bioplastics MAGAZINE 03-2012

ISSN 1862-5258

May/June

03 | 2012

Basics

Highlights

Castor oil for bioplastics | 48

Injection Moulding | 18 Natural Fibre Composites | 36

Cover-Story

bioplastics

magazine

Vol. 7

Great River | 18

es

... is read in 91 countri

FKuR plastics – made by nature!® Perfect Beauty with Biograde‘s® Natural Purity

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Editorial

dear readers After a break of four years the time was ripe for the second PLA World Congress. More than 160 delegates and speakers proved this by gathering in Munich, Germany, for an exchange of information and experiences, and for establishing or renewing contacts. All of the positive feedback from both delegates and speakers has confirmed that this unique event, organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE, was a great success.

In this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE we finalize our reports on NPE and Chinaplas. The other highlights are ‘injection moulding’ including the cover story about cellulose based sunglasses and ‘natural fibres’. More and more different natural fibres are increasingly being investigated as well as biobased materials as a matrix resin. This section is rounded off by a review of the book ‘Natural Fibres’.

In the basics section we take a closer look at castor oil as a renewable resource for the production of a variety of bioplastics.

A small preview of the bioplastics being used during the London Olympics in this issue will be complemented by a comprehensive report after The Games.

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/bioplasticsmag

Until then, we hope you enjoy reading bioplastics MAGAZINE.

Sincerely yours Michael Thielen

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/12] Vol. 7

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

Great River (Qin Xin) Plastic Manufacturer CO.,LTD (Photo by Philipp Thielen)

Cover-Ad:

A part of this print run is mailed to the readers wrapped in BoPLA envelopes sponsored by Taghleef Industries, S.p.A. Maropack GmbH & Co. KG, and SFV Verpackungen

Envelopes

Editorial contributions are always welcome.

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

12 NPE 2012

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

10 Chinaplas 2012

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

Show-Review

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May/June

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 91 countries.

03|2012

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

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

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

bioplastics magazine

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Layout/Production

Dr. Michael Thielen Samuel Brangenberg

Publisher / Editorial

Imprint Content

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 05 - 09

Application News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 - 31

Suppliers Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 - 52 Event Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

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

Injection Moulding

18 Sunglasses and more …

20 Innovative toothbrush and more

22 PLA meets Rayon

Report

26 Talking rubbish about cement bags

Applications

28 Biobased plastic sporting goods

Materials

32 New transparent alloy

34 New additive for biopolymers

Natural Fibre Composites

36 Snowboard from flax and soy

38 New biofibres for PP-NF-compounds

39 Improved extruder technology for WPC

40 Forestry wastes as fillers automotive plastics

43 Breakthrough in injection moulding of natural fibres

Opinion

44 Marketing Your Biobased Commitment to Consumers

Basics

48 Castor oil, an important source for bioplastics

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Application News

News

London2012 mascot Wenlock and Mandeville (Photo ODA)

Green plastics ‘going for gold’ The eyes of the world are set to descend on London on the 27th July, as the UK’s capital hosts the 30th Olympic Games. Those attending the Olympics will see the world’s greatest athletes competing for gold but what they might not see, but will almost certainly use, is the biobased and compostable packaging which is set to feature across the Olympic Park’s food outlets.

London 2012 is dedicated to becoming the first ever zero waste Games and bioeconomy consultants NNFCC have been advising the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) on the best solutions to achieve this goal. This resulted in the decision to use food packaging made from plant starch and cellulose at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Compostable packaging is ideal for events like the Olympics, because packaging contaminated with food can be composted together, helping to cut waste and generate valuable revenue,” said Dr John Williams, Head of Materials at NNFCC. “In addition by coming from renewable resources, these materials help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and minimise packaging’s impact on the environment.”

iBIB ‘12/13 has been published The 2nd edition of the unique international directory of major suppliers of bio-based plastics, composites, intermediates and green additives is distributed to more than 50,000 potential clients worldwide via the nova-Institute’s huge bio-based network. The International Business Directory for Innovative Bio-based Plastics and Composites (iBIB) 2012/13 is published as a print version (book), PDF file, online-database and for the first time also as an eBook and an App (for iPad).

The iBIB, published by nova-Institute and bioplastics MAGAZINE is an established feature of the market. The 2012/13 edition presents 80 leading producers of bio-based materials, as well as associations, agencies, engineering and research institutes from 19 countries on 6 continents. There are 15% more subscribers than for the first edition.

bioplastics MAGAZINE will prepare a comprehensive review of bioplastics at the London Olympics 2012 in one of the next issues. MT

The market for bio-based plastics and composites continues to show double-figure growth rates and has now gained true international status. New markets such as bio-based plastics, composites, intermediates and green additives are still mostly based on ‘insider knowledge’ which can lead to a lack of transparency, harming the steady growth of the sector. iBIB2012/13 helps firms and clients to find the best bio-based solutions available worldwide: The website www.bio-based.eu/iBIB offers free and direct access to the database with more than 100 specific criteria and a complete list of profiles. The full PDF version of the iBIB is also available free of charge at this link.

www.nnfcc.co.uk www.london2012.com

www.nova-institute.eu www.bioplasticsmagazine.com

Materials getting a ‘green’ makeover will include fast food wrappers, sandwich boxes and drink cartons. These materials will be compliant with EN 13432, the agreed European Standard for compostability, and as a result will be suitable for treatment by an in-vessel composter or anaerobic digester. This will allow them to be converted to low-carbon compost and potentially renewable energy.

“By sharing our experiences from London 2012 and developing guidelines which can be applied to other events in the future, we will create a lasting legacy for the fast food and catering trade after the Games,” Williams added.

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Obama Administration supports bioeconomy End of April, the Obama Administration announced its commitment to strengthening bioscience research as a major driver of American innovation and economic growth. The National Bioeconomy Blueprint outlines steps that agencies will take to drive the bioeconomy— economic activity powered by research and innovation in the biosciences—and details ongoing efforts across the Federal government to realize this goal.

The bioeconomy emerged as an Administration priority because of its tremendous potential for growth and job creation as well as the many other societal benefits it offers. A more robust bioeconomy can enable Americans to live longer and healthier lives, develop new sources of bioenergy, address key environmental challenges, transform manufacturing processes, and increase the productivity and scope of the agricultural sector while generating new industries and occupational opportunities.

A growing U.S. population requires increased health services and more material resources including food, animal feed, fiber for clothing and housing, and sources of energy and chemicals for manufacturing. Recent advances in the biological sciences are allowing more and more of these needs to be met not with petroleumbased products and other non-renewable resources but with materials that are quite literally home-grown.

Indeed, the convergence of biology with engineering and other sciences—including physics, chemistry, and computer sciences—is proving to have tremendous power to generate new scientific discoveries, new products, new markets, and new high-skilled jobs. The benefits can be seen in every sector of the economy, from agriculture to healthcare and from energy production to environmental monitoring and stewardship. Biobased materials (including biobased plastics) are also proving to be excellent and sustainable substitutes for hydrocarbonbased raw materials in a number of industrial and manufacturing processes (…)

In early February the European Commission had issued their ‘blueprint’ entitled ‘Innovating for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe’ . MT Both documents can be downloaded in their full original version from www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/201203

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Avantium and Danone to develop PEF bottles End of March Avantium, Amsterdam, the Netherlands announced its second major partnership for its YXY technology to produce PEF bottles. Danone Research and Avantium have entered into a Joint Development Agreement for the development of PEF bottles for Danone, number two worldwide in bottled water business.

The agreement forms another cornerstone of Avantium‘s commercialization strategy to further co-develop the YXY technology for producing PEF bottles.

“Today, Danone Research is at the forefront in contributing to the development of next generation biobased plastic bottle,” says Avantium‘s CEO Tom van Aken.

“Our YXY solution for the packaging industry creates a new bio-sourced material delivering superior functional properties versus conventional PET technology (for example light weighting potential, barrier and thermal properties). A recent study done by the Copernicus Institute at Utrecht University, showed that PEF has a 5060% lower carbon footprint than oil-based PET. Finalizing the LCA study is part of the Joint Development Agreement.

Based on the YXY technology, the Avantium and Danone Research joint objective is to contribute to the emergence of a new renewable material generation which will not be in direct competition with food. YXY is used as a fast and efficient chemical-catalytic technology to convert carbohydrates produced from plants, grains, energy crops, lignocellulosic matter, waste streams, waste paper or agricultural residues, into a wide variety of bio-based polymers. Based on ongoing R&D programs, Avantium will also continue to develop PEF from renewable feedstock not competing with food. MT www.avantium.com www.yxy.com www.danone.com

UL Thermoplastics Testing Center.

Your Competence Center for Injection Molding and Design Data of Bioplastics.

Contact us: ttc@ul.com | ulttc.com UL and the UL Logo are trademarks of UL LLC Š 2012

News

New sustainability criteria for plant cultivation Bioplastics are now produced from crops grown in fields with clearly laid down standards of sustainability. This is backed by the guarantee of two new certification systems, namely ICC PLUS and the American Working Landscapes Certificate (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, IATP).

They promote the maintenance of criteria for bio-diversity such as laying down ‘wild life corridors’, not watering drought areas, strong control of the use of plant protection media and no genetic modification.

Martina Fleckenstein, agrarian expert at the WWF, says, “Even when producing bioplastics it is important that sustainability criteria are upheld.

This means that the raw plant materials must be grown under socially and ecologically acceptable conditions. This is even more important because in the future plant materials will be the only alternative to petroleum.

Renewable energy for transport and electrical power can, alongside biomass, be directly captured from the sun, wind or water. This does not apply to solid materials. A sensible, sustainable use of agricultural land is therefore a basic prerequisite for this new technology.

Products based on Ingeo PLA from Nature Works, the world’s biggest bioplastics producer, is the first to be certified by ISCC PLUS and Working Landscapes. Ingeo consists of 100 percent plant material and is currently obtained from maize grown in the USA. “The highest possible level of sustainability is the prerequisite that will allow us to promote the highest ecological advantages for our new polymers – namely a reduction in climate effects, and a saving of fossil resources such as petroleum. The new certification is an important step in this direction”, says Mark Vergauwen, Commercial Director Europe at NatureWorks.

ISCC PLUS: Sustainable plant cultivation from a multi-stakeholder point of view ISCC PLUS is a new certification system for use in technical/chemical fields, such as bioplastics, but also for use in the sustainable production of foodstuffs and animal feeds, and in bioenergy such as solid biomass.

ISCC PLUS is based on the ISCC certification system that has been successfully used for more than two years in the bio-fuels business with over 1,200 system users worldwide. It is also recognised by the EU Commission.

“ISCC is a multi-stakeholder certification system and ensures that biomasses are produced along ecological, economical and socially sustainable lines and with a traceability system all along the value chain”, says Andreas Feige from ISCC System GmbH. ISCC certified products may not be obtained from biodiverse areas, carbon-rich ground or peat moors. Areas of rich natural habitat are also excluded. The biomass must be produced in an environmentally-friendly way that includes protection of the terrain, ground water and air, as well as the use of good agrarian practices. The observance of human rights, labor and land use rights must be guaranteed. Certification is carried out by independent, accredited certification offices that cooperate with the ISCC. MT www.natureworksllc.com www.iscc-system.org www.iatp.org

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New R&D and production Centre End of March Chinese company Wuhan Huali Environmental Technology Co. Ltd. celebrated the groundbreaking of their new Ecoplast Technologies Bioplastic R&D and production base in the Wuhan Jiangxia Happiness Industrial Park.

Zhangxian Bing, chairman of Ecoplast Technologies, said in his official speech: “The new production base covers an area of ~220,000 m² (54 acres) with a total construction area of 28,000 m².”

PSM bioplastics are made from renewable, natural materials, such as corn, potato, tapioca or wheat starch, bamboo cellulose and sugar cane. Through modification and plasticization, these raw materials are turned into versatile materials with a significant smaller carbon footprint than traditional plastics.

The new R&D and production base will be built with the highest degree of automation and technology to become the largest industrial park of bioplastic materials in China. After completion of the new base, Ecoplast Technologies will reach an annual output of 100,000 tonnes of bioplastic resins and products.

The project started construction in March 2012, with a two-year construction period split into two phases. The first phase of 30,000 tons PSM bioplastic production line will be put into operation by the end of November 2012. www.ecoplastech.com

News

2nd PLA World Congress Successful meeting in Munich

www.pla-world-congress.com

The 2nd PLA World Congress organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE (May 15th and 16th in Munich, Germany) attracted more than experts and interested delegates from 23 countries. Delegates from the packaging and other industries, universities, research institutes and similar organisations, as well as dedicated PLA experts, came from all over Europe and North America, and from countries as far away as New Zealand, Brazil, Korea, Thailand Japan and China.

The Congress was opened with a keynote speech of Dr. Harald Kaeb (narocon), a renowned expert in the field of bioplastics. In the first two sessions the audience was informed about the production process and production capacities of PLA from speakers from the companies Uhde Inventa-Fischer, Purac, Sulzer, NatureWorks and Shenzhen Esun from China. A presentation about a Meta LCA for PLA rounded off this first session and showed the overall benefits of PLA. FKuR, the Wageningen University and Research Centre, together with Sukano and Polyone, presented possibilities to enhance the properties of PLA and were followed by talks from Synbra about GMO free PLA and Toray’s modified PLA materials. Ramani Narayan closed the first day with his insights in the positioning and branding of PLA products from a carbon footprint and end-of-life point of view.

A ‘Bavarian Night’ in Munich‘s famous beer house ‘Unions-Bräu’ offered a significantly different opportunity for intensive networking and establishing personal contacts.

The second day started with a series of talks about PLA film and film applications (Tahgleef Industries, Huhtamaki Films, Brückner) followed by presentations about barrier issues (Fraunhofer IAP) and NaKu’s experience in processing PLA. Proganic’s presentation started slightly delayed and the eagerly awaited presentation of SPC Biotech about bio conversion of agriwaste to polylactic acid unfortunately had to be cancelled at the last minute. bioplastics MAGAZINE will publish a comprehensive article about this topic in the next issue.

The last session covered the topic of end-of-life, especially the different recycling possibilities and challenges. Speakers from Futerro, Erema, Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung and Re|PLA-Cycle shared their experience.

The day ended with a panel discussion about “Bioplastics and the Bio-based Economy: the State of Play of Policy in Europe”. Dr. John Williams, Head of Materials for Energy and Industry at the UK’s NNFCC, and David Webber, Senior Partner at PA Europe in Brussels conducted this discussion.

As the conference was considered by many – delegates, speakers, and the organisers – as a great success, the 3rd PLA World Congress will definitely be scheduled. MT

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Show-Review

Chinaplas 2012 CHINAPLAS 2012 again made great strides forward, evidenced by the double-digit growth in terms of both the physical size of the show scale and the number of exhibitors. Compared with Guangzhou last year, CHINAPLAS 2012 increased in size by 17% to cover 210,000 m². The numbers of exhibitors increased by 13%. More than 2,700 exhibitors from 35 countries and regions displayed machinery and the latest chemicals and raw materials. The keen international participation underlines the industry‘s optimistic view of the Chinese market, as well as the strong international status of CHINAPLAS itself. In a special Bioplastics Zone about 37 companies were listed in the show catalogue to present their products and services in terms of biobased and/or biodegradable plastics.

However, a closer look on site revealed that about 20% of these companies did not really have products from the bioplastics field (including a number of companies offering oxo-degradable products).

And of course bioplastics MAGAZINE had a well-visited booth. Almost precisely the 1000 copies of bioplastics MAGAZINE that were printed extra for this show were gone after four very busy days in Shanghai.

In addition to the Chinaplas Preview that we published in the last issue, we now add some more small reports about selected companies from the Bioplastics Zone.

(Photo: Ida Lau, Shenzhen Esun)

Hanfeng: Suzhou Hanfeng New Material Co. Ltd. from Kunshan devote themselves to research, manufacturing and supplying of various biodegradable resins, mainly based on starch.

According to the ASTMD 6866 standard, their products show a biobased content of more than 60%. The materials derived from natural resources are 100% compostable (EN 13432 certified).

By using corn as their main raw material, they guarantee the raw material is 100% organic with no contaminants.

The materials can be used for food applications. With a temperature range of -20°C to 120°C they are even microwavable. www.biohanfeng.com

Techno Polymer: Techno Polymer (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., the Chinese branch of Techno Polymer of Japan, showcased their BIOLLOY® plant-derived materials. This PLA/ABS blend is available in different grades and can be used for a variety of injection moulding applications such as cosmetic cases or even musical instruments. www.techpo.co.jp

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SK Chemicals: SK Chemicals, headquartered in Gyeonggi, South Korea (not located in the bioplastics zone, but in Hall N2) displayed three PLA based innovations.

EcoPlaN for packaging films and sheets with flexibility offers a young’s modulus of 2650 N/mm² compared to 3920 N/mm² for conventional PLA. The film is less noisy (79dB versus 82 dB for conventional PLA). The second product line is EcoPlaN for fibre and textile applications with a softer touch and better performance. For durable applications SK Chemicals offer an EcoPlaN line suitable to replace ABS, PP. PC/ABS and others. These resins offer enhanced heat deflection temperatures, impact properties and a reduced crystallization half life. www.skchemicals.com

Show-Review 150 140

HDT B (0.45MPa) [°C]

130

PC E-Commute®

120

Planext®

110 100 Biofront®

90 80 70

PLA

60 50

0

20

40

60

80

100

Biomass content [%]

Teijin: Another company outside the bioplastics zone was Teijin Chemicals Ltd (exhibiting in hall N1), presenting a number of new products. Biofront® is a stereo-complex PLA blend with a biobased content of 50% up to 93%, and a heat deflection temperature (HDT-B @ 0.45 MPa) of up to 95°C, offering high gloss, high surface hardness, good chemical resistance (e.g. against sweat or cosmetics) and good electrical resistance.

Toray: Toray Industries Inc. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, introduced PLA powder. They have been developing new polymer particles by applying polymer chemistry, organic chemistry and nanotechnology which are core technologies at Toray. The result is a new technology for manufacturing micro-particulate PLA. www.toray.co.jp/english/plastics

Plantext™ is offered as ‘plant based polycarbonate’, a new amorphous polymer with a biomass content of 2580%. The main component is isosorbide, a compound synthesized from starch obtained from corn or other plants. Its melting point is higher than that of polylactic acid. It also is highly resistant to hydrolysis and impact. As an amorphous plastic with randomly aligned molecular chains, it boasts a light-transmittance factor of 91%, making it suitable for lenses, disks and films. Offering melt viscosities similar to that of petroleum-based PC resins, it is suitable for injection, extrusion and blow molding.

The material with the highest heat resistance is E-Commute, a PC/PLA alloy with 10-25% renewable content. Without glass reinforcement, HDT-B (at 0.45 MPa !) values of 105°C are achievable, and with glass even as high as 135°C. The graph shows all 3 materials compared to pure PLA and pure PC. www.teijin.co.jp

Fuwin: Shandong Fuwin New Material Co., Ltd from Shandong presented themselves as a supplier of PBS, a fully biodegradable synthetic aliphatic polyester. PBS can be used for a range of applications such as film, lamination, extrusion, monofilament, fibre, injection moulding, foamed sheet and blow moulding. Besides PBS, Fuwin offer BDO (butanediol), GBL (butyrolactone) and THF (tetrahydrofuran). Fuwin also strives to develop and market biobased products. www.china-newmaterials.com.hk

Dan Sawyer (NatureWorks)

The 4th International Seminar on Bioplastics Applications: Parallel to Chinaplas the organisers (Adsale Exhibition Services), in cooperation with the Shenzhen Plastics & Rubber Association, the Shanghai Society of Plastics Industry and the Innovative Union Research Institute on Low-Carbon Bio-Materials, invited visitors to the ‘The 4th International Seminar on Bioplastics Applications’. Over a 2-day programme speakers from the Chinese Government, as well as from international brands, shared their knowledge and expertise with the delegates. The list of speakers included names such as Isao Inomata (Japan BioPlastics Association), Dan Sawyer (NatureWorks) or Zhang Xiang Nan (Shenzhen Esun). Further presentations were offered from BASF, AIB-Vinçotte, LK Group, Kingfa, RheinChemie, Arkema, Fuji-Xerox, Wuhan Huali, DuPont and Purac.

The seminar was well received, with over 160 delegates each day and very good feedback from these delegates.

Adsale is definitely planning the 5th event of this kind for next year (in Guangzhou).

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Show-Review

NPE 2012

C

ompared to the last NPE in 2009, which was adversely affected by the global recession, this years ‘International Plastics Showcase’ showed significant improvement in all possible aspects. After four decades in Chicago, this North American trade fair welcomed the plastics industry to Orlando, Florida. On a total exhibition space of 87,326 m2 some 1,933 exhibitors presented their products or services. About 55,300 plastics professionals participated in NPE2012, more than 25% from outside the United States.

Even if just a small percentage of the total exhibits, bioplastics were certainly a highlight at this show, as almost 50 companies were listed in the show catalogue with ‘bioplastics-related‘ products and services. During NPE from April 1 to 5, the bioplastics MAGAZINE booth was a central starting point for many visitors interested in bioplastics. Our special showguide with floorplan helped them to find what they were looking for.

After a comprehensive preview of this big plastics show in issue 01/2012, we just add a few more small notes here (Photo: NPE / SPI)

Polyvel from Hammington, New Jersey presented functional concentrates for PLA resins, such as slip, nucleation, antiblock, melt strength and impact modifiers, plasticizers, clarifiers or additives for a matt appearance for blow and cast film as well as extruded foam. In addition to a total of 10 typical concentrate products, Polyvel also offer custom formulations upon request, mainly for NatureWorks Ingeo PLA. www.polyvel.com

Nexeo say that they are committed to bringing clarity to ‘Green‘. The distributor from Columbus, Ohio, offers a broad portfolio of green products from renewable to biodegradable/compostable through to recycled, BPAfree or phalate free. This includes renewable and/or biodegradable resins from NatureWorks, Cereplast and Eastman Tenite. The service portfolio is completed by design assistance and technical assistance in terms of part weight reduction, material selection, process optimization, energy efficiency and much more. www.nexeosolutions.com

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Show-Review NatureWorks, Minnetonka, Minnesota, for the first time at a major show exhibited compounded Ingeo grades based on both lactic acid and succinic-acid ‘green‘ building blocks. This new family of developmental compounded PLA resins is designed for food service ware applications, expanding the property range in terms of flexibility, toughness, heat resistance and dropin processability on existing manufacturing equipment.

This new family is a result of the recently announced joint venture between NatureWorks and BioAmber.

Other exhibitors (not explicitly mentioned in the review) that showcased products made from or with Ingeo PLA include Cereplast, ExTech Plastics, Jamplast, PolyOne, RTP and A. Schulman. www.natureworksllc.com www.polyone.com www.cereplast.com www.rtpcompany.com www.jamplast.com www.aschulman.com

DaniMer Scientific, Bainbridge, Georgia, announced fresh water biodegradability certification from SSCCP for their ReNew 12291 film resins. Unlike DaniMer’s PLA based products, these resins are based on a proprietary polyester composition.

Because of its confirmed environmentally safe degradation properties and the fact that this film resin will degrade both aerobically and anaerobically, DaniMer expects successful use of the product in a variety of blown film applications from disposable shopping bags, compostable bags, odour barrier packaging products to agricultural mulch film, among others.

In addition to the Fresh Water Biodegradability certification, DaniMer has also recently obtained an Anaerobic Digestion (degradation in the absence of oxygen) certification from SSCCP. DaniMer received an OK Compost certification from Vinçotte, and is finalizing a backyard composting certification from Vinçotte (OK Compost HOME) as well as marine degradation, all meeting the widely accepted ASTM and EN standards.

Finally, food contact OK status has been confirmed by Keller & Heckman as meeting both FDA and European standards.

Together with Myriant (Quincy, Massachussetts) DaniMer Scientific also announced that the companies have formed a strategic alliance focused on delivering innovative, cost-effective bio-based materials to the marketplace. DaniMer will utilize Myriant’s bio-succinic acid for the production of high-performance, bio-based polymers used to make a broad range of sustainable, ecofriendly products. www.danimer.com www.myriant.com

Altuglas International from Bristol, Pennsylvania, a subsidiary of Arkema, presented their new Plexiglas® bio-based resins. These compounded alloys of Altuglas International‘s PMMA and NatureWorks‘ Ingeo PLA are perfectly miscible and offer exceptional performance characteristics. They are designed for lower carbon footprint solutions that combine impact properties comparable to polycarbonate and copolyesters with outstanding chemical resistance and processability. The alloys offer for example lower processing temperatures and greater melt flow properties. The Plexiglas Rnew alloys do so without compromising the optics, scratch resistance, colour acceptance and surface aesthetics for which the Plexiglas and Altuglas brands are known. The (certainly not biodegradable) compounds will be utilized in such durable applications as signage, lighting, consumer products, transportation, and large and small appliances, to name just a few. (See separate article on p. 32) www.altuglasint.com www.plexiglas.com/Rnew www.natureworksllc.com

Extrusa-Pack from Saõ Paulo, Brazil, is an expert in manufacturing flexible plastic packaging. At NPE they presented basically 2 different product lines: their thin gauge single use t-shirt bags are made from BASF‘s Ecoflex or Ecovio resins and are 100% biodegradable and compostable. Reusable bags made from renewable resources are based on Braskem‘s bio-polyethylene, derived from sugar cane. www.extrusa-pack.com.br

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Show-Review

Rhetech, Whitmore Lake, Michigan, offer a range of natural fibre reinforced polypropylene. The fibres used in these compounds range from pine and maple wood through rice hull, flax and agave to coconut fibres. With a filling percentage of 30% different mechanical and thermal properties can be achieved, depending on the fibres used. For more details see separate article on p. 38. www.rhetech.com

The Biopolymers & Biocomposites Reserch Team of Iowa State University presented their new Polymers Environmental Calculator. The software allows the easy comparison of cost and eco-profiles of different petroleum and biobased plastics. Developed in cooperation with USDA, Nypro and M-Base, it is a user-friendly, webbased application designed to calculate and compare processing costs, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. The Polymers Environmental Calculator was announced to be available from June 1, 2012. www.biocom.iastate.edu/pec

Among a number of companies from China exhibiting at NPE we‘d like to mention:

China New Materials Holding Limited from Shandong This company is primarily engaged in the production, operation and R&D of completely biodegradable plastic materials and fine chemicals. They claim to be the only one in China capable of integrating upstream and downstream business and continuously manufacturing biodegradable plastics. The major products include BDO, PBS and PBS copolymers. www.china-newmaterials.com.hk

Kureha Corporation: Kuredux® PGA is a high-strength biodegradable polyester resin that is being evaluated for various industrial applications, including its use in the oil and gas industry. Since Kuredux gradually releases glycolic acid during its hydrolysis, it can be used in well fluids to change the pH level of a solvent solution and control its performance over a given period of time. In addition, the rate of degradation of Kuredux is quite fast, enabling its use as a sacrificial material for controlled placement within the well. For food and beverage packaging applications, Kuredux offers an excellent gas barrier to carbon dioxide and oxygen. It is currently used in multi-layer PET bottles to extend the shelf-life of carbonated soft drinks, while remaining compatible with industrial PET recycling processes. It also enhances the gas and moisture barrier of bio-based polymers such as PLA, while meeting ASTM D6400 and ISO 14855 standards for compostability. The medical grade, Kuresurge® PGA, is being evaluated for resorbable sutures. www.kureha.com

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

ECOSPAN, a materials science research, development and production company focused in bio-based plastics for durable goods have a unique ‘whole solution’ approach to designing and delivering products and services to customers. They highlighted their proprietary BioFlowTM resins that are the foundation for their products.

Ecospan works with the customer on application design, process development and delivers the end product to the customer. And they don’t stop there, they design and implement end-of-life strategies with customers for the most sustainable solution possible, including end-of-life product reclamation in a closed loop, regrind and reuse in other products. Ecospan delivers several solutions to Electronics industry customers including device parts, accessories and reverse logistics containers for highend personal devices. Examples were on display at NPE. Ecospan takes much of the burden of development off the plate of the customer while helping them significantly lower their carbon footprint. www.ecospan.com

Of course a number of ‘black sheep’ in the list of ‘bioplastics companies‘ can never be avoided in such a big show. This includes companies which, when being asked for details, didn‘t really have bioplastics products in their portfolio or companies offering oxo-additives for conventional plastics.

Book Review

Flax and Hemp fibres:

A

t the last JEC Composite Show & Conferences (27-29 March, Paris, France) the European Confederation of Linen and Hemp (CELC) and the JEC Group (the largest international organization of the composite materials industry) co-published a new technical and scientific publication on renewable natural fibre based composite solutions. ‘Flax and Hemp fibres: a natural solution for the composite industry’ is said to be a reference point in the composite sector. It is the result of several years of research by CELC’s European Scientific Committee (CSE), backed up by the organised production and distribution chain and increasingly productive R&D efforts, as stated by the publishers.

a natural solution for the composite industry co-publisehd March 2012 by JEC Group and CELC ISBN 978-2-9526276-1-0

The new book aims to help companies that have been produced mainly glass and carbon fiber composite materials, to identify new opportunities in the use of bio-based materials. It promotes the choice of flax and hemp fibres within the framework of an effective eco-design initiative and calls attention to the importance of an open-innovation approach to meet the needs of the industry over the medium and long term.

The 200 page English-language book studies the mechanical and specific properties of the flax and hemp used in polymer reinforcement and assesses their major environmental advantages. The objective: help advance knowledge on fibres and preforms (UDs, fabrics, non crimp fabrics, mats, prepregs, compounds, etc.) and win over new industrial segments.

The studies are put into perspective with analyses of converting and manufacturing processes. Therefore, the publication is dedicated not only to R&D engineers who use fibres, but also to the entire composite industrial chain, according to the JEC Group.

Ten contributors from different European institutes and universities pooled their knowledge to present a comprehensive introduction and overview. The book features lots of high quality color images (photographs and graphs) and is complemented by many references and web-addresses for further reading.

Michael Thielen

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

Polylactic Acid Uhde Inventa-Fischer has expanded its product portfolio to include the innovative stateof-the-art PLAneo ® process. The feedstock for our PLA process is lactic acid, which can be produced from local agricultural products containing starch or sugar.

The application range of PLA is similar to that of polymers based on fossil resources as its physical properties can be tailored to meet packaging, textile and other requirements.

Think. Invest. Earn.

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

Uhde Inventa-Fischer

Cover Story Advertorial

Sunglasses Cellulose derivatives for demanding injection moulding applications

W

inGram Industry CO., LTD is a polymer resin supplier that was founded in Hong Kong in 1998. Since the very beginning the company has produced traditional cellulose acetate materials among others for the production of frames for sunglasses.

In 2009 the company started with the production of cellulose derivatives such as modified CA, cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) and cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB). These products are marketed under the company name Great River (Qin Xin) Plastic Manufacturer CO.,LTD, with the aim of offering more eco-friendly products.

Using their own patented technologies, the characteristics of these products are different from traditional CA. Great River’s modified cellulose derivatives are phthalate free and ultimately biodegradable.

Eric Chen, technical manager of Great River emphasizes the point: “Traditional cellulose acetate is not biodegradable, so in order to avoid misunderstandings we call the new product line PSC. This name comes from ‘Polysaccharides’. Our PSC modified cellulose derivatives are biodegradable.” The cellulose derivatives of Great River are certified biodegradable according to ISO 14855 (not 13432, as the resins are used for example for injection moulded products such as sunglasses or mobile phone protective covers – not for packaging) and they are suitable for anaerobic digestion (AD).

The PSC materials are suitable for injection moulding, extrusion, and thermoforming, with mechanical properties similar to ABS. All resins can be processed on existing processing equipment without any modifications to the machine hardware. Of course the processing parameters have to be adapted accordingly.

In three locations the company employs 60 people. The headquarters are in Hong Kong, the Great River plastic manufacturing plant with a capacity of 7,200 tonnes per year in QinYuan City (GuangDong province) and a sales office in Shenzhen. In addition to the CA products, Great River offers a second type of material: ECO6550 is a modified PLA, especially suitable for the production of compostable T-shirt bags.

Frames for sunglasses Using the slogan: ‘Being green has never been so fashionable – 100% renewable – 100% biodegradable‘, a manufacturer of sunglasses from California (USA) is one of the first eyeglass frame customers for the new PSC materials.

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Injection Moulding

and more …

Another producer of optical products such as glasses and sunglasses is Artsgroup. This Hong Kong based company, established in 1973, manufactures branded sunglasses which are much liked in Europe and America. The group has over 30 years of experience in the manufacture and distribution of various kinds of high quality optical frames. Frames are sold to over 200 clients in over 30 countries.

Artsgroup is interested in Great River’s PSC material. Recently they announced that they are ready to design new styles especially for these kinds of bioplastics. The positive decision process is very much thanks to their famous brand customers in Europe and America, who are asking them to use more ‘green’ plastics in new designs.

The designs, based on resin that is free of phthalates and bisphenol A, are also very resistant against sweat – an ideal application for sunglass frames. The mechanical properties are similar to ABS and compared to other bioplastics the flexibility and heat resistance is much better – not unimportant when it comes to, for example, transportation. In addition, they offer a unique ‘self-healing’ effect for the surface. This means that small scratches will disappear over time by simply using the product (i.e. by sliding in and out of the shirt pocket). “For the optical frame industry, producing materials in different colours and effects is also very important. The effect of colouring PSC is very impressive, and the special glossy touch is excellent,” as Eric points out.

Besides frames for sunglasses Great River have customers in other market areas where alternatives to petroleum based plastics are already becoming more and more popular, especially for disposable and semi-durable products. Examples are cutlery, lids, straws, bags, shampoo bottles in hotels, and also computer and communication products or toys.

For the future Great River is investigating further improvements.

Eric Chen: “We are working hard to make the price of bioplastics more competitive with traditional plastics.”

(all photos: Philipp Thielen)

Being asked why biodegradability is so important for eyeglass frames, Eric explains: “Our clients told us that many of their customers change to a new pair of glasses each year and also, sometimes sunglasses get lost outdoors. And if the sunglasses are biodegradable, they could offer the opportunity to protect the environment and help the consumer feel better.”

Our cover girl Jenny is convinced: “It is already five minutes to twelve and I appreciate all efforts to reduce the consumption of petroleum and to reduce the greenhouse effect”.

www.ecoplant.hk www.artsgroup.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

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Injection Moulding

I

n research projects shared with the West Saxony High School Zwickau and the Technical University Chemnitz (both Germany), mould maker ZAHORANSKY GmbH Formen- und Werkzeugbau in Rothenkirchen, Germany has realised two innovative manufacturing processes on the basis of renewable, biobased raw materials and developed them ready for series production.

The ‘cardboard toothbrush’ is one of the resource-saving alternatives for disposable solutions in the hotel, hospital and air travel areas. Here are the toothbrushes are often only a few days in use and the end up in the trash. The bio-compound toothbrush can be easily disposed of into the biowaste bin. After about a month the bio-toothbrush will have completely decomposed.

Innovative toothbrush and more

In addition, the raw materials required for the manufacturing process are biobased and renewable as well as fully recyclable.

The use of biopolymers is here also an economic and socially interesting factor. The price coupling of synthetic, oil based plastics to the continually climbing oil price and the increased interest of consumers in ecologically harmless products and processes are no longer factors that can be ignored.

To this end, waste paper fibres are pressed to free-flowing, bulk solids and thereafter processed with a matrix to injectable granulate.

The matrix thereby consists of a biopolymer (e.g. PLA, PHB, or others).

The injection moulding technology and the mould technology has been successfully implemented together with the West Saxony High School Zwickau. In cooperation with the TU Chemnitz, a coloured pencil casing of natural fibre reinforced bioplastics has been developed that can be produced in the injection moulding process.

Contrary to the traditional manufacturing of coloured pencils that comprises of thirteen processing steps, this solution is both cost and energy efficient. In addition, the use of natural fibres contributes to the protection of natural wood resources.

Within the frame of the project, the Zahoransky Group developed a method of procedure for the manufacturing of the plastic parts as well as a special injection mould adapted to requirements. The result of the joint research project is a biobased pencil casing, the mechanical characterics of which are strongly reminiscent of cedar and pine wood.

The knowledge that has been gained is an important step in the direction of a coloured pencil manufactured completely in 2-component moulding. The process offers, in addition, the possibility of the ergonomic creation of the surface without additional work processes and is therefore sustainable and efficient in a number of respects. The current ‘going green’ and sustainability issues are an especially important focus of the research made by all groups.

In most of the Zahoransky Group’s products, innumerable resourcesparing solutions are now being implemented. From energy saving measures, the use of biobased raw materials through to increases in productivity, the issues of the future are already being innovatively addressed. MT www.zahoransky.de

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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

T

he reinforcement of conventional oil-based thermoplastics with short fibres (up to 2 mm length) is a classical method to improve the mechanical properties of the matrix material maintaining its extrusion and injection moulding capabilities. Well known examples are glass fibre reinforced polypropylene (PP) and polyamide (PA) for which a multitude of standard formulations is available on the market. Injection moulded items from these materials are much stronger and stiffer than the unreinforced counterparts, often more than hundred or even several hundred per cent.

Moreover, high impact strengths complement the well-balanced property profile of this kind of standard composite materials. An embrittlement caused by the glass component is over compensated by the ductile behaviour of the PP or PA matrix.

Fig. 2: Wound bobbins of cellulose rayon tire cord yarn Cordenka® RT700

PLA meets Rayon Tough PLA compounds reinforced with cellulose rayon for injection moulding

16 PLA PLA + 20% Glass fibre PLA + 20% Rayon fibre

14 12

Obviously, for reinforcing PLA as successful as PP or PA with glass, alternative fibre types are needed capable of improving toughness and ideally with biogenic and biodegradable character.

Biobased high performance cellulose vs. glass fibres for reinforcement An alternative is found in high strength, spun cellulose fibres known as cellulose rayon or simply rayon. Highly anisotropic and

Value

Value

8 6

12

Tensile strength, σmax [MPa*10]

10

Notched Charpy, a cN [kJ/m]

Youngs-modulus, [GPa] 2

2

Charpy,a c [kJ/m*10]

8 6 4

4

2

2

σ

max

E-Modulus

[MPa*10] [GPa]

εΒ

[%]

WΒ

[J/10]

acN

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

ac

2 [kJ/m ] [kJ/m2*10]

Fig. 1: Impact and tensile properties of composites – glass fibre vs. rayon fibre reinforcement

22

As seen in Fig. 1, the classical short glass fibre reinforcement does not lead to all the desired results with PLA. Although strength (σmax), stiffness (E-modulus), and notched Charpy impact strength (acN) are improved considerably, Charpy impact strength (ac), as well as tensile elongation (εB) and absorbed energy at break (WB) fall below the PLA starting level.

Compounding : Kneader Matrix : Ingeo PLA 7000D Fibre : Rayon, RT700, 4mm : Glass, Lanxess CS 7952, 4.5mm

10

0

For PLA as a sort of biobased commodity polymer, however, such fibre reinforced standard types are not available on the market yet but represent a fruitful topic of applied research. Apart from improving strength and stiffness, special emphasis is put on reducing the brittleness of PLA by appropriate reinforcing fibres. Improved impact strength may, in combination with high strength and stiffness, open up new fields of application for PLA in the technical field in addition to the packaging sector.

0

Compounding : Kneader Matrix : Ingeo PLA 6252D Fibre : Rayon Cordenka RT700, 4mm

0

10 20 30 Fibre content, wt.-%

Fig. 3: Impact and tensile properties of rayon fibre reinforced composites as a function of fibre content

40

Injection Moulding

ductile (see Tab. 1 for elongation at break), these fibres prove to be capable of simultaneously improving strength, stiffness, and impact strength.

The reinforcing cellulose fibre used in these studies and compared with conventional E-glass, is the rayon tyre cord yarn Cordenka® RT 700 which is produced by Cordenka GmbH, Obernburg, Germany, on a several thousand tonnes scale. The yarn with 1.350 filaments of 1.8 dtex corresponding to a diameter of 12 µm resembling a glass fibre roving is shown in Fig. 2.

The mechanical properties of single filaments of rayon and other cellulose spun fibres have been characterized in some detail in this institute (see refs. [1, 2]). Some results are given in Tab. 1 in comparison to glass fibres. With 830 MPa the Cordenka fibre has the highest tensile strength among commercially available man-made cellulose fibres.

Compared to glass the properties are considerably lower, however property levels of the composites are in the same range and, moreover, rayon has a series of advantages over glass fibres.

Fiber

Strength (MPa)

Modulus (GPa)

Elongation (%)

Cordenka RT 700

830 ± 60a

20 ± 1

13 ± 2

E-glass

3300 ± 500

85 ± 5

4.6 ± 0.6

a

Standard deviation

Tab. 1: Mechanical properties of single filaments of rayon tire cord and E-glass

First, the density of rayon with 1.5 g/cm3 is lower than the glass density of 2.5 g/cm3 bearing potential for light weight construction. Then the wear of the processing equipment is much reduced owing to the ‘softer’ character of the fibre (anisotropy) and the thus low abrasiveness. Less fibre breakage is experienced during repeated compounding for the same reason giving advantages at recycling operations.

Finally incineration and therefore renewable energy recovery

is facilitated due to the organic nature of the fibre. On the down side, besides low stiffness, there is the reduced thermal processing window posing difficulties for higher melting thermoplastics, say, above 240°C. Finally, composite preparation might be affected by the hydrophilic nature of rayon.

This is obvious from Fig. 1 where with the same fibre weight fraction of 20 % rayon fibres excel in absorbed energy, as well as notched and un-notched Charpy impact strength.

Strength is as good as with glass and stiffness reduced.

Composites of PLA and rayon Prior to the work with PLA and other biobased matrix materials a wealth of experience was gathered with rayon reinforced petro-based thermoplastics such as polypropylene and polyethylene (see refs. [3, 4]). These materials are on the brink of commercialisation and are offered meanwhile by Cordenka.

For PLA as the matrix material positive results for both tensile and impact tests were obtained as well, as shown in Fig. 3 for Ingeo PLA 6252D and 4 mm short cut rayon in the range between 10 und 40 wt.-%.

While a linear increase is noticed for the Young’s modulus (700 MPa per 10 % increase in fibre fraction), tensile and notched Charpy impact strengths reach a plateau of 100 MPa and 9 kJ/m2, respectively, between 20 % and 30 % fibre fraction. For un-notched Charpy impact strength a maximum of 60 kJ/m2 is found at 20 % fibres. The non-linear behaviour of the latter properties is caused by the insufficient fibre-matrix adhesion producing flaws in the structure and premature failure. Even without a compatibilisation (coupling agents) homogeneous composites are obtained with completely separated and well dispersed fibres, as demonstrated in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4: Structure of PLA reinforced with 20 wt.-% rayon visualized by scattering electron microscopy (SEM) at low and high magnification

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Injection Moulding By Jens Erdmann Johannes Ganster Hans-Peter Fink

Melt mixing T > 130ﾂｰC, t = 5 min

Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP

1 wt.-% HMDI

Potsdam, Germany

- COOH (Carboxyl) - OH (Hydroxyl)

- NCO (Cyanate)

- CONH (Amide-linkage) + CO2 - COONH (Urethane-linkage)

Polyester backbone Physical bonds (entanglements)

Fig. 5: Possible coupling mechanism at the interphase between PLA matrix molecules, cellulose fibre and hexamethylene diisocyanate during reactive compounding

Further improvements through tailoring the fibre matrix interface - Strong interface trough coupling Obviously composite properties will be influenced by the strength of the fibre-matrix interphase: strong, preferably covalent bonds between fibre and matrix will lead to a good stress transfer to the fibres also at high deformations and even close to sample failure and thus improve the composite strength. The method employed for PLA used here is based on diisocyanate coupling agents, namely hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) 1 wt.-% of which was added during compounding.

In this way an additional, separate fibre treatment it not necessary which is an economic advantage. The proposed coupling mechanism at the interphase is shown in Fig. 5.

Ideally, the plentiful hydroxyl groups at the fibre surface react with the isocyanate moieties such that the fibre surface is functionalized with the isocyanate groups which in turn can react with either hydroxyl or carboxyl groups at the PLA chain ends to give urethane or amide linkages. In that way covalent bonds are established between cellulose fibres and the matrix material and the stress transfer to the matrix is realized through physical bonds also known as entanglements.

The improved fibre-matrix adhesion can be verified by the SEM pictures of Fig. 6. For the HMDI system (bottom picture) neither fibre pull-out nor debonding at the interface is visible.

Fig. 6: SEM cryofracture micrographs of unmodified (top) and with HMDI coupled (bottom) composites of rayon reinforced PLA

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The reduction of structural defects through HMDI coupling leads to improved mechanical properties as shown in Fig. 7 for tensile, flexural strength (ﾏデ,max), and impact values, except for modulus (same) and notched Charpy impact strength (reduced). The latter reduction is caused by the coupling-induced impediment of fibre pull-out and debonding as energy absorbing mechanisms at notched impact failure.

However, tensile and flexural strength, elongation and absorbed energy at break, and un-notched Charpy impact strength even surpass the values for composites with 30 % and 40 % fibres and unmodified interface (Fig. 3).

Injection Moulding

20

PLA + 20% Rayon Unmodified Coupled with HMDI

12 8

Compounding : Extrusion Matrix : Ingeo PLA 4042D Fibre : Rayon, Cordenka RT700

PLA + 20% Rayon Unmodified Anti-coupled with MAPP

20 10 8 6 4

4 0

24

Value

Value

16

28

Compounding : Kneader Matrix : Ingeo PLA 6252D Fibre : Rayon, Cordenka RT700, 4mm in length

2

σ

max

σ

f,max

[MPa*10] [MPa*10]

E-Modulus WΒ [GPa]

[J/10]

εΒ

[%]

a cN

ac

[kJ/m2] [kJ/m2*10]

Fig. 7: Impact, bending and tensile properties of rayon fibre reinforced PLA: unmodified vs. strong interface

Weak interface trough anti-coupling In contrast to covalent coupling, anti-coupling can be generated by making the fibre surface hydrophobic during the compounding process. This is accomplished by adding small amounts (3 wt.-%) of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) to the PLA pellets. In this way, the energy absorbing debonding and fibre pull-out process is activated and exceptionally tough PLA composites can be obtained (see refs. [6 - 8]), as shown in Fig. 8. Consequently, the absorbed penetration energy (EP) and damping (ratio of loss to storage work) determined by falling dart impact tests is clearly increased. With a fiber content of 20 % Charpy impact strength values of 95 kJ/m2 and 26 kJ/m2 were determined on un-notched and notched specimens, respectively. This represents a five to ten fold increase over the values for unreinforced PLA, and is doubled/tripled compared to unmodified compounds. For a fibre content of 30 % (results not shown) notched Charpy values of 35 kJ/m2 were measured while un-notched test bars did not show a breaking event.

Conclusion It was shown that cellulose rayon reinforcement is a viable biobased option to improve the mechanical properties of PLA, in particular the unsatisfactory impact behaviour. In contrast to conventional impact modifiers which reduce stiffness and strength, fibre reinforcement with rayon gives improved toughness, strength, and impact strength at the same time. Apart from stiffness, rayon reinforcement proved to be superior over short glass fibre reinforcement with additional advantages in terms of lower density, reduced abrasiveness, facilitated renewable energy incineration, and biobased character of the whole composite.

0

σ

max

[MPa*10]

E-Modulus [GPa]

a cN

[kJ/m2]

ac

[kJ/m2*10]

EP

[J]

damping [/10]

Fig. 8: Impact and tensile properties of rayon fibre reinforced PLA: unmodified vs. weak interface

References 1. Ganster, J. and Fink, H.-P., Novel cellulose fibre reinforced thermoplastic materials. Cellulose, 2006.

13(3): p. 271-280.

2. Ganster, J., et al., Cellulose man-made fibre reinforced polypropylene - correlations between fibre and composite properties. Cellulose, 2008. 15(4): p. 561569.

3. Ganster, J., Fink, H.-P. and Pinnow M., High-tenacity man-made cellulose fibre reinforced thermoplastics - Injection moulding compounds with polypropylene and alternative matrices. Composites Part A-Applied Science and Manufacturing, 2006. 37(10): p. 1796-1804.

4. Weigel, P., et al., Polypropylene-cellulose compounds - High strength cellulose fibres strengthen injection moulded parts. Kunststoffe-Plast Europe, 2002. 92(5): p. 35-37.

5. Ganster, J. and Fink, H.-P., In: Kalia S., et al., Cellulose Fibers: Bio- and Nano Polymer Composites. SpringerVerlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2011. p 479-506.

6. Ganster, J., Erdmann, J. and Fink, H.-P., Tailored PLA Materials with Biobased Fibers. Kunststoffe international, 2011. 101: p. 46-49.

7. Erdmann, J., Ganster, J., Einfluss des Faserdurchmessers auf die Struktur und Mechanik Cellulosefaser-verstärkte PLA-Kompsosite. Lenzinger Berichte, 2011. 89: p. 91-102.

8. Erdmann, J., Ganster, J., Composite composition, method for the production thereof, molded part and use. 2010. WO2011101163

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Report

Talking rubbish about cement Incorporation of used bags.

Please note that bags were not ground, in order to mimic the real conditions

T

wo years ago, Ciments Calcia, Mondi Packaging, Groupe Barbier and Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients developed a concrete and relevant solution for the waste management of construction sites, thanks to BioSac by Calcia, the first biodegradable cement bag.

By Walter Lopez Biolice bioplastics solutions Limegrain Céréales Ingrédients Ennezat, France

With BioSac by Calcia, the ‘3 layers’ sacking technology made its green revolution by combining with the two Kraft paper layers, a ‘free film’ made from biolice, the only compostable bioplastic made from maize grain. By substituting polyethylene with this innovative bioplastic, the new cement bag keeps the same resistance and conservation qualities while promoting environmental ambition.

This exclusive composition of BioSac by Calcia guarantees the OK Compost certification (conformity to EN 13432) However, used cement bags have always contained a small amount of cement (between 100 and 400 g) and there was a need to check if the ‘end-of-life’ solution of used biodegradable cement bags could be of value for the composting industry.

It was decided to evaluate the impact of incorporating used cement bags in collaboration of EcoVert Boilon composting facilities located in the center of France. Boilon facilities produce 12,000 tonnes of compost per year, conform to French norms NFU-44051 and NFU-44095.

screening after 4 months

Industrial composting

Fermentation 3 months

Maturation 3 months

8 reversals 5 waterings

Start of trials End June 2011

Time scale

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Screening Early November

Analysis for NFU44051 December 2011

Report reversal

bags For evaluation, two windrows were constituted: The control windrow was composed of 50 tonnes of organic waste and the trial windrow was made with 48 tonnes of organic waste in which 2.5 tonnes of used cement bags were added. The trials began with a 3 months fermentation phase, with 8 reversals for homogenization and 5 waterings, for launching waste fermentation and enable a temperature rise.

After this first period, a maturation phase started followed by a screening step: mechanical separation between final compost and elements with a diameter higher than 40 mm (refusal of screening).

At the end of the experiments, the trial windrow containing ~5% of used cement bags presented similar evolution than control windrow : From the initial 2.5 tonnes of used cement bags added, only 100 kg of paper from bags were found in the refusal of screening No trace of cement nor biolice films were found

Mass balance was identical for the 2 windrows: the compost quantity was equal By comparing the compost from the two windrows, the incorporation of used Biosac by Calcia bags containing cement into composting has no impact on compost quality: Physical characteristics : no difference Pathogenic microganisms (if any) were totally destroyed during the fermentation phase Organic and metallic traces : The compost obtained from trial windrow fulfills the NFU 44015 norm, allowing the use of the compost for soil fertilization Thus BioSac by Calcia cement bags can be collected and used as raw material in every composting facility.

It is important to underline that 50 millions cement bags are used each year only in France. It shows that bioplastics such as biolice can help to manage waste in this mass market and that leaders such Calcia, Mondi or Barbier group are ready to support the end of life solutions coming from bioplastics. www.biolice.com

CAN YOU GUARANTEE THE COMPOSTABILITY OF YOUR PRODUCTS ?

Vinçotte, leader in bioplastics certification

www.okcompost.be www.seedlingbyvincotte.be

Vinçotte certifies conform to EN 13432

YOUR REPUTATION IS MINE. bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

27

Merquinsa Pearlthane ECO used in running shoes (Photo: Brooks Sports Inc.) FIFA soccer ball (Photo: Arkema)

Biobased plastic sporting goods the perfect stepping stone for the wide exposure of biobased plastics

by Iris van Wijk Researcher CleanTech Research Program Amsterdam University of Applied Science (HvA) Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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T

he biobased plastic market is emerging rapidly. New partnerships, pilot plants and production facilities are announced or launched almost every day. Through the high rate of technological development it is still an extremely immature market and biobased plastics need to create wider exposure in higher value goods. Due to good market prerequisites of the sport market, such as high growth rates, high willingness to pay and high material cost-insensitivity, the application of biobased plastics in sporting equipment and apparel is increasing. In addition, a healthy environment is vital to enjoy outdoor sports and brands are offering a lifestyle rather than just a bike or snowboard. Therefore biobased plastic sporting goods are the perfect stepping stone for the wider exposure of biobased plastics to the general public.

Sport is big business High growth rates are not uncommon in the sport industry. According to Euromonitor International, the sporting goods market grew by 18% between 2004 and 2009, to an astonishing â‚Ź104.5 billion. The recession also affected the sports market, but the upcoming London Olympics, the enhanced purchasing power of consumers in Asia, and the increased participation of the middle-aged and kids, is expected to have a buoying effect, acting as a boost to growth in the coming years. In addition, consumers have high willingness to pay premium prices for sporting equipment and apparel as many (semi-) amateur athletes now demand professional sporting gear. Furthermore, according to professor Ashby associated to the Engineering Design Centre and material scientists Johnson, sport equipment is material cost-insensitive. In other words, when material costs double this will increase the product cost only slightly. Therefore sport equipment producers are likely to be inclined to experiment with innovative materials as the smallest performance enhancement may increase the chance to win significantly.

Applications

Sport is naturally allied to a healthy environment Outdoor sports and the environment are naturally intertwined since we want to breath in fresh air and enjoy a healthy and inspiring scenery when we exercise. Also sporting products are trendy and feel good products. Brands in the sport industry are not only selling sport equipment and apparel but also a trendy lifestyle that appeals to a lot of people.

e g sho unnin ) r o n Mizu : Arkema o (Phot

Sport equipment is already using biobased materials Due to the excellent market prerequisites mentioned, applications of biobased plastics in sport goods is initiated, expanding and improving.

For example by Arkema, with their biobased thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) Pebax Rnew. It contains 20%-94% carbon from biobased materials depending on the specific application, and it was used in the Hurricane ski boot of Scarpa and the Renu ski boot of Atomic. Also, the Wave® Technology plates in four models of Mizuno’s running shoes and the FIFA soccer ball of Sony are containing Arkema’s Pebax Rnew.

Other sport applications used Merquinsa’s Pearlthane ECO, a biobased thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) which contains between 20%-90% cerenol bio-polyol from DuPont. It was used in the Evolve collection of snow goggles of Smith Optics. The high performance Green Silence running shoes and BioMoGo midsoles of Brook Sports. Dupont’s Hytrel RS, containing 20%50% bio-polyol was used in the Ghost skiboots by Salomon.

Snow goggles

(Photo: Smith

Optics)

More recently, the Niche Story Snowboard won the ISPO Award 2012 in the Eco Responsibility | Hardware category and combines Entropy’s Super Sap®, a sustainable epoxy together with hemp fibers, FSC wood and recycled material. The ISPO promotes innovations in the sports business and as such hosts multiple sports business events. DSM recently initiated the e-nnovation challenge. In this competition, something suitably innovative for athletes had to be designed with Arnitel® Eco, a biobased thermoplastic copolyester. The competition entries are ranging from a golf glove, a bike seat, a helmet for goal keepers to fishing lures, a sport mattress, walking and climbing gear and even a socket for a prosthetic running leg.

The sporty way ahead These examples show that biobased flexible plastics and natural fiber composites are increasing in importance. However, the majority of the biobased polymers used in the bio-TPU and bio-TPE are still dropins for synthetic polymers. Furthermore, the application markets were already very familiar with the use of the petro-based version of these materials. To illustrate, due to the material strength and the solubility in a variety of solvents, the main application market of TPE’s is the shoe manufacturing industry. Most of the bio-TPE was used in running shoes or ski-boot applications made by companies that originally started as shoe manufacturers. So basically, the familiarity of the particular market with the synthetic variant contributed to the adoption of the partly biobased TPE. Therefore other biobased plastics such as PLA, which is currently the most important thermoplastic biopolymer on the market, is as of yet unexplored as material in sport applications. Nevertheless, market conditions are excellent and today’s biobased plastic sporting goods perfectly demonstrate the possibilities and quality of biobased plastics in the most exclusive sporting products that fashionable and sporty consumers demand.

Fig. 4: Salomon

to: DuPont)

Ski boots (Pho

References

Euromonitor International: http://blog. euromonitor.com/2011/01/consumer-spendingsport-booming-across-age-spectrum.html

ICIS Chemical Business: http://www.icis.com/ Articles/2009/08/24/9240645/sports-gearindustry-increases-use-of-renewable-based.html

Ashby, M. F., & Johnson, K. (2009). Materials and design: The art and science of material selection in product design A Butterworth-Heinemann Title. van der Laan, R. (Ed.). (1994). Kunststof-en polymeerchemie. Houten / Zaventem: Bohn Stafleu Van Loghum.

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Application News The new Cardia Compostable Bubble Wrap is destined for the European market.

Compostable bubble wrap Cardia Bioplastics, headquartered in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia recently announced the launch of the Cardia Compostable Bubble Wrap. Cardia Compostable Bubble Wrap extends the product range made from Cardia’s certified compostable resins into protective packaging.

Working closely with a European manufacturer of protective packaging Cardia Bioplastics has developed Compostable Bubble Wrap made from its certified compostable resin and launches it into the European market.

Cardia Compostable Bubble Wrap provides comparable protective packaging performance to traditional bubble wrap with the added advantage of being made from certified compostable resin (TPS based), thereby offering industrial composting as an alternative end of life option.

According to Frank Glatz, Managing Director of Cardia Bioplastics, the renewable content of the compostable resins varies with products and applications. The resins are independently certified biodegradable and compostable to Europe EN13432, USA ASTM D6400, Australia AS4736, and Japan Green Pla standards.

Bubble wrap is widely used in storage and transport to protect fragile and sensitive items. Its usage has significantly increased over the years including within transport packaging for perishable items such as fruit, vegetable, plants and flowers.

Perishable items protected in transport by traditional bubble wrap will benefit from the use of Cardia Compostable Bubble Wrap. In the case of product spoilage, companies currently separate the perished goods from the traditional bubble wrap and dispose of the items in separate waste streams or discard the packaged product in general waste.

Using Cardia Compostable Bubble Wrap companies now have the option to dispose both the perished item and the Cardia Compostable Bubble Wrap packaging without separating them in a green waste stream using industrial composting. This solution offers environmental benefits and systems cost savings. MT www.cardiabioplastics.com

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Coffee capsules About two years ago, The Ethical Coffee Company SA (Fribourg, Switzerland) had introduced a capsule that can be used with the usual Nespresso machines. In the meantime the alternative capsule is being sold in different supermarket chains in Germany, The Netherlands, France and many other countries to come soon.

In contrast to the aluminum, conventionally used for such capsules, the founder of The Ethical Coffee Company Jean-Paul Gaillard decided on a capsule made from biodegradable plastic materials. It is true that aluminum capsules are collected for recycling but in many countries consumers are much less conscientious about collecting them, said the Swiss.

The motivation to produce these capsules from bioplastics is only the biodegradability, as Galliard explained to bioplastics MAGAZINE. ”In terms of costs, as well as the manufacturing process, including the coffee filling and other operations, normal plastic or aluminum is both cheaper and easier to handle,“ he said. “So our motivation is only environmentally driven. It was quite a challenge and we are somehow proud to have succeeded.

“The Ethical Coffee Company was complimented by a competitor, who stated that they had also tried to use a biodegradable plastic, but could not do it.

The material used for the biodegradable capsules is a proprietary blend of PLA mixed with starch, plus the addition of some other natural ingredients to bind the compound. The materials is certified compostable (EN 13432). “We think that our formula is quite ‘advanced’ and also quite different from other bioplastics,” JeanPaul Gaillard explained … “and this is the reason why we are very careful not to reveal our ingredients.” And Ethical Coffee Company is constantly improving their formula in order to increase the barrier properties against oxygen and to allow for more applications of the material. MT www.ethicalcoffeecompany.com

Application News

Cycling becomes even greener Cycling isn’t just healthy and fun it’s also one of the key ways for developing sustainable transportation models for our increasingly congested cities filled with noise and atmospheric pollution.

To make cycling even greener the Portuguese company Polisport has developed a bottle for cyclists which is made from APINAT, a biodegradable plastic made from renewable sources developed by API Spa, Mussolente, Italy.

‘Green’ driver airbag modules

In the case of the biodegradable bottle made by Polisport, APINAT performs like polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) for use with foodstuffs, but with one unparalleled advantage over traditional polyolefins: it decomposes under controlled composting conditions.

TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. from Livonia, Michigan, USA, has developed a range of driver airbag modules made of regenerative plastic material, which offers a number of environmental benefits. The Company is the first to develop the new, greener module where components, including the airbag cover and retainer plate, are now made from a new, bio-based material.

Apinat is certified as biodegradable (EN 13432, EN 14995, ASTM D6400).

Manuel Poyant, core engineering manager for driver airbags and steering wheel systems at TRW commented: “TRW is using a new bio-based material for its driver airbag modules which offers significant environmental advantages. Firstly, this material reduces the vehicle‘s ‘interior emissions’ – the gases that are released at low levels from new materials, particularly at high temperature. Reducing such emissions is now a key focus, with leading vehicle manufacturers specifying emissions limits for target compounds released from trim materials. In addition, a significant proportion of the carbon in the new plastic material comes from regenerative raw materials, which helps to save fossil resources.”

But its environmental credentials go even further as the formula of APINAT used to produce this biodegradable bottle comes from renewable.

Polisport has already produced thousands of biodegradable bottles using the extrusion blow moulding process on traditional machines for plastic production without needing to make any changes to their existing equipment. MT

www.apinatbio.com www.polisport.com

The airbag cover is a 30% biobased polyester (more details could not be confirmed before going to print). The inflator carrier is made of 2 different bio-polyamides. The PA4.10 is 70% biobased whereas the PA10.10 is made of 99% renewable resources.

TRW envisions that the new range of driver airbag modules will be ready for production by mid 2012 and anticipates that the technology could gradually replace all conventional oil based materials in driver airbags in the coming years. MT www.trw.com

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Materials

New transparent alloy Plexiglas Rnew alloys a new technology for the durables and semidurables market space

By Carmen L. Rodriguez and Robert Barsotti Arkema Inc. Altuglas International Division Bristol, Pennsylvania, USA

A

s current commercial biopolymers prove out their long-term performance, finding sustainable substitutes for conventional petroleum-based plastics continues to gain market accept-

ance.

A prime focus of biopolymer performance enhancement is for semi- and durable goods. Some of these advances stem from blends of conventional and renewable polymers. Recently Arkema Inc.’s Atluglas International group, presented a new family of Plexiglas® Rnew™ alloys for consumer, electronics, lighting, building and construction, point of purchase, sign and displays, medical, optical, automotive, and other markets. The renewable content actually improves the processability and end-use performance of the conventional polymer.

To enable its customer to identify products derived wholly or in part from renewable raw materials (over 20% carbon of non-fossil origin), Arkema has devised the ‘Arkema Rnew’ label. The evaluation of products’ renewable carbon content is carried out internally based on the ASTM D6866 standard.

By combining insights into resin formulation design and the miscibility of PLA, specifically Ingeo™ biopolymers from NatureWorks LLC, and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) polymer technology from Altuglas International, the development team uncovered enhanced performance in weatherability and heat resistance versus pure polylactic acid. The resultant Rnew alloys also feature lower processing temperatures, greater melt flow, and a reduced carbon footprint relative to PMMA itself. Meanwhile, the exceptional optical properties of PMMA are only marginally compromised.

The incorporation of biopolymers allows for excellent acrylic formulations with a ‘step change’ in impact strength (comparable to PETG and PC) without sacrificing modulus. Increased chemical resistance is also achieved, drastically outperforming traditional acrylics and other transparent resins. As a result, Rnew formulations can be designed to meet a wide variety of application requirements.

A look at a few of these applications is useful in framing the practicality Rnew resins will have in the targeted durables and semidurables market.

Signage

Plexiglas Rnew sheet offers some of the best of all worlds, display aesthetics, and ease of fabrication using renewable materials.

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In signs and displays, Rnew alloys retain PMMA-like qualities of transparency, formability, toughness, are easily decorated, and adhere to all commonly used plastics. Rnew sheet products cut quietly and smoothly without chatter or melting, and with less dust. The cut is clean and acceptable as a finish by itself, but, when polished, it affords a high quality finish. Rnew sheet is easily heated and formed, and application of vinyl graphics is equal to other commonly used signage substrates. Additionally, backlit signs display the beauty and color definition expected of PMMA.

Materials

While long-term weathering testing is not complete, results after >1 year of accelerated Xenon Arc weathering suggest Rnew resins will be viable options for outdoor signage as well.

Point of Purchase (POP) Rnew resins offer the versatility and flexibility needed for the most attractive POP designs and installations.

The versatility in Rnew is formulated into these resins in the form of a variety of color and effects, allowing designers an attractive surface for applications like shelving, tabletops, backdrops, and fabricated visual displays. The flexibility of the Rnew resins starts with tailor made formulations that combine excellent light transmission with chemical resistance as well as impact and mechanical properties.

Plexiglas Rnew sheets for POP are easily cut, thermoformed, and cemented for totally unique and sustainable applications.

The shear thinning properties, ease of handling, and versatility open up a whole new chapter for bio-based Plexiglas Rnew alloys in injection molding applications

Consumer Goods Whether for cosmetic packaging, lighting, house wares, small and large appliances, or other items designed for visual aesthetics and clarity, injection molded Rnew resins provide high performance and a sustainable alternative, including higher impact resistance for part protection, exceptional chemical resistance for part longevity, surface properties for better lifetime aesthetics, and exceptional toughness for property retention over time. The excellent melt flow provides for a wide processing latitude. The ease of handling and processability, advantages of these alloys, translates to potential cost savings with greater throughput.

Innovative colors and special effects, such as pearlescent, marbleized, granite, and even metallic, also can be achieved.

“Rnew cuts quietly and smoothly without chatter or melting, and [with] less dust. The cut was clean and acceptable as a finish by itself, but, when polished, it affords a nice finish.� Phil Dubroff, PMDI Signs (photo: ITR Sign/Monet)

Thermoformed Parts Plexiglas Rnew resin offers excellent and synergistically optimized performance and manufacturing properties that reduce fabrication time and temperatures for thermoformed parts in lighting, security, signage and additional applications. Plexiglas Rnew sheet thermoforms at low pressure, so molds can be made of low-cost materials, such as wood and plastics. These attributes allow the thermoformer the option to tool molds, at reasonable costs, for complex, low volume, custom-designed panels.

Excellent detail and draw, even at lower forming temperatures. Faster set/cooling time allows for shorter forming cycles.

Innovative colors and special effects provide the opportunity to realize aesthetically unique thermoformed parts. In addition, Altuglas International is able to utilize its experience and expertise in light management to provide choices for translucent finishes which service the lighting market, especially for energy efficient LED light fixtures. www.plexiglas.com/Rnew

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Materials

New additive for biopolymers The HallStar Company (Chicago , Illinois, USA) introduced HALLGREEN R-8010, a new and recently patented, bio-based polymeric succinate that improves the flexibility and pliability of biopolymers including polylactic acid (PLA), starch-based polymers, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), and polyhydoxybutyrate (PHB); while maintaining long-term compatibility.

“Brittleness can be a real problem with biopolymer products,” said Robert Hu, HallStar Vice President, R&D. “Hallgreen R-8010 enhances the flexibility and pliability of compounds and end products, and it provides tangible benefits at customers’ manufacturing facilities by increasing throughput and reducing energy consumption.”

Test results show that performance benefits can be seen at concentrations as low as 10%.

When used at 30% loading levels, Hallgreen R-8010 provides performance benefits that include a Tenfold increase in elongation percentage at break and a 5% reduction in tensile strength and in tensile at break.

In addition, Hallgreen R-8010 increases the melt flow index, which can increase throughput and reduce melt temperature and energy consumption in customers’ manufacturing facilities.

“The Hallgreen line has become the go-to modifiers for customers that need environmentally friendly esters,” said John Paro, HallStar Chairman, President, & CEO. “As industry continues to develop and improve sustainable products, we expect the reliance on our high-performance renewable ester plasticizers will continue to grow.” MT www.hallstar.com

New ‘basics‘ book on bioplastics This new book, created and published by Polymedia Publisher, maker of bioplastics MAGAZINE is now available in English and German language.

The book is intended to offer a rapid and uncomplicated introduction into the subject of bioplastics, and is aimed at all interested readers, in particular those who have not yet had the opportunity to dig deeply into the subject, such as students, those just joining this industry, and lay readers. It gives an introduction to plastics and bioplastics, explains which renewable resources can be used to produce bioplastics, what types of bioplastic exist, and which ones are already on the market. Further aspects, such as market development, the agricultural land required, and waste disposal, are also examined.

An extensive index allows the reader to find specific aspects quickly, and is complemented by a comprehensive literature list and a guide to sources of additional information on the Internet.

The author Michael Thielen is editor and publisher bioplastics MAGAZINE. He is a qualified machinery design engineer with a degree in plastics technology from the RWTH University in Aachen. He has written several books on the subject of blowmoulding technology and disseminated his knowledge of plastics in numerous presentations, seminars, guest lectures and teaching assignments.

110 pages full color, paperback ISBN 978-3-9814981-1-0: Bioplastics ISBN 978-3-9814981-0-3: Biokunststoffe

Order now for € 18.65 or US-$ 25.00 (+ VAT where applicable, plus shipping and handling € 5 or US-$ 7) order at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books, by phone +49 2161 6884463 or by e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com

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Book Review

Industrial Applications of Natural Fibres

N

atural (plant based) fibres, such as flax, hemp, jute, abaca or animal based fibres such as silk or wool are becoming more and more popular for use in industrial applications. These fibres can support technical innovation and at the same time provide sustainable solutions. Such bio-based materials are very versatile and are being used in applications in a wide range of industries, from textiles and consumer products to the automotive and construction industries.

The book ‘Industrial Applications of Natural Fibres: Structure, Properties and Technical Applications’ was published in 2010 and covers the value chain from the origin of natural fibres to finished engineering applications, including current research activities.

Starting from the agricultural production of plant and animal fibres, the book describes the various processing steps, from natural generation, fibre separation and fibre processing, to the manufacturing of the final product, such as polymer composites, nonwovens, felts and fabrics.

Structure, Properties and Technical Applications

The book explains the individual processing steps, taking into account the specific characteristics and qualities of natural fibres.

It also describes how to influence the chemical and structural properties of the fibres and the product properties.

Even though the book contains contributions from 42 authors, edited by Jörg Müssig, it is well structured into the five parts: Background (including history, basics and economic aspects) Vegetable Fibres Animal Fibres Testing and Quality Management Current and Potential Applications In each of the five parts, the reader finds separate chapters with comprehensive lists of references for further reading. An equally comprehensive index allows the reader to quickly find whatever he may be looking for.

‘Industrial Application of Natural Fibres’ is a useful resource for everyone interested in the development of natural based materials and products. In particular those working in chemical engineering, sustainable chemistry, agricultural sciences, biology and materials sciences will find it a valuable source of information.

Michael Thielen

Jörg Müssig (Editor.)

John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-470-69508-1

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Snowboard from

M

agine Snowboards have developed a sustainable snowboard from a combination of innovative biomaterials including highly aligned flax fibres and an epoxy resin made from soybean oil.

The novel construction includes a wooden laminate core, sandwiched between two layers of Biotex flax fabric from Composites Evolution (Bridge Way, Chesterfield, UK), and a top and bottom plastic layer, all bonded together using an eco-epoxy resin from EcoPoxy Systems.

Magine, who are based in Port au Port East, Newfoundland, Canada, were looking to develop a product in keeping with their core values - freedom of expression, good times and support of the snow sports community - whilst differentiating themselves in the marketplace.

Steve Wheeler of Magine explains that “Our community is very environmentally conscious where snowboarders are inherently connected with their environment through the sport. On a larger level, global warming and its detriment to the sport also drives us. Therefore, we looked to do our part through developing a more sustainable snowboard, while maintaining the same quality and ride characteristics we all love and enjoy.”

Development Magine began developing a biocomposite snowboard in 2011 through a working partnership with the Composite Innovation Center in Winnipeg (CIC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the University of Winnipeg (UoW). It was through this relationship that Magine was introduced to a number of suppliers of natural fibres and bioresins suitable for producing lightweight, sustainable composite products.

After extensive testing and research with the help of CIC, NSERC and UoW, Magine selected Biotex flax and EcoPoxy resin for their favourable processing and performance.

Flax Fibre Natural fibres such as flax have similar reinforcing properties to glass fibres but at significantly lower weight and, in addition, they provide excellent vibration damping performance, making them particularly advantageous in sporting applications.

Magine tested a number of flax reinforcements and chose Biotex due to its highly aligned, twistless construction which provides better mechanical performance and good wet-out. A range of aligned reinforcements are available from Composites Evolution including woven and non-crimp unidirectional and multiaxial fabrics, and for this product Magine settled on a 2x2 twill weave for its good handling, mechanical performance and aesthetics.

Magine uses a clear top sheet that allows the natural look of the flax fibre weaves and the wood core to create a raw, earthy, aesthetic product, designed to promote sustainability and their commitment to their customers‘ values.

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Natural Fibre Composites

flax and soy Eco-Epoxy Resin Magine currently use a grade of EcoPoxy that contains 60% soybased material and a standard hardener system, although their aim is to switch to a 100% bio-derived version as soon as possible to reduce environmental impact even further.

Overall it is reported that the eco-epoxy performs well, having comparable modulus and strength to conventional resins in both tension and bending. During the manufacturing process Magine has found that the eco resin is significantly less harmful to handle, with a considerable reduction in harmful odours resulting in less reliance on respirators during the layup process. Curing times and viscosity are also similar to non-ecological products.

Wheeler says “our customers appreciate that we incorporate sustainable materials into our snowboards and our workers appreciate a safer workplace. As we continue to develop new ecologically-based products and grow our partnerships with manufacturers of sustainable materials, we add our dollars to the greater green economy and help it develop higher quality products at lower cost, thereby making them more accessible.”

Testing Prototypes were tested in house, developing a flex profile and comparing to current models and, after six months of development, the snowboard was finally tested on snow, at a local ski hill in Western Newfoundland. “The initial test was so successful that our team rider – Josh Keough – didn’t want to give up the prototype“ Wheeler explained. “The bio-fibre snowboard responds, flexes and edges well. Its flex pattern and light-weight make it very comparable to freestyle snowboards for grinds and aerial manoeuvres. With the incorporation of the bio-fibre and resin, it stands above many snowboards on the market as a more sustainable product compared to fibreglass and basalt composite snowboards.“

Product Launch Having successfully completed the development and testing phases, Magine expect to offer a line of biocomposite snowboards during the 2012-2013 snowboard season.

Brendon Weager, Managing Director of Composites Evolution, comments “With this biocomposite snowboard, Magine has successfully harnessed the performance and aesthetics of flax fibre, and, by combining the flax with an eco-resin, they have created a truly sustainable composite product. We look forward to supporting them in the launch of this novel and exciting product.” www.maginesnowboards.com www.compositesevolution.com www.ecopoxysystems.com

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Natural Fibre Composites By Jim Preston Vice President Strategic Growth RheTech, Inc. Whitmore Lake Michigan, USA

www.rhetech.com

New biofibers for PP-NF-compounds

I

n 2009 RheTech Inc. (Whitmore Lake, Michigan, USA) started to develop its biocomposites product line RheVision®.

At that time the market was buzzing with the potential of bio fibers being incorporated into plastic compounds.

Knowing that bio fibers are extremely temperature sensitive, the company developed a machine and compounding design that allowed the processing of bio fibers without causing them to burn. With their own custom compounding line RheTech initially developed pine wood and maple wood compounds based around copolymer polypropylene. Wood was chosen because it was readily available locally and there was information available about the compounding of this type of product. RheTech equipment produced a dry (less than 1% moisture) compound that exhibited properties similar to that of mineral-filled polypropylene.

Following market demands, RheTech added ground rice hulls (husks) and flax fiber to the RheVision portfolio. Rice hulls provided a unique aesthetic appeal that gives polypropylene compound a ‘granite’ look while achieving properties similar to mineral filled polypropylene. Flax fiber gave an entirely new property set which allowed marketing into applications that were traditionally made from glass reinforced polypropylene.

RheVision products are in use for bird feeders, pet dishes, fence post caps, board game pieces, soap dishes and many other consumer applications. RheTech recently attained its first automotive approvals for wood and rice hull compounds for automotive interior and under-the-hood applications. This will allow progress into the automotive marketplace.

Once RheTech began to actively market these compounds, other bio fiber manufacturers suggested to use of their particular grade in RheTech compounds. However, not every bio fiber can be added to the RheVision line, but if a bio fiber offered a unique aesthetic quality or a physical property benefit, the material was developed for commercial sale.

After an extensive vetting process, RheTech added ground coconut shell and agave fiber to its product line in 2012.

Agave fiber gave another alternative to glass fiber compounds with unique fibrous aesthetic qualities and good impact / flexural properties. Ground coconut shell provided a compound that has good surface hardness to compete with talc filled polypropylene. These products are under consideration for a wide range of consumer applications and automotive parts.

All of the bio fibers used are true waste products that are not grown for polypropylene compounds and are available in commercial quantities; thus, commercial supply is not a concern. RheTech has also developed grades that incorporate certifiable post-consumer waste in compounds. This creates a product that is over 50% waste product. To date, RheTech offers compounds that range in filler content from 10 – 51% depending on the type of filler.

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Natural Fibre Composites

Improved extruder technology for WPC

C

incinnati Milacron is gearing up for an expected growth in the European Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) market of around 20% during 2012. This expected growth will come from a mix of new business and the pushing out of existing imported products from the Far East and the USA. “We are seeing more customers coming to us looking for higher output machines after realising that their existing plant is just ‘not up to the job”, reports Steve Jones, European Business Manager and WPC processing specialist! “It is now becoming increasingly apparent that running a basic extruder with WPC is just not a viable option for successful and profitable production of WPC’s”.

Many WPC manufacturers entered the sector with a basic entry-level extruder and little or no technology know-how.

“They really had to learn about WPC the hard way”, says Jones.

At the same time as production quantities and sales have increased, so has the requirement for more tailed expertise applied to the issues of wear resistant materials in extruder construction, and processing expertise from the extruder supplier.

Cincinnati Milacron has been the world leader in WPC production across a broad spectrum of polymer types and niche markets for co-extruded products for a number of years. As the production rates are increased on standard extruders of different brands, more and more of these extruders are failing. Cincinnati Milacron supply replacement extruder screws and barrels to all brands of extruders as well as their own.

“The company is seeing a significant rise in enquiries for replacement screws and barrels for competitive machines due to screw breakage and excessive barrel wear”, reports Jones. “It is frightening just how many other screws are breaking out there in the market. As the need for more output increases producers are finding their standard extruders and barrel coating technology are not surviving.”

Cincinnati Milacron has only ever supplied tungstencoated screws and barrels for WPC production. This was based on many years’ experience of supplying high output WPC lines throughout the USA WPC market. Now this strategy is proves its advantages as producers using Cincinnati Milacron WPC extruders are realising the true benefit of the superior quality of high resistant tungstencoated screws and barrels. Tungsten out performs other more basic screw and barrel coatings by nearly 50% in some cases.

“It’s not just wear rate we are fighting here but corrosion resistance as well”, Jones continues. “It is universally accepted that for the best quality extruded product your need to have low moisture content ingredients in your formulation.

If you try to process moisture within your formulation then as it enters the extruder barrel and heats up the moisture turns to steam and forms an insulated blanket at the barrel wall and restricts the heating process from the extruder barrel heaters.”

“High wood loadings have been popular and fashionable in Europe in the past, but as these products are starting to suffer and fail under outside conditions, the need for formulation expertise and wood fibre encapsulation is now much more evident. CM has been able to extrude high wood loaded products which are popular for internal applications.

But for external applications most of the large successful WPC producers choose a formulation that contains below 65% wood flour to enable a completely encapsulated product”, Jones explains.

This is the basic key to outside stability and longevity when linked with the correct processing aids and stabilisation additives. Cincinnati Milacron has long been associated with key suppliers and technology partners that can supply a viable total solution for stable and successful WPC extruded products suitable for external applications like decking, fencing and railing. www.milacron.com

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Natural Fibre Composites Fig. 1. Three different types of forest residues used on Forestcar project. From top to bottom: crushed remains of heather shrubs, remnants of pine and eucalyptus.

Forestry wastes as fillers automotive plastics

I

n recent decades, great efforts are being made towards the development of new materials with less environmental impact, coming as far as possible from renewable sources and with a high level of biodegradability.

The CTAG (Galician Automotive Technological Centre) is strongly committed to the environmental preservation and is currently investigating the creation of new plastic materials in which the inclusion of environmentally friendly source materials takes a more relevant role. The location of CTAG, in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, where the timber industry represents one of the most important sectors in the region, led to the choice of these materials. Thus, Forestcar project, in collaboration with CIS Madeira (Galician Timber Technological Innovation and Services Centre), focuses on the use of forest residues as reinforcement for manufacturing plastic parts for the automotive industry, minimizing its environmental impact and greatly reducing costs.

By A. Tielas, D. GarcĂ­a, M. de Dios Plastic Product / Process Area Engineering & Development Department Galician Automotive Technological Centre (CTAG), Spain and G. PiĂąeiro Galician Timber Technological Innovation and Services Centre (CIS-Madeira), Spain

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Five different types of residues were used, two of them from charred wood of eucalyptus and pine, and the other three from shrubs or bushes (gorse, heather and broom) (Figure 1), in order to achieve a minimum concentration of 40 wt% of natural reinforcement within a polymer matrix of commercial polypropylene.

Several factors must be taken into account when incorporating the natural reinforcement to the polymer matrix.

First, forest debris should fit to plastic processing conditions.

Compatibility between filler and polymer, the potential release of odor-generating volatile or the lower resistance to high temperatures and pressures of such natural substances can hinder the compounding and injection processes. Furthermore,

Fig. 2. Processed residues through mechanical refining (left) and thermo-mechanical defibering (right)

final material should improve, or at least preserve, the mechanical properties of the original matrix and its structural toughness under environmental conditions to meet the minimum requirements of automotive industry.

The selected residues (CIS Madeira) were chipped with a cutter unit and then granulometrically sorted to discard finest and thickest items, giving priority to those particles with the higher aspect ratio. Two types of fiber processing were performed for each residue, thermo-mechanical defibering and mechanical refining. In the case of thermo-mechanical defibering, materials are subjected to prior digestion before going to the pulping mill. On the other hand, mechanical refining does not involve any chemical stage and the process is performed exclusively by a mechanical procedure. This method produces larger particles than thermo-mechanical defibering (Figure 2).

After treating the forest residues, the processes of compounding and injection molding take place (CTAG).

An Engel Victory VC 2550/350 injection machine was used with the settings normally employed for the injection of commercial polypropylene (injection temperature 190째C, mold temperature 20째C and injection speed = 45 mm/s) (Figure 3).

Injected probes underwent a series of standard tests in order to check the mechanical properties of the composite material and its suitability to the specific requirements of the automotive industry (CTAG). Tensile, bending and density tests were performed as well as tests of resistance to climatic factors (humidity, temperature and solar radiation) and emission of volatiles, comparing

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

41

Natural Fibre Composites

Fig. 3. CTAG laboratory of plastic injection (right) and injected probes of reinforced polypropylene with different natural loads coming from forest residues (left).

the results with a commercial compound of polypropylene reinforced with 20% of glass fiber (Hostacom NO1L G2) that already meets these requirements.

Preliminary results of this study indicate that the use of natural fibers from forestry waste as reinforcement for the development of fully functional parts in the automotive sector could be viable.

Although not all materials are optimal for this type of development, some of them exhibit properties completely comparable to commercial products accepted in the industry.

Both the previous processing step of the natural load and its concentration are the main determinants of the final properties of the compounded material. In fact, each type of natural filler presents its optimal processing conditions and concentration. Therefore, further progress in the identification of new processing methods as well as in determining new materials to maximize compatibility between the natural load and the polymer, is needed.

Although manufacturing processes of this type of compounds still have to be refined, the benefits of including natural fillers on the formulation of plastics are very clear. In one hand, composite materials from forest residues retain the mechanical properties of the polymer matrix, reducing by about half the use of non-renewable sources. Besides, the cost of fabrication is reduced by 30%. On the other hand, it also opens a new opportunity for intersectoral collaboration that optimizes the exploitation of natural resources of the region and significantly reduces the environmental impact inherent in the manufacturing process of plastic materials.

Project co-financed by the Galician R & D supporting program (INCITE) with ERDF funds. www.ctag.com www.cismadeira.com

Fig. 4. Some of the composite validation tests available on CTAG installations. From top to bottom: mechanical tensile test, bending test and complete vehicle climatic chamber.

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

Natural Fibre Composites

T

he results of a project promoted by the DBU, (Deutschen Bundesstiftung Umwelt; the German Federal Foundation for the Environment), entitled ‘Development of industrial scale natural fibre pellet production using natural fibres to reinforce bioplastics in injection moulding and extrusion techniques’ has generated significant interest within the industry. Compounders, injection moulders, extruders and users from the plastics and automobile industries have expressed great interest in the use of natural fibre pellets with hemp fibre reinforcement. Production and optimisation of so-called ‘soft pellets’ to resolve the problem of dosing natural fibres in plastic industry processing was achieved by project partner BaFa (Malsch, Germany). The extensive range of trials by industry partners FKuR (Willich, Germany), Linotech (Waldenburg, Germany) and H. Hiendl (Bogen, Germany), as well as by the Fraunhofer WKI (Braunschweig, Germany), which were evaluated by the Bremen technical university in Germany, showed that natural fibre pellets can not only be accurately dispensed but also blend well and evenly into the melt. Prof. Dr. Jörg Müssig (Univ. Bremen, Bionik) and his team tested the properties of hemp fibres before and after pelletisation, within the granulate

Hemp fibres and hemp fibre pellets (photo: nova-Institut GmbH)

Breakthrough in injection moulding of natural fibres and in the end product, as well as checking the mechanical values of test pieces and end products. It was only in this way that the project could ensure a progressive improvement in the natural fibre pellets Project leader Michael Carus of the nova-Institute (Hürth, Germany) expressed his satisfaction: “At last the bottle-neck presented by natural fibre infeed has been overcome. Now even companies with relatively little experience can dose natural fibres in pellet form. The pellets are already hard enough to resist the stresses of transport and storage, and soft enough to blend well into the melt.”

In-feed in the form of fibre pellets solves dispensing problems

The producer, BaFa, offers pure natural fibre pellets as well as pellets that during pelletisation have been blended with 40% of a plastic such as PP or PLA, as well as having additives included as required. A surprising result of the project is that pellets made from 60% natural fibre and 40% PP were able to be fed directly into the extruder without compounding, which saves a significant level of cost.

The nova-Institute tested the pellets with regard to the process energy used and with regard to their anticipated market price. Here it was seen that the market prices depend up to about 75% on the material cost (hemp fibres and, where relevant, plastics). Depending on the composition, prices for natural fibre pellets lie between 0.80 and 1.20 Euros per kg, which for most companies would be an attractive price as a solution to their infeed problems. Bernd Frank, managing director of BaFa GmbH, has been enjoying a lively level of interest since these results were made public. The pelletisation plant is already running at a high rate to produce natural fibre pellets to customer’ requirements, with and without plastics or additives. MT

www.bafa-gmbh.de www.fkur.com www.linotech.de www.hiendl.de www.wki.fraunhofer.de www.bionik.hs-bremen.de www.nova-institut.eu

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43

Opinion

Marketing Your Biobased By Jacquelyn A. Ottman and Mark Eisen J. Ottman Consulting New York, NY, USA

C

ommunicating the benefits of biobased content is often tricky. Biobased represents all of green marketing’s traditional challenges – including greenwash — but has additional, unique challenges all its own.

Opportunities For Biobased Marketing In addition to increased sales from the green consumer, there are many reasons for a product to use biobased content instead of traditional petroleum-based ingredients. Biobased agricultural and other renewable material mitigate petroleum’s wild price fluctuations, supply disruptions and geopolitics. Moving to biobased not only has positive climate change implications, but it also represents a hedge against potential future carbon taxes.

Finally, a shift to biobased content can enhance reputation with stakeholders, including risk adverse investors and others in the B2B and B2C sectors.

Selling opportunities are increasing in the federal, commercial, and consumer markets. In the U.S., for instance, the federal sector will benefit from an executive order in March 2012 to increase biobased purchases (see p. 6 in this issue).

In the consumer sector, biobased content is becoming a brand halo. Interest in and awareness of Coke’s new partly sugarcanebased PET ‘PlantBottle’ is increasing as content (now ‘up to’ 30% bioplastic), production and distribution ramp up, reinforcing the brand positioning of Coke’s health-oriented Dasani bottled water and Odwalla juice brands.

Jacquelyn Ottman and Mark Eisen are colleagues at New York City-based J. Ottman Consulting, Inc., expert advisors to industry and government for strategic green marketing. They advised the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the launch of the USDA Certified Biobased label during 2011 and are now working with labelers on capturing the value of their participation in the program.

The green consumer market will likely drive most volume. The Natural Marketing Institute (Harleysville, Pennsylvania, USA) reports that in 2010, 83% of U.S. adults identify with ‘green’ values. The huge green market suggests how marketers can best segment and target their approach. For instance, the ‘LOHAS’ (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) segment represents the deep green consumers who take a holistic approach to all things sustainable and green; ‘Naturalites’ look for organic food, natural personal care, cleaning and pet foods; ‘Conventionals’ conserve natural resources; and status conscious ‘Drifters’ who like to be seen carrying cloth shopping bags and driving a Toyota Prius.

J. Ottman is the author of “The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding” (Greenleaf Publishing U.K., 2011). M. Eisen is the former environmental marketing director at The Home Depot.

Together, these consumers fuel a $290 billion U.S. market for natural products, renewable energy and more benign household products. Well-known brands include Tom’s of Maine (ColgatePalmolive), Seventh Generation, Body Shop (L’Oreal), Prius, and Stonyfield Farm (Danone). Many of these use biobased packaging. PlantBottle, for example, is being licensed from Coke by H.J. Heinz for its iconic ketchup brand.

Info:

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

Opinion

Commitment to Consumers Initial market research suggests consumer willingness to purchase biobased products and packages. Research commissioned by Genencor in 2011 suggests 40% of Americans are ‘aware of’ the term biobased and 77% will ‘definitely’ or ‘likely’ buy comparable biobased products.

Marketing Challenges Biobased is a viable alternative to petroleum content for many applications; it helps grow the farm economy; promotes energy independence, and helps manage carbon impacts. Biobased content can also support and enhance many types of ‘green’ claims. This suggests opportunities to appeal to various green market segments discussed above.

However, biobased marketing is not without challenges; among them: Noise. The USDA Certified Biobased label was introduced in early 2011, making it the ‘official’ biobased certification, and others exist e.g. in Europe and Japan. Before these were in place (and still …), marketers created their own sometimes official-looking and independent labels, with the potential to confuse consumers via their inconsistency.

Unfamiliarity. Consumers don’t know the meaning of ‘biobased’. The term is not in the dictionary and is limited to scientific, engineering and B2B usages. USDA defines biobased as made from agricultural materials, forestry and marine based sources; so, even a well-informed consumer needs to know biobased products come from more than soy and corn.

Greenwash. Because biobased is unfamiliar but sounds ‘green’, consumers can infer non-existent environmental benefits. Benefits that are too easily and often incorrectly implied or overstated increase reputation risk.

Green marketing lessons of the past still apply. In the early 1990’s, Hefty ‘degradable’ trash bags, although not called biobased (and not being biodegradable at all) then, made an early entry into the U.S. market. Made from a 6% solution of cornstarch with the balance traditional polyethylene, the product was pulled from the market after seven states attorneys general sued saying that the bags would disintegrate (i.e. break down into small fragments under the influence of heat and/or oxygen) but not degrade in landfills for which they were intended and advertised. (Landfilling is a difficult and complex topic anyway, and shall not be discussed further here.)

Science. The ASTM D6866 scientific test standard helps define ‘biobased’ and accurately measure content. Even with this credibility, results present communication issues. Because the test measures biobased content as a percentage of total carbon content, minerals and water are excluded. This can make comparisons difficult between products that contain minerals and water versus those with only biobased ingredients.

Red flags. Despite potential benefits, biobased content raises some red flags among some segments of consumers. Some biobased products could compromise performance. Recently the first Sun Chips ‘compostable’ bag made from corn-based PLA bioplastic had to be withdrawn because it was noisy; PLA manufacturer Natureworks quickly reformulated.

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45

Opinion Also, some consumers take issue with biobased materials made from genetically altered crops, or are concerned about the effect agriculturally based content may have on food prices. Some may question the sustainability of the harvesting practices. Finally, some consumers seem to be concerned that biobased ingredients are imported rather than domestic. This may be an issue because of the carbon impacts associated with transporting the materials from distant shores or effects on domestic farmers.

Confusion and misinformation. Many marketers and even scientists still mix up the terms ‘bio-based’ and ‘bio-degradable’. Both these properties are absolutely independent. Biobased refers to the origin of a material and biodegradable refers to the end-of-life. Biobased does not mean a material is biodegradable and vice-versa.

Success Strategies To market biobased products and packaging with impact, relevance and credibility consider the following strategies:

Promote uniformity to let consumers compare biobased content by adhering to ASTM D6866. Disclose the source of the biobased content and specify content that applies to product and package. Understand implications of grammatical constructions of ‘made with’, ‘made from’ and ‘made of’.

Follow FTC Green Guides (in the U.S.) and other applicable country guidelines when making environmental marketing claims of or related to biobased content. In the U.S., revised FTC Green Guides that specifically address ‘biodegradable’, ‘compostable’, ‘renewable’, and possibly ‘plant-based’ are imminent.

Despite obvious consumer associations of biobased as ‘ecofriendly’, avoid what FTC describes as ‘generalized environmental benefit claims’. Avoid images of ‘planets, babies and daisies’, which could imply the product is greener or contain more biobased content than in fact.

Support claims with the USDA Certified Biobased label and other applicable biobased certifications to underscore credibility. Educate consumers on the meaning of ‘biobased’.

Consider additional complementary sustainability-related certifications as appropriate. For instance, many products qualify for Compostable, USDA Organic, U.S. EPA’s Design for Environment, and Green Seal certification labels. The same is true for different certification schemes in a number of other countries.

Carefully research and address consumer ‘red flag’ concerns. Reassure about performance and specify product applications. Address GMO issues proactively; one innovative example: Stonyfield Farm chose biomaterials for yogurt cups to help reduce carbon emissions, a particularly vexing issue for their brand. To address concerns about GMO corn used to make the PLA in the cups, they purchased offsets from the Land Use Group to farmers who grow corn using traditional seed.

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

Info: In her book ‘The New Rules of Green Marketing’, J. Ottman, considered to be the US’s foremost expert on green marketing, provides unparalleled insight into the changing needs of mainstream consumers, how companies large and small have responded with fresh green marketing strategies, what it takes to succeed, and what the future of marketing will look like.

Paperback 252 pages Greenleaf-Publishing, U.K. £16.95, ISBN 978-1-906093-44-0 Berret-Koehler, U.S. US-$ 21.95, ISBN: 978-1605098661

http://www.greenmarketing.com

P R E S E N T S

T H E se v enth A N N U A L G L O B A L A W A R D F O R DEVELOPERS, MANUFACTURERS AND USERS OF BIO-BASED PLASTICS.

Call for proposals

Please let us know: and does rvice or development is se t, uc od pr e th at Wh 1. n an award development should wi or ce rvi se t, uc od pr is 2. Why you think th ganisation does oposed) company or or pr e th (or ur yo at Wh 3. ay also (approx 1 page) and m s rd wo 0 50 ed ce ex t d/or Your entry should no marketing brochures an t be s, ple m sa , hs ap gr oto The 5 nominees mus be supported with ph (cannot be sent back). ion tat en m cu do l ica techn 30 second videoclip prepared to provide a ded from

try form can be downloa More details and an en ine.de/award www.bioplasticsmagaz

The Bioplastics Award will be presented during the 7th European Bioplastics Conference November 06/07, 2012, Berlin, Germany

supported by

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Enter your own product, service or development, or nominate your favourite example from another organisation

Castor oil, an important source for bioplastics

by Michael Thielen Fig 1: Castor seeds

A

number of biobased plastics, for example several partly or fully biobased polyamides are manufactured using sebacic acid as a monomer or as a chemical building block. Castor oil is the raw material of choice for the production of bio-based sebacic acid. Another monomer based on castor oil is 11-aminoundecanoic acid.

From castor oil to bioplastic Castor oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the castor bean (or better from the castor seed as the castor plant, Ricinus communis, is not a member of the bean family Fabaceae; it is a member of the Euphorbiaceae). Castor oil ranges from colorless to very pale yellow liquid with mild or no odor or taste.

Its boiling point is 313°C and its density is 0.961 kg/cm3 [1].

After the oil extraction, the Castor meal (also known as Castor cake) is separated and the oil is subsequently hydrolyzed to a mixture of glycerine and ricinoleic acid in the refining process.

Ricinoleic acid, a monounsaturated, 18-carbon fatty acid, is unusual compared to other fatty acids due to its hydroxyl functional group on the 12th carbon. This functional group renders ricinoleic acid unusually polar, and also increases its chemical reactivity, a property that is unique when compared with most of the others vegetable oils. It is the hydroxyl group which makes castor oil and ricinoleic acid susceptible of an easy chemical derivatization, thus a valuable chemical feedstocks [2].

In a next step (see Fig. 2) the ricinoleic acid is converted into either undecenoic acid (monomer for PA11) or sebacic acid (one of the monomers for PA6.10 and PA10.10).

This sebacic acid (or decanedioic acid (the IUPAC name), or 1,8-octanedicarboxylic acid or C10H18O4 or [HOOC(CH2)8COOH]) is a dicarboxylic acid that can for example be used as monomer for different types of

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

O OH

HO O where each corner

represents a methylene-group (CH2)

Sebacic acid

polyamides [3]. In the commercially available polyamides PA 4.10, and PA 6.10, the ‘10’-component is based on this dicarboxylic acid with 10 carbon atoms.

Since the other component (the diamine) in these resins usually is not made from renewable resources, these partly biobased polyamides have 63% (PA 6.10) or 70% (PA4.10) biobased content.

Polyamides 5.10 (not yet commercially available), PA 10.10 and PA 10.12 can be 100% biobased as here the diamine can be derived from renewable resources as well. In the case of PA 10.10 both monomers (1,10-decamethylene diamine and sebacic acid) are derived from castor oil [8].

A third example is PA 11. Here a single monomer is being used. First the ricinoleic acid from the castor oil is converted into undecanoic acid [H2C=CH-(CH2)-COOH] via a catalytic reaction (methanolysis). This is then further converted into 11-aminoundecanoic acid in a subsequent catalytically supported reaction with ammonia [9]. This 100% biobased polyamide has been discovered and marketed since as far back as 1947 [3].

Sebacic acid is also found as ingredient in the cosmetic industry, as thickeners for coatings and lubricants, as antifreeze for lubricants, as plastizers, stabilizers, anticorrosion chemicals or other polymers such as polyols and polyesters and many other uses.

Basics Waste or By-Product

Castor Seeds

Fig 2: Principle sketch: from castor oil to sebacic acid (according to Evonik)

Ricinus Cumminus

Main Constitute or Final Product

Mechanical Pressing

Hulls/Shells Castor Oil

Triacylglycerol

Meal/Cake

Glycerin HO

OH

Solvent Extraction/Refining

Ricinoleic Acid

OH

12-Hydroxyoctade c-9-enoic acid

O OH OH

Heptaldehyde O H

Pyrolysis

Alkali Fission

Undecenoic Acid

OH

Sebacic Acid

10-undecenoic acid

1,8-octanedicarboxylic acid

O

O OH

HO

2-Octanol

Fig 3: Castor plant

OH O

About the castor plant The castor oil plant, Ricinus communis, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae.

It belongs to a monotypic genus, Ricinus, and subtribe, Ricininae. The evolution of castor and its relation to other species are currently being studied [4].

Castor is indigenous to the southeastern Mediterranean Basin, Eastern Africa, and India, but is widespread throughout tropical regions (and widely grown elsewhere as an ornamental plant) [5].

Throughout the growth season, the castor oil responds well to temperatures between 20 – 26°C with a low humidity and grows best in loamy soils with medium texture. Nonetheless, castor plants are renowned as a low maintenance crop with the ability to be cultivated especially on marginal lands and can tolerate various weather conditions.

The following lists the most recent (2006 – 2010) 4-year average of the main castor bean producing regions: 1. India: 12.6 ton/ha yield and 71.6% total harvest capacity 2. China: 8.6 ton/ha yield and 13.2% total harvest capacity 3. Brazil: 6.4 ton/ha yield and 7.2% total harvest capacity There are also several smaller players/regions (the residual 8.1%) who are increasing their production and might play a role in the near future. At the moment, the market is clearly dominated by India, where the yields in castor seeds are nearly double the ones obtained in Brazil [6].

Biochemicals from castor oil do not affect food production or cause any land use change. Castor oil is toxic and thus not part of food chain, a characteristic that is drawing more and more attention lately. The castor plants grow on arid to marginal lands with little or no agrochemicals needed [7].

Castor helps in the current Polyamide 12 crisis An explosion and fire in a chemical plant in Marl, Germany on March 31st cut a significant amount of the world’s supply of CDT (a triple-unsaturated cyclic hydrocarbon cyclododecatriene). CDT is a petrochemically based speciality resin needed for the production cycle of Polyamide 12. This PA 12 is needed among others by the automotive industry for manufacturing fuel lines, fuel tanks and brake lines due to its high resistant to brake fluid and gasoline.

Some of the partly or fully biobased polyamides based on castor oil can play a significant role in this crisis, as these resins can be used as an alternative for many of the concerned applications.

References [1] Aldrich Handbook of Fine Chemicals and Laboratory Equipment, Sigma-Aldrich, 2003 (found in Wikipedia) [2] Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil [3] Basics of Bio-polyamides, bioplastics MAGAZINE, vol 5, issue 03/2010 [4] Euphorbiaceae (spurge) genomics. Institute for Genome Sciences. University of Maryland Medical School (found in Wikipedia) [5] Phillips, Roger; Martyn Rix (1999). Annuals and Biennials.

London: Macmillan. p. 106 (found in Wikipedia) [6] FAOSTAT, 2006-2009, FAO data based on imputation methodology [7] Wang, M.S., Huang, J.C., 1994, Nylon 1010 properties and applications, J. Pol. Eng., 13 (2), pp155-174 & New Crop Resource Online Program, Purdue University, http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/default.html [8] VESTAMID® Terra - Because we care (brochure of Evonik, Marl Germany), 2012 [9] Endrich, H.-J., Siebert-Raths, Engineering Biopolymers, Carl Hanser Verlag, 2011 [10] www.usitc.gov/publications/701_731/pub3775.pdf The author is grateful to Evonik and nova-Institute for their contribution to this article.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

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Suppliers Guide 1. Raw Materials

1.4 starch-based bioplastics

10

20

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

30

40

GRAFE-Group Waldecker Straße 21, 99444 Blankenhain, Germany Tel. +49 36459 45 0 www.grafe.com

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

50

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Tel.: +49 2161 6884467

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suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com 70

Stay permanently listed in the Suppliers Guide with your company logo and contact information.

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For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you can be present among top suppliers in the field of bioplastics.

90

For Example:

39 mm

110

130

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

140

Sample Charge: 150

160

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

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

180

Sample Charge for one year: 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.

190

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

200

www.cereplast.com US: Tel: +1 310.615.1900 Fax +1 310.615.9800 Sales@cereplast.com Europe: Tel: +49 1763 2131899 weckey@cereplast.com

210

220

PolyOne Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 Zoning de la Fagne 5330 Assesse Belgium Tel.: + 32 83 660 211 www.polyone.com

WinGram Industry CO., LTD Benson Great River(Qin Xin) Plastic Manufacturer CO.,LTD Mobile (China): +86-18666691720 Mobile (Hong Kong): +852-63078857 Fax: +852-3184 8934 Benson@greatriver.com.hk

240

www.facebook.com www.issuu.com

260

www.twitter.com 270

50

Grabio Greentech Corporation Tel: +886-3-598-6496 No. 91, Guangfu N. Rd., Hsinchu Industrial Park,Hukou Township, Hsinchu County 30351, Taiwan sales@grabio.com.tw www.grabio.com.tw 1.5 PHA

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

MK46 5FP Tel.: +44 1234 714 477 Fax: +44 1234 713 221 sales@aandofilmpac.com www.bioresins.eu

1.3 PLA

230

250

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

Jean-Pierre Le Flanchec 3 rue Scheffer 75116 Paris cedex, France Natur-Tec® - Northern Technologies Tel: +33 (0)1 53 65 23 00 Fax: +33 (0)1 53 65 81 99 4201 Woodland Road biosphere@biosphere.eu Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA www.biosphere.eu Tel. +1 763.225.6600 Fax +1 763.225.6645 info@natur-tec.com www.natur-tec.com

1.2 compounds

6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 € 170

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!

1.1 bio based monomers

100

120

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

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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

Shenzhen Esun Ind. Co;Ltd www.brightcn.net www.esun.en.alibaba.com bright@brightcn.net Tel: +86-755-2603 1978

Metabolix 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

Suppliers Guide 4. Bioplastics products

Tianan Biologic No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd, Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800 Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2 Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0 enquiry@tianan-enmat.com www.tianan-enmat.com 1.6 masterbatches

GRAFE-Group Waldecker Straße 21, 99444 Blankenhain, Germany Tel. +49 36459 45 0 www.grafe.com

PolyOne Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 Zoning de la Fagne 5330 Assesse Belgium Tel.: + 32 83 660 211 www.polyone.com

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 3. Semi finished products 3.1 films

Huhtamaki Films 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

2. Additives/Secondary raw materials

Arkema Inc. Functional Additives-Biostrength 900 First Avenue King of Prussia, PA/USA 19406 Contact: Connie Lo, Commercial Development Mgr. Tel: 610.878.6931 connie.lo@arkema.com www.impactmodifiers.com

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

GRAFE-Group Waldecker Straße 21, 99444 Blankenhain, Germany Tel. +49 36459 45 0 www.grafe.com

WEI MON INDUSTRY CO., LTD. 2F, No.57, Singjhong Rd., Neihu District, Taipei City 114, Taiwan, R.O.C. alesco GmbH & Co. KG Tel. + 886 - 2 - 27953131 Schönthaler Str. 55-59 Fax + 886 - 2 - 27919966 D-52379 Langerwehe sales@weimon.com.tw Sales Germany: +49 2423 402 110 www.plandpaper.com Sales Belgium: +32 9 2260 165 Sales Netherlands: +31 20 5037 710 info@alesco.net | www.alesco.net

INNOVIA FILMS LTD Wigton Cumbria CA7 9BG England Contact: Andy Sweetman Tel. +44 16973 41549 Fax +44 16973 41452 andy.sweetman@innoviafilms.com www.innoviafilms.com

Cortec® Corporation 4119 White Bear Parkway St. Paul, MN 55110 Tel. +1 800.426.7832 Fax 651-429-1122 info@cortecvci.com www.cortecvci.com

Eco Cortec® 31 300 Beli Manastir Bele Bartoka 29 Croatia, MB: 1891782 Tel. +385 31 705 011 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

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 6.1 Machinery & Molds

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

The HallStar Company 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 1620 Chicago, IL 60606, USA +1 312 385 4494 dmarshall@hallstar.com www.hallstar.com/hallgreen

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

51

Suppliers Guide 10.2 Universities

6.2 Laboratory Equipment

10

20

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

30

40

narocon Dr. Harald Kaeb Tel.: +49 30-28096930 kaeb@narocon.de www.narocon.de

50

Simply contact:

7. Plant engineering

Tel.: +49 2161 6884467

60

suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com 70

Stay permanently listed in the Suppliers Guide with your company logo and contact information.

80

90

100

120

130

39 mm

110

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH Holzhauser Strasse 157–159 D-13509 Berlin For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you Tel. +49 30 43 567 5 can be present among top suppliers in Fax +49 30 43 567 699 the field of bioplastics. sales.de@uhde-inventa-fischer.com Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG For Example: Via Innovativa 31 CH-7013 Domat/Ems Tel. +41 81 632 63 11 Fax +41 81 632 74 03 sales.ch@uhde-inventa-fischer.com Polymedia Publisher GmbH www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com Dammer Str. 112 41066 Mönchengladbach 8. Ancillary equipment Germany Tel. +49 2161 664864 Fax +49 2161 631045 9. Services info@bioplasticsmagazine.com www.bioplasticsmagazine.com

140

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160

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Sample Charge for one year: 6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 €

170

180

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.

190

200

Osterfelder Str. 3 46047 Oberhausen Tel.: +49 (0)208 8598 1227 Fax: +49 (0)208 8598 1424 thomas.wodke@umsicht.fhg.de www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de

UL International TTC GmbH Rheinuferstrasse 7-9, Geb. R33 47829 Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany Tel: +49 (0)2151 88 3324 Fax: +49 (0)2151 88 5210 ttc@ul.com www.ulttc.com

210

220

Institut für Kunststofftechnik Universität Stuttgart Böblinger Straße 70 70199 Stuttgart Tel +49 711/685-62814 Linda.Goebel@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de

230

240

250

www.facebook.com www.issuu.com

260

www.twitter.com 270

52

www.youtube.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

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

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

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

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

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

Events

Event Calendar BioPlastics: The Re-Invention of Plastics 13.06.2012 - 15.06.2012 San Francisco, USA, Hilton - Downtown www.BioPlastix.com

Biobased materials WPC, Natural Fibre and other innovative Composites Congress 19.06.2012 - 20.06.2012 Fellbach, near Stuttgart, Germany www.nfc-congress.com

UMSICHT: Zur Sache! - Biofolien 28.06.2012 Oberhausen, Germany

www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de

naro.tech 9th International Symposium 05.09.2012 - 06.09.2012 Erfurt, Germany www.narotech.eu

BioPlastics – The Re-Invention of Plastics 02.10.2012 - 04.10.2012 Las Vegas, USA - Caesars Palace Hotel www.InnoPlastSolutions.com

7th European Bioplastics Conference 06.11.2012 - 07.11.2012 Berlin, Germany, Maritim pro Arte Hotel www.european-bioplastics.org

Green Polymer Chemistry 2013 19.03.2013 - 21.03.2013 Cologne, Germany - Maritim Hotel

www.amiplastics.com/events/Event.aspx?code=C499&sec=2855

You can meet us!

Please contact us in advance by e-mail.

Register now!

6/7 November 2012 Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin Conference contact: conference@european-bioplastics.org +49 .30 28 48 23 50

c

www.conference.european-bioplastics.org bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7

53

Companies in this issue Company

Editorial Advert

A&O FilmPAC

50

Company

Editorial Advert

Polisport

31

13

Fraunhofer WKI

43

Polyone

9, 13

Adsale

11

Fuji Xerox

11

Polyvel

12

AIB Vincotte

11

Altuglass

52

27

Futerro

9

President Packaging

51

Galician Timber Tech. Inn. & Srv. Ctr.

40

Proganic

13, 32

Grace Biotech Corporation

50

Amsterdam Univ. Appl. Sc.

28

Grafe

API

31

Great River Plastic Manufacturing

18

Arkema

11, 13, 28

1

Purac

Groupe Barbier

26

RE|PLA Cycle

H.J. Heinz

44

Rhe Tech

Avantium

6

Hallink

BaFa

43

Hallstar

34

BASF

11, 13

Hiendl

43

Biopolymer & Biocomp. Research Team

51

PSM

14

Biosphere BPI - The Biodegradable Products Institute

Huhtamaki Films

9

50

IATP

8

52

Innovia Films

51

Rhein Chemie

51

Roll-o-Matic

51 52 51 9, 11 9 14, 38 11 13

Saida

52

Salomon 51

29

Shandong Fuwin

11, 14

Bremen Technical Univ.

43

Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung

9

Shanghai Soc. of Plastics Ind.

11

Brooks Sports

28

ITR Sign

33

Shenzhen Esun Industrial Co.

9, 11

Brückner

9

J. Ottman Consulting

44

Shenzhen Plastic & Rubber Ass.

Cardia Bioplastics

30

Jamplast

13

Showa Denko

Cereplast

13

Japan BioPlastics Association

11

Sidaplax

Ciments Calcia

26

Kingfa

11

Cincinnati Milacron

39

Kureha

14

Coca-Cola

44

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients

26

Colgate Palmolive

44

Linotech

Composite Innovation Centre

36

Composites Evolution

36

Cordenka

23

Cortec

51

CTAG

50

11 50 51

SK Chemicals

10

Smith Optics

29

SPC Biotech

9

43

Sukano

9

LK Group

11

Sulzer

9

L'Oreal

44

Suzhou Hanfeng

10

Magine Snowboards

36

Synbra

9

Merquinsa

29

Taghleef Industries

9

50

40

Metabolix

50

Techno Polymers

10

DaniMer

13

Michigan State University

52

Teijin

11

Danone

6, 44

Minima Technology

51

The Ethical Coffee Company

30

Myriant

41

Tianan Biologic

DSM

29

DuPont

11, 29

EcoPoxy

37

narocon

Ecospan

14

NatureWorks

Entropy

29

Erema

9

European Bioplastics

47

Evonik

48

Extech

13

Extrusa-Pack

13

FKuR

9, 43

Fraunhofer IAP

9, 22

Editorial Planner

50

NaKu

9 9

Natur-Tec 52, 53

Nexeo Solutions

2

50 12

Niche Story Snowboards

29

NNFCC

5, 9

nova-Institut

5, 9, 43

Novamont NSERC

52

52 51, 54

36

Plastic Suppliers

31

Uhde Inventa-Fischer

9

UL Thermoplastics 36

Wageningen (WUR)

9

Wei Mon

15, 51

Wuhan Huali

8, 11

Zahoransky

20

51

2012 deadline

Editorial Focus (1)

Editorial Focus (2)

Basics

04/2012

Jul/Aug

06.08.12

06.07.12 ed.

20.07.12 ad.

Bioplastics from waste streams

Blow moulding

Bioplastics from Protein

05/2012

Sept/Oct

01.10.12

01.09.12 ed.

15.09.12 ad.

Fiber / Textile /Nonwoven

Polyurethanes / Elastomers

Bioplastics from CO2

06/2012

Nov/Dec

03.12.12

03.11.12 ed.

17.11.12 ad.

Films / Flexibles / Bags

Consumer Electronics

PTT

Subject to changes

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 6

52

University of Winnipeg

pub-date

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Be our friend on Facebook!

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17, 52 7, 52

University of Stuttgart IKT

Month

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com

9, 11

TRW Automotive

Issue

51

51

Toray

8, 9, 11, 13, 32, 44

21 51

RTP Company 51

51

9

ProTec Polymer Processing

51, 52

19

Artsgroup

54

Editorial Advert

A. Schulman

Alesco

Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Company

Event / Fair

Bookstore Order now! www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books phone +49 2161 6884463 e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com * plus VAT (where applicable), plus cost for shipping/handling details see www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books

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Bioplastics - Basics. Applications. Markets.

General conditions, market situation, production, structure and properties New ‘basics‘ book on bioplastics: The book is intended to offer a rapid and uncomplicated introduction into the subject of bioplastics, and is aimed at all interested readers, in particular those who have not yet had the opportunity to dig deeply into the subject, such as students, those just joining this industry, and lay readers. r 5o * 0 8.6 € 1 $ 25.0 US

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Handbook of Bioplastics and Biocomposites Engineering Applications

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This book is unique in its focus on market-relevant bio/renewable materials. It is based on comprehensive research projects, during which these materials were systematically analyzed and characterized. For the first time the interested reader will find comparable data not only for biogenic polymers and biological macromolecules such as proteins, but also for engineering materials. The reader will also find valuable information regarding micro-structure, manufacturing, and processing-, application-, and recycling properties of biopolymers

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Sustainable Solutions for Modern Economies Apocalypse now? Was the financial crisis which erupted in 2008 the ‘writing on the wall’, the Menetekel for the Industrial Age? Is mankind approaching the impasse of Easter Island, Anasazi and Maya societies shortly before collapse – ‘‘which followed swiftly upon the society’s reaching its peak of population, monument construction and environmental impact’’? Or will mankind be capable of a new global common sense?

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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®.

Mater-Bi® is a family of materials, completely biodegradable and compostable which contain renewable raw materials such as starch and vegetable oil derivates. Mater-Bi® 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.

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

Inventor of the year 2007

Within Mater-Bi® product range the following certifications are available

The “OK Compost” certificate guarantees conformity with the NF EN 13432 standard (biodegradable and compostable packaging) 3_2012