemical materials, has developed<br />
a highly efficient catalytic system and innovative technology<br />
to produce biodegradable aliphatic polypropylene carbonate<br />
polyol (PPC polyol) by copolymerizing CO 2<br />
with propylene oxide<br />
(PO). This kind of polyol, that has been proven to show a<br />
high reaction activity, may be widely used in the polyurethane<br />
(PU) industry.<br />
The company has developed the world’s first 10,000<br />
tonnes per annum production line for PPC polyol. They<br />
own the intellectual property rights, including 15 Chinese<br />
patents concerning the catalyst preparation, polymerization<br />
technology, reaction (production) equipment etc.<br />
Polypropylene Carbonate Polyol<br />
Polypropylene carbonate polyol (PPC polyol) is a kind of<br />
colourless or yellowish viscous liquid with a rather complex<br />
molecular structure and a molecular weight ranging from<br />
2000 to 5000 Daltons. It is made with more than 30% by<br />
wt CO 2<br />
. PPC polyol shows a better hydrolysis resistance<br />
compared to common polyester polyols, as well as physical<br />
and mechanical properties superior to polyether polyols.<br />
PPC polyol could replace PTMEG (Polytetramethylene<br />
ether glycol) partially in superior artificial leather, that would<br />
exhibit good touch and feel properties and light weight quality<br />
– but also a certain toughness.<br />
The new polyol has also proven that it can be used to<br />
produce high adhesive strength coating materials (PU<br />
adhesive) and may be widely used in cast polyurethane (CPU)<br />
and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomers.<br />
PPC Thermoplastic Polyurethane (PPC-TPU)<br />
PPC-TPU is a new kind of biodegradable polymer<br />
copolymerized from PPC polyol, BDO (1,4-butanediol) and<br />
MDI (Methylendiphenyldiisocyanat). It shows excellent<br />
biodegradability with the final level of biodegradation (ISO<br />
14855) being higher than 90% after 130 days.<br />
The physical properties of PPC-TPU are similar to<br />
traditional TPU. It shows excellent impact strength, tear<br />
resistance and low temperature performance, as well as<br />
excellent adhesion etc.<br />
The product can be used for example for the production<br />
of industrial packaging materials or as an impact modifier<br />
additive for engineering plastics.<br />
CH 3<br />
CH 3<br />
O CH 3<br />
O CH 3<br />
[ [<br />
[<br />
HO CH 2<br />
CH O CH 2<br />
CHO C O CH CH 2<br />
O C O CH CH 2<br />
OH<br />
m - 1 n - 1<br />
[<br />
Polypropylene Carbonate Polyol<br />
Blown film line producing a<br />
PBS/PPC-TPU blend film<br />
PPC polyol<br />
PPC-TPU<br />
Heat resistance sheet for<br />
hot drink and food package<br />
38 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Not all chemicals are created equal TM<br />
By<br />
Jingdong Zong<br />
Jiangsu Jinlong-CAS chemical CO., LTD<br />
Taixing, Jiangsu, China<br />
Another advantageous property of PPC-TPU film is<br />
its relatively high barrier performance to O 2<br />
and water<br />
vapour compared to other bioplastics.<br />
By blending with other biodegradable plastics such as<br />
PBS, PLA etc. PPC-TPU may improve the tear resistance<br />
of the compound. Jiangsu Jinlong-CAS successfully<br />
converted such blends into film that can be used for<br />
degradable mulch, shopping bags and waste bags, etc.<br />
Other compounds<br />
Jiangsu Jinlong-CAS is also cooperating with a partner<br />
to develop other new compound materials made with<br />
PBS, PLA, natural fibres (such as rice husk, plant straw )<br />
and inorganic ingredients. By now they have successfully<br />
developed new heat resistance blended materials (up<br />
to 100°C). These materials can be used for the positive<br />
pressure and vacuum assisted thermoforming processes<br />
and for injection moulding. The main fields of application<br />
are food packaging and industrial packaging.<br />
www.zhongkejinlong.com.cn<br />
Application examples<br />
Myriant produces high performance, bio-based<br />
chemicals using renewable feedstocks that are<br />
not derived from food sources. Our commercial<br />
Succinic Acid plant starts up in 2012 and will be<br />
the world’s first of its kind and scale. We have<br />
proven economics that allow us to offer Succinic<br />
Acid with no green price premium.<br />
Material<br />
WVTR<br />
g/m 2 /24h<br />
PPC-TPU 36 120<br />
PBS - 1200<br />
PLA 325 550<br />
PBAT 170 1400<br />
OTR<br />
cm 3 /m 2 /d/atm<br />
Water vapour transmission rate (WVTR)<br />
and oxygen transmission rate (OTR)<br />
www.myriant.com<br />
855.MYRIANT (697.4268)<br />
productinfo@myriant.com<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 39
Polyurethanes / Elastomers<br />
Polyurethanes from<br />
orange peel and CO 2<br />
by<br />
Rolf Mülhaupt and Moritz Bähr<br />
Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF)<br />
and Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry<br />
University of Freiburg<br />
Freiburg, Germany<br />
The Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF) of the<br />
University of Freiburg, jointly with Volkswagen, has<br />
developed novel families of 100% renewable resource<br />
based polyurethanes derived from natural terpene oils and<br />
the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO 2<br />
). In contrast to the<br />
conventional polyurethanes, neither hazardous isocyanate<br />
resins nor fossil resources are required. Produced by a great<br />
variety of plants as essential oils, terpenes are exclusively<br />
recovered from bio-wastes and do not compete with food<br />
production. Prominent terpene raw material for the production<br />
of non-isocyanate polyurethanes is the citrus oil limonene,<br />
obtained from orange peel as a waste product in<br />
the manufacturing of orange juice. Based upon limonene and<br />
the chemical fixation of carbon dioxide recovered from the<br />
exhausts of power plants and as a by-product of liquid air<br />
production, a very versatile and cost-effective molecular toolbox<br />
has been developed at FMF for tailoring rigid and flexible<br />
polyurethanes with diverse applications ranging from automotive<br />
parts to textiles, rubbers, foams, coatings, sealants,<br />
and adhesives.<br />
Stimulated by the expected skyrocketing costs of crude<br />
oil and growing public awareness of global warming, the<br />
lean and clean production of renewable resource based<br />
plastics with a low carbon footprint has gained high priority<br />
[1]. Going well beyond the traditional scope of renewable<br />
polymers, bio-based intermediates supplied by biorefineries<br />
and the chemical fixation of carbon dioxide offer<br />
attractive opportunities for tailoring environmentally benign<br />
polyurethanes (PU). Conventional PU technology requires<br />
very strict health and safety precautions, owing to the severe<br />
health hazards upon exposure to toxic isocyanate monomers.<br />
In contrast, non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPU) are formed<br />
without using hazardous isocyanate resins at any point in the<br />
production process. Key NIPU intermediates are non-toxic<br />
polyfunctional cyclic carbonate monomers, which are readily<br />
produced by chemical conversion of epoxy resins with carbon<br />
dioxide [2, 3]. When cured with amines the cyclic carbonates<br />
undergo ring opening, thus forming poly(N-hydroxyethylurethanes).<br />
In contrast to the highly moisture-sensitive<br />
isocyanates, cyclic carbonate resins tolerate humidity and<br />
can be cured on wet substrates without foaming. Tedious<br />
drying of fillers is not required. NIPUs (Green Polyurethane TM )<br />
based upon fossil resources and conventional epoxy resins<br />
are commercially available as zero VOC coatings with<br />
improved adhesion and better resistance to chemical<br />
degradation, corrosion, organic solvents, and wear [4, 5].<br />
Most attempts towards the development of 100 % renewable<br />
resource based NIPU make use of epoxidized soybean and<br />
linseed oils, which are converted with carbon dioxide into<br />
the corresponding bio-based cyclic carbonate resins [6, 7,<br />
8]. However, the ester groups of plant oil carbonates are<br />
partially cleaved during amine cure. These side reactions<br />
can cause undesirable emission problems and impair NIPU<br />
properties due to plasticization of the NIPU matrix. Therefore,<br />
at FMF an innovative generation of 100% renewable resource<br />
based NIPU has been produced from novel ester-fee cyclic<br />
carbonate resins derived from terpenes [9]. The limonenebased<br />
NIPU process is illustrated on the next page.<br />
Terpenes represent highly unsaturated, ester-free, natural<br />
hydrocarbons. Typical members of the terpene family include<br />
limonene, camphene, vitamin A, steroids, carotenoids and<br />
natural rubber. More than 300 plants produce limonene. For<br />
example, orange peel contains up to 90 wt.-% of limonene,<br />
which is readily recovered on a commercial scale using the<br />
waste products from orange juice production. The colorless<br />
viscous oil limonene dioxide, produced by oxidation of<br />
40 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Polyurethanes / Elastomers<br />
CO 2<br />
C<br />
CH 3<br />
H 3<br />
C H 3<br />
C O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
C<br />
C<br />
C CH 2<br />
H 3<br />
C CH 2<br />
H 3<br />
C CH 2<br />
H 3<br />
C<br />
O<br />
O O<br />
Limonene<br />
C<br />
+ H 2<br />
N<br />
O<br />
O<br />
H 3<br />
C<br />
OH<br />
O<br />
C<br />
O<br />
NH<br />
Limonene<br />
dicarbonate<br />
O<br />
C<br />
C<br />
O<br />
C<br />
H 3<br />
C<br />
OH<br />
H 2<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 41<br />
NH<br />
NIPU<br />
limonene, is commercially used as component of epoxy<br />
resins. The FMF research has succeeded in reacting terpene<br />
oxides quantitatively with carbon dioxide, thus producing<br />
novel and cost-effective families of terpene carbonates.<br />
This chemical carbon dioxide fixation is highly effective.<br />
Around 34 wt-% carbon dioxide is incorporated into limonene<br />
dicarbonate! As a function of their stereoisomer compostion,<br />
limonene dicarbonates can be obtained as viscous liquid<br />
or white crystalline solid. The limonene dicarbonate reacts<br />
with a great variety of amines, producing multifunctional<br />
urethanes. Reaction with amines and amino-alcohols affords<br />
cycloaliphatic polyols useful as intermediates in conventional<br />
PU synthesis. As a chain extender of oligomeric polyamines<br />
and amino-alcohols limonene dicarbonate incorporates<br />
hard limonene segments into flexible curing agents. This<br />
approach has been used to produce new families of reactive<br />
prepolymers which can be functionalized in numerous<br />
ways. Upon curing with polyamines, e.g. using bio-based<br />
diamines or novel aminoamides derived from citric acid,<br />
100% renewable and even 100% citrus-based NIPU are<br />
made available. In contrast to the rather soft soybean-oilbased<br />
NIPU, the mechanical properties of limonene-NIPU<br />
can be varied over a very wide range from highly rigid and<br />
stiff to rubbery and ultrasoft. Applications include casting<br />
resins, rubbers, thermoplastic elastomers, foams, coatings,<br />
sealants and adhesives. As illustrated using the example of<br />
limonene, this NIPU strategy can be applied to a very large<br />
variety of terpenes. Terpene carbonates are also attractive<br />
as components and non-toxic solvents for numerous other<br />
applications, going well beyond the scope of bio-based NIPU.<br />
www.fmf.uni-freiburg.de<br />
[1] R. Mülhaupt: “Green polymer chemistry and bio-based plastics –<br />
dreams and reality”, Macromol. Chem. Phys., accepted, in press<br />
[2] O. Figovsky, L. Shapovalov. F. Buslov: Ultraviolet and<br />
thermostable non-isocyanate polyurethane coatings“,Surface<br />
Coatings International Part B: Coatings Transactions 88, B1,<br />
1-82 (2005)<br />
[3] B. Ochiai, S. Inoue, T. Endo: “One-Pot Non-Isocyanate<br />
Synthesis of Polyurethanes from Bisepoxide, Carbon Dioxide,<br />
and Diamine”, Journal of Polymer Science: Part A: Polymer<br />
Chemistry 43, 6613–6618 (2005)<br />
[4] www.hybridcoatingtech.com, accessed Sept. 08, 2012<br />
[5] www.nanotechindustriesinc.com/GPU.php, accessed Sept. 08,<br />
2012<br />
[6] Ivan Javni, Doo Pyo Hong, Zoran S. Petrovi, Soy-Based<br />
Polyurethanes by Nonisocyanate Route, Journal of Applied<br />
Polymer Science, Vol. 108, 3867–3875 (2008)<br />
[7] B. Tamami, S. Sohn, G. L. Wilkes: “Incorporation of carbon<br />
dioxide into soybean oil and subsequent preparation and studies<br />
of nonisocyanate polyurethane networks”, J. Appl. Polym. Sci.<br />
92, 883-891 (2004)<br />
[8] M. Bähr, R. Mülhaupt: “Linseed and soybean oil-based<br />
polyurethanes prepared via the non-isocyanate route and<br />
catalytic carbon dioxide conversion”, Green Chem. 14, 483–489<br />
(2012)<br />
[9] M. Bähr, A. Bitto, R. Mülhaupt: “Cyclic limonene dicarbonate as<br />
a new monomer for non-isocyanate oligo- and polyurethanes<br />
(NIPU) based upon terpenes”, Green Chem., 14, 1447–1454<br />
(2012)
Polyurethanes / Elastomers<br />
Renewable Building Blocks<br />
for Polyurethanes<br />
Bio-based succinic acid has emerged as one of the most<br />
competitive of the new bio-based chemicals. As a platform<br />
chemical, bio-based succinic acid has a wide<br />
range of applications, including in polyurethanes, coatings,<br />
adhesives and sealants, personal care, flavours and food.<br />
BioAmber (Minneapolis, Minnesota) has demonstrated<br />
that bio-based succinic acid can be used as a replacement<br />
for petroleum-based adipic acid in polyester polyols, with<br />
equivalent performance and differentiated functionality.<br />
Thermoplastic polyurethanes made using BioAmber<br />
bio-based succinic acid exhibit higher glass transition<br />
temperatures, equating to higher crystallinity, which can be a<br />
benefit in applications such as adhesives. Due to the higher<br />
density of ester groups, succinate polyesters also exhibit<br />
more hard-phase to soft-phase interaction than those with<br />
polybutylene adipate.<br />
In addition to the differentiated performance benefits of<br />
succinate polyesters, bio-based succinic acid also offers a<br />
better carbon footprint. BioAmber’s bio-based succinic acid<br />
gives a 99% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a<br />
50% reduction in energy savings compared to petroleumbased<br />
adipic acid.<br />
The bio-based succinic acid is also used as a building block<br />
for the large volume chemical intermediate 1,4-butanediol<br />
(BDO), which is both a monomer for polyols and a chain<br />
extender for polyurethane formulations. Combining biobased<br />
succinic acid with bio-based 1,4-BDO gives polyester<br />
polyols with even numbered carbons based on 100%<br />
renewable building blocks. Combining BioAmber’s biobased<br />
succinic acid with 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) gives a<br />
polyester polyol with an odd numbered alcohol.<br />
The options of odd and even pairings are expected to<br />
have significantly different physical properties, offering<br />
formulation flexibility over a range of properties. With both<br />
bio-based succinic acid and bio-based 1,4-BDO, BioAmber<br />
offers polyurethane manufacturers formulation flexibility<br />
with the highest levels of renewable carbon.<br />
The company has already scaled up its hydrogenation<br />
catalyst technology under license from DuPont and<br />
converted multi-ton quantities of bio-based succinic acid<br />
into 100% bio-based 1,4-butanediol (BDO), terahydrofuran<br />
(THF) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), using bio-based<br />
succinic acid from its commercial plant in Pomacle, France.<br />
BioAmber is building industrial capacity for both bio-based<br />
succinic acid and bio-based 1,4-BDO in Sarnia, Canada and<br />
in Thailand, with its manufacturing partner, Mitsui & Co., to<br />
meet projected market demand for a new family of succinate<br />
polyurethanes with differentiated functionality and reduced<br />
carbon footprint. MT<br />
www.bio-amber.com<br />
42 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Basics<br />
No ‘greenwashing‘<br />
with bioplastics<br />
European Bioplastics publishes ‘Environmental Communications Guide‘<br />
By<br />
Kristy-Barbara Lange<br />
Head of Communications<br />
European Bioplastics<br />
Berlin, Germany<br />
The emotional debate about our future in the face of increasingly serious environmental<br />
problems has left its mark. The consumer is sensitized and willing<br />
to contribute his or her share.<br />
The willingness to contribute to environmental protection goes along with an<br />
increasing demand for truthful, accurate and easy to verify information on products<br />
that claim a reduced impact on the environment. The demand for simple information<br />
is high, especially for complex products such as bioplastics and products made<br />
thereof. However, breaking down complex properties and expert language into easily<br />
understandable claims is a challenge – particularly in the face of international<br />
standards giving strict guidelines for environmental communication.<br />
European Bioplastics has taken on this topic with the goal to strengthen accurate<br />
environmental communication within the bioplastics industry. The association just<br />
published its ‘Environmental Communications Guide’ (ECG), which was<br />
developed by an international ad hoc working group<br />
within the last six months.<br />
Next to general guidelines for<br />
environmental communication the<br />
brochure offers recommendations<br />
regarding relevant claims for<br />
bioplastics such as biobased,<br />
biodegradable, compostable or<br />
CO 2<br />
-neutral. Recommendations are<br />
illustrated by a number of examples.<br />
Focusing on safeguarding good<br />
communication along the entire value<br />
chain of bioplastics, the ECG is intended<br />
to be a practical help to marketing and<br />
communications professionals striving<br />
to present the innovation of bioplastics<br />
correctly according to the status quo and<br />
without neglecting its ample untapped<br />
potential.<br />
The Guide is available in English language<br />
(see info-box below).<br />
Sample page<br />
from the ECG<br />
Info:<br />
In addition there will be a half-day<br />
‘Environmental Communications Workshop’<br />
in Berlin on Nov. 05. More info as well as<br />
the download of the Guide can be found at<br />
www.european-bioplastics.org/ecg<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 43
Basics<br />
Plastics made from CO 2<br />
First plastics from CO 2<br />
coming onto the market -<br />
and they can be biodegradable<br />
Carbon dioxide is one of the most discussed molecules<br />
in the popular press, due to its role as greenhouse gas<br />
(GHG) and the increase in temperature on our planet,<br />
a phenomenon known as global warming.<br />
Carbon dioxide is generally regarded as an inert molecule,<br />
as it is the final product of any combustion process, either<br />
chemical or biological in cellular metabolism (an average<br />
human body emits daily about 0.9 kg of CO 2<br />
). The abundance<br />
of CO 2<br />
prompted scientists to think of it as a useful raw<br />
material for the synthesis of chemicals and plastics rather<br />
than as a mere emission waste.<br />
Traditionally CO 2<br />
has been used in numerous applications,<br />
such as in the preparation of carbonated soft drinks, as<br />
an acidity regulator in the food industry, in the industrial<br />
preparation of synthetic urea, in fire extinguishers and many<br />
others.<br />
Today, as CO 2<br />
originating from energy production, transport<br />
and industrial production continues to accumulate in the<br />
atmosphere, scientists and technologists are looking more<br />
closely at different alternatives to reduce flue-gas emissions<br />
and are exploring the possibility of using CO 2<br />
as a direct<br />
feedstock for chemicals production, and first successful<br />
examples have already been achieved.<br />
The carbon cycle on our planet is able to recycle the<br />
CO 2<br />
from the atmosphere back in the biosphere and it has<br />
maintained an almost constant level of CO 2<br />
concentration<br />
over the last hundred thousand years. The carbon cycle fixes<br />
approx. 200 gigatonnes of CO 2<br />
yearly while the anthropogenic<br />
CO 2<br />
accounts for about 7 gigatonnes per year (3-4% of the<br />
CO 2<br />
fixed in the carbon cycle). Even if this quantity looks<br />
small, we must bear in mind that this excess of CO 2<br />
has been<br />
accumulating year after year in the atmosphere, and in fact<br />
we know that CO 2<br />
concentration rose to almost 400 ppm from<br />
280 ppm in the preindustrial era.<br />
In recent years different processes have been patented<br />
and are currently used to recover CO 2<br />
from the flue-gases of<br />
coal, oil or natural gas, or from biomass power plants. The<br />
recovered CO 2<br />
can be either stored in natural caves, used for<br />
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), or can be used as feedstock<br />
for the chemical industry. The availability of a high quantity of<br />
CO 2<br />
triggered different research projects worldwide that are<br />
aimed at finding a high added value use for what otherwise<br />
is a pollutant.<br />
Plastics from CO 2<br />
When it comes to the question of CO 2<br />
and plastics there<br />
are many different strategies aiming at either obtaining<br />
plastics from molecules derived directly from CO 2<br />
or using<br />
CO 2<br />
in combination with monomers that could either be<br />
traditional fossil-based or bio-based chemicals. Moreover,<br />
the final plastics can be biodegradable or not, depending<br />
to their structures. Noteworthy among already existing CO 2<br />
derived plastics are polypropylene carbonate, polyethylene<br />
carbonate, polyurethanes (see also p. 38) and many promising<br />
others that are still in the laboratories.<br />
Polypropylene carbonate<br />
Polypropylene carbonate (PPC) is the first remarkable<br />
example of a plastic that uses CO 2<br />
in its preparation. PPC is<br />
obtained through alternated polymerization of CO 2<br />
with PO<br />
(propylene oxide, C 3<br />
H 6<br />
O) (Fig. 1).<br />
The production of PPC worldwide is rising and this trend is<br />
not expected to change.<br />
Polypropylene carbonate (PPC) was first developed 40<br />
years ago by Inoue, but is only now coming into its own.<br />
PPC is 43% CO 2<br />
by mass, is biodegradable, shows high<br />
temperature stability, high elasticity and transparency, and<br />
a memory effect. These characteristics open up a wide<br />
range of applications for PPC, including countless uses as<br />
packaging film and foams, dispersions and softeners for<br />
brittle plastics. The North American companies Novomer<br />
and Empower Materials, the Norwegian firm Norner and SK<br />
Innovation from South Korea are some of those working to<br />
develop and produce PPC.<br />
Today PPC is a high quality plastic able to combine several<br />
advantages at the same time.<br />
44 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Basics<br />
By<br />
Fabrizio Sibilla<br />
Achim Raschka<br />
Michael Carus<br />
nova-Institute, Hürth, Germany<br />
Thinking further ahead, in a future when propylene oxide<br />
will be produced from methanol reformed from CO 2<br />
, PPC<br />
will be available derived 100% from recycled CO 2<br />
, therefore<br />
making it very attractive for the final consumer.<br />
PPC is also a biodegradable polymer that shows good<br />
compostability properties. These properties, when combined<br />
with the 43% or 100% ‘Recycled CO 2<br />
’ can contribute to the<br />
development of a plastic industry that can aim at being<br />
sustainable in its three pillars (social, environmental,<br />
economy).<br />
Other big advantages of PPC are its thermoplastic<br />
behaviour similar to many existing plastics, its possibility<br />
to be combined with other polymers, and its use with<br />
fillers. Moreover, PPC does not require special tailor-made<br />
machines for its forming or extruding, hence this aspect<br />
contributes to make PPC a ‘ready to use’ alternative to many<br />
existing plastics.<br />
PPC is also a good softener for bioplastics: many biobased<br />
plastics, e.g. PLA and PHA, are originally too brittle<br />
and can therefore only be used in conjunction with additives<br />
in many applications. Now a new option is available which<br />
can cover an extended range of material characteristics<br />
through combinations of PPC with PLA or PHA. This keeps<br />
the material biodegradable and translucent, and it can be<br />
processed without any trouble using normal machinery<br />
(see also p. 48). It must be pointed out that it is not easy to<br />
give an unambiguous classification to PPC, but it falls more<br />
into a grey area of definitions. As discussed above, it can<br />
be prepared either from CO 2<br />
recovered from flue gases and<br />
conventional propylene oxide, and in this case although not<br />
definable as ‘bio-based’ it may still be attractive for its 43%<br />
by wt. of recycled CO 2<br />
and its full biodegradability. It can in<br />
theory also be produced using CO 2<br />
recovered from biomass<br />
combustion, thus being classified as 43% biomass-based<br />
(25% biobased according to the bio-based definition ASTM<br />
D6866). As already mentioned above, if propylene oxide could<br />
be produced from the oxidation of bio-based propylene, then<br />
it can be declared 57% biomass-based or 100% bio-based<br />
if CO 2<br />
and propylene oxide are both bio-based. As more and<br />
more different plastics and chemicals in the future will be<br />
derived from recycled CO 2<br />
they will need a new classification<br />
and definition such as ‘recycled CO 2<br />
’ in order not to bewilder<br />
the consumer.<br />
Polyethylene carbonate and polyols<br />
Polypropylene carbonate is not the only plastic that<br />
recently came onto the market. Other remarkable examples<br />
are the production of polyethylene carbonate (PEC) and<br />
polyurethanes from CO 2<br />
.<br />
The company Novomer has a proprietary technology to<br />
obtain PEC from ethylene oxide and CO 2<br />
, in a process similar<br />
to the production of PPC. PEC is 50% CO 2<br />
by mass and can<br />
be used in a number of applications to replace and improve<br />
traditional petroleum based plastics currently on the market.<br />
PEC plastics exhibit excellent oxygen barrier properties<br />
that make it useful as a barrier layer for food packaging<br />
applications. PEC has a significantly improved environmental<br />
footprint compared to barrier resins ethylenevinyl alcohol<br />
(EVOH) and polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) which are used as<br />
barrier layers.<br />
H 3<br />
C<br />
O<br />
CO 2<br />
catalyst<br />
CH 3<br />
O<br />
O<br />
C<br />
O<br />
n<br />
propylene oxide<br />
polypropylene carbonate<br />
Fig. 1: Route to PPC from CO 2<br />
and propylene oxide<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 45
Basics<br />
CO 2<br />
CO 2<br />
Photosynthesis<br />
Metabolism<br />
Artificial<br />
Photosynthesis<br />
Industrial<br />
usage<br />
Carbohydrates<br />
Energy / Material<br />
Resources<br />
Fig. 2: The carbon cycle as occurring in nature (left) and<br />
the envisioned carbon cycle for the ‘CO 2<br />
Economy’ (right).<br />
Bayer Material Science exhibited polyurethane blocks at<br />
ACHEMA, which were made from CO 2<br />
polyols. CO 2<br />
replaces<br />
some of the mineral oils used. Industrial manufacturing of<br />
foams for mattresses and insulating materials for fridges<br />
and buildings is due to start in 2015. Noteworthy is the fact<br />
that the CO 2<br />
used by Bayer Material Science is captured<br />
at a lignite-fired power plant, thus contributing to lower<br />
greenhouse gas emissions.<br />
Implementing a CO 2<br />
economy<br />
These examples, combined with the strong research efforts<br />
of different corporations and national research programs,<br />
are disclosing a future where we will probably be able to<br />
implement a real ‘CO 2<br />
Economy’; where CO 2<br />
will be seen as<br />
a valuable raw material rather than a necessary evil of our<br />
fossil-fuel based modern life style.<br />
Steps toward the implementation of such a vision are<br />
already in place. The concept of Artificial Photosynthesis<br />
(APS) is a remarkable example (Fig. 2).<br />
This field of chemical production is aiming to use either CO 2<br />
recaptured from a fossil fuel combustion facility, or acquiring<br />
CO 2<br />
from the atmosphere together with water and sunlight to<br />
obtain what is often defined as ‘solar fuel’ - mainly methanol<br />
or methane. The word ‘fuel’ is used in a broad sense: it refers<br />
not only to fuel for transportation or electricity generation, but<br />
also to feedstocks for the chemicals and plastics industries.<br />
However research is also focused on other chemicals, such<br />
as, for example, the direct formation of formic acid. Efforts<br />
are in place to mimic the natural photosynthesis to such an<br />
extent that even glucose or other fermentable carbohydrates<br />
are foreseen as possible products. Keeping this in mind,<br />
a vision where carbohydrates, generated by APS, will be<br />
used in subsequent biotechnological fermentation to obtain<br />
almost any desired chemicals or bio-plastics (such as PLA,<br />
PHB and others) can become reality in a future that is nearer<br />
than expected.<br />
The Panasonic Corporation for example, released its<br />
first prototype of a working APS device (Fig. 3) that shows<br />
the same efficiency of photosynthetic plants and is able to<br />
produce formic acid from water, sunlight and CO 2<br />
; formic<br />
acid is a bulk chemical that is required in many industrial<br />
processes.<br />
Water oxidation by<br />
light energy<br />
CO 2<br />
reduction<br />
Carbon dioxide<br />
water<br />
Light<br />
source<br />
Oxygen<br />
Nitride Semiconductor<br />
Metal catalyst<br />
Formic acid<br />
Fig. 3: Panasonic scheme of its fully functioning artificial<br />
photosynthesis device<br />
(Courtesy of Panasonic Corporation).<br />
46 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
We can conclude that artificial photosynthesis and<br />
modern chemistry will give us the chance to transform the<br />
chemicals and plastics industries into really sustainable<br />
industries in terms of raw materials supply and climate<br />
protection. The technological conversion from today´s<br />
chemistry to molecules and products obtained from CO 2<br />
’that is itself recovered from flue-gases or even from<br />
the atmosphere’ is a real opportunity for our economies<br />
to create a new market and improve the quality of our<br />
environment. If this target is reached, mankind will be able<br />
to extend the high living standard reached by advanced<br />
economies to the whole world without the typical negative<br />
environmental spin-offs related to economic growth.<br />
www.bio-based.eu<br />
www.co2-chemistry.eu<br />
Info:<br />
More info on what production of plastics from<br />
CO 2<br />
will be like tomorrow at Carbon Dioxide<br />
as Feedstock for Chemistry and Polymers, a<br />
conference organized by nova-Institute in Essen,<br />
Germany, 10-11 th October 2012.<br />
Register now!<br />
6/7 November 2012<br />
Maritim proArte Hotel<br />
Berlin<br />
Conference contact:<br />
conference@european-bioplastics.org<br />
c +49 .30 28 48 23 50<br />
www.conference.european-bioplastics.org<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 47
Basics<br />
Sustainable Plastic<br />
from CO 2<br />
Waste<br />
Fig. 1: Vacuum cleaner cover<br />
By<br />
Robert Greiner<br />
Corporate Research and Technologies<br />
Siemens AG<br />
Erlangen, Germany<br />
Fig. 2: Door-holder for refrigerators<br />
As part of the project ‘CO 2<br />
as a polymer building<br />
block’, funded by the German Federal Ministry of<br />
Education and Research, scientists from Siemens<br />
Corporate Technology, together with their project partners<br />
from BASF, the Technical University of Munich and<br />
the University of Hamburg, have been seeking an alternative<br />
for the standard plastics ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene<br />
styrene) and PS (polystyrene). Both plastics are frequently<br />
used in consumer products. Compounds based on PHB<br />
(polyhydroxybutyrate) could be a competitive alternative<br />
to ABS. PHB is a polymer produced by micro-organisms<br />
as a form of energy storage molecule based on sugar<br />
(mostly cornstarch) or plant oils as renewable feedstock.<br />
But PHB is a very brittle plastic and, unless modified,<br />
is unsuitable as a material for example for housings. A<br />
transparent alternative to PS could be compounds based<br />
on PLA.<br />
For these two materials polypropylene carbonate (PPC)<br />
can be used as an impact modifier. PPC is an amorphous<br />
thermoplastic material and shows a glass transition<br />
temperature of around 30 °C. Thus it is very flexible at<br />
room temperature, and moreover it shows at least a<br />
partial miscibility with both bioplastics and therefore it is<br />
suitable for adjusting the ductility of PHB and PLA. PPC<br />
consists of around 43% by wt. of carbon dioxide obtained<br />
by removing CO 2<br />
from waste gases, e.g. from power<br />
plants. The copolymerization occurs with PO (propylene<br />
oxide) in the presence of appropriate catalysts. These<br />
catalysts are the key to a new CO 2<br />
-chemistry which uses<br />
carbon dioxide as a valuable resource for base chemicals.<br />
H 3<br />
C<br />
O<br />
CO 2<br />
catalyst<br />
CH 3<br />
O<br />
O<br />
C<br />
O<br />
n<br />
propylene oxide<br />
polypropylene carbonate<br />
48 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Basics<br />
Polypropylene carbonate is highly clear, biodegradable,<br />
stable under UV light and easy to process by injection<br />
moulding or extrusion.<br />
The following new formulations were developed as green<br />
alternatives to ABS and PS (figures in weight percent):<br />
A) ABS alternative: ((PHB (70 %) + PPC (30 %))<br />
+ talc (10 %) + carbon black master batch (3 %)<br />
B) PS alternative: (PLA (70 %) + PPC (30 %))<br />
+ green pigment (0,25 %)<br />
In table 1 some properties of the new compounds are<br />
given in comparison to ABS and PS. In comparison with the<br />
standard materials the green compounds show an absolutely<br />
satisfactory property profile. With the recipe A merely the<br />
impact strength falls off noticeably compared to the ABS.<br />
With the recipe B the heat distortion temperature is below<br />
that of the PS but toughness is increased significantly.<br />
In both green compounds there is a better ecological<br />
balance compared to ABS and PS. In recipe A the share of<br />
sustainable polymers is slightly above 70 % by wt. and in<br />
recipe B around 85 %.<br />
80 kg of each compound were produced on a twin screw<br />
extruder in the Siemens technical centre. At the BSH company<br />
(Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH) the compounds<br />
were injection moulded on normal production ABS and PS<br />
moulds. The green ABS alternative was used to manufacture<br />
covers for vacuum cleaners and, using the green replacement<br />
for PS, transparent door holders for refrigerators were<br />
produced. These products are shown in the figures 1 and 2<br />
and demonstrate in an impressive manner that by means of<br />
a product-oriented material development many applications<br />
can be realized with sustainable compounds based on<br />
biopolymers from renewable sources and CO 2<br />
-polymers.<br />
www.siemens.com<br />
Table 1: Comparison of properties<br />
ABS recipe A. PS recipe B.<br />
shrinkage in flow dir. % 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.07<br />
shrinkage vertical % 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.09<br />
E-modulus, MPa 2300 2550 3300 3400<br />
σy, MPa 39 35 46 58<br />
εy, % 2.1 2.5 2 27<br />
Izod Impact RT, kJ/m² 70 10 8 28<br />
HDT / B, °C 97 105 82 51<br />
density, g/cm³ 1.07 1.30 1.07 1.25<br />
New ‘basics‘ book on bioplastics<br />
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bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 49
Basics<br />
Glossary 3.0<br />
In bioplastics MAGAZINE again and again<br />
the same expressions appear that some of our readers<br />
might not (yet) be familiar with. This glossary shall help<br />
with these terms and shall help avoid repeated explanations<br />
Bioplastics (as defined by European Bioplastics<br />
e.V.) is a term used to define two different<br />
kinds of plastics:<br />
a. Plastics based on → renewable resources<br />
(the focus is the origin of the raw material<br />
used). These can be biodegradable or not.<br />
b. → Biodegradable and → compostable<br />
plastics according to EN13432 or similar<br />
standards (the focus is the compostability of<br />
the final product; biodegradable and compostable<br />
plastics can be based on renewable<br />
(biobased) and/or non-renewable (fossil) resources).<br />
Bioplastics may be<br />
- based on renewable resources and biodegradable;<br />
- based on renewable resources but not be<br />
biodegradable; and<br />
- based on fossil resources and biodegradable.<br />
Aerobic - anaerobic | aerobic = in the presence<br />
of oxygen (e.g. in composting) | anaerobic<br />
= without oxygen being present (e.g. in<br />
biogasification, anaerobic digestion)<br />
[bM 06/09]<br />
Anaerobic digestion | conversion of organic<br />
waste into bio-gas. Other than in → composting<br />
in anaerobic degradation there is no oxygen<br />
present. In bio-gas plants for example,<br />
this type of degradation leads to the production<br />
of methane that can be captured in a controlled<br />
way and used for energy generation.<br />
[14] [bM 06/09]<br />
Amorphous | non-crystalline, glassy with unordered<br />
lattice<br />
Amylopectin | Polymeric branched starch<br />
molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer,<br />
monomer is → Glucose)<br />
[bM 05/09]<br />
Amylose | Polymeric non-branched starch<br />
molecule with high molecular weight (biopolymer,<br />
monomer is → Glucose) [bM 05/09]<br />
Biobased plastic/polymer | A plastic/polymer<br />
in which constitutional units are totally or in<br />
part from → biomass [3]. If this claim is used,<br />
a percentage should always be given to which<br />
extent the product/material is → biobased [1]<br />
[bM 01/07, bM 03/10]<br />
updated<br />
such as ‘PLA (Polylactide)‘ in various articles.<br />
Since this Glossary will not be printed<br />
in each issue you can download a pdf<br />
version from our website<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE is grateful to European Bioplastics for the permission to use parts of their Glossary (see [1])<br />
Readers who would like to suggest better or other explanations to be added to the list, please contact the editor.<br />
[*: bM ... refers to more comprehensive article previously published in bioplastics MAGAZINE)<br />
Biobased | The term biobased describes the<br />
part of a material or product that is stemming<br />
from → biomass. When making a biobasedclaim,<br />
the unit (→ biobased carbon content,<br />
→ biobased mass content), a percentage and<br />
the measuring method should be clearly stated [1]<br />
Biobased carbon | carbon contained in or<br />
stemming from → biomass. A material or<br />
product made of fossil and → renewable resources<br />
contains fossil and → biobased carbon.<br />
The 14 C method [4, 5] measures the amount<br />
of biobased carbon in the material or product<br />
as fraction weight (mass) or percent weight<br />
(mass) of the total organic carbon content [1] [6]<br />
Biobased mass content | describes the<br />
amount of biobased mass contained in a material<br />
or product. This method is complementary<br />
to the 14 C method, and furthermore, takes<br />
other chemical elements besides the biobased<br />
carbon into account, such as oxygen, nitrogen<br />
and hydrogen. A measuring method is currently<br />
being developed and tested by the Association<br />
Chimie du Végétal (ACDV) [1]<br />
Biodegradable Plastics | Biodegradable Plastics<br />
are plastics that are completely assimilated<br />
by the → microorganisms present a defined<br />
environment as food for their energy. The<br />
carbon of the plastic must completely be converted<br />
into CO 2<br />
during the microbial process.<br />
The process of biodegradation depends on<br />
the environmental conditions, which influence<br />
it (e.g. location, temperature, humidity) and<br />
on the material or application itself. Consequently,<br />
the process and its outcome can vary<br />
considerably. Biodegradability is linked to the<br />
structure of the polymer chain; it does not depend<br />
on the origin of the raw materials.<br />
There is currently no single, overarching<br />
standard to back up claims about biodegradability.<br />
As the sole claim of biodegradability<br />
without any additional specifications is vague,<br />
it should not be used in communications. If it is<br />
used, additional surveys/tests (e.g. timeframe<br />
or environment (soil, sea)) should be added to<br />
substantiate this claim [1].<br />
One standard for example is ISO or in Europe:<br />
EN 14995 Plastics- Evaluation of compostability<br />
- Test scheme and specifications<br />
[bM 02/06, bM 01/07]<br />
Biomass | Material of biological origin excluding<br />
material embedded in geological formations<br />
and material transformed to fossilised<br />
material. This includes organic material, e.g.<br />
trees, crops, grasses, tree litter, algae and<br />
waste of biological origin, e.g. manure [1, 2]<br />
Blend | Mixture of plastics, polymer alloy of at<br />
least two microscopically dispersed and molecularly<br />
distributed base polymers<br />
Bisphenol-A (BPA) | Monomer used to produce<br />
different polymers. BPA is said to cause<br />
health problems, due to the fact that is behaves<br />
like a hormone. Therefore it is banned<br />
for use in children’s products in many countries.<br />
BPI | Biodegradable Products Institute, a notfor-profit<br />
association. Through their innovative<br />
compostable label program, BPI educates<br />
manufacturers, legislators and consumers<br />
about the importance of scientifically based<br />
standards for compostable materials which<br />
biodegrade in large composting facilities.<br />
Carbon footprint | (CFPs resp. PCFs – Product<br />
Carbon Footprint): Sum of → greenhouse<br />
gas emissions and removals in a product system,<br />
expressed as CO 2<br />
equivalent, and based<br />
on a → life cycle assessment. The CO 2<br />
equivalent<br />
of a specific amount of a greenhouse gas<br />
is calculated as the mass of a given greenhouse<br />
gas multiplied by its → global warmingpotential<br />
[1, 2]<br />
Carbon neutral, CO 2<br />
neutral | Carbon neutral<br />
describes a product or process that has<br />
a negligible impact on total atmospheric CO 2<br />
levels. For example, carbon neutrality means<br />
that any CO 2<br />
released when a plant decomposes<br />
or is burnt is offset by an equal amount<br />
of CO 2<br />
absorbed by the plant through photosynthesis<br />
when it is growing.<br />
Carbon neutrality can also be achieved<br />
through buying sufficient carbon credits to<br />
make up the difference. The latter option is<br />
not allowed when communicating → LCAs<br />
or carbon footprints regarding a material or<br />
product [1, 2].<br />
Carbon-neutral claims are tricky as products<br />
will not in most cases reach carbon neutrality<br />
if their complete life cycle is taken into consideration<br />
(including the end-of life).<br />
If an assessment of a material, however, is<br />
conducted (cradle to gate), carbon neutrality<br />
might be a valid claim in a B2B context. In this<br />
case, the unit assessed in the complete life<br />
cycle has to be clarified [1]<br />
Catalyst | substance that enables and accelerates<br />
a chemical reaction<br />
Cellophane | Clear film on the basis of → cellulose<br />
[bM 01/10]<br />
Cellulose | Cellulose is the principal component<br />
of cell walls in all higher forms of plant<br />
life, at varying percentages. It is therefore the<br />
most common organic compound and also<br />
the most common polysaccharide (multisugar)<br />
[11]. C. is a polymeric molecule with<br />
very high molecular weight (monomer is →<br />
Glucose), industrial production from wood or<br />
cotton, to manufacture paper, plastics and fibres<br />
[bM 01/10]<br />
Cellulose ester| Cellulose esters occur by the<br />
esterification of cellulose with organic acids.<br />
The most important cellulose esters from a<br />
technical point of view are cellulose acetate<br />
50 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 7
Basics<br />
(CA with acetic acid), cellulose propionate (CP<br />
with propionic acid) and cellulose butyrate<br />
(CB with butanoic acid). Mixed polymerisates,<br />
such as cellulose acetate propionate<br />
(CAP) can also be formed. One of the most<br />
well-known applications of cellulose aceto<br />
butyrate (CAB) is the moulded handle on the<br />
Swiss army knife [11]<br />
Cellulose acetate CA| → Cellulose ester<br />
CEN | Comité Européen de Normalisation<br />
(European organisation for standardization)<br />
Compost | A soil conditioning material of decomposing<br />
organic matter which provides nutrients<br />
and enhances soil structure.<br />
[bM 06/08, 02/09]<br />
Compostable Plastics | Plastics that are<br />
→ biodegradable under ‘composting’ conditions:<br />
specified humidity, temperature,<br />
→ microorganisms and timefame. In order<br />
to make accurate and specific claims about<br />
compostability, the location (home, → industrial)<br />
and timeframe need to be specified [1].<br />
Several national and international standards<br />
exist for clearer definitions, for example EN<br />
14995 Plastics - Evaluation of compostability -<br />
Test scheme and specifications. [bM 02/06, bM 01/07]<br />
Composting | A solid waste management<br />
technique that uses natural process to convert<br />
organic materials to CO 2<br />
, water and humus<br />
through the action of → microorganisms.<br />
When talking about composting of bioplastics,<br />
usually → industrial composting in a managed<br />
composting plant is meant [bM 03/07]<br />
Compound | plastic mixture from different<br />
raw materials (polymer and additives) [bM 04/10)<br />
Copolymer | Plastic composed of different<br />
monomers.<br />
Cradle-to-Gate | Describes the system<br />
boundaries of an environmental →Life Cycle<br />
Assessment (LCA) which covers all activities<br />
from the ‘cradle’ (i.e., the extraction of raw<br />
materials, agricultural activities and forestry)<br />
up to the factory gate<br />
Cradle-to-Cradle | (sometimes abbreviated<br />
as C2C): Is an expression which communicates<br />
the concept of a closed-cycle economy,<br />
in which waste is used as raw material<br />
(‘waste equals food’). Cradle-to-Cradle is not<br />
a term that is typically used in →LCA studies.<br />
Cradle-to-Grave | Describes the system<br />
boundaries of a full →Life Cycle Assessment<br />
from manufacture (‘cradle’) to use phase and<br />
disposal phase (‘grave’).<br />
Crystalline | Plastic with regularly arranged<br />
molecules in a lattice structure<br />
Density | Quotient from mass and volume of<br />
a material, also referred to as specific weight<br />
DIN | Deutsches Institut für Normung (German<br />
organisation for standardization)<br />
DIN-CERTCO | independant certifying organisation<br />
for the assessment on the conformity<br />
of bioplastics<br />
Dispersing | fine distribution of non-miscible<br />
liquids into a homogeneous, stable mixture<br />
Elastomers | rigid, but under force flexible<br />
and elastically formable plastics with rubbery<br />
properties<br />
EN 13432 | European standard for the assessment<br />
of the → compostability of plastic<br />
packaging products<br />
Energy recovery | recovery and exploitation<br />
of the energy potential in (plastic) waste for<br />
the production of electricity or heat in waste<br />
incineration pants (waste-to-energy)<br />
Enzymes | proteins that catalyze chemical<br />
reactions<br />
Ethylen | colour- and odourless gas, made<br />
e.g. from, Naphtha (petroleum) by cracking,<br />
monomer of the polymer polyethylene (PE)<br />
European Bioplastics e.V. | The industry association<br />
representing the interests of Europe’s<br />
thriving bioplastics’ industry. Founded<br />
in Germany in 1993 as IBAW, European Bioplastics<br />
today represents the interests of over<br />
70 member companies throughout the European<br />
Union. With members from the agricultural<br />
feedstock, chemical and plastics industries,<br />
as well as industrial users and recycling<br />
companies, European Bioplastics serves as<br />
both a contact platform and catalyst for advancing<br />
the aims of the growing bioplastics<br />
industry.<br />
Extrusion | process used to create plastic<br />
profiles (or sheet) of a fixed cross-section<br />
consisting of mixing, melting, homogenising<br />
and shaping of the plastic.<br />
Fermentation | Biochemical reactions controlled<br />
by → microorganisms or → enyzmes (e.g.<br />
the transformation of sugar into lactic acid).<br />
FSC | Forest Stewardship Council. FSC is an<br />
independent, non-governmental, not-forprofit<br />
organization established to promote the<br />
responsible and sustainable management of<br />
the world’s forests.<br />
Gelatine | Translucent brittle solid substance,<br />
colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless<br />
and odorless, extracted from the collagen inside<br />
animals‘ connective tissue.<br />
Genetically modified organism (GMO) | Organisms,<br />
such as plants and animals, whose<br />
genetic material (DNA) has been altered<br />
are called genetically modified organisms<br />
(GMOs). Food and feed which contain or<br />
consist of such GMOs, or are produced from<br />
GMOs, are called genetically modified (GM)<br />
food or feed [1]<br />
Global Warming | Global warming is the rise<br />
in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere<br />
and oceans since the late 19th century<br />
and its projected continuation [8]. Global<br />
warming is said to be accelerated by → green<br />
house gases.<br />
Glucose | Monosaccharide (or simple sugar).<br />
G. is the most important carbohydrate (sugar)<br />
in biology. G. is formed by photosynthesis or<br />
hydrolyse of many carbohydrates e. g. starch.<br />
Greenhouse gas GHG | Gaseous constituent<br />
of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic,<br />
that absorbs and emits radiation at<br />
specific wavelengths within the spectrum of<br />
infrared radiation emitted by the earth’s surface,<br />
the atmosphere, and clouds [1, 9]<br />
Greenwashing | The act of misleading consumers<br />
regarding the environmental practices<br />
of a company, or the environmental benefits<br />
of a product or service [1, 10]<br />
Granulate, granules | small plastic particles<br />
(3-4 millimetres), a form in which plastic is<br />
sold and fed into machines, easy to handle<br />
and dose.<br />
Humus | In agriculture, ‘humus’ is often used<br />
simply to mean mature → compost, or natural<br />
compost extracted from a forest or other<br />
spontaneous source for use to amend soil.<br />
Hydrophilic | Property: ‘water-friendly’, soluble<br />
in water or other polar solvents (e.g. used<br />
in conjunction with a plastic which is not water<br />
resistant and weather proof or that absorbs<br />
water such as Polyamide (PA).<br />
Hydrophobic | Property: ‘water-resistant’, not<br />
soluble in water (e.g. a plastic which is water<br />
resistant and weather proof, or that does not<br />
absorb any water such as Polyethylene (PE)<br />
or Polypropylene (PP).<br />
IBAW | → European Bioplastics<br />
Industrial composting | Industrial composting<br />
is an established process with commonly<br />
agreed upon requirements (e.g. temperature,<br />
timeframe) for transforming biodegradable<br />
waste into stable, sanitised products to be<br />
used in agriculture. The criteria for industrial<br />
compostability of packaging have been defined<br />
in the EN 13432. Materials and products<br />
complying with this standard can be certified<br />
and subsequently labelled accordingly [1, 7]<br />
[bM 06/08, bM 02/09]<br />
Integral Foam | foam with a compact skin and<br />
porous core and a transition zone in between.<br />
ISO | International Organization for Standardization<br />
JBPA | Japan Bioplastics Association<br />
LCA | Life Cycle Assessment (sometimes also<br />
referred to as life cycle analysis, ecobalance,<br />
and → cradle-to-grave analysis) is the investigation<br />
and valuation of the environmental<br />
impacts of a given product or service caused.<br />
[bM 01/09]<br />
Microorganism | Living organisms of microscopic<br />
size, such as bacteria, funghi or yeast.<br />
Molecule | group of at least two atoms held<br />
together by covalent chemical bonds.<br />
Monomer | molecules that are linked by polymerization<br />
to form chains of molecules and<br />
then plastics<br />
Mulch film | Foil to cover bottom of farmland<br />
PBAT | Polybutylene adipate terephthalate, is<br />
an aliphatic-aromatic copolyester that has the<br />
properties of conventional polyethylene but is<br />
fully biodegradable under industrial composting.<br />
PBAT is made from fossil petroleum with<br />
first attempts being made to produce it partly<br />
from renewable resources [bM 06/09]<br />
PBS | Polybutylene succinate, a 100% biodegradable<br />
polymer, made from (e.g. bio-BDO)<br />
and succinic acid, which can also be produced<br />
biobased [bM 03/12].<br />
PC | Polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyester,<br />
petroleum based, used for e.g. baby bottles<br />
or CDs. Criticized for its BPA (→ Bisphenol-A)<br />
content.<br />
PCL | Polycaprolactone, a synthetic (fossil<br />
based), biodegradable bioplastic, e.g. used as<br />
a blend component.<br />
PE | Polyethylene, thermoplastic polymerised<br />
from ethylene. Can be made from renewable<br />
resources (sugar cane via bio-ethanol)<br />
[bM 05/10]<br />
PET | Polyethylenterephthalate, transparent<br />
polyester used for bottles and film<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 7 51
PGA | Polyglycolic acid or Polyglycolide is a<br />
biodegradable, thermoplastic polymer and<br />
the simplest linear, aliphatic polyester. Besides<br />
ist use in the biomedical field, PGA has<br />
been introduced as a barrier resin [bM 03/09]<br />
PHA | Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters<br />
produced in nature by bacterial fermentation<br />
of sugar or lipids. The most common<br />
type of PHA is → PHB.<br />
PHB | Polyhydroxybutyrate (better poly-3-hydroxybutyrate),<br />
is a polyhydroxyalkanoate<br />
(PHA), a polymer belonging to the polyesters<br />
class. PHB is produced by micro-organisms<br />
apparently in response to conditions of physiological<br />
stress. The polymer is primarily a<br />
product of carbon assimilation (from glucose<br />
or starch) and is employed by micro-organisms<br />
as a form of energy storage molecule to<br />
be metabolized when other common energy<br />
sources are not available. PHB has properties<br />
similar to those of PP, however it is stiffer and<br />
more brittle.<br />
PHBH | Polyhydroxy butyrate hexanoate (better<br />
poly 3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate)<br />
is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA),<br />
Like other biopolymers from the family of the<br />
polyhydroxyalkanoates PHBH is produced by<br />
microorganisms in the fermentation process,<br />
where it is accumulated in the microorganism’s<br />
body for nutrition. The main features of<br />
PHBH are its excellent biodegradability, combined<br />
with a high degree of hydrolysis and<br />
heat stability. [bM 03/09, 01/10, 03/11]<br />
PLA | Polylactide or Polylactic Acid (PLA), a<br />
biodegradable, thermoplastic, linear aliphatic<br />
polyester based on lactic acid, a natural acid,<br />
is mainly produced by fermentation of sugar<br />
or starch with the help of micro-organisms.<br />
Lactic acid comes in two isomer forms, i.e.<br />
as laevorotatory D(-)lactic acid and as dextrorotary<br />
L(+)lactic acid. In each case two<br />
lactic acid molecules form a circular lactide<br />
molecule which, depending on its composition,<br />
can be a D-D-lactide, an L-L-lactide<br />
or a meso-lactide (having one D and one L<br />
molecule). The chemist makes use of this<br />
variability. During polymerisation the chemist<br />
combines the lactides such that the PLA<br />
plastic obtained has the characteristics that<br />
he desires. The purity of the infeed material is<br />
an important factor in successful polymerisation<br />
and thus for the economic success of the<br />
process, because so far the cleaning of the<br />
lactic acid produced by the fermentation has<br />
been relatively costly [12].<br />
Modified PLA types can be produced by the<br />
use of the right additives or by a combinations<br />
of L- and D- lactides (stereocomplexing),<br />
which then have the required rigidity for use<br />
at higher temperatures [13] [bM 01/09]<br />
Plastics | Materials with large molecular<br />
chains of natural or fossil raw materials, produced<br />
by chemical or biochemical reactions.<br />
PPC | Polypropylene Carbonate, a bioplastic<br />
made by copolymerizing CO 2<br />
with propylene<br />
oxide (PO) [bM 04/12]<br />
Renewable Resources | agricultural raw materials,<br />
which are not used as food or feed, but<br />
as raw material for industrial products or to<br />
generate energy<br />
Saccharins or carbohydrates | Saccharins or<br />
carbohydrates are name for the sugar-family.<br />
Saccharins are monomer or polymer sugar<br />
units. For example, there are known mono-,<br />
di- and polysaccharose. → glucose is a monosaccarin.<br />
They are important for the diet and<br />
produced biology in plants.<br />
Semi-finished products | plastic in form of<br />
sheet, film, rods or the like to be further processed<br />
into finshed products<br />
Sorbitol | Sugar alcohol, obtained by reduction<br />
of glucose changing the aldehyde group<br />
to an additional hydroxyl group. S. is used as<br />
a plasticiser for bioplastics based on starch.<br />
Starch | Natural polymer (carbohydrate)<br />
consisting of → amylose and → amylopectin,<br />
gained from maize, potatoes, wheat, tapioca<br />
etc. When glucose is connected to polymerchains<br />
in definite way the result (product) is<br />
called starch. Each molecule is based on 300<br />
-12000-glucose units. Depending on the connection,<br />
there are two types → amylose and →<br />
amylopectin known. [bM 05/09]<br />
Starch derivate | Starch derivates are based<br />
on the chemical structure of → starch. The<br />
chemical structure can be changed by introducing<br />
new functional groups without changing<br />
the → starch polymer. The product has<br />
different chemical qualities. Mostly the hydrophilic<br />
character is not the same.<br />
Starch-ester | One characteristic of every<br />
starch-chain is a free hydroxyl group. When<br />
every hydroxyl group is connect with ethan<br />
acid one product is starch-ester with different<br />
chemical properties.<br />
Starch propionate and starch butyrate |<br />
Starch propionate and starch butyrate can be<br />
synthesised by treating the → starch with propane<br />
or butanic acid. The product structure<br />
is still based on → starch. Every based → glucose<br />
fragment is connected with a propionate<br />
or butyrate ester group. The product is more<br />
hydrophobic than → starch.<br />
Sustainable | An attempt to provide the best<br />
outcomes for the human and natural environments<br />
both now and into the indefinite future.<br />
One of the most often cited definitions of sustainability<br />
is the one created by the Brundtland<br />
Commission, led by the former Norwegian<br />
Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland.<br />
The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable<br />
development as development that ‘meets<br />
the needs of the present without compromising<br />
the ability of future generations to meet<br />
their own needs.’ Sustainability relates to the<br />
continuity of economic, social, institutional<br />
and environmental aspects of human society,<br />
as well as the non-human environment).<br />
Sustainability | (as defined by European Bioplastics<br />
e.V.) has three dimensions: economic,<br />
social and environmental. This has been<br />
known as “the triple bottom line of sustainability”.<br />
This means that sustainable development<br />
involves the simultaneous pursuit of<br />
economic prosperity, environmental protection<br />
and social equity. In other words, businesses<br />
have to expand their responsibility to include<br />
these environmental and social dimensions.<br />
Sustainability is about making products useful<br />
to markets and, at the same time, having societal<br />
benefits and lower environmental impact<br />
than the alternatives currently available. It also<br />
implies a commitment to continuous improvement<br />
that should result in a further reduction<br />
of the environmental footprint of today’s products,<br />
processes and raw materials used.<br />
Thermoplastics | Plastics which soften or<br />
melt when heated and solidify when cooled<br />
(solid at room temperature).<br />
Thermoplastic Starch | (TPS) → starch that<br />
was modified (cooked, complexed) to make it<br />
a plastic resin<br />
Thermoset | Plastics (resins) which do not<br />
soften or melt when heated. Examples are<br />
epoxy resins or unsaturated polyester resins.<br />
WPC | Wood Plastic Composite. Composite<br />
materials made of wood fiber/flour and plastics<br />
(mostly polypropylene).<br />
Yard Waste | Grass clippings, leaves, trimmings,<br />
garden residue.<br />
References:<br />
[1] Environmental Communication Guide,<br />
European Bioplastics, Berlin, Germany,<br />
2012<br />
[2] ISO 14067. Carbon footprint of products -<br />
Requirements and guidelines for quantification<br />
and communication<br />
[3] CEN TR 15932, Plastics - Recommendation<br />
for terminology and characterisation<br />
of biopolymers and bioplastics, 2010<br />
[4] CEN/TS 16137, Plastics - Determination<br />
of bio-based carbon content, 2011<br />
[5] ASTM D6866, Standard Test Methods for<br />
Determining the Biobased Content of<br />
Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using<br />
Radiocarbon Analysis<br />
[6] SPI: Understanding Biobased Carbon<br />
Content, 2012<br />
[7] EN 13432, Requirements for packaging<br />
recoverable through composting and biodegradation.<br />
Test scheme and evaluation<br />
criteria for the final acceptance of packaging,<br />
2000<br />
[8] Wikipedia<br />
[9] ISO 14064 Greenhouse gases -- Part 1:<br />
Specification with guidance..., 2006<br />
[10] Terrachoice, 2010, www.terrachoice.com<br />
[11] Thielen, M.: Bioplastics: Basics. Applications.<br />
Markets, Polymedia Publisher,<br />
2012<br />
[12] Lörcks, J.: Biokunststoffe, Broschüre der<br />
FNR, 2005<br />
[13] de Vos, S.: Improving heat-resistance of<br />
PLA using poly(D-lactide),<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE, Vol. 3, Issue 02/2008<br />
[14] de Wilde, B.: Anaerobic Digestion, bioplastics<br />
MAGAZINE, Vol 4., Issue 06/2009<br />
52 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 7
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1. Raw Materials<br />
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50<br />
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DuPont de Nemours International S.A.<br />
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plastics@dupont.com<br />
www.renewable.dupont.com<br />
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Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd.<br />
No.33 Kefeng Rd, Sc. City, Guangzhou<br />
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110<br />
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Polymedia Publisher GmbH<br />
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1.1 bio based monomers<br />
FKuR Kunststoff GmbH<br />
Siemensring 79<br />
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GRAFE-Group<br />
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WinGram Industry CO., LTD<br />
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1.3 PLA<br />
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www.brightcn.net<br />
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bright@brightcn.net<br />
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1.4 starch-based bioplastics<br />
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1.2 compounds<br />
Guangdong Shangjiu<br />
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Shangjiu Environmental Protection<br />
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Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients<br />
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240<br />
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3 rue Scheffer<br />
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54 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Suppliers Guide<br />
1.6 masterbatches<br />
3. Semi finished products<br />
3.1 films<br />
ROQUETTE Frères<br />
62 136 LESTREM, FRANCE<br />
00 33 (0) 3 21 63 36 00<br />
www.gaialene.com<br />
www.roquette.com<br />
GRAFE-Group<br />
Waldecker Straße 21,<br />
99444 Blankenhain, Germany<br />
Tel. +49 36459 45 0<br />
www.grafe.com<br />
Huhtamaki Films<br />
Sonja Haug<br />
Zweibrückenstraße 15-25<br />
91301 Forchheim<br />
Tel. +49-9191 81203<br />
Fax +49-9191 811203<br />
www.huhtamaki-films.com<br />
Cortec® Corporation<br />
4119 White Bear Parkway<br />
St. Paul, MN 55110<br />
Tel. +1 800.426.7832<br />
Fax 651-429-1122<br />
info@cortecvci.com<br />
www.cortecvci.com<br />
Grabio Greentech Corporation<br />
Tel: +886-3-598-6496<br />
No. 91, Guangfu N. Rd., Hsinchu<br />
Industrial Park,Hukou Township,<br />
Hsinchu County 30351, Taiwan<br />
sales@grabio.com.tw<br />
www.grabio.com.tw<br />
PolyOne<br />
Avenue Melville Wilson, 2<br />
Zoning de la Fagne<br />
5330 Assesse<br />
Belgium<br />
Tel.: + 32 83 660 211<br />
www.polyone.com<br />
2. Additives/Secondary raw materials<br />
www.earthfirstpla.com<br />
www.sidaplax.com<br />
www.plasticsuppliers.com<br />
Sidaplax UK : +44 (1) 604 76 66 99<br />
Sidaplax Belgium: +32 9 210 80 10<br />
Plastic Suppliers: +1 866 378 4178<br />
Eco Cortec®<br />
31 300 Beli Manastir<br />
Bele Bartoka 29<br />
Croatia, MB: 1891782<br />
Tel. +385 31 705 011<br />
Fax +385 31 705 012<br />
info@ecocortec.hr<br />
www.ecocortec.hr<br />
PSM Bioplastic NA<br />
Chicago, USA<br />
www.psmna.com<br />
+1-630-393-0012<br />
1.5 PHA<br />
Division of A&O FilmPAC Ltd<br />
7 Osier Way, Warrington Road<br />
GB-Olney/Bucks.<br />
MK46 5FP<br />
Tel.: +44 1234 714 477<br />
Fax: +44 1234 713 221<br />
sales@aandofilmpac.com<br />
www.bioresins.eu<br />
Metabolix<br />
650 Suffolk Street, Suite 100<br />
Lowell, MA 01854 USA<br />
Tel. +1-97 85 13 18 00<br />
Fax +1-97 85 13 18 86<br />
www.mirelplastics.com<br />
TianAn Biopolymer<br />
No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd,<br />
Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800<br />
Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2<br />
Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0<br />
enquiry@tianan-enmat.com<br />
www.tianan-enmat.com<br />
Arkema Inc.<br />
Functional Additives-Biostrength<br />
900 First Avenue<br />
King of Prussia, PA/USA 19406<br />
Contact: Connie Lo,<br />
Commercial Development Mgr.<br />
Tel: 610.878.6931<br />
connie.lo@arkema.com<br />
www.impactmodifiers.com<br />
GRAFE-Group<br />
Waldecker Straße 21,<br />
99444 Blankenhain, Germany<br />
Tel. +49 36459 45 0<br />
www.grafe.com<br />
The HallStar Company<br />
120 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 1620<br />
Chicago, IL 60606, USA<br />
+1 312 385 4494<br />
dmarshall@hallstar.com<br />
www.hallstar.com/hallgreen<br />
Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH<br />
Duesseldorfer Strasse 23-27<br />
68219 Mannheim, Germany<br />
Phone: +49 (0)621-8907-233<br />
Fax: +49 (0)621-8907-8233<br />
bioadimide.eu@rheinchemie.com<br />
www.bioadimide.com<br />
Taghleef Industries SpA, Italy<br />
Via E. Fermi, 46<br />
33058 San Giorgio di Nogaro (UD)<br />
Contact Frank Ernst<br />
Tel. +49 2402 7096989<br />
Mobile +49 160 4756573<br />
frank.ernst@ti-films.com<br />
www.ti-films.com<br />
3.1.1 cellulose based films<br />
INNOVIA FILMS LTD<br />
Wigton<br />
Cumbria CA7 9BG<br />
England<br />
Contact: Andy Sweetman<br />
Tel. +44 16973 41549<br />
Fax +44 16973 41452<br />
andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com<br />
www.innoviafilms.com<br />
4. Bioplastics products<br />
alesco GmbH & Co. KG<br />
Schönthaler Str. 55-59<br />
D-52379 Langerwehe<br />
Sales Germany: +49 2423 402<br />
110<br />
Sales Belgium: +32 9 2260 165<br />
Sales Netherlands: +31 20 5037 710<br />
info@alesco.net | www.alesco.net<br />
Minima Technology Co., Ltd.<br />
Esmy Huang, Marketing Manager<br />
No.33. Yichang E. Rd., Taipin City,<br />
Taichung County<br />
411, Taiwan (R.O.C.)<br />
Tel. +886(4)2277 6888<br />
Fax +883(4)2277 6989<br />
Mobil +886(0)982-829988<br />
esmy@minima-tech.com<br />
Skype esmy325<br />
www.minima-tech.com<br />
NOVAMONT S.p.A.<br />
Via Fauser , 8<br />
28100 Novara - ITALIA<br />
Fax +39.0321.699.601<br />
Tel. +39.0321.699.611<br />
www.novamont.com<br />
President Packaging Ind., Corp.<br />
PLA Paper Hot Cup manufacture<br />
In Taiwan, www.ppi.com.tw<br />
Tel.: +886-6-570-4066 ext.5531<br />
Fax: +886-6-570-4077<br />
sales@ppi.com.tw<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 55
Suppliers Guide<br />
7. Plant engineering<br />
10<br />
20<br />
30<br />
40<br />
50<br />
60<br />
Simply contact:<br />
Tel.: +49 2161 6884467<br />
suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com<br />
WEI MON INDUSTRY CO., LTD.<br />
2F, No.57, Singjhong Rd.,<br />
Neihu District,<br />
Taipei City 114, Taiwan, R.O.C.<br />
Tel. + 886 - 2 - 27953131<br />
Fax + 886 - 2 - 27919966<br />
sales@weimon.com.tw<br />
www.plandpaper.com<br />
6. Equipment<br />
6.1 Machinery & Molds<br />
Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH<br />
Holzhauser Strasse 157–159<br />
D-13509 Berlin<br />
Tel. +49 30 43 567 5<br />
Fax +49 30 43 567 699<br />
sales.de@uhde-inventa-fischer.com<br />
Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG<br />
Via Innovativa 31<br />
CH-7013 Domat/Ems<br />
Tel. +41 81 632 63 11<br />
Fax +41 81 632 74 03<br />
sales.ch@uhde-inventa-fischer.com<br />
www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com<br />
UL International TTC GmbH<br />
Rheinuferstrasse 7-9, Geb. R33<br />
47829 Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany<br />
Tel: +49 (0)2151 88 3324<br />
Fax: +49 (0)2151 88 5210<br />
ttc@ul.com<br />
www.ulttc.com<br />
10. Institutions<br />
10.1 Associations<br />
70<br />
80<br />
90<br />
100<br />
110<br />
120<br />
130<br />
140<br />
150<br />
160<br />
170<br />
180<br />
190<br />
200<br />
39 mm<br />
Stay permanently listed in the<br />
Suppliers Guide with your company<br />
logo and contact information.<br />
For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you<br />
can be present among top suppliers in<br />
the field of bioplastics.<br />
For Example:<br />
Polymedia Publisher GmbH<br />
Dammer Str. 112<br />
41066 Mönchengladbach<br />
Germany<br />
Tel. +49 2161 664864<br />
Fax +49 2161 631045<br />
info@bioplasticsmagazine.com<br />
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com<br />
Sample Charge:<br />
39mm x 6,00 €<br />
= 234,00 € per entry/per issue<br />
Sample Charge for one year:<br />
6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 €<br />
The entry in our Suppliers Guide is<br />
bookable for one year (6 issues) and<br />
extends automatically if it’s not canceled<br />
three month before expiry.<br />
Molds, Change Parts and Turnkey<br />
Solutions for the PET/Bioplastic<br />
Container Industry<br />
284 Pinebush Road<br />
Cambridge Ontario<br />
Canada N1T 1Z6<br />
Tel. +1 519 624 9720<br />
Fax +1 519 624 9721<br />
info@hallink.com<br />
www.hallink.com<br />
Roll-o-Matic A/S<br />
Petersmindevej 23<br />
5000 Odense C, Denmark<br />
Tel. + 45 66 11 16 18<br />
Fax + 45 66 14 32 78<br />
rom@roll-o-matic.com<br />
www.roll-o-matic.com<br />
ProTec Polymer Processing GmbH<br />
Stubenwald-Allee 9<br />
64625 Bensheim, Deutschland<br />
Tel. +49 6251 77061 0<br />
Fax +49 6251 77061 500<br />
info@sp-protec.com<br />
www.sp-protec.com<br />
6.2 Laboratory Equipment<br />
8. Ancillary equipment<br />
9. Services<br />
Osterfelder Str. 3<br />
46047 Oberhausen<br />
Tel.: +49 (0)208 8598 1227<br />
Fax: +49 (0)208 8598 1424<br />
thomas.wodke@umsicht.fhg.de<br />
www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de<br />
Institut für Kunststofftechnik<br />
Universität Stuttgart<br />
Böblinger Straße 70<br />
70199 Stuttgart<br />
Tel +49 711/685-62814<br />
Linda.Goebel@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de<br />
www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de<br />
narocon<br />
Dr. Harald Kaeb<br />
Tel.: +49 30-28096930<br />
kaeb@narocon.de<br />
www.narocon.de<br />
BPI - The Biodegradable<br />
Products Institute<br />
331 West 57th Street, Suite 415<br />
New York, NY 10019, USA<br />
Tel. +1-888-274-5646<br />
info@bpiworld.org<br />
European Bioplastics e.V.<br />
Marienstr. 19/20<br />
10117 Berlin, GermanyTel. +49 30<br />
284 82 350<br />
Fax +49 30 284 84 359<br />
info@european-bioplastics.org<br />
www.european-bioplastics.org<br />
10.2 Universities<br />
Institute for Bioplastics<br />
and Biocomposites<br />
IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics<br />
and Biocomposites<br />
University of Applied Sciences<br />
and Arts Hanover<br />
Faculty II – Mechanical and<br />
Bioprocess Engineering<br />
Heisterbergallee 12<br />
30453 Hannover, Germany<br />
Tel.: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 22 69<br />
Fax: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 99 - 22 69<br />
lisa.mundzeck@fh-hannover.de<br />
http://www.ifbb-hannover.de/<br />
210<br />
220<br />
230<br />
240<br />
MODA : Biodegradability Analyzer<br />
Saida FDS Incorporated<br />
3-6-6 Sakae-cho, Yaizu,<br />
Shizuoka, Japan<br />
Tel : +81-90-6803-4041<br />
info@saidagroup.jp<br />
www.saidagroup.jp<br />
nova-Institut GmbH<br />
Chemiepark Knapsack<br />
Industriestrasse 300<br />
50354 Huerth, Germany<br />
Tel.: +49(0)2233-48-14 40<br />
E-Mail: contact@nova-institut.de<br />
Michigan State University<br />
Department of Chemical<br />
Engineering & Materials Science<br />
Professor Ramani Narayan<br />
East Lansing MI 48824, USA<br />
Tel. +1 517 719 7163<br />
narayan@msu.edu<br />
250<br />
260<br />
www.facebook.com<br />
www.issuu.com<br />
www.twitter.com<br />
Bioplastics Consulting<br />
Tel. +49 2161 664864<br />
info@polymediaconsult.com<br />
270<br />
www.youtube.com<br />
56 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
Events<br />
Event<br />
Calendar<br />
7th European Bioplastics Conference<br />
06.11.2012 - 07.11.2012 - Berlin, Germany<br />
Maritim proArte Hotel<br />
http://en.european-bioplastics.org/conference2012/<br />
Biopolymere 2012<br />
20.11.2012 - Straubing, Germany<br />
http://bayern-innovativ.de/biopolymere2012<br />
Composites Europe<br />
09.10.2012 - 11.10.2012 - Duisburg, Germany<br />
Exhibition Centre Duesseldorf<br />
http://www.composites-europe.com/kontakt_57.html<br />
Biopolymere in Folienanwendungen<br />
10.10.2012 - 11.10.2012 - Würzburg, Germany<br />
http://www.skz.de/457<br />
Carbon Dioxide as Feedstock for Chemicals and<br />
Polymers<br />
10.10.2012 - 11.10.2012 - Essen, Germany<br />
Haus der Technik“ Essen<br />
http://www.co2-chemistry.eu/<br />
Biopolymers Symposium 2012<br />
15.10.2012 - 16.10.2012 - San Antonio (TX), USA<br />
The Westin Riverwalk Hotel<br />
http://www.biopolymersummit.com<br />
The 2013 Packaging Conference<br />
04.02.2013 - 06.02.2013 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA<br />
The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead<br />
www.thepackagingconference.com<br />
Bioplastics - The Re-Innovation of Plastics<br />
04.03.2013 - 06.03.2013 - Las Vegas, USA<br />
Cesar‘s Palace<br />
www.bioplastix.com<br />
23. Stuttgarter Kunststoff-Kolloquium<br />
06.03.2013 - 07.03.2013 - Straubing, Germany<br />
University of Stuttgart<br />
http://www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de<br />
BioKunststoffe 2013<br />
06.03.2013 - 07.03.2013 - Duisburg, Germany<br />
Haus der Unternehmer<br />
www.hanser-tagungen.de/biokunststoffe<br />
You can meet us!<br />
Please contact us in<br />
advance by e-mail.<br />
Bookstore<br />
Order now!<br />
www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books<br />
phone +49 2161 6884463<br />
e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com<br />
* plus VAT (where applicable), plus cost for shipping/handling<br />
details see www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books<br />
NEW<br />
€ 18.65 or<br />
US-$ 25.00*<br />
Michael Thielen<br />
Bioplastics -<br />
Basics. Applications. Markets.<br />
General conditions, market situation,<br />
production, structure and properties<br />
New ‘basics‘ book on bioplastics:<br />
The book is intended to offer a rapid<br />
and uncomplicated introduction into the<br />
subject of bioplastics, and is aimed at all<br />
interested readers, in particular those<br />
who have not yet had the opportunity to<br />
dig deeply into the subject, such as<br />
students, those just joining this industry,<br />
and lay readers.<br />
NEW<br />
€ 169.00*<br />
Edited by Srikanth Pilla<br />
Handbook of Bioplastics and<br />
Biocomposites Engineering Applications<br />
Engineering Applications<br />
The intention of this new book (2011), written by<br />
40 scientists from industry and academia, is to<br />
explore the extensive applications made with<br />
bioplastics & biocomposites. The Handbook focuses<br />
on five main categories of applications packaging;<br />
civil engineering; biomedical; automotive; general<br />
engineering. It is structured in six parts and a total of<br />
19 chapters. A comprehensive index allows the quick<br />
location of information the reader is looking for.<br />
€ 279,44*<br />
€ 279,44*<br />
Hans-Josef Endres, Andrea Siebert-Raths<br />
Engineering Biopolymers<br />
Markets, Manufacturing, Properties<br />
and Applications<br />
Hans-Josef Endres, Andrea Siebert-Raths<br />
Technische Biopolymere<br />
Rahmenbedingungen, Marktsituation,<br />
Herstellung, Aufbau und Eigenschaften<br />
This book is unique in its focus on market-relevant<br />
bio/renewable materials. It is based on comprehensive<br />
research projects, during which these<br />
materials were systematically analyzed and<br />
characterized. For the first time the interested<br />
reader will find comparable data not only for<br />
biogenic polymers and biological macromolecules<br />
such as proteins, but also for engineering<br />
materials. The reader will also find valuable<br />
information regarding micro-structure,<br />
manufacturing, and processing-, application-,<br />
and recycling properties of biopolymers<br />
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 57
Companies in this issue<br />
Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert<br />
A&O FilmPAC 55<br />
A. Schulman 21<br />
ACS 7<br />
Alesco 55<br />
Antibioticòs 5<br />
API 21 54<br />
API Institute 18<br />
Argent Energy 28<br />
Argus Umweltbiologie 28<br />
Arkema 55<br />
BASF 5, 6<br />
Bayer Material Science 46<br />
BioAmber 42<br />
BioPro 16<br />
Biosphere 54<br />
BPI 56<br />
Braskem 59<br />
Cargill 5<br />
Cereplast 53, 54<br />
Chemtex Italia 28<br />
Coca-Cola 13<br />
Cortec 55<br />
DuPont 54<br />
Eksportera USB 28<br />
Erema 35<br />
European Bioplastics 3, 9, 14, 43 47, 56<br />
EuroSpeedway 6<br />
Evonik 32<br />
FKuR 2, 54<br />
FNR 9<br />
Fort Collins 37<br />
Fourmotors 9<br />
Fraunhofer UMSICHT 56<br />
Frisetta Kunststoff 21<br />
Full Circle Design 14<br />
Genomatica 34<br />
Grabio Greentech 55<br />
Grafe 54, 55<br />
Graz University of Technology 26<br />
Green Dot Holdings 15, 36<br />
Guangdong Shangjiu 54<br />
Hallink 56<br />
Hallstar 55<br />
Hosti 6<br />
Huhtamaki Films 55<br />
Iggesund 22<br />
Innovia Films 55<br />
Institut für Kunststofftechnik 56<br />
Institute for Biopolymers and Biocomposites 9, 15 56<br />
InteriorPark 16<br />
Jiangsu Danmao Textrile 20<br />
Jiangsu Jilang-CAS 38<br />
Jiaxing Runzhi 20<br />
Kingfa 54<br />
KRKA 28<br />
Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients 8 54<br />
Linotech 15<br />
Livemold trading 15<br />
London Bio Packaging 12<br />
Malmö Aviation 22<br />
Martin Fuchs Spielwaren 15<br />
McDonalds 13<br />
Metabolix 5 55<br />
Michigan State University 56<br />
Minima Technology 55<br />
Myriant 39<br />
narocon 56<br />
Nat. Inst. of Chem. Ljubljana 28<br />
NatureWorks 8, 10, 20, 23<br />
Natur-Tec 54<br />
Nite Ize 37<br />
NMC 21<br />
NNFCC 12<br />
nova-Institut 33, 44 30, 56<br />
Novamont 13, 22, 25, 34 55, 60<br />
Novozymes 5<br />
Omikron 22<br />
Organic Waste Systems 8<br />
Panasonic 46<br />
PickNick 22<br />
plasticker 10<br />
Polish Academy of Science 28<br />
Polster Catering 6<br />
Polymediaconsult 56<br />
Polyone 54, 55<br />
President Packaging 23 55<br />
ProTec Polymer Processing 56<br />
PSM 55<br />
Purac 37, 54<br />
Reistenhofer 28<br />
Rhein Chemie 17, 55<br />
Roll-o-Matic 56<br />
Roquette 55<br />
Saida 56<br />
Shenzhen Esun Industrial Co. 54<br />
Showa Denko 54<br />
Sidaplax 55<br />
Siemens 47<br />
Starbucks 7<br />
Sulzer Chemtech 10<br />
Taghleef Industries 55<br />
Takata 14<br />
Termoplast 28<br />
TianAn Biopolymer 55<br />
Toray 31<br />
Uhde Inventa-Fischer 24 11, 56<br />
UL Thermoplastics 56<br />
University Freiburg 40<br />
University Hong Kong 7<br />
University Padua 28<br />
University Pisa 28<br />
University Rostock 6<br />
University Zagreb 28<br />
Versalis 34<br />
Volkswagen 40<br />
Wei Mon 29, 56<br />
WinGram 54<br />
Xinfu Pharm 54<br />
Yparex 30<br />
Editorial Planner 2012 / 2013<br />
Issue Month pub-date deadline Editorial Focus (1) Editorial Focus (2) Basics Event / Fair<br />
06/2012 Nov/Dec 03.12.12 03.11.12 ed.<br />
17.11.12 ad.<br />
Films / Flexibles /<br />
Bags<br />
Consumer<br />
Electronics<br />
Film Blowing<br />
01/2013 Jan/Feb 04.02.2013 21.12.12 ed.<br />
21.01.13 ad.<br />
Automotive Foam t.b.d.<br />
Subject to changes<br />
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com<br />
Follow us on twitter!<br />
www.twitter.com/bioplasticsmag<br />
Be our friend on Facebook!<br />
www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine<br />
58 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7
I’m green : it begins<br />
with sugarcane and<br />
ends with solutions that<br />
contribute to a better planet.<br />
The I’m green seal identifies and lends credibility to products made from Braskem’s<br />
green polyethylene, which not only is recyclable using conventional recycling stream,<br />
but also is made from a renewable raw material, the sugarcane, which contributes<br />
towards reducing greenhouse gases.<br />
A product differential that makes the difference to nature.<br />
For more information, visit www.braskem.com.br/greenplastic
A real sign<br />
of sustainable<br />
development.<br />
There is such a thing as genuinely sustainable<br />
development.<br />
Since 1989, Novamont researchers have been working<br />
on an ambitious project that combines the chemical<br />
industry, agriculture and the environment: “Living Chemistry<br />
for Quality of Life”. Its objective has been to create products<br />
with a low environmental impact. The result of Novamont’s<br />
innovative research is the new bioplastic Mater-Bi ® .<br />
Mater-Bi ® is a family of materials, completely biodegradable and compostable<br />
which contain renewable raw materials such as starch and vegetable oil<br />
derivates. Mater-Bi ® performs like traditional plastics but it saves energy,<br />
contributes to reducing the greenhouse effect and at the end of its life cycle,<br />
it closes the loop by changing into fertile humus. Everyone’s dream has<br />
become a reality.<br />
Living Chemistry for Quality of Life.<br />
www.novamont.com<br />
Inventor of the year 2007<br />
Within Mater-Bi ® product range the following certifications are available<br />
The “OK Compost” certificate guarantees conformity with the NF EN 13432 standard<br />
(biodegradable and compostable packaging)<br />
3_2012