bioplastics MAGAZINE 05-2011

05 | 2011

bioplastics

magazine

Vol. 6

ISSN 1862-5258

September/October

Cover Story PROGANIC速 - spinning to new Heights | 16

Basics

Highlights

Personality

Fibre Applications | 18 Paper Coating | 34

Harald Kaeb | 40

Bioplastics from Algae | 42

1 countries

... is read in 9

FKuR plastics – made by nature!® Introducing: TerraleneTM Tailor-Made Green PE Compounds*  Outstanding Renewable Content  Capturing CO2

I´m green™ polyethylene made of sugar cane www.braskem.com/greenplastic *using Braskem Green PE

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

www.fkur.com

For further information, contact your local partner: North America: UK & Ireland: Italy: France: Scandinavia: Israel:

sales.usa@fkur.com UK@fkur.com Italy@fkur.com France@fkur.com Scan@fkur.com Israel@fkur.com

Editorial

dear readers Did you know … ? … that it is not only oil that is a limited resource ? Other resources are limited too, for example phosphor. The European Union does not have any phosphor resources at all. Arno Rosemarins of the Stockholm Environment Institute estimates that the existing global resources may last for just another 50 years (www.news.de). The agricultural land in Germany alone needs about 280,000 tonnes of phosphor per year.

There is no life without phosphor ! Did you know that composting of bio-waste (kitchen bio-waste alone) can cover 10% of the German need for phosphor?

This and other very short stories will constitute a new series of miniature articles in the coming issues of bioplastics MAGAZINE. This series will not be strictly limited to bioplastics topics … we might compare the degree of efficiency of beef versus rice, or photovoltaic versus biodiesel. So if you have some interesting insights for us to share with our readers, please let us know…

One of the highlights in this current issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE is fibre applications. Like other thermoplastic resins, biopolymers such as PLA or PHA can be spun into fibres which can then be used as filaments for brushes or as fibres in nonwovens or textiles. The other highlights comprise paper coating and algae.

Certainly the 6th Bioplastics Award, this year for the first time awarded exclusively by bioplastics MAGAZINE, is another very important topic for us. Please see page 14 for the five finalists. The winner will be announced at the 6th European Bioplastics Conference on November 22nd in Berlin, Germany. European Bioplastics and bioplastics MAGAZINE would like you to keep in mind that the industry association and the leading publication of this industry are completely independent. However, bioplastics MAGAZINE is grateful to European Bioplastics for the chance to present the award on the stage at their conference.

And then, we again would like to invite all those involved in PLA (its development, compounding, processing, use, etc.) to submit proposals for presentations for the 2nd PLA World Congress. This event will be held on May 15th and 16th, 2012, in Munich, Germany. The team from bioplastics MAGAZINE is looking forward to welcoming you in Munich next spring.

Until then, we hope you enjoy reading bioplastics MAGAZINE

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/bioplasticsmag

Be our friend on Facebook: www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine

Sincerely yours Michael Thielen

bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

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Content Award Bioplastics Award 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Cover Story PROGANIC® - Spinning to new Heights . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Fibre Applications Spunbond-Film-Composites Made From . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Renewable Resources Woven Groundcover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Bio-Derived PET Fibers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Fibers and Nonwovens of PHBV/PLA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Application News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Materials

Event Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

New PLA Resin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 High-Heat, Impact-Resistant PLA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Bookstore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Applications

Editorial Planner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Glass Fiber-Reinforced PLA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Companies in this issue . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Innovation With a Marine Focus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Paper Coating

05|2011 September/October

PLA for Paper Coating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Improved Compostable Paper Extrusion Coating. . . . . . 38

Personality Harald Kaeb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Basics Algae – Source for Bioplastics? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Opinion A Global Race for Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Politics

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

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

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

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Something is Regrowing! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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News

Greenware Products USDA Certified

FKuR and Braskem Sign Green PE Compounding Agreement

Fabri-Kal from Kalamazoo, Michigan USA is proud to announce their Greenware® cold drink cups, lids and portion cups have earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label.

Greenware products are made entirely from plants, not petroleum, and are USDA certified as containing 100 % biobased carbon content. Greenware products are made with Ingeo™ biopolymer (PLA).

Global biopolymer leader Braskem and bioplastics compounding specialist FKuR, Willich, Germany have signed a compounding agreement for bio-PE. Green PE is Braskem’s LLDPE and HDPE from renewable resources; the ethanol used to make bio-PE is made from sugarcane produced in Brazil. This strong partnership will result in the first tailormade green polyethylene compounds available in Europe.

“Greenware products were the first made-in-the-USA, 100 % biobased colddrink cups and portion cups made from Ingeo biopolymer. We are proud to receive the USDA BioPreferred™ program certification for Greenware cold-drink cups, portion cups and lids,” said Fabri-Kal President Mike Roeder.

“Innovation and commitment to the environment are key objectives that drive our business. We’re confident the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label will serve as a credible and trusted symbol for consumers by identifying biobased products that have undergone a robust third party certification to validate the claims.”

Under the USDA BioPreferred program, products are labeled ‘biobased’ if they are composed wholly or significantly of biological ingredients, such as renewable plant material.

The fundamental goals of the USDA BioPreferred program include spurring the development of the biobased industrial base to meet sustainability goals, enhancing energy security by substituting biobased products – such as Greenware cold-drink cups, lids and portion cups – for petroleum-based products and promoting eco-friendly products to reduce environmental impact.

www.f-k.com/green.

Braskem was seeking an experienced partner to increase their European market share and develop high value compounds for a diverse range of applications. “We chose FKuR as a partner because they have extensive compounding experience with polyolefins and bioplastics. Their extensive knowledge of the renewable plastics market and their excellent reputation in the bioplastics business convinced us they are the best partner,” declared Fabio Carneiro, Renewable Chemicals Commercial Officer.

“This agreement is a substantial and important step towards increasing our renewable plastics portfolio. The compounding of Green PE is a logical evolution of our strong worldwide expansion and company philosophy: Plastics – made by nature,” explained Dr. Edmund Dolfen, FKuR’s CEO. MT www.fkur.com www.braskem.com

Biobased Succinic Acid Plant in Canada BioAmber Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA through its subsidiary Bluewater Biochemicals has selected Sarnia, Ontario, Canada as the location for its first North American bio succinic acid plant. The Sarnia plant will have an initial capacity of 17,000 tonnes and will be commissioned in 2013. Permitting work for the plant was initiated in June 2011.

BioAmber currently produces and sells biobased succinic acid at a 3,000 tonnes capacity plant in France. Succinic acid is a renewable, non-toxic specialty chemical that can be further modified to make a wide range of products including automotive parts, biodegradable coffee cup lids and disposable cutlery, spandex, shoe soles, ingredients for food, flavors and fragrances, cosmetics, construction materials, phthalate-free plasticizers, engine coolants, salts that melt ice and snow and plastics used in various durable goods.

BioAmber plans to double capacity in Sarnia by 2014 through the introduction of a next-generation yeast being developed with Cargill.

BioAmber also plans to produce 1,4-Butanediol (BDO) on the site, using technology exclusively licensed from DuPont that coverts succinic acid to BDO, a chemical with a € 2.9 billion ($4 bn) existing market. The goal is for the Sarnia plant to produce 35,000 tonnes of biosuccinic and 23,000 tonnes of biobased BDO at its peak. MT www.bio-amber.com.

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News

Dow and Mitsui to Create Platform for Biopolymers The Dow Chemical Company and Mitsui & Co., Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan recently announced the formation of a new joint venture and execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at providing innovative and sustainable product solutions to the global high-performance flexible packaging, hygiene and medical markets. This represents the world’s largest biopolymers play and is Dow’s largest investment in Brazil, a country in which Dow has operated successfully for more than 50 years.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mitsui would become a 50% equity interest partner in Dow’s sugar cane growing operation in Santa Vitória, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The initial scope of the joint venture includes production of sugar cane-derived ethanol for use as a renewable feedstock source, bringing new, biomass-based feedstocks to Dow while diversifying the Company’s raw material streams from traditional fossil fuels. When complete, Dow and Mitsui will have the world’s largest integrated facility for the production of biopolymers made from renewable, sugar-cane derived ethanol. The project aligns with Dow’s goal of developing low carbon solutions to meet the world’s pressing energy and climate change challenges.

Malaysian Pilot Plant for PHA from Palm Oil Malaysia’s first fully automated Polyhydroxylalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics pilot plant that enables the production of versatile biodegradable plastic materials from palm oil is now ready and operational, charting a new milestone in the country’s efforts to provide alternative to non-biodegradable petroleum-based plastics.

The first of its kind, the plant was designed and built through the smart partnership between SIRIM Berhad, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. Scaled-up to 2,000 litres, the bioreactor facilities and integrated manufacturing process of the plant is able to produce various options of PHA materials from crude palm kernel oil and palm oil mill effluent.

The strain to produce PHA from crude palm kernel oil and its optimised processes that is ready for up-scaling were developed by USM, while UPM on the other hand has converted palm oil mill effluent into organic acid which was then fermented to produce a very useful bioplastic material or known as PBHV (polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate).

Meanwhile the MIT has put in their expertise in metabolic engineering into use by developing recombinant strain that is very competent in producing high yield of PHA. MT www.sirim.my

Once fully operational, this platform will be backintegrated into renewable sugar cane, enabling environmentally sustainable production of high performance plastics with a reduced carbon footprint. Biopolymers produced at this facility will be a green alternative and drop-in replacement for the high-performance flexible packaging, hygiene and medical markets, offering customers the same performance attributes with a more sustainable environmental profile. MT www.dow.com www.mitsuichem.com

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Palm oil is being extracted from its fruits, which turn red when ripe. Photo taken at palm oil plantation in Malaysia (Photo Sze Fei Wong, iStock)

News

BASF and CSM JV for Biobased Succinic Acid BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany and Purac Gorinchem, The Netherlands, a subsidiary of CSM nv, announced in early August the start of negotiations to form a joint venture for the production of bio-based succinic acid. The companies have been conducting research under a joint development agreement on bio-based succinic acid since 2009. The complementary strengths in fermentation and downstream processing led to the development of a sustainable and highly efficient manufacturing process based on a proprietary microorganism. The demand for succinic acid is anticipated to grow strongly in the next years. Main drivers are expected to be bioplastics, chemical intermediates, solvents, polyurethanes and plasticizers.

During the existing cooperation critical steps of the jointly developed production process have been validated in several successful production campaigns. The resulting volumes were used to evaluate the market. “After successfully testing the BASF in-house applications we are now able to make large volumes available for external customers,” said Dr. Thomas Weber, Managing Director of BASF Future Business GmbH with regard to the recent industrial production campaign in June 2011. “The goal is to globally provide a high product quality and offer security of supply to the customers,” Fabrizio Rampinelli, Managing Director of Purac, added. “Through this bio-based succinic acid collaboration we aim to add another important new growth-pillar to our bio-based polymers and green chemical business.”

The newly developed process combines high efficiency with the use of renewable substrates and the fixation of the greenhouse gas CO2 during the production. This results in a positive eco-footprint and makes bio-based succinic acid an economically and ecologically attractive alternative to petrochemical substitutes.

The employed microorganism Basfia succiniciproducens is a natural producer of succinic acid and can process a wide variety of C3, C5 and C6 renewable feedstocks, including biomass sources. www.basf.com www.purac.com

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2nd Renewable Plastics The 2011 European Plastics News annual Renewable Plastics Conference was helf in Brussels, Belgium on Sept. 20 and 22. Over these two days influencial delegates from across Europe gathered to hear presentations on and debate subjects as diverse as ‘PHA from waste water, Plastic waste in the Ocean and PEF - a 100% biobased alternative to PET. On the stage to share their knowlege and views were (amongst others) Professor Hans Joseph Endres from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hanover, Bruno de Wilde from Organic Waste Systems, Ady Jager from NatureWorks BV and Dr Gareth Davies from Nokia The debate was lively with plenty of questions from the floor all expertly chaired by Dr John Wiliams, Head of Materials for Energy and Industry NNFCC. The feedback from the delegates has been excellent and the organisers - European Plastics News - are already consulting their diaries for next year. www.renewable-plastics.com

Tesco Drop ‘Oxo Biodegradable’ Bags UK supermarket chain Tesco has dropped so-called ‘eco-friendly’ carrier bags after evidence suggests they are doing more harm than good.

Oxo biodegradable bags are made of non-renewable plastics, which are able to degrade in the presence of oxygen and sunlight thanks to the addition of small amounts of metals.

Last year Tesco handed out over two billion oxo degradable bags to customers, but now the supermarket giant has had a re-think and stopped using the bags because they may be worse for the environment than conventional carriers.

“We’ve been putting pressure on the supply chain for several years to consider the negative impacts of oxo biodegradable bags and move to more environmentally-friendly alternatives,” said Dr John Williams, Head of Materials at the NNFCC. “Plastics are excellent materials, highly functional and energy efficient. Promoting sensible and certified routes to reuse, recycle and dispose of plastics, will improve sustainablility. Artificially accelerating the degradation of an oil-based plastic is neither economically or environmentally sensible.”

Tesco’s decision follows research by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which cast doubts over claims that the bag would degrade to water, carbon dioxide and biomass in just 18 months.

Defra’s report concluded that degradability would depend on where and under what conditions the bag ended up after use. Certainly not an antidote to plastic littering as some producers claim. MT

www.nnfcc.co.uk www.tesco.com

News

Bioplastics - A Crucial Pillar of the Bio-Economy How can the bioplastics industry contribute to the European Union’s ‘2020 goals’? This and other key questions were debated at the product exhibition and conference ‘Plastics and the BioEconomy – The Evolution of Plastics’ (Brussels, 21 to 22 September 2011) organised by European Bioplastics under the patronage of Mr. Lambert van Nistelrooij, MEP. Already today, bioplastics play a significant role within Europe’s bio-economy. They are manifold and efficient materials ready for the market and they accelerate the development on the plastics market towards a society based on more sustainability.

In his opening address of the conference van Nistelrooij argued in favour of a stronger support of bioplastics by European policy makers.

“Bioplastics offer great opportunities for smart and sustainable growth in the EU. There are already numerous proposals for supportive measures with regard to bioplastics. It is vital that EU policy focuses on implementing them in the short and mid-term.” in his speech Marc Verbruggen, (CEO NatureWorks) emphasized the fact that Europe is potentially a very interesting market for all kinds of bioplastic applications. However, the EU should be careful not to be shaken off by international competition when it comes to production locations but must take action in time.

More than 100 participants in the fully-packed conference hall followed the presentations with great interest. They included, amongst others, contributions by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation of the Netherlands, and by Maive Rute, Director of the General Directorate Research and Innovation of the European Commission.

Andy Sweetman, Chairman of European Bioplastics, was delighted at the popularity of the event: “The fully booked event clearly proves that bioplastics are an important topic at EU level. We are happy to have successfully encourage greater awareness for our industry, its products and their benefits.” www.european-bioplastics.org

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Successful Pilot Project with Compostable Bags Effective immediately, the district of Bad Dürkheim, Germany has approved the permanent use of organic waste bags made of BASF’s compostable plastic Ecovio® FS. Residents and local waste management companies tested the bags over a period of three months. As shown by a survey, the residents of Bad Dürkheim are very satisfied with the new waste bags. And the organic composting plant Grünstadt rated the results of the pilot project very positively. The bags made of Ecovio FS degrade completely within three weeks and do not impair the quality of the compost. “The decisive factor for us was the high quality of the compost and the fact that the bags make it easier for residents to separate, collect and dispose of organic waste. This is why we have now approved the Ecovio bags for permanent use,” said Erhard Freunscht, first district councilor for the district of Bad Dürkheim.

Thanks to the Ecovio bags, the disposal of biodegradable garbage is cleaner, more hygienic and less complicated than with paper bags or old newspapers. The bags not only prevent noxious odors and keep out insects, but also mean that it is no longer necessary to wash and clean the container in which the organic waste is collected.

At the beginning of the project in early April, the approximately 65,000 households in the district each received 10 bags made of the compostable plastic Ecovio FS. The residents were encouraged to collect their organic garbage in the bags and to dispose of them via the organic waste bin. An independent consulting company monitored the pilot project and analyzed the compost.

Unchanged compost quality The analysis shows that the biodegradable organic waste bags did not affect the composition of the compost: the density, content of water and salt, pH value, nutrients, percentage of organic matter and other components in the compost all remained unchanged.

The appearance of the compost did not change either. These are important critieria because the humus is being sold to customers such as winegrowers, fruit farmers and asparagus growers who use it to improve the soil.

Satisfied residents The survey revealed that almost 90 % of the residents were satisfied with the bags. More than half of the respondents said that the bags are very helpful for collecting organic garbage.

Residents were particularly appreciative of the fact that it was easier to collect organic waste without soggy bags or foul odors.MT www.kreis-bad-duerkheim.de. www.basf.com

News

Ombudsman for new Bioplastics Symbol Cereplast Inc. has appointed Michael Thielen as ombudsman for the new bioplastics symbol, effective October 1, 2011. Michael not only is the publisher and editor of bioplastics MAGAZINE, but he has also been founder of Polymediaconsult and as such acted as an independent consultant since 2003.

As ombudsman, Michael Thielen will strive to gain wide spread industry support of a single logo to represent bioplastics and will oversee all matters related to the usage and licensing requirements surrounding the symbol. In addition, he will be responsible for maintaining the integrity of the symbol and will serve as liaison to industry participants and to consumers, and will handle all public input regarding how the symbol is used. Michael will also promote public understanding of the symbol and of bioplastics in general. Michael Thielen’s role is independent of Cereplast’s staff and management and he’ll serve in this role as a third party, independent.

“Providing consumers with a single identifying mark that is stamped on a product is a critical next step in helping consumers distinguish which products are made from bioplastics, as opposed to traditional plastics,” said Michael Thielen, in his role as President of Polymediaconsult. “Having one centralized logo that is supported by the industry will streamline and simplify the message that product manufacturers want to convey to the public—that the product is made from environmentally conscious, bioplastic materials.”

“The bioplastic symbol ombudsman will play an important role in bringing the industry together to support a single logo in an effort to simplify the way in which consumer products are identified as made from bioplastics. Thielen will act as liaison to the public to ensure that this symbol is used properly and in a way that provides maximum benefits to both industry participants and consumers,” said Frederic Scheer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cereplast, Inc. The bioplastics symbol was born on April 21, 2011 as a result of a nationwide design competition hosted by Cereplast. Thielen and six other renowned judges selected the winning symbol. www.cereplast.com

Call for Papers: The conference will comprise high class presentations on Latest developments Market overview High temperature behaviour Barrier issues Additives / Colorants Applications Reinforcements End of life options

2nd PLA World

C ongr e s s

15 + 16 MAY 2012 * Munich * Germany

Please send your proposal, including speaker details and a 300 word abstract to: mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com

Save the Date: 15 + 16 May 2012 www.pla-world-congress.com

Tel.: +49 (2161) 6884469

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News

Novamont and Genomatica: JV for Biobased BDO Genomatica, San Diego, California, USA and Novamont, Novara, Italy announced they have signed a letter of intent to establish a joint venture (JV) that is expected to lead to the first industrial plants in Europe producing BDO from renewable feedstocks. Novamont will consume the BDO for captive use to meet the increasing demand for its products.

Plastic Sustainability Award Dr. Edmund Dolfen, founder and CEO of FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, Willich, Germany, was awarded the 2011 Plastic Sustainability Award by the platform BKV for Plastics and Recycling and the Fraunhofer UMSICHT organization, on the occasion of the colloquium ‘Future of plastics’ recycling’ in Krefeld, Germany on September 6, 2011. The award honors outstanding dedication and achievements for the sustainable use of plastics and plastic waste.

BKV and Fraunhofer UMSICHT recognize pioneering work in the field of plastics and sustainability. Dr. Edmund Dolfen was honored as he unifies tradition and the future of the award, as last year’s awardee, Dr. Thomas Probst (bvse), and Prof. Eckhard Weidner, director of Fraunhofer UMSICHT, highlighted during their speeches. With his life’s work in the field of recycling of plastics as well as the new development of biodegradable and biobased plastics, Dolfen was honored with this year’s award.

Together with Prof. Heinz Breuer he founded the Research Institute for Plastics and Recycling (Forschungsinstitut Kunststoff und Recycling – FKuR) in 1992 as an affiliated institute of the University of Applied Sciences, Niederrhein.

In 1997, Dolfen took up the topic of bioplastics as a further research focus, which was pursued in 1998 in cooperation with Fraunhofer UMSICHT. He quickly realized that a successful applicationoriented material development also included efficient compounders. In 2003, he founded the FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, which became one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of bioplastics.

For more details see the news-section at www. bioplasticsmagazine.com. MT www.fkur.com

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The first plant is expected to have a production capacity of approximately 18,000 tonnes per year and will be located in Italy. The companies intend to convert an existing industrial site to use Genomatica’s BDO production processes to begin production of this intermediate chemical by the end of 2012.

Novamont will take care of the conversion of an existing industrial site using its skills in the production of renewable monomers to implement Genomatica’s BDO process and will run plant operations, while Genomatica will provide the basic engineering package for implementation of its BDO production processes, along with technology transfer and engineering support.

“Genomatica’s BDO process in Novamont’s view is ready for scale-up and also looks sustainable from the economic point of view” said Novamont CEO, Catia Bastioli, “The scaleup of Genomatica’s BDO process will support the growth of Mater-Bi Bioplastics in line with Novamont’s strategy of integrated biorefineries reviving de-industrialized sites. “ “Genomatica’s processes enable a new approach to chemical production – smaller scale, capitalefficient manufacturing from renewable feedstocks that fulfill a broad range of customer needs across the value chain,” said Christophe Schilling, CEO of Genomatica. “Novamont is a leader in a rapidly growing segment of the BDO market and a first-class partner to add to our commercialization efforts.” www.genomatica.com http://www.novamont.com

News

Artist using Bioplastics As an environmental artist Jacqui Jones from Norwich, UK aims to challenge preconceptions, pushing the boundaries of familiar materials and processes to encourage the public to view the natural world in new ways.

In 2010 an exciting opportunity came her way, as she was asked to incorporate bioplastics into her artwork. The 12 month project called Art and Innovation, was coordinated by The InCrops Enterprise Hub (funded by the Regional Developmental Agency & European Regional Developmental Fund) and The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia, UK. The concept linked selected artists with companies creating sustainable products. Marchant Manufacturing Co Ltd in Haverhill and Cyberpac in Gt Blakenham, supplied Jacqui with a range of biodegradable polymers and she began a period of research and experimentation. This included factory visits to see the manufacturing process of both water-soluble and starch based bioplastics.

The initial project was a series of embryonic sculptures called ‘A Bag For Life’. This work was directly influenced by research into compostable packaging. The sculpted bags are filled with seeds or saplings; each bag has burst as water has been poured on it allowing some of the contents to spill out. Following this Jacqui Jones produced two series of short-term installations entitled Harmless Landscape, one set in the mountains of Snowdonia and another in Thetford Forest, and a series called Presence which considers the long term waste issues associated with conventional plastics and the low environmental impact of biopolymers.

Recent gallery exhibitions include ‘Melt’ in which a figure slowly dissolves as melting ice from above drips onto the torso below. The act of transformation from one state to another is a powerful metaphor for the impact the ice cap melt may have on coastal communities.

jacqui.jns@gmail.com http://jjenvironmentalart.blogspot.com

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The project demonstrates how a fusion between arts, commerce and science results in work that inspires, educates and raises the profile of bioplastics. Jacqui Jones would be really interested in collaborating with companies or universities in the development of further projects. She is particularly keen to work with injection moulding, vacuum forming and sheet extrusion techniques and to take part in artist residencies. Organisations that could offer support in any of these areas should get in touch with the artist directly.

Cortec Corporation 2011

This initiative has provided the artist with a platform to show how science and the environment can work in harmony rather than in conflict and she’s subsequently produced a range of creative workshops for community groups, highlighting the benefits of biodegradable packaging.

ECO - SMART ECO - CERTIFIED ECOWORKS Ž RESIN • CERTIFIED COMPOSTABLE PER ASTM D6400 • RENEWABLE CONTENT (5-70%) • CONTAINS NO POLYETHYLENE w w w. C o r t e c V C I . c o m info@CortecVCI.com 1-800-4-CORTEC St. Paul, MN 55110 USA

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Bioplastics Award 2011

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ioplastics MAGAZINE is grateful to European Plastics News (EPN) who founded the Bioplastics Awards in 2007 and jointly organised the award in 2010 together with bioplastics MAGAZINE. Crain Communications, which is publisher of EPN and organiser of annual plastics industry conferences in Europe, says it will remain a strong supporter of the awards, which is from now on presented exclusively by bioplastics MAGAZINE. Steve Crowhurst, Crain Communications Publishing Director, says: “Crain wholeheartedly supports the Bioplastics Awards, which reflect the achievements of those companies making and using renewable materials. This is a dynamic part of the global plastics industry and we will be following its growth closely in print and online at Europeanplasticsnews.com.

Five judges from the academic world, the press and industry associations from America, Europa and Asia have reviewed all of the proposals and we are now proud to present details of the five most promising submissions.

The 6th Bioplastics Award recognises innovation, success and achievements by manufacturers, processors, brand owners and users of bioplastic materials. To be eligible for consideration in the awards scheme the proposed company, product, or service must have been developed or have been on the market during 2010 or 2011.

The following companies/products are shortlisted (without any ranking) and from these five finalists the winner will be announced during the 6th European Bioplastics Conference on November 22nd, 2011 in Berlin, Germany.

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients (LCI): BioSac, the first biodegradable and compostable packaging for the cement industry BioSac is the first biodegradable and compostable packaging for the cement industry and the latest application of LCI’s biolice. It has been developed collaboratively by LCI with the Barbier, Mondi and Ciments Calcia groups.

Conventional cement bags consist of a double layer of kraft-type paper for strength and a polyethylene-free (PE-free) for product conservation. However, this combination of different types of materials prevents the immediate recovery of the packaging.

The innovative nature of BioSac comes from the composition of its ‘free film’, which now uses LCI’s biolice to give a technically innovative solution to the problems of managing this type of packaging.

Biolice is made using a process unique on the bioplastics market, with whole cereal grains from a number of specific Limagrain maize varieties. The product’s innovation lies in the combination of cereal fractions with a biodegradable polymer.

BioSac conforms to the EN 13432 standard, concerning packaging that is recoverable by biodegradation and composting.

M-Base and University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hanover, Germany: Biopolymer Database The market interest in biopolymers is very high and the producers report a booming demand. Unfortunately only very little qualified information about these materials is available.

In order to overcome this, M-Base Engineering + Software GmbH, in cooperation with the Biopolymer Institute of FH Hanover, Germany, developed a new biopolymer database with comprehensive technical information relating to the processing and utilization behaviour of biopolymers. The guideline is the internationally recognized CAMPUS® database.

The biopolymer database is supported by FNR (see p. 46) and includes more than 100 biopolymer manufactures and more than 600 material types with uniformly tested mechanical and thermal properties. In addition it includes an application database with many different representative examples and information about biopolymer products. The database is available via the Internet in German and English. Access is free of charge at www.materialdatacenter.com.

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

Award Beaulieu Technical Textiles: Ökolys – The first woven biodegradable and compostable agro textile Ökolys™ is a new sustainable range of woven groundcovers.

Manufactured from a tailored and unique blend of two biopolymers, one biodegradable and one compostable, the Ökolys groundcover offers an environmentally-friendly innovative weed control solution.

The product has been evaluated by the well-respected laboratories of Organic Waste Systems (EN 13432) and the textile department of the University of Ghent (EN 14836), and has become the world’s first (agro) textile to be awarded the ‘OK compost’ label by Vinçotte.

The philosophy behind the Ökolys™ groundcover is fully in harmony with the concept of ‘People, Planet, Profit’: The groundcovers themselves eliminate the need for herbicides and manual maintenance and prevent erosion. Ökolys is essentially made of renewable primary materials and does not contain any harmful substances. The end-of-life scenario for Ökolys is no longer an issue: after its period of use (2 - 3 years) Ökolys returns into the organic chain, closing the carbon cycle.

Danone Germany and Switzerland: launch of Activia and Actimel dairy products in bioplastics packaging With their introduction of Activia and Actimel in packaging made of bioplastics (PLA und Green HDPE) Danone, as an international brand owner, significantly contributed to establishing bioplastics for mass-market product applications. Today, with these steps, about 70% of all Danone products in the German market are being packaged in bioplastics.

It is one of Danone’s goals to contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gases. One of the various measures is the use of biobased and partly biobased packaging.

And here Danone is not focused on just one specific bioplastic but is looking at the material that is best suited for the application - be it 100% biobased polyethylene, partly biobased PET, or 100% biobased and biodegradable PLA. However, in terms of PLA, Danone does not promote composting but encourages other producers of packaging to use PLA, so that as quickly as possible significant volumes get into the market and PLA-to-PLA recycling becomes ecologically and economically feasible.

The Coca-Cola Company: The PlantBottle™ Packaging PlantBottle™ packaging is the Coca-Cola Company’s breakthrough innovation designed to change the way the world thinks about plastic bottles.

It’s the first ever fully recyclable plastic beverage bottle made partially from plants. The material looks and functions just like traditional PET plastic, but it has a lighter footprint on the planet and its scarce resources.

Traditional PET plastic bottles are made from petroleum and other fossil fuels. Coca-Cola have found a way to create one of the key ingredients in PET plastic, monoethylene glycol (MEG), from plants. About 30% of the PlantBottle packaging is made of this plant-based MEG ingredient. PlantBottle packaging is therefore up to 30% plant-based and 100% recyclable.

In addition to the Coca-Cola brand, PlantBottles with 14% plant based and 35% recycled content were introduced for the mineral water brand Vio. Also, one of the world’s largest ketchup makers ‘Heinz’, in cooperation with CocaCola, have announced the use of about 120 million PlantBottles by the end of 2011. This is about one-fifth of Heinz ketchup bottles sold worldwide.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

15

Cover Story

PROGANIC® - Spinning to new Heights

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new addition to the already well-known family of petrochemicalfree biopolymers, Proganic T and K, is PROGANIC TEX, specially developed to meet the specific needs of the fibre industry. To date, most available bio-blends contain greater or less amounts of mineral oil based additives and are consequently unable to deliver a 100% ecological solution.

PROGANIC, an established biopolymer which caused a storm in the bio-plastic industry by claiming one of the industry’s most prestigious bio-material awards (by nova-Institute) in 2010 with its rigorous rejection of fossil additives, is set to cause a similar situation with its PROGANIC TEX. The new biopolymer fulfills the high standards set by the PROGANIC management and is free of petro-chemical additives and, similar to its family members, is made from 100% renewable materials and minerals.

The new ‘PROGANIC TEX’ is suitable for mono and multi-filaments and can be spun to 25 µm. It is specially targeted for the expanding sanitary and hygiene products industry. The fibres can be used on their own or in combination with other natural fibres to replace synthetics fibres in disposables, woven and non-woven hygiene articles, filters, cleaning cloths (see cover photo) as well as articles of daily use such as brooms and brushes.

By Antje Hiel June Corporate Communications Bad Wiessee, Germany

Product performance is comparable to conventional synthetic fibres.

The biobased composition allows products made from PROGANIC TEX to be CO2 neutrally incinerated. Its special additive-free material formulation based on PHA and minerals allows bio-degradation in home or industry composting facilities. Contrary to the industry’s opinion this PHA-based biopolymer offers an interesting price/performance ratio.

As with all Proganic resins, PROGANIC TEX is already in the test stages at a number of well-known International companies.

Composition: Green, greener, Proganic The award winning biopolymer consists of 100 % renewable materials and minerals. It is durable, food-safe and water repellent. PROGANIC meets the stringent requirements of the DIN 14851/14852, so this is not another ‘biodegradable’ product that needs to be taken to a commercial composting facility to truly degrade. In fact It degrades in a way similar to wood with full biodegration in less than 12 months at 20°C, faster than spruce at a temperature where most bioplastics do not even begin to degrade. Composting is CO2-neutral with no residue and CO2-neutral incineration is guaranteed.

Due to its unparalleled biocompatibility the label with the green leaf was awarded for ‘Biomaterial of the year 2010’ (nova-Institute, Germany) as well as ‘nawaro product of the month 4/2010’ (web-portal www.nachwachsende-rohstoffe.biz) and also received the ‘Best Green

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

Cover Story PROGANIC TEX offers a sustainable alternative to the production of fibres and filaments.

Style Award 2010’ (Trade Fair Shanghai) as well as the ‘Design Pro Award 2011’ on the occasion of the ‘Material Vision’ trade fair in Frankfurt.

Technical data: promising results The initial successful POY (Partially Oriented Yarn) meltspinning tests were run at a spinning temperature of 175°C. The aim was to produce staple fibre and multifilament.

Spinning was performed using the following parameters spinning temperature: 175 °C spinneret: 48 holes, 500 µm undrawn filament count: 48 dtex (= 48 gram per 10,000 metres) undrawn yarn count: 2300 dtex

The spinning ran very smoothly.

Tensile test of the crystalline filaments: Test result/multifilaments Multifilament yarn count: Single yarn count: Diameter/single filament: Tenacity: Elongation at break: Test result/monofilaments Single yarn count: Diameter: Tenacity: Elongation at break:

370 dtex 7.7 dtex 26 µm 3.2 cN/tec ( ~ 48 N/mm2) 17.7 %

8.94 dtex (calculated based on higher density) 28 µm 5.4 cN/tec (~81 N/mm2) 85.2 %

The differences in rigidity are system-induced by factors such as pre-tension.

‘bio.k.’ brushes and brooms were presented at the Ambiente 2011 in Frankfurt, Germany, and since June 2011 have been available in selected stores of the German ‘Kaufland’ retail chain. The innovative product line consists of an indoor broom, a broom set, dishwasher brush, and toilet brush set.

For the thinner microfibres with a diameter of 25µm, Proganic sees potential for applications in the field of semidurables, disposables for the hygiene and cosmetics industry as well as felts and filters, but also functional clothing and domestic textiles. Jenny, this issue’s cover girl, said: “I hate window cleaning, but I’m sure that the producer will come up with a lot more useful microfibre applications made 100% from renewable resources”

Prospects: The beginning of a new era And indeed: at the present time companies such as, Propper, Rival, bio.k. and Doraplast, plus others, successfully produce products made from PROGANIC. Diverse wellknown manufacturers in the toy, food packaging, consumer products and cosmetics industries are currently running tests with PROGANIC . With the introduction of PROGANIC TEX the aim is to foster the green renaissance in the textile industry. Two international companies in this field are already testing PROGANIC TEX. What is certain, is that more of the PROGANIC story will follow….. www.proganic.de

Range of applications: 1001 options for the textile industry PROGANIC TEX can be spun into mono and multifilament as well as yarns. Its performance features make it suitable for wovens, yarns and fabrics and non-woven textiles such as fleece and felt.

Filaments with diameters in the 100µm range can, for example be used for brooms, brushes and similar. The German company Gerhard Haas KG for example, well known for the high quality of Rival® household products, recently added a new dimension to the increasing family of Proganic products with its ‘bio.k’ label. The company chose Proganic as a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic. The new

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Fibre Applications

Spunbond-Film-Composites Made From Renewable Resources Article contributed by Ralf Taubner S채chsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. Department of Spunbondeds/Films Chemnitz, Germany www.stfi.de

Properties of developed Spunbond-Film-Composites made from renewable resources

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he main goal of a recent research project was to develop a new production process for spunbond nonwovens made from PLA to promote the use of components for spunbond/film composites, and to seek further technical applications. The investigations carried out in this research project were particularly directed to further optimising the process developed in past investigations, and now with the help of an industrial sized laboratory, the researchers were able to investigate in particular filament fineness as well as basic weights, and to improve web uniformity. Finally, complete biologically degradable, extremely thin and light spunbond/film composites will be developed for hygiene and packaging applications. This composite will be distinguished by characteristics similar to conventional textiles regarding haptics and visual appearance without required increased and more expensive material usage. Textile PLA polymers were used for spunbond materials and PLA polymers plasticized by polyethylene glycol (PEG) were used for film production. All products within the hygiene range should have basic weights below 30gsm (grams per square meter) - similar to PP products. A special innovative feature was the combination of spunbond nonwovens and films made from biopolymers to produce new composite materials with improved permeability and barrier performance.

First of all, PLA mono and bi-components were examined with regard to filament fineness and filament strength as well as tensile strength and elongation, depending on material throughput, cabin pressure, air vol-

Tear growth resistance (acc. Trapeze)

Nonwoven 70:30 --> c/s PLA 6202D:PLA 6751D 70:30 --> c/s PLA 6202D:PLA 6751D 70:30 --> c/s PLA 6202D:PLA 6751D modified PLA (with Polyglykol) modified PLA (with Polyglykol) modified PLA (with Polyglykol) PP-nonwoven /PE-Film Laminate Fa. Exten PP-nonwoven /PE-Film Laminate Fa. Clopay

Nonwoven thickness 20 g/m2

Film quality 66020

cN/cm 4,9

N 8,2

N 7,1

N/mm2 443

N/mm2 990

Water steam permeability at 23째C and 100 % humidity g/(m2 24h) 194

20 g/m2

61045

2,8

8,4

5,8

215

485

546

20 g/m2

33808

0,8 - 2,5

6,9 - 11,3

5,0 - 6,7

239 - 278

602 - 856

148 - 207

20 g/m2

66020

0,4 - 2,0

4,9 - 6,5

3,2 - 5,6

127 - 330

497 - 675

477 - 609

20 g/m2

61045

0,8

5,7

3,5

160

205

441

15 g/m2

66020

1,9

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

19,5

9,9

134

349

51,4

-

-

-

15,3

8

48

282

56

66020 61045 33808

-

5 6,6 5,2

8,7 8,7 8,3

339 230 236

569 294 467

154 541 112

Film without nonwoven

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

Composite adhesion

cd

md

cd

md

Breaking load Breaking load E-Module

E-Module

Cross section of composite made of 20gsm PLA-spunbond nonwoven + 22µm biopolymer film (engraving point)

ume and filament speed. All filament variants were afterwards submitted to hot air and/or hot water shrinkage. The dependence of shrinkage behaviour on filament fineness was clearly proven. Finer filaments with higher stretching shrank less both in hot air and in hot water compared to thicker filaments with lower stretching. In case of thermal bonding all PLA spunbond nonwovens clearly differed depending on temperature and pressure as well as different basic weights. Some samples were only pre-bonded by calendering in order to be mechanically bonded by hydroentanglement or needle-punching in subsequent treatments.

Comparison of the results with hydroentanglement showed that PLA based spunbond nonwovens can be more easily mechanically bonded than thermally bonded. Ultimately, PLA bi-component materials were thermally bonded with different biologically degradable films by means of calendering. These composites showed different characteristics with regard to tensile and tearing strengths, steam permeability, haptics and spunbond/film composite adhesion, depending on the adjusted process parameters at the calender process and on the manner of film feedin (inline and off-line procedure). The spunbond material made from modified PLA showed better haptics and/or softness compared to products made from standard PLA, however due to the level of polyglycol worse composite adhesion with films. Finally, composite adhesion could be significantly improved by Corona pre-treatment of the film and/or spunbond material. The main characteristics of the newly developed PLA spunbond/film composites were positively affected by optimization of process parameters, alternative engraving designs during calendering and optimized film formulation regarding composite adhesion and steam permeability.

The author thanks the Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology, Germany for the promotion of this research project carried out by the EuroNorm Gesellschaft für Qualitätssicherung and Innovationsmanagement mbH within the programme „Promotion of research and development with growth carriers in disadvantaged regions “ (Innovative Wachstumsträger/INNOWATT).

Meet us at FAKUMA 2011 Friedrichshafen / Germany Hall B3 – Booth 3119

Looking for environmentally friendly and energy-saving material handling of free-owing plastics?

We offer individual components up to complete handling systems for: Conveying Drying Crystallizing Dosing Mixing Dyeing All from one source!

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Cross section of composite made of 20gsm PLA-spunbond nonwoven + 20µm biopolymer film (engraving point)

SOMOS® MANN+HUMMEL ProTec GmbH Stubenwald-Allee 9, 64625 Bensheim/Germany Tel. +49 6251 77061-0 E-mail: info@mh-protec.com, www.mh-protec.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

19

Fibre Applications

Woven Groundcover The AgrolysTM range has made Beaulieu Technical Textiles (BTT) the European market leader in the sector of woven groundcovers. Since 1995 the Agrolys groundcovers are being used for weed prevention during the cultivation of plants in private gardens, landscaping, horticulture and viticulture.

Manufactured from high tenacity polypropylene tapes, Agrolys creates a stable and maintenance-free microclimate for the plants until they are sufficiently mature.

Agrolys groundcovers can then be recycled, in theory, but this does not often happen in practice (as this would be a laborious and dirty task, etc.).

After looking for an environment-friendly alternative for several years, BTT recently introduced with ÖkolysTM a new sustainable range of woven groundcovers. Manufactured out of a tailored and unique blend of two biopolymers, one biodegradable and one compostable (more details about the polymers were not disclosed to bioplastics MAGAZINE), the Ökolys groundcover offers an environment-friendly innovative weed control solution.

Beaulieu International Group (BIG) from Kruishoutem, Belgium, is a major, vertically integrated player in the field of polypropylene granules, fibres & yarns, technical textiles and floorcoverings.

BIG has 30 establishments, spread over 8 countries, a staff of 3200 people and achieved sales totalling EUR 1.3 billion in 2010.

The product has been evaluated by Organic Waste Systems and the Textile department of the University of Ghent. According to a spokesperson of BIG, Ökolys has become the world’s first (agro)textile to be awarded the ‘OK compost’ label by Vinçotte.

The philosophy behind the Ökolys groundcover is fully in harmony with the concept of ‘People, Planet, Profit’: The groundcovers themselves eliminate the need for pesticides and manual maintenance Ökolys is essentially made of renewable primary materials and does not contain any harmful substances The end-of-life of Ökolys is not longer an issue: after its period of use (2 - 3 years) Ökolys returns into the organic chain, closing the carbon cycle.

Since Ökolys was originally intended for a market, in which the end customer is willing to pay extra for ‘green’ products the product is currently essentially distributed via BTT’s existing landscaping network. Moreover, since it was launched at the ‘Techtextil Asia’ exhibition, interest has now been shown by new customers all over the world (particularly in California, Japan and New Zealand/Australia). At a later stage BTT plans to target other industries.

BTT aims to increase its sales volume by 10% this year. On the long run an increase of 30% is expected. MT www.beaulieu.be

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

Fibre Applications

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Bio-Derived PET Fibers

eijin Fibers Limited, from Tokyo, Japan, the core company of the Teijin Group’s polyester fibers business, announced that it will begin in April 2012 the full-fledged production and marketing of new plant-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber as the world’s first commercially produced partly bio-derived PET fiber.

Named ECO CIRCLE™ PlantFiber, the new product, also available as a textile, will become Teijin Fibers’ core biomaterial for applications ranging from apparel, car seats and interiors to personal hygiene products. Teijin Fibers expects to sell 30,000 tons of ECO CIRCLE PlantFiber products in the initial fiscal year ending in March 2013, and 70,000 tons by the third year of business.

ECO CIRCLE PlantFiber is made roughly 30% from biofuels derived from biomass such as sugarcane. Conventional PET typically is made by polymerizing ethylene glycol (EG) and dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) or telephthalic acid (PTA), with EG accounting for roughly 30%. The EG contained in ECO CIRCLE PlantFiber is bio-derived rather than oil-derived, so

it helps to conserve fossil resources and lower greenhouse gas emissions. What’s more, ECO CIRCLE PlantFiber has the same characteristics and quality of oil-derived PET, so it is suitable for use in many polyester products.

The new fiber also can be recycled using Teijin Fibers’ ECO CIRCLE closed-loop polyester recycling system. Polyester is chemically decomposed at the molecular level by the system and then recycled as new DMT that offers purity and quality comparable to material derived directly from petroleum.

Teijin Fibers develops unique polyester technologies through ‘hybrid strategies’ that variously combine the company’s special expertise in biomaterials, recycling, functional materials and manufacturing processes to reduce environmental loads. MT www.teijinfiber.com/english

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Fiber/Textil Fiber Applications

Fibers and Nonwovens of PHBV/PLA

W Figure 1 Melt-spun PHBV/PLA yarns

www.teijin.co.jp

Fiber type PLA PHBV/PLA 10/90 PHBV/PLA 20/80 PHBV/PLA 30/70 PHBV/PLA 40/60

Tenacity Elongation Hot Air (cN/dtex) at break shrinkage (%) (%) 3.44 28.4 3.3 2.91 22.3 3.6 2.72 21.8 3.8 2.36 22.8 3.7 2.15 15.6 3.7

Table 1 Properties of PLA and PHBV/PLA fibers

Figure 2 PHBV/PLA nonwovens

ith increasing concerns about sustainability of petrochemical resources and white pollution, development of biobased and biodegradable polymers and fibers has been of great significance. As one of the best-known biopolymers, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) has been commercialized for over 10 years and PLA fibers have been produced by several companies including NatureWorks LLC – the world’s largest producer of PLA. While showing comparable mechanical properties with traditional petrochemical-based fibers such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the PLA fibers seem to have some limitations in terms of softness for apparel applications.

Recently, Tianan Biologic, from Ningbo, China – the world’s largest producer of PHBV (poly 3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) – has introduced fully biobased and biodegradable fibers and nonwovens made from PHBV/PLA biopolymers. Both PHBV and PLA are made from renewable plant resources and offer a biodegradable alternative to petrochemical-based polymers and fibers. Tianan reports that it has developed a full set of melt-spinning and texturing technologies for producing PHBV/PLA fibers via a joint research venture with Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), Chinese Academy of Sciences. Tianan and NIMTE have produced different versions of PHBV/PLA fibers including staple fibers, filament yarns and bicomponent fibers via melt-spinning, as well as PHBV/PLA nonwovens via needle-punching, melt-blown, spun-bond and hydroentanglement. The fibers and nonwovens can be used for apparel, household, technical textiles, and personal care products.

With judicious selection of PHBV and PLA grades, the spinnability is so fine that the conventional melt-spinning line can be directly used for producing PHBV/PLA fibers at fairly high speeds like 2500 m/min. As Table 1 shows, the PHBV/PLA fibers show slightly reduced tenacity, lower elongation at break and higher hot air shrinkage, compared with the PLA fibers spun under the same conditions. Of most interests is the soft and silky feeling of the PHBV/PLA fibers and nonwovens which is promising to overcome the major shortcomings of PLA fibers. It is believed that the PHBV/ PLA fibers will find their applications firstly in personal care products such as diapers and napkins.

“Expanding our portfolio of product offerings with PHBV/PLA fibers which are eco-friendly and superior to common PLA fibers is both a growth strategy and the next step in our company’s sustainability journey,” said Jialing Li, president of Tianan, “The close cooperation with institute researchers and other commercial players fits perfectly into our strategy of offering specialty and customized green products.”MT

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

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Materials

New PLA Resin

T

he application of PLA has been limited due to its disadvantageous properties such as brittleness, low heat resistance and impact strength, and slow crystallization rate. This is now a thing of the past as SK Chemicals, the leading polyester company from Korea, has launched new PLA products, EcoPlaN-FLEX and EcoPlaN-DURA. EcoPlaN-FLEX is 100% bio-based PLA resin developed for packaging films, sheets and injection molding applications with highly enhanced flexibility (Young’s modulus of about 2500 MPa) and crystallization rate while maintaining high transmittance of 95%. Films and sheets made of EcoPlaN-FLEX are remarkably ‘quiet’ and show much better anti-wrinkle resistance. When used for injection molding applications, EcoPlaN-FLEX offers highly reduced molding cycle time.

EcoPlaN-DURA has much improved crystallization rate and resistance against heat and mechanical impact, and attracts great attention for injection molding application including cosmetic containers, mobile phone housings and tableware. EcoPlaN-DURA has several grades of products with various bio-contents, heat distortion temperature up to 150°C (HDT B at 0.45 MPa) and Izod impact strength up to 800J/m.

SK Chemicals has started working with several world leading manufacturers to commercialize EcoPlaNFLEX and EcoPlaN-DURA and welcomes new partners to cooperate. MT www.sk.com

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

Materials

High-Heat, Impact-Resistant PLA

N

ew technology from Teknor Apex, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA, eliminates a property tradeoff that has prevented polylactic acid (PLA) from serving as a ‘green’ alternative to polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP) in high-heat thermoformed sheet for microwavable frozen food trays, lids for hot beverage cups, and carry-out containers such as those for restaurant food, the company announced today.

New Terraloy® BP-39070 series enhanced-PLA compounds for extrusion and thermoforming have a bio-based content level of around 90% and are biodegradable, making them an effective alternative to petrochemical-based resins in applications where sustainability and compostability are critical considerations. They meet FDA requirement for food-contact applications. Teknor Apex expects the new compounds to meet ASTM specification D-6400 and qualify for Biodegradable Products Institute certification for composting, according to Edwin Tam, manager of new strategic initiatives for the Bioplastics Division of Teknor Apex.

Terraloy BP-39070 compounds are based on innovations by Teknor Apex that have overcome an inverse relationship in standard PLA between heat distortion temperature (HDT) and Izod impact strength. The new products exhibit up to two times the HDT and more than four times the impact strength of standard PLA resins. Previous work to enhance PLA performance beyond standard levels had generated resins with either higher HDT or greater impact strength—but not both in the same grade The formulations on which the new compounds are based differ from those of Terraloy enhanced-PLA products recently introduced for injection molding. “Teknor Apex has optimized Terraloy BP-39070 for extrusion and thermoforming, building in greater melt strength than is available with standard PLA and providing for a faster crystallization rate,” Tam said. “As a result, we expect users of these compounds to achieve higher throughputs in extrusion and benefit from a broader processing window in thermoforming than standard PLA.” In microwavable carry-out containers such as those used for leftover restaurant foods, Terraloy BP-39070 compounds would replace pulped fiber as well as polypropylene. As a replacement for PS in lids for hot beverage containers such as those for coffee, the compounds would be used with cups that typically are themselves compostable.

In property tests, a typical grade in the new series, Terraloy 39070A, exhibits HDT B of 100 ºC and Izod impact strength of 69 J/m. By comparison, approximate values for standard extrusion-grade PLA are 55 ºC and 16 J/m.

www.teknorapex.com

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Application News

Eco-Friendly Parties Thanks to collaboration between Italian companies Fermani Cannucce Snc and Api Spa, leader in the production of thermoplastic elastomer compounds, the 100% biodegradable straw has now been born.

This BIO STRAW is the result of Fermani Cannucce’s experience in drinking straw extrusion and API Spa’s advanced technical and production know-how, which developed the innovative bioplastic called APINAT. APINAT is a patented biodegradable bioplastic (thermoplastic elastomer, TPE) which is distinguished from other bioplastics in the market by virtue of its flexibility and softness.

This BIO STRAW developed with APINAT is similar to a normal PP straw in terms of use and mechanical and hygienic characteristics, but it has an unique advantage: it can decompose in controlled composting conditions. In fact, APINAT bioplastics have been certified biodegradable in aerobic environment in accordance with EN 13432, EN 14995 and ASTM D6400 standards.

In addition, APINAT makes the BIO STRAW more flexible and more easily processed by extrusion, in comparison with biodegradable straws produced with PLA (polylactic acid).

It’s important to stress that 76% of the BIO STRAW is made of renewable raw materials. The use of these renewable materials, instead of synthetic ones, reduces CO2 emissions and the greenhouse effect to help meet Kyoto Protocol standards. BIO STRAWS are available in different sizes and colours in order to meet clients’ needs.

They can be sold loose or individually wrapped. The product package is in recyclable cardboard or biodegradable envelopes, again in keeping with sustainability. MT www.apinatbio.com www.fermanicannucce.it

Plant Based, Insulated, Compostable Cup Repurpose® Compostables, a manufacturer of premium, high quality food service products, based in Los Angeles, produce One Cup™, an insulated hot cup that is 100% compostable. No more double cupping. No more sleeves. The insulated technology keeps hot beverages warmer for longer, and prevents heat from escaping the cup, protecting the user and creating a more comfortable feel with only one product. The revolutionary new One Cup requires no sleeve, uses 65% less CO2 than a traditional cup to produce, and can be composted in 90 days. The One Cup uses FSC-Certified paper, the highest standard for sustainable forestry, and is certified compostable.

Traditional insulated cups are made by adding additional layers of paper; however, the Repurpose One Cup does the same with our patented insulation material on a single wall cup. This high quality food service product finally offers the greenest possible alternative to Styrofoam and non-compostable insulated cups. Just recently OneCup won first prizes at The Specialty Coffee Association of America annual show in Houston as well as the Coffee Fest show in Chicago.

“At Repurpose we are always working to produce the highest performing, highest quality food service products that also help consumers lower their impact on the environment,” said Lauren Gropper, Chief Executive Officer of Repurpose Compostables. “Our new insulated cup with Ingeo™ based lining eliminates the need for double cupping which we have found in speaking to vendors is a hidden cost that people don’t realize. The One Cup also eliminates the need for a sleeve, another wasteful product associated with hot beverages. In many cases vendors are using four individual pieces. Finally a one product solution exists that is also compostable, comes from renewable resources and is affordable.” MT www.repurposecompostables.com

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Application News

Cap Made of Bio-PE Nestlé Brazil, in a partnership with Tetra Pak and Braskem, is launching two of its popular milks brands in a package with a cap using bio-polyethylene (bio-PE), developed by Braskem, Brazil’s largest petrochemical company made out of sugar cane derivatives. Starting in August, UHT milk for Ninho, Ninho Levinho, Ninho Low Lactose and Molico brands will be packed in Tetra Brik® Aseptic packages using caps produced with Green PE. The process contributes to the global reduction of greenhouse gases since sugar cane, a renewable resource, absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere.

The launch represents a landmark in the use of polyethylene made out of 100% renewable raw materials in the food and beverage packaging industry. By using the new cap Nestlé will be encouraging environmental awareness, providing consumers with a product that makes use of renewable sources for manufacturing its packages.

“This is an innovating initiative that adds further value to our products.

Our participation in this project is fully aligned with Nestlé’s global social responsibility platform, called ‘Creating Shared Value’”, said Ivan Zurita, President of Nestlé Brazil. The concept is based on the assumption that for the long-term businesses success, generating value to the shareholders is as important as generating value to the community in which the company is present. In this model, the company has partnerships with institutes, business foundations, governments, NGOs and private companies, such as Tetra Pak and Braskem, either to carry out their own projects or to support their partners’ initiatives.

Tetra Pak has a long history of responsible environmental practices and recently announced an ambitious environmental programme designed to deliver on the company’s ultimate aim of providing sustainable packaging using only renewable materials, achieving a minimal environmental footprint and creating zero waste. Currently, all the paper used for the production of cartons in Brazil comes from forests managed in accordance with the responsible forestry management principles, certified by FSC™ (Forest Stewardship Council™).

Said Tetra Pak Brazil President Paulo Nigro: “The use of polyethylene made out of a renewable raw material is another important step towards our goal of achieving 100% renewable packaging. This demonstrates our innovation leadership and our commitment to support our customers and society in our shared goals of creating a healthier, sustainable planet.

“We are very proud to take part on that initiative alongside with Companies that are global leaders in their segments.

Braskem, the largest worldwide producer of biopolymers is fully involved in the commitment to promoting sustainability”, said Carlos Fadigas, Braskem President.

MT

www.nestle.com.br www.tetrapak.com www.braskem.com

Colourful Tablecloth Ecoplast Technologies Inc. is a high-tech Chinese enterprise that has been engaged in the R&D and production of bio-plastics for more than 10 years. The company recently launched the Eco-Keep brand of biodegradable tablecloths in seven colours, and made from Ecoplast’s biodegradable PSM material HL-301A. The tablecloth can be used to collect waste food on the table and after use can be composted together with the kitchen waste. This tablecloth is currently available in major Chinese supermarkets, where each set has seven tablecloths of different colours for each day of the week. The tablecloth set has been very well received by consumers since its launch.

“Governments around the world are introducing preferential policies to promote bio-plastics, and consumers are increasingly demanding environmentally friendly bio-plastics products. Ecoplast has been committed to providing environmentally friendly bio-plastics products to consumers. The biodegradable tablecloth is only one of our products, but our biodegradable shopping bags, tableware and other products are also coming onto the market”, said the Chairman of Ecoplast.

PSM HL-301A manufactured by Ecoplast is compliant with EN13432, and ASTM D6400 standards, and has also obtained the OK Compost certification. It can be processed into a variety of film bags and other products. www.psm.com.cn

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A sustainable alternative to traditional plastics

Cereplast® offers a wide range of bioplastic resin grades that are suitable for a variety of applications Cereplast Compostables® resins for certied compostable, single-use applications Cereplast Sustainables® resins for biobased, durable applications

Cereplast® resins work with all major converting processes Injection Molding Thermoforming Blown Film Blow Molding Extrusions

www.cereplast.com

Rhombins Modular organizers Made with Cereplast SustainablesÂŽ 1001

by AMAC Plastic Packaging

Parrotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beak Clip Hair Accessories Made with Cereplast Algae Bioplastics

by The Barrette Factory

Applications

Glass Fiber-Reinforced PLA

G

lobal custom engineered thermoplastics compounder RTP Company from Winona, Minnesota, USA, has commercialized the industry‘s first line of glass fiberreinforced polylactic acid (PLA) compounds that overcome many limitations of unmodified PLA by delivering greater strength, stiffness, and thermal performance. These new materials, which target durable and semi-durable applications, are the latest extension of RTP Company‘s family of engineered bioplastic compounds that use resins derived from rapidly renewable resources.

PLA bio-polymers are a sustainable alternative to traditional hydrocarbon-based thermoplastics such as polyesters, polyolefins, and high-impact polystyrene.

However, unmodified PLA suffers from performance limitations in terms of mechanical and thermal properties.

“Our new glass fiber reinforced PLA compounds enhance the strength and temperature performance of PLA making it possible for PLA to be considered for much broader use,“ said Will Taber, Business Manager for Emerging Technologies at RTP Company.

Fully colorable and available globally, RTP Company‘s reinforced PLA grades have glass fiber loadings from 10% to 40% with the ability to customize glass level to meet the specific requirements of individual applications in appliance, automotive, consumer goods, electrical & electronics, and construction markets.

The 30% glass fiber-reinforced PLA grade boasts a tensile strength of 114 MPa (16,500psi), flexural modulus of 11,239 MPa (1,630,000 psi), and heat deflection temperature (HDT B) of 160°C at 0.45 MPa (320°F at 66 psi). In comparison to

unmodified PLA, the compound has nearly twice the tensile strength and its HDT has increased by nearly 93°C (200°F). It surpasses the tensile strength, flexural modulus, and HDT of 30% glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene. “RTP Company can now produce PLA bioplastic compounds with mechanical properties that meet or exceed those of many traditional thermoplastics,“ said Taber.

Proprietary nucleation packages speed crystallization which increases temperature performance and allows quicker part ejection, yielding PLA injection molding cycle times similar to PP and ABS. Several nucleating package option are available to balance cost and performance requirements. “We have really just begun to scratch the surface of what can be done with compounding PLA,“ said Taber.

Engineered bioplastic compounds from RTP Company provide additional material options for those looking to meet bio-based or renewable content requirements for product certifications such as EPEAT and LEED along with the European Cradle-to-Cradle initiative and USDA BioPreferred labeling program.

RTP Company‘s complete ‘Eco Solutions’ product portfolio includes compounds that make use of bio-based or recycled resins, natural fibers, and halogen-free flame retardant or wear resistant additives. These materials address the sustainability, reutilization, and eco-conscious objectives of modern consumers and forward-thinking companies without compromising performance. MT www.rtpcompany.com

Comparison of 30 % Glass Fiber Reinforced Compounds

Tensile Strength

Unmodified PLA 30% GF PP 48 MPa 76 MPa

30% GF PLA 30% GF PBT 109 MPa 124 MPa

Flexural Strength

83 MPa

112 MPa

145 MPa

190 MPa

Flexural Modulus

3,828 MPa

4,826 MPa

11,032 MPa

8,274 MPa

Impact Resistance, Izod Notched 1/8” (3.2 mm)

16 J/m

107 J/m

59 J/m

96 J/m

157°C

164°C

224°C

Heat Deflection Temperature 51°C HDT B (@ 66 psi (0.455 MPa)

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BIOADIMIDETM IN BIOPLASTICS. EXPANDING THE PERFORMANCE OF BIO-POLYESTER.

AILABLE: CT LINE AV EXPAND U D O R P W NE IVES E™ ADDIT TER BIOADIMID IO-POLYES B F O E C N MA THE PERFO

BioAdimide™ additives are specially suited to improve the hydrolysis resistance and the processing stability of bio-based polyester, specifically polylactide (PLA), and to expand its range of applications. Currently, there are two BioAdimide™ grades available. The BioAdimide™ 100 grade improves the hydrolytic stability up to seven times that of an unstabilized grade, thereby helping to increase the service life of the polymer. In addition to providing hydrolytic stability, BioAdimide™ 500 XT acts as a chain extender that can increase the melt viscosity of an extruded PLA 20 to 30 percent compared to an unstabilized grade, allowing for consistent and easier processing. The two grades can also be combined, offering both hydrolysis stabilization and improved processing, for an even broader range of applications.

Focusing on performance for the plastics industries.

Whatever requirements move your world: We will move them with you. www.rheinchemie.com

Applications

Innovation With a Marine Focus New Film Products for Marine and Anaerobic Digestion

By Debra Darby, Director of Marketing Communications Mirel Bioplastics by Telles

T

hrough a mutual development effort, Cortec Corporation and Telles have advanced proprietary film processing and extrusion methods that have resulted in a series of finished flexible film products based on Mirel™ P5001. Cortec is an innovative film converter headquartered in Minnesota, and was the first bioplastic film extruder in North America to attain BPI certification for film products.

The company recently announced the launch of their new film material EcoOcean™ based on Mirel P5001. This new bioplastic offers a combination of environmental and performance benefits previously unattainable—flexibility and strength; commercial and low-temperature backyard compostability; 77% annually renewable raw material content; anaerobic and marine biodegradability.

EcoOcean is the only bioplastic on the market that offers users this combination of benefits. The material is the result of not only novel bioplastics resin technology, but also production and processing breakthroughs attained after years of development work by Cortec‘s extrusion plants in Cambridge, Minnesota, USA and Beli Manastir, Croatia. The new EcoOcean films and bags bridge the environmental and performance gap that has existed for decades with other films.

(Photo: Cortec Corporation)

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“The combination of Mirel film resin with the new extrusion and processing method brings benefits for endusers, including multiple end-of-life options,” explained Boris Miksic, president and CEO of Cortec. “EcoOcean will revolutionize the use of flexible packaging, especially in coastal areas of the world.” said Miksic. “Ideally, EcoOcean is disposed of in commercial composting, or in oxygen deprived anaerobic digestors. However, as is seen worldwide, plastics can still end up in the waterways—even in communities with the harshest and strictest penalties for litter.

Applications

(Photo: Algalita Research Foundation)

“With legislation-restricted plastic bag and film usage, and plastics debris in the oceans and fresh waterways, we’re finding a growing demand for a durable film material that is also marine biodegradable,” explained George Kipouras, film business development manager with Telles. “Mirel offers more responsible end-of-life disposal options and can help reduce the amount of persistent plastic waste in the environment.”

Mirel P5001 is a new biobased film grade for producing innovative films that are durable in use and shelf stable, yet biodegradable in ambient temperature environments. The material has high melt strength and is suitable for blown and cast film extrusion lines. Its physical properties are near LLDPE and include heat sealable, excellent tensile properties, moisture and heat resistance, UV resistant and good weatherability. Films made from P5001 can be easily printed to make customized retail bags, advertising, and premium shopping bags.

Plastics pollution at sea is a major environmental issue with the plastics occurring through discharge from rivers and waterways from land, spillage from marine craft, illegal dumping and a range of other sources. Mirel bioplastics is a responsible solution in a marine environment that can help to reduce the problem because of its unique ability to biodegrade in marine and freshwater environments Growing Opportunities for Anaerobic Digestion and Organics Recycling Cortec is also responding to markets requiring anaerobic digestion with a new Mirel-based film product called Eco Works®AD. P5001 was tested by Organics Waste Systems (OWS), Belgium to the ASTM D5511 standard test method for anaerobic biodegradation. The results concluded that the Mirel achieved 100 percent biodegradation in 15 days.

“Eco Works AD is the result of more than 13 years of development work,” said Miksic. “We’ve now achieved the high renewable content that was previously unattainable in a flexible film that has a range of disposal options after use including anaerobic digestion.”

In the United States and Canada there are several pioneering large scale commercial anaerobic digestion facilities starting up in 2012. The City of San Jose California will have a 9,300 m2 (100,000 sq. ft.) enclosed facility that will house dry fermentation and composting tunnels, part of a large urban integrated solid waste system that is first of its kind in the US. The first phase of the new anaerobic digestion and composting facility will process 75,000 to 90,000 tons/ year, and its full design capacity is up to 270,000 tons/year.

In Canada, Harvest Power’s 50,000 tons/year high solids anaerobic digester facility will open at the existing Richmond composting facility in British Columbia.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (Mirel PHA) are now becoming available for a range of films and flexible packaging applications due to their combination of high biobased content, performance and biodegradability properties. Telles is now commercializing the new Mirel P5001 film grade.

This new film material has high biobased content and offers a wider range of biodegradability possibilities including anaerobic digestion, marine, soil, and home backyard and municipal composting. This unique range of biodegradability properties broadens the scope of end-use applications from horticulture, packaging, marine-related uses, retail bags, packaging films, and compostable bags.

Companies like Cortec and Telles are positioned for this growing market where anaerobic digestion is part of the managed waste stream to produce renewable energy and compost in response to the growing demand for more sustainable solutions. www.mirel.com www.cortecvci.com

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Paper Coating

PLA for Paper Coating Improved PLA-Based Compounds Provide a Competitive and CarbonNeutral Alternative to Polyethylene for Coated Paper Applications

E

xtrusion coating is an established processing technology resulting in production of multilayer flexible structures. The operation involves melting of a thermoplastic to be applied onto a substrate such as paper (as shown in Figure 1). Polyethylene (PE) has been traditionally used for imparting properties such as water & grease resistance to the paper and in some cases barrier properties. This article discusses the problems and issues arising from a polyethylene coated paper when biodegraded under composting conditions and the benefits of selecting a fully compostable coating.

Compostability Commonly used plastic-coated paper products include milk and juice cartons, hot and cold paper drinking cups, frozen food containers, plasticlined paper bags, take-out containers and some paper plates. The issue with plastic coatings such as PE coated products is its end of life i.e. what happens to the product after use when it enters the waste/disposal environment Although most of the manufacturers of these plastic-coated paper products make no claims that their products are compostable, many composters and waste diversion programs accept them either inadvertently assuming there is no polymer in a paper product or in hopes of composting the paper fibers along with the coating.

As summarized by Narayan - Chairman of the ASTM Committee for Environmentally Degradable Plastics and Biobased Products (D20.96) [2], “to meet the requirements of compostability, a material must satisfy the primary requirements of complete biodegradability under composting conditions. In addition, it has to meet the disintegration and safety criteria to make a claim of compostability. ASTM D6400, D6868, ISO 17055, and EN 13432 are specification standards for compostable plastics and require: 90%+ of the test material’s carbon conversion to CO2 via microbial assimilation of the test polymer material in powder, film, or granule form in 180 days or less—a laboratory scale test method, as described in the previous section.

Disintegration of the test material in both shape and thickness of the products intended for use, such that 90% of the test material must pass through a 2 mm sieve using ISO 16929 or ISO 20200 standard test methods.

Die Air grap

Line Speed

Substrate Nip Roll

Chill Roll

(Not drawn to scale)

Figure 1: Schematic of an extrusion coating process (adapted from reference by B. A. Morris [1])

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Safety considerations where the resultant compost should have no impact on plants, using OECD Guide 208, Terrestrial Plants Growth Test. Furthermore, regulated (heavy) metals content in the polymer material should be 50% or lower than prescribed thresholds in the country of use (e.g., 50% of the U.S, and Canadian Environmental Protection Agency’s prescribed threshold).”

For a 230 gsm (grams per square meter) cupstock paper having a PE coating of 15 gsm on one side, the polyethylene content in the product is only 6.5%. However, the specification standard requires that any

From Science and Research By Shilpa Manjure Natur-Tec A Division of Northern Technologies International Corp. (NTIC) Circle Pines, MN, USA

component added in excess of 1 % to other biodegradable material has to be itself completely biodegradable. PE is not biodegradable and is not completely assimilated by microorganisms in the compost system [2]. In fact, PE simply fragments as the paper is consumed by the microorganisms in the pile. Narayan further [2] reports that the fragments, some of which could be microscopic, can be transported through the ecosystem and could have serious environmental and health consequences.

Figure 2: Examples of modified-PLA coated-paper applications that are certified by the BPI and are fully compostable

A recent research from Eco-Cycle and Woods End Laboratories [3] demonstrated and verified that micro-plastics were shed from all plastic-coated paper products during composting. These micro-plastics may pose a significant risk to our soils, freshwater and marine environments, wildlife, and ultimately, human populations. The U.S.-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation reported [4] that degraded plastic residues can attract and hold hydrophobic elements such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) up to one million times the background levels. As such, it is increasingly important that with such a potential threat to our environment we ban non-biodegradable plastic-coated paper products in compost and practice use of fully compostable coated-paper products.

Polylactide (PLA) is the most studied and easily available biobased and biodegradable polymer. As such PLA would be a good candidate to be coated on to paper for complete compostability at the end of life. PLA, however, has some property drawbacks as discussed later and is not the most suitable candidate for extrusion coating. This is mostly true when coating convertors like to utilize their current equipment that has been optimized considering properties and features of polyethylene for the past several decades.

PLA properties can be tailored to be coatable and still meet the ASTM D6868, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Standard Specification for Labeling of End Items that Incorporate Plastics and Polymers as Coatings or Additives with Paper and Other Substrates Designed to be Aerobically Composted in Municipal or Industrial Facilitiesâ&#x20AC;?.

This implies that the coated paper is consumed as food by the microorganisms in the compost pile and there are no fragments of polymer left behind. Both the paper and coating are converted completely to carbon dioxide, water and hummus when disposed off in an industrial composting facility [5-7]. Natur-Tec in collaboration with ITC Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Paperboard and Specialty Paper Division [8] has been able to successfully commercialize such a modified-PLA coated paper that is also certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) and convert it to commercial end products as shown in Figure 2.

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50

Use of Natur-Tec coating resin with 100% biobased carbon reduces CO2 emissions by 100% compared to use of petroleum based Plyethylene

45 40 Tons of CO2 generated

For extrusion–coated paper if we assume that the base paper used is same and the coating thicknesses for the PE and Natur-Tec coating are 15 and 30 gsm respectively, then one can calculate the material carbon footprint. PE contains 85.71% carbon (0% is biobased) while Natur-Tec resin contains 40% carbon (100% is biobased). So for a million square meter usage one can estimate that the PE coating will give out 47.1 tonnes of CO2 while this value will be ZERO for coating that is renewably resourced as shown in Figure 3. This is a strong value proposition that is environmentally sustainable and intrinsic to the use of biobased feedstock.

‘Material Carbon Footprint’ for million sq. mt. of coated paper

35 30 25 20 15 10 5

ZERO carbon food-print

0

Polyethylene

Natur-Tec Coating Material

Processability

Figure 3: Material carbon footprint value proposition for Natur-Tec coated paper compared to PE coated paper

Intrinsic value proposition for using PLA-based coatings Bio-based plastics, in which the fossil carbon is replaced by bio/renewable-based carbon, offer the intrinsic value proposition of a reduced carbon footprint and are in complete harmony with the rates and time scale of the biological carbon cycle. The carbon footprint of biopolymers has been discussed in detail in the recent MRS bulletin [2] by Narayan. Accordingly for every 100 kg usage of petroleum based resins such as polyethylene or polypropylene a net 314 kg of CO2 is released into the environment at the end of cycle. On the other hand if this material is replaced with PLA or Natur-Tec extrusion coating resin (100% biobased modified-PLA) the net CO2 evolved is zero as all the carbon in this material comes from renewable resources. This is the material carbon footprint of the resin. The other half of the total carbon footprint is the emissions arising from the process of converting the carbon feedstock to product, the impact during product use, and ultimate disposal – called the process carbon footprint. Although the process carbon footprint for PLA is higher than PE/PP, the overall CO2 released to the environment, taking into account the intrinsic carbon footprint as discussed above is lower and will continue to get even lower as process efficiencies are incorporated and renewable energy is substituted for fossil energy [2].

PE coating lines have a larger air-gap. This is because PE is non-polar and paper is polar, as such there is little or no adhesion between the thermoplastic and the paper unless the PE melt flows into the paper pores or some modification is done to the PE. A solution to this was to let the web of PE melt drop through the air for certain distance causing the hot surface to oxidize slightly creating polar groups that will help in adhesion to the paper fibers [1,9, 10]. Because the polymer melt is expected to drop through an open space before contacting the substrate, the polymer must have sufficient melt strength to support its weight. Virgin PLA has poor melt strength and considerable neck-in (greater than 10%). It is a polar polymer and does not need a larger air-gap that was initially designed for a non-polar polymer such as PE. Secondly, PLA has low elongational viscosity and cannot be stretched out on the substrate for thinner coatings making it cost prohibitive. The shortcomings of pure PLA are overcome by reactive blending and modification of the PLA to provide (1) improved resin melt strength for processing on PE coating lines, (2) improved elongational viscosity for application of thinner coatings close to 20 microns (30 gsm) and (3) reduced neck-in (close to 5%) for processing wider webs.

In particular, a polymer used for extrusion coating needs to have reasonably high elongational viscosity and the melt should exhibit strain hardening at high elongational rates.

Strain hardening means the resistance to deformation increases at a more rapid rate as deformation continues

(b)

(a)

100000

1000000

ɳe

1000

01

0.1

1

(Pa s)

100

Time t (sec)

Figure 4: Elongational viscosity comparison of extrusion coating grades of (a) polyethylene with (b) modified PLA resin from Natur-Tec®.

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— 0.1 s-1 — 0.3 s-1 — 1 s-1 — 3 s-1 — 10 s-1 — LVE

+

— 0.3 s-1 — 1s-1 — 3 s-1 — 10 s-1 — LVE

ɳe

10000

+

(Pa s)

100000

10000

1000 0.01

0.1

1 Time t (sec)

10

100

[7]. This is provided by the polymer molecular architecture – branched vs. linear. Polymers exhibiting strain hardening or high extensional viscosity deform uniformly as stress is applied to the melt. Figure 3 compares the extensional viscosity over a range of strain rates for coating grades of PE and modified-PLA. The modified-PLA grade shows strain hardening at high strain rates of 10s-1 and greater and the Linear Viscoelastic Envelope (LVE) value is comparable to that of PE (at 1000 – 50000 Pa-s) over the range tested. Thus it is possible to process virgin PLA on a PE coating line with improvements to its polymer architecture.

Performance Paper products are commonly coated with plastics for two major desired properties: (1) water proofing as in the case of disposable paper cups, plates, etc. and (2) greaseresistance as in the case of take out boxes, pizza-boxes, etc.

Water proofing is measured using a Cobb test where amount of water absorbed by the paper in a given time indicates the relative water resistance of the paper. Lower the uptake of water better is the performance. As shown in Figure 4 the performance of modified-PLA coated paper (samples from Natur-Tec) was comparable to that of PE-coated paper and significantly improved compared to the uncoated paper.

Although the coatings were applied at different weights the thickness was the same order of magnitude based on density of the two resins.

Grease resistance of the papers was measured using the 3M kit test – twelve kit solutions are prepared by mixing different amounts of Castor oil, n-Heptane and Toluene and the lowest number of solution that stains the paper in 15 seconds is recorded. As shown in Table 1 both the coated papers passed all the twelve test solutions and had a high degree of grease resistance compared to the base paper.

The PLA-based paper performed at par with the PE coated samples in terms of properties for both water and grease resistance.

1 min Cobb test per TAPPI T331 0m-90

25

Water uptake (gm/sq. m)

20

19,1

15 10 5

0

paper (230 gsm)

0,3

0,2

PE-coated paper

Natur-Tec modified-PLA coated paper

Figure 5: Water-proofing property using Cobb test – for uncoated paper, PE coated paper and modified-PLA coated paper from Natur-Tec

TAPPI T 559 cm-02 Sample Type

Grease Resistance/ 3M Kit test

Uncoated paper (230 gsm)

1

PE coated paper

12+

Natur-Tec modified-PLA coated paper

12+

Table 1: Grease resistance property using 3M kit test – for uncoated paper, PE coated paper and modified-PLA coated paper from Natur-Tec

CONCLUSIONS 1. PE coating on paper is not compatible with end-of-life composting or recycling operations. Replacing the petrofossil PE coatings with biobased and fully biodegradable PLA coatings offers the value proposition of a reduced material carbon footprint and its process carbon footprint mirrors existing PE operations. It is readily and fully biodegradable in industrial composting operations (compostable plastic) and therefore, can be easily removed from the environmental compartment in a safe and efficacious manner. PLA-based coating offers the intrinsic value proposition of ZERO material carbon footprint.

2. PLA-based coatings can be successfully processed on traditional PE lines when modifications are made to the formulation to improve melt strength and elongational viscosity such that strain hardening occurs at higher elongational rates of >1sec-1.

3. PLA-based coated paper provides water-proofing and grease resistance that is competitive with a PE coated paper.

References [1] B. A. Morris, “Understanding why adhesion in extrusion coating decreases with diminishing coating thickness, Part I & II: Penetration of porous substrates,” SPE-ANTEC, 63, 2964-2968 (2005).

[2] R. Narayan, Carbon Footprint Of Biopolymers Using Biocarbon Content Analysis And Life-Cycle Assessment, MRS Bulletin, Volume 36, Issue 9, September 2011.

[3] New Opportunities in Recycling and Product Manufacture Eliminate the Environmental Hazards Inherent in the Composting of Plastic-Coated Paper Products, Will Brinton, from Woods End Laboratories, Inc., Mt. Vernon, ME Cyndra Dietz, Alycia Bouyounan, Dan Matsch from Eco-Cycle, Inc., Boulder, CO, April 2011- Read the full report and find more information at www.ecocycle.org/microplasticsincompost.

[4] Algalita Marine Research Foundation ; www.algalita.org/pelagic_ plastic.html [5] R. Narayan, American Chemical Society Symposium Series, 939 (2006), C. 18, pp. 282.

[6] R. Narayan, in Renewable Resources and Renewable Energy, M. Graziani, P. Fornasiero, Eds. (CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2006), C. 1.

[7] R. Narayan, in Science and Engineering of Composting: Design, Environmental, Microbiological and Utilization Aspects, H.A.J. Hoitink, H.M. Keener, Eds. (Renaissance Publications, OH, 2003), pp. 339.

[8] ITC India Ltd. – Paperboards and Specialty Papers Division; www.itcportal.com/itc-business/paperboards-and-packaging/ paperboards-and-specialty-papers.aspx [9] R. J. Hernandez, S. E. M. Selke and J. D. Culter, Plastics Packaging – Properties, Processing, Applications and Regulations, Chapter 8, Hanser Gardner Publ. 2000.

[10] B. A. Morris and N. Suzuki, “The case against oxidation as a primary factor for bonding acid copolymers to foil,” Annual Technical Conference – Society of Plastics Engineers, 59:1, 2535 (2001).

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Paper Coating

Improved Compostable Paper Extrusion Coating By: Kelvin T. Okamoto Vanessa Salazar Cereplast, Inc.

T

he first paper hot cup coated with compostable PLA resin was commercialized in 2006. Since then, several companies around the globe have introduced similar hot cups. However, the compostable paper hot cups cost much more than the typical paper hot cup coated with standard polyethylene. The additional cost is due to both increased material costs and reduced manufacturing efficiency in coating paper and in cup forming.

Cost increases in compostable paper hot cups over standard paper hot cups include: Material density: Polyethylene has a density of about 0.95 g/cm³ versus about 1.25 g/cm³ for PLA-based formulations. At the same coating thickness, this means that the PLA-based formulations have a 30 – 35% weight disadvantage.

Coating thickness: For paper cups, the typical polyethylene cup coating is 20 µm thick versus the typical PLA coating today of 25 µm thick. Thus, the PLA coating is at a 25% coating thickness disadvantage and when adding in the density difference between the two materials, the material coating weight disadvantage for PLA over PE is about 60 – 65%.

Figure1: Moisture vs. Melt Flow Rate 450

Melt Flow Rate, g / 10 min

400 350 300

Paper extrusion coating machines typically run about 25 – 50% slower with PLA coatings.

250 200

Additional disadvantages of PLA paper coating over PE coating include

150

- Neck-in of 75 to 150 mm (3 to 6 inches) per side which may reduce maximum paper width able to be produced;

100 50 0

500

1000

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ppm Moisture @ 210 °C / 2.16 kg @ 230 °C / 2.16 kg

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3000

3500

- A band of thick resin along each edge (also known as hard edge) of 25 to 50 mm (1 to 2 inches) that increases scrap and reduces maximum paper width capable; - Reduced coating adhesion to paper; and - Sensitivity to moisture during processing.

Paper Coating Cereplast, Inc. has been working on an improved version of its paper coating resin for over a year. The new developmental grade is Compostable 4008D; a few companies have evaluated the resin and have identified several possible benefits over existing compostable PLA resins for extrusion coating of paper available on the market.

One benefit includes improved thermal stability; in comparison to Cereplast’s previous paper extrusion grade Compostable 4001, Compostable 4008D maintains its melt flow rate at 190°C for five minutes longer. This should translate into the new formulation being able to be processed at higher melt temperatures to improve adhesion to paper and to reduce hard edge and coating thickness.

Just as important, Compostable 4008D is nearly completed ASTM D6400 compostability testing. With only the plant toxicity testing to be completed, the new formulation has successfully passed compostability disintegration testing at up to 75 µm thick as a neat film, which is thicker than most other PLA-based paper extrusion coating resins. Cereplast will complete ASTM D6400 and, if needed, EN 13432 testing if and when the last test is passed.

The one major issue that cannot be especially addressed by formulation is moisture sensitivity of the PLA material to degradation during processing. Compostable 4008D, along with competitive PLA-based paper extrusion coating resins, must be dried to less than 100 ppm moisture and ideally to less

than 50 ppm moisture; the dried resin must then be fed to the extruder at the desired moisture level. The chart in Figure 1 shows the effect of moisture on the measured melt flow for Compostable 4008D at 210°C and at 230°C. It should be noted that the melt flow rate at 230°C continues to drop even as the moisture drops from 175 ppm to 57 ppm. It should also be noted that moisture has a much greater effect on melt flow rate at 230°C versus 210°C; the higher temperature is desired in actual processing to improve coating adhesion.

Typically during a processing trial, much effort is spent on getting the paper coating resin dried properly but it is also essential to ensure that the resin is fed in the extruder dry also. To do this, the dried paper coating resin must be conveyed to the extruder hopper using dry conveying air if possible and must be kept dry above the extruder using either a dryer hopper or by conveying dry air or nitrogen upwards through the feed hopper.

Other processing system changes may also be needed when trying to run PLA-based paper extrusion coating resins on equipment designed and optimized for running polyethylene. Cereplast, as well as many extruder manufacturers, can provide further guidance to successfully processing Compostable 4008D. www.cereplast.com

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Personality

Harald Kaeb bM: When and were you born?

HK: I was born in October 1963, in a small village in northern Bavaria, very close to the then still existing innerGerman border.

bM: Where do you live today and how long have you lived there?

HK: Since 12 years I’ve lived in the center of Berlin, Germany.

bM: What is your educational background?

HK: I studied Chemistry at the University of Würzburg and I hold a PhD in Chemistry.

bM: What is your professional function today?

HK: My main job is being an independent consultant for green chemistry and bioplastics. Furthermore, I am honorary member of the board (treasurer) of European Bioplastics, the industry association.

bM: How did you ‘come to’ bioplastics?

HK: 20 years ago I was applying for a postdoc study at Californian universities, I wanted to learn surfing. But I got a job offer to work as project manager for green chemistry at C.A.R.M.E.N. They wanted to build a German renewable raw material agency and I became fascinated immediately. I gave up my surf plans and started pioneering bioplastics. Blind and enthusiastic enough to ignore a 12-25 US-$ oil price during that decade.

bM: What do you consider more important: ‘biobased’ or ‘biodegradable’?

HK: Bio-based is the much bigger concept addressing all aspects of sustainable development. Biodegradable is a useful end-of-life functionality for specific product categories. Both concepts must serve a low-carbon-economy.

bM: What has been your biggest achievement (in terms of bioplastics) so far?

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HK: My contribution to build-up European-Bioplastics as the voice for branch communication and policy affairs. And to initiate and first time organise important branch events like the European Bioplastics conference or the interpack bioplastics showcase.

bM: What are your biggest challenges for the future?

HK: Personally, it is to balance private and professional life a little bit smarter than in the past. For the bioplastic branch: To invest more in issue management and communication.

bM: What is your family status HK: I am a big city single with many good friends - too much of a nerd, maybe.

bM: What is your favorite movie?

HK: I love ‘Mystery of Picasso’ and documentations about artists like Andy Goldsworthy ‘Rivers and Tide’. They are into their own universe, it’s amazing and it’s real.

bM: What is your favorite book?

HK: Changes every year, at the time being it’s Houellebecq ‘The map and the territory’.

bM: What is your favorite (or your next) vacation location?

HK: I love this planet, there’s a billion fantastic spots.

More often I am at the seaside.

bM: What do you eat for breakfast on a Sunday?

German bread, pain au chocolat, homemade marmelade, fruits, cooked ham from Italy, mediterranian spreads, the FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) – I celebrate breakfast almost every day.

bM: What is your ‘slogan’?

HK: Just do it - yes we can! You have to burn yourself if you want to set others on fire.

Algae – Source for 10 μm Fig 1.: Nannochloropsis oculata (Photo IGV)

By: Thomas Wencker, Technical Project Management Otto Pulz, Head of Biotechnology Department Robin Knapen, Workgroup Bioplastics Uwe Lehrack, Project Manager Biogenic Materials IGV GmbH BIOTECHNOLGY Nuthetal, Germany

Minerals 9% Lipids 12%

Proteins 54%

Carbohydrates 25%

I

n line with the discussion about climate change and global warming the interest of several companies and governments has been directed towards the general replacement of fossil raw materials by renewables. During recent years different technologies for the general use of renewable resources, such as biomass, plant oil or solar energy, have been developed and implemented all over the world.

Today these technologies supply around 20% of the global energy demand and, based on renewable resources, replace the equivalent amount. The application of renewables for biomass conversion into bio-based plastic material is a central field for the future development of an oil-independent society.

The social aspect of the global use of biogenic resources, especially in the field of bioenergy, requires an extension of the raw material spectrum which is used for this purpose. Until today photobioreactors (PBRs) for the production of microalgae were mainly developed for use as a nutritional supplement, or for the cosmetics industry and as pharmaceutical ingredients. The biggest closed tubular PBR plant (10,000m² in 2002) is in Klötze, Germany with PBR technology

by IGV. Currently, microalgae are the focus of research and development for their application in the production of basic raw materials. The fundamental motivation for this development is the potential utilization of the superior yield per hectare, which distinguishes microalgae from the rest of the classic land crops.

The yield per hectare of microalgae is at least twice that of the best land crops (Miscanthus), even when using the simplest technology for the cultivation of microalgae, i.e. the open systems. These open ponds, or raceway ponds, generally consist of basins, in which the microalgae are moved around in direct contact with the atmosphere. Closed systems, which allow better light supply, process control and biotechnological stability due to their closed construction based on pipes, plates or bags, produce a bigger amount of biomass at a high quality level.

This technology is state-of-the-art for the production of high value products. But, regarding the market prices of land crops, the price for biomass from the closed systems is still too high (30 to 50 €/kgDM, DM= dry mass) to compete in the raw material markets, because of their more complex technical design. Therefore new thin layer systems are being developed at IGV to fulfill the demand for a biomass source which is able to replace classic fossil resources while avoiding the use of agricultural land needed for food production. The core indications are a biomass production of at least 80 g/m² · d (total plant footprint) with a maximum investment in the plant of 1 million €/ha.

Fig 2.: typical composition of the green alga Chlorella vulgaris 300

300

Dry matter yield / t/ha · a

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100

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50 0

Fig 3.: Yield per hectare

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150

7

6

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14

Rape

Grain

Wood

Corn

Land crops

25 Miscanthus

Open Systems

Closed systems Microalgae

Thin layer systems

Basics

Bioplastics?

The utilization of microalgae biomass for the production of bioplastics can be performed along different pathways.

The typical composition of the green alga Chlorella vulgaris is shown in Fig 2. The composition shows the fraction of carbohydrates which can be processed to a biopolymer via the pathways of starch conversion. In addition, this fraction has a certain content of polysaccharides, such as cellulose, which also appear as raw materials for a compostable bioplastic. The largest fraction, which is typical for most algae strains, the proteins, has not so far been used for bioplastic production above laboratory scale, but promising current R&D results show the technical feasibility. Thirdly, the lipid fraction, which is currently the subject of intense discussion by the biofuel market, can be converted into products which are equal to fossil oil fractions such as ethylene or kerosene.

Apart from the material use of the algal biomass, algae cells generally contain a large amount of different valuable substances which can be important co-products of an integrated biorefinery process. Basically, algae strains can differ from one another at a level which entails a certain necessity of choosing the most suitable algae species after exact fixation of the final product.

Hence, the chance for the economic production of microalgal bioplastics is connected to an optimum content of suitable organic components, produced at maximum growth rate. Secondly, the downstream process of converting the biomass has to be optimized regarding energy efficiency and simplicity. For the first step IGV is developing a new generation of photobioreactors – the MUTL technology.

This technology combines the financial advantages of open ponds with the technical processing advantages of the closed tubular PBRs, while the production rate per area is increased to the levels mentioned above. The new system for algae biomass production enables prices that can compete with fossil resources and therefore represents a chance of establishing a sustainable renewable biomass production.

Issue Areal MUTL biomass productivity Annual areal MUTL biomass productivity Investment in MUTL biomass production www.igv-gmbh.com

Value 80 g/m² · d 240 t/ha · a Around 1,000,000 €/ha

Fig 4.: Photobioreactor (Photo: IGV)

Info: Founded in the early 1960s IGV (the Institute for Cereal crop Processing) has dedicated its work to the applied research and development of customized products, sustainable and effective production processes, practically-oriented technical approaches in the fields of food and baking technology, analytical and quality assurance, renewable raw materials and blue biotechnology. The Institute has a staff of 112 persons (July2011) including about 90 scientists.

In the 1990s the IGV “Regrowing Resources” department started its ambitious work in the field of using resources which are rich in starch and/or proteins such as different grains, legumes, oil seed and dairy products. In the field of bioplastics IGV concentrates on the interaction of flours obtained from diverse cereals and legumes. For this purpose IGV possesses the most modern equipment for milling, fractionation and extrusion. Further on IGV is able to use the internal interface to the biotechnology department to develop innovative and modern products based on microalgae biomass.

Since the 1980s the IGV ‘Biotechnology’ department, headed by Prof. Pulz, has been working on the field of process and application development for the cultivation of microalgae. In several research projects the potential of microalgae for use in food supplements, functional foods, cosmetics and wellness products, as well as pharmaceuticals, has been examined and developed as far as bringing products to the stage of marketable commodities. The photobioreactor development has led to more than 20 international patents which are the foundation for almost 200 closed photobioreactors supplied by IGV worldwide, mainly based on the tubular principle – the largest singular module ever built has an operating volume of 85,000 litres. New developments are targeting a tenfold reduction in production costs, which is a requirement for entry into the big markets of biofuels and CO2 capture.

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Opinion

A Global Race for Land Will it be biofuels or bioplastics that win the global race for land?

By: Matthew Aylott Science Writer for the NNFCC Heslington, York, UK

W

e read a lot about how bioplastics offer a viable alternative to traditional plastics but there is still a fundamental question that remains unanswered; where will we find the large quantities of biomass needed to actually make them in an increasingly competitive marketplace?

Over the next decade global production capacity for bioplastics is likely to reach 3-4 million tonnes a year, and this will significantly increase demand for feedstocks. But it won’t just be bioplastics manufacturers who will be after these resources; bioenergy and biofuel producers will also be looking to buy crops.

Maize or corn

In the future, this competition for resources could lead to increased costs as companies compete for feedstocks, putting greater pressure on sustainability. “But this can be avoided if your business is prepared”, as Dr. John Williams, Head of Materials for Energy and Industry at the NNFCC explains, “We have been doing a lot of work for companies looking at future scenarios for bioplastic feedstocks and the competition with energy and fuel.”

“In particular we are developing some quite sophisticated models with brand owners. Businesses need to be aware of what the future holds and how they can be proactive rather reactive to the changing marketplace,” he adds.

A competitive market place Many feedstocks used in manufacturing bioplastics have multiple uses. For example, starch crops like maize are grown primarily as an animal feed, but are also eaten by you and me, made into paper, board, ethanol and a host of other industrial uses. Likewise sugar crops like sugar beet and sugar cane are used to produce raw sugar for food use (sucrose), and also in the manufacture of ethanol for fuel and in chemical applications. How we source our feedstocks and plan for the future is a challenge.

On paper we have plenty of room to grow enough crops to meet all our short-term needs. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development we could more than double the amount of land in crop production around the globe, from 1.4 billion to over 3.3 billion hectares.

However, this expansion could be environmentally damaging and unsustainable. Excluding forests, protected areas and land needed for increased food production, there are potentially between 0.25 and 0.8 billion hectares of additional land available for bioenergy, biofuels and bioplastics crops.

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Opinion

Up to 2050 We believe bioplastics could potentially produce up to 30 % of all plastics by 2050 or 230 million tonnes per year. If the market continued to grow as it is, without any major biotechnology breakthroughs, this would require 0.08 billion hectares of land. In addition, The International Energy Agency suggests that just over a quarter of the fuel we use could be replaced with biofuel by 2050 and this would require 0.1 billion hectares (when using crops, wastes and agricultural residues). The use of biomass for energy will also continue to increase and could represent nearly 20 % of the total energy market by 2050 or 0.3 billion hectares.

Sugar cane

Ample room All together this falls below the amount of land potentially available for bioenergy, biofuels and bioplastics crops. But even converting this â&#x20AC;&#x2122;availableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; land remains a challenge, as much of it is on continents like Africa and Latin America, often far from agricultural infrastructure and significant investment would be needed to realistically make this land available for cultivating crops.

Bioplastics manufacturers face increasing competition from food, biofuel and bioenergy producers for the most accessible renewable feedstocks. And producers and users of bioplastics will be judged on their ability to manage supply chains sustainably. This will rely on the development and implementation of suitable assessment tools and procedures.

The NNFCC (for National Non Food Crop Centre) are the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Centre for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials, located in York, UK.

The NNFCC is committed to the sustainable development of markets for biorenewable products. They promote the benefits of biorenewable energy, fuels and materials for enhancement of the bioeconomy, environment and society.

Maize or corn

Beyond 2050 And what would happen if we wanted to make 100 % of our plastics, 100 % of our energy and 100 % of our fuels from biomass? Put simply there would be insufficient land globally, to sustainably co-produce 100 % of our plastics, energy and fuel from biomass using current technology.

Thankfully there are alternatives sources of renewable energy other than biomass, but biomass is our ONLY alternative to petrochemicals for manufacturing bioplastics. This means that in the long-term the market is more likely to push bio-based feedstocks towards bioplastics.

And in the short-term bioplastics will benefit from the expansion of biofuel and bioenergy markets, including logistical and technology developments such as the ability to process lignocellulosic feedstocks like wood. Moving away from starch based crops could potentially reduce land use requirements by more than 50 %, and lignin recovered from lignocellulose to chemical production could provide process energy.

While this should be cause for optimism across the bioplastics industry, there remains a long way to go before they can sustainably replace plastics made from petrochemicals. www.nnfcc.co.uk

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Politics

Something is Regrowing!

Ministry ensures sustainable biobased plastic and raw material support by funding innovations

S

ince 1993 the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR: Agency for renewable resources) has been promoting research, development, demonstrations and public relations in the field of renewable resources, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) with a budget of 53 million Euros (2011).

Currently the FNR funds 230 projects in the field of industrial use of renewable resources, which in total represent grants of 62.6 million Euros. The bigger part of these projects is in the field of biobased plastics and raw materials: thermoplastics and thermoset, natural and chemical fibres, natural rubber products and products such as paints, lacquers, coatings and polymers which impart special product qualities.

Thereby the biobased polymers are not only produced by modification of natural biopolymers but also by synthetic polymers based on renewable resources.

Funding Priorities

By: Gabriele Peterek Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. Gülzow, Germany

Former farmhouse and new building

The FNR, on behalf of the BMELV, is in constant dialogue with representatives of industry and science. One result of this dialogue is that the FNR creates funding priorities for specific themes that clearly describe the objectives. In the current ‘Biobased Polymers and Natural Fibre Reinforced Composites’ priority list the traffic sector, sport and household goods, office supplies and the electrical industry are named as target markets with high potential. The development of epoxide, polyester and phenolic resins, polyurethanes and thermoplastic elastomers, is required for these markets. New functional raw materials for the industry can be developed from cellulose, starch, lignin and pectin – natural polymers, often with specific qualities. It is necessary to modify the whole production chain, for example the process and the tool development and the semi-finished goods production. Altogether the application alternatives of biopolymers are to be expanded, including biobased materials already existing.

A biopolymer, which occurs in large amounts as a byproduct during pulp production, but is used industrially only in low amounts, is lignin. The reasons for this are the huge difficulties in process and application technologies. Therefore, the ‘Industrial Use of Lignin’ funding priority targets the development of a market-oriented technology for the increased use of lignin. The focal point of the priority is the development of innovative techniques for a selective and cost-efficient conversion of lignin to marketable products.

Highlights from project funding At present numerous innovations are funded with the aid of grants from the BMELV. For example a procedure for the total chemical extraction of lignocellulose to provide the three fractions (cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin) for the development of high-grade products. Based on the results the FNR is currently funding the construction of a lignocellulose-

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Politics

BioConcept-Car III (Photo: FOUR MOTORS GmbH)

biorefinery in a pilot scale. The aim of this project is to convert the procedure based on the organosolv extraction into a cost-effective, practical process and to establish the total industrial use of all by-products from fractionated lignocellulose within the biorefinery.

The ‘ERA-IB: C. glutamicum as platform organism for new and efficient production processes’ joint research project has Corynebacterium glutamicum in its focus. The aim is to use C. glutamicum, which is an important organism for the production of amino acids, to optimise the production of basic chemicals and organic building blocks for white biotechnology.

Since May 2011 the FNR has been supporting the further development of the ‘BioConcept-Car’. The aim of this project is the development and realization of components for the automotive sector and motorsport using of biobased polymers. The components are tested under the extreme conditions of the real racing business. The extracted results are used for further optimization of the components. The approach to testing a biobased racing car body under extreme conditions is aimed at destroying the doubts about quality and clearing the way for biobased materials in normal cars. (For the history of the BioConcept-Car see bM 01/2007 and 01/2010) The ‘Models for the practical usage of natural fibre reinforced injecting moulding materials in the automotive industry’ joint research project also focuses on the automotive industry. The project started in June 2011.

On behalf of the BMELV the FNR is funding projects to establish biobased polymers in the market, for example the ‘Biopolymer Database’. Meanwhile more than 100 producers and more than 600 different biopolymers with applications and processing data are listed in this database. Therefore, the database is helping to abolish the great barriers to the market introduction of biopolymers. At www.materialdatacenter.com

the database is available on the Internet (for the moment still free of charge).

The summaries and reports of all funded projects are available at the website of FNR. All of the funded projects are accompanied by well-directed public relations and consumer information.

Where next?

Biobased plastics and raw materials are an important building block for a sustainable economy. And they are our only future alternative to mineral oil based plastics.

Therefore, they are the only alternative for guaranteed and affordable support in the future.

On the one hand the market share of biobased plastics and raw materials is only in single figures, but on the other hand one can feel an enormous boost occurring in the market. Its drive comes from the growing relevance of themes such as sustainability and the need to reduce the production of CO2, not only for the producers but also for the consumers. But this market boost is also the result of a persistent funding policy that has focused for many years on the development of technical, high-valued biobased plastics and raw materials.

In this sense the FNR will build up its funding efforts in the field of biobased plastics and raw materials and will focus more than ever on optimizing the framework requirements for the use of biobased plastics and raw materials.

Currently a product database for consumer groups such as end users and local authorities is in development. The database will be available in autumn.

Projects to spread the knowledge, to connect the different groups involved, to increase consumer information and to develop new, innovative products are in preparation. www.fnr.de

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You can meet us!

Please contact us in advance by e-mail.

Event Calendar

Event Calendar Oct. 17, 2011 VDI- Expertenforum: Bio-Kunststoffe und Grüne Werkstoffe Hochschule Reutlingen www.vdi.de/TPE-2011-anmeldung

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

Oct. 18-22, 2011 FAKUMA International Trade Fair visit bioplastics MAGAZINE in hall B1 at booth B1-1000 Fridrichshafen, Germany www.fakuma-messe.de

Nov. 11-19, 2011 Brau Beviale Messe Nuremberg, Germany www.brau-beviale.de

Nov. 22-23, 2011 6th European Bioplastics Conference Maritim proArte Hotel, Berlin, Germany www.european-bioplastics.org

Dec. 13-14, 2011 4. WPC Kongress Maritim Hotel Cologne, Germany www.wpc-kongress.de

Feb. 06-08, 2012 The 2012 Packaging Conference OARIA Resort at CityCenter, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. www.thepackagingconference.com/

Feb. 20-22, 2012 Innovation Takes Root 2012 Omni ChampionsGate Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA. www.innovationtakesroot.com

March 14-15, 2012 5th International Congress on Bio-based Plastics and Composites Cologne, Germany www.biowerkstoff-kongress.de

Register now!

22/23 November 2011 Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin Conference contact: conference@european-bioplastics.org +49 .30 28 48 23 50

✆

March 27-30, 2011 BioPlastek 2012 An Interactive Forum on Bioplastics Today & Tomorrow Westin Arlington Gateway, Arlington, VA http://bioplastek.com

April 1-5, 2012 NPE 2012 > > visit bioplastics MAGAZINE at booth 58047 Orlando, USA www.npe.org

April 18-21, 2012 Chinaplas 2012 Shanghai, China www.chinaplasonline.com

19-20 April 2012 2nd Congress on biodegradable polymer packaging Sala Aurea, Camera di Commercio, Parma (Italy) www.biopolpack.unipr.it.

SPONSORS

May 8-9, 2012 Bioplastics Compounding & Processing Miami, Florida, USA www.amiplastics-na.com

May 15-16, 2012 2nd PLA World Congress (by bioplastics MAGAZINE) www.pla-world-congress.com

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www.conference.european-bioplastics.org bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/11] Vol. 6

The World‘s Top Trade Fair for injection Moulders

Made by Fakuma!

2011

21st FAKUMA – The International Trade Fair for Plastics Processing

Exhibition Accents: • • • • • • • •

injection moulding machines extruders and extrusion plants processing machines machines and equipment for preprocessing machining centres and surface finishing machine blow moulding machines presses welding machines

• measuring machines and test instruments • recycling • auxiliary equipment • raw materials and auxiliaries • semi-finished and finished goods • moulding tools parts and components • services

18 – 22 October 2011 Fr i e dr ich s h a Fe n P.E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG Tel +49 (0) 7025.9206-0 fakuma@schall-messen.de

www.fakuma-messe.de www.schall-virtuell.de

Basics

Glossary 2.0

updated

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.

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)

Cradle-to-Gate | Describes the system boundaries of an environmental →Life 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 →LCA studies.

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

Crystalline | Plastic with regularly arranged molecules in a lattice structure

Bioplastics (as defined by European Bioplastics e.V.) is a term used to define two different kinds of plastics: a. Plastics based on renewable resources (the focus is the origin of the raw material used) b. → 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).

Density | Quotient from mass and volume of a material, also referred to as specific weight DIN | Deutsches Institut für Normung (German organisation for standardization) DIN-CERTCO | independant certifying organisation for the assessment on the conformity of bioplastics Dispersing | fine distribution of non-miscible liquids into a homogeneous, stable mixture

- based on renewable resources and biodegradable;

Carbon neutral | Carbon neutral describes a product or 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.

- based on renewable resources but not be biodegradable; and

Catalyst | substance that enables and accelerates a chemical reaction

- based on fossil resources and biodegradable.

Cellophane | Clear film on the basis of → cellulose.

Energy recovery | recovery and exploitation of the energy potential in (plastic) waste for the production of electricity or heat in waste incineration pants (waste-to-energy)

Aerobic - anaerobic | aerobic = in the presence of oxygen (e.g. in composting) | anaerobic = without oxygen being present (e.g. in biogasification, anaerobic digestion)

Enzymes | proteins that catalyze chemical reactions

[bM 06/09]

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

Ethylen | colour- and odourless gas, made e.g. from, Naphtha (petroleum) by cracking, monomer of the polymer polyethylene (PE)

Amorphous | non-crystalline, glassy with unordered lattice

CEN | Comité Européen de Normalisation (European organisation for standardization)

Amylopectin | Polymeric branched starch molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is → Glucose)

Compost | A soil conditioning material of decomposing organic matter which provides nutrients and enhances soil structure.

[bM 05/09]

[bM 06/08, 02/09]

Amylose | Polymeric non-branched starch molecule with high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is → Glucose) [bM 05/09]

Compostable Plastics | Plastics that are biodegradable under ‘composting’ conditions: specified humidity, temperature, → microorganisms and timefame. Several national and international standards exist for clearer definitions, for example EN 14995 Plastics Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme and specifications.

European Bioplastics e.V. | The industry association representing the interests of Europe’s thriving bioplastics’ industry. Founded in Germany in 1993 as IBAW, European Bioplastics today represents the interests of over 70 member companies throughout the European Union. With members from the agricultural feedstock, chemical and plastics industries, as well as industrial users and recycling companies, European Bioplastics serves as both a contact platform and catalyst for advancing the aims of the growing bioplastics industry.

Bioplastics may be

Biodegradable Plastics | Biodegradable Plastics are plastics that are completely assimilated by the → 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 02/06, bM 01/07]

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

Bisphenol-A (BPA) | Monomer used to produce different polymers. BPA is said to cause health problems, due to the fact that is behaves like a hormone. Therefore it is banned for use in children’s products in many countries.

50

BPI | Biodegradable Products Institute, a notfor-profit association. Through their innovative compostable label program, BPI educates manufacturers, legislators and consumers about the importance of scientifically based standards for compostable materials which biodegrade in large composting facilities.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

[bM 02/06, bM 01/07]

Composting | A solid waste management technique that uses natural process to convert organic materials to CO2, water and humus through the action of → microorganisms.

When talking about composting of bioplastics, usually industrial composting in a managed composting plant is meant [bM 03/07] Compound | plastic mixture from different raw materials (polymer and additives) [bM 04/10)

Copolymer | Plastic composed of different monomers.

Elastomers | rigid, but under force flexible and elastically formable plastics with rubbery properties EN 13432 | European standard for the assessment of the → compostability of plastic packaging products

Extrusion | process used to create plastic profiles (or sheet) of a fixed cross-section consisting of mixing, melting, homogenising and shaping of the plastic.

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

FSC | Forest Stewardship Council. FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not-forprofit organization established to promote the responsible and sustainable management of the world’s forests.

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

Basics 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.

Granulate, granules | small plastic particles (3-4 millimetres), a form in which plastic is sold and fed into machines, easy to handle and dose.

Humus | In agriculture, ‘humus’ is often used simply to mean mature → 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 water resistant and weather proof or that absorbs water such as Polyamide (PA).

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

IBAW | → European Bioplastics Integral Foam | foam with a compact skin and porous core and a transition zone in between.

ISO | International Organization for Standardization JBPA | Japan Bioplastics Association LCA | Life Cycle Assessment (sometimes also referred to as life cycle analysis, ecobalance, and → cradle-to-grave analysis) is the investigation and valuation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service caused. [bM 01/09]

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

Molecule | group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds.

Monomer | molecules that are linked by polymerization to form chains of molecules and then plastics Mulch film | Foil to cover bottom of farmland

(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.

-12000-glucose units. Depending on the connection, there are two types → amylose and → amylopectin known.

PHBH | Polyhydroxy butyrate hexanoate (better poly 3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), Like other biopolymers from the family of the polyhydroxyalkanoates PHBH is produced by microorganisms in the fermentation process, where it is accumulated in the microorganism’s body for nutrition. The main features of PHBH are its excellent biodegradability, combined with a high degree of hydrolysis and heat stability.

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.

[bM 03/09, 01/10, 03/11]

PLA | Polylactide or Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, linear 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.

PBS | Polybutylene succinate, a 100% biodegradable polymer, made from (e.g. bio-BDO) and succinic acid, which can also be produced biobased.

[bM 01/09]

PC | Polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyester, petroleum based, used for e.g. baby bottles or CDs. Criticized for its BPA (→ Bisphenol-A) content.

Renewable Resources | agricultural raw materials, which are not used as food or feed, but as raw material for industrial products or to generate energy

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

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. → glucose is a monosaccarin. They are important for the diet and produced biology in plants.

PE | Polyethylene, thermoplastic polymerised from ethylene. Can be made from renewable resources (sugar cane via bio-ethanol) [bM 05/10]

PET | Polyethylenterephthalate, transparent polyester used for bottles and film PGA | Polyglycolic acid or Polyglycolide is a biodegradable, thermoplastic polymer and the simplest linear, aliphatic polyester. Besides ist use in the biomedical field, PGA has been introduced as a barrier resin [bM 03/09] PHA | Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. The most common type of PHA is → PHB. PHB | Polyhydroxybutyrate (better poly-3-hydroxybutyrate), is a polyhydroxyalkanoate

Plastics | Materials with large molecular chains of natural or fossil raw materials, produced by chemical or biochemical reactions.

Semi-finished products | plastic in form of sheet, film, rods or the like to be further processed into finshed products 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 → amylose and → 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

[bM 05/09]

Starch derivate | Starch derivates are based on the chemical structure of → starch. The chemical structure can be changed by introducing new functional groups without changing the → starch polymer. The product has different chemical qualities. Mostly the hydrophilic character is not the same.

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

Thermoplastic Starch | (TPS) → starch that was modified (cooked, complexed) to make it a plastic resin Thermoset | Plastics (resins) which do not soften or melt when heated. Examples are epoxy resins or unsaturated polyester resins.

WPC | Wood Plastic Composite. Composite materials made of wood fiber/flour and plastics (mostly polypropylene).

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

bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6

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Suppliers Guide 1. Raw Materials 10

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

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

DuPont de Nemours International S.A. 2 chemin du Pavillon 1218 - Le Grand Saconnex Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 171 51 11 Fax: +41 22 580 22 45 plastics@dupont.com www.renewable.dupont.com www.plastics.dupont.com

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!

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

Sukano AG Chaltenbodenstrasse 23 CH-8834 Schindellegi Tel. +41 44 787 57 77 Fax +41 44 787 57 78 www.sukano.com 3. Semi finished products 3.1 films

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Zhejiang Hangzhou Xinfu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd Tel.: +86 13809644115 www.xinfupharm.com johnleung@xinfupharm.com 1.1 bio based monomers

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 1.5 PHA

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

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

Huhtamaki Forchheim Sonja Haug Zweibrückenstraße 15-25 91301 Forchheim Tel. +49-9191 81203 Fax +49-9191 811203 www.huhtamaki-films.com

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

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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

Transmare Compounding B.V. Ringweg 7, 6045 JL Roermond, The Netherlands Tel. +31 475 345 900 Fax +31 475 345 910 info@transmare.nl www.compounding.nl

Telles, Metabolix – ADM joint venture 650 Suffolk Street, Suite 100 Lowell, MA 01854 USA Tel. +1-97 85 13 18 00 Fax +1-97 85 13 18 86 www.mirelplastics.com

1.3 PLA

1.2 compounds

3.1.1 cellulose based films

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API S.p.A. Via Dante Alighieri, 27 36065 Mussolente (VI), Italy Telephone +39 0424 579711 www.apiplastic.com www.apinatbio.com

Shenzhen Brightchina Ind. Co;Ltd www.brightcn.net www.esun.en.alibaba.com bright@brightcn.net Tel: +86-755-2603 1978 1.4 starch-based bioplastics

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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

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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

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

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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

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

INNOVIA FILMS LTD Wigton Cumbria CA7 9BG England 2. Additives/Secondary raw materials Contact: Andy Sweetman Tel. +44 16973 41549 Fax +44 16973 41452 andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com www.innoviafilms.com The HallStar Company 4. Bioplastics products 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 1620 Chicago, IL 60606, USA +1 312 385 4494 dmarshall@hallstar.com www.hallstar.com/hallgreen

Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH Duesseldorfer Strasse 23-27 68219 Mannheim, Germany Phone: +49 (0)621-8907-233 Fax: +49 (0)621-8907-8233 bioadimide.eu@rheinchemie.com www.bioadimide.com

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

Suppliers Guide 8. Ancillary equipment 9. Services Postbus 26 7480 AA Haaksbergen The Netherlands Tel.: +31 616 121 843 info@bio4pack.com www.bio4pack.com

Simply contact:

Tel.: +49 02351 67100-0 suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com

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 6. Equipment

Osterfelder Str. 3 46047 Oberhausen Tel.: +49 (0)2861 8598 1227 Fax: +49 (0)2861 8598 1424 thomas.wodke@umsicht.fhg.de www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de

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:

6.1 Machinery & Molds

Eco Cortec® 31 300 Beli Manastir Bele Bartoka 29 Croatia, MB: 1891782 Tel. +385 31 705 011 Fax +385 31 705 012 info@ecocortec.hr www.ecocortec.hr

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 esmy@minima-tech.com Skype esmy325 www.minima-tech.com

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

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

Polymedia Publisher GmbH Dammer Str. 112 41066 Mönchengladbach Germany Tel. +49 2161 664864 Fax +49 2161 631045 info@bioplasticsmagazine.com www.bioplasticsmagazine.com

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39 mm

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

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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

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

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

Bioplastics Consulting Tel. +49 2161 664864 info@polymediaconsult.com 10. Institutions 10.1 Associations

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

Sample Charge: 39mm x 6,00 € = 234,00 € per entry/per issue

Sample Charge for one year: 6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 € The entry in our Suppliers Guide is bookable for one year (6 issues) and extends automatically if it’s not canceled three month before expiry.

www.facebook.com www.issuu.com www.twitter.com www.youtube.com

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 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

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

University of Applied Sciences Faculty II, Department of Bioprocess Engineering 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 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/11] Vol. 6

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A real sign of sustainable development.

There is such a thing as genuinely sustainable development.

Since 1989, Novamont researchers have been working on an ambitious project that combines the chemical industry, agriculture and the environment: "Living Chemistry for Quality of Life". Its objective has been to create products with a low environmental impact. The result of Novamont's innovative research is the new bioplastic Mater-Bi 速.

Mater-Bi 速 is a family of materials, completely biodegradable and compostable which contain renewable raw materials such as starch and vegetable oil derivates. Mater-Bi 速 performs like traditional plastics but it saves energy, contributes to reducing the greenhouse effect and at the end of its life cycle, it closes the loop by changing into fertile humus. Everyone's dream has become a reality.

Mater-Bi速: certified biodegradable and compostable.

Living Chemistry for Quality of Life. www.novamont.com

Inventor of the year 2007