issue 01/2022
Highlights: Automotive Foam Basics: Biodegradation
Highlights:
Automotive
Foam
Basics: Biodegradation
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Bioplastics - CO 2
-based Plastics - Advanced Recycling
Vol. 17
Cover Story
The Bioconcept-Car
of 2007 has now three
new siblings | 30
bioplastics MAGAZINE
Jan/Feb 01 / 2022
2007
Highlights
Automotive | 18
Foam | 36
Basics
Biodegradation | 50
... is read in 92 countries
... is read in 92 countries
ISSN 1862-5258
“GREEN MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE" MADE OF BIOPLASTICS FROM
THE BIOPLASTIC
SPECIALIST
With its new “BIO variant” PUSTEFIX offers a sustainable alternative
to its traditional bubble bottle. PUSTEFIX trusts on closures made of
bio-based I’m green Polyethylene in combination with a bottle made
Bio-Flex ® . The injection-moldable Bio-Flex ® used for the bottle is characterized
by a balanced ratio of stiffness and toughness combined with a good
flow-ability and processability. In terms of strength, stability and weight,
the Pustefix “BIO variant” can easily compete with those made from
fossil plastics. An all-round successful "green message in a bottle" for
dazzling soap bubbles that simply last longer. Let us show you how
FKuR bioplastics and recyclates support you on your way to a
circular economy.
dear
Editorial
readers
Alex Thielen, Michael Thielen
With the current cover, we are taking a small trip down memory lane –
15 years ago we had our first issue featuring automotive applications and
have since made it a tradition to kick off the new year with everything new
and innovative in and around bioplastics in cars. Looking back at the first
Bioconcept-Car from 2007 makes me realize how much has changed.
Back then they were just like us, “crazy dreamers” thinking this whole
bio-thing has a shot in our all too often “bottom-line driven” world. Now,
15 years later they have three Bioconcept-Cars proving on the track how
competitive bio-materials really are. However, they are not alone anymore
as more and more big car brands are including biobased materials.
One of them is Mercedes-Benz with their ambitious VISION EQXX an
electrical vehicle that uses bioplastics for both interior design as well as
technically demanding parts. Turns out, the crazy dreamers were right
“going bio” – or better “going renewable” – has become a normal, even
desirable choice for many in and outside the automotive industry.
Bioplastics - CO 2
-based Plastics - Advanced Recycling
Jan/Feb 01 / 2022
Our second focus point is almost as much a tradition as the first,
Foam. Here we have new developments in both the fields of bioplastics
and chemical recycling. But that is not all, we have an interesting
look at Biodegradability in our Basics section as it is (sadly) a topic
often misunderstood or misrepresented. Last but not least we talk
about a topic that is important for everybody doing anything with
bioplastics – LCAs. Those of you that were at the European Bioplastics
Conference last year will know about the current debate about the LCA
methodology the Joint Research Centre (JRC) developed for the European
Commission – and the controversy around it. If you haven’t heard of it and
are wondering what this is all about, the answer is 42.
Vol. 17
bioplastics MAGAZINE
2007
Highlights
Automotive | 18
Foam | 36
Basics
Biodegradation | 50
... is read in 92 countries
... is read in 92 countries
ISSN 1862-5258
Even if our conference season starts with a purely digital bio!PAC on
March 15 + 16, we desperately hope to meet you in person at our
7 th PLA World Congress on May 24 + 25 in Munich, Germany. And for
October we are already getting excited about the upcoming K-show and our
Bioplastics Business Breakfast.
Follow us on twitter!
www.twitter.com/bioplasticsmag
Until then, we hope you all got good into the new year, let’s hope it will be
better than the last. Stay healthy, stay crazy, keep dreaming.
Yours sincerely
Like us on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 3
Imprint
Content
34 Porsche launches cars with biocomposites
32 Bacteriostatic PLA compound for 3D printingz
Jan/Feb 01|2022
3 Editorial
5 News
45 Application News
30 Cover Story
50 Basics
53 10 years ago
54 Suppliers Guide
58 Companies in this issue
Publisher / Editorial
Dr. Michael Thielen (MT)
Alex Thielen (AT)
Samuel Brangenberg (SB)
Head Office
Polymedia Publisher GmbH
Dammer Str. 112
41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany
phone: +49 (0)2161 6884469
fax: +49 (0)2161 6884468
info@bioplasticsmagazine.com
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
Media Adviser
Samsales (German language)
phone: +49(0)2161-6884467
fax: +49(0)2161 6884468
sb@bioplasticsmagazine.com
Michael Thielen (English Language)
(see head office)
Layout/Production
Kerstin Neumeister
Print
Poligrāfijas grupa Mūkusala Ltd.
1004 Riga, Latvia
bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on
chlorine-free FSC certified paper.
bioplastics magazine
Volume 17 - 2022
Events
9 European Bioplastics Conferene 2021
14 bio!PAC 2022
16 Chinaplas 2022
17 7 th PLA World Congress
Automotive
18 Bio-PA composites
20 Lightweight biobased cellulose
reinforcement for automotive applications
22 Tyre News
23 BIOMOTIVE
24 Automotive Bioplastics Market
26 Why cycle when you could travel in style?
28 Sustainable materials in high-end luxury car
34 Car headliner from plastic waste and old tyres
Cover Story
30 The Bioconcept Car has 3 new siblings
Award
12 And the winner is ...
Foam
36 Mattress recycling now a reality
38 PHBH foam products
Materials
39 New 3D printing powder for
the food industry
Processing
40 Extrusion lines for natural
fibre waste
41 PLA crystallisation and drying
Opinion
42 The new JRC’s “Plastics LCA
method” already needs an update
Basics
50 Biodegradation
One concept - many nuances
ISSN 1862-5258
bM is published 6 times a year.
This publication is sent to qualified subscribers
(169 Euro for 6 issues).
bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in
92 countries.
Every effort is made to verify all Information
published, but Polymedia Publisher
cannot accept responsibility for any errors
or omissions or for any losses that may
arise as a result.
All articles appearing in
bioplastics MAGAZINE, or on the website
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com are strictly
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in any form, including electronic format,
without the prior consent of the publisher.
Opinions expressed in articles do not necessarily
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bioplastics MAGAZINE welcomes contributions
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Please contact the editorial office via
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The fact that product names may not be
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is not an indication that such names are
not registered trade marks.
bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British
spelling. However, in articles based on
information from the USA, American
spelling may also be used.
Envelopes
A part of this print run is mailed to the
readers wrapped bioplastic envelopes
sponsored by Sidaplax/Plastic Suppliers
(Belgium/USA)
Cover
Michael Thielen, from cover shooting for
issue 01/2007
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Bio-based acrylonitrile
for carbon fibers
Solvay (Brussels, Belgium) and Trillium
Renewable Chemicals (Knoxville, Tennesse, USA)
have signed a letter of intent to develop the supply
chain for biobased acrylonitrile (bio-ACN). Trillium
will supply Solvay with bio-ACN from Trillium’s
planned commercial asset, and Solvay will evaluate
bio-ACN for carbon fibre manufacturing as part of its
long-term commitment to developing sustainable
solutions from biobased or recycled sources. The
aim of this partnership is to produce carbon fibre
for use in various applications such as aerospace,
automotive, energy, and consumer goods.
Acrylonitrile is a chemical intermediate typically
made from petroleum-based feedstocks like
propylene and is the primary raw material used
in the production of carbon fibre. Trillium’s Bio-
ACN process delivers acrylonitrile from plantbased
feedstocks like glycerol with a lower carbon
footprint.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Trillium
which aligns well with our Solvay One Planet
commitment to more than double our revenue
based on renewable or recycled materials by 2030,”
comments Stephen Heinz, head of composite
research & innovation, Solvay. “Innovation
partnerships such as this are driven by a desire to
make a real-world sustainability impact. Biobased
feedstocks are a key part of Solvay’s sustainability
strategy, and we look forward to being a consumer of
bio-ACN from Trillium’s first biobased acrylonitrile
plant.”
“Trillium’s bio-ACN process technology enables
bio-carbon fibre,” explains Corey Tyree, CEO of
Trillium. “We are excited to continue our partnership
with Solvay, who have supported the bio-ACN
process technology development since 2014. Solvay
is a leader in the most rapidly-growing acrylonitrile
segment (carbon fibre) and is market leader in biocarbon
fibre and sustainable development.”MT
www.trilliumchemicals.com | www.solvay.com
NatureWorks: New headquarter
and R&D facilities
In response to rapid growth in the market for sustainable
biomaterials, NatureWorks (Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA)
recently announced their intent to open a new headquarters and
advanced biopolymer research facility in Plymouth, Minnesota.
Expanded laboratory capabilities will support research into the
full circular lifecycle of Ingeo PLA biopolymers from nextgeneration
fermentation technology to new applications, to
increased functionality.
The expanded R&D capabilities will also support the
construction and operation of NatureWorks’ new fully integrated
Ingeo PLA manufacturing complex located in Thailand. With
an expected opening in 2024, the facility will have an annual
capacity of 75,000 tonnes of Ingeo biopolymer and produce the
full portfolio of Ingeo grades.
“In the face of these challenging times, we’ve designed a
space that will enable research, invention, and collaboration
between us, our partners, and the market, no matter where
we are located in the world,” said Rich Altice, President & CEO
of NatureWorks. “These new facilities will help accelerate the
pace of research and innovation as the urgent need for real,
safe solutions that help address climate and environmental
challenges from plastics and chemicals continues to grow.”
The new space is designed to embody NatureWorks’s
mission to create sustainable, high-performance materials by
incorporating low environmental impact materials including
lighting, flooring, and art made with Ingeo as well as systems for
reducing water and energy usage. A robust organics recycling
collection system will divert food waste away from landfills to
compost with compostable food serviceware, coffee pods, and
tea bags all available to visitors and employees.
Whether participating in trials in NatureWorks’ applications
lab or meeting with employees, visitors will find a redesigned
experience that facilitates collaboration and showcases
examples of Ingeo in applications from appliances to 3D printing,
to compostable and recyclable paper coatings.
The move to the new headquarters and R&D facility will begin
in February 2022. MT
www.natureworksllc.com
News
daily updated News at
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
Picks & clicks
Most frequently clicked news
Here’s a look at our most popular online content of the past two months.
The story that got the most clicks from the visitors to bioplasticsmagazine.com was:
tinyurl.com/news-20211201
Global bioplastics production will more than triple
within the next five years
(01 December 2021)
At the 16 th EUBP Conference, taking place on 30 November and 1 December
in Berlin, European Bioplastics presented a very positive outlook for the
global bioplastics industry. Production is set to more than triple over the next
five years according to market data which was compiled in cooperation with
the nova-Institute (Hürth, Germany); (see also p. 11).
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 5
News
daily updated News at
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
Helian's PHA alliances
Bluepha (Beijing, China) and Dutch company
Helian Polymers (Belfeld) recently announced their
cooperation. The aim of the cooperation is to bring a
new PHA based building block to the market, targeting
various applications as a replacement for existing
petrochemically based plastics. This addition will enable
Helian Polymers to create and offer an even broader
range of PHA based material formulations.
Helian Polymers has been active in bioplastics ever
since 2007, as well as trading in colour concentrates
and additives on an international scale. With increased
regulatory pressure and social concerns regarding
petrochemically based plastics, Helian is stepping up
its efforts to supply both biobased and biodegradable
materials and develop bespoke applications with its
customers.
Founded by scientists with interdisciplinary
backgrounds in 2016, Bluepha has strong research and
engineering expertise in the area of cellular agriculture
for molecule and material innovations. On Jan 1 st , 2022,
Bluepha's first industrial PHA project with 25,000 tonnes
capacity per annum broke ground.
Helian Polymers, who culminated in their own brand
PHAradox last year, will start importing and using
Bluepha's unique PHBH based building blocks for
developing specific PHA based compounds. Under the
PHAradox umbrella, multiple PHA based materials have
been developed with the aim of offering more sustainable
alternatives compared to existing materials.
By using various PHA grades like P3HB, PHBV, and
P3HB4HB, Helian Polymers is uniquely suited in the
world to combine these grades with Bluepha's PHBH
material to compound custom-made materials for
various applications. By utilizing these natural building
blocks Helian Polymers is able to mimic properties of
more traditional plastics like PP and ABS. By copying,
or at least approaching, the properties and thus the
functionality of these materials the transition is easier
to make and to communicate with converters and
customers alike.
Earlier in January, Helian already announced a
cooperation with Genecis Bioindustries. (headquartered
in Toronto, Canada). Together both companies will
develop various resin formulations that include Genecis’
PHAs for high-value applications, such as 3D printing
filaments and biomedical applications. By combining
both companies’ strengths, converting food waste into
biodegradable plastics for Genecis and creating unique
PHA based materials from various building blocks for
Helian Polymers, the possibilities of unique materials
arise.
Genecis is a high growth biotechnology company that
upcycles organic waste into compostable plastics. Their
rapid scaling model makes high throughput production
capacities possible by adding adding their technology
onto biogas plants. MT
www.pharadox.com |
www.bluepha.com | www.genecis.co
Green light for
Avantium's FDCA
flagship plant
Avantium (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), a leading
technology company in renewable chemistry, announced
that on January 25 the shareholders have granted the
requested approvals for all items on the agenda of the
Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).
This includes the green light for Avantium's FDCA
Flagship Plant. The company can begin the execution of
all relevant documentation to complete the transaction
(“Financial Close”), which is expected in the first quarter
of 2022. Construction of the FDCA Flagship Plant is
planned to start after Financial Close and to be completed
by the end of 2023. Avantium expects that the FDCA
Flagship Plant will be operational in 2024, enabling the
commercial launch of PEF from 2024 onwards. MT
www.avantium.com
Total Corbion PLA
transitions to
TotalEnergies Corbion
Total Corbion PLA will transition to TotalEnergies
Corbion, launching a new company name and logo over
the coming months. TotalEnergies Corbion is a 50/50
joint venture between TotalEnergies and Corbion.
The name change follows the recent rebranding of
TotalEnergies earlier last year, anchoring its strategic
transformation into a broad energy company.
TotalEnergies Corbion expects to launch its updated
brand identity in a phased approach from this January.
Earlier last summer TotalEnergies Corbion celebrated
the cumulative production volume milestone of 100kT
of Luminy ® PLA at its production plant in Thailand. The
company has also entered the engineering stage for a
second facility in Grandpuits (France) in order to respond
to the growing PLA market demand.
Luminy PLA resins from TotalEnergies Corbion are
biobased and made from annually renewable resources,
offering a reduced carbon footprint versus many
traditional plastics. 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. TotalEnergies Corbion recently
announced the launch of Luminy rPLA: the world’s first
commercially available chemically recycled bioplastics
product. MT
www.totalenergies-corbion.com
6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
WWF released new position:
Chemical Recycling Implementation Principles
On January 26, as part of the No Plastic in Nature vision, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Gland, Switzerland, released "Chemical
Recycling Implementation Principles" (see link below). These principles aim to help decision-makers determine if and how
chemical recycling – an emerging technology with unknown environmental and social outcomes – should be pursued as a
plastic waste mitigation tactic. Alix Grabowski, director of plastic and material science at WWF said:
“Even as technologies advance, we can’t recycle our way out of the growing plastic waste crisis. Instead of just focusing on
recycling, we should prioritize strategies like reducing our overall single-use plastic consumption and scaling up reuse, which
offer the best opportunity to achieve the widescale change we need.
“For a technology like chemical recycling to be part of a sustainable material management system, we must carefully look at
how it is designed and implemented and whether or not it offers environmental benefits over the status quo, adheres to strong
social safeguards, and truly contributes to advancing our circular economy. These principles are designed to do exactly that.”
News
daily updated News at
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
The paper lays out considerations for plastic-to-plastic recycling, not plastic-to-fuel applications. Plastic-to-fuel activities
should not be considered recycling, nor a part of the circular economy.
The paper also states that "Based on currently available evidence, there are significant concerns that these technologies
are energy-intensive, pose risks to human health, and/or will not be able to practically recycle plastic beyond what mechanical
recycling already achieves."
bioplastics MAGAZINE strongly encourages its readers,
especially those involved in chemical recycling, to read and
comment on the WWF paper. MT
Info:
1: The Chemical Recycling Implementation Principles can be
downloaded form https://tinyurl.com/WWF-Principles
tinyurl.com/WWF-Principles
Arkema increases Pebax elastomer production
Arkema (headquartered in Colombes, France) announced
a 25 % increase in its global Pebax ® elastomer production
capacity by investing in Serquigny in France. This investment
will notably enable increased production of the bio-circular
Pebax Rnew ® and traditional Pebax ranges.
This new capacity will produce a variety of highly
specialized grades to meet growing demand in numerous
demanding applications thanks to the lightweight,
flexibility, and excellent energy return of these materials.
These properties are particularly appreciated in sports
equipment, such as soles for running shoes, ski boots, or
technical textile, in consumer goods such as smartphones
and flexible screens, as well as in other markets such as
medical equipment.
delighted to add this new capacity to support our customers’
growing demand for high-performance sustainable
materials," said Erwoan Pezron, Senior Vice-President of
Arkema’s High Performance Polymers Business Line. "We
will also continue to produce many of these materials at our
Birdsboro plant in Pennsylvania”. MT
www.arkema.com
Derived from renewable castor seeds, Pebax Rnew
advanced bio-circular materials offer sustainables solution
that have a carbon footprint that is up to 50 % lower, compared
to other elastomers on the market, and can be fully recycled.
In addition, this investment, which is scheduled to come on
stream mid-2023, will lower the water consumption of the
site by 25 % thanks to process optimization.
“The Serquigny plant has a long proven legacy in the
production of these advanced materials, and we are
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 7
News
daily updated News at
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
United Nations recommends bioplastics as a
sustainable alternative to conventional plastics
In mid-December, the Food and Agriculture Organisation
of the United Nations (FAO) published a report assessing the
sustainability of agricultural plastic products recommending
the replacement of non-biodegradable, conventional
polymers with biodegradable, biobased polymers (see link
below) . “We welcome this recognition of the environmental
benefits of these bioplastic products,” commented François
de Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics (EUBP). “Biobased
and soil-biodegradable mulch films help both in reducing
dependence on fossil carbon sources, by using renewable
carbon instead, and by playing a valuable role in reducing
residual plastic pollution in soil, which can significantly
impact agricultural productivity.”
The FAO study focuses on agricultural plastic products
used in a range of different value chains. A qualitative risk
assessment, which accompanies the study, analyses 13
specific agricultural products. “Significantly, for six out of
13 assessed products, biodegradable, biobased plastics are
recommended as preferable substitutes for conventional
plastic material,” said de Bie. The list of recommended
products included mulch films, fishing gear, polymer-coated
fertilizers, tree guards and shelters, plant support twines, and
pesticide impregnated fruit protection bags.
Mulch films represent the second largest share of plastic
films used in agriculture. “These films, made from soilbiodegradable
plastics, provide significant benefits where
retrieval, recycling, and reuse of conventional plastics pose
significant problems. They are specifically designed to
biodegrade effectively in situ and can therefore be incorporated
into the soil post-harvest," explained François de Bie. In
contrast, especially thin, non- biodegradable mulching films
display an insufficient collection, management, and retrieval,
which can lead to a significant level of plastic pollution in
the fields in which they are used. Even where conventional
mulch films are removed from the field, they are often heavily
contaminated with soils and plant residues, which inhibits the
recycling process.
The FAO report also emphasises the need to develop
polymers that are biodegradable in the marine environment.
“Although any kind of littering, should be avoided, a certain
level of unavoidable loss of fishing gear will always take place.
Therefore, it is important to foster the adoption of marinebiodegradable
solutions,” stated the Chairman of EUBP. In
the case of used products contaminated with fish residues,
such as fish collection boxes, biopolymers, according to FAO,
may ease the organic recycling process.
Commenting on the study, Hasso von Pogrell, Managing
Director of EUBP said: “EUBP welcomes all studies, such as
this one, that contribute towards improving knowledge of the
current data situation. This can’t be done by the bioplastics
industry alone, and in order to establish a proper data pool,
we also need stronger political support. For the European
market, the European Commission should lead efforts to
facilitate and coordinate data pooling in order to develop a
more accurate picture of where the use of bioplastics brings
real benefits in reducing conventional plastic pollution.” The
report also highlights the role of research and innovation
grants as means of pump-priming new ideas which lead to
the development of new products. “However, the funding of
research alone is not enough. An appropriate policy framework
for biobased, biodegradable, and compostable plastics is also
needed, to capture potential for innovation and the economic,
environmental, and societal sustainable benefits of these
products for the European Union,” concluded von Pogrell. MT
https://tinyurl.com/FAO-recommendation
www.european-bioplastics.org
Danimer Scientific and TotalEnergies Corbion cooperate
Danimer Scientific (Bainbridge, Georgia, USA) and TotalEnergies Corbion (Gorinchem, The Netherlands) have entered a
long-term collaborative arrangement for the supply of Luminy ® PLA, a biobased polymer used to manufacture compostable
products. The strategic collaboration is meant to support long-term growth of biopolymer production requiring a blend of
polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polylactic pcid (PLA) inputs.
As Danimer continues to scale up the commercial production of Nodax ® , its signature PHA, this agreement enhances
Danimer’s ability to fulfil customer needs for resins that require a blend of PLA- and PHA-based inputs.
Stephen E. Croskrey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Danimer, said, “While growing commercial production of
PHA remains the focus of our business, PLA is a part of some compounds that we formulate to meet specific customers’
functionality needs for different applications. Teaming with TotalEnergies Corbion provides an ideal solution to support our
long-term growth strategy while ensuring our short-term customer needs remain fulfilled.”
Thomas Philipon, Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies Corbion, said, "The biopolymers market is experiencing strong
growth and customers are requesting innovative solutions tailor-made to their market needs. In today’s dynamic market,
strategic arrangements throughout the value chain are key to ensuring security of supply in both product and technology that
will allow brand owners and ultimately consumers to be comfortable with selecting bioplastics as a sustainable alternative to
traditional plastics." MT
www.danimerscientific.com | www.totalenergies-corbion.com
8 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Engineering tomorrow’s materials
Your benefits
International Congress
March 30-31, 2022, Mannheim, Germany
News
daily updated News at
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
• International industry meeting-point with over 60 exhibitors
• 42 hand-picked keynotes & lectures
• Auto show
• PIAE Afterparty
Focus:
Sustainable use
of plastics!
Sign up!
www.piae-europe.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 9
Events
European Bioplastics Conference
At the 16 th annual European Bioplastics (EUBP) Conference, which
took place from 30 November to 1 December in Berlin, industry
experts discussed the role of bioplastics within the European
Green Deal. The conference discussions confirmed that bioplastics
make significant contributions to help with achieving the European
Union’s ambitious climate goals described in the EU strategy.
In his opening remarks, François de Bie, Chairman of European
Bioplastics (EUBP), began by giving a clear answer to the overarching
conference question about the role of bioplastics within the European
Green Deal. “There are many fields of interaction between the European
Commission’s Green Deal and bioplastics where our industry can
make significant contributions towards helping achieve the European
Union’s ambitious climate goals,” said de Bie. “Bioplastics are part of
the solution needed to fix the issue that we have with plastics today,” he
continued, referring to the challenges caused by plastic waste. The varied
two-day conference programme, which examined key issues along the
bioplastics value chain, strongly reinforced his statement. In ten different
sessions, which included an exciting keynote and presentations as well
as lively panel discussions, over 40 speakers and moderators focused on
the contribution that biobased, biodegradable, and compostable plastics
can make to achieve a circular economy.
In a pre-recorded address, Kestutis Sadauskas, Director for Circular
Economy and Green Growth at the European Commission’s DG
Environment, said “While biobased and biodegradable and compostable
plastics can be part of the solution, they also present certain challenges.
The feedback received tells us a policy framework is needed.” The
subsequent policy session went on to discuss bioplastics’ role in
achieving Europe’s Green Deal objectives by focussing on key processes,
such as the framework for bioplastics and the Packaging and Packaging
Waste Directive.
Further conference sessions highlighted new opportunities for
compostable plastics and discussed their performance in different
open environments. New European Bioplastics market data, based
on research from the nova-institute, gave a very positive outlook for
bioplastics production, which is expected to more than triple within the
next five years with a growth rate of over 200 % (see next page). The
results correspond to the industry leaders’ perspectives on bioplastics
shared during the conference as well as to the latest insights that were
provided from emerging markets, such as textiles, packaging, and
automotive.
During the session on communicating sustainability of biobased
plastics, participants followed a lively discussion on sustainability,
including the results of a study developed by the Joint Research Centre
(JRC) assessing the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of alternative feedstock for
plastics. This coincided with the publication of a position by the European
Bioeconomy Alliance criticising the methodology for favouring fossilbased
over biobased plastics (see p. 42).
This year, bioplastics’ leading business and networking platform was
held in a hybrid format attracting over 320 participants. Around 140
participants attended in person, while the other attendees were able to
follow and actively engage online. At the conference exhibition, around
20 companies and institutions showcased the high diversity of new
products, materials, and applications. Innovation also requires research
– thus the conference also included a poster exhibition with fifteen
different universities and research institutes presenting bioplasticsrelated
projects. MT
www.european-bioplastics.org
10 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
and market development update
Market
Bioplastics currently represent still less than 1 % of
the more than 367 million tonnes of plastic produced
annually1. However, contrary to a slight decrease in the
overall global plastic production, the market for bioplastics
has continuously grown. This development is driven by a rising
demand combined with the emergence of more sophisticated
applications and products. Global bioplastics production
capacity is set to increase significantly from around 2.41 million
tonnes in 2021 to approximately 7.59 million tonnes in 2026.
Hence, the share of bioplastics in global plastic production will
pass the two % mark for the first time.
Applications and market segments
Bioplastics are used for an increasing variety of applications,
ranging from packaging and consumer products to
electronics, automotive, and textiles. Packaging remains the
largest market segment for bioplastics with 48 % (1.15 million
tonnes) of the total bioplastics market in 2021.
Global production capacities of bioplastics by market segment (2021)
Global production capacities of bioplastics
Material development and diversification
Bioplastic alternatives exist for almost every conventional
plastic material and corresponding application. Due to a
strong development of polymers, such as PBAT (polybutylene
adipate terephthalate) but also PBS (polybutylene succinate)
and PAs (polyamides) as well as a steady growth of polylactic
acids (PLAs), the production capacities will continue to
increase significantly and diversify within the next 5 years.
Global production capacities of bioplastics by material type
top: 2021, bottom: 2026
Land use share for bioplastics estimated to be at
0.01 % of the global agricultural area
The land used to grow the renewable feedstock needed to
produce bioplastics is estimated to remain at approximately
0.70 million hectares in 2021. This accounts for just only
over 0.01 % of the global agricultural area of 5.0 billion
hectares. Along with the projected increase of bioplastics
production in 2026, the land use share is expected to be still
below 0.06 %. In relation to the available agricultural area,
this share is minimal. Thus, there is no competition between
the renewable feedstock for food and feed and the production
of bioplastics.
Land use estimation for bioplastics 2021 to 2026
About this market data update
The market data update 2021 has been compiled in
cooperation with the market experts of the nova-Institute
(Hürth, Germany). The market data graphs are available for
download (see link below). MT
tinyurl.com/EUPB-market
www.european-bioplastics.org
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 11
Award
And the winner is ...
The 15 th Global Bioplastics Award 2021
was given to Gruppo Fabbri Vignola
for their Home Compostable Cling Film
This year the prestigious annual Global Bioplastics
Award, presented by bioplastics MAGAZINE, was given to
Gruppo Fabbri Vignola (Vignola, Italy) for their Home
Compostable Cling Film.
Other than in previous years, the winner was not chosen
by a jury. This year for the first time, the attendees of the
16 th European Bioplastics Conference, which was held in
a hybrid format in Berlin, Germany on November 30 th and
December 1 st , voted for the winner, both on-site in Berlin
and online.
Nature Fresh is the first cling film worldwide suitable for
both manual and automatic food packaging and certified
as Home Compostable and Industrial Compostable (EN
13432).
The formulation of Nature Fresh is based on the BASF
certified compostable polymers ecoflex ® and ecovio ® .
It is also the first of its range to combine optimal
breathability for an extended shelf life of fresh food with
high transparency and excellent mechanical properties
for automatic packaging: its tensile strength, elongation
at break, breathability, transparency, gloss, extensibility,
and anti-fogging are comparable to those of traditional
films. Furthermore, Nature Fresh shows a better water
vapour transmission rate, which is essential for optimal
packaging. It preserves the freshness, and the nutritional
and organoleptic properties of food, avoiding food waste.
The shelf-life of mushrooms, for instance, can be extended
to 5-fold, for lettuce even up to 7-fold.
Nature Fresh can be used in minimal thickness and is
also printable with compostable inks.
It is food-contact approved according to the US and
European standards and since no plasticisers are used,
it can pack any kind of fresh foods, even those with high
fat content.
“It took us five years to develop this product,” said Stefano
Mele, CEO of Gruppo Fabbri Vignola in his short statement,
“and I am grateful for the support of our partners.” He
also added that “Nature Fresh has already been produced
in hundreds of tonnes and tens of thousands of reels with
millions of packages already released onto the market.”
Michael Thielen presenting the Award to Stefano Mele
12 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
COMPEO
Leading compounding technology
for heat- and shear-sensitive plastics
The runner up was Refork from the Czech Republic.
The company has developed a new material based on
sawdust, waste from wood processing combined with
natural polymers PHB(V). Their first iconic product is a
fork, but the company is already developing a toothbrush
for the dental market to launch early next year.
Last but not least, third place went to the bio!TOY
conference (which was anonymously nominated).
The 3D-printed award itself is of course also made from
bioplastics. The two different PHA/PLA blends are filled
with wood or stone flour, respectively. The trophy was
provided by colorFabb from Belfeld, The Netherlands. MT
www.gruppofabbri.com
Uniquely efficient. Incredibly versatile. Amazingly flexible.
With its new COMPEO Kneader series, BUSS continues
to offer continuous compounding solutions that set the
standard for heat- and shear-sensitive applications, in all
industries, including for biopolymers.
• Moderate, uniform shear rates
• Extremely low temperature profile
• Efficient injection of liquid components
• Precise temperature control
• High filler loadings
www.busscorp.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 13
Events
bioplastics MAGAZINE presents:
The 4 th bio!PAC conference on Biplastics & Packaging, a co-production of bioplastics
MAGAZINE and Green Serendipity, will now be held strictly virtual, due to the latest
developments of the Corona pandemic. The conference fee has been reduced.
Experts from all areas of bioplastics & packaging will present their latest
developments or research. The conference will also cover discussions like endof-life
options, consumer behaviour issues, availability of agricultural land for
material use versus food and feed etc.
bio!PAC uses the WHOVA app and web-platform to offer excellent opportunities for
attendees to connect and network with other professionals in the field.
All presentations will be recorded for a convenient “video-on-demand“ experience
in your time zone. A local meet-up will be organized if covid measures allow!
bio PAC
www.bio-pac.info
International
Bioplastics & Packaging
Conference
15 - 16 March 2022
Online Event
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
08:00 - 08:40 Welcome, solve technical issues, if necessary
08:45 - 09:00 Michael Thielen Welcome remarks
09:00 - 09:20 Gert-Jan Gruter, University of Amsterdam Future of bioplastics & packaging
09:20 - 09:40 Constance Ißbrücker, European Bioplastics European bioplastics pespective for bioplastics (t.b.c.)
09:40 - 10:00 Christopher vom Berg, nova-Institute Packaging from Renewable Carbon Plastics (t.b.c.)
10:00 - 10:15 Q&A
10:15 - 10:40 Coffee– and Networking Break
10:40 - 11:00 Heidi Koljonen, Sulapac Microplastics & Packaging
11:00 - 11:20 Thijs Rodenburg, Rodenburg Biopolymers Starch-based compounds for packaging applications
11:20 - 11:40 Patrick Zimmermann, FKUR From linear to circular - how bioplastics provide solutions for packaging
11:40 - 12:00 Ella Yao, PureGreen PLA coated paper-based packaging
12:00 - 12:15 Q&A
12:15 - 13:15 Lunch- and Networking Break
13:15 - 13:35 Bineke Posthumus, Avantium Plant-based solutions to realize a fossil-free & circular economy
13:35 - 13:55 Martin Bussmann, Neste Renewable carbon solutions for packaging
13:55 - 14:15 Allegra Muscatello, Taghleef Industries New developments in biobased and biodegradable packaging solutions
15:15 - 14:35 Jan Pels, TNO Torwash: a new system for bioplastics recycling
14:35 - 14:50 Q&A
14:50 - 15:15 Coffee– and Networking Break
15:15 - 15:35 Patrick Gerritsen, Bio4pack Bio4Pack moves the earth
15:35 - 15:55 Blake Lindsey, RWDC Moving Past Recycling: Can We Stem the Microplastics Crisis?
15:55 - 16:15 Jane Franch, Numi Organic Tea Practical application of bioplastics in packaging: Brand perspective
16:15 - 16:30 Q&A
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
08:45 - 09:00 Michael Thielen Welcome remarks
09:00 - 09:20 Lise Magnier, TU Delft Insights in consumer behaviour in relation to sustainable packaging
09:20 - 09:40 Bruno de Wilde, OWS Environmental Benefits of biodegradable packaging?
09:40 - 10:00 Johann Zimmermann, NaKu PLA packaging: returnable, recyclable, re...
10:00 - 10:20 Erwin Vink, NatureWorks The Compostables Project
10:20 - 10:35 Q&A
10:35 - 11:00 Coffee- and Networking Break
11:00 - 11:20 Jenifer Mitjà, Total Corbion Expanding end-of-life options for PLA bioplastics
11:20 - 11:40 Remy Jongboom, Biotec The added value of compostable materials in packaging applications
11:40 - 12:00 Julia Schifter, TIPA Creating a circular bio-economy through compostable packaging
12:00 - 12:20 Philippe Wolff, Ricoh Europe (t.b.c.) PLAIR – a new material made from plants and air
12:20 - 12:35 Q&A
12:35 - 13:35 Lunch- and Networking Break
13:35 - 13:55 Tom Bowden, Sidaplax Evolutions of Biopolymer Film Performance and Environmental Degradability
13:55 - 14:15 Jojanneke Leistra, Superfoodguru PLA bottles from a brand owners perspective
14:15 - 14:35 Alberto Castellanza, Novamont Mater-Bi ® : Novel Developments in Food Packaging Applications
14:35 - 14:55 Caroli Buitenhuis, Green Serendipity Bioplastics in Packaging - Review and outlook
14:55 - 15:10 Q&A
15:10 - 15:30 Caroli Buitenhuis, Michael Thielen Closing remarks
Subject to changes
14 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
io PAC
bioplastics MAGAZINE presents:
ONLINE
#biopac
www.bio-pac.info
International Conference on Bioplastics & Packaging
15 - 16 March 2022 - ONLINE
Bioplastics packaging
• can be recyclable, biodegradable and/or compostable
• can be made from renewable resources or waste streams
• can offer innovative features and beneficial barrier properties
• can offer multiple environmental benefits in the end-of-life phase
• helps to reduce the depletion of finite fossil resources and CO 2
emissions
At the bio!PAC the focus will be on packaging based on biobased feedstock that leads to genuine environmental benefits in the
future. Specific and considerable attention will also be paid to the criteria for these applications.
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Coorganized by
supported by
Media Partner
Events
Green, the theme Colour
of Chinaplas 2022
The advent of the dual-carbon era has triggered further
efforts in reducing carbon emissions. Many countries,
regions and chemical enterprises have set the goal of
net-zero emissions and carbon neutrality. Green and low
carbon have become hot topics in the plastics and rubber
industries. Chinaplas 2022, to be held from April 25 to 28,
will bring together more than 4,000 prominent exhibitors
from all over the world to launch innovative green solutions.
A lot of can’t-miss concurrent events will be organized
during Chinaplas 2022, focusing on green topics such as
carbon neutrality and sustainable development.
Plastics Recycling & Circular Economy
Conference: Inspiring green ideas
What are the macro trends in the global circular economy?
What are the hot topics and technologies? By attending
the 3 rd Chinaplas x CPRJ Plastics Recycling and Circular
Economy Conference and Showcase, to be held one day
prior to Chinaplas 2022 in Shanghai, attendees can get the
answers from renowned speakers, who are to share their
insights on relevant policies and industry trends, as well as
the showcase of innovative solutions.
Government officials, representatives from industry
organizations, brands, machinery and material suppliers
from different countries and regions are invited. They
will deliver more than 50 speeches online and offline to
400+ industry elites, of which over 60 % are end-product
/ targeted manufacturers. The conference will outline the
landscape and prospect of the plastics recycling industry
in Asia and worldwide at large, by focusing on topics such
as international trends and latest policies for plastics
recycling, successful cases and achievements in recycling
experiences, and innovative ideas.
Thematic seminars will be held at the conference to
facilitate the discussions on carbon neutrality, PCR/
PIR, renewable plastics, recycled ocean plastics, monomaterials,
eco-design/design for recycling, chemical
recycling, innovative solutions for plastics recycling, and
new technologies for recycled materials. At the same time,
world-leading enterprises in the scope of plastics recycling
will showcase their latest solutions for new materials,
technologies, and automation. Experts will also introduce
their latest technological achievements and interact with
the participants.
Tech Talk: a showcase for green technologies
Green will be seen as a focus of Chinaplas 2022 from the
topics of Tech Talk. This concurrent event is a series of open
forums under 8 themes, including antibacterial solutions,
surface treatment solutions, in-mould electronic solutions,
5G applications, eco-friendly solutions, lightweight
solutions, innovative materials, of which the last three are
more relevant to the green technologies and development.
Leading enterprises from the plastics and rubber
industries will participate in the event. Among others, Cathay
Biotech will show its thermoplastic high-temperatureresistant
biobased polyamide engineering plastic products
and green lightweight materials (see also p. 18).
Chinaplas has become a product debut platform for the
plastics and rubber industries, where exhibitors launch a
wide range of new products. Tech Talk is the annual stage
for the plastics and rubber industries, to bring the spotlight
to the new and edge-cutting products, helping new
technological products to gain more exposure while visitors
can get quick access to the resources of quality suppliers.
Under the theme of “New Era · New Potential · Innovation
for Sustainability”, Chinaplas 2022 will proudly return to the
National Exhibition and Convention Center in Hongqiao,
Shanghai, from April 25 - 28, 2022. MT
www.chinaplasonline.com
National Exhibition and Convention Center in Hongqiao, Shanghai
16 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
7 th PLA World Congress
24 + 25 MAY 2022 > MUNICH› GERMANY
HYBRID EVENT
Automotive
organized by
Call for papers still open
www.pla-world-congress.com
PLA is a versatile bioplastics raw material from renewable
resources. It is being used for films and rigid packaging, for
fibres in woven and non-woven applications. Automotive,
consumer electronics and other industries are thoroughly
investigating and even already applying PLA. New methods
of polymerizing, compounding or blending of PLA have
broadened the range of properties and thus the range of
possible applications. That‘s why bioplastics MAGAZINE is
now organizing the 7 th PLA World Congress on:
24 + 25 May 2022 in Munich / Germany
Hybrid event
Experts from all involved fields will share their knowledge
and contribute to a comprehensive overview of today‘s
opportunities and challenges and discuss the possibilities,
limitations and future prospects of PLA for all kind
of applications. Like the six previous congresses the
7 th PLA World Congress will also offer excellent networking
opportunities for all delegates and speakers as well as
exhibitors of the table-top exhibition. Based on the good
experices with the hybrid format (bio!TOY and PHA World
Congress 2021) we will offer this format also for future
conferences, hoping the pandemic does no longer force us
to. So the participation at the 7 th PLA World Congress will
be possible on-site as well as online.
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 17
Automotive
Bio-PA
composites
Renewable 1,5 pentanediamine
based polyamide composites for
automotive applications
250 —
200 —
150 —
100 —
50 —
Comparison of basic physical properities of different materials
Cathay Biotech, Shanghai, China, is a leader in
synthetic biology specializing in the production of
biobased polyamides that are based on its 100 %
renewable 1,5-pentanediamine (DN5). The option of using
either fossil-based or renewable diacids enables the biocontent
level of PA5X to be as high as 100 %. Cathay has
been engaged in the application and development of
biobased PA5X and marketed these engineering polyamides
under the tradename ECOPENT ® . The melting point of its
Ecopent engineering materials can be varied from 197 ºC
of Ecopent 3300 (E-3300) to 300 ºC of Ecopent 6300, which
fulfils a plethora of different application requirements of
polyamides.
Recently, Cathay focused on the investigation and
production of fibre-reinforced PA5X composite such as
prepreg tape, which is an alternative solution for metal
replacement. The continuous glass/carbon fibre-reinforced
biobased PA5X (CFRT-PA5X) shows excellent mechanical
properties, high specific strength, and specific modulus,
among others. By modifying the manufacturing process,
the fibre content of such CFRT-PA5X could be tuned flexibly
from 50 % to 70 %, by weight, which provides for a high
design flexibility of these products and would contribute to
a significant weight reduction for automobile applications
(among others).
Using Ecopent 2260 (E-2260) as the matrix and glass/
carbon fibre as reinforcement, composites with different
mechanical properties could be easily produced by
employing proper processing technology. The produced
composite exhibits increased tensile strength and tensile
modulus with increasing fibre retention length. For
example, the CFRT of E-2260 70 % GF possesses tensile
strength higher than 1,000 MPa, while its density is onefourth
that of steel. More importantly, its specific strength is
three times that of super-steel.
Moreover, CFRT-PA5X composites with higher mechanical
properties could be produced by using continuous carbon
fibre instead of glass. For instance, the CFRT of E-2260
50 % CF has only one-third the density of super-steel but
exhibits 10 % higher tensile strength than it. In addition, the
specific strength and specific modulus of CFRT of E-2260
50 % CF are six times and two times that of super-steel,
respectively.
Continuous fibre reinforced unidirectional
prepreg tape
Basically, the thickness of CFRT-PA5X unidirectional
prepreg tape is between 0.25 mm and 0.30 mm. Their
tensile strength is usually higher than 1,000 MPa, which is
0 —
1600 —
1400 —
1200 —
1000 —
800 —
600 —
400 —
200 —
Steel Super steel Aluminium E-2260-
70%GF (CFRT)
Tensile modulus (GPa)
E-2260-70GF tape
Tensile modulus (MPa)
E-2260-
50%CF (CFRT)
Specific modulus (GPa-cm3/g)
Properities of different unidirectional prepreg tape
0 —
E-3300-70GF tape
1200 —
1000 —
800 —
600 —
400 —
200 —
700 —
600 —
500 —
400 —
300 —
200 —
100 —
Comparison of different composite board
0°C/90°C Bending strength (Mpa)
E-2260-50CF
0 —
E3300-70%GF board E-2260-70%GF board PP-composite board
0 —
E-2260-50CF tape
0°C Bending strength (Mpa)
0°C Interlaminar shear strength (Mpa) 90°C Bending strength (MPa)
Comparison of bending strength of PA5X-70%GF at 23°C and 70°C for 2h
546,26
E3300
603,20
631,02
23°C
E-2260
666,76
70°C
434,52
PP
382,06
18 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
1800 —
1600 —
1400 —
1200 —
1000 —
800 —
600 —
400 —
200 —
0 —
Comparison of basic physical properities of different materials
Steel Super steel Aluminium E-2260-
70%GF (CFRT)
Tensile strength (MPa)
E-2260-70GF tape
Tensile modulus (MPa)
E-2260-
50%CF (CFRT)
Specific strength (MPa-cm3/g)
Properities of different unidirectional prepreg tape
90 —
80 —
70 —
60 —
50 —
40 —
30 —
20 —
10 —
0 —
E-3300-70GF tape
70 —
60 —
50 —
40 —
30 —
20 —
10 —
0 —
Comparison of different composite board
E3300-
70%GF board
E-2260-
70%GF board
0°C/90°C Bending modulus (Gpa)
90°C Bending modulus (Gpa)
PPcomposite
board
E-2260-50CF
E-2260-
55%CF board
0°C Bending modulus (Gpa)
Comparison of bending modulus of PA5X-70%GF at 23°C and 70°C for 2h
25 —
23,83
21,80
By:
Yuanpin Li, Qilei Song
Engineering Plastics Application Development Engineer
Cathay Biotech Inc.
Shanghai, China
affected by the fibre content and fibre type. Furthermore,
through winding or moulding process technology, these
prepreg tapes could be further applied in automobiles such
as fender, front cover, and battery pack etc.
Biobased PA5X composite board
In terms of 70 % continuous glass fibre reinforced E-2260
composite, its 0° bending strength could be up to 1,033 MPa,
twice as strong as a PP composite with the same glass fibre
content. Its 0° bending modulus also reaches 38 MPa, which
is 30 % higher than that of a 70 % glass fibre reinforced
PP composite. Furthermore, the 90° bending strength
and 0° interlaminar shear strength of such biobased PA5X
composite are 1.5 times that of PP composites with the
same glass fibre content.
When CFRT of E-2260 70 % GF, CFRT of E-3300 70 % GF,
and PP composite are baked at 70 ºC for 2 h, the bending
strength of E-3300 70 % GF and CFRT of E-2260 70 % GF is
increased by 5 %, while PP ones are reduced by 12 %. The
bending modulus of CFRT of E-2260 70 % GF is higher 40 %
than that of PP composite at 70 °C.
Application
CFRT of PA5X, due to their extremely high strength-toweight
and stiffness-to-weight ratios, can be a sustainable
lightweight solution to meet increasingly challenging
requirements from different industries, e.g., automotive,
construction, or shipping. In addition, CFRT of PA5X have
shown excellent chemical resistance, anti-fatigue and antimar
performance depending on the biobased polyamide
selected. The increase in temperature will lead to a decrease
in the rigidity of composites. CFRT of biobased polyamides
(E-3300 and 2260) have proven its advantage of mechanical
performance at 70 °C, when compared with general plastic,
like PP. This can make CFRT of biobased polyamides strong
candidates for new vehicles, compressed gas tanks, or
shipping containers, which needs much lighter, safer, and
more efficient materials.
www.cathaybiotech.com
Automotive
20 —
15 —
16,74 17,07
16,84
15,80
10 —
5 —
0 —
E3300
E-2260
PP
23°C
70°C
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 19
Automotive
Lightweight
biobased
cellulose
reinforcement
for automotive
applications
The automotive industry continuously strives to
improve the driving range of cars. Whether being per
litre of petrol for a combustion engine or in kilowatthour
(kWh) for electrically powered vehicles. Car owners
thereby receive a better mileage at lower cost, while CO 2
emissions per kilometre driven are reduced as well. One
way of achieving this is by reducing the overall weight of
the car, which is becoming increasingly important for the
comparatively heavier battery-powered electric vehicles.
Cellulose fibre is one of the answers to address this
need for weight reduction. Sappi Symbio is a lightweight
cellulose solution to reinforce conventional thermoplastic
and biobased plastics. Symbio provides a double advantage,
it’s not only a lightweight material filler, but it also answers
the increasingly important demand for more renewable and
non-fossil based carbon materials.
Symbio is a bio-renewable wood-based cellulose fibre
that is an alternative to incumbent mineral materials like
talc and (short) glass fibre. Due to its relatively low density
of about 1.5 g/cm 3 , it decreases the overall material weight
when added to a thermoplastic, in comparison to talc or
glass. These are commonly used fillers to give a material
more stiffness and strength. Figure 1 shows an example
for a 20 % loaded polypropylene and its influence on the
resulting material property in terms of weight. This weight
saving opportunity, which can go up to 15 % (at 40 % cellulose
load) has drawn the attention of several automotive OEMs
who are already manufacturing car components with
Symbio today.
Symbio cellulose fibre reinforced compounds easily meet
industry requirements of mechanical performance and can
be a renewable alternative to typical mineral fillers. Table 1
shows how the stiffness, in terms of flexural modulus, of
polypropylene can be enhanced by Symbio in comparison
to talc and short glass fibre (SGF). It also shows the heat
deflection temperature for the various solutions which is
increased compared to unfilled polypropylene but also to a
talc-filled compound.
As mentioned already, Symbio consists of wood-based
cellulose. Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer
on earth and can be found in any plant-like material.
There are many different sources today for cellulose fibre,
like grass or bamboo, and likewise as many variations in
quality and performance. Symbio is a premium quality
cellulose fibre that is also used within Sappi for producing
high-quality speciality paper or high-end paperboard. The
fibre consistency, as well as the very high purity, is why
car manufacturers and brand owners select Symbio as a
material to use for interior car components. Where other
natural fibres can have issues with odour or emission of
volatile components, Symbio passes the most stringent
requirements measured by internationally accepted
standards. In the VDA 270 odour test, Sappi Symbio,
measured on a plaque produced with Symbio PP40
(containing 40 % cellulose) by a German OEM, receives a
rating 2 classified as “perceptible, non-disturbing” (the
scale ranges from 1 “imperceptible” to 6 “unbearable”). This
rating allows the parts to be used in automotive interiors.
Fig. 1
Glass fibre
Talc
Symbio
Cellulpse
Density of 20 % filled polypropylene
0,94 0,96 0,98 1 1,02 1,04 1,06
Specific gravity g/cm 3
Table 1
Property
Test method
Symbio
PP20
Symbio
PP20MI
Symbio
PP20HI
PP + 20% talc PP + 20% SGF Units
Reinforcement
content
- 20 20 20 20 20 Weight %
Density ISO 1183 0.98 0.99 0.98 1.05 1.04 g/cm³
Tensile strength ISO 527-2/1A 49 34 23 28 85 MPa
Flexural modulus ISO 178, 23°C 3,080 2,545 1,678 2,400 4,200 MPa
Impact, Charpy
notched (23°C)
ISO 179-1 4.2 4.3 10 6 11 KJ/m²
HDT-B at 0.45 MPa ISO 75 141 136 123 100 155 °C
20 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Symbio has also been selected for other fields of
application besides interior car components. Manufacturers
of home appliances and lifestyle & furniture are interested
in Symbio due to its haptic response and the warmer
touch which provides a part with a natural touch and feel.
The examples given above were based on polypropylene
By:
Juul Cuijpers, Product Manager Symbio
Sappi Europe | Sappi Netherlands Services BV
Maastricht, The Netherlands
but of course, Symbio is not limited to this thermoplastic.
Applications made from biobased and/or biodegradable
filled polymers like PLA and PHA are also possible and
are receiving increased interest. The aim is to expand the
current portfolio of Symbio products in the coming period.
www.sappi.com
Automotive
Instrument panel
Interior trims
Air ducts
Luggage board
Centre console and armrest
Cable tray
23 – 24 March • Hybrid Event
Leading Event on Carbon Capture & Utilisation
• Strategy & Policy
• Green Hydrogen Production
• Carbon Capture Technologies
• Carbon Utilisation (Power-to-X): Fuels for Transport and Aviation, Building Blocks,
Bulk and Fine Chemicals, Advanced Technologies, Artificial Photosynthesis
• Innovation Award “Best CO2 Utilisation 2022”
Call for Innovation
Vote for the Innovation
Award “Best CO2
Innovation Award
Sponsor
Innovation Award
Co-Organiser
Sponsors
Utilisation 2022”
Organiser
nova-institute.eu
Contact
Dominik Vogt
dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de
Tel.: +49 2233 / 481449
co2-chemistry.eu
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 21
Tyre News
How plastic bottles end up in tyres
Tyres can’t last forever. However, the life cycle of the
materials used in one tyre can be much longer than that
of the tyre itself. Continental just got one
step closer to the goal of tyres made
from 100 % recycled or sustainable
materials. “We are at the vanguard
of a more eco-friendly automotive
industry and are already committed
to using new technologies that utilize
recycled materials. From 2022, we will
be able to use reprocessed polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) in the construction
of Continental tyre carcasses, completely
replacing the use of conventional
virgin PET,“ as a press release stated
To re-use recycled PET bottles in tyres,
Continental teamed up with OTIZ, a fibre
specialist and textile manufacturer, to develop a specialized
technology that produces high-quality polyester yarn from
recycled PET without the chemical steps
previously required in the recycling
process. Polyester may not be the first
material you think of when you see a car
tyre, PET yarn is actually an essential
ingredient that makes up the tyre carcass
in the form of textile cords that run from
bead to bead (the inner circle of the
tyre). The horseshoe-shaped layer sits
just above the inner liner, affecting tyre
durability, load carriage, and comfort.
It’s the backbone of the tyre, sustains
loads, and absorbs shock. It maintains its
Picture: Continental
shape even at very high temperatures, so
thermal stability is crucial. MT
www.continental-tires.com
Biobased itaconate butadiene rubber
Last year the the Beijing University of Chemical Technology introduced biobased itaconate butadiene rubber. This project, led
by professor Liqun Zhang started the research in 2008. After 13 years a new generation of high performance and biobased
itaconate butadiene rubber has been successfully developed by professor Zhang’s team. The first class of macromolecular
chain structures based on an itaconic acid resource is epoxy group functionalized poly(dibutyl itaconate-co-butadieneglycidyl
methacrylate) (PDBIBG). It can realize the high value-added utilization of biomass resources and promote green and
sustainable development within the rubber industry.
Itaconic acid is a promising organic acid that has been categorized as one of the top 12 building block molecules in advanced
biorefineries. The specific steps for constructing high molecular weight, crosslinkable biobased rubber with itaconic acid as
the main raw material are as follows (see graph):
• Step 1: Fermentation of biomass resources such as corn and sugar cane to obtain itaconic acid.
• Step 2: In order to obtain high molecular weight polymers, itaconate monomer is obtained by
esterification of biobased alcohol.
• Step 3: Preparation of itaconate/butadiene/glycidyl methacrylate copolymer by low-temperature
redox emulsion polymerization.
The comprehensive properties of the functionalized biobased itaconate butadiene rubber finally obtained are comparable
or even superior to traditional rubbers. By calculation, the production of biobased itaconate butadiene rubber per tonne can
reduce carbon emissions by 1.44 tonnes compared with traditional petroleum-based rubber, which can provide positive support
for the world’s carbon peak and carbon neutral strategy.
By combining a molecular structural design with non-petroleum based silica and an in situ process to tune the viscoelastic
properties of the elastomer composites, silica/PDBIBG nanocomposite based green tyres that have low rolling resistance,
excellent wet skid resistance, and good wear resistance were successfully manufactured, which can promote fuel efficiency
and reduce dependence on petrochemical resources.
With the joint efforts of the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Shandong Chambroad Sinopoly New Material, Shandong
Linglong Tire and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, the world’s first one-tonne production line of PDBIBG materials
was successfully established
in China, and PDBIBG tyres
were manufactured and tested.
The rolling resistance and
wet skid resistance are rated
at the B level by the EU Tyre
Labeling Regulation 1222/2009,
which includes the first batch
of functionalized biobased
itaconate butadiene rubber
radial tyres in the world. MT
https://english.buct.edu.cn/
22 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
BIOMOTIVE
The amount of plastics used in the production of a car is
over 20 % of its weight, excluding car tyres. The automotive
sector production, despite the increasing use of advanced
technologies and the implementation of further restrictions on
the emission of harmful substances, still generates significant
environmental costs. Shrinking crude oil resources and higher
costs of its acquisition, as well as the production and recycling
of plastics, are essential drivers of change throughout
the production chain. Polyurethane foams and materials,
synthetic components for vehicles in the automotive market,
all these products are petroleum-based and force the market
to look for sustainable alternatives.
The Biomotive project, which is part of the European
program Horizon 2020 and Bio-Based Industries Joint
Undertaking, is a project dedicated primarily to the automotive
sector, innovative technologies in the field of polyurethane
production and presentation of their advantages over the
previously used polyurethanes of petrochemical origin.
The European Union declares to achieve climate neutrality
by 2050, the solutions developed by the Biomotive Project offer
an opportunity for manufacturers to meet new challenges
and expectations of increasingly environmentally conscious
customers and new legislations.
The main objectives of the project are to demonstrate on
an industrial scale the production of innovative polymeric
materials of natural origin: thermoplastic polyurethanes,
2-component polyurethane foams and regenerated cellulose
fibres.
The raw materials on which the production of Biomotive
polymers is based are mainly wood pulp, sugars, and vegetable
oils, they are fully renewable and do not interfere with food
production. Another advantage is also that it can be grown on
marginal lands, with low water demand and no special care
related to its cultivation.
Other materials were also tested: flexible car seat foams
with 60 % biobased carbon content have been developed,
offering the same level of comfort as current car seat foams.
Also, upholstery fabrics that covered biofoams, i.e. seats in the
broadly understood automotive industry (although they can
also be used in the furniture industry), were made of almost
100 % materials of biological origin. The use of natural fabrics
increases the overall biological content to nearly 70 %.
The Biomotive project brings together scientific and
research institutes, producers of biomass raw materials,
manufacturers of car parts as well as certification companies
in a European consortium. The result of this cooperation is a
complete, fully researched, and documented production chain,
from the acquisition of bio-raw materials to the subsequent
recycling of specific elements of car, coach, bus, and special
vehicle equipment, as well as the above-mentioned furniture
or vertical garden structures.
Bio-polyurethane production technologies developed under
the Biomotive project are also used in other industries in terms
of ready products and recycled raw materials. For example,
TPU and polyurethane foams will be used as additives for
asphalts, second-component adhesives, and the production
of soles.
The implementation of the Biomotive project will not only
significantly reduce the consumption of fossil resources in the
production process of polyurethane foam or TPU but could also
create new jobs in the sectors of bioproduction, green chemistry
and agriculture.
This project has received funding from the Bio-Based Industries
Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No
745766. MT
https://biomotive.info
Low-carbon PLA Film for Various Applications
BiONLY TM , a novel PLA (polylactic acid)
film, developed by Xiamen Changsu
Industrial Co., Ltd.. This biodegradable
material can be degraded into carbon
dioxide and water under certain
conditions, which can effectively
reduce the carbon footprint. It’s an
ideal eco-friendly packaging material.
Biaxially oriented process greatly improves the mechanical properties
of PLA film and further expands its application field, which is of great
significance to packaging reduction, environmental protection and
carbon reduction.
Automotive
www.changsufilm.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 23
Automotive
Automotive Bioplastics Market
Future Market Insights (FMI), Dubai, United Arab
Emirates, has forecasted the Automotive Bioplastics
Market to grow with a year on year growth of 10.3 % in
2022 reaching a value of about USD 687.5 Mn by 2022 end.
The new research study on the automotive bioplastic
market contains global industry analysis for 2014-2018 and
opportunity assessment for 2022–2029.
Automotive Bioplastics Market Base Year Value (2021A) USD 623.3 M
Automotive Bioplastics Market Estimated Year Value (2022E) USD 687.5 M
Automotive Bioplastics Market Projected Year Value (2029F) USD 1,442.2 M
Value CAGR (2022–2029) 10.7%
Collective Value Share: Top 3 Countries (2022E) 49.4%
The research study covers the latest trends, market
influencing factors, key success factors, forecasting factors,
macroeconomics factors, key information, and past market
scenario. The report examines the automotive bioplastic
market and delivers critical insights for the forecast period
of 2022–2029.
The global automotive bioplastic market is estimated
to be valued at ~USD 687.5 Mn in 2022 and is expected to
increase at a CAGR of ~11 % during the forecast period. As
per the comprehensive analysis provided in the report, the
global automotive bioplastic market is anticipated to witness
considerable growth in the coming years owing to the steady
increase in the adoption of bioplastic materials for various car
components.
Application-wise, the interior segment is expected to hold
a prominent value share of the global automotive bioplastic
market. This segment includes seats, dashboard, air-duct,
HVAC, and other related interior components.
Automotive bioplastic materials tend to reduce dependency
on fossil resources, according to FMI’s analysis. They
materials are not as affected by oil price instability the way
petroleum-based materials are. Automotive bioplastics help
reduce the dependency on limited fossil resources, which is a
key growth driver for the market, with fuel prices projected to
surge significantly over the coming years.
Rising Demand for Electric Vehicles to Create
High Growth Opportunities
Increasing environmental awareness and inconsistent
fuel prices have influenced consumers, particularly in
developed countries of North America and Europe, to opt
for electric car models, such as plug-in hybrid electric
vehicles (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV).
Growing urban population, incentives for use of
electric vehicles, reducing battery prices, strengthening
transportation infrastructure in developed and emerging
countries, and inter-governmental steps for electric
vehicles are further driving the adoption of electric cars.
This, in turn, is anticipated to contribute to the demand for
automotive bioplastic materials during the forecast period.
Governments have put immense pressure on automotive
manufacturers to reduce vehicle weight to achieve fuel
economy. Nowadays, weights of vehicle modules in newer
vehicles are much lighter than conventional ones, which
had metal bodywork. It has been observed that these were
nearly 20 % heavier than today’s modules.
Companies are heavily investing in research &
development and manufacturing strategies to reduce the
weight of several body components. OEMs prefer bioplasticbased
materials over conventional raw materials (steel)
for specific applications as these help reduce the weight
of the vehicle significantly and have other technological
advancements over other materials.
The report highlights some of the prominent market
players, who have established themselves as leaders in the
global automotive bioplastic market. A few examples of key
players in the automotive bioplastic market are Mitsubishi
Chemical Corporation, Total Corbion PLA, NatureWorks
LLC, Solvay Group, Eastman Chemical, Arkema Group,
Braskem, Evonik Industries AG, BASF SE, and Dow
Chemical Company, among others.
The complete report can be purchased from USD 5,000
at Future Market Insights (see website). MT
www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automotive-bioplastic-market
Magnetic
for Plastics
www.plasticker.com
• International Trade
in Raw Materials, Machinery & Products Free of Charge.
• Daily News
from the Industrial Sector and the Plastics Markets.
• Current Market Prices
for Plastics.
• Buyer’s Guide
for Plastics & Additives, Machinery & Equipment, Subcontractors
and Services.
• Job Market
for Specialists and Executive Staff in the Plastics Industry.
Up-to-date • Fast • Professional
24 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
fossil
available at www.renewable-carbon.eu/graphics
Refining
Polymerisation
Formulation
Processing
Use
renewable
Depolymerisation
Solvolysis
Thermal depolymerisation
Enzymolysis
Purification
Dissolution
Recycling
Conversion
Pyrolysis
Gasification
allocated
Recovery
Recovery
Recovery
conventional
© -Institute.eu | 2021
© -Institute.eu | 2020
PVC
EPDM
PMMA
PP
PE
Vinyl chloride
Propylene
Unsaturated polyester resins
Methyl methacrylate
PEF
Polyurethanes
MEG
Building blocks
Natural rubber
Aniline Ethylene
for UPR
Cellulose-based
2,5-FDCA
polymers
Building blocks
for polyurethanes
Levulinic
acid
Lignin-based polymers
Naphtha
Ethanol
PET
PFA
5-HMF/5-CMF FDME
Furfuryl alcohol
Waste oils
Casein polymers
Furfural
Natural rubber
Saccharose
PTF
Starch-containing
Hemicellulose
Lignocellulose
1,3 Propanediol
polymer compounds
Casein
Fructose
PTT
Terephthalic
Non-edible milk
acid
MPG NOPs
Starch
ECH
Glycerol
p-Xylene
SBR
Plant oils
Fatty acids
Castor oil
11-AA
Glucose Isobutanol
THF
Sebacic
Lysine
PBT
acid
1,4-Butanediol
Succinic
acid
DDDA
PBAT
Caprolactame
Adipic
acid
HMDA DN5
Sorbitol
3-HP
Lactic
acid
Itaconic
Acrylic
PBS(x)
acid
acid
Isosorbide
PA
Lactide
Superabsorbent polymers
Epoxy resins
ABS
PHA
APC
PLA
available at www.renewable-carbon.eu/graphics
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
O
OH
HO
OH
HO
OH
O
OH
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
HO
OH
O
OH
O
OH
© -Institute.eu | 2021
All figures available at www.bio-based.eu/markets
Adipic acid (AA)
11-Aminoundecanoic acid (11-AA)
1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BDO)
Dodecanedioic acid (DDDA)
Epichlorohydrin (ECH)
Ethylene
Furan derivatives
D-lactic acid (D-LA)
L-lactic acid (L-LA)
Lactide
Monoethylene glycol (MEG)
Monopropylene glycol (MPG)
Naphtha
1,5-Pentametylenediamine (DN5)
1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PDO)
Sebacic acid
Succinic acid (SA)
© -Institute.eu | 2020
nova Market and Trend Reports
on Renewable Carbon
The Best Available on Bio- and CO2-based Polymers
& Building Blocks and Chemical Recycling
Automotive
Bio-based Naphtha
and Mass Balance Approach
Status & Outlook, Standards &
Certification Schemes
Bio-based Building Blocks and
Polymers – Global Capacities,
Production and Trends 2020 – 2025
Polymers
Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) as Chemical
Feedstock for Polymers
Technologies, Polymers, Developers and Producers
Principle of Mass Balance Approach
Building Blocks
Feedstock
Process
Products
Intermediates
Use of renewable feedstock
in very first steps of
chemical production
(e.g. steam cracker)
Utilisation of existing
integrated production for
all production steps
Allocation of the
renewable share to
selected products
Feedstocks
Authors: Michael Carus, Doris de Guzman and Harald Käb
March 2021
This and other reports on renewable carbon are available at
www.renewable-carbon.eu/publications
Authors: Pia Skoczinski, Michael Carus, Doris de Guzman,
Harald Käb, Raj Chinthapalli, Jan Ravenstijn, Wolfgang Baltus
and Achim Raschka
January 2021
This and other reports on renewable carbon are available at
www.renewable-carbon.eu/publications
Authors: Pauline Ruiz, Achim Raschka, Pia Skoczinski,
Jan Ravenstijn and Michael Carus, nova-Institut GmbH, Germany
January 2021
This and other reports on renewable carbon are available at
www.renewable-carbon.eu/publications
Chemical recycling – Status, Trends
and Challenges
Technologies, Sustainability, Policy and Key Players
Production of Cannabinoids via
Extraction, Chemical Synthesis
and Especially Biotechnology
Current Technologies, Potential & Drawbacks and
Future Development
Commercialisation updates on
bio-based building blocks
Plastic recycling and recovery routes
Bio-based building blocks
Evolution of worldwide production capacities from 2011 to 2024
Primary recycling
(mechanical)
Virgin Feedstock Renewable Feedstock
Monomer
Polymer
Plastic
Product
Secondary recycling
(mechanical)
Tertiary recycling
(chemical)
Secondary
valuable
materials
CO 2 capture
Chemicals
Fuels
Others
Plant extraction
Chemical synthesis
Cannabinoids
Plant extraction
Genetic engineering
Biotechnological production
Production capacities (million tonnes)
4
3
2
1
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2024
Product (end-of-use)
Quaternary recycling
(energy recovery)
Energy
Landfill
Author: Lars Krause, Florian Dietrich, Pia Skoczinski,
Michael Carus, Pauline Ruiz, Lara Dammer, Achim Raschka,
nova-Institut GmbH, Germany
November 2020
This and other reports on the bio- and CO 2-based economy are
available at www.renewable-carbon.eu/publications
Authors: Pia Skoczinski, Franjo Grotenhermen, Bernhard Beitzke,
Michael Carus and Achim Raschka
January 2021
This and other reports on renewable carbon are available at
www.renewable-carbon.eu/publications
Author:
Doris de Guzman, Tecnon OrbiChem, United Kingdom
Updated Executive Summary and Market Review May 2020 –
Originally published February 2020
This and other reports on the bio- and CO 2-based economy are
available at www.bio-based.eu/reports
Levulinic acid – A versatile platform
chemical for a variety of market applications
Global market dynamics, demand/supply, trends and
market potential
HO
O
O
OH
diphenolic acid
O
O
H 2N
OH
O
levulinate ketal
O
OH
O
OH
5-aminolevulinic acid
O
O
O
O
levulinic acid
OR
levulinic ester
O
O
ɣ-valerolactone
OH
HO
H
N
O
O
O
succinic acid
5-methyl-2-pyrrolidone
OH
Succinic acid – From a promising
building block to a slow seller
What will a realistic future market look like?
Pharmaceutical/Cosmetic
Acidic ingredient for denture cleaner/toothpaste
Antidote
Calcium-succinate is anticarcinogenic
Efferescent tablets
Intermediate for perfumes
Pharmaceutical intermediates (sedatives,
antiphlegm/-phogistics, antibacterial, disinfectant)
Preservative for toiletries
Removes fish odour
Used in the preparation of vitamin A
Food
Bread-softening agent
Flavour-enhancer
Flavouring agent and acidic seasoning
in beverages/food
Microencapsulation of flavouring oils
Preservative (chicken, dog food)
Protein gelatinisation and in dry gelatine
desserts/cake flavourings
Used in synthesis of modified starch
Succinic
Acid
Industrial
De-icer
Engineering plastics and epoxy curing
agents/hardeners
Herbicides, fungicides, regulators of plantgrowth
Intermediate for lacquers + photographic chemicals
Plasticizer (replaces phtalates, adipic acid)
Polymers
Solvents, lubricants
Surface cleaning agent
(metal-/electronic-/semiconductor-industry)
Other
Anodizing Aluminium
Chemical metal plating, electroplating baths
Coatings, inks, pigments (powder/radiation-curable
coating, resins for water-based paint,
dye intermediate, photocurable ink, toners)
Fabric finish, dyeing aid for fibres
Part of antismut-treatment for barley seeds
Preservative for cut flowers
Soil-chelating agent
Standards and labels for
bio-based products
Authors: Achim Raschka, Pia Skoczinski, Raj Chinthapalli,
Ángel Puente and Michael Carus, nova-Institut GmbH, Germany
October 2019
This and other reports on the bio-based economy are available at
www.bio-based.eu/reports
Authors: Raj Chinthapalli, Ángel Puente, Pia Skoczinski,
Achim Raschka, Michael Carus, nova-Institut GmbH, Germany
October 2019
This and other reports on the bio-based economy are available at
www.bio-based.eu/reports
Authors: Lara Dammer, Michael Carus and Dr. Asta Partanen
nova-Institut GmbH, Germany
May 2017
This and other reports on the bio-based economy are available at
www.bio-based.eu/reports
renewable-carbon.eu/publications
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 25
Automotive
Why cycle
when you could travel in style?
By Alex Thielen
The Finnish entrepreneur and guitar maker Ari-Jukka
Luomaranta introduces a new way to travel in style – the
Kinner-car, a modern retro-style velomobile. The Kinner is a
two-seat four-wheel muscle-powered pedalcar – a humanpowered
sportscar if you will. It has an electrical engine
comparable to e-bikes with an assisted top speed of 25 km/h
– you can go faster, on pure muscle power. The electrical
assist can be turned off for the really ambitious drivers, but if
active it makes low speed driving easy and comfortable.
It has narrow and light road bike wheels, but tyres can be
changed bigger for gravel roads. All composite parts can
be made of fibreglass, carbon fibre, or a green biobased
composite material making it overall very light. The Kinnercar
won’t get a roof, but rather some kind of cover to protect
the cockpit from the elements when left outside.
However, at this point it is still a working prototype, so we
do not have any information on the exact weight just yet. The
first prototype is made of composites using fibreglass and
carbon fibre. So there is no green prototype yet, but Ari-Jukka
told bioplastics MAGAZINE that he plans to experiment with
composite parts infused with greenpoxy and flax fibre. “Here
in my area, west coast of Finland, we have a lot of knowhow
in composites as we have many boat factories. (They are)
making various kinds of motorboats, as well as sailboats also
for competition, with a range of extreme requirements. We got
the idea from Finnish boatmakers like Swan and Baltic-yacht.
Baltic, for example, is making their Cafe racer by using the
same principle to substitute as much carbon fibre as possible
with flax.”
What we do know are the general specs of the Kinner-car,
it’s (currently) 285 cm long, 100 cm wide and has a wheelbase
of 220 cm. Furthermore, it is registered as a power-assisted
bicycle – no driving license is needed (in the EU). It is great for
both shopping and travel as it has a large space for luggage
under the hood. An integrated PIN-code-activated anti-theft
system is planned as well.
There will be various customizable options for the Kinnercar.
Beyond the choice of various colours, there are also
nice extras like side windscreen, mirrors, lights & blinkers
integrated into the electric system which can be used like a
sport watch.
The stylish velomobile is a local production to make it as
eco-friendly as possible, no overseas production is used for
cheap labour or to get rid of environmental regulations. The
individual parts don’t have to travel far either – everything is
based around the town of Kokkola, Finland.
The Kinner-car certainly is a luxury means of transportation
with a price tag of 15,000 EUR (~12,000 EUR tax-free outside
of the EU). There is a reservation option of 500 EUR that will
help with getting the things rolling, which will be paid back
with a 20 % bonus (so 600 EUR) after delivery – starting in
April 2022.
www.kinner-car.com | https://greenpoxy.org
26 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Automotive
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 27
Automotive
Sustainable materials in
high-end luxury car
Pictures courtesy Daimler
The VISION EQXX is the result of a mission Mercedes-
Benz (Stuttgart, Germany) set themselves to break
through technological barriers across the board and
to lift energy efficiency to new heights. It demonstrates
the gains that are possible through rethinking the
fundamentals from the ground up. This includes advances
across all elements of its cutting-edge electric drivetrain as
well as the use of lightweight engineering and sustainable
materials.
While Vision EQXX offers many innovations that are
worthwhile to talk about this article will focus mainly on the
sustainable materials used.
Marking the launch of a new, super-purist design style,
the Vision EQXX represents a new expression of efficiency in
interior design. In a departure from the conventional design
approach, the interior layout focuses on just a few modules
and the beautiful simplicity of lightweight design. This is
expressed through the absence of complex shapes and
the integration of lightweight structures into the interior
aesthetic in a wholly organic way, making traditional trim
elements superfluous.
The interior features many innovative materials sourced
from start-ups around the world. For example, the
door pulls are made from AMsilk’s (Planegg, Germany)
Biosteel® fibre. This high-strength, certified-vegan, silklike
fabric is made using AMSilk’s proprietary biotechnology
expertise. AMSilk is the world’s first industrial supplier
of vegan silk biopolymers which are biodegradable,
recyclable, renewable, and zero-waste. Marking a first
in the automotive sector, Biosteel provides a solution to
the car industry whose need to replace petroleum-based
content with natural, biobased materials is increasingly
growing. (For some more info on Biosteel see bM 04/17)
Another sustainable material gracing the interior of the
Vision EQXX is Mylo TM (Emeryville, California, USA), a verified
vegan leather alternative made from mycelium, which is the
underground rootlike structure of mushrooms. It is certified
biobased, which means it is made predominantly from
renewable ingredients found in nature. This completely new
material category created by the power of biotechnology is
designed to be less harmful to the environment and is used
for details of the seat cushions in the Vision EQXX.
The animal-free leather alternative called Deserttex ® ,
made by Desserto’s (Guadalajara, Mexico), is a sustainable
cactus-based biomaterial made from pulverised cactus
fibres combined with a sustainable biobased polyurethane
matrix. In this combination, the leather alternative has
an exceptionally supple finish that is extremely soft to the
touch. Forthcoming versions have a higher cactus content,
giving this material the potential to halve the ecological
footprint associated with conventional artificial leathers.
On the floor, the carpets in the Vision EQXX are made
from 100 % bamboo fibre. In addition to being fastgrowing
and renewable, this natural raw material offers an
extremely luxurious look and feel. Mercedes-Benz chose
these sustainable, innovative, high-performance materials
because they, and others like them, have the potential to
replace all sorts of petroleum- and animal-based products
currently used in automotive applications. Together, they
show a way forward for luxury design that conserves
resources and is in balance with nature.
Elsewhere, the Vision EQXX makes extensive use of
recycled waste materials, such as the recycled PET bottles
used in a shimmering textile to enhance the floor area
and door trim. Higher up in the interior, the designers
used DINAMICA®, from Vyva Fabrics (Amsterdam, The
Netherlands) made from 38 % recycled PET to create a
wrap-around effect linking the upper edge of the onepiece
screen with the doors and headliner. The interior also
features UBQ material, a sustainable plastic substitute
made from household and municipal landfill waste.
28 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Automotive
UBQ is also used in the largest aluminium structural
casting at Mercedes-Benz, BIONEQXX is the major
structural component at the rear end of the VISION EQXX
– the rear floor.
The most important of the structural criteria here
is the need for very high stiffness and excellent crash
performance. The beauty of the one-part BIONEQXX casting
is the ability to pair this with functional integration within
an extremely lightweight single component rather than an
assembly of multiple parts joined together.
The one-part casting has a web-like appearance with gaps
where there is no need for structural elements. However,
the rear floor of a vehicle is subject to more than just
physical loads in everyday use. It has to withstand attempts
by nature to get inside the car in the form of water and dirt.
To address this, Mercedes-Benz engineers turned once
more to external partner UBQ Materials. The sustainable
plastic substitute developed by the Israel-based (Tel Aviv)
start-up is made from the kind of waste that typically ends
up in landfill. The cooperation between Mercedes and UBQ
won the Sustainability Award in Automotive 2021 in the “best
start-up” category. UBQ is not just suitable for prototype
applications, it also offers very strong potential for transfer
into series production in the near future.
The openings in the BIONEQXX rear-floor casting were
closed using patches made from UBQ produced on a 3D
printer. A total of 42 UBQ patches were designed using
shape optimisation to achieve extremely high stiffness
and good sound-dampening qualities. Once inserted into
the BIONEQXX casting using a special bonding process,
the final unit is fully sealed against the ravages of water
and dirt. The resulting part indicates that this innovative
engineering approach has the potential to achieve weight
savings of 15–20 % compared to a conventionally produced
component. It marks a milestone in lightweight design that
meets the exacting Mercedes-Benz quality requirements
Jack “Tato” Bigio, Co-CEO and Co-Founder at UBQ-
Materials, talked about their collaboration with Mercedes-
Benz. “UBQ is used for a large number of plastic parts (in
the Vision EQXX), it’s inside the rear of the car, it’s in the car,
it’s in the motor – it was a very fruitful collaboration. (…)
Mercedes-Benz is among the leading luxury car companies
in the world and working together with them has just been
really rewarding. They have very demanding requirements,
certifications, and validating processes. Crossing all those
barriers and becoming part of a Mercedes car is a dream
come true,” Tato told bioplastics MAGAZINE. Due to time and
space constraints we decided to publish the remainder of
this interview in a later issue focusing on UBQ materials
as a whole.
In any case, it is great to see so many renewable materials
used in high-end luxury cars, showing not only that they are
viable design choices, but can compete with conventional
plastic materials for technical applications as well. AT
www.daimler.com | www.biosteel-fiber.com | www.mylo-unleather.com
www.deserttex.com | www.vyvafabrics.com | www.ubqmaterials.com
VISION EQXX: key technical data at a glance*
Battery energy
content, usable
kWh 900
Energy consumption
kWh/100 km
6)
cd value 0.17**
Max. power output kW ~150
Wheelbase cm 280
Gross vehicle weight kg ~1,750
*: Range figures preliminary and based on digital simulations in
real-life traffic conditions. The VISION EQXX has not undergone
type approval or homologation
** cd figure measured in the Daimler aero-acoustic wind tunnel at
a wind speed of 140 km/h
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 29
Automotive
Bioconcept-Car has 3 new siblings
The development goes on with a lot of natural fibre composites, and more…
Photo: Four Motors, Johannes Nollmeyer
L
ongtime readers of bioplastics MAGAZINE know that the
Bioconcept-Car, created by Four Motors (Reutlingen,
Germany) has always been one of our favourite subjects.
When we visited the first edition (a biodiesel Ford Mustang) at
the famous Nürburgring racetrack in Germany for our 01/2007
cover story, Alex, still a teenager then, was already on board. A
Renault Mégane, a Volkswagen Scirocco and several Porsches
followed. Some editions were even presented live at our bio!CAR
conferences.
For many, sustainability and racing sounds like a contradiction
in terms. But it is not: “Especially in view of today’s diesel and
particulate matter debates, environmentally-friendly mobility is
becoming increasingly important. A switch to electric mobility
is not possible from one day to the next. Alternatives must be
created for a continuous transition to conserve finite resources
and make them available to future generations for as long
as possible,” explained Thomas (Tom) von Löwis of Menar,
Managing Director of Four Motors.
Driven by this pioneering spirit, every two to three years
since 2006 unique prototypes have been created which serve
as a platform for environmentally-friendly technologies, set
standards and have had to prove themselves many times under
the extreme competitive conditions of motorsports. As the
“fastest test laboratory in the world,” Four Motors is competing
with the Bioconcept-Car in the Nürburgring Endurance Series
(NLS) and the international 24-hour race at the Nürburgring
to test the sustainable concepts under the toughest real-life
conditions and to make the abstract topic of renewables tangible.
“In our beloved Green Hell, we show that sustainable mobility and
driving pleasure are not mutually exclusive,” said driver Smudo,
who is – by the way – the frontman of the famous and successful
German Hip-hop band Die Fantastischen Vier (The Fantastic
Four – not to be confused with the Marvel superheroes). After
all, the aim of the project is not only to make effective use of
renewable resources and promote the development of a climatefriendly
car. Together with its various partners, Four Motors is
also providing food for thought to draw public attention to the
new possibilities and performance of these promising materials.
The Bio-Trio
Now the racing team around Tom owns and races three
Porsche Bioconcept-Cars at the same time. The Bio-Trio
consists of:
1) a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
2) a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
3) a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport 981
The green pioneers take their responsibility seriously without
losing the fun of racing. In these three vehicles, the Bioconcept-
Car team combines three pillars of sustainability:
These are, of course, biobased materials which we will touch
on in more detail below. In addition, the team looks into reducing
CO 2
through re-refined engine and gearbox oil and advanced
fuels.
The Bio-Trio is driving with re-refined engine and gearbox
oil from sponsor duo Wolf Oil Corporation and Teco2il. Using
patented high-tech processes, the Finnish refinery Teco2il
processes used oils up to high-quality base oils, which are
even purer than freshly produced base oils originating from
crude oil. The Belgian lubricants company Wolf Oil Corporation
formulates the base oils into high-performance oils so that they
can be used in the engine and transmission sector. The use of
these sustainable oils significantly reduces the CO 2
footprint.
Consistently implemented, this means a crude oil saving of more
than two thirds and a corresponding reduction in CO 2
emissions
up to 80 % in the manufacturing process.
The second pillar is the fuel. The E20 high-performance fuel
from CropEnergies also ensures a significantly improved energy
balance of the three Porsche race cars. E20 is a blend of 80 %
petrol and 20 % sustainably produced bioethanol, which reduces
CO 2
emissions by approximately 70 % compared to a conventional
super petrol. During the production of bioethanol, the CO 2
emission is completely captured during the entire process chain,
annually examined and certified by independent institutions. The
production of domestic agricultural raw materials requires only
1 % of the agricultural land for the entire European bioethanol
industry. “And the development in terms of fuels goes on,” as
Tom von Löwis told bioplastics MAGAZINE.
And last but not at all least, lightweight components from
bio-fibre composites. Since the beginning, in 2006, Four Motors
has been using resource-conserving biomaterials in their
Bioconcept-Cars, which are also particularly light to reduce the
vehicle’s fuel consumption. They have been working together
with the Fraunhofer WKI application centre in Hannover,
Germany for nine years. In 2017, the partners were strengthened
for the first time by innovative German car manufacturer
Porsche. The development cooperation is funded by the German
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). Together with
the natural fibre specialists from Bcomp (Fribourg, Switzerland),
pioneering lightweight components made of natural fibre
composites are being developed, designed, produced, and tested
for suitability for series production in the Bioconcept-Car. By
using lightweight components based on flax fibres, the weight
of the bio-components has been almost matched to that of
lightweight carbon versions.
As part of the project, Bcomp conducted a full sustainability
analysis comparing the natural fibre composites to the
conventional carbon fibre parts. The Bcomp solution offered a
94 % reduction in material emissions and a 90 % reduction in
30 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/21] Vol. 16
cradle-to-gate emissions. While carbon fibre parts are often
discarded in landfills, Bcomp’s alternative brings a number of
sustainable end-of-life options to help further minimise the
cradle-to-grave impact. Thanks to highly efficient
thermal energy recovery, components that are no
longer in use or broken can be used to supply the
production of new parts with renewable energy and
form a sustainable process without residual waste.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
Vol. 2 ISSN 1862-5258
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup II is the first car to
feature bio-fibre-doors produced using an RTM (Resin
Transfer Moulding) process that enables the lightweight
components to be mass-produced. In our interview,
Tom told bioplastics MAGAZINE that the 911 had a severe
accident in 2021, and “the whole car was destroyed, but
NOT the doors,” as he pointed out.
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport is the first series-produced
racing car to rely on sustainably manufactured body parts: The
doors, rear wing, and front lip are made of the biocomposite
materials that were previously successfully tested by Smudo
on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. In 2020 Four Motors, Bcomp,
Porsche Motorsport, and Manthey-Racing also constructed
and produced a lightweight kit with the natural fibre materials.
Front and rear bumper, as well as rear and front hood,
performed perfectly during the 24h race endurance test in the
Four Motors’ 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.
In addition, the 718 has been equipped with a sustainable
interior since September 2021. Together with Porsche,
the Swiss sustainable lightweighting company Bcomp has
developed a high-performance natural fibre interior for this
car. Nine parts were subjected to reverse engineering by
Bcomp, including the air ducts, consoles, instrument cluster,
glove compartment, and roof module. All optical components
have been given a semi-transparent matt finish to match the
finish of the GT4 CS series rear wing, which also features
ampliTex and powerRibs from Bcomp. The powerRibs
reinforcement grid uses the high specific bending stiffness
of flax to build up height very efficiently, boosting the flexural
stiffness of thin-walled shell elements significantly (cf. bM
03/15, 06/17, 04/18, 01/19, 01/21).
The sustainable flax-fibre composite components also offer
250 % better vibration damping than carbon fibre, which leads
to less noise, less vibration, and harshness (NVH) advantages.
At the end of 2021, Porsche presented the successor to
the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport – the new GT4 RS. While the
previous 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport was the first-ever series
production race car to use body parts made of renewable
natural-fibre composite material. In the case of the new GT4 RS
Clubsport, even more extensive use of this material is made in
the vehicle as a whole. In addition to the doors and the rear wing,
the bonnet, the wings, the aerodynamic components at the front
end, and the steering wheel are now made of this material.
Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport 981
And finally, “the 981 is our rolling test-lab,” as Tom von
Löwis explained. This car had an accident in 2021 as well.
In this case, the doors were damaged too. “But the doors
broke without splintering,” Tom said. “This is a big advantage,
especially in a race, as there are no sharp-edged splinters on
the road that could damage the tyres of the following cars.”
bioplastics MAGAZINE
01/2007
bioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 5 ISSN 1862-5258
01 | 2007
Biodiesel racing car
made of linseed oil acrylate | 10
Basics
Cellulosics | 44
Highlights:
Automotive | 10
Foam | 22
Bioplastics in
Automotive Applications | 10
How much „bio“ is in there? | 15
bioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 7 ISSN 1862-5258
01 | 2010
. is read in 85 countries
01/201001/2012
January/February 01 | 2012
Highlights
Automotive | 10
Basics
Basics of PLA | 54
Highlights
Automotive | 10
Foam | 26
bioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 8 ISSN 1862-5258
. is read in 91 countries
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
(Photo: Four Motors / Gruppe C Photography)
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
(Photo: Four Motors / Gruppe C Photography)
Basics
PTT | 44
Cayman GT4 Clubsport 981
(Photo: Four Motors / ElfImages Motorsport)
01/2013
By Michael Thielen
January / February
Cover-Story
Bioconcept Car | 10
. is read in 91 countries
01 | 2013
Automotive
bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/21] Vol. 16 31
Conference Automotive Review
Porsche 718 GT4 CS Interieur (Photo: Four Motors)
Biocomposite rear wing and bumper
(Photo: Four Motors / ElfImages Motorsport)
Even the wheel rims (RONAL) are made of mostly recycled
aluminium and manufactured with 100 % green electricity.
The more durable tyres from Michelin, as well as the
planned development of low-abrasion and environmentally
friendly brake pads from PAGID Racing round off the
sustainable wheels
(Photo: Four Motors / ElfImages Motorsport)
In 2011, Michael Thielen took a round through the
Nürburgring Nordschleife himself in the Volkswagen
Scirocco Bioconcept-Car (Photo: Hans-Josef Endres)
Voices
“On the race track the evidence is shown: A racing car
with components made of plant fibres and other biogenic
raw materials is just as powerful as a conventional racing
car. And what works under high performance and extreme
conditions is even more reliable in everyday life. This once
again shows just how much potential the bio-economy
has to offer. It is all about sustainability and finding
environmentally-friendly mobility solutions. My goal is to
ensure that alternative raw materials, i.e. raw materials
that are not dependent on crude oil, are used to a much
greater extent in everyday products. In this way, we are
also making a contribution to climate protection and the
protection of our resources,” said the former German
Minister of Agriculture, Julia Klöckner.
Smudo added: “Bio in automotive engineering is hightech.
Biotechnologies make the car even more competitive.
For the first time, we have succeeded in winning an
automobile manufacturer in Porsche with whom we can
bring bio-lightweight components into series production.”
“Given the popularity of race-to-road technology transfer
– and the similarity between GT4 and road-going sportscars
– this proves the possibility of volume road applications
for our technology,” said Christian Fischer, CEO and Co-
Founder of Bcomp. “We look forward to continuing our work
with Porsche Motorsport and exploring new possibilities
and applications for sustainable composites in racing and
beyond.”
Eduard Ene, Specialist Interior GT-Road Cars, Porsche
Motorsport, commented: “We must all ensure that natural
fibre composites are used more and more in the world of
automotive components.”
Kay-Alexander Breitbach, project leader GT racecars,
adds: “Porsche has proven in the GT4 RS that natural fibrebased
plastics are competitive and believes in the potential
of sustainable racing.”
And finally, Tom von Löwis said: “Thanks to the
collaboration between the Porsche engineers and the
natural fibre specialists at Bcomp, the quality of natural
fibre components has been raised to a new level in recent
years and beats carbon fibre components particularly in
terms of the carbon footprint. We are pleased that with the
bio-interior we can now gradually replace all carbon fibre
parts in our 718 Cayman GT4 CS with natural-fibre parts.”
Outlook
Four Motors and the Bioconcept-Car team are
enthusiastic about future developments. In 2022 they are
planning to investigate 100 % biobased composites. “We
call that B100, or Bio100,” as Tom von Löwis pointed out.
“We are thinking of combining the natural fibres with 100
% biobased resins in so-called prepregs.” The second
approach, while not exactly a bioplastics topic, is no less
important: “As electromobility is not an issue for us – at
least not yet – we are looking into more sustainable fuel
mixtures.” More details, however, could not be disclosed
so far. So, stay tuned. bioplastics MAGAZINE will continue
its now 15-year lasting observation of the Bioconcept-Car
development.
www.fourmotors.com | www.bcomp.ch
32 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 33
Automotive
Car headliner from
plastic waste and old tyres
Grupo Antolin, (Burgos, Spain), a global supplier of
technological solutions for car interiors, presents the
first headliner substrate produced by thermoforming a
PU foam with materials made from urban & post-consumer
plastic waste and end-of-life tyres. Working with recycled
materials is a natural step in the company’s commitment
to developing a sustainable business. The aim is to reduce
waste and energy consumption during manufacturing and
to meet the demand for eco-friendly interiors, something
increasingly valued by car buyers’ choices.
The headliner part looks like a standard headliner and
performs exactly the same (sustainability surge comes
without any reduction in the physical properties of the
headliner). This accomplishment has been possible thanks
to a material’s manufacturing process developed by the
partner BASF (using of chemical recycling) that Antolin
has validated and introduced in a fully electric European
premium car that has just been launched to the market.
Approximately 50 % of the headliner weight is recycled. In
this particular project, 100 % of the textile, 70 % of the core
foam, and 70 % of the plastic sunroof reinforcement frame
have been obtained from residues that couldn’t be recycled
in any other way and would have been, ultimately, disposed
of in landfills or incinerated.
“This project is a step towards a more sustainable car
interior trim and a huge leap for the Wet PU technology.
A technology that has demonstrated to be the most
competitive in terms of cost and quality, fulfilling at the
same time the most demanding specifications from our
clients,” says Enrique Fernandez, Advanced Engineering
Director, Overhead Systems BU.
“We are going one step further by deploying the strategy
among our clients worldwide. Our next project featuring
recycled core PU foam will be unveiled in 2022 and it will be
manufactured using renewable electricity. Our commitment
is to reduce the generation of waste and emissions in all
our production processes,” highlights Javier Blanco, Grupo
Antolin’s Sustainability Director. These types of solutions are
an example of the company’s technological commitment to
help its customers to develop more sustainable vehicles by
reducing waste, weight and emissions.
This action is part of the Sustainability Master Plan that
has been designed with the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals’ 2030 Agenda as a roadmap.
Mechanical recycling
As the leading overhead systems supplier, Grupo Antolin
focuses on different methods and technologies to recycle
interior trim parts as part of its objective to make a positive
contribution to society and reduce carbon footprint. In
this sense, mechanical recycling is another well-known
procedure that helps to reintegrate plastic products into
the production cycle. This is a mature technology that has
found many applications and it’s well integrated in industrial
processes. This type of recycling is currently being used
with thermoplastic structures. With thermoset materials,
mechanical recycling is not possible in many cases, though.
Antolin has developed
technologies that allow to process
a wider quality range of recycled
plastic sources that are transformed
into automotive parts using a
process called Novaform. On the
other hand, it has also introduced
in serial production in Europe a
method to recycle the thermoset
run-offs and technical scrap from
headliners and transform them
into construction boards. These
boards are currently being used in
Europe, Africa, and South America.
The product, branded Coretech, is
capable of transforming a composite
thermoset product (that couldn’t be
recycled in other ways) into a board
with outstanding insulation and
endurance properties. MT
www.grupoantolin.com
34 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 35
Foam
Mattress recycling now a reality
Dow Polyurethanes, a business division of Dow (Midland,
Michigan, USA), and Orrion Chemicals Orgaform
(Semoy, France) together with Eco-mobilier (Paris,
France), H&S Anlagentechnik (Sulingen, Germany), and The
Vita Group (Manchester, UK) have inaugurated a pioneering
mattress recycling plant as part of the RENUVA program.
Old mattresses made of polyurethane foam will now be
recovered, dismantled, and chemically recycled to create
a new polyol, which is a key starting material to produce
polyurethane. This Renuva polyol is designed for various
applications including mattresses. The recent unveiling
is a major step forward for the recovery and recycling of
polyurethane foam and a significant advance for closing the
loop for end-of-life mattresses. At full capacity, the plant
will process up to 200,000 mattresses per year to tackle the
growing mattress waste problem.
“We are immensely proud to have unveiled this plant.
By doing so we are answering the question of what can be
done with recycled polyurethane foam. It is part of Dow’s
strong commitment to delivering solutions that help close
the loop and protect our environment,” commented Marie
Buy, Sustainability Leader EMEAI, Dow Polyurethanes, “As
Renuva now shifts focus to the production phase and the
first foam made with the new polyol, our Dow Polyurethane
sustainability journey continues. We are actively exploring
future possibilities for recycled material and potential
applications. It is really a new beginning.”
The Renuva mattress recycling plant is the result of
strong collaboration between Dow and key players from
across the mattress lifecycle: chemical innovator Orrion
Chemicals Orgaform, expert mattress collector Ecomobilier,
turnkey solutions provider H&S Anlagentechnik,
and foam manufacturer The Vita Group.
“This really is a first for our company and for France.
We have a longstanding commitment to creating more
sustainable solutions and have long recognized the need
for the industry to be part of the solution,” commented
Christian Siest, President, Orrion Chemicals Orgaform,
“Our plant uses a chemical recycling process in which the
polyurethane foam is decomposed and converted into a
novel single product. The great thing about this is versatility;
we can process foam from any mattress and the Renuva
polyol recipe itself can be tailored for different applications.”
“Our ambition is to ensure the quality of the materials
collected and delivery to Renuva so that we keep to the
promise of a closed loop”, stated Dominique Mignon,
President of Eco-mobilier.
As previously announced, flexible polyurethane foam
solutions provider, The Vita Group will use the Renuva polyol
to create its award-winning Orbis flexible foam, providing a
more sustainable offering to the bedding market.
“Consumer attitudes have changed significantly, and
people are becoming a lot more focused on making
sustainable choices. We have already seen strong interest
from customers across Europe for Orbis foam and interest
in the Renuva technology, providing exciting opportunities
for our product lines,” commented Mark Lewis, Operations
and Projects Director at The Vita Group.
Last year in late September, Dow and Renuva partners
hosted a special virtual event “Closing the Loop for
Mattresses: A New Beginning with Renuva” to reflect on the
future of the program and share a closer look at what this
plant means for the bedding industry (see video link).
Eco-mobilier is also collaborating with materials
manufacturer Covestro (Leverkusen, Germany), aspiring
to generate enhanced value aiming at mattresses and
upholsteries. Both parties want to further develop waste
markets for foam used in such applications, to enable its
use in chemical recycling processes with high efficiency
at an industrial level. Furthermore, the parties underline
their commitment through an agreement, which sets out
a common understanding of strategic goals, projects, and
activities, forming the basis for a long-term cooperation
between them.
Covestro and Eco-mobilier want to keep mattrasses out
of landfill and minimize incineration, thus reducing their
environmental impact, and giving the material a new life.
For this purpose, they want to combine their expertise
and jointly develop a new solution and a business model
for the chemical recycling of polyurethane foam from postconsumer
mattresses and upholsteries.
Eco-mobilier has extensive experience in the collection,
logistics and processing of used furniture, such as
mattresses and upholsteries. This mainly concerns the
dismantling of used furniture and pre-sorting materials in
Dismantling of old matresses
Chemical recycling step
36 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Foam
order to obtain pure foam parts as raw materials for
recycling. A key topic of the collaboration is to further
develop the decentralized dismantling process of
mattresses to avoid ecologically unfavourable transport
of the foam parts to the chemical recycling plant.
At a later stage, the partners also plan to evaluate
possibilities and develop a corresponding process
for recycling upholstered furniture with polyurethane
foams.
Brand
owner
Retail
End customer
End-of-life
products
“For ten years, Eco-mobilier has been acting to set
up and improve a specific scheme for End-of-Life PU
foam collecting and recycling. The partnership between
Eco-mobilier and Covestro will allow to increase and
to diversify the existing solutions for the chemical
recycling of PU foam and to extend the perspectives
for a material which had been considered, yet recently,
as non-recyclable. Especially, by experiencing padded
furniture recycling with Covestro, Eco-mobilier is
delighted to start a new stage of development of its
strategy targeting ´zero landfilling´ for furniture,” said
Dominique Mignon.
As part of its new collaboration with Eco-mobilier,
Covestro intends to make use of a novel process
compared to other chemical recycling approaches,
which it has developed for recycling the foam chemically.
The technology has competitive advantages as it allows
the recovery of both core raw materials originally used.
To this end, the company also operates a pilot plant
for flexible foam recycling at its site in Leverkusen,
Germany, which is used for test purposes.
“We are thrilled to complement Eco-mobilier´s
unique expertise in furniture recycling with our chemical
recycling technology in this powerful partnership,” says
Christine Mendoza-Frohn, Executive Vice President &
Info
See a video-clip at:
tinyurl.com/
mattress-recycling
Manufacturing
SeekTogether
Recycling
Collection
Dismantling
Collaborating across the value chain
(Source: www.corporate.dow.com)
Head of Sales EMLA for Performance Materials at Covestro.
“The strategic intent of our collaboration is to design and
validate a joint pilot model to encourage and make real an
accelerated adoption of recycling and reusing polyurethane
foams from used furniture in Europe and beyond.”
Both these collaborations aim at changing part of our
linear consumer system towards a more circular one, such
undertakings are difficult to implement as Mila Skokova,
Sales and Product manager at H&S Anlagentechnik, points
out, “Renuva has created an echo system that brings together
all the players in mattress recycling, otherwise it would never
be possible to implement innovative recycling solutions of this
magnitude. There are many hurdles to overcome in building
a new industrial echo system – a changed process can only
succeed if all players involved pull in the same direction. It
requires determination to make the shared vision a reality
– every partner must have the unconditional will to take on
the role of gamechanger. This way, barriers such as legal
frameworks or antiquated ways of thinking can be overcome.”
Hopefully, in the future more key players, not just in the fields
of mattress recycling and polyurethane, will work together to
change the system and as Mila astutely states, “this requires
a shared value system of trust, reliability, and fairness.” AT
www.dow.com
www.oc-orgaform.com
www.eco-mobilier.fr
www.hs-anlagentechnik.de
www.thevitagroup.com
www.covestro.com
Production of new matresses (all photos from the video (see link)
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 37
Foam
KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer Green Planet (Expanded beads)
Kaneka Corporation (Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan) announced
last year that they have been developing technology for
turning KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer Green Planet
(PHBH) into a foam material. Recently, Kaneka’s new foam
products were adopted by fishery businesses for fish boxes
that store fresh fish.
In search of measures to help solve the issue of marine
microplastics, the adoption by fishery businesses of Green
Planet PHBH foam products for fish boxes opens a door to
a solution that deals directly with ocean pollution, and there
is growing interest from the fisheries industry.
Kaneka’s biodegradable polymer Green Planet is a
100 % plant-derived biodegradable polymer (PHBH)
developed by integrating fermentation and macromolecule
technologies. It has excellent biodegradability in a wide
range of environments and has the unique characteristic
of biodegrading especially well in seawater. Already almost
four years ago, the OK Biodegradable MARINE certification
was issued to Green Planet TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium (then still
Vinçotte), an international certifying body headquartered in
Belgium.
By using Kaneka’s proven expandable plastic technology,
the company developed the Green Planet Molded Foam
Products, as a new use of its PHBH resins. It is the result
of the combination of technologies that Kaneka masters
particularly well. Kaneka announced to continue developing
materials for products such as containers for shipping
perishable foods for the fishing and farming industries,
fishing industry materials such as floats for culturing, and
cushions that are made of foam beads and shock-absorbing
materials for home electrical appliances and furniture.
Kaneka has declared its alignment with the
recommendations of the TCFD (Taskforce on Climaterelated
Financial Disclosures, as established by the
Financial Stability Board on the request of the G20).
Here, one particular area the company plans to tackle is
“Contributing to a Recycling-oriented Society”. Adoption
of Green Planet is progressing in various fields, including
straws and cosmetics packages. Kaneka will increasingly
broaden the usage of Green Planet PHBH as a material that
helps reduce the impact on the environment and provide
solutions to environmental issues. MT
www.kaneka.co.jp/en
PHBH foam
products
KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer
Green Planet Molded Foam
products adopted for fish boxes
Containers for storing and transporting fish boxes
(Green Planet particle foam products)
38 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
New 3D printing powder
for food industry
Materials
FABULOUS, an expert company in polymeric 3D
printing materials, brings innovation to a market now
focused on production. Fabulous is a French company
from Lyon. Recently they introduced BLUECARE, a mass
blue PA 11 based material for the powder-based additive
manufacturing (3D-printing) systems (LS, SLS, HSS, IRS).
It has been certified for Food Contact Application following
the European Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on
plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact
with food and alcohol.
Material requirements of the food industry
Additive Manufacturing is a production technology growing
in every market, changing from prototyping applications to
production. The food industry market (and others) follows
this trend and Bluecare comes to answer some of its needs:
1. Safety Blue Plastic Parts are used in different industrial
areas, as prevention in the food industry, due to their
visibility and identification in real-time production lines
(identification of foreign bodies or fragments of plastics in
food by visual or optical blue detection).
2. Final machinery parts certified for food contact: parts
made of plastic materials and in direct contact with food
must meet strict requirements in regard to the materials
used, especially when it comes to verifying that the contact
is not harmful from a physiological point of view. Blue
Care, through its certifications, meets the requirements
of international regulations for parts in contact with food.
Also, with Bluecare, component cleanliness is easier to
evaluate, as spores, mould, food, or detergent residue are
clearly visible.
Environmental benefits of Bluecare material :
In addition to safety blue colour needed for food line
production, Blue Care material got two main benefits for
sustainability :
More than ten European customers specialized in the
food industry are now using Bluecare. FDA certification is
currently in progress for USA/Canada market.
At https://tinyurl.com/fabulous-3D several videoclips
about Bluecare can be seen.
More powder innovations
Fabulous has become a key player in innovation in the
industrial 3D printing powders market. At the recent
Formnext world fair (November 2021, Frankfurt/M.,
Germany) two other materials were introduced:
• DETECT: Polymer metal composite, with magnetic
detection functionality and certifications for different
sectors.
• RED STOP: the equivalent of Bluecare but mass red, to
manufacture parts requiring safety visibility. MT
https://fabulous.com.co/en/
Info
See a video-clip at:
https://tinyurl.com/
fabulous-3D
• Biosourced polymer, compared to conventional fossilbased
polymers.
• Refresh rate is the highest possible for 3d printing
material: 50 % of the powder reusable
The first applications of Bluecare :
Partner customers already started producing parts using
Blue Care in January 2021: this is the case of the IDPRINT
3D printing service in Laiz, France: Bluecare powder was
used to design 30 cm wide modular food conveyor belts.
A success, according to Patrice Panchot, manager of
Idprint 3D, who believes that the material is perfectly
adapted to his needs: “Bluecare is the ideal material for
additive manufacturing of parts for food conveyors, avoiding
the manufacture of a mould that is too expensive for the
number of parts to be made.”
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 39
Processing
Extrusion lines
for natural fibre waste
Sustainability is now a key concept that affects all
economic sectors, first and foremost construction,
where attention is increasingly required when
dealing with innovative and eco-sustainable materials,
also for interior furnishings. In this respect, Bausano
(Rivaroio Canavese, Italy) leading international player in
the design and production of custom extrusion lines for the
transformation of plastic materials responds to the new
needs of the sector, enhancing its extrusion lines for plastic
waste (PVC, PE, or PP) and natural fibres, including wood
dust and substances of plant origin, such as rice husks,
coffee grounds, banana peels, seaweed, almond shells,
avocado kernels, cork, and other plant residues.
In detail, the market for composites obtained from
natural fibres is experiencing significant growth thanks to
the properties that make these materials unique in terms
of versatility, reliability, and environmental impact. In fact,
they are 100 % recyclable and can be transformed into a
new product at low cost. By virtue of their exceptional
performance characteristics, in terms of high resistance to
corrosion, atmospheric agents, UV rays, and impermeability,
they are ideal for cladding, furniture and indoor and outdoor
flooring, especially decking. Furthermore, thanks to their
increased lifespan, plant fibre-plastic composite materials
are also increasingly used in the automotive sector, for
the internal lining of door panels, dashboards, trunks and
for the production of particularly light components, which
contribute reducing the weight of vehicles.
Bausano’s extrusion technology has been perfected
to incorporate up to 100 phr of wood or natural fibre. The
specific counter-rotating twin-screw configuration makes
it possible to achieve an accurate mixing between melted
polymer and fibre, passing it through the die without the
need for a melting pump. Specifically, profiles can be
directly extruded from the raw material (direct extrusion)
or the material can be processed starting from the granule
(indirect extrusion). In direct extrusion, Bausano machines
ensure the processing of fibres with a moisture content
of up to 12 % at a speed three times higher with respect
to other solutions on the market. The granulation lines,
specifically designed to ensure maximum performance
at any production speed, also enable the use of recycling
materials and can be configured with premixing or
gravimetric dosing systems upstream. The granules
obtained can thus be transformed into a finished product
either through injection moulding or extrusion, with twin
or single screw. Lastly, the lines are distinguished by the
high degree of customisation, the wide range of modular
accessories and a special coating, on request, which
extends the useful lifespan of screws and cylinders up to
25,000 hours, before replacement is required.
Clemente Bausano, Vice President of the Company states
“The plant fibre-plastic composite materials are a valid
alternative in construction and architecture. In fact, they
are part of a circular economy perspective: for example, the
wood used is usually a product of waste from the furniture
industry that is recycled to be extruded again, thus reducing
deforestation”, and continues “Europe is currently the thirdlargest
market in the world for wood-plastic composites
and I believe that EU policies for the environment and
climate provide significant opportunities for the growth of
the sector, in particular through the “Renovation Wave”
strategy, an integral part of the Green Deal promoted by
Brussels.” And he concludes: “For Bausano, enhancing this
range of extruders is part of a broader programme, aimed at
pursuing the sustainable development goals drafted in the
United Nations 2030 Agenda. A path that sees us engaged
on three levels: social, environmental, and economic, acting
as the spokespeople for a virtuous change that also involves
our customers.”
Bausano also offers counter-rotating twin-screw
extrusion lined specially dedicated to the processing of
biodegradable polymers such as PVA. Bausano meets the
special requirements of such polymers thanks to its special
extrusion lines, of the MD Nextmover product family, for the
production of water-soluble bioplastic granules, which are
ideal for subsequent blown film extrusion. There are some
special aspects to be taken into consideration, including the
length of the barrel, which must allow the material to pass
through for the time strictly necessary. In fact, if it remains
there for too long, it will be subject to excessive stress.
The second aspect is temperature, as processing takes
place at much higher temperatures than with PVC, for
example. In addition, in order to obtain a granule without
impurities, the gel point must be determined with absolute
accuracy. bioplastics MAGAZINE will report about this in more
detail in one of the future issues. MT
www.bausano.com
40 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
PLA crystallization and drying
Now possible in just minutes instead of hours
Processing
A
particular challenge in processing PLA is
crystallization and drying. Because PLA is a
hygroscopic thermoplastic, it readily absorbs
moisture from the atmosphere. The presence of even small
amounts of moisture hydrolyzes the biopolymer in the melt
phase and reduces the molecular weight. As a result, the
mechanical properties of PLA decrease and the quality of
the final product is compromised. Therefore, PLA must be
thoroughly dried directly before melt-processing. In many
cases, recycled polymers must also be crystallized before
drying.
With its infrared rotary drum (IRD), KREYENBORG (Senden,
Germany) offers a fast, energy-saving and product-friendly
solution. Feed material is first introduced into the rotary
drum by a volumetric dosing system. High-level heat is then
quickly and directly introduced into the core of the material
by means of infrared light. With its special wavelength, the
infrared light penetrates the granules, thus the introduced
energy heats the material from the inside and drives the
moisture out through heat flow from the inside out. The air,
laden with moisture, is discharged by a constant flow of
air from within the drum. The air itself is not heated by the
infrared light, just by the heat coming from the granules.
This makes the process even more energy efficient.
A continuously moving spiral welded into the rotary
drum ensures a homogeneous mass-flow with a defined
residence time (first-in/first-out principle) (see picture).
The mixing elements integrated in the spirals, as well
as the rotation, ensure continuous mixing of the feed
material. In the process, the material at the surface is
constantly exchanged. These continuous rotary movements
prevent the product from blocking and clumping. With
these advantages, drying times of only 15 minutes can be
achieved.
In conventional hot-air dryers, the previously crystallized
PLA can be dried at only 65–90 °C (150-190 °F) using
dehumidified air. Here, higher drying temperatures could
lead to softening and blocking of the polymer in the dryer.
Typically, this results in drying times of between 2 and
8 hours, while lower drying temperatures result in even
longer drying times. The energy input necessary for these
conventional processes is sometimes considerable.
Generally, PLA must be dried to a moisture level of < 250
ppm and maintained at this level to minimize hydrolysis
during melt processing. Achieving and maintaining these
kinds of levels is not optional, but is an absolute necessity,
and is feasible using Kreyenborg’s infrared rotary drum. A
dry granule helps control relative viscosity (RV) loss, which
should be less than 0.1. Controlling RV loss is critical to
maintaining impact resistance, melt-viscosity, and other
important properties of the feedstock.
Kreyenborg invites customers who want to see the
performance of the machinery in action to participate in
pilot plant trials, which now can even be conducted online.
MT
https://www.kreyenborg.com
Kreyenborg crystallisation and drying principle
1
Feeding+material flow+temperature scheme
1 Dosing hopper
2
2
Drum with weldedhelix
3
3
Infraredmodule
4
4
Temperature measurement
9
Material outlet
9
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 41
Opinion
The new JRC’s
“Plastics LCA method”
already needs an update
Constance Ißbrücker, Head of Environmental Affairs at European Bioplastics e.V.
Erwin Vink, Sr. Sustainability Manager, NatureWorks LLC
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is basically the only tool
we currently have for making comparisons between
products from an environmental point of view. The
development of LCA tools started more than 30 years ago
but it seems that they are still far from perfect. In that time,
a wide range of different LCA methods and databases have
been created, all competing with each other. Do we really
need them all? Maybe we should have one globally accepted
methodology and database, but that probably will never
happen. Another serious shortcoming is that several very
critical environmental problems, like loss of biodiversity
and plastic pollution of our soil and oceans, are still not
incorporated in LCAs because the assessment methods
are not available yet. This means that LCAs still only
incorporate a part of the total environmental impact. For
some environmental impacts, such as climate change, one
would expect that the LCA tool would work very well, but
also here we see many different calculation procedures and
‘incomparable’ data sets. So, even for this most basic global
environmental impact, the tool comes with challenges. The
LCA community still has some significant challenges for
the years to come. So, at this point, it remains important to
be always very cautious and critical in judging LCAs and the
methodologies behind them.
In the EU Plastics Strategy, a vision was presented where
innovative materials and alternative feedstocks would
ultimately replace fossil resources. In this context, and
with the knowledge about the shortcomings of available
LCA methods, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) was tasked
in 2018 by the European Commission to develop a new
LCA methodology to evaluate the potential environmental
impacts of plastic products from different feedstocks. This
resulted in July 2021, in the publication of a 308-page LCA
methodology study called: ‘LCA of alternative feedstocks for
plastic products’ Part 1: the Plastics LCA methodology [1].
(In Part 2, ten LCA case studies will be published based on
this methodology.)
Over those three years, European Bioplastics (EUBP)
had had personal meetings with the JRC experts and
additionally provided numerous reports, reviews, and
comments. A significant amount of time was invested in
this effort for many reasons, one of them being that this
LCA methodology could become the basis to create policies
around biobased and biodegradable polymer products.
42 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
However, the resulting JRC “Plastics LCA method”, turned
out to be highly problematic and rather biased, making it
impossible to carry out complete and well-balanced LCA
comparisons between biobased and fossil-based plastics.
In its current form, the method strengthens the current
dominance of fossil-based plastics and often just neglects
the negative impacts of the extraction of fossil resources
on climate and environment. This is grossly at odds with
the EU’s commitment towards reducing the dependency
on fossil-carbon and becoming climate neutral. The
methodology also undermines many of the targets set out
in the EU Green Deal and Plastics Strategy. It is therefore
also not in line with the latest IPCC report saying we need
to stop using fossil resources.
However, the whole issue is not only about bioplastics.
European Bioplastics drafted a two-page Position Paper [2]
N.N.: EUBA position on the JRC LCA Methodology and got
the support of other European Biobased Industry Groups,
organized in the European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA).
This is important support since this is not only touching the
bioplastics industry but the whole EU bioeconomy industry.
Therefore, EUBP, together with the other members of the
European Bioeconomy Alliance, have recently called upon
the Commission not to make use of the methodology until it
has been re-opened and significantly revised and improved.
Herewith a summary of our findings to illustrate
the significant asymmetry and shortcomings of the
methodology.
Biogenic carbon sequestration
The methodology ignores the key advantage of biobased
products, which is the uptake of carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere, sequestering it into products, and so
preventing that carbon dioxide from contributing to climate
change. This is a key advantage over fossil-based plastics.
Biobased products replace fossil carbon in plastics and
reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. This fact should
be accounted for by being a mandatory part of a fair and
balanced assessment of environmental impacts. As an
example, the EU standard EN 16760 (“Biobased products –
Life cycle assessment”) provides guidance on how biogenic
carbon uptake should be accounted for in the assessment of
biobased plastics, but this calculation remains a voluntary,
meaningless option in the suggested methodology.
Comparing mature and immature production
systems
For fossil-based plastics, the raw material extraction,
production, conversion, logistics, and end-of-life options
have been optimized for the last 50–70 years, while
many biobased plastics are still in their early stage of
development. They are at the beginning of their maturity or
optimization curve.
The LCA methodology provides no real answer on how to
compare systems that have different levels of maturity. In a
meaningful assessment (LCA should inform about decisions
that shape the future) of biobased plastics, this potential
for further improvements should be incorporated. By not
acknowledging these differences, the LCA methodology
mainly supports the status-quo and ignores the potential of
innovation. That clearly can’t be the goal.
Data reporting requirements
In an area where the report really goes wrong are the
requirements on data reporting (this is the basic data that
goes into the life cycle inventory). It is not demanding for
the same requirements for data sets for biobased and
fossil-based feedstocks. For biobased production systems,
detailed company-specific data are required, while for
fossil-based systems, the industry average (black boxes)
data sets are still acceptable. It is still allowed to just exclude
emissions coming from accidents, spills, and oil fires. After
30 years of performing LCA studies, these practices need
to be stopped. For biobased plastics products, all kind
sof details are requested, which as such is totally correct,
about agricultural emissions, machinery use, heavy metals,
chemical use, resource types, production locations and
water consumption, while there is no or hardly any attention
paid to similar aspects for the fossil-based alternatives.
Incorporation of Land Use Change (LUC)
For biobased plastics, LUC shall be included, while for
fossil-based plastics, the methodology is much less strict.
This is not correct, including aspects should be consistent
for all types of materials. Even if the contributions seem
to be relatively small (which is often used as an excuse for
ignoring it), they should be included to increase awareness
and the fact that several relatively small contributions
can lead to a significant contribution. Further, continuous
improvement of agricultural practices, such as soil carbon
uptake by improved management, needs to be taken up in
the LCA calculations, instead of being parked at the side-line
under the header: ‘additional environmental information.’
Inconsistent inclusion of indirect effects
Negative indirect effects for biobased plastics, such as
Indirect Land Use Change(iLUC), are considered relevant
and recommended to be included, while the inclusion of
negative indirect effects of fossil-based plastics is explicitly
ruled out. A big omission is the lack of methodology to
include the direct and indirect effects of the leakage of
persistent plastics into our environment. On the other
hand, great importance is given in the LCA methodology
to the scientifically controversial issue of Indirect Land
Use Change (iLUC). It’s based on mere model calculations
that vary greatly due to the lack of standardized methods
– interestingly, unlike the calculation methods for biogenic
carbon uptake. Despite of the uncertainty, the assessment
of iLUC is considered important and mandatory in the LCA
methodology. Further iLUC contributions are often included
while no proof has been provided if it also takes place.
Requirements for providing proof
Also, with this aspect, the methodology is not consistent.
For positive indirect effects of biobased plastic products,
such as soil carbon storage by improved agricultural
management, proof is required, while no proof is required
for negative indirect effects of biobased materials, like iLUC.
Biodiversity impacts
In the JRC LCA method, the topic of biodiversity is
strongly linked to the agricultural production process of
biobased products. For fossil-based products, there is
much less attention for this topic, while there is a direct,
Opinion
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 43
Opinion
clear link via climate change between the emissions of
fossil carbon and the effects on biodiversity. The main
reasons for the decrease in biodiversity are overpopulation,
global warming, deforestation, and pollution. And according
to the latest IPCC report, Global warming is largely driven
by emissions from fossil resources (including incineration
of fossil plastics) and agriculture (dominated by livestock).
Reflecting end-of-life realities
All recycling options, including organic recycling, need
to be treated equally and correctly represent existing and
potential future waste infrastructure. To capture the real
value of industrial composting in comparison to other EOL
options, the LCA should be performed on waste stream
level, rather than on product level.
Normalization and weighting
In the JRC LCA method, weighting is a mandatory step.
As such this is already a debatable step since a lot of
information is condensed (and lost) into one number and
the number is also excluding all information that should
be reported under ‘additional environmental information,’
as suggested many times in the report. Setting weighting
factors can be a subjective process. The suggested factors
are from 2018, which makes it unclear how representative
they are for current reality and the years to come. Finally, it is
always unclear how EU weighting factors can be applied for
non-EU production systems. The set up of such significant
factors might need a regular revision by a dedicated team
of experts.
Feedstock supply data requirements
For biobased plastics, feedstock certification schemes
like RSB, ISCC PLUS, and Bonsucro are developed and
in use. They deal with a wide range of topics such as
biodiversity, emission reductions, carbon sequestration,
and exposure to harmful substances. Nothing similar is in
place for fossil-based feedstock. This aspect is completely
excluded from a methodology comparing and judging the
life cycles of biobased and fossil-based systems, of which
feedstock production is one of the most important steps, if
not the most important one.
Some final considerations
EUBP and EUBA consider the LCA methodology, as
presented by the JRC, not fit for the purpose of comparing
biobased with conventional fossil-based plastics. The
Commission should stop the wider dissemination or
application of this methodology and start a new review.
Otherwise, it will adversely affect EU progress in the field of
sustainable and renewable climate-neutral materials.
It is disappointing to see how unfit for purpose the final
LCA methodology turned out to be after three years of
extensive discourse and contributions of scientific expertise
by the biobased industries and related experts. There is
a choice whether we want to continue with business as
usual or whether we are serious about a transition to a
fossil-independent, biobased circular economy. Of course,
it would be desirable for the EU Commission to consider
reopening the JRC study in order to make the necessary
adaptations to replace fossil carbon in plastics. LCAs are
seen as an important and popular method to assess the
sustainability of products. But are they, really? In the light
of the JRC method’s shortcomings, we might need to start
a discussion on whether LCAs, as currently conducted,
really are the best tool to properly assess the benefits and
impacts of a biobased circular economy.
Finally, plastics are essential to modern life. There is a
choice to make as to whether humanity continues to obtain
the required carbon for plastics from underground deposits
of oil and gas, or whether a transition towards obtaining this
necessary carbon from the atmosphere is not just desirable
but essential. But, unfortunately, the JRC study is again
a mere comparative life cycle assessment between fossil
and biobased products, affected by the above-mentioned
weaknesses and without a vision for the future, since the
pivotal role of bioplastics in building a renewable carbonbased
economy is, de facto, ignored.
[1] Nessi, S. et.al.: LCA of alternative feedstocks for plastic products’ Part
1: the Plastics LCA methodology; https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
repository/bitstream/JRC125046/plastics_lca__method_final_online.pdf
[2] N.N.: EUBA position on the JRC LCA Methodology; https://docs.
european-ioplastics.org/publications/EUBA_Position_on_JRC_LCA_
Methodology.pdf
www.european-bioplastics.org | www.natureworksllc.com
Info
For a more in-depth analysis of the JRC LCA
methodology, please view the presentation by
Erwin Vink, NatureWorks: “A review of the JRC
report on LCA of alternative feedstocks for plastics
production”, held at the recent 16 th European
Bioplastics Conference 2021 in Berlin
See a video-clip at: https://tinyurl.com/EUBP-Vink
44 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Celebrating 85 years of
twist wrapping!
Applications
A lifetime of wrapping sweets, with an end of life
to help the future
End of last year, Futamura (Wigton, Cumbria, UK)
celebrated a significant milestone in the history of its
packaging films: 85 years of twist wrapping individual
sweets. The company’s Cellophane films were used
for the first automated twist wrap machines. In the early
days, they were often referred to as a ‘transparent paper’
as they were made from renewable wood pulp. Over the
years, the films became synonymous with confectionery
wraps, being established as the packaging of choice thanks
to their excellent technical performance on the packaging
machinery and aesthetic appeal.
With its inherent dead-fold properties, Cellophane was
the ideal choice for twist wrapping: the films ran extremely
well on packaging machines, static-free, wrapping at high
speeds with an incredibly low level of miswraps. They also
held their twist naturally, without the need for heat sealing
or adhesives. This meant that the wraps could be easily
opened, even by younger consumers – a must when you
wrap sweets!
In the last 20 years, acknowledging the growing demand
for environmentally responsible packaging, Futamura
launched NatureFlex films. This new generation of films
is the natural evolution of the original Cellophane: the
technical performance of Cellophane, renewable raw
materials sourced from sustainably managed plantations
and the additional benefit of more sustainable end-of-life
options. NatureFlex is certified for home composting by
TUV Home compost and meets European and international
norms for industrial composting including EN13432 and
ASTM D6400.
Compostability, the solution to the small format
flexible issue
Whilst we have all seen companies and authorities
making statements and committing to the path of
mechanical recycling, it is becoming increasingly apparent
that recycling will not be the solution for all applications.
The study ‘Breaking the plastic wave’ made it very clear that
there is no silver bullet: the industry must use all options
available to resolve the current packaging end of life issues.
Today, brands and waste management operators are
acknowledging that small format flexibles will be extremely
difficult to handle and recycle. Small format, traditional
twist wraps fall into this category: small by definition and
often scrunched up or torn, rendering them even smaller.
In this specific application, using a compostable film such
as NatureFlex enables a positive end of life: consumers can
simply place it in a home compost bin and the film will break
down within 6 to 8 weeks. As facilities develop, industrial
composting will also become an option, and this is certainly
already happening in some European countries such as Italy
and Ireland. Both options – home and industrial composting
– enable the production of soil-enriching compost. Finally,
in the unfortunate event that sweet wrappers were littered
(not something Futamura would ever condone), then
NatureFlex wrappers would certainly break down, with
a lower environmental impact than ones produced with
conventional plastics.
According to Futamura Sales & Marketing Director,
Andy Sweetman; “the combination of exceptional wrapping
performance coupled with an enhanced end of life solution
make NatureFlex the logical choice in small format flexible
applications such as twist wrap.”
High-performance packaging
When it comes to twist wrapping, NatureFlex films offer
a renewable and compostable alternative. They are most
effective on packing machinery. SACMI Chocolate Spa.,
a machine manufacturer that began in 1907, under the
earlier name of Carle & Montanari, has been producing
wrapping machines for sweets since 1957, regularly runs
NatureFlex on their machines. Valentina Bergami from
SACMI Chocolate Spa. sales and marketing department
said: “NatureFlex is a very reliable material, with all the
features a material needs to have when running on a
wrapping machine: elasticity to withstand the traction in
the unwinding process, where the film is unwound from its
reel and fed to the wrapping area. Rigidity, so the film can
be pushed through the feeding unit of our wrappers where it
is cut to length right on top of the product. And last, but not
least: elasticity to be twisted and memory effect so that the
twists are held and don’t re-open.”
Valentina Bergami added: “We have tested various
versions of NatureFlex with various looks, transparent or
metallised, and the material passed with very good results
through our trials. This is why we actively recommend it
to our clients seeking for new eco-friendly alternatives to
plastics.”
NatureFlex films are used to wrap many different brands
of sweets, from your family’s favourite colourful chocolates
to niche vegan brands. MT
https://www.natureflex.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 45
Application News
Eco-consciousness
comes to yoga mats
Yoloha (Charleston, South Caroline, USA) is a company
that sets out to make things better. In their pursuit of
quality yoga mats made from high levels of renewable
materials, they chose to work with HEXPOL TPE.
Seven years ago, Yoloha Founder Chris Willey sat
down in his garage, thought outside the box and made
a yoga mat out of the most sustainable materials he had
on hand. By combining cork with recycled rubber, Chris
created the world’s first cork yoga mat.
The mat was more than just an eco-friendly alternative
to the traditional yoga mat. It was naturally high
performing with impeccable grip and antimicrobial
properties. It was then and there that Yoloha Yoga was
born with the mission of bringing sustainable movement
to people all around the world.
To support Yoloha’s sustainability goals, Hexpol TPE
developed a customised material from the Dryflex Green
family of biobased thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). The
TPE has 55 % biobased content. It has a high melt strength
and drawability to easily produce foamed materials with
a uniform foam structure. Foaming brings lightweight
advantages and cushioning in applications such as mats,
protective clothing, and seating.
“I have worked with and tested most foams on the
market from Natural rubber, EVA, PU, etc., and I have
found TPE foam to be the perfect blend of support,
durability, and weight,” said Yoloha founder Chris Willey.
“With that in mind, I discovered Hexpol TPE with their
focus on sustainability. We quickly developed a great
relationship and worked together to develop a customised
material.”
The Dryflex Green family of biobased TPEs contain
raw materials from renewable resources, including
by-products from agriculture rich in carbohydrates,
especially saccharides such as grain, sugar beet, or
sugar cane. TPEs are available with amounts of biobased
content to over 90 % (ASTM D 6866) with hardnesses from
15 Shore A to 60 Shore D.
Kathrin Heilmann, technical sales for sustainable
TPE at Hexpol TPE GmbH added, “We’re proud to work
with Yoloha on this project. We aimed to achieve a high
biobased content while keeping mechanical performance
and processability. The material shows a good foamability
for mats and other extruded products.” MT
www.hexpolTPE.com
| www.yolohayoga.com
Industrial compostable
stretch film
Cortec Corporation (St. Paul, Minnesota, USA) just
received OK compost INDUSTRIAL certification of its Eco
Wrap ® stretch film from TÜV Austria.
Eco Wrap is the world’s first compostable industrialstrength
machine grade stretch film launched by the
company earlier last year. Considering Cortec’s longtime
focus on compostable films and green packaging materials,
this is a huge step forward. Eco Wrap users can benefit from
material/waste reduction in many ways. Most applications
requiring three wraps of standard film can use two wraps of
Eco Wrap without sacrificing strength or protection.
This green packaging solution may allow its users to
avoid tariffs, fines, and tip fees in areas where polyethylene
is prohibited or restricted. Eco Wrap is shelf and curb
stable and will retain its integrity until disposed of properly.
The latest formula of compostable Eco-Wrap uses a
tackifier additive to make an industrial-strength stretch
wrap that can be used on most standard automated stretch
wrap equipment. This is a breakthrough for the industrial
packaging and warehousing industries which rely heavily
on automated stretch wrapping to prepare pallets of goods
for storage, inventory, or shipment.
Eco Wrap can be used in numerous applications where
conventional stretch film is needed, such as:
• Agriculture bundling (e.g., hay bales and lumber)
• Corralling of goods for storage and shipment
• Pallet wrapping
• Luggage wrapping at airports
• Packaging construction materials
• Transporting furniture
Eco Wrap is extremely elastic and works on most existing
automated machines. The film is easily applied by adjusting
the tension. By opting for Eco Wrap, users can improve
their environmental image while getting the necessary
packaging job done. MT
www.ecocortec.hr/eng
46 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Suntory introduces
100 % plant-based PET bottle prototypes
Suntory Group, Tokyo, Japan, announced in early December that, as a crucial step toward its aim to use 100 % sustainable
PET bottles globally by 2030 and eliminate all petroleum-based virgin plastic from its global PET supply, the company has
successfully created a prototype PET bottle made from 100 % plant-based materials. The prototype has been produced for
the company’s iconic Orangina brand in Europe along with its best-selling bottled mineral water brand in Japan, Suntory
Tennensui. This announcement marks a breakthrough after a nearly decade-long partnership with the US-based sustainable
technology company Anellotech.
PET is produced using two raw materials, 70 % terephthalic acid (PTA) and 30 % mono ethylene glycol (MEG). Suntory’s
prototype plant-based bottle is made by combining Anellotech’s new technology, a plant-based paraxylene derived from wood
chips, which has been converted to plant-based PTA, and pre-existing plant-based MEG made from molasses which Suntory
has been using in its Suntory Tennensui brand in Japan since 2013.
“The competitive advantage of Anellotech’s Bio-TCat generated paraxylene is its
process efficiency (it uses a single-step thermal catalytic process by going directly
from biomass to aromatics (benzene, toluene, and xylene)), as well as the opportunity
it creates for a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as compared to its
identical fossil-derived paraxylene in the manufacture of PET, especially as it generates
required process energy from the biomass feedstock itself,” said David Sudolsky,
President and CEO of Anellotech.
This technology is one of the latest investments from Suntory in the company’s long
history of addressing the social and environmental impacts of containers and packaging.
In 1997, Suntory established its “Guidelines for the Environmental Design of Containers
and Packaging.” For plastic bottles specifically, it has used its 2R+B (Reduce/Recycle +
Bio) strategy to reduce the weight of containers, including labels and caps, and actively
introduce recycled or plant-based materials in its plastic bottles used globally. Most
significantly, it has created the lightest bottle cap, the thinnest bottle label, and the
lightest PET bottle produced in Japan to date. MT
www.suntory.com | www.anellotech.com
Application News
Sneakers made from fruit waste
Since the textile industry is the second most polluting in the world and intensive farming is a plague for the planet, Italian
sneaker brand ID.EIGHT now launched (first introduced via Kickstarter in 2020) sneakers made from the by-products of the
food industry. The company primarily use four materials drive from apples, grapes, seeds, and pineapples to manufacture the
upper part of the shoe.
Apple skin: In recent years, the amount of agro-food waste used to make sustainable products has increased from 0 to over
30 tonnes per month. A great resource is, for example, the cartamela (apple paper from dried, crushed, and pressed apple
peels)used for handkerchiefs and kitchen rolls, ID.EIGHT uses this material as a component to create the upper part of the
sneakers.
Pinatex, made with the waste leaves of pineapple growing in the
Philippines is also used as a component. The pineapple industry
produces about 40,000 tonnes of leaves every year, and since they are
considered a waste material, they are usually left to rot or burned.
Today it is possible to recover them to create a bio-material. With 480
leaves (16 pineapple plants) you can get 1 square meter of material.
The third component is Vegea, a material derived from the biopolymerization
of grape pomace in Italy. Over 7 million tonnes of
grape pomace are discarded every year by the wine industry. Thus,
grape scrapings, skins, and seeds (part of the pomace), are used in
the form of a durable, flexible material.
The upper sole, laces, and label are made from different recycled
materials. MT
www.id-eight.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 47
Application News
Scotch & Soda partners with Tipa
Scotch & Soda (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) is a fashion
brand that champions individuality, authenticity, and the power
of self-expression. Addressing sustainability is also at the core
of the brand’s approach, and begins, for them, with a focus on
materials.
In December 2021, Scotch & Soda announced
their partnership with TIPA (Hod HaSharon,
Merkaz, Israel), and in 2022, a minimum of one
million of Scotch & Soda’s garments will be
packed in TIPA ® bioplastic bags. For the Spring
and Summer 2022 collections, Tipa bags will
represent 21 % of the total product packaging
and will be used for high volume items, such
as T-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, sweaters and
shirts, throughout menswear, womenswear, and
kidswear.
Polybags made of polyethylene (PE) are a
low-volume flexible film commonly used in the
fashion industry, and were previously the best
option for product packaging. However, on average, 24 % of
global non-fibre plastic consumption is incinerated while 58 %
ends up in landfill and natural ecosystems, taking hundreds of
years to break down.
Photo Scotch & Soda
When Scotch & Soda looked towards alternatives,
they found there are now innovative materials like
Tipa bags that offer the same level of protection
but are less reliant on fossil fuels return to earth as
nutrient-rich soil at their end-of-life, as opposed to
landfill and incineration.
The integration of Tipa bags is part of Scotch
& Soda’s sustainability mission to contribute to
environmental protection. Through its partnership
with Tipa, Scotch & Soda hopes to inspire customers
to start composting and raise awareness about
the environmental impact of both the production
and end-of-life of conventional packaging. The
brand aims to step away from conventional plastic
polybags for all product categories by 2025. MT
www.tipa-corp.com | www.scotch-soda.com
Pepsico Europe to eliminate
fossil-based plastic in crisp and chip bags
Following the introduction of PepsiCo Positive, the company’s strategic end-to-end transformation with sustainability at the
centre, PepsiCo Europe (Geneva, Switzerland) recently announced that by 2030, it plans to eliminate virgin fossil-based plastic
in all its crisp and chip bags. This ambition will apply to brands including Walkers, Doritos, and Lay’s and will be delivered by
using 100 % recycled or renewable plastic in its packets.
Consumer trials of the packaging will begin in European markets in 2022, starting with renewable plastic in a Lay’s range
in France in the first half of the year. Later in the year, a range from the Walkers brand in the UK will trial recycled content.
The recycled content in the packs will be derived from previously used plastic and the renewable content will come from byproducts
of plants such as used cooking oil or waste from paper pulp. PepsiCo estimates it may achieve up to 40 % greenhouse
gas emissions reduction per tonne of packaging material by switching to virgin fossil-free material.
Silviu Popovici, Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Europe commented: “Flexible packaging recycling should be the norm
across Europe. We see a future where our bags will be free of virgin fossil-based plastic. They will be part of a thriving circular
economy where flexible packaging is valued and can be recycled as a new packet. We’re investing with our partners to build the
technological capacity to do that. We now need
an appropriate regulatory landscape in place
so that packaging never becomes waste.”
“Through collaboration and innovation, we
can progress to a viable circular economy for
our food packaging in Europe,” shared Archana
Jagannathan, Senior Director, Sustainable
Packaging, PepsiCo Europe. “Today, the
supply of recycled and renewable materials for
flexibles is limited. The regulatory environment
is very dynamic and we need more clarity on
policy and recognised technologies. If a policy
and waste infrastructure, similar to beverage
bottle packaging, accelerates for flexibles, we
will speed up our plans and go even faster to
meet our commitments.” MT
www.pepsico.com
48 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Recycled ocean plastic
for Ford Bronco
In early December
DSM Engineering
Materials (Emmen,
The Netherlands)
announced that Ford
Motor Company, HellermannTyton,
and
DSM earned an Innovation
Award from
the Society of Plastics
Engineers (SPE)
for the use of Akulon ® RePurposed recycled ocean plastic in
the Ford Bronco Sport. This application was also recognized
by Ford as the first of many potential uses for recycled ocean
plastics in a major vehicle platform.
Ford uses wiring harness clips made of ocean-harvested
plastic ghost gear in Bronco Sport models. Invisible to vehicle
occupants, the wiring harness clips fasten to the sides of the
Bronco Sport second-row seats and guide wires that power
various features in the vehicle’s cargo area. Ford testing
shows that the Akulon RePurposed material, despite having
spent time in saltwater and sunlight, is as strong and durable
as petroleum-based clips. MT
www.dsm.com/akulonrepurposed
PLA water bottle
UK based online retailer DrinkWell has spent the last 12
months developing the UK’s first biodegradable on-the-go
water bottle.
The Eco Bottle was launched in mid-January and is made
from PLA, derived from corn starch. “The great tasting water
comes from a natural spring in Hereford, United Kingdom,”
as Tom Bell, founder and Managing Director of DrinkWell
told bioplastics MAGAZINE.
The new biobased packaging requires 50 % less fossil
fuel for production, compared with fossil-based PET plastic
bottles, and releases 60 % fewer carbon emissions.
The bottle can be fully recycled, will completely compost
within 3–6 months or if incinerated in general waste will
burn completely toxic-free.
DrinkWell is wholesaling the
water directly to the on-trade,
off-trade, and cash & carry
market. It will also be working
with gyms and leisure facilities.
Despite a slightly higher
price, consumers were “willing
to pay more for a product that
is going to be better for the
planet,” Tom explained. MT
www.drinkwelluk.com
Application News
10-12 May – Cologne, Germany
The Answer to Your Hunt for Renewable Materials
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Second day:
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and Plastics
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Third day:
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• Biodegradation
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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 49
Basics
Biodegradation:
One concept, many nuances
Over the course of the 20 th century, we have become
adapted to plastics and production and consumption
have skyrocketed these past decades. Plastics have
many different properties, are lightweight, can easily be
formed into any shape and most importantly are extremely
durable. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to imagine a
world without plastics. As a small thought experiment, it is
interesting to imagine your room without plastics.
However, it has become clear that the durability of plastics
is also the biggest disadvantage. Unmanaged disposal of
plastic waste in the environment results in visual pollution
nowadays appearing in the news daily. As a consequence
of this pollution, the (micro)plastic accumulation in nature
over time increases.
Over the last few decades, this growing concern about
plastics has encouraged governments and international
governing bodies to implement legislation and directives
with specific requirements on the reduction, re-usage, and
(organic) recycling of plastic products. These legislative
matters together with increasing awareness amongst
consumers and producers emanated the appearance
of (bio)degradable plastics in the market. Nonetheless,
there is currently still a lot of confusion on the definition
of (bio)degradable plastics and their actual behaviour
in the environment. As misinformation might give rise to
greenwashing and incorrect expectations for these products,
causing more harm than good for the environment, clear
terminology and communication between all parties are of
utmost importance. Topics like bioplastics, biodegradability
& compostability will be rolled out in the paragraphs below.
Bioplastics… What’s in a name?
The question “What are bioplastics?” might be more
difficult than it seems. What comes to mind when you think
of bioplastics? Plastics derived from natural materials?
Plastics that can be biodegraded? Or are bioplastics both
of the above? (Fig. 1).
First of all, it is important to note that the nature of
the raw material is not directly connected to its potential
to biodegrade. Plastics of petrochemical origin can be
biodegradable while plastics from natural feedstocks – known
as biobased plastics – are not necessarily biodegradable.
Examples of biobased but non-biodegradable plastics
include bio-PE and bio-PET. Since these have an identical
chemical structure as their petro-based alternatives, these
are not biodegradable and should be managed in the same
way as conventional PET. Vice versa, not all petro-based
polymers are non-biodegradable. Examples like PBAT and
PCL can be biodegraded in compost.
The fact is that the term ‘bioplastics’ is not clearly
defined and can be misleading or confusing to customers.
Therefore, experts are tending towards using biobased
plastics or biodegradable plastics over the term bioplastics.
Complete biodegradability
Biodegradation can be defined as the biochemical
conversion of materials into natural substances like CO 2
and water (and CH 4
if biodegradation is anaerobic) through
the activity of micro-organisms (Fig. 2). It is important to
note that not all organic carbon is converted, as a small part
is assimilated as microbial biomass. To take this biomass
assimilation into account, biodegradation is considered
complete if 90 % conversion of organic carbon to CO 2
is
achieved. It is important to understand this may absolutely
not be seen as 10 % microplastics remaining.
Conversion to CO 2
is the only correct way to quantify
biodegradation. Parameters like visual disappearance of
material, molecular weight reduction, loss of technical
material characteristics are often wrongfully used to make
claims on biodegradation. However, these parameters
only prove biological activity but do not guarantee actual
biodegradation.
Biodegradation and the importance of the
environment
Biodegradation is caused by enzymatic, microbial, and/
or fungal activity. As microbial ecology varies from one
environment to another, it is important to understand that
biodegradability is highly dependent on the environment.
The claim of biodegradability should always be linked
to a specific environment. For instance, lignin-rich
materials (e.g., hardwood) may biodegrade relatively fast
in environments with fungi present like in soil or compost,
while these materials can persist for decades in water or
landfills. There are cases of perfectly conserved newspapers
(high lignin content) from the 1960s found in landfills today.
As another example, standard PLA requires a thermal
trigger (> 50 °C) before the biodegradation process can be
started. These high temperatures are achieved in industrial
composting facilities or anaerobic digesters operating
at high temperatures. However, when thrown in the
composting heap at home this material will not biodegrade
in the required time frame. As this can be very frustrating
for customers it is important for producers to clearly
indicate in which environment the product is biodegradable
and generic claims on biodegradability should not be made.
Composting plants are very diverse and may operate at
a higher or lower technology level, with different loading
rates, process durations, temperatures, etc. Also, our
planet offers a great variety in soils, fresh & marine waters.
Some soils may be extremely hot and dry, while other soils
can be wet and almost anaerobic. It would be impossible
and impractical to have different testing standards for
each possible environment. It is therefore important to
have reliable test methods that can be used to prove
biodegradability of materials in various environments. The
purpose of lab testing is to prove the inherent nature of the
material to biodegrade under a given set of environmental
conditions. It is also important that results are accurate and
50 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
By:
Bruno De Wilde, Managing Director,
Astrid Van Houtte and Tristan Houtteman
Marketing & Sales Engineers
OWS
Gent, Belgium
Basics
reproducible. Lab tests are per definition always optimized
but not accelerated, meaning that all parameters like
temperature, pH, nutrients, etc. are optimized except for the
parameter which is studied. For biodegradation, testing this
limiting parameter will be the carbon source. Furthermore,
a positive reference material (easily biodegradable e.g.,
cellulose) is also included and used to validate the test.
The recurring question often asked is whether materials
that pass testing at optimized test conditions will also
biodegrade in the actual environment. The answer is that
in reality, the same level of biodegradation will be obtained,
yet, the rate will depend on local conditions (temperature,
humidity, etc.).
Composting, so much more than biodegradation
A well-known managed end-of-life environment is
compost. Very often compostability is used interchangeably
with biodegradability. The fact is that compostability is
a much broader concept. One European standard with
requirements on biodegradability is EN 13432 (2000) on
industrial compostability of packaging, covering also
requirements for chemical characteristics, disintegration,
and ecotoxicity. All four requirements must be met before
a product can be considered compostable. Compostable
products will therefore be biodegradable under composting
conditions but not necessarily vice versa (Fig. 3).
During chemical characterization, concentrations
of heavy metal & fluorine are compared to pre-defined
limits. The goal of ecotoxicity testing is to check whether
degraded material, present in the produced compost,
does not exert any adverse effects on test species (plants
and/or earthworms). Biodegradation can be seen as
degradation on a biochemical level, while disintegration is
the physical breakdown or fragmentation of material into
smaller particles. In real-life composting, disintegration &
biodegradation are closely intertwined. To further illustrate
the difference between biodegradation & disintegration one
can take wood as an example. Wood is biodegradable, that
is a fact. However, not all wood is compostable. A small twig
will disintegrate almost directly, while a big tree trunk might
take several decades to disintegrate. Another example is
conventionally non-biodegradable plastics enriched with
additives which are said to improve degradation. These
additives can indeed enhance disintegration of polymers and
are used as a solution for the visual contamination of litter.
However, complete biodegradation is not really proven and
the residual microplastics may persist in the environment
for a very long time. Therefore, these additives are regarded
more as an out of sight, out of mind solution, rather than as
a sustainable solution to combat plastic pollution.
Uncontrolled environments
Not all plastics end up in managed end-of-life sites. Some
materials may unintentionally disperse in uncontrolled
environments like soil, waterways, or marine due to littering
AEROBIC BIODEGRADATION
Fig. 1: biobased plastics, biodegradable plastics
Microorganisms
+ O 2
Biochemistry
CO 2
H 2
O
Humus
Biomass
Fig. 2: “The circle of life”
Environmental
safety
Chemical
characteristics
(Heavy metals)
Ecotoxicity
(Effect on plants)
Fig. 3: All four requirements must be met
Organic matter
Degradation
Biodegradation
(Degradation on
a chemical level)
Disintegration
(Degradationon
a physicallevel)
Basic Photosynthesis
7
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 51
Basics
but also due to their functional use in these environments
(think about horticultural aids, fertilizer coatings, fishing
nets, etc.). Several specific test methods exist to assess
degradability of materials in these uncontrolled environments.
Recently, new test methods have been developed to assess
biodegradability in marine water habitats. The sea is a very
diverse environment with many different habitats, like the
open water, seawater/sediment interface, or the marine
sediment, and there is still a lot of research to be done here.
A standard specification with pass/fail criteria on
biodegradability of products intentionally used on and in
soil did not exist until 2018, at which point EN 17033 (2018)
for biodegradable mulch films was published. Aside from
biodegradability in soil, additional requirements linked to
heavy metals & toxicity are included.
Long-term biodegradation, an opportunity?
Certain products should biodegrade within a short
timeframe as these materials have a short functional life
(e.g., detergents) or as these materials often only spend a
limited time in the processing facility (e.g., food service ware)
like a composting plant or anaerobic digester. The main focus
of current certificates is also on these ready biodegradable
products.
However, ready biodegradability is not always the best
option since certain materials first need to fulfil their (long)
functional life in the environment before biodegrading. This
offers a whole new range of challenges and opportunities
for producers. Examples of such materials can be found
in horticulture. Mulch films should have good mechanical
properties over their operational lifetime (one or multiple
seasons) and the degradation process should only start when
mulch films are ploughed into the soil. Another example from
horticulture is slow-release fertilizers. These polymers should
continuously degrade over a long period of time to guarantee
continuous release of the fertilizer. Also in pisciculture, there
are materials that end up in the ocean and cannot be easily
retrieved. For these materials in situ biodegradation in soil/
water offers an added value.
Day-to-day products like textiles, shoe soles or car tires are
another source of unintentionally dispersed microplastics.
Although these products should not be marketed as
biodegradable, it would be beneficial if these materials
degrade over time and would be non-persistent. For these
types of materials, long-term biodegradation and thus nonpersistency
has an added value.
However, biodegradability should never be used as a license
to litter. Therefore, a distinction should be made between
biodegradability as an inherent product characteristic that can
be communicated on a business-to-business or a businessto-government
level and biodegradability as an end-of-life
option that can be communicated to the public. For example,
it is beneficial if cigarette filters are biodegradable, although
they should not be marketed as such as to not encourage
littering. In a lot of regions, it is therefore also prohibited to
market products as biodegradable.
In summary
If we want to tackle the plastics waste problem, a systemic
approach with regard to waste will be needed. Products
should be designed for reusability & recyclability, however,
for certain applications including highly contaminated waste
like food service ware and coffee capsules, this is not always
possible. In such cases, organic recycling (biodegradation)
is a good alternative. Clear communication between
legislators, producers, consumers, and waste operating
facilities is vital to ensure proper waste management.
Biodegradability is highly dependent on the environment
as it is linked to the activity of different types of microorganisms
present. It is important to select the
environment in which to test the biodegradability based
on the foreseen end-of-life of the product. Managed
end-of-life options include composting and anaerobic
digestion. Unmanaged end-of-life environments include
soil, fresh water, and marine water. Products leaking into
uncontrolled environments should not necessarily be ready
biodegradable, although non-persistency for these types of
products is all the more important.
About the authors
This article was written by Bruno De Wilde (Managing
Director of OWS), Astrid Van Houtte & Tristan Houtteman
(both Marketing & Sales Engineers at OWS). OWS is a
strictly independent testing laboratory and has over 30
years of experience in the field of biodegradability and
compostability testing, for which it is certified & accredited
to ISO 17025. OWS is the only laboratory worldwide that
is recognized by all certification bodies active in the field
of biodegradability and compostability: TÜV AUSTRIA
(Belgium), DIN CERTCO (Germany), BPI (US), JBPA (Japan)
and ABA (Australia). Furthermore, OWS is a (very) active
member of several normalization organizations such as
ISO (international), CEN (European) and ASTM (US) and
is the official Belgian delegate of several ISO and CEN
committees. For more information about OWS, you can visit
their website.
www.ows.be
52 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Automotive
10
Years ago
Published in
bioplastics MAGAZINE
Rubber from
dandelions
Could Taraxacum koksaghyz
be a future source of rubber
for the tyre industry?
Taraxacum koksaghyz
(photos: Christian Schulze Gronover)
Automotive
E
ven the rubber industry has felt the impact of a shortage
of raw material and so is seeking alternatives to the supply
of natural rubber from the Hevea brasiliensis tree.
This tree grows very slowly and needs about 20 years before
it yields its harvest. “Natural rubber is gaining in interest
because of the price of oil”, says Dirk Prüfer, professor and
head of department at the Institute for Plant Biochemistry
and Biotechnology at the Wilhelms University in Münster. The
amount produced today will hardly be enough to cover demand.
As an alternative dandelions are possibly a solution. During
World War II the Americans, Soviets and Germans were looking
at such alternatives. The idea of using dandelions as a natural
source of raw materials was initiated by the Soviets in the
early 1930s. When the Japanese occupied South-East Asia the
Russians and Americans started to look seriously at producing
a natural product from dandelions. On the occupation of the
region by the Americans the Germans were using the technology
Dandelion produces in its root, amongst other things, natural
rubber, and can be successfully grown in wide areas of Europe
which in other respects are not particularly fertile. If this were to
be done on a commercial scale then the numerous existing wild
species would have to be grown under agricultural conditions.
In particular it will be a case of increasing the yield.
A German group of six research partners have been working
since spring 2011 on the methodical basis of a cultivation
programme for Caucasian or Russian dandelion (Taraxacum
koksaghyz).
The project is being promoted by the German Federal Ministry
of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) via the
Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR).
The first step in the research programme is the adaptation
of existing biotechnical cultivation methods to dandelion
cultivation. Alongside this the researchers want to obtain
seeds in kilogram quantities. The Continental Tyre Company
(Continental Reifen AG), an industrial partner of the group, is
planning tests of the first natural rubber samples.
In terms of cultivation the researchers, unlike in other
European R&D projects on the same topic, are focussing on
two year old plants. They expect to obtain, among other things,
a higher potential yield in the second year. The disadvantage of
a 2-year cycle is that the cultivation takes longer because only
in the second year do the plants produce seed. For this reason
the scientists want to use methods such as special analysis
techniques to accelerate the process as much as possible.
In February of this year, a new project, supported by the
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
will be launched. The project partners are: Continental Reifen
Deutschland GmbH, Synthomer, Südzucker AG, Fraunhofer
IME & ICB, Aeskulap GmbH, University Stuttgart, Max-Plack-
Institute for Plant Breeding, Julius Kühn Institut, LipoFIT
Analytic GmbH. The goal is the sustainable development of
dandelion as an alternative source to replace natural rubber,
latex and inulin. Stay tuned - bioplastics MAGAZINE will keep you
updated on this project. MT
In January 2022,
Fred Eickmeyer,
Managing director and plant breeder
Eskusa, Parkstetten Germany
says:
Rubber made from dandelions, dismissed
as a crazy idea around 10 years
ago, is now the basis for the commercial
production of a first bicycle tyre - the Continental
Urban Taraxagum ® . To achieve
this, many innovations were made. First,
using molecular data on rubber biosynthesis,
high-rubber-yielding dandelion lines were established
through knowledge-based breeding
from wild varieties. In parallel, good agricultural
practices were developed for growing dandelions
in the field, from sowing to harvesting seeds
and roots. Field-cultivated plants formed the
basis for the development of an extraction process
that enables the environmentally
friendly extraction of natural rubber
from dandelion roots. Finally, the
process parameters were adapted
so that the new raw material found
its way into industrial bicycle production.
Subsequent tests showed
that the dandelion bicycle tyre performed
optimally in all categories.
And the story continues: currently,
all process steps are being scaled
up so that car tyres made of dandelion
rubber will also be found
on the roads in the future. Local
production of natural rubber with
dandelions will hopefully also
help to stop the further conversion
of unique tropical rainforests
into rubber tree monocultures
- which would be of great
importance for the preservation
of biodiversity and climate stability.
A core team of 5 partners
(Continental Reifen AG, Fraunhofer
IME, WWU Münster, JKI,
ESKUSA) still works with the
same enthusiasm on the development
of dandelion towards
a sustainable industrial
rubber plant. They are supported
by Continental and by
the German Federal Ministry
of Agriculture (BMEL) via the
Agency for Renewable Resources
(FNR).
https://tinyurl.com/dandelion-2011
1. Raw Materials
Suppliers Guide
AGRANA Starch
Bioplastics
Conrathstraße 7
A-3950 Gmuend, Austria
bioplastics.starch@agrana.com
www.agrana.com
Xinjiang Blue Ridge Tunhe
Polyester Co., Ltd.
No. 316, South Beijing Rd. Changji,
Xinjiang, 831100, P.R.China
Tel.: +86 994 22 90 90 9
Mob: +86 187 99 283 100
chenjianhui@lanshantunhe.com
www.lanshantunhe.com
PBAT & PBS resin supplier
Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd.
No.33 Kefeng Rd, Sc. City, Guangzhou
Hi-Tech Ind. Development Zone,
Guangdong, P.R. China. 510663
Tel: +86 (0)20 6622 1696
info@ecopond.com.cn
www.kingfa.com
BASF SE
Ludwigshafen, Germany
Tel: +49 621 60-99951
martin.bussmann@basf.com
www.ecovio.com
Mixcycling Srl
Via dell‘Innovazione, 2
36042 Breganze (VI), Italy
Phone: +39 04451911890
info@mixcycling.it
www.mixcycling.it
FKuR Kunststoff GmbH
Siemensring 79
D - 47 877 Willich
Tel. +49 2154 9251-0
Tel.: +49 2154 9251-51
sales@fkur.com
www.fkur.com
Simply contact:
Tel.: +49 2161 6884467
suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com
Stay permanently listed in the
Suppliers Guide with your company
logo and contact information.
For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you
can be listed among top suppliers in the
field of bioplastics.
Gianeco S.r.l.
Via Magenta 57 10128 Torino - Italy
Tel.+390119370420
info@gianeco.com
www.gianeco.com
Xiamen Changsu Industrial Co., Ltd
Tel +86-592-6899303
Mobile:+ 86 185 5920 1506
Email: andy@chang-su.com.cn
1.1 bio based monomers
1.2 compounds
GRAFE-Group
Waldecker Straße 21,
99444 Blankenhain, Germany
Tel. +49 36459 45 0
www.grafe.com
39 mm
For Example:
Polymedia Publisher GmbH
Dammer Str. 112
41066 Mönchengladbach
Germany
Tel. +49 2161 664864
Fax +49 2161 631045
info@bioplasticsmagazine.com
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
Sample Charge:
39mm x 6,00 €
= 234,00 € per entry/per issue
Sample Charge for one year:
6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 €
The entry in our Suppliers Guide is
bookable for one year (6 issues) and extends
automatically if it’s not cancelled
three month before expiry.
PTT MCC Biochem Co., Ltd.
info@pttmcc.com / www.pttmcc.com
Tel: +66(0) 2 140-3563
MCPP Germany GmbH
+49 (0) 211 520 54 662
Julian.Schmeling@mcpp-europe.com
MCPP France SAS
+33 (0)2 51 65 71 43
fabien.resweber@mcpp-europe.com
Microtec Srl
Via Po’, 53/55
30030, Mellaredo di Pianiga (VE),
Italy
Tel.: +39 041 5190621
Fax.: +39 041 5194765
info@microtecsrl.com
www.biocomp.it
Earth Renewable Technologies BR
Estr. Velha do Barigui 10511, Brazil
slink@earthrenewable.com
www.earthrenewable.com
Trinseo
1000 Chesterbrook Blvd. Suite 300
Berwyn, PA 19312
+1 855 8746736
www.trinseo.com
BIO-FED
Branch of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH
BioCampus Cologne
Nattermannallee 1
50829 Cologne, Germany
Tel.: +49 221 88 88 94-00
info@bio-fed.com
www.bio-fed.com
Green Dot Bioplastics
527 Commercial St Suite 310
Emporia, KS 66801
Tel.: +1 620-273-8919
info@greendotbioplastics.com
www.greendotbioplastics.com
Plásticos Compuestos S.A.
C/ Basters 15
08184 Palau Solità i Plegamans
Barcelona, Spain
Tel. +34 93 863 96 70
info@kompuestos.com
www.kompuestos.com
NUREL Engineering Polymers
Ctra. Barcelona, km 329
50016 Zaragoza, Spain
Tel: +34 976 465 579
inzea@samca.com
www.inzea-biopolymers.com
www.facebook.com
www.issuu.com
www.twitter.com
www.youtube.com
Tel: +86 351-8689356
Fax: +86 351-8689718
www.jinhuizhaolong.com
ecoworldsales@jinhuigroup.com
Global Biopolymers Co.,Ltd.
Bioplastics compounds
(PLA+starch;PLA+rubber)
194 Lardproa80 yak 14
Wangthonglang, Bangkok
Thailand 10310
info@globalbiopolymers.com
www.globalbiopolymers.com
Tel +66 81 9150446
a brand of
Helian Polymers BV
Bremweg 7
5951 DK Belfeld
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 77 398 09 09
sales@helianpolymers.com
https://pharadox.com
54 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Sukano AG
Chaltenbodenstraße 23
CH-8834 Schindellegi
Tel. +41 44 787 57 77
Fax +41 44 787 57 78
www.sukano.com
Biofibre GmbH
Member of Steinl Group
Sonnenring 35
D-84032 Altdorf
Fon: +49 (0)871 308-0
Fax: +49 (0)871 308-183
info@biofibre.de
www.biofibre.de
Natureplast – Biopolynov
11 rue François Arago
14123 IFS
Tel: +33 (0)2 31 83 50 87
www.natureplast.eu
TECNARO GmbH
Bustadt 40
D-74360 Ilsfeld. Germany
Tel: +49 (0)7062/97687-0
www.tecnaro.de
P O L i M E R
GEMA POLIMER A.S.
Ege Serbest Bolgesi, Koru Sk.,
No.12, Gaziemir, Izmir 35410,
Turkey
+90 (232) 251 5041
info@gemapolimer.com
http://www.gemabio.com
1.3 PLA
Total Corbion PLA bv
Stadhuisplein 70
4203 NS Gorinchem
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 183 695 695
Fax.: +31 183 695 604
www.total-corbion.com
pla@total-corbion.com
Zhejiang Hisun Biomaterials Co.,Ltd.
No.97 Waisha Rd, Jiaojiang District,
Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, China
Tel: +86-576-88827723
pla@hisunpharm.com
www.hisunplas.com
ECO-GEHR PLA-HI®
- Sheets 2 /3 /4 mm – 1 x 2 m -
GEHR GmbH
Mannheim / Germany
Tel: +49-621-8789-127
laudenklos@gehr.de
www.gehr.de
1.4 starch-based bioplastics
BIOTEC
Biologische Naturverpackungen
Werner-Heisenberg-Strasse 32
46446 Emmerich/Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 2822 – 92510
info@biotec.de
www.biotec.de
Plásticos Compuestos S.A.
C/ Basters 15
08184 Palau Solità i Plegamans
Barcelona, Spain
Tel. +34 93 863 96 70
info@kompuestos.com
www.kompuestos.com
UNITED BIOPOLYMERS S.A.
Parque Industrial e Empresarial
da Figueira da Foz
Praça das Oliveiras, Lote 126
3090-451 Figueira da Foz – Portugal
Phone: +351 233 403 420
info@unitedbiopolymers.com
www.unitedbiopolymers.com
1.5 PHA
Kaneka Belgium N.V.
Nijverheidsstraat 16
2260 Westerlo-Oevel, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)14 25 78 36
Fax: +32 (0)14 25 78 81
info.biopolymer@kaneka.be
TianAn Biopolymer
No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd,
Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800
Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2
Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0
enquiry@tianan-enmat.com
www.tianan-enmat.com
1.6 masterbatches
GRAFE-Group
Waldecker Straße 21,
99444 Blankenhain, Germany
Tel. +49 36459 45 0
www.grafe.com
Albrecht Dinkelaker
Polymer- and Product Development
Talstrasse 83
60437 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Tel.:+49 (0)69 76 89 39 10
info@polyfea2.de
www.caprowax-p.eu
Treffert GmbH & Co. KG
In der Weide 17
55411 Bingen am Rhein; Germany
+49 6721 403 0
www.treffert.eu
Treffert S.A.S.
Rue de la Jontière
57255 Sainte-Marie-aux-Chênes,
France
+33 3 87 31 84 84
www.treffert.fr
www.granula.eu
2. Additives/Secondary raw materials
GRAFE-Group
Waldecker Straße 21,
99444 Blankenhain, Germany
Tel. +49 36459 45 0
www.grafe.com
3. Semi finished products
3.1 Sheets
Customised Sheet Xtrusion
James Wattstraat 5
7442 DC Nijverdal
The Netherlands
+31 (548) 626 111
info@csx-nijverdal.nl
www.csx-nijverdal.nl
4. Bioplastics products
Bio4Pack GmbH
Marie-Curie-Straße 5
48529 Nordhorn, Germany
Tel. +49 (0)5921 818 37 00
info@bio4pack.com
www.bio4pack.com
Plant-based and Compostable PLA Cups and Lids
Great River Plastic Manufacturer
Company Limited
Tel.: +852 95880794
sam@shprema.com
https://eco-greatriver.com/
Minima Technology Co., Ltd.
Esmy Huang, Vice president
Yunlin, Taiwan(R.O.C)
Mobile: (886) 0-982 829988
Email: esmy@minima-tech.com
Website: www.minima.com
w OEM/ODM (B2B)
w Direct Supply Branding (B2C)
w Total Solution/Turnkey Project
Naturabiomat
AT: office@naturabiomat.at
DE: office@naturabiomat.de
NO: post@naturabiomat.no
FI: info@naturabiomat.fi
www.naturabiomat.com
Natur-Tec ® - Northern Technologies
4201 Woodland Road
Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA
Tel. +1 763.404.8700
Fax +1 763.225.6645
info@natur-tec.com
www.natur-tec.com
NOVAMONT S.p.A.
Via Fauser , 8
28100 Novara - ITALIA
Fax +39.0321.699.601
Tel. +39.0321.699.611
www.novamont.com
Suppliers Guide
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 55
6. Equipment
6.1 Machinery & Molds
10.2 Universities
Suppliers Guide
Buss AG
Hohenrainstrasse 10
4133 Pratteln / Switzerland
Tel.: +41 61 825 66 00
Fax: +41 61 825 68 58
info@busscorp.com
www.busscorp.com
6.2 Degradability Analyzer
MODA: Biodegradability Analyzer
SAIDA FDS INC.
143-10 Isshiki, Yaizu,
Shizuoka,Japan
Tel:+81-54-624-6155
Fax: +81-54-623-8623
info_fds@saidagroup.jp
www.saidagroup.jp/fds_en/
7. Plant engineering
EREMA Engineering Recycling
Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH
Unterfeldstrasse 3
4052 Ansfelden, AUSTRIA
Phone: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-0
Fax: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-23
erema@erema.at
www.erema.at
9. Services
Innovation Consulting Harald Kaeb
narocon
Dr. Harald Kaeb
Tel.: +49 30-28096930
kaeb@narocon.de
www.narocon.de
nova-Institut GmbH
Chemiepark Knapsack
Industriestrasse 300
50354 Huerth, Germany
Tel.: +49(0)2233-48-14 40
E-Mail: contact@nova-institut.de
www.biobased.eu
Bioplastics Consulting
Tel. +49 2161 664864
info@polymediaconsult.com
10. Institutions
10.1 Associations
BPI - The Biodegradable
Products Institute
331 West 57th Street, Suite 415
New York, NY 10019, USA
Tel. +1-888-274-5646
info@bpiworld.org
Institut für Kunststofftechnik
Universität Stuttgart
Böblinger Straße 70
70199 Stuttgart
Tel +49 711/685-62831
silvia.kliem@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de
www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de
Michigan State University
Dept. of Chem. Eng & Mat. Sc.
Professor Ramani Narayan
East Lansing MI 48824, USA
Tel. +1 517 719 7163
narayan@msu.edu
IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics
and Biocomposites
University of Applied Sciences
and Arts Hanover
Faculty II – Mechanical and
Bioprocess Engineering
Heisterbergallee 12
30453 Hannover, Germany
Tel.: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 22 69
Fax: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 99 - 22 69
lisa.mundzeck@hs-hannover.de
www.ifbb-hannover.de/
10.3 Other Institutions
Green Serendipity
Caroli Buitenhuis
IJburglaan 836
1087 EM Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 6-24216733
www.greenseredipity.nl
Osterfelder Str. 3
46047 Oberhausen
Tel.: +49 (0)208 8598 1227
thomas.wodke@umsicht.fhg.de
www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de
European Bioplastics e.V.
Marienstr. 19/20
10117 Berlin, Germany
Tel. +49 30 284 82 350
Fax +49 30 284 84 359
info@european-bioplastics.org
www.european-bioplastics.org
GO!PHA
Rick Passenier
Oudebrugsteeg 9
1012JN Amsterdam
The Netherlands
info@gopha.org
www.gopha.org
Our new
frame
colours
Bioplastics related topics,
i.e., all topics around
biobased and biodegradable
plastics, come in the familiar
green frame.
All topics related to
Advanced Recycling, such
as chemical recycling
or enzymatic degradation
of mixed waste into building
blocks for new plastics have
this turquoise coloured
frame.
When it comes to plastics
made of any kind of carbon
source associated with
Carbon Capture & Utilisation
we use this frame colour.
The familiar blue
frame stands for rather
administrative sections,
such as the table of
contents or the “Dear
readers” on page 3.
If a topic belongs to more
than one group, we use
crosshatched frames.
Ochre/green stands for
Carbon Capture &
Bioplastics, e. g., PHA made
from methane.
Articles covering Recycling
and Bioplastics ...
Recycling & Carbon Capture
We’re sure, you got it!
As you may have already noticed, we are expanding our scope of topics. With the main target in focus – getting away from fossil resources – we are strongly
supporting the idea of Renewable Carbon. So, in addition to our traditional bioplastics topics, about biobased and biodegradable plastics, we also started covering
topics from the fields of Carbon Capture and Utilisation as well as Advanced Recycling.
To better differentiate the different overarching topics in the magazine, we modified our layout.
56 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
Vol. 17
ISSN 1862-5258
Subscribe
now at
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the next six issues for €179.– 1)
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Event Calendar
You can meet us
International Conference on Cellulose Fibres 2022
02.02. - 03.02.2022 - Cologne, Germany
https://cellulose-fibres.eu/
Forum of Biobased & Biodegradable materials
09.03. - 10.02.2022 - Shenzhen, China
https://tinyurl.com/bio-shenzhen
bio!PAC 2021/22 (NEW DATE !)
by bioplastics MAGAZINE
15.03. - 16.03.2022 - Online
www.bio-pac.info
Conference on CO 2
-based Fuels and Chemicals
23.03. - 24.03.2022 - Cologne, Germany
http://co2-chemistry.eu/
PIAE – International professional congress for plastics
in cars
30.03. - 31.03.2022 - Mannheim, Germany
https://www.vdiconference.com/piae/
CHINAPLAS 2022
25.04. - 28.04.2022 - Shanghai, China
www.chinaplasonline.com/CPS22
Events
daily updated eventcalendar at
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
The Renewable Materials Conference
10.05. - 12.05.2022 - Cologne, Germany
https://renewable-materials.eu/
bioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 16
Bioplastics - CO 2 -based Plastics - Advanced Recycling
Highlights
Coating | 10
Films, Flexibles, Bags | 40
Basics
Cellulose based bioplastics | 50
Bioplastics - CO 2 -based Plastics - Advanced Recycling
bioplastics MAGAZINE
Cover Story
First straw bans
begin to topple | 7
2007
Highlights
Automotive | 18
Foam | 36
06 / 2021
Basics
Biodegradation | 50
ISSN 1862-5258 ... is read in 92 countries Nov/Dec
... is read in 92 countries
... is read in 92 countries
Jan/Feb 01 / 2022
7 th PLA World Congress
by bioplastics MAGAZINE
24.05. - 25.05.2022 -Munich, Germany
www.pla-world-congress.com
Interfoam 2022
15.06. - 17.06.2022 - Shanghai, China
www.interfoam.cn/en
Plastics for Cleaner Planet - Conference
26.06. - 28.06.2022 - New York City Area, USA
https://innoplastsolutions.com/conference
Bioplastix India
29.07. - 30.07.2022 - Bangalore, India
https://bioplastex.com/
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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 57
Companies in this issue
Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert
Adsale / Chinaplas 16 27
Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR) 53
Agrana Starch Bioplastics 54
Amsilk 28
Anellotech 47
Arkema 7,24
Avantium 6,14
Balstic Yacht 26
BASF 12,24,34 54
Bausano 40
Bcomp 30
Beijing Univ. Chem. Tech. 22
Bio4pack 14 55
Bio-Based Industry Joint Undertkaing 23
Bio-Fed Branch of Akro-Plastic 54
Biofibre 55
Biomitive 23
Biotec 4,14 55,59
BluePHA 6
BMEL 30,53
Bonsucro 44
BPI 56
Braskem 24
Buss 13,56
Caprowachs, Albrecht Dinkelaker 55
Cathay Biotech 16,18
ColorFABB 13
Continental 22,53
Cortec Corporation 46
Covestro 36
Crop Energies 30
Customized Sheet Extrusion 55
Danimer Scientific 8
Desserto 28
Dow 2,36
Dr. Heinz Gupta Verlag 35
DrinkWell 49
DSM 49
Earth Renewable Technologies 46
Earthfirst Films by Sidaplax 14
Eastman Chemical Company 24
Eoc-mobilier 36
Erema 56
Eskusa 53
European Bioplastics 5,8,10,11,14,42 56
European Commission 10
Evonik Industries 24
Fabulous 39
FAO 8
FKuR 14 2,54
Ford 30
Four Motors 30
Fraunhofer IME 53
Fraunhofer UMSICHT 56
Next issues
Issue
Month
Publ.
Date
edit/ad/
Deadline
02/2022 Mar/Apr 04.04.2022 04.03.2022 Thermoforming /
Rigid Packaging
Fraunhofer WKI 30
Futamura 45
Future Market Insights 24
Gehr 55
Gema Polimers 55
Genecis Bioindustries 6
Gianeco 54
Global Biopolymers 54
Go!PHA 56
Goodyear 22
Grafe 54,55
Granula 55
Great River Plastic Manuf. 55
Green Dot Bioplastics 54
Green Serendipity 14 56
Grupo Antolin 34
Gruppo Fabbri Vignola 12
H&S Anlagentechnik 36
Helian Polymers 6,13 54
Hellerman Tyton 49
Hexpol TPE 46
ICC Plus 44
IDPRINT 3D 39
Inst. F. Bioplastics & Biocomposites 56
Institut f. Kunststofftechnik, Stuttgart 56
JinHui ZhaoLong High Technology 54
JKI 53
Joint Research Centre JRC 10,42
Kaneka 38 55
Kingfa 54
Kinner 26
Kompuestos 54,55
Kreyenborg 41
Manthey racing 31
Mercedes-Benz 28
Michigan State University 56
Microtec 54
Minima Technology 55
Mitsubishi Chemical 24
Mixcycling 54
Mylo 28
NaKu 14
narocon InnovationConsulting 56
Naturabiomat 55
Natureplast-Biopolynov 55
NatureWorks 5,14,24,42
Natur-Tec 55
Neste 14
nova Institute 11,14 21,25,49,56
Novamont 14 55,6
Numi Organic Tea 14
Nurel 54
Orrison Chemicals Orgaform 36
OTIZ 22
Edit. Focus 1 Edit. Focus 2 Basics
Additives /
Masterbatch / Adh.
30/2022 May/Jun 07.06.2022 06.05.2022 Injection moulding Beauty &
Healthcare
04/2022 Jul/Aug 01.08.2022 01. Jul 22 Blow Moulding Polyurethanes/
Elastomers/Rubber
05/2022 Sep/Oct 04.10.2022 02.09.2022 Fiber / Textile /
Nonwoven
06/2022 Nov/Dec 05.12.2022 04.11.2022 Films/Flexibles/
Bags
Building &
Construction
Consumer
Electronics
OWS 14,5
Pepsoco Europe 48
plasticker 24
polymediaconsult 56
Porsche 30
PTT/MCC 54
PureGreen 14
Refork 13
Renault 30
Ricoh Europe 14
Rodenburg Biopolymers 14
Ronal 32
RSB 44
RWDC 14
SACMI Chocolate 45
Saida 56
Sappi Europe 20
Scotch & Soda 48
Shandong Chambroard 22
Shandong Linglong Tire 22
Solvay 5,24
Sukano 55
Sulapac 14
Suntory Group 47
Superfoodguru 14
Swan 26
Taghleef Industries 14
Tecnaro 55
Teco2il 30
The Vita Group 36
TianAn Biopolymer 55
Tipa 14,48
TNO 14
Total Corbion PLA 6,14,24 55
TotalEnergies Corbion 6,8
Treffert 55
Trillium Renewable Chemicals 5
Trinseo 54
TU Delft 14
TÜV Austria Belgium 38
UBQ 28
United Biopolymers 55
United Nations 8
Univ. Amsterdam 14
Univ. Stuttgart (IKT) 56
VDI 9
Volkswagen 30
Vyva Fabrics 28
Wolf Oil Corporation 30
WWF 7
WWK Münster 53
Xiamen Chagsu Industries 23,54
Xinjiang Blue Ridge Tunhe Polyester 54
Yoloha 46
Zeijiang Hisun Biomaterials 55
plastic or "no plastic" -
that's the question
Biocompatability of PHA
FDCA and PEF
Feedstocks, different
generations
Chemical recycling
Trade-Fair
Specials
Chinaplas Preview
Chinaplas Review
K'2022 Preview
K'2022 Review
Subject to changes
58 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17
SMART
SOLUTIONS
FOR
EVERYDAY
PRODUCTS
• Food contact grade
• Odourless
• Plasticizer free
• Home and industrial
compostable
100%
compostable
(according to EN 13432)
WWW.MATERBI.COM
as orange peel
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