bioplastics MAGAZINE 06-2010

ISSN 1862-5258

November/December

06 | 2010

Ingeo PLA Feedstock Recovery

Highlights Films - Flexibles - Bags | 20

Vol. 5

Consumer Electronics | 28

1 countries

Personality Frederic Scheer | 56 14 Review

bioplastics

magazine

... is read in 9

Basics Recycling | 48

FKuR plastics - made by nature!速 Engineered Sustainability

on i t c e l e s A fine tomized for cus tions solu

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH Siemensring 79 D - 47877 Willich Phone: +49 2154 92 51-0 Fax: +49 2154 92 51-51 sales@fkur.com

FKuR Plastics Corp.

921 W New Hope Drive | Building 605 Cedar Park, TX 78613 | USA Phone: +1 512 986 8478 Fax: +1 512 986 5346 sales.usa@fkur.com

www.fkur.com

Editorial

dear readers Wow, that was a show. About 220,000 plastics experts came to K’2010 in Düsseldorf, Germany between October 27 and November 3.

More than 70 exhibitors (out of 3,500) showed products and services around bioplastics. Among them bioplastics MAGAZINE with our booth in hall 7 and our three very well received Bioplastics Business Breakfasts. A review of the bioplastics exhibits on pages 10 - 15 will round off the comprehensive preview in issue 05/2010.

November/December

ISSN 1862-5258

Highlights in this issue are articles and news items around bioplastics in film/flexibles/bags – applications and bioplastics in consumer electronics. The latter once again shows, that bioplastics are going their way in durable applications.

In�e� ��A F�edsto�� Rec�����

And then there is the topic of ‘recycling’. Initially planned to be just one ‘Basics’ article, we now have this article on the basics of recycling and in addition a few more specialized articles on recycling and feedstock recovery, including the cover story.

The articles in the ‘Opinion’ section are meant to be’ food for thought’ and for further discussions. Please feel free to send us your point of view. We are always happy to publish ‘letters to the editor’ or articles with different ‘Opinions’.

Highlights

Vol. 5

Films - Flexibles - Bags | 20 Consumer Electronics | 28

MAGAZINE

... is read in 91 countries

Personality 14 Review

bioplastics

While this issue is being printed we will have the ceremony of giving the 5th Bioplastics Award to the winner during the 5th European Bioplastics Conference. We’d like to congratulate Econcore NV from Belgium, who received the award for the development of their PLA honeycomb sandwich structure. See details on page 9 and in our last issue.

06 | 2010

Frederic Scheer | 56 Basics Recycling | 48

We hope you enjoy the holiday season and of course reading this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE.

Yours Michael Thielen

New:

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

New:

Next Generation PLA Films 20 Recycling of Bioplastics

Chinese Compounder Enters Biodegradable Co-Polyester Market 23

Recycling

New Developments in PLA Packaging Films 24

How to Produce BOPLA Films 25

Opinion

Machinery for BoPLA from the USA 26 The End-of-Life of Bioplastics 52

Targets for Bio-Based Products 54

Re-Engineering the Paper Leaf Bag

36

The Coca-Cola PlantBottle

39 Recycling of Bioplastics Production Waste

PLA for Consumer Electronics 28

Personality

Bio-Based Polymer-Alloy for Consumer Electronics 30 Frederic Scheer

Eco Friendly Objects 32

Stay in Touch – Naturally 33

Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/bioplasticsmag

Novamont (Photo by Philipp Thielen)

From Feathers to Plastic – A Sustainable Alternative Disintegration of Packaging Materials

Cover Ad

Editorial News K-Review Application News Event Calendar Glossary Suppliers Guide

A large number of copies of this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE is wrapped in a compostable film manufactured and sponsored by FkUR Kunststoff GmbH

Consumer Electronics

Envelope

Films | Flexibles | Bags

Editorial contributions are always welcome.

Please contact the editorial office via mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com.

18

bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British spelling. However, in articles based on information from the USA, American spelling may also be used.

Recycle PLA Cups at U2-Concerts

The fact that product names may not be identified in our editorial as trade marks is not an indication that such names are not registered trade marks.

16

Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

Cover Story

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 91 countries.

9

bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on chlorine-free FSC certified paper.

Award

ISSN 1862-5258 bioplastics magazine is published 6 times a year.

This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues).

Capacity for PLA Feedstock Recovery to Expand Significantly

bioplastics magazine

“And the Winner is …”

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06|2010 Nov/Dec From Science & Research 44

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Applications

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News

Naturally Iowa Becomes Totally Green Naturally Iowa, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA recently announced that after acquiring Totally Green LLC earlier this year (a company that pioneered research and development of the ORCA Green™ Machine), they will now be known as Totally Green, Inc. A press release stated that by combining a fully compostable water bottle with the ORCA (Organic Refuse Conversion Alternative) Green Machine, Totally Green has created the world‘s first closed-loop composting system.

This system fully composts the PLA water bottles along with food waste, into a liquid effluent, called ‘compost tea’ within 48 hours in an ‘earth-friendly’, and cost-effective way.

In 2004, Naturally Iowa, Inc. started as the producer of the world‘s first Ingeo™ milk bottle and has now evolved into another first ... Green Bottle Spring Water and ORCA Green Machine. The combination of the two companies under the Totally Green, Inc. name underscores their new approach to the ever-growing world-wide challenge posed by food waste and oil-based plastic bottles in landfills. A wide range of businesses and other ‘closed loop sites’ shall now be able to utilize Totally Green, Inc.‘s compostable water bottles along with an on-site ORCA Green Machine method for composting the bottles and food waste, which eliminates the increasing environmental hazards of waste food storage on site, along with the release of methane gas in landfills, while reducing tipping and hauling fees.

“With Totally Green, Inc., we now have a company name that is more reflective of our entire business,“ said Rob Phillips, President of Totally Green. “Our new headquarters at Corporate Woods, (Tulsa) our factory, and expanded professional staff are extensions of our company‘s commitment to maintain our leadership in protecting our environment with our innovative product line.“ A wide variety of organizations nationwide are currently using Totally Green products in their daily operations including government agencies, public and private companies, and university campuses. This system is ideal for businesses with a controlled environment where the consumer is likely to purchase, use and dispose of the product in the same place such as restaurants, stadiums, hospitals, universities, theme parks, military bases, special events, and the hospitality industry.

Just recently Sodexo, Inc. re-opened a cafe at the US Department of the Interior where they offer Green Bottle Spring Water within the framework of a totally new approach focusing on fresh seasonal ingredients, local sourcing, and an integrated composting program. Mr. Jamie Mansy, Sodexo‘s General Manager of food service at the Department of the Interior, stated that, “Totally Green‘s concept for making its bottles available in environments where they can be composted after use fits our objectives of providing the convenience of bottled water while eliminating

the environmental impacts associated with petroleum-based bottles.“ He added that, “Initiatives like the switch to Totally Green‘s program is in collaboration with GSA and their greening initiative as part of new contract requirements, but it also represents an additional milestone along Sodexo‘s path to sustainability.“ William Horner, Totally Green‘s Founder, and CEO, stated, “We are convinced that our organization is poised to dramatically reduce the seventeen million barrels of oil that are used each year to produce the plastic water bottles sold in the United States.

By using a renewable resource to make water bottles, and then capturing those bottles after use in our new ORCA Green Machine, we offer our customers a ‘turn-key‘, ‘closed loop‘ system. Totally Green‘s seven years of pioneering the manufacture and use of (PLA) bottles has given us a leadership position in the ‘Green Initiative’ movement. Our recent name change from Naturally Iowa to Totally Green more accurately reflects what we offer our customers. The program at the Department of Interior offers further evidence that the company is playing a major role in the transformation of the bottled water industry.“ bioplastics MAGAZINE strives to publish a scientifically backed article about the performance of the ORCA Green Machine in one ofAnzeige_105x148_BIB:2011-hoch its next issues. MT 21.07.2010 12:41 Uhr

Seite 1

www.bio-based.de

2011

iBIB

International Business Directory for Innovative Bio-based Plastics and Composites

In spring 2011, iBIB2011, the first ever international directory of major suppliers of bio-based plastics and composites, will be published as a means of opening up a range of new customers to companies in the bio-materials sector.

The aim of iBIB2011 is to put industrial suppliers and customers in contact with each other. Two major characteristics of new markets such as bio-based plastics and composites are ‘insider knowledge’ and a lack of transparency, which prevent the sector from developing as quickly as it might. The iBIB2011 will help firms to find the best biobased solutions available worldwide. iBIB2011: 250 pages • 100 companies, associations, R&D • 20 countries Book your page(s) now at: www.bio-based.de

Contact: Dominik Vogt, Phone: +49 (0)2233 4814 – 49 dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de

Publisher

MAGAZINE Vol.Huerth 5 nova-Institut GmbH | Chemiepark Knapsack bioplastics | Industriestrasse 300 [06/10] | D-50354

News

Biodegradable Bag Made From CO2 Emissions Melbourne packaging technology company Cardia Bioplastics Limited has developed a world first biodegradable plastic bag created from a blend of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions and starch.

Chairman Pat Volpe said the company has successfully completed a first production run of the revolutionary carrier bags, known as CO2S™ – or, carbon dioxide plus a starch based renewable resource.

“This is the first time CO2 emissions have been transformed in this way, and the development has the potential to revolutionise the production of bioplastics around the globe,” he said.

Pollutant CO2 emissions are captured prior to being released into the atmosphere. This pollutant is then transformed into a polypropylene carbonate (PPC) polymer and blended with a renewable resource (starch), using the company’s new technology, to produce the Cardia Bioplastics CO2S resin. This product is then used to produce a completely biodegradable carrier bag.

“Our new patent pending blending technology used to manufacture CO2S compostable product will complement the existing Cardia Bioplastics portfolio.” Pat Volpe said.

“We are delighted to be at the cutting edge of green technology by developing a new generation of bioplastics films for carrier bags and other products that is able to transform a problematic waste pollutant into an environmentally friendly alternative product,” he said.

Cardia Bioplastics now plans to perfect the new CO2S technology by increasing the PPC content and the renewable resource component so that up to 60% less virgin oil will be used, when compared to currently marketed biodegradable oil based products.

Cardia Bioplastics will also aim to achieve international compostability accreditation standards for CO2S. Pat Volpe said manufacturing can easily be scaled up to meet commercial volumes with the aim to provide CO2S bags at prices below current compostable carrier bags.

“We are now ready to commercialise this innovative technology and are searching for a suitable international partner with oil or gas wells, or refineries producing CO2 emissions. We are getting close in our negotiations and the market will be informed when current discussions materialise into a support agreement,” he said. www.cardiabioplastics.com.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

FKUR and Synbra Cooperate FKUR (Willich, Germany) and Synbra (Etten-Leur,The Netherlands) realise the opportunities of the new PLA generation: GMO free and heat resistant. After first concluding highly promising development work FKUR has started systematic tests with Synbra’s second generation PLA produced from non-genetically modified carbohydrates. The PLA polymerization takes place in Synbra’s new plant in Etten-Leur with a capacity of 5000 t/a. The lactide feedstock is produced in Purac’s fermentation process.

The development partners expect a further strong market push since many brand-owners and retailers in Western Europe are keen to use GMO-free materials.

In addition, FKUR and Synbra are targeting at high temperature applications to date not accessible for bioplastics. By blending almost 100% pure PLLA with PDLA at high temperatures, a stereocomplex PLA (scPLA) can be formed with properties that excel the ones of the individual homopolymers. The melting temperature of the complex is around 220°C which is 50°C higher than that of conventional PLA. Consequently, FKUR in cooperation with Fraunhofer UMSICHT intends to develop a new generation of high performance bio compounds.

“FKUR Kunststoff GmbH has outstanding knowledge in modifying bio-based raw materials and developing unique PLA blends and we are pleased to supply FKUR as a launching customer with our sc-PLA grades” Jan Noordegraaf, Managing Director of Synbra, pointed out.

“Synbra’s GMO free resins pave the way to new markets and the technical capabilities of the stereo complex offer us incomparable opportunities to design high engineered bio-compounds.” Edmund Dolfen, Managing Director of FKUR Kunststoff GmbH, added.

MT

www.fkur.com www.synbra.com

News

Awards for High-Performance Bioplastics And Biocomposites In August of this year, Solegear Bioplastics, Vancouver, Canada, as chosen by Frost & Sullivan as the recipient of the 2010 North American New Product Innovation Award in the field of Bioplastics. This award recognizes the talents of Solegear’s R&D team, as well as the Company’s R&D partners: the University of British Columbia and the National Research Council of Canada.

More recently, Solegear was proud to be awarded the BC Hydro Sustainability Prize for new companies, the BC Innovation Council’s Economic Impact Prize and the 2nd place winner in one of North America’s largest new venture competitions: The New Ventures BC Competition. Just a few days before printing this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE, it was announced that Solegear has again been recognized for its innovative leadership with the 2010 CYBF (Canadian Youth Business Foundation) Best Green Business award.

Founded in 2006 the company has developed and is commercializing a suite of high-performance bioplastics and biocomposites intended for long-life and durable injection moulding applications. Having launched Polysole® and Traverse® resins in the summer of 2010, the Company is now engaged in supplying these materials to customers across a variety of industries, including toys, health and wellness, construction, and automotive.

Polysole is a 100% natural, non-toxic, biodegradable plastic, based off of the PLA platform. With properties of relatively low molecular weight, high impact strength and excellent elongation, this award-winning material is biodegradable at the end of its useful life. Polysole is a uniquely safer, more efficient and more sustainable high-performance bioplastic than petroleum-based incumbents.

Traverse is a highly customizable natural fiber reenforced biocomposite. It can blend up to 60% natural fiber content with recycled or prime petroleum-based plastics.

The fibers come from waste streams of traditional forestry and agricultural processes and include wood fiber, rice husk fiber, flax fiber and hemp fiber. Combining traditional performance with renewable technology, Traverse is a cost-effective, customizable and renewable biocomposite solution.

The Company has developed unique formulations for these materials, based on Green Chemistry Principles.

Polysole and Traverse are produced by Solegear using a proprietary production method that produces a pellet with unprecedented batch-to-batch quality and consistency. MT www.solegear.ca

Pictures: Gala, nova-Institut

www.biowerkstoff-kongress.de

4th International Congress on Bio-based Plastics and Composites & Industrial Biotechnology 4. Biowerkstoff-Kongress 2011 March 15th – 16th 2011, Maternushaus, Cologne, Germany Book now: www.biowerkstoff-kongress.de The conference will present the newest developments, investments and product placements from the leading countries in the European Union: France, Benelux and Germany, rounded off by highlights from Asia and America.

Following speakers have already confirmed: Francesca Aulenta (BASF) n Wolfgang Baltus (National Innovation Agency, Thailand) n Marcel van Berkel (DSM) n Harald Häger (Evonik) n Christophe Luguel (IAR) n Hans van der Pol (Purac) n Jan Ravenstijn (TU Eindhoven, NL) The entire value chain of bio-based plastics and composites will be presented, from Industrial Biotechnology to recent market successes.

All presentations are translated simultaneously into the English or German.

For the fourth year running an Innovation Award will be awarded to the young, innovative bio-based industry. The competition seeks to encourage the development of new bio-based materials, along with suitable applications and markets for bio-based products.

Contact Lena Scholz: Programme, Innovation award, Press, Sponsor Phone: +49 (0) 22 33 4814 – 48 lena.scholz@nova-institut.de Sponsor Innovation prize

Dominik Vogt: Exhibition, Partner, Media partner Phone: +49 (0) 22 33 4814 – 49 Fax: +49 (0) 22 33 4814 – 50 dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de Sponsor

Organiser

market leader for twin screw extrusion systems

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5 nova-Institut GmbH | Chemiepark Knapsack | Industriestrasse 300 | D-50354 Huerth

News

Improved Eco Credentials for PLA The manufacture of NatureWorks’ Ingeo™ PLA emits fewer greenhouse gasses (GHGs) than the comparable manufacture of every other common petrochemical-based plastic, according to a peer-reviewed article published in the August 2010 edition of Industrial Biotechnology.

The article, “The eco-profile for current Ingeo polylactide production,” was peer reviewed and approved for publication in Industrial Biotechnology by an independent panel of experts.

The article documents the energy and GHG inputs and outputs of Ingeo production, including planting, harvesting, fermenting plant sugars, and resin production. The complete article can be downloaded from www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/201006.

Plants absorb CO2 as they grow and that offsets and lowers the overall GHG emissions from NatureWorks’ PLA production by 61%. The green bar in the “Gross GHG Emissions” chart shows the amount of CO2 absorbed by plants. The blue bars indicate the total CO2 emitted during various stages of plant growth through polymer production. The green bar represents the 61 % overall offset.

The CO2 absorbed by the growing plant not only reduces GHG emissions, but also directly replaces the fossil resources that are required as the building block for today’s petro-based polymers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Biopreferred Program and the European Union’s Lead Market Initiative are both designed to promote biobased products. The data on lowering carbon footprint presented in the article shows why these programs are important in terms of stimulating the use of biobased material over non-renewable material.

“Using renewable performance materials in lowering carbon footprints is why brand owners and retailers are becoming increasingly interested in using materials such as Ingeo biopolymer,” said Marc Verbruggen, president and chief executive officer, NatureWorks. “It is one of the principal reasons Ingeo sales are climbing at a double-digit rate, and

Polystyrene

1.50 1.00 0.50

Gross GHG emissions [CO2 eq/kg Ingeo]

0.00 -0.50 -1.00 -1.50 -2.00

Corn

Dextrose

Lactic acid

Polymer

GWP(100 year): gross emissions

0.37

0.36

1.53

0.92

GWP(100 year): net harnassed

-1.94

0.00

0.00

0.00

why NatureWorks is planning on building a second production facility to meet the growing demand for Ingeo.”

Ingeo is the NatureWorks brand name and the company emphasizes that: “The data provided in this report is only valid for Ingeo (polylactides produced by NatureWorks in Blair, Nebraska, USA) and not for polylactide production in general. The life cycle inventory data for polylactides that might be produced elsewhere will be different due to different raw materials (sugar or starch source) and raw material production practices, different technologies for processing these raw materials, different fermentation and polymerization technology, and different background data for electricity/fuel mixes used.”

Since the NatureWorks Ingeo facility in Nebraska began production in 2002, technology improvements there have further lowered energy consumption and GHG emissions. The following charts compare the energy consumption and the GHG emissions of Ingeo and common petrochemical plastics on an equal-weight basis in the cradle-to-factory stage of their life cycle. MT www.natureworksllc.com

87

3.4

PET (amorphous)

3.2

Polypropylene

80

1.9

Ingeo 2009 current technology

73

42

1.3

0

1

2 Greenhouse gas emissions (Kg CO2 eq./kg polymer]

2.00

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

3

0

20

40

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Non Renewable Energy Use (MJ/kg polymer]

80

100

Award

T

he 5th Bioplastics Award, now jointly presented by bioplastics MAGAZINE and European Plastics News was awarded to the winner of the year 2010 during the 5th European Bioplastics Conference in Düsseldorf, Germany on December 1st, 2010.

After having received in excess of 20 submissions for the Bioplastics Award 2010 the judging panel had filtered out the five most promising proposals. bioplastics MAGAZINE and European Plastics News published details about these five shortlisted proposals.

And the winner is …

Econcore – PLA Honeycomb Sandwich Structure EconCore NV from Leuven, Belgium optimized the production technology to produce PLA based hexagonal honeycomb cores using a continuous production process. Only moments after the core is produced skin layers are added in a second step of the continuous production process. These skins can be made from unfilled PLA material to make a mono material panel or, in case a higher performance is required, could be replaced with consolidated flax in a PLA matrix.

Key advantages:  Made from renewable, biobased polymers  Increased performance at reduced weight  Reduced production cost versus traditional panels and materials  Excellent strength and stiffness

“And the Winner is …”

 Good impact resistance The PLA honeycomb sandwich structure is 100% renewable, minimizes the use of PLA and is hence also price competitive with (much heavier) products made from traditional plastics.

Bioplastics MAGAZINE and European Plastics News express their most cordial congratulations. www.econcore.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

K‘2010 Review

Show Review

A

t K’2010, with 222,000 visitors the world’s biggest trade fair for plastics and rubber, held in Düsseldorf every three years, the bioplastics industry strengthened its presence from October 27 to November 03. In our K-show preview we already presented a large number of the bioplastics related products and services. This review will round off our report.

Renewably-Sourced TPE for Airbag Systems Joint development work between Takata-Petri of Aschaffenburg, Germany, and DuPont has resulted in the launch of a new grade of DuPont™ Hytrel® RS, the industry’s first renewably-sourced thermoplastic elastomer for use in airbag systems. Replicating the technical properties of the standard grade of Hytrel® used for such applications, including consistent physical properties over a wide range of temperatures, the material contains a minimum of 35 % renewable content by weight, derived from non-food biomass, thereby addressing auto manufacturers’ needs for sustainable solutions.

The newly-developed grade of Hytrel RS for airbag systems constitutes one of the latest technological advances in the area of renewably-sourced, high performance polymers. It is based on a thermoplastic ether-ester elastomer (TPC-ET) with hard segments of polybutylene terephthalate and soft segments that contain a polyether derived from non-food biomass. In its finished, compounded form, as used in airbag systems, its renewablysourced content is at least 35 % by weight. www.dupont.com

Innovative Range of Plant-Based Plastics The international Roquette group, world leader in starch and starch-based derivatives, has joined the plastics market and launched GAÏALENE®, a new range of plant-based plastics for converters and compounders. GAÏAHUB® is one of Roquette’s major innovation programmes and since 2007 they have been grafting natural polymers to create thermoplastic plant resins.

“Gaïalene‘s manufacturing process is based on 75 years of expertise in starch transformation and the synthesis of its derivatives; it is also supported by a fruitful partnership with SETUP PERFORMANCE, a polymer expert,“ says Jean-Bernard Leleu, Deputy CEO of Roquette. Gaïalene has around a dozen patents that protect Roquette‘s technological innovations.

“Our Gaïalene resins contain over 50% plant based materials and are completely new. They are not the result of mixing or compounding; they are the product of genuine hemisynthesis which gives them their original properties,“ Jean-Bernard Leleu continues.

The new plastics from Roquette are plant-based alternatives with an excellent cost/effectiveness. Gaïalene is targeting sustainable applications using common polyolefins, ABS, or more technical polymers. The Gaïalene range is different from other plant-based plastics because of its very specific characteristics such as shock resistance, softness, and easy colouring and compounding (mineral fibres, plant fibres, etc.). These qualities open new horizons in traditional plastics applications like packaging (bottles, film wrap, etc.), household appliances, automobile industry, interior design and more. Gaïalene resins can be easily formed and converted at a lower temperature (about 170°C) than traditional plastics using existing industry processes: injection moulding, blown film, extrusion blow molding, etc. It is also recyclable and complies with REACH. www.roquette.com

10

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 6

K‘2010 Review

High Performance Castor Oil-Based Polyamides Belgium-based Solvay announced its partnership with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical (MGC) on the development of high performance castor oil-based polyamides. The material is expected to be among the highest temperature bio-based polyamides in the industry with a heat deflection temperature of approximately 270°C for glass-filled compounds, according to Solvay.

Green Propylene Industrial Unit Announced During K’2010 Braskem, the largest thermoplastic resin producer in the Americas announced the conclusion of the conceptual phase of the project to build a green propylene plant. In 2011, work will be concluded on the basic engineering studies and, once final approval is obtained, the project‘s installation will begin, with operational startup expected in the second half of 2013.

The plant should require investment of around US$100 million and have minimum green propylene production capacity of 30 kt/year.

Solvay and MGC are currently working together to develop an optimized manufacturing process for the new polymer. MGC said it has filed numerous patents to cover its extensive development work in resin composition, production, and applications.

The multi-year development project will examine market viability, commercial scale-up, and capital planning.

Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics, in turn, launched its own biobased resin called RenyŽSRH0101 (tentative name) at K’2010, a high heat-resistance polyamide for injection molding materials that was newly created by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical. Mitsubishi said they plan to expand the resin in various grades. (Source: Doris de Guzman / icis.com/blogs) www.solvay.com

ECO - SMART ECO - CERTIFIED ECOWORKS ÂŽ RESIN

To produce green polypropylene, Braskem will adopt technology that has already been proven on an industrial scale and use as an input sugarcane ethanol, which is recognized as the world‘s best renewable energy source. The green polypropylene will have the same technical, processability and performance properties as polypropylene made using traditional production routes.

• CERTIFIED COMPOSTABLE PER ASTM D6400

The preliminary eco-efficiency study has shown very favorable results, given the benefits from the environmental advantages of green ethylene. The study was conducted in partnership with Fundação Espaço Eco and was based on conceptual engineering data.

Each ton of green polypropylene produced captures and sequesters 2.3 t of CO2.

• RENEWABLE CONTENT (5-70%) • CONTAINS NO POLYETHYLENE

www.braskem.com

info@CortecVCI.com 1-800-4-CORTEC St. Paul, MN 55110 USA

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11

3/22/10 10:38:24 AM

K‘2010 Review

Bayer MaterialScience has developed a unique concept for a “green shoe” that uses a whole host of sustainable materials and technologies. These include renewable polyurethane feedstocks, raw materials for solvent-free coatings and adhesives, and a polycarbonate blend and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) based on renewable resources. Up to 90 % of all components in the ‘Ecotrekker’ concept shoe can be given eco-friendly properties by using the company’s products.

“Footwear manufacturers, end consumers least, the environment can all benefit equally development,” explains Dr. John Zhang, head MaterialScience’s Global Footwear Competence Shanghai, where the concept was developed.

and, not from this of Bayer Center in

www.syral.com

‘Green Shoe‘ Concept

A Novel Protein-Based Flexible and Elastic Biomaterial

In microcellular polyurethane elastomer systems for outer soles and midsoles alone, the proportion of renewable raw materials is as high as 70 %. This high value puts Bayer MaterialScience as a raw material supplier for shoe soles into the number one spot in the industry, as does a proportion of up to 40 % of renewable materials in the polycarbonate blend used and also the products and technologies developed inhouse for solvent- and plasticizer-free textile coatings and adhesive raw materials. Using these coatings and adhesives alone would cut global emissions of organic solvents by approximately 150,000 metric tons.

MERIPLAST® is a novel bioplastics from the French company Syral. It is entirely made from raw materials derived from agriculture and is fully biodegradable. The material has specific flexibility and elasticity properties, which makes it unique amongst the biodegradable and renewable materials currently available. Meriplast is fully bio-based, it is both renewable and biodegradable.

The shoe cap used in this prototype of a safety shoe and made from a PC+PLA blend from the Makroblend® range is not only lighter than the conventional steel cap. With its high proportion of biobased raw materials, this material with modified impact resistance is also more environmentally friendly and remains recyclable.

Meriplast can be processed on standard rubber processing machinery (injection moulding, calandering).

Desmopan® thermoplastic polyurethane products based on a high proportion of renewable raw materials have been used for the concept shoes’ heel counter, shoelace eyelets and, not least, the manufacturer’s logo on the sole. Due to its outstanding mechanical properties, the highly abrasion- and wear-resistant bio-based TPU can of course also be used for traditional TPU shoe components such as outsoles or decorative upper parts.

www.bayermaterialscience.com www.simplefactorygroup.com.

The targeted applications of Meriplast are moulded objects for interior such as toys, leather imitation for office products (covers),design articles, pieces of furniture. Applications are still in the development phase.

Different grades that vary in extensibility and tensile strength can be produced. The material‘s natural colour is light brown but it can be coloured into a wide variety of tints.

Bio Masterbatches Brazilian masterbatch and additive supplier Cromex from Sao Paulo, specialist in development and formulation of concentrates, presented a new line of white, black, color and functional additives masterbatches based on biopolymers made from 100% renewable source such as PLA obtained from corn starch, green polyethylene and sugar cane ethanol that provide less environmental impact and reducing CO2 emissions with carbon footprint.

Biomasterbatches provide easy application associated with color consistency in several focused on sustainability as a value for environment, working in the present for a better future.

The company said the additives enable the bioplastics to serve markets such as automotive, toys, cosmetics and personal care packaging, among others. www.cromex.com.br

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TODAY OUR CHEMISTS COMPOSE TOMORROW’S MATERIALS. To meet the challenges of the 21st century, more than 50% of Arkema’s research budget is dedicated to developing sustainable solutions for renewable energy, water management, composite materials and biopolymers.

Arkema, a global chemical company and France’s leading chemicals producer. www.arkema.com

K‘2010 Review

Green ABS Green ABS from IRPC Public Company Limited from Bangkok, Thailand is an innovation of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) resin as a result of discovery and research to replace synthetic rubber (butadiene) with natural rubber in the ABS manufacturing process. Keeping in mind that today only the butadiene component (~16%) can be made from renewable resources, this approach by IRPC is a good step into the right direction.

IRPC is a pioneer who started to produce ABS with natural rubber. The technique has been developed and tested by IRPC Research and Development division. Currently only 25% of the butadiene component can be made from natural rubber from the rubber tree (ficus elastica) representing a total of 4% renewable content in the ABS. However, as Sumeth Wetabgyamart, Division Manager of IPRC told bioplastics MAGAZINE at K’2010, the engineers are working on a green ABS with 100% biobased butadiene.

Currently IPRC offer three grades of green ABS, NRG320, NRG820 and NRP 120 with 4% natural rubber (NR). The grades NRG340, NRG840 and NRP140 with 8% NR are under development. www.iprc.co.th

Olfactive Neutrality

A World of Solutions

The French company BIOSPHERE showed their BIOPLAST generation of bioplastic resins. Products made with Bioplast resins are 100% biodegradable and compostable according the EN 13432.

Rhodia Engineering Plastics reinforced its pledge to champion sustainable development with the launch at K’2010 of more ground-breaking innovations in materials, processing technology and advanced services.

The German branch Biotec GmbH achieves a production capacity of 30,000 tons of Bioplast. These resins are manufactured using renewable resources (potato starch, poly lactic acid, etc). The stake purchased by the French SPHERE group in the Feculerie Haussimont starch plant (Champagne Ardenne) gives Biosphere the wherewithal to produce materials of the highest quality.

After processing by plastics manufacturers, the potato starch at the base of some of the grades of Bioplast resins assures the olfactive neutrality that is essential for food packaging applications (film, trays, jars. ..). Bioplast resins are the first ever plasticizerfree bioplastics, making it possible to obtain more homogeneous products and avoid problems of sediment and water vapour emission during conversion.

Bioplast materials are converted like traditional plastic. Plastics converters have no structural investment to make. they simply adapt conversion parameters to Bioplast. Last but not least. Bioplast products can be coloured with biodegradable masterbatches, be printed with water-based inks, and marked with the ‘OK COMPOST’ and DIN Certco ‘Compostable’ label after registration. www.biosphere.eu

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Featured under the banner ‘A World of Solutions’, its pioneering advances, reflect Rhodia’s commitment to sustainability through preservation of non-renewable resources and reducing the environmental impact of its product portfolio. Listed for the third consecutive year in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World) as one of the topperforming chemical companies worldwide in the area of social and environmental responsibility, Rhodia considers sustainable development as a source of innovation and a key part of its growth strategy.

In the months leading up to K’2010, Rhodia presented several important innovations in line with this, including bio-sourced polyamide Technyl® eXten, 4earth™ recycling solutions, ‘Fuel’In by Technyl®’ for fuel contact applications, and Technyl® Super Impact for metal replacement. www.rhodia.com

K‘2010 Review

Compostable Biopolymer for Film Applications Kafrit Industries Ltd, form Negev, Israel presented (among other products) its Ecomp new product line of compostable biopolymer solutions. Ecomp 120 for film applications fulfills the accepted standards EN13432, ASTM D6400-04 and the Japanese green PLA Standard for compostable and biodegradable polymers. Thus it has the OK Compost environmental logo for films between 15- 106 micron.

The compound, a result of two years of research,is a combination of PLA and modified polyester with the addition of antioxidants and process additives. The unique combination results in a compound that processes easily on conventional film extrusion equipment with only minor changes to process parameters, namely reduced temperature and controlled screw speed. Films of 15µm up to 120µm may be produced and show good weldability, excellent mechanical properties and good printability. www.kafrit.co.il

Liquid Wood and Cellulose ALBIS from Hamburg, Germany not only presented the Arboform, Arbofill and Arboblend products of German supplier Tecnaro but also their own product CELLIDOR®. This organic thermoplastic cellulose ester is produced by Albis and consists of approximately 45 % cellulose, a renewable natural material.

This means that, unlike traditional plastics, it is only partially dependent on finite fossil fuel resources. On the one hand Cellidor has a conservation effect in the production phase, whilst on the other its cellulose content makes it climateneutral once recycled.

Not least, because of its outstanding property profile, Cellidor can already look back on over 100 years of market success: it combines the classic strengths of a thermoplastic with the advantages of a bio-plastic. These include the characteristics of a pleasant and warm surface, the self-polishing effect as well as the almost unlimited range of possible colours. In addition to opaque colours that have a high brilliance and depth, translucent and highly transparent colours are also easy to manufacture.

Cellidor is available in form of cellulose propionate (CP) wich can be formulated in heat stabilized grades or customized e.g. with marble or metallic effect. The other variant is a cellulose actetate butyrate available also formulations resistant to UV light and waterproof for outdoor use. www.albis.com

Bio-PET In early October Nagoya City, Japan based Toyota Tsusho Corporation announced that they were planning to establish the first global bio-PET integrated supply chain including, procurement of bio-ethanol, production of bio-mono ethylene glycol, tolling business of PET, and marketing of bio-PET. At K’2010 Toyota Tsusho announced that it is sourcing its sugarcane-based ethanol to produce ethylene for the use of monoethylene glycol from Brazilian oil and energy company Petrobras. The company is expected to supply 43,000 m³/a of ethanol for 10 years, which is estimated to be worth $820 million.

In her blog at www/icis.com/blogs Doris de Guzman mentioned that she was able to get information from New Jersey, USA-based Petron Scientech, who is supplying the bio-ethylene and bio-MEG processing technology for Toyota Tsusho‘s bio-PET business in Taiwan. Toyota Tsusho‘s bio-MEG plant will be built by US-based Chemtex, which has the exclusive rights to build the plants using Petron‘s technologies. Petron said they have similar projects going on in China for a Chinese domestic company. www.toyota-tsusho.com

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Cover-Story

Capacity for PLA Feedstock Recovery to Expand Significantly

B

y January 2011, Belgium-based lactic acid producer Galactic will have quadrupled the capacity of its LOOPLA feedstock recovery process (also referred to as chemical recycling) from 500 tonnes to 2,000 tonnes annually. Not just capacity will change at the world’s largest PLA feedstock recovery plant; the capabilities of the processes there will expand as well.

“Since the LOOPLA feedstock recovery process was launched a little more than 18 months ago, we’ve been processing material that was nearly 100% pure PLA back into the component monomer lactic acid,” said Steve Dejonghe, project manager for PLA recycling, Galactic.

“The new processes coming on line this December and January are far more extensive. For example, we expect to be able to begin assessing the recovery of lactic acid from semi-durable bioplastics applications. In these products where blends and additives are used, it’s no longer required that the PLA content be 100%.”

Dejonghe said that ongoing research into bioplastic applications result in more complex PLA formulations that may not be compostable. Chemical recycling of PLA at the Galactic plant will be more robust to contaminants such as dirt, pigments, additives, or even other polymers.

Consequently, both post-industrial waste such as production trims and post-consumer waste such as packaging and fibers are ideal candidates for LOOPLA feedstock recovery.

Dejonghe noted that perceptions of bioplastic have changed. When bioplastics were first introduced, their primary advantage was thought to be biodegradability.

Now the emphasis on renewable resources and smaller carbon footprint has spurred the introduction of semidurable products that contain bioplastics. (See article on semi-durable products in this issue.) Biodegradability is only one of many properties that brand owners potentially look for in bioplastics.

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Cover-Story

Post-use PLA, such as Huhtamaki Ingeo™ cold cups used at rock concerts, festivals, and sporting events (see article next page) and event carpeting, such as Sommer Needlepunch’s Ingeo carpet used during the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, are hauled to the Galactic plant and reduced by depolymerization to the monomer lactic acid. The lactic acid is then used for industrial applications such as solvents for paints although manufacturing it back into PLA bioplastic is expected to be a large outlet longer term. PLA to PLA recovery and reuse, Dejonghe said, will make sense when a higher volume of input exists.

“We want producers and users of PLA-based products to know that there is a channel open to them for recycling PLA through feedstock recovery,” Dejonghe said. ”And conversely, organizations should be aware there is a source of recovered lactic acid.” MT www.lactic.com

Our Lab-Girl Judith is impressed by the possibilities that feedstock recycling of PLA offer. “Recycling is a good thing, but recycling back into the building blocks - that’s super”

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Cover-Story

A

t rock concerts, festivals, and sporting events in the Netherlands, events management firm Loc 7000 has a deal for visitors. If they collect ten Ingeo™ PLA bioplastic ‘Smart’ cups they will get a free beer or soft drink. The Smart cups and free drink offer are important elements of Loc 7000’s sustainability initiative.

Loc 7000 provides general management, catering, and tokens services for event organizers. (Tokens are used at some Loc 7000 managed events rather than money at concession stands.) Several years ago, a governmental agency proposed that events firms begin using hard plastic reusable cups rather than paper or plastic in order to reduce waste.

“Reducing waste is the right thing to do, but hard plastic cups posed a number of problems,” says Maarten van Lokven, manager of projects and events at Loc 7000. “The cups were expensive.

Reusing the cups, even after washing them, opened the door to potential health problems. Hard plastic cups posed safety risks most notably from people tripping, falling, or rowdies throwing them.”

Recycle PLA Cups at U2-Concerts

Loc 7000 began investigating the use of PLA cups, specifically Ingeo cups being manufactured by Huhtamaki. Working with Huhtamaki and the Grolsch Brewery, Loc 7000 helped to design the 0.25 liter Smart cup. The cup is easily labeled with the logos of event sponsors, something that simply could not be done with the hard plastics cups. Most importantly, the cups did not have to be sent to landfills. There are several end-of-life options for PLA. The most appealing of these for relatively clean beer or soft drink cups was the LOOPLA process by Galactic in nearby Belgium. LOOPLA is a feedstock recovery process in which PLA-based items are reduced to the monomer lactic acid through hydrolysis and reused in a host of ways. (See articles on previous page and in bM 05/2009).

Loc 7000 wanted to do more than put Smart cups into the hands of its guests; the firm wanted to ensure that the cups had a high probability of being collected for the LOOPLA process. So Loc 7000 implemented the policy that any one who collects ten of the Smart cups receives tokens for the purchase of beer or soft drink of their choice. Special collection stations are set up around the venue. Van Lokven says that Loc 7000 collects between 70 and 80% of the cups distributed at each event. With 6 million cups a year used at its managed events, the amount of collected material is substantial.

“We believe you have to give people a reason to recycle and while there is a cost to collecting the cups the advantages are worth it in terms of less waste and a cleaner venue,” van Lokven said. Loc 7000 is now investigating a similar system for Ingeo food service ware items such as plates, utensils, and trays. With more than 40 individual items the complexity is greater, but van Lokven believes those problems are not insurmountable. Based on the success Loc 7000 is having, event goers should drink up and recycle — it’s the Smart thing to do. MT

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www.loc7000.nl You can watch a videoclip about a beerfestival and LOOPLA PLA recycling at www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/201006a

Films | Flexibles | Bags

Next Generation PLA Films Article contributed by Dr. Kurt Stark Segment Manager R&D Technical Markets & Specialty Packaging Huhtamaki Forchheim, Germany

Figure 1: Comparison of the Young’s modulus of Huhtamaki’s Bio films (coloured) to orientated PLA films and common blown PLA films on the market (left side), and also to common oil based PE and PP films (right side). 1: md direction, 2: td direction, 50 µm

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H

uhtamaki Films, manufacturer and converter of films from Forchheim, Germany, recently presented new developments and the next generation of Bio films based on Polylactic acid (PLA) at the Fachpack in Nuremberg and at the Bioplastics Business Breakfast during K’2010 in Düsseldorf.

Huhtamaki Films has already worked on Bio films for almost twenty years. After Bio films based on thermoplastic starch (TPS), Huhtamaki Films began, about six years ago, intensive research on films based on Polylactic acid (PLA).

Huhtamaki Films thereby succeeded in producing new proprietary blown and also cast PLA films based on Ingeo™

by NatureWorks.

Tailor-made Bio Films These highly transparent and glossy films exhibit an excellent wide range of properties.

The mechanical behaviour, especially the flexibility, can be altered and adjusted to customers‘ requirements. Furthermore, for blown PLA films, the elongation at break is increased to more than 150 % in both directions of the film. The tear resistance has also been enhanced by a factor of 3 to 4 compared with conventional PLA films. A major benefit is the improvement of impact resistance, which is very important for processing these films on common (packaging) machines. Huhtamaki’s biodegradable PLA films have run, up to now, on every common thermoforming or packaging machine. About 25 successful tests have been made on different machines. The brittleness has been overcome by incorporating biodegradable additives.

Huhtamaki’s flexible PLA films can be cut very easily, without splintering off.

Figure 1 shows the comparison of the Young’s modulus of Huhtamaki’s Bio films (********coloured) to oriented PLA films and common blown PLA films on the market (left side), and also to common oil based PE and PP films (right side).

The Young’s modulus in N/mm² (=MPa) is a measure for the stiffness of a film, the higher the value, the stiffer (and more noisy and less flexible) the film. As can be seen from the plot, the Young’s modulus of Huhtamaki’s BioWare PLA films is similar to the values of a PP film, whereas Huhtamaki’s BioWare TPS films (e.g. Quality 33800) have a Young’s modulus being comparable to a PE film. So, having a Young’s modulus starting from about 1400 N/mm2 and ending at about 3200 N/mm2, the new BioWare PLA films can be designed in a wide range from soft to very stiff and therefore modified to customers requirements. This opens the door for further applications and markets where Huhtamaki’s PLA based Bio films can be used to advantage, because the modifcations lead to much better properties for the films.

düsseldorf, Germany 12 – 18 May 2011

Next generation Bio Films In addition to this, Huhtamaki’s BioWare PLA films can be equipped with further functions. When used as packaging films for food or non-food articles an excellent sealing behaviour and tight sealing for a closed package is required. This is offered by BioWare PLA films, even at lower sealing temperatures between 100-120°C. In many cases, consumers want packages to be easy to open when pulling off a lidding film. To meet this demand, Huhtamaki Films has developed BioWare PLA films that have excellent peel properties. The PLA films are especially suitable for food packaging because of their minimized migration.

The blown PLA films have excellent deadfold/twist properties for applications where the film is wrapped around a product that is being packed.

BioWare films can also be printed, without any problems, on common printing machines. Huhtamaki Films has machines to print up to 8 colours. The colours used are non-toxic, harmless and according to DIN EN 13432. Pre-treatment of the film is recommended, but not always necessary for PLA films because of the high surface tension above 40 mN/m.

How do we know tHat you will be successful in May 2011?

From experience. solutions ahead! www.interpack.com

PLA films are also very suitable for lamination, e.g. film against film or film against paper.

Without any modification, Huhtamaki’s PLA films have a high transmission rate to both water vapour and oxygen.

With Q. 75446 Huhtamaki Films introduced a PLA film with distinctive antistatic properties.

Biodegradable, highly transparent PLA blown films from Huhtamaki Forchheim are available in thicknesses

Figure 4: Siliconized BioWare PLA film: Adhesive Tape

Messe Düsseldorf GmbH Postfach 10 10 06 40001 Düsseldorf Germany Tel. +49 (0)2 11/45 60-01 Fax +49 (0)2 11/45 60-6 68 www.messe-duesseldorf.de

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Films | Flexibles | Bags

from 20-120 µm in widths up to 1500 mm. Most films are certified by DIN CERTCO according DIN EN 13432.

These examples show some of the opportunities BioWare films offer. In cases where the original properties of films, made of renewable biomaterials, may not be sufficient, Huhtamaki Films uses its long experience and know-how to develop films with improved properties, so that these films then meet the demands of the intended application.

Figure 2: Embossed BioWare PLA film

Next generation BioWare films from Huhtamaki Films reflect not only the on-going improvements to meet current demands, but also the development and introduction of new and innovative high quality films and converted products.

Figure 2 shows for example an embossed BioWare PLA film. Such a film can be used for decorative applications or because of its property of having a high coefficent of friction.

In Figure 3 a metallized BioWare PLA film is seen. Such a film is for example perfect for wrapping precious goods.

Figure 4 shows a picture of a siliconized BioWare PLA film.

While one side of the PLA film is siliconized, the other side has been coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive. When this film is rolled up, the sticky adhesive side meets the siliconized side, that itself has excellent release properties.

The sticky side can easily be separated from the siliconized side, and so the BioWare film can be used as a tape.

Challenges and Outlook Some challenges on Bio films, especially on PLA based films, still remain. Most important is the improvement of the thermal stability of PLA films. These films are only stable up to temperatures of around 60°C. For use in food packaging, Bio films need to offer a barrier to oxygen, and of course be not too expensive. Huhtamaki Films is already engaged in ongoing research on these topics and the remaining challenges will not stop the ‘Bio Train’ on its irresistible way into the future.

Additionally, the range of bio based and/or compostable raw materials is steadily growing.

Figure 3: Metallized BioWare PLA film

Up to the end of 2010, the state-of-the-art for Bio films has advanced enormously within a short period, and it continues to move forward strongly. The importance of films made of renewable or biodegradable/compostable raw materials is increasing. Several big companies have already committed to replace, in the near future, a significant percentage of their packaging materials with ‘green alternatives’. Developments on Bio films are now at such a state-of-the-art that possibly all Bio Food could be packed in Bio Packaging. This would indicate a tremendous market potential and an overdue breakthrough for Bio films. Huhtamaki Films in Forchheim is both convinced that this trend will come, and is prepared for it. http://www2.huhtamaki.com/web/films/biodegradable-films

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Films | Flexibles | Bags

Chinese Compounder

Enters Biodegradable Co-Polyester Market

W

ith an annual compounding capacity of 1,200,000 tonnes the Chinese company KINGFA Science & Technology Co., Ltd. can be considered the world’s largest modified plastics manufacturer. Among other products Kingfa provides partially recycled resins and bioplastics.

In the field of bioplastics Kingfa has established a range of fully biodegradable compounds and bio-based plastics under the product range Ecopond. In particular the blown film grade FLEX-262 sees big demand (not only) in the European market. FLEX-262 is a compound of a petroleum based yet fully bio-degradable and compostable (EN 123432, ASTM 6400) aliphatic and aromatic Co-Polyester (PBAT poly butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and biobased and compostable PLA. This combination makes it very suitable for the manufacture of thin gauge biodegradable waste bags as well as for shopping bags of all kind. Other typical applications are bags on rolls as used in supermarkets, bags for organically grown potatoes and carrots or agricultural mulch films. Another interesting maket are disposable, single-use gloves preventing direct contact with fresh food.

Ecopond biodegradable plastics have successfully reached the world’s leading plastic converters. Based on the strong technical background, perfect quality control and global sales, marketing and distribution network Kingfa has decided to further expand the Ecopond range and applications. The next products planned to be launched early 2011 comprise other blown film grades for applications such as collation shrink films, courier bags, air bubble wrap and air cushion films, deep freeze packaging and bags for baby diaper packaging.

For strategic reasons Kingfa is presently building another new manufacturing plant at Zhuhai City (510,000 square meters) to substantially increase the annual production capacity for Ecopond. At this site Kingfa will also commence the production of the key ingredient of FLEX-262: the biodegradable Co-Polyester.

Kingfa’s commitment to the European market can easily be recognized by the participation to the European Bioplastics Conference, the 2010 K’-Show recently held in Düsseldorf, the upcoming interpack and an agents network in place. MT www.ecopond.com.cn

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Films | Flexibles | Bags

New Developments in PLA Packaging Films

C

ompanies manufacturing and using packaging materials are often accused of being responsible for most landfill waste production. On one hand this is correct, as a considerable share of packaging ends up into landfills around the globe, but those who point their fingers at this industry should also look deeper and try and understand why most packaging ends up in a landfill instead of being recovered and recycled. In addition to that, we must take into consideration the improvements in our life which have only been achieved thanks to packaging. Extensive studies have demonstrated that packaging is actually helping to reduce the impact of our lifestyle on the environment. Product protection from contamination and physical damage, optimization of storage and transport, extended shelf life of perishable products, just to mention a few, have all been achieved thanks to appropriate packaging solutions. This allows for food and many other products to be preserved and made available to a large number of consumers at affordable costs.

Take eggs as a basic example: how could we efficiently load and optimize the transport costs of thousands of unpacked eggs without braking most of them?

Removing packaging from the supply chain is not the optimum solution if we want to reduce the environmental impact of our lifestyle: we must look for alternative routes.

The Reduce, Reuse, Recycle principle is a good start, but still not enough. It needs to be supported by other ideas. In packaging terms, sustainability means not only following the RRR principle, but also looking for renewable sources of raw materials, renewable energy, diversion from landfill, lower carbon footprint, less dependence on oil and other fossil fuels.

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Taghleef Industries, the worldwide leader in bi-oriented polypropylene films, believes in responsible packaging and considers this as part of its DNA. The role of a marked leader includes also the responsibility to drive the industry towards innovation, and the recent decision to start its own BoPLA film production clearly demonstrates Ti’ leadership attitude within the packaging industry, as well as its commitment towards those partners who, like Ti, invest and believe in sustainable packaging.

The new range of BoPLA films, manufactured at the Ti plant in Italy using Ingeo™ polymers from NatureWorks and marketed under the brand NATIVIA™ , includes transparent and metalized heat sealable films, from 20 to 40 microns, for a number of applications ranging from flexible packaging for fresh produce, bakery, confectionery, snacks, hygiene, health & beauty care to lidding films, labels, stationery.

But like for BOPP, Ti’s ambition is to become a market leader in PLA films. Even though the production has started just a few weeks back and the short-term focus is still on promoting and developing the market of standard BoPLA films as alternatives to the traditional oil-based substrates, Ti is already looking ahead, investing its knowhow and technology to enhance the performance of PLA films and to adapt them to more demanding market requirements and to new applications. Ongoing projects are including noise and brittleness reduction on existing films, thinner films (as low as 15 µm), barrier films, peelable films, shrink films and many other developments. Because innovation the key to sustainability, also in flexible packaging films. www.ti-films.com

Films | Flexibles | Bags

How to Produce BOPLA Films

B

iaxially oriented PLA films have certain properties which are advantageous for specific packaging requirements. Their excellent optics combined with high stiffness make BOPLA an attractive cover for food. Resistance against oil, fat and alcohol and a low water vapor barrier are beneficial for a variety of ‘challenging’ foodstuff.

Low sealing temperatures, high sealing strength, good printability and excellent twistability provide a wide range of applications too.

Stretching lines for biodegradable film need a special design At Brückner, research and development with PLA was first performed over 10 years ago - at a time, when the raw material was still new and unexplored. The concepts for new film stretching lines or the modification of existing lines offered today are based on comprehensive PLA tests at the company’s technology center. Experiences from these trials lead to  Special raw material handling systems for the hygroscopic material PLA  A specially adapted extruder screw design for PLA ensuring gentle plastification. An option could be to change the whole extrusion system to a twin screw design which processes the melt more gently and already includes the moisture extraction system.  Adaption of all melt leading components ensuring gentle handling of the acidic PLA  Electrostatic pinning system  Machine and transverse direction orientation adapted to specific stretch ratio and stretch temperatures of PLA  Special trimming and edge trim recycling

 Units for film surface treatment adapted to the material  Winding and tension control optimized for BOPLA’s high modulus  Complementary state-of-the-art process control system Successfully modified BOPLA line at Taghleef Industries Taghleef Industries, a worldwide leading BOPP producer, and Brückner teamed up in order to modify one of Taghleef’s existing lines in Italy to produce BOPLA. The raw material supplier NatureWorks LLC was included in the process of finding the right layout and parameters. Extensive tests on Brückner’s laboratory line have confirmed the layout data in a parallel process. The start-up of the new line took place in August 2010, since then the new ‘NATIVIA’ films have been produced successfully for multiple applications such as bakery, confectionery, fresh produce, snacks, dairy, lidding or labeling and stationery in the non-food sector.

Main reasons for BOPLA film’s bright future  Consumption decisions based on sustainability and renewability have become a characteristic behavior for an increasing number of consumers  There will be more and more BOPLA applications  The growing demand for BOPLA packaging material is triggered by the food industry, which is looking for the suitable packaging of their healthy nutrition  Today, the supply of BOPLA resin is safe  A strong interaction between resin manufacturers, film or other plastic goods producers, machine suppliers, the big food companies and the retail chains www.brueckner.com

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Machinery for BoPLA from the USA

P

arkinson Technologies from Woonsocket, Rhode Island, USA touted its recent developments producing biaxially oriented film and sheet made with Ingeo biopolymers from NatureWorks at the K’2010 trade fair in Düsseldorf.

Parkinson’s Marshall & Williams Plastics brand is listed on the NatureWorks web site as a preferred partner for providing machinery for producing biaxially oriented film made with Ingeo PLA. Parkinson has worked with NatureWorks as far back as 1996.

“We have assisted NatureWorks with development trials over the years,” said Ken Forziati, Business Development Manager at Parkinson Technologies. “Those trials have led to the development of guidelines for successfully processing Ingeo biopolymers on biaxial film lines.”

As a result, says Forziati, many leading brand owners who are working with PLA are using Marshall & Williams machinery. These companies are producing films that are being used in commercially available products such as snack food packaging, ‘window film’ for envelopes and food packaging for bread and pasta, cosmetics ‘folding cartons’, and other flexible packaging.

A Growing Trend Since 2007, Parkinson has seen the number of biopolymer lab trials more than triple as companies pursue biax film development using Ingeo and other biopolymers.

“Not only have we seen a dramatic increase in lab trials for biopolymers, we have also seen an increase in sales for biopolymer-specific machinery,” said Forziati. “What began mostly as interest in proving out biopolymer processing concepts has evolved into machinery inquiries and purchases for real-world commercial applications.” Forziati went on to say that this may be indicative of a ‘higher level of confidence’ by processors that real markets exist for bioplastic products MT www.parkinsontechnologies.com

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use our imagination... www.NatureFlex.com

Consumer Electronics

PLA for Consumer Electronics

O

ne of the most concrete signs that the bioplastics industry is maturing is that the supply chain – from resin producer through additives suppliers, compounders, and converters – has a vested interest in the success of this emerging industry. These companies invest in research and development, collaborate on new projects, and basically taken the grades of resins available and do new things with them. This is particularly true in durable product applications.

Furthermore, the appreciation of the value of bioplastics is changing.

When these new materials first came onto the market, many in the downstream market saw their biodegradability as the key feature - Bioplastics helped answer the waste issue. As the reality of global climate change became more accepted along with the fact that oil fields really are reaching maximum capacity, the market has begun to better appreciate bioplastics’ renewable origins. The strands of more involvement in the supply chain, new applications, and emphasis on smaller carbon footprint products are bringing market recognition to the all dimensions of the bioplastics value proposition.

In the consumer electronics examples that follow, the chief motivators for the incorporation of Ingeo™ bioplastics were both smaller carbon footprint and excellent performance characteristics. Each application depended on its success for additives, blends, and the expertise of the supply chain.

Canon Canon engages in the development, manufacture, and sale of a growing line-up of copying machines, printers, cameras, optical and other products that meet a diverse range of customer needs. Canon continues to promote activities that contribute to the environment and society in order to pursue the corporate philosophy of ‘Kyosei’ – living and working together harmoniously for the future. Canon believes true global corporations should be responsible for the impact of their activities on the society and the environment.

Canon used Ingeo on the exterior of their new color multifunction office systems ‘imageRUNNER ADVANCE’. The PLA based material is introduced in three series and twelve models. According to Canon, the material achieved the highest level of world standard on flame resistance. This innovation has been made possible with collaborative development efforts between Canon and Toray, which established a new material design and formation technology.

www.natureworksllc.com www.canon.com www.toray.com www.fujitsu.com www.nec.com www.bioserie.com

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Consumer Electronics

With the adoption of plant-based plastics, Canon expects to reduce CO2 emissions during production by 20% compared to petroleum derived plastics used for the existing color multifunction office systems. Canon strives to provide responsible solutions to mitigate the environmental burden and impact of global warming.

Fujitsu Fujitsu is a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 175,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide team with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers.

Fujitsu used plant-based Ingeo PLA materials in large parts of the product body in their NW series, MT series and R series electronics. Ingeo bioplastic helps to cut down the burden on the environment with the reduced usage of fossil material and reduced carbon dioxide emission during production.

NEC NEC Corporation is a world leading provider of internet, broadband network, and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of a diversified global base of customers. NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key field of computer, networking, and electronic devices by integrating its technical strengths in IT and networks, and by providing advanced semiconductor solutions through NEC Electronics Corporation.

Developed by NEC, the ‘Nucycle’ plant-based formulation illustrates the NEC group’s unique material development technology and capabilities.

Nucycle significantly expands the application of Ingeo PLA into products where performance features such as durability, safety, and high levels of flame retardancy are of paramount importance.

Life cycle analysis demonstrates that ‘Nucycle’, with high bio-based (~75 %) offers significant carbon footprint reduction, lowering CO2 emissions about 50% compared to the petroleum-based polycarbonate/ABS blends used in the past. With the development of Nucycle, the NEC group plans broad commercial implementation across its PC business in 2010. Future NEC group focus is on actively promoting and supporting progress toward non food based cellulosic feedstocks.

bioserie Last February, bioserie launched the first bioplastics cover for the iPhone. Now the company, using a unique Ingeo blend, offers semi-durable covers for the iPhone 4, iPod, and iPad. Bioserie notes its successful research and development effort is based solidly on the support from both converter and resin supplier NatureWorks. MT

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Consumer Electronics

Bio-Based Polymer-Alloy for Consumer Electronics

T

oray Industries, Inc. has been expanding the usage of polylactic acid in various products and applications in fields such as fibers, resins and films with the registered trademark ‘Ecodear’. This plant-derived PLA resin, with the addition of Toray-proprietary technology, realizes significant improvements in flame retardance, heat resistance, impact resistance and moldability.

Toray considers that PLA is the next key polymer and is engaged in application development, which is driven by polymer alloy technology and nanotechnology.

At K’2010 in Düsseldorf exterior parts of a photo-copier made from bio-based plastics with the highest flame retardant class (registered as UL 94 5V) were introduced for the first time at a European exhibition. One of the biggest copier producers, Canon Inc. adopted Ecodear for a lot of models so called ‘imageRUNNER ADVANCE’ and achieved a high level of flame retardant and low environmental impact by using non-halogenated flame retarder. In addition the parts made from Ecodear showed a good balance between flame retardance, mechanical strength, toughness, flowability in the molding process and an excellent surface appearance.

Previously the use of bio-based plastics has been limited to auxiliary parts such as packaging materials and electric wiring in Canon Inc. Bio-based plastics was first officially used in a product in September 2009 with the release of the ‘imageRUNNER ADVANCE’ series. For this series bio-based Ecodear was used not only for auxiliary parts but also exterior parts that required flame retardance, such as buttons that customers touched directly. Canon and Toray are considering to expand the range of parts made from Ecodear to clarify and overcome any issues that arise during the development process. In particular a lot of companies are looking for the materials to decrease the environmental impact and cost. www.toray.com

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We create innovations. ...using the innovative technology of Uhde Inventa-Fischer

You live and work according to a certain philosophy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and so do we.

Uhde Inventa-Fischer has developed a perfect combination of giving the world innovating and sustainable technologies as well as making sure that investors profit through our knowledge.

We are a leading company undertaking plant engineering for polyesters and polyamides, and also for polylactide (PLA).

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH Holzhauser Strasse 157â&#x20AC;&#x201C;159 13509 Berlin Germany Tel. +49 30 43 567 5 Fax +49 30 43 567 699 Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG Via Innovativa 31 7013 Domat/Ems Switzerland Tel. +41 81 632 63 11 Fax +41 81 632 74 03 www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com

Uhde Inventa-Fischer

Consumer Electronics

Eco Friendly Objects

O

ver the last 19 years, Lexon Design from Boulogne Billancourt, France became the world leader of design objects with over 1,000 original creations. They have brought numerous innovations into the areas of office and travel gift objects, by introducing new materials, shapes and concepts.

The LEXON 2010 collection is steeped in environmental concerns while maintaining a diversity and a fantasy related to their objects. The term ECO FRIENDLY by LEXON is born from the design and Lexon’s commitment to meet the best vision possible to the environment. “The planet is our playground. To keep it accessible to all and for a long time, we must change our habits, efforts, evolve”, says Lexon’s website. And they do this by using specific materials particularly in the eco-design of their products.

ECO FRIENDLY by LEXON is thus coupled to offer materials requiring less energy to manufacture, which are bio degradable, or to offer objects that use muscle power or solar energy as a power source.

Consumer Electronics Some examples of consumer electronics by Lexon fulfilling these requirements are these: The LA 81 SAFE radio is muscle powered by a crank. Two minutes workout give 30 minutes of music. The material is bamboo fiber filled PLA. Made from the same material is the desktop calculator LC69 SAFE as well as the alarm clock LR 117 SAFE. The clock is also available as LR 118 SAFE large clock and LR 119 SAFE wall clock.

Tha last example from Lexons 2010 catalogue is LL 99 SAFE, a solar energy powered flashlight with 3 superbright LEDs also made from bamboo/PLA.

Materials Why did Lexon decide in favour of Bamboo and PLA? Bamboo is a virtually inexhaustible resource. It can grow everywhere and adapts to all climates. Furthermore, it grows quickly. Bamboo is a more rapidly renewable natural raw material and offers many technical advantages that make an ecological and future product.

And the advantages of PLA, being a plastic resin from renewable raw materials, in this case corn stach, are well known. MT www.lexon-design.com

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Consumer Electronics

Stay in Touch – Naturally

C

ommunication technology has developed rapidly over the last years and will continue to show strong growth: For 2010, experts are forecasting sales of 1.4 billion mobile phones. In the light of these quantities and the very short life expectancy of these products, the selection of sustainable materials is gaining enormous importance in this sector.

Along with the latest technology, a fresh and modern design is an important market strength, or even the main purchasing incentive. Mobile phones are advancing to become lifestyle products which are replaced as soon as newer models are available. From a statistical point of view, the leading manufacturers in the mobile phone market introduce a new model onto the market each week.

Faced with the correspondingly high demand for plastic materials, sustainability is also playing an increasingly important role – even more, it is a key requirement specifically for mobile phones throughout the world. Based on high oil prices and an increasing awareness of environmental protection, a fundamental rethinking is occurring with both consumers and manufacturers. This is fuelled by the necessity of protecting non-renewable energy sources. EMSGRIVORY is reacting to this trend with the development and expansion of a completely new product series: GreenLine!

Polyamides from renewable raw materials GreenLine incorporates bio-based polyamides which are excellently suited for the manufacture of mobile phones. All products in the GreenLine product family are manufactured partially or completely from renewable raw materials.

GreenLine polyamides are based on renewable raw materials which are not otherwise used for food. Ems-Grivory has developed a ‘green alternative’ which can immediately replace 1:1 conventional high-performance plastics used in the manufacture of mobile phones.

The GreenLine portfolio Reinforced Grilamid 1S is exceptionally well suited for the manufacture of stiff covers. Non-reinforced, amorphous grades can be used in injection-moulding processes for

overspraying metal films, as they have extremely high resistance to stress cracking and very good flowability.

Grilamid BTR is a special amorphous, transparent polyamide which can be used to make windows, while a partially biobased PPA – Grivory HT3 – can be used for plug connectors.

Today’s mobile phones must provide numerous functions, be really stylish, robust and as thin as possible – a requirement catalogue which cannot be satisfied using conventional plastic materials. This is where the high-performance plastics from Ems-Grivory step into the breach. They provide not only resistance to chemicals but also thermal stability and the necessary impact strength while allowing the desired freedom of design – the GreenLine product line handles these requirements just as easily as petroleum-based polyamides made by Ems-Grivory. www.emsgrivory.com

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Materials

From Feathers to Plastic – A Sustainable Alternative Article contributed by Sonny Meyerhoeffer Principal Eastern BioPlastics, LLC Mount Crawford, Virginia, USA www.easternbioplastics.com

Poultry feathers mixed with plastics?

Poultry feathers converted into plastics? Everyday individuals, like you, join the cause to help conserve the world’s natural resources and create a more sustainable environment. It takes everyone doing their part.

Through the manufacture of feather-based bioplastics Eastern BioPlastics LLC is fulfilling their role in Mount Crawford, VA. The entrepreneurial spirit of the founder of Eastern BioPlastics was immediately energized as Dr. Justin Barone demonstrated how to convert raw poultry feathers into plastic. Dr. Barone explained this is proven technology—keratin (protein in feathers) can be processed into a polymer. There was just one problem… no company had been able to engineer the processes to mass produce feather-based plastic resin in an economical manner.

Embracing the challenge and envisioning the opportunity to provide jobs, conserve the environment, and create a sustainable company, Eastern BioPlastics was launched in April 2008.

Eastern BioPlastics began developing and implementing plans to process feather-based bioplastics in an economical fashion.

This involved custom engineering machines and processes to sort, wash, dry and grind poultry feathers. In less than two years, the Company designed, built and implemented the innovative machines and processes to efficiently and effectively prepare feathers for further processing.

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Materials

Today, Eastern BioPlastics operates a pilot commercial plant that manufactures feather-based bioplastic resin pellets. Commercially available composite resin pellets are a blend of proprietary feather materials and traditional plastics. To date, the Company has mixed as much as 40% biobased (feather) material with polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and low density polyethylene (LDPE). They have successfully colored these materials to match a variety of processor demanded colors.

Every week, the Company is developing new biocomposite formulations to meet the desired specifications of their partners.

It does not get any better than this—bioplastics that do not compete with food related raw materials and that can be mixed with traditional plastics. With about a million tonnes (over 2 billion pounds) of dry feathers available annually in the United States, these biocomposites add value to what once was considered a waste stream. Consistent, lowprice raw material inputs and custom designed efficient processes boost the Company’s competitive edge allowing these bioplastics to be competitively priced with comparable petroleum plastic alternatives.

Processers do not need to retool to process this material.

Biocomposite resin pellets can be implemented directly into existing plastic processes just like any other resin, often requiring lower processing temperatures.

Much of the research to date has been focused on the extrusion and injection molding of these resins. Continued research efforts involve perfection of extrusion and injection molding applications and the exploration of film extrusion, sheet extrusion, profile extrusion, thermoforming and blow molding.

Feather fibers are believed to add strength while decreasing the density of most traditional polyolefins. It makes sense. Long fibers that contain encased air pockets and tangle amongst themselves will theoretically strengthen end products while decreasing density. Eastern BioPlastics

is continuing to perfect and test composite blends to achieve optimal properties.

While these bioplastics are not yet FDA approved they are suitable for a variety of applications within these industries:  Agriculture  Automotive  Construction  Electronics  Furniture  Industrial  Materials Handling  Sporting Goods The Company currently manufactures and markets bioplastic composite resins and injection molded horticulture containers. These horticulture containers are a blend of 70% traditional plastic and 30% biobased feather material (see picture).

Eastern BioPlastics is quickly becoming a competitive bioplastics manufacturer with this innovative technology.

Essential to the advancement of the Company’s technology is the continued research and development of their 100% biodegradable plastic resin formulations. These formulations are purely keratin-based, eliminating all traces of petroleum. Better yet, materials molded with these formulations biodegrade within a matter of months. While these formulations are not yet commercially available, they remain central to the future growth of Eastern BioPlastics.

Eastern BioPlastics has the potential to drastically reduce the plastics industry’s dependence on petroleum. Our world is reliant on plastic—a material that is contributing to the exhaustion of non-renewable crude oil, pollutes the environment, endangers wildlife and is filling up landfills.

Now, there is an economical viable alternative; an alternative that utilizes feather waste, reduces petroleum consumption, and is affordable.

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Applications

“Good design is obvious.

Great design is transparent.”

Industrial designer Paul Kolada took this design axiom to heart -- literally and figuratively -- when he invented and patented the world’s first compostable mesh lawn and leaf bag that allows waste haulers and recycling site personnel to see through the bag.

Re-Engineering the Paper Leaf Bag Article contributed by Mike Ferrara Axiom Marketing Communications Principal Bloomington, MN, USA

Kolada knew there was a better way when he decided to re-engineer the brown paper yard waste bags that many households in many countries use to collect leaves, grass clippings and branches.

His new yard waste collection system called dsolv® features a mesh bag that allows moisture to drain from the bag and air to freely circulate through the bag. Unlike kraft paper leaf bags, Kolada’s new earth-friendly dsolv bags won’t get soggy and rip when they’re loaded with grass clippings or leaves. In addition to the mesh bags, Kolada’s patented collection system features a spring-loaded sleeve that allows consumers to easily and quickly dump leaves, grass clippings, branches and other yard debris into the mesh bag.

“Everything is designed.

Few things are designed well.”

According to Kolada, this design adage rings especially true in the leaf bag category. “Each year, more than 100 million kraft paper bags are sold in North America,” says Kolada.

“For homeowners, the paper bags are extremely hard to fill with leaves and grass clippings. They don’t stay open. They fall over. They’re hard to carry. They rip. And, they can be a soggy mess for garbage haulers to load into trucks.”

Kolada notes that government solid waste administrators can be uncomfortable with the fact that garbage haulers can’t easily see what the bags actually contain. Despite this fact, kraft paper yard waste bags have been mandated by most cities and states in North America because there has not been a viable alternative that is environmentally friendly.

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During the 2008 Christmas holiday season Kolada was intrigued by the plastic netting used to wrap his Christmas tree. He started thinking about other consumer applications for the plastic netting and immediately thought of leaf bags. Then he began to research how to make a mesh that would break down and compost quickly and easily.

“Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.”

Kolada and his design team searched globally to identify and source bio resins. Their challenge was to find a resin that would compost in several months instead of several years. The resin had to be strong enough and pliable enough to handle up to 170 liters and up to 27 kg of grass clippings, leaves and other yard waste. (Kraft paper bags can hold up to 114 liters and up to 23 kg ). Throughout 2009, the team tested 12 different varieties of PLA compounds before they found the right combination.

They conducted dozens of trials with extruders throughout the world to find the perfect combination of function and cost. Melt flow, glass transition temperature and tensile strength were all taken into account. The impact of temperature, atmospheric pressure and humidity were also tested.

After all the rigorous testing, Kolada is very proud of the fact that the dsolv bag is certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), the U.S. Composting Council, and meets ASTM D6400 standards for compostability.

This information is included on a label made from recycled paper and printed with soy ink that is attached to every dsolv bag. “We‘ve done our homework and know what a great bag this is,“ says Kolada. “Now we just need to get it out there into the system.“

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Applications

Determining the optimal mesh size was another challenge. The mesh had to be small enough to contain a variety of particle sizes from grass clippings all the way to branches. The mesh gauge and shape of the bag had to compensate for small rips and tears without compromising the structural integrity of the bag. For more than 6-months, the team tested different gauges and patterns from extruders in Asia, the Americas and Europe.

“A design isn’t finished until somebody is using it.”

Kolada and his team quickly realized that finding an easy way to fill the mesh bags was an important step to figure out for homeowners. They tested dozens of filling systems including tripods, squares and funnels. In all, more than 40 different options were tested throughout a 12-month period.

Included in these tests was the placement of the mesh bags in relation to the sleeve. Initially, the team thought the bags would be placed inside the sleeve. However, during a routine test, they tried placing the bag outside the sleeve. This proved to be an “aha” moment for Kolada and his design team. Placing the bag on the exterior of the sleeve allowed the bag to be stretched, thereby increasing the volume it could hold and making it easy to fill for the homeowner.

Improvements were made along the way, including making the sleeve bottomless. Ambidextrous pull-tabs on both sides were added for easy handling. The sleeve and handles are made of woven polyethylene for strength and durability, and branding/instructions were put on the sleeve.

The most promising options were handed over to homeowners for usability tests. The best option tested was a light-weight spring loaded cylindrical sleeve that measures 500mm in diameter and is 600 mm tall.

Most participants found bags containing 10 or 15 kilograms of yard debris difficult to grasp and carry. This led to the design of an innovative ergonomic plastic handle that allows consumers to carry or drag three dsolv bags at one time. The handle can be used with or without gloves and features a belt clip.

Of course, the new mesh bag product needed a name. Kolada liked the concept of the word ‘dissolve’ as it relates to the composting of the bag. He coined and trademarked the term dsolv.

Today, after two years of non-stop design and testing, Kolada and his team are bringing the dsolv yard waste system to market. The new system will soon be available at home centers, garden centers and hardware stores in the U.S. and is currently available for sale online with new retailers constantly being added to the online list.

“We‘ve had strong regional acceptance to the bag this fall and we are looking to 2011 to continue to get more communities on board,“ says Kolada. “Everyone who has seen and used the bags loves them we just need to continue that momentum and use it to get dsolv accepted across the U.S.“ Kolada feels strongly that the product is not only sensible to the environment, but also adds value to the marketplace and gives homeowners and government solid waste officials a viable alternative to kraft yard waste bags www.dsolvbag.com

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Applications

The Coca-Cola PlantBottle Article contributed by Klaus-Peter Stadler Director Commercialization & Stewardship Coca-Cola GmbH, Berlin, Germany

I

n 1975 Coca-Cola started a packaging revolution by introducing the first PET plastic bottles into the market, which became a great success with our consumers and for our business. PET is light, versatile, recyclable and safe. Over the years, it has rapidly developed into our single biggest packaging material.

Today, we want to repeat this historic leap in packaging design by introducing the new redesigned PET plastic bottle made partially from plants. We expect to have some 2.5 billion PlantBottles in the marketplace this year and we plan to double our use of PlantBottle packaging in 2011. We’re excited about the innovation and we’re already getting lots of positive feedback from customers and consumers.

As most packaging experts know, PET is made to 70% of purified terephthalic acid (TA) and to 30% of mono-ethylene glycol (MEG). In the new PlantBottle we have replaced the conventional fossil-fuel based MEG through bio-based MEG using bio-ethanol from sugar cane juice and molasses.

Bio-MEG is chemically identical to conventional MEG, which means that PlantBottle has the same performance in the market as other PET bottles: there’s no difference in shelf life, weight, chemical composition or appearance. While most plant-based plastics are capable of maintaining quality for a limited array of beverage types, our PlantBottle can be used with carbonated soft drinks, juices and waters. On top, it is fully recyclable in existing recovery and recycling programs and the material can be used back into new bottles or for other uses. All these characteristics make it an efficient, effective and environmentally friendly package option for our business.

We have been careful to select plants based on sustainability criteria to ensure that they do not compete with food crops and are capable of delivering improved environmental performance. To ensure a broader sustainability standard for sugarcane, we have been engaged in the development of the Better Sugarcane Initiative, where also includes the leading bio-ethanol producers.

To further improve the overall environmental performance, we introduce PlantBottle in Europe with up to 50% rPET, depending on the market. This gives us a bottle requiring very little new resources, because it is up to 65% made of recycled or renewable materials. We know that balancing different environmental aspects is sometimes a tricky issue, but we believe that the reducing fossil resources and increasing renewable sources is a critical step for the sustainability of our packaging, and hence for our business. Within the two years since the first introduction, we will have saved over 87.000 barrels of oil.

We know we are at the beginning of a journey and we want to engage with stakeholders and interested parties to understand any potential issues and to work together on solutions. As with every new innovation, however, it requires time for optimization but we are confident that with increasing demand on our supply chain we will be able to further improve the economic and environmental parameters of the PlantBottle. For example, we are working to advance the development of next generation technologies capable of extracting sugar from plant wastes like stems, barks and fruit peels.

And we still have more work to do to crack the code on a plant-based TA, which is the other 70 % of PET plastic, but we know it is feasible. We’re aiming for a package that is 100 % recyclable and 100 % plant-based, but we know that is going to take time and a lot more Research & Development investment.

Today, the PlantBottle is available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Japan and Brazil. Soon, it will hit Chile and then expand more broadly to areas in Europe, Africa and Asia. We’re excited about the potential of plant-based PET plastics and we’re investing heavily in their future. www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/plantbottle.html

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Application News

Extrusion-Blow-Molded PLA Bottle Using a new Ingeo™ PLA blend formulation, Polenghi LAS, San Rocco Al Porto, Italy, has developed Europe’s first extrusionblow-molded PLA bottle.

PLA from China for Toys and More Material supplier Shenzhen Brightchina Industrial Co;Ltd from Shenzen, China started research on PLA about 12 years ago. In 2002 the company started mass production and sales of their own PLA products. Brightchina established an environment friendly PLA industrial park in the town Xiaogan Hubei with production capacity of 5000 tons PLA from lactic acid which they buy from a supplier.

The PLA compounding research and development center Is located in Shenzhen. The company has further branch-locations in Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Shanghai. In addition Brightchina has a joint venture with a company in Hungary, offering technical and business service.

One of Brightchina’s customers in the toy industry is Longshore Limited, one of Hong Kong‘s leading toy and game OEM suppliers with manufacturing in Guangdong. Longshore use Brightchina’s PLA compounds for a variety of toys.

In May 2010, Longshore and Brightchina developed PLA toys to achieve and promote the idea of environment protection. The PLA compound for the toys stands out for its good mechanical properties and its natural source corn. Meanwhile, the resin can be processed readily on the existing equipment . In the near future, the two company want to expand more into further toy cooperation.

Brightchina is convinces that PLA toys will bring new fresh air into the toy industry. The specially developed PLA based compounds for toys, golf tees, flower pots, sheet and film, electrical housings are all created to the customer‘s special requirements.

MT

www.brightchina.net

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By switching from polyolefin resin to Ingeo PLA for packaging 10 million bottles of its new Bio organic lemon juice, Polenghi will conserve 1,000 barrels of oil and reduce CO2 emissions by 126 tons compared to an equivalent oil-based plastic squeeze bottle. Polenghi’s achievement demonstrates the first European commercial introduction of a proven, low-environmental impact and renewably sourced bioplastic substitute for polyolefin resins in extrusion-blow-molding applications.

Polyolefins (PE, PP) are typically used in the extrusion-blowmolding process to produce the ‘soft’ plastic packaging often used for food and personal care squeeze bottles.

“We are extremely proud of the technical achievements that led to the development of this low-carbon-footprint Eco bottle, the first of its kind in Europe,” said Marco Polenghi, sales director of Polenghi LAS. “This bottle and shrink-sleeve label, both made from renewably sourced Ingeo bioplastic, presents us with the opportunity to differentiate our Bio organic lemon juice.”

“Over the past two years, we’ve seen the expansion of Ingeo applications into such manufacturing processes as injection molding and higher-heat thermoforming,” said Marc Verbruggen, president and chief executive officer of NatureWorks. “With its innovative Ingeo™ blend, Polenghi now offers a lower carbon emission/lower energy alternative to polyolefins in extrusionblow-molding applications.”

Polenghi Bio organic lemon juice packed in the Eco bottle, is now available in Italy and will soon be stocked in stores throughout Europe. MT

www.polenghigroup.it www.natureworksllc.com

Carry on and on, then Compost!

Super UV Absorber

Alpagro Plastics (Belgium), specialised in carrier bags and flexible packaging, has been focusing their latest developments and innovations within the area of biodegradable packaging. As one of the official BioBag production partners, Alpagro Plastics is using different grades of Mater-Bi granulate.

Recently the company found the perfect combination of additives and inks to develop a biodegradable carrier bag with an additional patch reinforcement pasted to the inside of the cut-out handle. Thanks to this reinforcement the bags are stronger and more durable so that the bags can be reused many times before composting, either at home or at an industrial composting plant. The printing options are manifold: from a simple print in one or two colours to a full colour (max. eight colours).

The whole carrier bag – including film, inks and additives – is certified either OK compost or OK compost Home by Vinçotte according to the European Standard EN13432.

Another example of eco-bags is the carrier bag with loop handles (160µm), also fully compostable and certified with the OK compost label. Besides retail packaging, Alpagro Plastics has been developing tailor-made applications for industrial, agricultural or personal hygiene purposes.

www.alpagro-plastics.be www.biobag.no

Clarifoil from Spondon, UK, is the world’s leading manufacturer of cellulose diacetate films. In window packaging, Clarifoil UV absorber films are an absolute must for the food industry, particularly for sensitive products such as seafood or delicate icings. This unique film allows manufacturers to show off their products to their full splendour. It is totally transparent allowing the produce/ product to speak for itself, with the added benefit that it significantly adds to shelf-life by as much as x6 times.

Marion Bauer, Marketing, Clarifoil comments: “At Clarifoil we want to offer practical and innovative products to the market. By increasing product shelf-life we add to our clients’ bottom line, which is what business is about. Our UV absorber film allows products to be displayed with absolute confidence.”

Clarifoil, UV Absorber Film boasts FDA and EU approvals for direct contact with food and is also suitable for frozen food, providing the correct adhesive is implemented.

Clarifoil supplies top quality packaging materials created to the highest standard, but as importantly in today’s arena the products environmental credentials are exceptional.

Clarifoil is sustainably sourced from managed forestry. www.clarifoil.com

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Application News

A ‘Chip off the Old Block’!

Boulder Canyon™ Natural Foods, a leading North American snack food manufacturer, has introduced a renewable, fully compostable pack for its line of All Natural Kettle Cooked Potato Chips.

The innovative packaging is gaining attention because it looks, feels and sounds the same as traditional, non-compostable bags. figuratively a ‘chip off the old block’. The bag is the first of its kind on the market to be made from a structure that incorporates metallised NatureFlex™ NKM (cellulose-based flexible film) from Innovia Films.

“At Boulder Canyon Natural Foods we are driven by a strong commitment to provide natural foods that are free of additives and artificial ingredients, while also being good to the planet,” said Steve Sklar, senior vice president of marketing for Boulder Canyon. “Our new compostable packaging ensures that we maintain that commitment by setting a positive example for the industry, educating consumers on key issues and enabling them to play a role in improving the environment by diverting waste away from landfills.”

NatureFlex is not only compostable, but also confirmed as suitable for emerging ‘waste to energy‘ techniques such as anaerobic digestion. Genpak, the Canadian-based packaging converter that spearheaded the research and development of the Boulder Canyon bag, called on long-time partner Innovia Films to supply the film used in the structure.

According to Genpak development manager, Bill Reilly, “We recommended NatureFlex to Boulder Canyon for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the film performs well technically and has excellent moisture, gas and light barrier properties that enhance shelf life and protect the product. Secondly, NatureFlex is very well aligned with Boulder Canyon’s sustainability goals, so we knew it was an excellent fit for their company values as well as the application.” MT

www.innoviafilms.com www.bouldercanyonfoods.com www.genpak.com

Greener Package Award for Soil-Wrap Ball Innovations, a business unit of Ball Horticultural Company, recently received a 2010 Greener Package Award for its SoilWrap® plantable container made with Mirel™ bioplastics (PHA) by Telles. In addition, both Mirel and SoilWrap are listed on the USDA Biopreferred program, which designates biobased products that are preferred for purchase by Federal agencies and their contractors.

Made with Mirel, SoilWrap is a biobased, plantable, biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based plastic plant pots. In addition to eliminating waste, internal and commercial grower trials have shown that the superior drainage and gas exchange permitted by the bottomless SoilWrap design allows many species of plants to grow more quickly than in conventional pots. Mirel also provides a more durable container than other natural fiber pots and its physical properties allow it to be easily printed with brand messaging and UPC barcodes for attractive on-shelf appearance.

“SoilWrap is a prime example of a product that not only leverages Mirel’s ability to biodegrade in soil and also provides added convenience and value to the consumer,” said Robert Engle, Telles general manager. “We are thrilled to be recognized with our partner Ball for developing innovative packaging that meets a significant need in the horticulture market. Mirel-based bioplastics continue to be introduced across a number of industries, from packaging to consumer goods, to meet the growing demand for reducing packaging and waste sent to landfills.”

“We are in an industry that is by nature focused on the environment, so bringing a product to market that decreases waste and offers superior performance is a huge win for us,” said Greg Trabka, product development manager, Ball Horticultural Company. “When developing SoilWrap, Ball recognized the need for a bioplastic resin that responded to the issue of unnecessary waste, maintained its performance integrity through the production cycle to the retail shelf, and met environmental certification standards. Mirel was the only biobased, biodegradable offering that met all of our business needs and we look forward to growing our relationship with Telles on future product endeavors.” www.BallHort.com/Sustainable www.mirelplastics.com

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From Science and Research

Disintegration of Packaging Materials

Fig. 1. Photos of tested packaging and packaging materials

B

iodegradability of packaging material is a primary condition needed for a packaging waste treatment in the composting process (organic recycling). At the same time, this same material must also disintegrate into small fragments in a relatively short time (180 days maximum) and in a way that doesn’t decrease the compost quality [1].

Samples 1 and 2

Evaluation of organic recycling potential of packaging In order to evaluate the disintegration potential of selected packaging by bacteria and fungi, Packaging and Environment department of the Polish Packaging Institute performed a standardised test. Types of tested packaging along with their material composition is listed on table 1 and shown in fig 1.

Samples 3 and 4

Test methodology Preliminary evaluation of the disintegration of selected packaging materials was performed under simulated composting conditions according to the standard EN 14806 [2]. Table 2 presents the composition of organic waste used in the test. The organic waste is synthetic and has been prepared in the laboratory in accordance with EN 14806.

Samples 5 and 6

Table 1. Packaging used in tests.

Samples 7 and 8

Sample

Packaging Type

Packaging Material

1.

Shopping carrier bag

Shopping carrier bags introduced on the Polish market by Carrefour, certified by DIN CERTCO compostable mark

Shopping carrier bag

Polyethylene shopping carrier bag with several percent addition of chemical substance called TDPA (Totally Degradable Plastic Additive, an oxo-degradable additive by EPI)

Shopping carrier bag

Biodegradable films produced by Bioerg Sp. z o.o. from Dabrowa Górnicza, certified by DIN CERTCO compostable mark

Yogurt cup

Polylactide (PLA)

Rigid thermoformed film

Polylactide (PLA)

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Samples 9 and 10

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

www. cobro.org.pl

10.

MA Grzegorz Ganczewski, Specialist, Packaging and Environment Department, Polish Packaging Institute, Warsaw, Poland

Determination of the degree of disintegration has been performed in laboratory conditions similar to intensive oxygen composting process. Organic waste prepared for the test has been inoculated by compost received from composting plant. Packaging samples have been cut into fragments with fixed dimensions of 25x25 mm, and then mixed into the organic waste prepared in the laboratory. Samples were then composted in fixed temperature of 58°C for 3 months.

After this time, obtained compost was sieved through 2mm sieve in order to collect material residues which did not disintegrate. Degree of disintegration is calculated by comparing the initial sample mass and the mass of dry residues recovered by sieving.

The course of the test is illustrated on figures 2-8.

Presented test method performed on the laboratory scale simulates the environmental conditions in industrial composting plants, and therefore behaviour of packaging materials can be preliminary tested.

Test results According to the EN 14806 standard, the packaging material recovered in the total fraction above 2mm is considered the not disintegrated fraction. The

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Article contributed by Dr. Hanna Ĺťakowska, Head of Packaging R&D Department,

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Table 2. Composition of organic solid waste prepared In laboratory conditions. organic waste ingredients

Dry mass [%]

Sawdust

40

Rabbit-feed

30

Compost

10

Starch

10

Saccharose

4

Cornseed oil

4

Urea

2 Total

100

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45

From Science and Research material passed through the sieves is considered disintegrated.

The degree of disintegration (D) is therefore:

M–M D(%) = _______ x 100

M Where: Fig. 2. Preparation of organic waste

Mi

is the initial dry mass of the test material;

Mr

is the mass of the dry residues recovered by sieving.

Full test results according to the formula above are presented on table 3.

Conclusion As indicated by results compiled in table 3, shopping carrier bags from Carrefour and those produced by Bioerg Sp. z o.o. from Dabrowa Górnicza, as well as samples from PLA posses very high disintegration potential (degree of disintegration of 98-100%).

Films produced from polyethylene with addition of TDPA (oxodegradable additive by EPI) did not disintegrate. This signifies that PE films with TDPA are resistant to bacteria and fungi enzymes and do not disintegrate in a timeframe essential for industrial composting [3].

Fig. 3. Adding samples

References: 1. Żakowska H.: “Packaging waste recycling systems within the framework of environmental legislation” / “Systemy recyklingu odpadów opakowaniowych w aspekcie wymagań ochrony środowiska”, Wydawnictwo Akademii Ekonomicznej w Poznaniu, Poznań 2008.

2. EN 14806: 2005 Packaging - Preliminary evaluation of the disintegration of packaging materials under simulated composting conditions in a laboratory scale test.

3. Żakowska H.: Evaluation of the disintegration of packaging materials under simulated composting conditions in a laboratory scale test, Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials Polish Academy of Sciences, Polish Packaging Research and Development Centre, 3rd Conference „The Future Of Biodegradable Packaging”, 28 September 2010, Warsaw.

Fig. 4. Reactors with samples mixed with organic waste

Fig 5. Sieving of samples residues after 3 months

Table 3. Results of disintegration degree of packaging materials in simulated organic composting conditions.

Sample

Packaging material

Initial dry mass [g]

Mass of dry residue [g]

Mass of dry residue [g]

1.

Shopping bags introduced on the Polish market by Carrefour, certified by DIN CERTCO compostable mark

9,000

0,150

98,33

9,000

0,170

98,11

Polyethylene shopping carrier bag with several percent addition of chemical substance called TDPA (Totally Degradable Plastic Additive, an oxodegradable additive by EPI)

9,008

9,008

0

9,009

9,009

0

9,028

0

100

6.

Biodegradable shopping carrier bag produced by Bioerg Sp. z o.o. from Dabrowa Górnicza, certified by DIN CERTCO compostable mark

9,001

0

100

7.

Polylactide (PLA)

9,050

0

100

9,021

0

100

9,006

0

100

9,060

0

100

Fig. 6. Sieves used to separate leftover samples and compost obtained from organic waste.

2.

3.

4.

Fig. 7. Residues from samples 1 and 2

5.

8.

9.

10.

Fig. 8. Residues from samples 3 and 4

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

Polylactide (PLA)

Basics

Recycling of Bioplastics

By Michael Thielen

I

nitially it was planned to publish one comprehensive article on the recycling of bioplastics. However, it turned out to be a rather complex topic, so that now we will have this short overview about recycling of plastics and bioplastics and, in addition, a couple more specialized articles on recycling topics, including our cover story.

Now, what does Wikipedia say about plastic recycling in general? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state.

For instance, this could mean melting down soft drink bottles and then casting them as plastic chairs and tables.â&#x20AC;?

I would like to differentiate this a little. First of all one can distinguish between A) clean production waste, B) post industrial waste or C) post consumer waste (also sometimes referred to as PSC = post consumer scrap).

Different Sorts of Plastic Waste The recycling of production waste (A) is rather easy (and the article on recycling of bioplastics production waste on the following pages gives a more detailed picture). The recycling of sprues and runners in injection moulding, flashes in blow moulding or skeletons in thermoforming as well as waste parts from the startup of a process has been done in-line or off-line for decades. This material is mono-fractional (i.e. exact the same material) and can thus be fed into the process without contamination and up to a certain percentage without loss in quality. This applies to conventional as well as to bioplastics.

Some requirements of bioplastics concerning recycling are the need for compacting (e.g. in case of very lightweight film or fibre waste), a pre-drying step (in case of hygroscopic materials such as PLA) and a crystallization step for amorphous materials such as PLA film waste [1]. Also in some cases a degassing and a meltfiltration might be necessary.

[1] Personal information, Klaus Feichtinger, Erema Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.m.b.H., Ansfelden, Linz, Austria [2] www.wasteonline.org.uk [3] www.plasticrecycling.com [4] www.wikipedia.org

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 6

The postindustrial waste category (B) comprises more different kinds of plastic waste. Here for example huge amounts of film material are being collected. Specialized companies buy baled film or bottles and recycle this material after some more or less sophisticated sorting processes. The secondary materials can be

sold at a certain sales price, depending on the quality, and can be used for instance for film blowing of waste bags, or in the middle layer of 3-layer blow-moulded parts. A more detailed description would be too much for this article (my apologies to the recycling industry). As long as significant amounts are being collected this can be an economic effort.

For bioplastics this also seems a feasible option, as soon as a critical mass is reached for economic processes. Galactic in Belgium (see article on page 16) or BioCor in California, USA, for example started to buy back PLA in order to recycle it.

The most difficult fraction of waste is post consumer scrap (C). The Recycling Network, Inc. from Sunrise, Florida, USA published on their website [2]: “Post-consumer plastic recovery on an individual basis is truly a volunteer effort, and generally does not generate profit from its collection and sale.”

Again, recycling seems only feasible when a critical mass can be generated and when manual or automatic sorting as well as washing can be performed in an economical way. In Germany for example, where a lot of PCS is collected in the yellow bags or bins, a significant amount of bottles and film material is being recycled.

With regard to bioplastics, one more factor makes recycling difficult: To make sorting and thus recycling basically easier, the American Society of Plastics Industry developed a standard marking code to help consumers identify and sort the main types of plastic. These types are [3]: PET

HDPE

PVC

LDPE

PP

PS

OTHER Here you see the problem for bioplastics… they are all under number 7 (OTHER).

Different Recycling Methods Mechanical recycling of plastics refers to processes which involve the sorting, cleaning, and shredding, plus in some cases, also the melting and granulation of waste plastics.

The shredded flakes or the granules can then be mixed with virgin material or converted into new products. Depending on the quality of the recyclate, the new applications can be of a lower quality, of the same quality (in cases even the same products such as bottle-to-bottle recycling) or used for totally different applications. The Recycled Products Guide (RPG) www.recycledproducts.org.uk is a listing of products made from recycled plastic [3]. This website gives an example: It takes 25 x 2 litre plastic drinks bottles to make one fleece garment (one polyester application leading to a completely different one).

Plastics must be sorted prior to mechanical recycling. At the moment in many countries most sorting for mechanical

recycling is done by trained staff who manually sort the plastics into polymer type and/or colour. Technology is being introduced to sort plastics automatically, using various techniques such as X-ray fluorescence, infrared and near infrared spectroscopy, electrostatics and flotation. Following sorting, the plastic is either melted down directly and moulded into a new shape, or melted down after being shredded into flakes and then processed into granules called regranulate [3]. Some of these sorting techniques using, for instance, near infrared spectroscopy or laser technology, are also suitable to sort bioplastics such as PLA from a PET recycling stream (see bM 04/2009).

Chemical or feedstock recycling describes a range of plastic recovery techniques, which break down polymers into their constituent monomers, which in turn can then be used again in refineries, or petrochemical and chemical production. A range of feedstock recycling technologies is currently being explored. These include: pyrolysis, hydrogenation, gasification and thermal cracking. Feedstock recycling has a greater flexibility over composition and is more tolerant to impurities than mechanical recycling, although it is capital intensive and requires very large quantities of used plastic for reprocessing to be economically viable (e.g. 50,000 tonnes per year) [3]. The chemical recycling of PLA is already being done for example

by Galactic in Belgium (see p. 16) or BioCor, USA.

Conclusion After ‘Reduce’ and ‘Re-use’ and before composting, anaerobic digestion or incineration with energy recovery (sometimes referred to as ‘thermal’ or ‘energy’ recycling) the ‘Recycling’ of bioplastics is an option that should be considered, provided that the material is either ‘clean and pure’ (production waste) or critical masses are available for economic commercial recycling.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 6

49

Recycling

Recycling of Bioplastics Production Waste

I

n most plastics production processes there is waste coming along with the products that converters aim at. Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen GmbH (NGR) at Feldkirchen/Austria for long already is a specialist in machinery for the recycling of these materials at plastics processors and dedicated recyclers. The expertise has of course first been developed for conventional thermoplastics.

Nevertheless recycling of bioplastics is getting more and more important for NGR over the past years.

Production waste can be melt lumps, sprues and defective parts in injection moulding, parison waste in blow moulding or for example edge trim, cutoffs and offspec startup material in film and fibre production processes. It is obvious that the best and most economical way of treating this is avoiding it, but experience shows that still in most of the cases 2 to 10% of the production material is lost due to process reasons.

As long as this cannot be avoided, it is at least essential to recover these spoilt materials and bring them back to the production process. Considering that this is state of the art for oil based plastics like polyethylene that represent a value of ca. 1 €/kg already, this can only gain importance for bioplastics that often cost 3 €/kg or even more.

The easiest way of recovering these materials is to shred them to chips and refeed them to the process together with the new material, but as easy as that is, it can lead to process difficulties like:

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 6

 Inconsistent feeding performance of the production extruder  Air inclusions in the melt that lead to defects of the finished products  No way to remove process materials like printing inks and similar So, in many cases it is favourable to use a recycling extruder, bringing the material back to melt and then to granules that are of the same quality as the virgin material. First of all, by this, the problem of feeding processed material to an extruder is shifted from the production line to the dedicated recycling extruder.

On the other hand, there are several technologies available that are just developed to continuously feed different types of plastic material like films, fibres, lumps etc. to an extruder screw.

The choice of the optimal recycling technology is mainly driven by the objective to bring the material through the process without damaging its chemical and physical properties. Some conventional plastics even have to be handled with care during processing in order to avoid material degradation.

The more this is an issue for most biopolymers, some of them being processed at relatively low temperatures of 140°C or being very sensitive to oxidation due to being exposed to air when heated.

A traditional way of feeding materials to a recycling extruder is the use of a cutter-compactor. In principle, this is a cylindrical hopper with a fast rotating knife disk at the bottom. By this knife disk, the material

Recycling

is cut and agglomerated by the heat induced by the fast rotating disk and then fed to the extruder screw by centrifugal force.

0,8

0,4 0,2

Experience shows that the cutter-compactor often comes to its limits when used for biodegradables, as the heat being put to the material before the extruder â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when the material is still in contact with air â&#x20AC;&#x201C; leads to degradation that damages the material. The NGR Cutter-Feeder-Extruder on the other hand has proven its ability to recycle most of the commonly used biodegradables, such as starch or PLA based products.

Additional to the benefits of the cutter-feeder, screws, vacuum vent and melt filter can be tailored to the special requirements of biodegradables as for example low heatup of the material or the removing of printing inks.

NGR expects that with the increasing use of biodegradables, recycling of processing waste will gain further importance. So, NGR see themselves well prepared for the actual and future demands of these applications.

00,2 -0,4 -0,6 -0,8

5

6

7

8

-1

9

10

11

12

13

14

Elution Volumen

GPC for a starch based film and the recycled product thereof 2

Pellets Film

1,5 1 0,5

Intensity

The graphs on the right show the molecular mass distribution of several biodegradables, characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). This method has proven to be quite sensitive in monitoring slight changes in the molecular mass distribution resulting from the inevitable heat stress in any polymer processing step. Both the graphs show the molecular mass distribution measured on a product (film in one case, nonwoven in the other), compared to that measured on the pellets of the recycled product. For both examples a slight shift to the right for the recycled product (pellets), but in a level that is to be expected and acceptable for any processing step.

Pellets Nowowen

0,6

Intensity

Opposed to that concept, NGR recycling machines feed the material to the extruder by an integrated cutter-feeder, which consists of a slow rotating cutter shaft with knives that cut against fixed knives like a scissors and a feeding zone that conveys the material to the extruder without pre-heating it.

GPC for a PLA nonwoven and the recycled product thereof

0 -0,5 -1

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Elution Volumen

Article contributed by: Uwe Bonten Area Sales Manager Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen GmbH Feldkirchen, Austria www.ngr.at

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 6

51

Opinion

The End-of-Life Article contributed by: Gaelle Janssens Environmental Affairs Manager PRO EUROPE Brussels, Belgium Attilio Caligiani Consultant Weber Shandwick Brussels Belgium

About Bioplastics PRO EUROPE (Packaging Recovery Organization Europe), the umbrella organisation for the packaging and packaging waste recovery schemes which mainly use the ‘Green Dot’ trademark, is convinced that waste and resource management is at the forefront of a new economy.

This economy is being called upon to answer increasingly wide-spread environmental issues, notably those driven by mainstream concerns over climate change, and the financial crisis.

A few years ago the general opinion about biopackaging would have meant speaking in terms of biodegradable packaging. Nowadays the evolution of packaging sees a more focused view on the renewability of resource rather than just on biodegradability. So composting of biopackaging is far from being the only possibility for end-of-life. Many different ends-of-life exist for biopackaging. The choice of a particular option depends on the collection and treatment infrastructure available.

Just because many biopackagings are compostable, it does not mean that composting is the best option from an environmental, logistic or economic perspective. Based on environmental study, it is the opinion of PRO EUROPE that bioplastic recovery is better than composting.

End of Life of Bioplastics Depending on the country, if the bioplastic products compliy with the sorting instructions, bioplastics are selectively collected according to type (for example plastic bottles). The possible end-of-life options are recycling, incineration, composting or landfill. Recycling is possible with traditional polymers made from renewable resources (i.e. bio PET, bio PE etc.). For other innovative polymers the prerequisites are adapted sorting equipment, good quantities of high quality homogeneous material, an existing and sustainable recycling infrastructure, and enduser outlets. It should be mentioned that blended materials cannot be optically sorted and some polymers might bring a risk of contamination of recycling processes (e.g. if PLA enters the process of recycling PET. Both materials have a similar appearance, and automatic sorting as used to sort PP or PVC from a PET recycling stream, is not currently installed at all recycling facilities). Another possible end-of-life option is gasification or incineration with energy recovery - for the environment, a better solution than composting. Note that incineration with energy recovery is already used in some countries as a way of treating residuals after sorting. The third end-of-life option in this scenario is organic recycling or composting, a possible solution whenever the packaging is mixed with organic waste (e.g. food waste, kitchen waste, yard waste etc.) in proper recovery infrastructure. The last end-of-life solution is landfill - which is the least preferable option.

www.pro-e.org

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

If bioplastics are thrown in the residual waste bin, they will end their life in landfill (worst option) or be incinerated to provide energy recovery.

From the authors’ point of view incineration is a better environmental option than industrial composting. It is already used in some countries to treat the residual waste.

of Bioplastics Only a small minority of citizens have access to organic waste collection. For this scenario the authors think that composting is not as good for the environment as energy recovery (gasification or incineration). Moreover, new collection and treatment infrastructures are needed to handle organic packaging. A test shows that the quality of the compost (and its end value to the market) would go down because of sorting mistakes made by consumers.

There are also implied additional costs in adapting existing infrastructures and to manage residual waste.

Conclusion Regarding the Sustainability of Bioplastics As previously mentioned and based on environmental study, the authors think that bioplastic recovery is better than composting. But even if bioplastics are frequently described as being environmentally superior to traditional plastics, the authors do not agree that this is always the case. As said before, being biodegradable or biomass based doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t automatically mean being ecologically friendly or sustainable. This must be verified on a case by case approach.

When considering the problem of litter, we can say that biodegradability does not necessarily resolve this issue.

Litter must be dealt with at source; it is a social problem.

Biological degradation can mitigate the problem, but without specific and necessary conditions (microorganisms, temperature and humidity) it can be very slow.

magnetic_148,5x105.ai 175.00 lpi 45.00° 15.00° 14.03.2009 75.00° 0.00° 14.03.2009 10:13:31 10:13:31 Prozess CyanProzess MagentaProzess GelbProzess Schwarz

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Furthermore, bioplastics could theoretically add to the problem of litter if supported by a belief that they all just â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;break down and disappearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; after disposal. For this reason, we must take care to educate consumers properly.

â&#x20AC;˘ Daily News from the Industrial Sector and the Plastics Markets

C

M

It often happens that consumers are confused by all the different labels printed on bags, boxes and bottles describing packaging as â&#x20AC;&#x153;biodegradableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;home compostableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or even â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;biopackagingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Even if consumers react very favourably to these ideas, most do not associate them with the required actions. There is a need to regulate and provide clear communication on both labels and in the instructions for sorting plastics.

â&#x20AC;˘ Current Market Prices for Plastics.

Y

CM

â&#x20AC;˘ Buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide for Plastics & Additives, Machinery & Equipment, Subcontractors and Services.

MY

CY

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K

Other important factors are education and instruction.

Material producers, converters and retailers that use these new materials have a responsibility and a duty to introduce them in a conscientious and regulated manner, so that previous education programmes aimed at promoting recycling and the prevention of waste are not diminished.

er.com lastick www.p

â&#x20AC;˘ Job Market for Specialists and Executive Staff in the Plastics Industry

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

53

Opinion

Targets for Bio-Based Products Article contributed by

Michael Carus Managing Director of the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) and Managing Director of nova-Institute GmbH Huerth, Germany John Hobson President of the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) and Manager of HempTechnology Ltd (UK) www.eiha.org

The European Hemp Association (EIHA) welcomes and supports the discussions on European targets for different bio-based products, such as bio-polymers, bio-lubricants, and certain chemical building block chemicals, within the Lead Market Initiative (LMI), the Ad-hoc Advisory Group, the EU-RRM Group and the European Association for Bioindustries (EuropaBIO).

However, EIHA wishes to point out that the field of biocomposites and Natural Fibres should not be forgotten, but fully integrated within these targets for bio-based products.

The implementation of a specific target for bio-composites should also be considered: for example, from a technical point of view, more than 30% of fibre reinforcement can be achieved by natural fibres.

Currently at least 315,000 t of bio-composites reinforced by natural fibres, are already being used in European Industry, mainly in the automotive and construction sectors. By 2020 this quantity could be more than doubled (see table).

In fact, automotive interior parts with natural fibres already today are between 30 and 80% bio-based and bring the added advantage of lightweight construction. Both these factors lead to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions in the order of 30% and more, replacing plastics and glass fibre. Using bio-based plastics as a matrix, fully bio-based composites could be achieved with even lower CO2 emissions. Natural fibre can improve the profile of bio-based plastics at low cost and with additional environmental benefits.

EIHA will soon present a Meta-Life Cycle Assessment on Hemp Fibre bio-composites to prove their environmental advantages.

Source: nova-Institut 2010 1: Suitable for using bio-based plastics as matrix 2: AVK 2010, Ellis, P. 2010, nova 2010 3: Estimate for the year 2020, under favourable political framework Bio-Composites

Estimated Quantities in the EU 2010

Estimated Quantities in the EU 20203

40,000 t

120,000 t

Compression moulding - with natural fibres like flax, hemp, jute, kenaf, sisal, abaca, coir (> 95% automotive, 5% cases and others)1 - with cotton fibre (automotive, mainly lorries)

100,000 t

100,000 t

50,000 t

150,000 t

- Wood Plastic Composites (WPC) (construction, furniture1, automotive1, consumer goods1)

120,000 t

360,000 t

- with natural fibres like flax, hemp, jute, kenaf, sisal, cork (construction, furniture1, automotive1, consumer goods1)

5,000 t

100,000 t

Bio-Composites in total

315,000 t

830,000 t

Composites in total (glass, carbon and natural fibre-reinforced plastics)2

2.4 Mio t

3.0 Mio t

Bio-based Share

ca. 13%

ca. 28%

- with wood fibre (mainly automotive)1 Extrusion and injection moulding

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

Furthermore, the EU Commission is already supporting the development of bio-composites by funding research and development. We should point out that currently, in the area of natural fibres, there are important projects on natural fibre modification with enzymes (biotechnology) and ultrasonic or plasma treatment to achieve a better compatibility with (bio-) plastics.

ELV Directive: an opportunity to increase the use of bio-based products Finally, we wish to point out that the ELV Directive seems to offer an excellent opportunity to fulfil the bio-based product targets. The Directive states that no later than January 1st 2015, for all end-of life vehicles, the re-use and recovery target will be increased to a minimum of 95% of the average weight per vehicle and year. Within the same time limit, the re-use and recycling will be increased to a minimum of 85% of average weight per vehicle and year.

Something which could easily be implemented and furthermore, would have a high impact on the use of biobased plastics and composites, would be if the bio-based share of the products could count as ‘re-used and re-cycled’, independent of their intended route: in other words, even if they go for energy recovery. A justification for this change in classification could be that bio-based materials will only emit ‘green carbon’ during incineration.

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Personality

In those days they were controlling small company (at that time) called Novamont. I was deeply fascinated about what they do and their tremendous enthusiasm, Catia Bastioli is a very dear friend and she was an inspiration. I successfully organized the buyout, went back to the US with some rights in my hands and started to develop bioplastics in America.

Quite quickly we came to the point that we had to create an organization, this is how the BPI was formed. bM: What do you consider more important: ‘biobased’ or ‘biodegradable’?

Frederic Scheer

FS: I think biobased is more important. Compostability and biodegradability are alright as long as you have a composting infrastructure and, of course, where it is useful. I personally believe that in the United States, in 2030 all organic waste will composted - but what are we going to do in the meantime?

So particularly with regard to durable applications, you don’t want them to be biodegradable but you want them to be biobased. bM: What was your biggest achievement (in terms of bioplastics) so far?

FS: On top of all, it is of course the creation of Cereplast, which is now a NASDAQ company. For another, I have to mention the constitution of the BPI, the Biodegradable Products Institute. bM:

bM: Dear

Mr. Scheer, when and where were you born?

FS: I was born in Paris in 1954. bM:

Where do you live today and since when?

FS: I grew up in France and went to university in France, too. Today, I live in Hermosa Beach in the vicinity of Los Angeles, USA where I came to in 1985 and settled down there with my family in 1987. bM:

What is your education?

FS: I passed two Doctorates in law (international and private) and I am MBA of Institut d’Etudes Politiques (IEP Paris) which is a very famous and well recognized university in France. bM:

What is your professional function today?

FS: After I was active as university professor approximately for seven years, I became an investment banker working all over Europe. Through this route by being active in investment banking, I ‘came to’ Cereplast and this was - as founder - and is - as CEO - my professional function today. bM:

How did you ‘come to’ bioplastics?

FS: During my investment banker’s time, we were entrusted with the restructuring of a large Italian group: Montedison.

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

What are your biggest challenges for the future?

FS: The growth resulting from these progresses, the capability of being able to manage this successful and advanced growth of a company - or an organization - is a very important challenge to me. bM:

What is your family status?

FS: I have been married twice and I have six children, four from my first marriage and two whom my widowed wife brought with her. And I have four grandchildren soon to be five. bM:

What is your favourite movie?

FS: I love Pirates of the Caribbean, very funny to see. bM:

What is your favourite book?

FS: Written by Michel Foucault, it is Histoire de la folie à l’âge classique ( History of madness during classic age). bM:

What is your favourite (or your next) vacation location?

FS: My favourite vacation activity is sailing in the Pacific Ocean. bM:

What do you eat for breakfast on a Sunday?

FS: Absolutely traditionally french: Croissant and Café. bM:

What is your ‘slogan’?

FS: Let’s go forward and do better! bM:

Thank you, Mr. Scheer!

Event Calendar

Event Calendar Feb. 01-03, 2011 Bioplastics - Reshaping an Industry Cesar‘s Palace, Las Vegas; USA

April 12 - 13, 2011 4. BioKunststoffe 2011 Hannover, Germany

www.reshapinganindustry.com

www.hanser-tagungen.de

Feb. 9.-11, 2011 Chancen und Perspektiven biobasierter Werkstoffe Ostbayerisches Technologie-Trasfer-Institut (OTTI) Regensburg, Germany

March 29-30, 2011 Bioplastics Compounding and Processing 2011 International conference on the profitable use of bioplastics Hilton Downtown Miami, Miami, Florida

www.otti.de

www2.amiplastics.com

Feb. 10, 2011 Seminar - Biopolymere und ihre Anwendungen Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil, Switzerland

May 1-5, 2011 ANTEC® 2011 Sponsor: Society of Plastics Engineers Boston Marriott Copley Place and Hynes Convention Center Boston, MA USA

www.hsr.ch

www.antec.ws

Feb. 16-17, 2011 Nachhaltige Verpackung, Grüne Logistik, Biokunststoffe deuschsprachiges Seminar BUTTING-Akademie, Burg Knesebeck, Germany

May 12-18, 2011 interpack 2011 Düsseldorf, Germany

www.wertstoffberatung.de

interpack.com

March 22 – 23, 2011 Bio-based Chemicals Rotterdam, The Netherlands www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com/biochem

March 29 – 30, 2011 Bioplastics Compounding and Processing 2011 International industry conference on the profitable use of bioplastics The Hilton Miami Downtown, Miami, Florida, USA www2.amiplastics.com

June 1-2, 2011 STOP Ocean Plastics 1st Global Conference Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Los Angeles, California, USA http://live.stopoceanplastics.org

Oct. 17-19, 2011 GPEC 2011 (SPE‘s Global Plastics Environmental Conference) The Atlanta Peachtree Westin Hotel, Atlanta, GA, USA www.4spe.org

March 22 – 24, 2011 World Biofuels Markets Rotterdam, The Netherlands

You can meet us!

Please contact us in advance by e-mail.

www.worldbiofuelsmarkets.com

Editorial Planner 2011 Month

Publ.-Date

Edit/Ad/Deadl. Editorial Focus (1)

Editorial Focus (2)

Basics

Jan/Feb 14.02.2011

21.01.2011

Automotive

Foams

Lignin

Mar/Apr 04.04.2011

11.03.2011

Rigid Packaging / Trays

Catering Products

Bioplastics in Packaging

May/Jun 06.06.2011

13.05.2011

Beauty & Healthcare

Thermoset

PHA (update)

Jul/Aug 01.08.2011

08.07.2011

Bottles / Blow Moulding

End-of-Life Options

Stretch Blow Moulding

Sep/Oct 04.10.2011

09.09.2011

Fibers / Textiles / Nonwovens Paper Coating

Algae

Nov/Dec 05.12.2011

11.11.2011

Films / Flexibles / Bags

Film-Blowing

Consumer Electronics

Fair Specials

interpack Preview interpack Preview

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

57

Basics

Glossary In bioplastics MAGAZINE again and again the same expressions appear that some of our readers might (not yet) be familiar with. This glossary shall help with these terms and shall help avoid repeated explanations such as ‘PLA (Polylactide)‘ in various articles.

Bioplastics (as defined by European Bioplastics e.V.) is a term used to define two different kinds of plastics:

Blend | Mixture of plastics, polymer alloy of at least two microscopically dispersed and molecularly distributed base polymers.

a. Plastics based on renewable resources (the focus is the origin of the raw material used)

Carbon neutral | Carbon neutral describes a process that has a negligible impact on total atmospheric CO2 levels. For example, carbon neutrality means that any CO2 released when a plant decomposes or is burnt is offset by an equal amount of CO2 absorbed by the plant through photosynthesis when it is growing.

b. à Biodegradable and compostable plastics according to EN13432 or similar standards (the focus is the compostability of the final product; biodegradable and compostable plastics can be based on renewable (biobased) and/or non-renewable (fossil) resources).

Bioplastics may be - based on renewable resources and biodegradable; - based on renewable resources but not be biodegradable; and - based on fossil resources and biodegradable.

Amylopectin | Polymeric branched starch molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is à Glucose). [bM 05/2009 p42]

Amyloseacetat | Linear polymeric glucosechains are called à amylose. If this compound is treated with ethan acid one product is amylacetat. The hydroxyl group is connected with the organic acid fragment.

Amylose | Polymeric non-branched starch molecule with high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is à Glucose). [bM 05/2009 p42] Biodegradable Plastics | Biodegradable Plastics are plastics that are completely assimilated by the à microorganisms present a defined environment as food for their energy.

The carbon of the plastic must completely be converted into CO2 during the microbial process. For an official definition, please refer to the standards e.g. ISO or in Europe: EN 14995 Plastics- Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme and specifications. [bM 02/2006 p34, bM 01/2007 p38]]

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Cellophane | Clear film on the basis of à cellulose.

Cellulose | Polymeric molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is à Glucose), industrial production from wood or cotton, to manufacture paper, plastics and fibres.

Compost | A soil conditioning material of decomposing organic matter which provides nutrients and enhances soil structure. [bM 06/2008, 02/2009]

Compostable Plastics | Plastics that are biodegradable under ‘composting’ conditions: specified humidity, temperature, à microorganisms and timefame. Several national and international standards exist for clearer definitions, for example EN 14995 Plastics - Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme and specifications. [bM 02/2006, bM 01/2007] Composting | A solid waste management technique that uses natural process to convert organic materials to CO2, water and humus through the action of à microorganisms. [bM 03/2007] Copolymer | Plastic composed of different monomers.

Cradle-to-Gate | Describes the system boundaries of an environmental àLife Cycle Assessment (LCA) which covers all activities from the ‘cradle’ (i.e., the extraction of raw materials, agricultural activities and forestry) up to the factory gate

Cradle-to-Cradle | (sometimes abbreviated as C2C): Is an expression which communicates the concept of a closed-cycle economy, in which waste is used as raw material (‘waste equals food’). Cradle-to-Cradle is not a term that is typically used in àLCA studies.

Cradle-to-Grave | Describes the system boundaries of a full àLife Cycle Assessment from manufacture (‘cradle’) to use phase and disposal phase (‘grave’).

Fermentation | Biochemical reactions controlled by à microorganisms or enyzmes (e.g. the transformation of sugar into lactic acid).

Gelatine | Translucent brittle solid substance, colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless and odorless, extracted from the collagen inside animals‘ connective tissue.

Glucose | Monosaccharide (or simple sugar).

G. is the most important carbohydrate (sugar) in biology. G. is formed by photosynthesis or hydrolyse of many carbohydrates e. g. starch.

Humus | In agriculture, ‘humus’ is often used simply to mean mature à compost, or natural compost extracted from a forest or other spontaneous source for use to amend soil.

Hydrophilic | Property: ‘water-friendly’, soluble in water or other polar solvents (e.g. used in conjunction with a plastic which is not waterresistant and weatherproof or that absorbs water such as Polyamide (PA).

Hydrophobic | Property: ‘water-resistant’, not soluble in water (e.g. a plastic which is waterresistant and weatherproof, or that does not absorb any water such as Polethylene (PE) or Polypropylene (PP).

LCA | Life Cycle Assessment (sometimes also referred to as life cycle analysis, ecobalance, and àcradle-to-grave analysis) is the investigation and valuation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service caused. [bM 01/2009]

Basics

Readers who would like to suggest better or other explanations to be added to the list, please contact the editor. [*: bM ... refers to more comprehensive article previously published in bioplastics MAGAZINE)

Microorganism | Living organisms of microscopic size, such as bacteria, funghi or yeast.

PCL | Polycaprolactone, a synthetic (fossil based), biodegradable bioplastic, e.g. used as a blend component.

PHA | Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. The most common type of PHA is à PHB. PHB | Polyhydroxyl buteric acid (better poly3-hydroxybutyrate), is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a polymer belonging to the polyesters class. PHB is produced by micro-organisms apparently in response to conditions of physiological stress. The polymer is primarily a product of carbon assimilation (from glucose or starch) and is employed by micro-organisms as a form of energy storage molecule to be metabolized when other common energy sources are not available. PHB has properties similar to those of PP, however it is stiffer and more brittle.

PLA | Polylactide or Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester from lactic acid. Lactic acid is made from dextrose by fermentation. Bacterial fermentation is used to produce lactic acid from corn starch, cane sugar or other sources.

However, lactic acid cannot be directly polymerized to a useful product, because each polymerization reaction generates one molecule of water, the presence of which degrades the forming polymer chain to the point that only very low molecular weights are observed.

Instead, lactic acid is oligomerized and then catalytically dimerized to make the cyclic lactide monomer. Although dimerization also generates water, it can be separated prior to polymerization. PLA of high molecular weight is produced from the lactide monomer by ring-opening polymerization using a catalyst.

This mechanism does not generate additional water, and hence, a wide range of molecular weights are accessible. [bM 01/2009]

Saccharins or carbohydrates | Saccharins or carbohydrates are name for the sugar-family.

Saccharins are monomer or polymer sugar units. For example, there are known mono-, di- and polysaccharose. à glucose is a monosaccarin. They are important for the diet and produced biology in plants.

Sorbitol | Sugar alcohol, obtained by reduction of glucose changing the aldehyde group to an additional hydroxyl group. S. is used as a plasticiser for bioplastics based on starch.

Starch | Natural polymer (carbohydrate) consisting of à amylose and à amylopectin, gained from maize, potatoes, wheat, tapioca etc. When glucose is connected to polymerchains in definite way the result (product) is called starch. Each molecule is based on 300 -12000-glucose units. Depending on the connection, there are two types à amylose and à amylopectin known. [bM 05/2009] Starch (-derivate) | Starch (-derivates) are based on the chemical structure of à starch.

The chemical structure can be changed by introducing new functional groups without changing the à starch polymer. The product has different chemical qualities. Mostly the hydrophilic character is not the same.

Starch-ester | One characteristic of every starch-chain is a free hydroxyl group. When every hydroxyl group is connect with ethan acid one product is starch-ester with different chemical properties.

Starch propionate and starch butyrate | Starch propionate and starch butyrate can be synthesised by treating the à starch with propane or butanic acid. The product structure is still based on à starch. Every based à glucose fragment is connected with a propionate or butyrate ester group. The product is more hydrophobic than à starch.

Sustainable | An attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future.

One of the most often cited definitions of sustainability is the one created by the Brundtland Commission, led by the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as development that ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Sustainability relates to the continuity of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society, as well as the non-human environment).

Sustainability | (as defined by European Bioplastics e.V.) has three dimensions: economic, social and environmental. This has been known as “the triple bottom line of sustainability”. This means that sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental protection and social equity. In other words, businesses have to expand their responsibility to include these environmental and social dimensions. Sustainability is about making products useful to markets and, at the same time, having societal benefits and lower environmental impact than the alternatives currently available. It also implies a commitment to continuous improvement that should result in a further reduction of the environmental footprint of today’s products, processes and raw materials used.

Thermoplastics | Plastics which soften or melt when heated and solidify when cooled (solid at room temperature).

Yard Waste | Grass clippings, leaves, trimmings, garden residue.

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Suppliers Guide 1. Raw Materials 10

20

30

40

50

BASF SE Global Business Management Biodegradable Polymers Carl-Bosch-Str. 38 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany Tel. +49-621 60 43 878 Fax +49-621 60 21 694 plas.com@basf.com www.ecovio.com www.basf.com/ecoflex

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

Showa Denko Europe GmbH Konrad-Zuse-Platz 4 81829 Munich, Germany Tel.: +49 89 93996226 www.showa-denko.com support@sde.de

Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd. Gaotang Industrial Zone, Tianhe, Guangzhou, P.R.China.

Tel: +86 (0)20 87215915 Fax: +86 (0)20 87037111 info@ecopond.com.cn www.ecopond.com.cn FLEX-262/162 Biodegradable Blown Film Resin!

150

1.5 PHA

Division of A&O FilmPAC Ltd 7 Osier Way, Warrington Road GB-Olney/Bucks.

MK46 5FP Tel.: +44 1234 714 477 Fax: +44 1234 713 221 ® Natur-Tec - Northern Technologies sales@aandofilmpac.com 4201 Woodland Road www.bioresins.eu Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA Tel. +1 763.225.6600 Fax +1 763.225.6645 info@natur-tec.com www.natur-tec.com

Transmare Compounding B.V. Ringweg 7, 6045 JL Roermond, The Netherlands Tel. +31 475 345 900 Fax +31 475 345 910 DuPont de Nemours International S.A. info@transmare.nl www.compounding.nl 2 chemin du Pavillon 1218 - Le Grand Saconnex 1.3 PLA Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 171 51 11 Fax: +41 22 580 22 45 plastics@dupont.com www.renewable.dupont.com Shenzhen Brightchina Ind. Co;Ltd www.plastics.dupont.com www.brightcn.net 1.1 bio based monomers

PSM Bioplastic NA Chicago, USA www.psmna.com +1-630-393-0012

www.esun.en.alibaba.com bright@brightcn.net Tel: +86-755-2603 1978

Taghleef Industries SpA, Italy Via E. Fermi, 46 33058 San Giorgio di Nogaro (UD) Contact Frank Ernst Tel. +49 2402 7096989 Mobile +49 160 4756573 frank.ernst@ti-films.com www.ti-films.com 3.1.1 cellulose based films

INNOVIA FILMS LTD Wigton Cumbria CA7 9BG England Contact: Andy Sweetman Telles, Metabolix – ADM joint venture Tel. +44 16973 41549 650 Suffolk Street, Suite 100 Fax +44 16973 41452 Lowell, MA 01854 USA andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com Tel. +1-97 85 13 18 00 www.innoviafilms.com Fax +1-97 85 13 18 86 www.mirelplastics.com 4. Bioplastics products

Tianan Biologic No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd, Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800 Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2 Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0 enquiry@tianan-enmat.com www.tianan-enmat.com 2. Additives / Secondary raw materials

alesco GmbH & Co. KG Schönthaler Str. 55-59 D-52379 Langerwehe Sales Germany: +49 2423 402 110 Sales Belgium: +32 9 2260 165 Sales Netherlands: +31 20 5037 710 info@alesco.net | www.alesco.net

1.4 starch-based bioplastics 160

170

180

190

PURAC division Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21 4200 AA Gorinchem The Netherlands Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695 Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604 www.purac.com PLA@purac.com 1.2 compounds

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients ZAC „Les Portes de Riom“ - BP 173 63204 Riom Cedex - France Tel. +33 (0)4 73 67 17 00 Fax +33 (0)4 73 67 17 10 www.biolice.com

Sukano AG Chaltenbodenstrasse 23 CH-8834 Schindellegi Tel. +41 44 787 57 77 Fax +41 44 787 57 78 www.sukano.com

Postbus 26 7480 AA Haaksbergen The Netherlands Tel.: +31 616 121 843 info@bio4pack.com www.bio4pack.com

3. Semi finished products 3.1 films

200

210

220

230

Cereplast Inc. Tel: +1 310-676-5000 / Fax: -5003 pravera@cereplast.com www.cereplast.com European distributor A.Schulman : Tel +49 (2273) 561 236 christophe_cario@de.aschulman.com

Jean-Pierre Le Flanchec 3 rue Scheffer 75116 Paris cedex, France Tel: +33 (0)1 53 65 23 00 Fax: +33 (0)1 53 65 81 99 biosphere@biosphere.eu www.biosphere.eu

Huhtamaki Forchheim Herr Manfred Huberth Zweibrückenstraße 15-25 91301 Forchheim Tel. +49-9191 81305 Fax +49-9191 81244 Mobil +49-171 2439574

240

250

260

270

60

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

bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5

Grace Biotech Corporation Tel: +886-3-598-6496 No. 91, Guangfu N. Rd., Hsinchu Industrial Park,Hukou Township, Hsinchu County 30351, Taiwan sales@grace-bio.com.tw www.grace-bio.com.tw

www.earthfirstpla.com www.sidaplax.com www.plasticsuppliers.com Sidaplax UK : +44 (1) 604 76 66 99 Sidaplax Belgium: +32 9 210 80 10 Plastic Suppliers: +1 866 378 4178

Cortec® Corporation 4119 White Bear Parkway St. Paul, MN 55110 Tel. +1 800.426.7832 Fax 651-429-1122 info@cortecvci.com www.cortecvci.com Eco Cortec® 31 300 Beli Manastir Bele Bartoka 29 Croatia, MB: 1891782 Tel. +385 31 7005 011 Fax +385 31 705 012 info@ecocortec.hr www.ecocortec.hr

Suppliers Guide Simply contact:

NOVAMONT S.p.A. Via Fauser , 8 28100 Novara - ITALIA Fax +39.0321.699.601 Tel. +39.0321.699.611 www.novamont.com

WEI MON INDUSTRY CO., LTD. 2F, No.57, Singjhong Rd., Neihu District, Taipei City 114, Taiwan, R.O.C. Tel. + 886 - 2 - 27953131 Fax + 886 - 2 - 27919966 sales@weimon.com.tw www.plandpaper.com

MANN+HUMMEL ProTec GmbH Stubenwald-Allee 9 64625 Bensheim, Deutschland Tel. +49 6251 77061 0 Fax +49 6251 77061 510 info@mh-protec.com www.mh-protec.com 6.2 Laboratory Equipment

MODA : Biodegradability Analyzer Saida FDS Incorporated 3-6-6 Sakae-cho, Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan Tel : +81-90-6803-4041 info@saidagroup.jp www.saidagroup.jp 7. Plant engineering

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH Holzhauser Str. 157 - 159 13509 Berlin Germany Tel. +49 (0)30 43567 5 Fax +49 (0)30 43567 699 sales.de@thyssenkrupp.com www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com 8. Ancillary equipment

4.1 trays

Siemensring 79 47877 Willich, Germany Tel.: +49 2154 9251-0 , Fax: -51 carmen.michels@umsicht.fhg.de www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de

5.1 wholesale

9. Services

6. Equipment 6.1 Machinery & Molds

FAS Converting Machinery AB O Zinkgatan 1/ Box 1503 27100 Ystad, Sweden Tel.: +46 411 69260 www.fasconverting.com

Molds, Change Parts and Turnkey Solutions for the PET/Bioplastic Container Industry 284 Pinebush Road Cambridge Ontario Canada N1T 1Z6 Tel. +1 519 624 9720 Fax +1 519 624 9721 info@hallink.com www.hallink.com

suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com

nova-Institut GmbH Chemiepark Knapsack Industriestrasse 300 50354 Huerth, Germany Tel.: +49(0)2233-48-14 40 Fax: +49(0)2233-48-14 5 10. Institutions

President Packaging Ind., Corp.

PLA Paper Hot Cup manufacture In Taiwan, www.ppi.com.tw Tel.: +886-6-570-4066 ext.5531 Fax: +886-6-570-4077 sales@ppi.com.tw 5. Traders

Tel.: +49 02351 67100-0

Bioplastics Consulting Tel. +49 2161 664864 info@polymediaconsult.com www.polymediaconsult.com

10.1 Associations

BPI - The Biodegradable Products Institute 331 West 57th Street, Suite 415 New York, NY 10019, USA Tel. +1-888-274-5646 info@bpiworld.org

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 present among top suppliers in the field of bioplastics.

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

10 35 mm

Minima Technology Co., Ltd. Esmy Huang, Marketing Manager No.33. Yichang E. Rd., Taipin City, Taichung County 411, Taiwan (R.O.C.) Tel. +886(4)2277 6888 Fax +883(4)2277 6989 Mobil +886(0)982-829988 esmy325@ms51.hinet.net Skype esmy325 www.minima-tech.com

Roll-o-Matic A/S Petersmindevej 23 5000 Odense C, Denmark Tel. + 45 66 11 16 18 Fax + 45 66 14 32 78 rom@roll-o-matic.com www.roll-o-matic.com

20

30 35

Sample Charge: 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

35mm x 6,00 € = 210,00 € per entry/per issue

Sample Charge for one year: 6 issues x 210,00 EUR = 1,260.00 € The entry in our Suppliers Guide is bookable for one year (6 issues) and extends automatically if it’s not canceled three month before expiry.

10.2 Universities

Michigan State University Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science Professor Ramani Narayan East Lansing MI 48824, USA Tel. +1 517 719 7163 narayan@msu.edu

University of Applied Sciences Faculty II, Department of Bioprocess Engineering Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Josef Endres Heisterbergallee 12 30453 Hannover, Germany Tel. +49 (0)511-9296-2212 Fax +49 (0)511-9296-2210 hans-josef.endres@fh-hannover.de www.fakultaet2.fh-hannover.de

Wirkstoffgruppe Imageproduktion Tel. +49 2351 67100-0 luedenscheid@wirkstoffgruppe.de www.wirkstoffgruppe.de

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