bioplasticsMAGAZINE_1205

Fibres & Textiles
The API Institute is involved in a project that is developing
such temporary exhibition carpets from PLA based
bioplastics, thus exhibiting both advantages, - renewable
resources and the biodegradability/compostability. Here
one of the advantages – apart from green credentials – is
the reduction of the costs after use. Both, incineration with
energy recovery and composting are cheaper than dumping
the carpet in a landfill. Nevertheless, the price of the carpet
is an issue and a fundamental condition of the project is
that the final carpet should have a price that is not much
higher than using traditional carpets. Unfortunately green
credentials alone are general not a sufficient encouragement
for users to choose the environmentally friendly solution as
the market for the organisation of exhibitions is very price
competitive.
Artificial turf
A somewhat comparable project is the development of
a completely compostable artificial grass. At the moment
the standard materials used are PE for the monofilaments
(blades of grass), PP is used for the fabric and latex is used
for the secondary backing in order to glue the monofilaments
to the fabric. This system is very difficult to recycle, and in
practice most of the artificial fields are burned after a period
of use that can last up to 10 years. Recycling of the mats is
sometimes carried out but it is an expensive procedure. Each
soccer field produces up to 20 tonnes of plastic waste. In The
Netherlands or Germany, for example, the number of soccer
fields for amateurs using artificial grass instead of real grass
is growing rapidly. In these countries with a high population
density the fields are used quite intensively, and for that
reason artificial grass is preferred. But this also means
that the waste produced after the lifetime of the field is an
increasing problem. The API Institute is developing, together
with some industrial partners, a field that can be incinerated
carbon-neutrally or that can be completely composted. In
this case, there is probably no cost advantage for the investor
of the artificial grass field. However the issue is that in The
Netherlands most amateur fields for soccer are funded by
local authorities and due to legislation these local authorities
are forced to select a sustainable alternative if possible,
although this alternative might be more expensive. For that
reason there is a real market for these compostable artificial
grass fields. The requirements for the grass mat are a real
challenge. Their lifetime has to be about 10 years, and this
means that the requirements regarding resilience behaviour
are tough. Also the requirements regarding the degradation
behaviour are difficult to meet: no biodegradation during
10 years outdoors, but subsequently a fast biodegradation
under composting conditions. And the field has to fulfil the
requirements from FIFA regarding ball rolling, ball bouncing,
sliding behaviour, and so on. Since the technical issues have
now been solved, the PLA based artificial turf developed by
API is expected to perform the FIFA test shortly and API will
construct a test field.
Real grass nets
From artificial grass to real grass. In many cases real
grass turf is cultivated on nets. These nets are mostly
produced from PP, which means that the customers will find
this net under their turf many years after installation. Even if
appreciated by some people for its protective effect against
moles, there remains one big disadvantage. In case the user
need to dig a hole in the garden or needs to scarify the lawn
grass, the net will destroy the grass field.
API is now developing a net for turf lawns that supports
the process of installing the turf, but since it is made from
a bioplastics that will completely biodegrade in soil, it will
disappear after a few months. Details about the resin however
cannot be disclosed at this time, due to confidentiality
agreements.
Final remarks
In addition to the examples mentioned above the API
Institute is working on a lot more projects related to
bioplastics commissioned by customers. In all projects the
polymers have to be selected and/or compounded in order to
meet the requirements for their application. For this reason
the API Institute is working closely together with suppliers
of the bioplastics resins, and the Institute has a lot of
experience in making the materials fit for these applications
by compounding with other polymers or additives, and by
optimizing the processing conditions of the bioplastics.
Acknowledgement
The grants from the European Union, Provincie Drenthe,
Gemeente Emmen, SenterNovem/Agentschap NL, Interreg
and EDR are thankfully acknowledged.
www.api-institute.com
(Photo iStock/EyeJoy)
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 19