issue 05/2021

Total Corbion PLA
100kT milestone
Total Corbion PLA’s plant in Rayong Thailand
has, since its grand opening in 2019, earlier
this summer reached a cumulative production
volume of 100kT of Luminy PLA. The plant is
now running at nameplate capacity in order
to meet the ever-growing demand for PLA
bioplastics.
At the end of their useful life, PLA products
can be mechanically or chemically recycled. The
biodegradable and compostable functionalities
of PLA make it the material of choice for a wide
range of markets and applications, including
fresh fruit packaging, food service ware,
durable consumer goods, toys, and 3D printing.
Total Corbion PLA opened their first PLA
plant, with 75kTpa capacity, in Rayong, Thailand
in 2019. Since that time, they have also
announced their intention to build a second
PLA plant with 100kTpa capacity in Grandpuits,
France which will be the first of its kind in
Europe.
Simon Goldney, Plant Director at Total
Corbion PLA, is proud of the achievement:
“As with any new plant, the ramp-up phase is
critical to reaching full capacity production, and
we are extremely proud that our dedicated and
passionate team in Thailand have reached this
important milestone of 100kT cumulative PLA
production.”
François de Bie, Senior Marketing & Supply
Chain Director at Total Corbion PLA recognizes
the need for PLA bioplastics in the market:
“We see a rapidly increasing demand from
our customers and partners, whether that be
supplying existing supply chains or seeding and
supporting new development projects. We’ll be
striving towards achieving the next 100kT in
an even shorter timeframe and continuing to
enable the circular economy even further.” MT
www.total-corbion.com
Twelve and LanzaTech to
produce polypropylene
from CO 2
emissions
Twelve’s carbon transformation technology converts CO 2
into
materials that have up until now, mainly been made from fossil
fuels. The company (headquartered in Berkely, California, USA)
helps brands eliminate emissions by replacing the petrochemicals
in their products and supply chains with CO 2
made carbon-negative
chemicals and materials, as well as carbon-neutral fuels.
LanzaTech’s (headquartered in Skokie, Illinois, USA) carbon
recycling Pollution To Products technology uses nature-based
solutions to produce ethanol and other materials from waste carbon
sources. The partnership will bring together the two platform
technologies to enable additional product development from CO 2
streams, representing just one of many pathways to scale carbon
transformation solutions.
“Polypropylene is a key material for essential medical supplies and
for many products we rely on in our daily lives. Today, 100 % of new
polypropylene in use worldwide is made from petrochemicals. We
now have a way to produce this critical material from CO 2
and water
instead of from fossil fuels, with no tradeoffs in quality, efficacy,
or performance. Replacing all of the world’s fossil polypropylene
production with CO 2
made polypropylene would reduce carbon
emissions by an estimated 700 million tonnes per year or more,”
said Twelve Chief Science Officer, Etosha Cave.
“By harnessing biology, we can leverage the power of nature to
solve a very modern problem. The overabundance of CO 2
in our
atmosphere has pushed our planet into a state of emergency. We
need all carbon transformation solutions to turn this liability into an
opportunity, keeping fossil resources in the ground, and our climate
safe for everyone,” said LanzaTech CEO, Jennifer Holmgren.
To pursue the partnership, Twelve and LanzaTech have been
awarded a USD 200,000 grant from Impact Squared, a USD 1.1 million
fund that was designed and launched by British universal bank
Barclays and Unreasonable, a catalytic platform for entrepreneurs
tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. With
the Impact Squared grant, Twelve and LanzaTech are taking a
collaborative approach to reduce the fossil fuel impact of essential
products.” MT
www.twelve.co
www.lanzatech.com
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New generation of biobased polyesters for durable products
(10 August 2021)
To enable the introduction of biobased polyesters into the high-performance
applications sector, such as automotive and electronics, Wageningen Food
& Biobased Research is developing a new generation of biobased polymers
using the isoidide molecule.
Using Archer Daniels Midland’s rigid starch-based molecule called isoide,
they are developing a new generation of polymer materials that can be
used not only in BPA(Bisphenol A)-free packaging but also in engineering
applications such as automotive and electronics.
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/21] Vol. 16 5