bioplastics MAGAZINE 01-2014

01 | 2014

bioplastics

MAGAZINE

Vol. 9

ISSN 1862-5258

January/February

Highlights

Cover-Story

Foam | 26 Automotive | 15 Pharmafilter | 30 Land use | 34

BioFoam® Ice-cream container | 26

1 countries

... is read in 9

Bio-Flex for mulch films ®

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Editorial

dear readers It is early February, and it is cold in Germany (and not only here)… but ice cream is a thing that I can enjoy all year round. And thanks to modern logistics and modern insulating materials, it can be enjoyed far away from its production site – even in summer. Our cover story is about such a modern insulating packaging solution. It is part of one of the editorial focal topics in this issue: foam. The other highlight is Bioplastics in automotive applications. Here we can see that this is not just about projects, but about real applications that you can already find on the market – for example in Ford, Volkswagen or Mercedes vehicles.

In the Basics section we again address the topic of land use. How much of the arable land on this planet is used for the production of bioplastics (and other products) today – and in future.

A very interesting experience for me and some colleagues was a visit to the Reinier de Graaf hospital, in Delft, the Netherlands. We wanted to see with our own eyes what Pharmafilter is doing there. bioplastics MAGAZINE already reported about Pharmafilter (bM 01/2010 and 04/2011) and the unique concept was awarded the second prize of the 8th Bioplastics Award in December.

But who was the actual winner of the 8th Bioplastics Award? See yourself on page 9.

Now, after a pause of two years, bioplastics MAGAZINE would like to invite you to the 3rd PLA World Congress. We will hold this unique event again in Munich, Germany, on May 27th and 28th, 2014. Please have a look in the preliminary programme on page 10. We are still able to accept proposals for presentations. A few slots are still available.

Until then we hope you enjoy reading bioplastics MAGAZINE

Sincerely yours Michael Thielen

Follow us on twitter!

www.twitter.com/bioplasticsmag

Be our friend on Facebook!

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol.9

3

Content Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 - 7 Event Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Suppliers Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 - 45 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 - 40 Companies in this issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

01|2014

Report

January/February

Do bioplastics disturb recycling streams? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Recycling of PLA for packaging applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Pharmafilter: Reinventing waste as a resource . . . . . . . . . . 30

Events

Automotive

8th Bioplastics Award – and the winner is.... . 8

Bio-materials at Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

8th European Bioplastics Conference . . . . . . . 9

PLA compounds for the automotive sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

3rd PLA World Congress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

PA 410 makes inroads into automotive market . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Bio-PPA to replace metal & rubber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Applications New bioplastic applications in windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Foam PLA foam protects ice cream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Foam grade PBAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Mushroom packaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Basics

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

Cover Ad: Zandonella GmbH Foto: © Piotr Marcinski (fotolia)

Cover

A part of this print run is mailed to the readers wrapped in Green PE envelopes sponsored by FKuR Kunststoff GmbH and Oerlemans Plastics B.V

Envelopes

Editorial contributions are always welcome.

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

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

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.

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 91 countries.

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

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

ISSN 1862-5258 bM is published 6 times a year.

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

bioplastics magazine

Kössinger AG 84069 Schierling/Opf., Germany Print run: 4,000 copies

Print

Elke Hoffmann, Caroline Motyka phone: +49(0)2161-6884467 +49(0)2161 6884468 fax: eh@bioplasticsmagazine.com

Media Adviser

Polymedia Publisher GmbH Dammer Str. 112 41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany phone: +49 (0)2161 6884469 fax: +49 (0)2161 6884468 info@bioplasticsmagazine.com www.bioplasticsmagazine.com

Head Office

Mark Speckenbach Julia Hunold

Layout/Production

Dr. Michael Thielen (MT) Samuel Brangenberg (SB) contributing editor: Karen Laird (KL)

Publisher / Editorial

Imprint

Facts on land use for old and new biobased plastics . . . . . . 34

Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/bioplastics-MAGAZINE/103745406344904

News

Compostable micro-irrigation systems Four companies are working together in the European Project DRIUS; the Spanish company Extruline Systems, the Israeli Metzerplas, the Spanish research organization AIMPLAS (Technological Institute of Plastics) and OWS N.V. (Belgium), as coordinator.

The main objective of this project is to implement in the market new micro-irrigation systems 100% compostable as a solution to manage the plastic and the green waste in a composting plant at the end of the crop period. The new system will not require the separation or the burning of the pipes and green waste.

The main applications of the system to be developed in DRIUS will be crops of small plants such as strawberries and tomatoes with short periods of cultivations, less than a year.

Currently, the problem after the crop period is the difficulty in the recycling of the irrigation system because of the mix of plastic with plants and soil, so the common solution is the burning of the waste generated. However, the new compostable system will make possible to treat the waste in a composting plant.

DRIUS is the continuation of a previous project called HYDRUS, where new biodegradable micro-irrigation pipes were developed and satisfactorily manufactured in industrial extrusion lines.

The main focus of the present project is to manufacture biodegradable drippers by injection to obtain the complete system.

The material and the geometry of drippers are important to have the water flow required in the different crops. The material adjusted for the drippers needs to be processable by injection, chemically compatible and weldable with the pipes and will maintain its shape and functionality during the use of the micro-irrigation systems in the field.

The specific role of AIMPLAS in the project will be to optimize the suitable material for drippers to make possible the industrialization of the micro-irrigation system. Extruline Systems will be responsible for manufacturing the complete micro-irrigation system (pipes and drips) at industrial level.

Metzerplas is going to design the new moulds and will be the injector for flat drippers. Lastly, Organic Waste Systems will carry out the complete study of biodegradation and compostability in order to obtain the compostability logo. www.drius.eu

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News

Bio-based engineering plastic for automotive touch panels Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (headquartered in Chiyodaku, Tokyo, Japan) recently announced the development of a new grade of high-performance, high-transparency bio-based engineering plastic called DURABIOTM, using plant-derived isosorbide as its raw material. The new material features excellent optical properties and high resistance to heat and humidity.

MCC will move aggressively to promote sales of Durabio for use in touch panels on automobiles, a sector where demand is expected to increase significantly.

Touch panels for automobiles are used mainly to control air conditioning, audio, and car navigation systems. Durabio offers excellent flexibility in design and can enhance the appearance of automobile interiors, so MCC anticipates much wider use and steady growth in demand.

In contrast to easily breakable glass, transparent plastics such as impact-resistant polycarbonate, are used for the front plate of automobile touch panels for safety purposes.

The disadvantage of polycarbonates, however, is distortion in light transmission, which makes it difficult for users to see the touch panel, so a material that could overcome this problem has been eagerly awaited.

MCC’s new grade of Durabio features excellent optical properties, and nearly eliminates distortion in light transmission, making it easy to see the touch panel surface. MT www.www.m-kagaku.co.jp

Biodegradable exfoliator for shower gels Lessonia (Saint-Thonan – France) is a leading supplier of natural exfoliators for shower gels and peeling products.

The company recently launched CELLULOSCRUB™, a major innovation to replace the polyethylene beads in cosmetic products. Celluloscrub is a 100% renewable and biodegradable exfoliating ingredient made of modified cellulose extracted from wood pulp. It is said to offer the same high performance of PE. Other eco-friendly alternatives for PE beads are for example exfoliating products made from shells, kernels, minerals, bamboo, rice, natural waxes, PLA or microcrystalline cellulose. However, all these ingredients are inferior in all their characteristics compared to PE (i.e. white colour, stability, abrasiveness, suspension capacity, etc).

Micro beads made of conventional plastics used as exfoliating ingredients in personal care products have raised concern among many environmental groups for its assumed impact on marine ecosystems. Because sewage and waste water treatment systems cannot filter out these non-biodegradable particles they are pumped straight into water courses and end up in the ocean where they cause irreparable damage to the oceans. Micro plastics are present in all the seas and oceans of the world. It is the responsibility of the cosmetic industry to reduce their impact on the environment.

Leading cosmetics makers, such as Unilever or Lush, as a consequence, have announced their intention to phase out the use of these beads and are looking for environmental friendly alternatives. MT (Source: Lessonia)

Pretreating cellulosic biomass Aphios Corporation of Woburn, Massachussetts, USA recently today announced that it was granted a US patent for its cellulosic biomass pretreatment technology platform (Aosic).

Cellulosic biomass resources are currently greatly underutilized around the world. If effectively exploited, these resources can reduce climate change while alleviating several energy and environmental problems. Dr. Trevor P. Castor, inventor of the Aosic platform states that “Cellulosic biomass is tightly wound for obvious mechanical strength reasons. In order to breakdown cellulose into its individual sugar molecules, cellulosic biomass must be expanded to enhance the access of enzymes that cleave the polymeric bonds between individual sugar molecules.”

Steam explosion is the most commercially used method for expanding cellulosic fibers that has several disadvantages including degradation of cellulose and hemicelluloses, the generation of toxic byproducts and high water and energy consumption.

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In the Aosic process, biomass is contacted with SuperFluids such as CO2 with or without small quantities of polar cosolvents such as ethanol, both sourced from the downstream fermentation process. Pressure is released and fibers are made more accessible to enzymes as a result of expansive forces of SuperFluids (about 10 times those of steam explosion) and carbonic acid hydrolysis.

Additional fiber separation is achieved by ejecting biomass through mechanical impact devices. Carbon dioxide is recovered and recycled; pressure energy is recovered in a turbine.

Dr. Castor points out that “CO2 is consumed in the Aosic process which is a net consumer of carbon. It also utilizes significantly less water than steam explosion and the dilute acid pre-hydrolysis pretreatment process. It can be used for wood cuttings, bagasse, newsprint, corn fodder and spent biomass from the manufacturing of natural pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals.” The primary potential application is pretreating biomass waste for conversion into ethanol which could then be used as a precursor for e.g. biobased Polyethylene or PET and much more. MT www.aphios.com

News

Bacteria help convert syngas into Plexiglas For the first time, Evonik Industries has managed to use biotech methods to convert syngas to pure 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid (2-HIBA) under industrial conditions. 2-HIBA is a precursor used in the manufacture of PLEXIGLAS® (PMMA, Polymethyl methacrylate, acrylic glass). Waste gas is one example of a source of syngas.

Syngases are gas mixtures consisting primarily of carbon monoxide or of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. These gases can be generated from municipal or agricultural waste, or from the waste gases produced in industries such as steel production. Syngas has been used for synthesizing chemicals for decades. For the ability to convert carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen into more valuable molecules, Evonik looked to bacteria from earth’s earliest history—to a time when oxygen was not yet present in earth’s atmosphere. Certain microorganisms today still contain the genetic information for these processes. Evonik has used their enzymes to create a cell factory that generates specialty chemicals from syngas.

Evonik scientists are now working at top speed to optimize these ideas and develop them still further. “We have a long way to go before we can use bacteria for converting syngas to highquality specialty chemicals on a large industrial scale,” says

Dr. Thomas Haas, head of Biotechnology at Creavis, Evonik’s strategic innovation unit. “It will still take a couple of years until it is ready for the market.”

As Haas explains, “We’re exploring third-generation biotechnology, because in addition to sugar or residual plant materials converted to syngas, waste from other sources such as municipal waste and industrial waste gas can also serve as raw materials. That makes us less dependent not only on fossil-based raw materials, but also on renewable resources that could potentially compete with the food supply.”

2-HIBA can also be produced via chemical synthesis. Both the chemically-produced and biotech-produced products can be converted to methyl methacrylate (MMA). MMA is used in paints, varnishes, and anti-rust coatings, as well as in soft contact lenses and dental implants. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PLEXIGLAS®) is used for creating sheets, profiles, roofs, soundproof walls, molded components for automotive engineering applications, and backlight units for illuminating flat-screen monitors and televisions. MT www.evonik.com

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

7

Events

Wolfgang Bauer (company Helmut Lingemann) with Michael Thielen

Chung-Jen (Robin) Wu (Supla)

Peter Kelly (Pharmafilter)

And the winner is ...

8th Global Bioplastics Award for Helmut Lingemann

T

his year the prestigious “Bioplastics Oskar” was given to Helmut Lingemann GmbH & Co. KG (Wuppertal, Germany) for their innovative spacer profiles NIROTEC EVO for insulating window glazing.

The Annual Global Bioplastics Award, proudly presented by bioplastics MAGAZINE, was awarded for the 8th time now.

The award recognises innovation, success and achievements by manufacturers, processors, brand owners or users of bioplastic materials. It was given to Wolfgang Bauer, Head of Quality Management of Helmut Lingemann on December 10th 2013, during the 8th European Bioplastics Conference in Berlin. From a list of almost 20 proposals five judges from the academic world, the press and industry associations from America, Europa and Asia have selected five finalists and now announced the winner.

Helmut Lingemann GmbH & Co.KG have been involved for more than 30 years as an innovative market leader in The new spacer system NIROTEC EVO is applied in windows and facades with a high level of insulation to reduce the energy losses by using double and triple glazing.

The technological requirements are high strength and structural reinforcement (e.g. tensile modulus), low thermal conductivity, no fogging when used in insulating glass, no incompatibility with other components in the insulation of windows and facades. In combination with the target of reducing the use of fossil fuels this can only be achieved by using a biopolymer. Together with a partner, a tailor-made blend of different biopolymers based on PLA, biopolyester and further additives were developed, which met the requirements 100%.

Until now about 2 million metres of NIROTEC EVO have been processed into insulating glass units. The biopolymer ratio is approximately 40 tonnes. If NIROTEC EVO were used for the total annual production of insulating glass units in Europe, about 18,000 tonnes of this bioplastic material could

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

be applied. The material selection of stainless steel foil and this bioplastic material for the manufacture of such spacers is unique. The applicability and thermal characteristics of the material combination for the spacer NIROTEC EVO represents a milestone in innovation for the insulating glass industry.

“The judges decided for Helmut Lingemann’s spacer profiles, because this is an example which shows that potential applications can be found in areas that do not come to ones mind immediately. And even though it offers a potential for high volumes of a bioplastic material,” said Michael Thielen, publisher of bioplastics MAGAZINE and member of the jury.

“And the application makes use of the biopolymers very special properties, in this case the mechanical and thermal properties combined with the very important feature of ‘no fogging’ which is essential for this application.

In addition the chosen biopolymer blend features very special adhesion properties and allows high speed bending procedures of the profiles. Modern thermal insulation technology meets modern materials; this is how ecological development should look like in todays technology age”, Michael Thielen added.

This year for the first time also a second prize was awarded.

Since both proposals had received the same number of points from the judges, this year the secoind prize went to two runner-ups: Supla and Kuender received the prize for the PLA-compound application introduced in the last issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE: Kuender’s 21.5” all-in-one touch screen PC. The other second prize holistic approach of an for hospitals (and other information please read

went to Pharmafilter for the anaerobic digestion system facilities). For more detailed the article on pages 30f.

www.bioplastics-award.com

Events

M

ore than 350 participants from 215 companies caught up on the latest discussions, developments and progress in the bioplastics industry during the 8th European Bioplastics Conference. Once more, the leading European event for the bioplastics industry provided excellent opportunities for networking, knowledge exchange and business contacts. 86 %of the participants came from Europe, 8 % from North America and South America, and the majority of the remaining 6 % from Asia.

“Bioplastics made from bio-feedstock, and reintegrated into the biosphere as a nutrient, or recycled together with conventional plastic, clearly have a potential for being a truly sustainable material. And it could reduce fossil fuel consumption,” stated EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik in his opening speech to the 8th European Bioplastics Conference on the 10 and 11 December in Berlin, Germany. In his video message he pointed to the crucial role, bioplastics can play in Europe’s transition towards a circular biobased economy.

Potočnik encouraged the bioplastics industry “to continue their work on making bioplastics a truly sustainable material, neutral in its impact on food production and biodiversity”. However, he also pointed out that the industry needs to continuously and transparently inform the public about their products and processes in order to clarify its position and prosper in the future.

These recommendations were picked up directly by a group of experts in a panel discussion on sustainability criteria investigating the most relevant question: “How to assess the sustainability of bioplastics in a fair way?” The panel started with a presentation

by Professor Matthias Finkbeiner from the Technical University Berlin on “Perspectives of Life Cycle Assessment of Bioplastics”.

“LCA is still the best available tool to assess the environmental performance of bioplastics as fact-based as possible”, Finkbeiner stated and commented on the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) approach introduced by the European Commission as “LCA overkill introducing pseudo solutions in order to achieve comparability”.

8th European Bioplastics Conference connected expert elite on bioplastics

The panel discussion then focussed on the need to break down the complexity of assessing the sustainability of bioplastics, the need to use available and valid methodologies and to provide easy to use tools to consumers to understand these assessments and how they impact on the product they are using.

Another highlight of the 8th European Bioplastics Conference was the annual market data update by European Bioplastics and the Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (IfBB - University of Applied Arts Hannover, Germany). The data once more emphasised the success of bioplastics industry with production capacities multiplying from around 1.4 million tonnes in 2012 to more than 6 million tonnes in 2017. All material types are gaining ground with biobased, non-biodegradable ‘drop-in’ solutions, such as biobased PE and biobased PET, leading the field.

As in previous years, bioplastics MAGAZINE got the chance to honour the winner of the Annual Global Bioplastics Award.

The prize was awarded to company Helmut Lingemann GmbH & Co.KG for their new spacer system NIROTEC EVO. For more details see page 8. MT www.european-bioplastics.org

your Mark dar: n cale

The 9th European Bioplastics Conference will be in Brussels/Belgium on

02-03 December 2014 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

9

Events

bioplastics MAGAZINE presents:

3rd PLA World Congress

3 PLA World Congress rd

27 + 28 MAY 2014 MUNICH › GERMANY

The 3rd PLA World Congress in Munich/Germany, organised by bioplastics MAGAZINE 27 + 28 MAY 2014inMUNICH GERMANY is the must-attend conference for everyone interested PLA, its ›benefits, and challenges. The conference offers high class presentations from top individuals in the industry and also offers excellent networkung opportunities along with a table top exhibition. Please find below the preliminary programme. Find more details and register at the conference website www.pla-world-congress.com

3rd PLA World Congress, preliminary programme Tuesday, May 27, 2014 08:00 - 08:30 08.30 - 08.45 08:45 - 09:15 09:15 - 09:40 09:40 - 10:05 10:05 - 10:30 10:30 - 10:55 10:55 - 11:20 11:20 - 11:45

Registration, Welcome-Coffee Michael Thielen, Polymedia Publisher Hasso von Pogrell, European Bioplastics Udo Mühlbauer, Uhde Inventa-Fischer Emmanuel Rapendy, Sulzer Chemtech Marcel Dartee, Polyone Q&A Coffeebreak Frank Diodato, NatureWorks

11:45 - 12:10 12:10 - 12:35 12:35 - 12:50 12:50 - 14:00 14:00 - 14:35 14:35 - 14:50 14:50 - 15:15 15.15 - 15:40 15:40 - 15:55 15:55 - 16:30 16:35 - 17:00

Francois de Bie, Corbion-Purac Andrew Gill, Floreon Q&A Lunch Patrick Zimmermann, FkUR Daniela Jahn, IfBB Kevin Moser, Fraunhofer ICT Tang Junsheng, Tianjin Glory Tang Technology Q&A Coffeebreak Bob Engle, Metabolix

(subject to changes, visit www.pla-world-congress for updates)

Welcome Keynote Speech: t.b.d.

PLA for fibres and textiles Latest developments in High Performance PLA Production Raising the bar: PLA for durable applications

latest developments in Ingeo Biopolymers for packaging, fibres and durable applications High Heat PLA, from concept to reality !

Increasing the Functionality & Performance of PLA

Different markets, different requirements – Customized PLA-developments Processing and stabilization of different types of PLA Profile Extrusion – New opportunities for PLA compounds PLA commercial application & waste recycle

PLA modification using new PHA copolymers

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 09:00 - 09:25 09:25 - 09:50 09:50 - 10:15 10:15 - 10:40 10:40 - 10:55 10.55 - 11:20 11:20 - 11:45 11:45 - 12:10 12:10 - 12:35 12:35 - 12:50 12:50 - 14:00 14:00 - 14:35

Paolo Serafini, Taghleef Industries Jarl De Bruyne, Sidaplax Specialty Films Francesca Brunori, Roechling Automotive N.N., t.b.c.

Q&A Coffeebreak Peter Matthijsen, Synbra N.N. N.N. Q&A Lunch Ramani Narayan, Michigan State University

14:35 - 14:50 14:50 - 15:15 15.15 - 15:40

Gerold Breuer, Erema Steve Dejonghe, Looplife Tanja Siebert, Fraunhofer IVV

15:40 - 15:55 16:00 - 16:30

Q&A Panel discussion: t.b.d.

NATIVIA – The BoPLA film for packaging and labelling applications The next generation of PLA shrink films Plantura, ecofriendly automotive biopolymer A brand owners view to PLA: Chances and challenges

BioFoam expanding further t.b.c. t.b.c.

New developments & Strategies in PLA end-of-life – biodegradability - compostability and recycling issues Boost in recycling efficiency - the new Counter Current technology Upcycling of PLA waste PLA recycling-techniques. State of the art and research. Chances and opportunities.

Call for papers is still open.

Please send your abstract to mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com 10

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

3rd PLA World Congress 27 + 28 MAY 2014 MUNICH › GERMANY

PLA is a versatile bioplastics raw material from renewable resources. It is being used for films and rigid packaging, for fibres in woven and non-woven applications. Automotive industry and consumer electronics are thoroughly investigating and even already applying PLA. New methods of polymerizing, compounding or blending of PLA have broadened the range of properties and thus the range of possible applications.

That‘s why bioplastics MAGAZINE is now organizing the 3rd PLA World Congress on:

27-28 May 2014 in Munich / Germany Experts from all involved fields will share their knowledge and contribute to a comprehensive overview of today‘s opportunities and challenges and discuss the possibilities, limitations and future prospects of PLA for all kind of applications. Like the first two congresses the 3rd PLA World Congress will also offer excellent networking opportunities for all delegates and speakers as well as exhibitors of the table-top exhibition.

The conference will comprise high class presentations on

Register now !

• Latest developments

Early Bird discount ends Feb 28

• High temperature behaviour

register online before 28th February 2014 to benefit from the Early Bird discount.

• Blends and Compounds

The conference fee is EUR 899.00 before the Early Bird deadline you pay just EUR 799.00 The conferece fee includes documentation, meals and refreshments. Don't miss the legendary Bavarian Night in a rustic Munich beerhouse

› Please find the online registration form as well as

• Foam • Processing • Additives • Stabilization • Applications (packaging and durable applications) • Fibers, fabrics, textiles, nonwovens • Recycling

an updated programme at

www.pla-world-congress.com

organized by

we thank our sponsors:

People Report

Do bioplastics disturb recycling streams?

J

ust as a reminder: Bioplastics are A) biobased plastics made from renewable resources (which can be biodegradable or not) or B) biodegradable plastics (which can be made from renewable resources or not), thus some bioplastics are both (see also definition on page 38).

Summary Biobased (non-compostable) plastics films, e.g. made from Braskem’s Green PE, are chemically identical to conventional plastics and are no more difficult to manage in plastic recycling streams.

Compostable plastics are designed for organic recycling.

They are clearly marked for this purpose with logos such as the Seedling logo (cf. p 14).

In the event that compostable plastics do end up in conventional plastic recycling streams, the prevalent sorting technologies are able to sort them with little residual waste.

When residual amounts remain, they are similar to, or easier to handle than current residual wastes in the PE stream (e.g. PS, PP, PET). They should not then add significantly to the cost or complexity of recycling processes, or the valuable recovery of recycled PE. This remains true up to a share of 10% compostable plastics in the waste stream. At this level or below, studies show negligible impact on the technical performance of recycled PE. As the market share of compostable plastics increases it will be economically rewarding to sort them out positively.

This is technically possible today and should create new and valuable markets for the Waste Management Industry.

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

The authors believe then, aside from the social and environmental benefits of bioplastics, the best evidence clearly shows that these materials are an economic opportunity, not a threat to the waste management industry.

Bioplastics in mixed waste streams Modern waste recovery systems cope with intermingled materials, including a variety of different polymer types.

Automated plants sort out the profitable parts of the waste stream (for example PE, or PET). The promising polymers are separated. The rest ends up in another container, usually marked and resold as ‘mixed plastics’.

To achieve this advanced sorting systems use a variety of analytical methods including near infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray, laser, polarized light, fluorescent light, electrostatic, melting point and other techniques. These methods are effective in keeping contamination of the main recycling streams with unwanted material low.

Biodegradable plastics should end up in biowaste bins. If such bins are not available they can still be clearly identified from their labels and sorted out for delivery to a biowaste processer.

However, even in well working systems an intermingling of waste streams cannot be completely avoided. Nonbiodegradable plastics can end up in the organic waste stream (e.g. misthrows) and biodegradable, compostable plastics might be found in mechanical recycling (e.g. misidentification ). It is already the case that conventional plastics find their way, in low volumes, to the wrong stream.

photo: Fotolia/azthesmudger

Report

It can then be stated that in well run waste management facilities most residual bioplastic will end up as ‘mixed plastic’ until such a time as recovery is profitable. It can also be said, even when incorrectly sorted, that bioplastics today do not enter the waste stream in sufficient volume to cause concern more than any other type of plastic.

The case against bioplastics is not evidence-based Voices in some parts of the waste management industry claim that bioplastics are a serious disturbance to the established recycling streams of for example, PE or PET. The following research and evidence refutes these assertions. It suggests the influence on the collection and processing of profitable materials is negligible.

Biobased Polyethylene (PE, not biodegradable or compostable) Biobased PE is obtained by polymerisation of ethylene monomers. Depending on the polymerisation process biobased LDPE or biobased HDPE can be produced. The only difference to fossil-based PE is the source, which is plant based (bioethanol made from sugar cane, sugar beet, wheat etc.).

As a result fossil and plant based PE are chemically identical. They share the exact same physical properties.

Therefore biobased PE can be mechanically recycled with the fossil based PE in the corresponding recycling streams.

There is no new issue.

PLA/PBAT blends (compostable according to EN 13432, ASTM D6400, etc) Studies by the University of Hanover/Germany [1], [2] examined the influence of different compostable plastics on low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The tested mixtures contained between 0.5 % to 10 % foreign material. The LDPE contaminants were a PLA/PBAT blend (Ecovio® by BASF), pure PBAT and a starch blend. They found: Mixtures of LDPE with PLA/PBAT showed the same viscosity behaviour, elasticity, and tensile strength as pure LDPE. No optical (i.e. transparency or appearance) changes could be observed.

There was a slight decrease in the melt-flow rate at 10% foreign material.

The biodegradable polyester PBAT was also tested as a possible contaminant for LDPE. The blending of pure PBAT with LDPE had no influence on the viscosity behaviour compared with pure LDPE and was affirmed to have no influence on the processing properties. The values for melt flow rate were close to the ones of pure LDPE and were also described to result in no distinctive disturbances during processing of the material. Optical changes could also not be observed.

Below 10% contamination there is no issue

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compostable

Example of a compostability logo: the ‘Seedling’ logo of European Bioplastics, awarded by independent certification institutes

Starch blends (compostable according to EN 13432) A study by BIOTEC [3] has evaluated tensile strength, elongation at break and specific impact resistance for mixtures of PE with possible contaminations with a starch/ PBAT (Bioplast® by Biotec) blend as well as PP and PS. It was shown that the biodegradable starch blend contaminates PE no more than a contamination with conventional plastics such as PS or PP. In most cases the properties of the mixtures of PE with PS or PP as contaminants showed worse performances than the contamination of PE with a starch blend.

However, the same study found out that even smallest amounts of PET (2%) in a PE recycling stream results in serious problems. Due to the comparatively high melting temperature of PET (approx. 250°C), it was impossible to run a PE-based blown-film.

These results suggest that the contaminating effect of a compostable plastic on PE is actually less than the contaminating effect of PET on PE. A study by the University of Hanover [1] also examined a starch blend used in flexible packaging applications.

It was found that the influence on the viscosity and flow characteristics was only marginal up to the tested ratio of 10%.

Concerning the melt flow rate the influence on the processing properties was described as low considered with the pure LDPE. A change of colour was observed with increasing amount of starch blend.

Tests carried out at the Plastics Testing Laboratory Foundation of the Polytechnic Institute of Milan and the Proplast Laboratories in Tortona/Italy (on behalf of CONAI, the National Packaging Consortium in Italy) [4], have confirmed that it is possible to reprocess and recycle bags of a starch based material (MaterBi® by Novamont) and traditional plastic shopping bag waste up to a concentration of 10% of starch-blends as input material.

CONAI found that flexible, compostable packaging can be recycled with common plastics packaging materials up to a content of 10% without any problems [5].

CONAI concluded that even if biodegradable bags are not disposed off properly they do not interfere with the recycling stream of conventional plastics. MT

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This article is an abridged and edited version of a more comprehensive Meta-Study published by European Bioplastics. The complete Meta-Study can be downloaded from www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/201401

References: [1] A. Kitzler, Bioplastics in Waste Management Streams, Dissertation, University of Hannover, 2013 [2] H.-J. Endres, A.-A. de la Cruz, Influence of PLA/PBAT material (ecovio) on the recycling of conventional LD PE, University of Hannover, 2013 [3] C. Heß, Influence of BIOPLAST-Material and conventional non-PE Plastics on the mechanical Properties of recycled PEFilm, BIOTEC, Presented at K Fair 2013 [4] Italian National Packaging Consortium CONAI, Findings of Biodegradable Packaging Recovery Project. Presented at the European Bioplastics Conference, Berlin, 2013.

[5] http://www.ecodallecitta.it/notizie. php?id=114824, last accessed Jan21, 2014

Automotive

Biomaterials at Ford Instrument panel P Ford B-Max (Photo: IAC Group)

A

s it is well-known, Ford Motor Company’s efforts to implement recycled and renewable materials in their vehicles are about a century old. In the early twentieth century, it was Henry Ford himself who led those efforts.

Today, Ford has a comprehensive team working to fulfil its vision of ensuring that their products are engineered to enable their leadership on applying those sustainable materials without compromising product quality, durability, performance, or economics.

The portfolio of biomaterials that Ford’s teams have been investigating and successfully managed to implement in their vehicles is quite extensive: from soy foams to ground tires mixed with bio-based foams; from natural fiber reinforced polypropylene to castor oil based polyamide (cf. bM 01/2013).

Among these available bio-based materials, the natural fiber reinforced polypropylene (NF-PP) presents a great potential to multiply the number of applications in the short to-mid-term due to its good mechanical properties, environmental performance and attractive weight saving potential when replacing mineral and glass filled compounds.

In order to exploit this potential, Ford Motor Company has been cooperating with material and component developers in several fields to fill up the gap preventing PP-NF large scale production of (and usage in) injection molded parts.

Due to today’s short vehicle development time and the many and multifaceted requirements, the development of all car components using CAE methods and models is a crucial topic to series implementation. In order to fulfil this demand, the Ford Research and Advanced Engineering team in Aachen, Germany, has been leading a project to generate data and develop CAE methods that allow the simulation of natural fiber composites.

The project, which is called Natural Fiber Composite-/ NFC-Simulation, is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) through the Agency for Renewable Resources e.V. (FNR). It includes eleven partners covering the whole supplier chain

and features experts from academic areas. This project aims at generating a complete and integrated solution for the simulation of NF composites, from material processing to crash simulation of automotive parts. In order to achieve these capabilities, many technical and scientific challenges had to be addressed and solved in detail and the results integrated into a holistic solution. The detailed tasks are: • establishing the micro-mechanical characteristics of natural fibers before and after compounding with polymer(s) • deriving suitable fiber orientation models • modeling typical side-effects when using NF plastics (fiber damage, separation etc.)

• manufacturing NF compounds and test parts produced under uniform processing conditions • describing the rheological and thermal characteristics of NF compounds completely • determining quasi-static characteristics

and

dynamic

mechanical

• scaling up compound production for selected materials to (near-)series conditions • integrating material models with commercial CAE software, especially for processing and crash simulation purposes • simulating a series component (process and crash simulation) • producing the series component and conducting extensive mechanical testing, including crash response of high dynamic impact tests This project is running until mid of 2014. Once the work is completed, Ford Motor Company expects to have contributed to improving the acceptance of such materials and opening the door for NF compounds into mass production in the entire automotive industry. www.ford.com

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People Automotive

PLA compounds for the automotive sector By: Francesca Brunori Advanced Development Engine Systems Röchling Automotive Laives, Italy

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öchling Automotive (headquartered in Mannheim Germany) is now prepared to produce a wide range of automotive plastic parts made of Plantura™ PLA based biopolymers. According to the specialists in airflow, acoustic and thermal solutions for passenger cars and trucks, Plantura is a very interesting ecological and economical alternative to the usage of other (conventional) thermoplastic materials used for such applications today.

It was in the early 1970s when Röchling Automotive started production of plastic applications with natural fibre reinforcement. A large quantity and variety of thermoplastic and thermoset solutions for the interior of passenger vehicles made the group one of the leaders in this field. From biologically reinforced parts to Plantura Röchling Automotive has taken various steps of development.

Up to 95% Bio Röchling Automotive has built up internal competences in raw materials development for many years. together with various partners. For Plantura a very fruitful cooperation with a compounder and Corbion Purac (Gorinchem, The Netherlands) was established to enhance the technical expertise and abilities in the fields of bio-chemicals, polymerization and compounding.

From the beginning, the target was to create a new bio-polymer family that can cope with the high technical requirements and specifications, set for Röchling Automotive’s product portfolio in the engine compartment, under the body and in the interior.

The result of the hard work is the material family called Plantura. Due to the possibility of fine tuning the grades according to the applications, it is possible to have both hard and soft materials, maintaining good properties and a high biobased carbon content of up to 95%. As a result, the developed grades could be capable of competing with most polyesters available on the market (PC, PET, PBT) but also with polystyrenes (ABS), polyolefines (such as PP) and polyamides (PA6).

Various grades for different requirements Four standard grades are already available and can target low to medium demanding under the hood applications, as well as interiors and underbody applications. The use in other than automotive markets, such as white goods, sports goods and many others, is not excluded. Every standard grade can be fine-tuned to meet customer needs and final application requirements. The compounds can be processed as well as recycled with established plastic processing and recycling technologies. www.roechling.com Francesca.Brunori@roechling-automotive.it

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Two of these grades were already certified for their biobased content by Vinçotte with the highest Class 4 score. The Ok Biobased conformity mark

Automotive

Fig. 1: Deflector made of unreinforced Plantura Fig. 2: Air - Filter-housing made of Plantura , 30 % reinforced with wood fibres

can be applied on the products made from these grades.

Plantura, in comparison to standard PLA, showed significant improvements in thermal stability and chemical resistance.

An outstanding impact resistance for shockproof parts has been tested down to -30°C with the talcum filled standard grade. The materials exhibit an excellent hydrolysis resistance in a 100% humid environment at 70°C. The scratch resistance behavior of PLA, important for aesthetic trims, is well known and considered in the Plantura formulations.

Tailor made with exceptional properties Prototype filter boxes were tested according to OEM’s specifications, withstanding thermal cycles up to 140°C with glass fiber reinforcement. The same parts performed also a vehicle testing and run 100.000 km without showing problems. By comparison, unreinforced standard PLA is not at all suitable for technical applications due to its low long term heat resistance of just 60°C. One of the four standard grades has been specially developed for automotive interior applications. The testing performed on this grade, according to OEM‘s specifications, showed very good results, especially in term of scratch and UV resistance. Plantura has a very good colourability, which can be further optimized by the addition of bio fillers. It is quite easy to obtain a glossy surface and a very natural aesthetic look.

Fig. 3: Air-Filter-housing made of Plantura , 30 % reinforced with wood fibres

Supporting sustainability The environmental impact of Plantura is indeed much lower.

Considerable improvements on automotive applications made in against PP, PC, ABS, or PA are possible. More in detail, the CO2 equivalent emission of Plantura for each kg of produced material is around 7 times lower with respect to PP and approximately 12 times lower than PA. A middle class passenger car contains approximately 147 kg of petrochemical plastics which could be easily substituted

by Plantura. This would mean a CO2 equivalent emission reduction of around 515 Kg CO2 equivalent per car.

The continuous development of the material has led to higher, and increasingly interesting cost efficiency. With its significant contribution to an improved CO2 balance, Plantura could become an important concept in the automotive world.

Fig. 4: Interior trim parts made of Plantura grade (left natural color, unfilled, right ‘natural look’ 30%reinforced with wood fibres

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People Automotive

PA 410 makes inroads into automotive market

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olyamides based on renewable feedstocks are well suited for highperformance applications in the automotive industry, where OEMs are particularly keen to improve the sustainability of their operations and of their vehicles. DSM’s polyamide 410, trade named EcoPaXX®, is 70% biobased derived from a renewable feedstock, castor oil.

EcoPaXX has a very interesting property set: on the one hand it has mechanical properties such as stiffness and toughness that are similar to those of conventional aliphatic polyamides such as PA66, PA6; on the other hand, it has properties typical of long-chain polyamides such as PA610 and PA612: low moisture uptake, chemical- and hydrolysis resistance, and high thermal stability, for example.

The main raw material of the polymer is sebacic acid, which is derived from castor plants, which can grow on semi-arid land in countries such as India, China and Brazil. EcoPaXX is carbon neutral from cradle-to-gate (see fig. 1), meaning that the carbon dioxide generated in producing the polymer is compensated by the carbon dioxide absorbed during plant growth.

Polyamide 410 has a glass transition temperature, Tg, of 70°C, a very high crystalline melting point, Tm of 250°C, the highest of any bio-plastic, and a high crystallization rate. This results in a high tensile modulus in the dry state, close to that of PA66. Moreover, due to its low moisture uptake, the decrease of its tensile modulus after conditioning is limited. Its deflection temperature under load (DTUL or HDT-B ) is also impressive: 175°C under 0.45 MPa load.

The material’s high melting point and rapid crystallization rate ensure short injection molding cycles. It also offers a broad processing window.

Ideal for parts in engine compartments and exhaust systems Numerous automotive applications—notably engine compartment components—are increasingly subject to tougher specifications, be they in temperature resistance, dimensional stability or chemical resistance.

EcoPaXX is a serious contender in such applications.

The good hydrolysis resistance of EcoPaXX is important for several applications in engine compartment cooling systems: these include radiator & charge air cooler end caps, thermostat housings, water pump housings and impellers, water valves, coolant recovery tanks, and cooling water pipes.

EcoPaXX provides a better/safer solution in cooling applications than current PA66 based applications, especially when temperatures increase above 130oC. Even at elevated temperatures, EcoPaXX resists everything from automotive liquids such as coolants, fuels, oil and grease to dilute acids, bases and detergents, to aqueous salt solutions such as calcium-and-zinc chloride.

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Automotive

DSM currently has five commercial injection molding grades of EcoPaXX: a general purpose, unfilled injection molding grade (Q150-D); two glass-reinforced types (30% and 50% respectively, Q-HG6 and Q-HG10) for use in applications where high stiffness and toughness are needed; a glass/mineral reinforced injection molding grade, especially suited for the injection molding of large parts which should have low warpage and excellent surface quality (Q-HGM24); and a halogen-free flame-retardant glass reinforced (30%) compound, with a UL 94 V-0 rating at 0.75 mm (Q-KGS6).Impact modified grades and grades with carbon fibre reinforcement are available for sampling.

Proven applications Several interesting applications involving EcoPaXX have recently been commercialized. Mercedes-Benz, for example, chose EcoPaXX Q-HGM24, a glass/mineral reinforced injection molding grade, for the engine beauty cover of the latest version of its A-Class small family car (cf. bM 02/2013). The cover meets strict performance requirements and it provides good aesthetics. And even more, Mercedes Benz achieved its targets in reducing fuel consumption compared with the previous A-Class generation, as well as in reducing carbon footprint.

Global Warming Potential**

With its higher chemical resistance, EcoPaXX provides a better solution in AdBlue applications in SCR (selective catalytic reduction) systems than PA66 (see fig. 2), especially when temperatures increase to 80°C. AdBlue is a solution of urea in water used in SCR catalytic converters on diesel engines to break down hazardous nitrogen oxides (NOx) formed during combustion into nitrogen and water.

120% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0

PA66

PC

ABS

PA610 PA1010

PP

Base polymers*

EcoPaXX

Assessment method: IPCC 2007 GWP 100a *Sources: Ecolnvent database; external publications; DSM primary data. **All GWP values are normalized to the highest value.

Fig. 1: Cradle to gate carbon footprint of several polymers

110 Retention of Ts [%]

EcoPaXX shows superior retention of mechanical properties upon ageing in CE10 and B30 biodiesel. For example, while stiffness and strength of 30% glass reinforced PA12 after 500 hours at 100°C in CE10 fuel is already at the level of an unfilled resin, performance of an equivalent reinforced EcoPaXX grade remains high for up to 1500 h.

100 90 80 70 60 0 10 20 30 40 Time [Days] PA410-GF30

PA410-GF40-I

PA66-GF30

Fig. 2: Ts after AdBlue-ageing

Mercedes-Benz says production of an engine cover in EcoPaXX results in only around 40% of the quantity of carbon dioxide emissions that would be necessary in order to produce the same component from a conventional polyamide.

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Automotive

DSM has also partnered with automotive component specialist KACO in the development of a lightweight multifunctional crank shaft cover (cf. bioplastics MAGZINE issue 05/2013) in EcoPaXX for the latest generation of diesel engines developed by the Volkswagen Group, resulting in a significant cost and weight reduction.

Future developments

Fig. 3: Concept in-mold-formed housing cover

DSM is developing new high-performance reinforced injection moulding compounds of EcoPaXX. It is also actively involved in programs to develop high-speed processing technologies to produce automotive structural and semi-structural components in thermoplastics composites containing mats and tapes of continuous fibres pre-impregnated with thermoplastics. In an integrated production cell, parts are made by first creating a preform from the mat and/or tape, and then overmoulding it with an advanced polyamide such as EcoPaXX. At K2013, DSM showcased a concept in-mold-formed housing cover (fig. 3), developed with Weberit. This cover is made in a combination of a continuous glass reinforced EcoPaXXbased composite and an injection molded EcoPaXX compound.

Composites containing carbon fibers based on EcoPaXX (as well as Akulon polyamide 6 and Stanyl polyamide 46) will facilitate significant weight reduction in automobile body and chassis parts, while glass fiber reinforced composites will be targeted at reducing the weight of semi-structural components. In all cases, the light weighting will result in increased vehicle fuel efficiency and reduced emissions of carbon dioxide.

DSM is also a partner in the four-year EU-sponsored ENLIGHT project, which also includes several car companies and which aims to accelerate the technological development of materials capable of cutting weight and overall carbon footprint in medium-to-high volume next-generation electric vehicles. DSM further shows its strong commitment to the development of advanced thermoplastic composites by being one of the founding partners in AZL, the Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production. www.ecopaxx.com

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Automotive

Bio-PPA to replace metal & rubber

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ilsanÂŽ HT, the first flexible thermoplastic from the polyphthalamide (PPA) family available on the market, combines high temperature resistance with flexibility. Rilsan HT, made by Arkema (Colombes, France) is therefore filling a gap in the high heat resistant and flexible polymers as the inherent brittleness of classical PPA and other high-temperature thermoplastics has restricted their use to mainly rigid components and injection moulded parts.

These characteristics make it aptly suited to replace metal and rubber in under-the-hood tubing applications. Weighing only a sixth of steel and a third of aluminium, it therefore helps reduce the weight of vehicles, their fuel consumption and their overall emission output (CO2, CO, NOx, HC) – all at reduced cost compared to classical metal tubing or rubber hoses assembly.

The impressive performance of Rilsan HT is further enhanced by environmental benefits. Rilsan HT is a durable high-temperature thermoplastic derived largely from renewable non-food-crop vegetable feedstock, thus offering a significant reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional petroleum-based high-temperature plastics and a reduced dependence on oil resources. Rilsan HT resin features a renewable carbon content of up to 70%, naturally fitting into the ecodesign concepts of many OEMs.

Fig. 1 and 2: Rilsan HT flexible tubing in the engine compartment (top: exhaust gas recirculation system, bottom: blow by Line)

Typical examples of use where Rilsan HT has established itself successfully to replace metal and rubber in flexible engine compartment tubing include the oil transport, blow by and control of exhaust gas recirculation.

Thanks to its excellent hydrolysis resistance, Rilsan HT has been also recently successfully used in the most challenging application for polyamides, the aqueous media management, in the engine cooling and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) circuit where the material needs to withstand the hydrolysis attack at temperatures of the engine compartment.

Cooling lines, until today, have been limited to the use of metal and rubber due to the lack of flexible thermoplastic materials with sufficient hydrolysis resistance at high temperatures. Now, Rilsan HT has been chosen for engine cooling lines, providing significant weight reduction versus metal-rubber assemblies.

With the new Euro 6 emission regulation which will come into force next year, SCR becomes a crucial part of diesel engines and thereby AdblueÂŽ tubing for SCR. The combination of resistance to aqueous Adblue solution with thermal aging tubing when close to the engine, is a challenge that Rilsan HT has proven to take.

Finally, when temperature demands go extreme, Arkema has developed a new Rilsan HT grade specially designed for excellent hydrolysis stability at even higher temperatures.

Now, cost-effective manufacturing of light-weight flexible tubing for even most challenging under-the-hood tubing applications is possible.

Fig. 3: Rilsan HT flexible tubing for engine cooling lines

www.rilsanht.com

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People Report

Recycling of PLA for By: Christian Hopmann Sebastian Schippers

Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University Aachen, Germany

I

n cooperation with two Belgian Institutes (Celabor of Herve, and Flanders’ PlasticVision Kortrijk) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability (LBF) in Darmstadt, Germany, the Institute of Plastic Processing (IKV), Aachen, analyses the recycling of PLA in flat film extrusion.

The focus is on the evaluation of relevant packaging properties such as permeability and mechanical properties as well as the chemical structure (molecular weight) during various recycling routes. Preparation of internal PLA waste by means of crystallisation and drying is also included in the scope of the research. In this article the recycling with varying percentages of recycled PET, and the multiple recycling of films, is reviewed. Mechanical as well as chemical properties are evaluated.

The extrusion trials are carried out on a 60 mm single screw extruder (L=38 D) and a calender stack. The extrusion line is equipped with a melt pump and a 400 mm flat film die. Additionally, a bypass-rheometer is included. Films produced from virgin PLA (Ingeo 2003D, Nature Works) are used for recycling.

A shredder processes these films to flakes which are subsequently used as r-PLA (recycled PLA). The twin screw extruder ZSK26MC (Coperion) is combined with a water quenching system and a strand pelletizer unit. It is used to convert the flakes back to granules.

Fig. 3: Fractions of multiple recycled material during continuous production with constant recycling rates

6%

2% 1%

The molecular weights shown are in a narrow range. To be able to detect any effect of a narrow variation of the molecular weight it is necessary to measure a test series with different films in the same GPC series, which is done here.

21%

In general, the molecular weight loss is low and due to deviations in the GPC measurements small effects are hardly significant. Virgin PLA loses molecular weight when processed to film. The molecular weight loss is in the range of 9 %. The molecular loss occurs due to the thermal and thermooxidative degradation which is inevitable during extrusion, especially for polycondensates like PLA.

Recycling of 30% waste

70%

5%

2% 2%

Virgin PLA 1 2 3 4 5+

11%

Recycling of 45% waste

25% 55%

22

The typical recycling route of converters includes shredding, crystallising, drying, re-granulation and reprocessing of the recycled waste to a new product.

To prevent a high level of down-cycling typically the waste is not reprocessed at 100 %. Instead it is reprocessed with a defined recycled content. Depending on the packaging application, the recycling content may be up to 50 % of internal production waste. The molecular weight of different processing steps measured by GPC (Gel permeation chromatography) is shown in Fig. 1.

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The film made of virgin PLA is milled into flakes and processed to granules by means of a twin screw extruder. Granules are advantageous since the material transport in pipes and dosing units, for example, is easier. Additionally, the process behaviour in the extruder during plastification is better. The melting process is more homogeneous than the melting of flakes since the geometry of the granules is similar to the geometry of the virgin PLA granules. During granulation in the twin screw extruder a marginal molecular weight loss is measured, which is a result of the additional processing step.

During the subsequent reprocessing to new films with varying percentages of recycled PLA the molecular weight loss is low again. The difference between recycling quotas up to 45 % and film made from virgin PLA is very small. It accounts for less than 3 % during the recycling of 45 % r-PLA. The effect upon

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packaging applications the film properties is negligible. Only the processing of 100 % r-PLA leads to a higher molecular weight loss in comparison with the molecular weight of the film made by virgin PLA. A loss of approx. 5 % occurs.

The drop in the Young´s modulus accounts for nearly 8 %.

The chain scission, which is due to the down-cycling of the PLA, leads to a lower tensile strength and a lower ductility.

As a result the Young´s modulus decreases.

During continuous recycling a decreasing amount of material runs multiple times through the extrusion equipment. To evaluate this influence on the PLA it is recycled to 100 % for a multiple of times. This leads to a higher degradation which enables the easier detection of the effects. The fraction of multiple recycled material decreases exponentially with increasing recycling steps. Fig 3. shows, as examples, the fractions for a continuous recycling rate of 30 % and 45 %.

Weight average molecular weight [kg/mol]

The same effect can be seen for the mechanical properties.

Fig. 2 shows the Young’s modulus in a transverse direction (TD) for film with varying recycling content.

220 210 200 190 180

Virgin PLA

Film Granules made of virgin PLA

10% r-PLA

30% r-PLA

45% r-PLA

100% r-PLA

Fig. 1: Molecular weight at different process stages during recycling

The overall loss of the molecular weight over 7 extrusion steps accounts for 17 % percent. A loss of 17 % is relatively little, especially when taking into account that less than 2 % of 5 times recycled PLA will be in a product which is continuously produced with 45 % r-PLA. The Young’s Modulus in machine (MD) as well as in transverse (TD) direction and the results of the dart drop tests of PLA processed 1, 3 and 7 times are shown in Fig. 5.

1850 1800 1750 1700 1650 1600 1550 1500

Film made of virgin PLA

10% r-PLA

45% r-PLA

100% r-PLA

Fig. 2: Young’s modulus in transverse direction of film with varying recycling quotas

240

2200

230

2000

220

1800

210

1600

200

1400

190

1200

180

Virgin PLA

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Viscosity [Pas]

A continuous decrease in both values can be seen. The increase in step 5 is the result of the blending of two different batches. R-PLA which is processed in two different trial series is mixed here. Both batches have been processed four times prior to mixing. The blending is necessary since a high amount of r-PLA is needed for the trials, which cannot be prepared in one test series. Due to start-up waste the amount of r-PLA is reduced at every step and the volume of the drying equipment is limited. The increase is visible in the molecular weight as well as in the viscosity, and other properties.

Weight average molecular weight [kg/mol]

Fig. 4 summarises the molecular weight and the viscosity (measured by the bypass rheometer) of multiple processed films. After each extrusion step the film is shredded to flakes and dried to below 250 ppm as recommended by the PLA supplier. Following this it is reprocessed to 100 %. The reprocessing in this way is repeated 6 times.

Young‘s modulus TD [MPa]

Even for a recycling rate of 45 % the fraction of material which is recycled 3 times and more is often very low.

1000

Number of extrusion steps [-] Molecular weight | Average viscosity

Fig. 4: Molecular weight and viscosity of multipleprocessed PLA films

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2000

500

1900

450

1800

400

1700

350

1600

300

1500

250

1400

200

1300

150

1200

100

1100

50

1000

0

1

3

7

Number of extrusion steps [-] Young’s Modulus (MD) | Young’s Modulus (TD) | Dart drop

Fig. 5: Young’s Modulus and dart drop of multiple processed PLA

Number of extrusion steps Degree of crystallinity [%]

1

3

7

1.2

2

2.7

Table 1: Degree of crystallinity for multiple extruded PLA films measured by DSC

Impact failure weight [g]

Young’s Modulus [MPa]

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The Young’s Modulus of the film increases with the number of extrusion steps. A growth of 5 % in both directions (TD and MD) is achieved between processing steps 1 and 7. The impact failure weight as a result of the dart drop test is increased, too. This is due to a higher degree of crystallinity of the film. Unlike the results of the recycling with varying recycling quotas the molecular weight loss of the 3 times (10 %) and 7 times (17 %) recycled PLA is higher.

A low average chain length (molecular weight) enables the polymer to crystallise more during the solidifying on the calender stack. This is well covered in published literature [1]. The degree of crystallinity is shown in table 1.

The higher crystallinity increases the mechanical properties (Young’s Modulus). Since the increase in crystallinity is little, the overall effect on the mechanical properties is marginal. The crystallinity between steps 3 and 7 does not change much. The mechanical properties remain almost constant. Chain scission through degradation compensates for the effect of crystallisation.

With regard to further decreasing of the molecular weight the dart drop resistance decreases slightly.

Conclusion The investigations into the recycling of PLA show that the industrial recycling of PLA is possible with a low loss of film properties. Because of the hygroscopicity and the hydrolysis of PLA the drying of r-PLA is necessary. The reprocessing with a recycling quota of up to 45 % leads to a marginal degradation of the PLA. The molecular weight drops around 3 % and the mechanical properties decrease by 8 %.

Multiple recycling shows the long term behaviour of material which stays in the process over multiple recycling steps during continuous recycling. A low decrease of the molecular weight below 20 % of a 7 times extruded film can be found. This degradation can be ignored. Especially, when taking into account that during the continuous recycling only a small amount stays for 5 or more cycles in the process. The effect of the lower molecular weight affects the degree of crystallinity. This has a bigger effect on the properties than the achieved molecular weight loss. The mechanical properties of multiple recycled films are slightly increased with nearly constant elongation properties. The thermoforming behaviour is slightly decreased due to a higher crystallinity haze and clarity increase.

References: [1] THRONE, J.; BEINE, J.: Thermoformen.

Munich, Vienna: Carl Hanser Verlag, 1999 www.ikv-aachen.de

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The research project 44 EN of the “Forschungsvereinigung Kunststoffverarbeitung” has been sponsored as part of the “Collective Research Networking“ (Cornet) by the German ministry for technology and commerce (BMWi) following an act of the German parliament through the AiF. We would like to extend our thanks to all organizations mentioned.

Applications

New bioplastic applications in windows

M

ore and more architects and clients are demanding new, ecologically viable products which have maximum potential for reducing CO2 and conserving natural resources. With its green generation of products, German window and façade expert Schüco from Bielefeld is addressing the issue of finding potential alternative materials for petroleum based plastics.

Schüco Window AWS 90.SI+ Green (photo: Schüco International KG)

3

The FW 50+.SI Green façade system and the AWS 90.SI+ Green aluminium window system integrate components such as insulating bars, gaskets and pressure plates with a proportion of renewable materials.

This development is possible in part due to the use of partly biobased polyamide (made using sebacic acid generated from castor oil), that forms the basis for the pressure plates of the FW 50+.SI Green façade system and for the green insulating bars which are integrated into the Schüco AWS 90.SI+ Green window system.

The castor oil is even used for the foam of these insulating bars.

Schüco is also making a marketing contribution for the transfer of biotechnology for gaskets in both of these profile systems, by using EPDM (synthetic rubber) made from sugar cane based bio-ethanol.

The same standards apply to all these materials: an initial and then annual inspection by an independent certification process (DIN CERTCO, 14C analysis) guarantees that the proportion of renewable raw materials strived for is also achieved. With the Schüco AWS 90.SI+ Green and Schüco FW 50+.SI Green system enhancements, the company is combining the approved use of renewable raw materials with thermal insulation to passive house level and above.

The FW 50+.SI Green façade system meets the strict passive house certification criteria set by the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt and has been certified as passive house standard since BAU 2013 (building and construction trade fair in Munich/Germany).

1 2

1 2

1: Insulating bars: Bio-Polyamide Bio-content (14C): > 25 % 2: Insulating zone: Biobased PUR-foam Bio-content (14C): > 25 % 3: Glass rebate gasket: Bio-EPDM Bio-content (14C): > 20 %

Schüco Façade FW 50+.SI Green (photo: Schüco International KG)

2 2

Combination of sustainability and energy efficiency Thermal insulation is the primary decisive factor in the energy revolution. Many local authorities have already pledged to implement thermal insulation to passive house level as standard when constructing new public buildings. The Schüco Green window and façade systems fulfil precisely these requirements. Both constructions combine the advantages of durable aluminium with thermal insulation to passive house standard, thereby conserving natural resources and reducing CO2 emissions. Equipped with plastics containing a significant proportion of renewable raw materials, these windows and façades now make a double contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases, since they have a lower potential for global warming. This means that using renewable raw materials releases fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere during manufacturing and it also conserves natural resources. MT

1

1: Contact pressure profile: BIO-Polyamide Bio-content (14C): > 25 % 2: Glass rebate gaskets: BIO-EPDM Bio-content (14C): > 20 % System achieves level of „Passivhausniveau“ Ucw ≤ 0,80 W/m²K

www.schueco.de/aws-90si-plus-green-en

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

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People Cover Story

PLA foam protects ice cream By: Michael Thielen

S

andro Zandonella, and his ancestors of the Zandonella family, have produced and sold gourmet ice cream for four generations - not in Italy, as the name would suggest, but in Landau, Germany. The ice cream specialties are not only sold in their local ice cream parlours but are also available in single-serve and multi packs, as well as in household size containers. Zandonella have recently introduced their new brand Sandro’s Bio with an exceptional natural taste, as Sandro Zandonella, Managing Director and inventor of Sandro’s Bio explains. The flavour line comprises classics such as chocolate or vanilla, cocktail types like Piña Colada as well as the very trendy vegan sorbet specialties. All these products are made with biological1 or organic1 ingredients grown locally in the vicinity of their company. “Zandonella is proud that the gourmet quality of their ice cream has been frequently confirmed in blind taste tests,” says Werner Oelschlaeger, Managing Partner of Zandonella. “We are always happy to invite new testers to compare our products with other ice creams, which is always a fun day…,” he adds.

PLA BioFoam® And what is it, which makes Sandro’s Bio unique? “This product is the first ice cream, worldwide, to be packed in

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

PLA BioFoam made by Synprodo,” explains Mr. Oelschlager.

This PLA particle foam is comparable to EPS (expanded polystyrene particle foam, sometimes also referred to as Styropor®). BioFoam is made from non-GMO crops, notably sugar cane. It is also compostable in industrial composting facilities, where a respective infrastructure is available. The ecological advantages of this packaging material are in line with the advantages concerning the deep-freeze-logistics and customer convenience, i.e. the ice cream can retain its deep-freeze temperature about one hour even in a warm environment, such as inside a sun-heated car.

The first packaging product for Sandro’s Bio ice-cream made from BioFoam is a half litre household size container.

In order to ensure maximum product safety, and not only with respect to the temperature, the whole packaging product is rather complex. The insulating outer box and lid are made from BioFoam. In addition a thermoformed inlay made of PLA and a PLA lidding film are used. Then the pack is wrapped in shrink film and an outer sleeve made of paper. It is the declared aim of Zandonella to replace even the shrink film and the sleeve by bioplastic materials by the end of this year.

Werner Oelschlaeger, himself quite interested in environmental issues since his university times, explains to bioplastics MAGAZINE Zandonella’s motivation for using BioFoam: “One reason was some critical comments from our customers concerning the use of polystyrene. In addition to the fossil resources there is pentane being used as a blowing agent,” he says. “BioFoam gives us the unique position of using a packaging product that, just like expanded polystyrene before it, allows the ice cream to be kept safe and cold, but which is made from renewable resources and with CO2 as a blowing agent.” For Oelschlaeger it is important that the agricultural products which are used for their packaging do not compete with food.

Foam

Sandro Zandonella with a farmer in his local area

During the development of the PLA packaging system, which was performed in a rather tight time-frame, some challenges had to be faced and solved. For example an existing mould, previously being used for the EPS version, could not be used, due to different wall thickness requirements. Together with Synprodo (Wijchen, The Netherlands) and even assisted by the expertise of the bio-packaging specialist Bio4Pack from Rheine/Germany, all problems were solved in time, so that a launch of the product at the BioFach trade fair in February in Nuremburg/Germany became an achievable goal.

Come and see the BioFoam-ice cream packaging and taste the delicious ice cream at BioFach (12-14. Feb., Nuremberg/Germany) Hall 9 – booth 326

End of Life As an end-of-life scenario of the new Sandro’s Bio PLA foam packaging the company pursues different approaches. Of course all bioplastic parts of the packaging are compostable and even the whole system (foamed box, liner and lid-film) will be certified compostable according to EN 13432. Thus in areas where the respective infrastructure of bio-waste collection and commercial composting is available, a cradleto-cradle closed loop is the perfect solution. In countries such as Germany, where currently only bio-waste bags are allowed in the bio-waste collection bins, a source-separation into the yellow bins/bags-system is the most reasonable approach.

Here the biobased plastics will end up in a waste-to-energy recycling process and renewable energy can be exploited.

Since the plants have sequestered the same amount of CO2 from the atmosphere as is being exhausted during incineration, this also is a closed loop. And certainly, as soon as sufficient PLA ends up in the waste stream, it should be separated and recycled into PLA or lactic acid again. The only thing that is being considered a No-go is littering. And this should certainly be communicated to the end consumers.

1: Both words by the way are not exactly “precise“ terms to describe, what is really meant here. Unfortunately in many countries these expressions are being used to describe products that are produced on a “as much as possible” natural way, without using pesticides, fertilizers or even genetically modified organisms. MT

www.sandros-bio.de www.synprodo.com www.bio4pack.com

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Foam

Foam grade PBAT

J

inhui ZhaoLong High Tech Co.Ltd is located at Shanxi Province, China with an annual PBAT (polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate) production capacity of 20,000 tonnes. Jinhui is using a one step ring-opening polymerization technology and started PBAT production in July 2013. A compostability test (according to EN 13432) was completed at Beijing Technology and Business University. The products will obtain DIN-Certco certification (EN 13432) in March 2014. FDA certification for food contact is also available.

Foam products are widely used in packing industry because of high impact absorption rate, low density, high specific strength, high heat and sound insulation abilities.

Conventional plastic foam products not only may have isocyanate residue problem (in the case of polyurethane), they are quite difficult to re-collect or re-use due to their bulky volume. In order to avoid white pollution, there is a strong market demand for biodegradable foam products.

Drive Innovation Become a Member

In many cases biodegradable plastic foam products show a low melt flow rate resulting at low expansion ratio as well as a low yield ratio (broken foam bubbles).

Jinhui is offering a foam grade PBAT resin which offers an expansion ratio of around factor 10 using carbon dioxide as a foaming agent. The foam products have a density between 0.13 g/cm3 to 0.2 g/cm3, foam bubble diameters below 20 μm and a resilience of more than 80%.

Jinhui’s marketing strategy is focused on excellent consulting and after sales service. Their foam grade PBAT customers will benefit from on-site technical support at no extra cost as well as unique customer tailor-made solution. As an example, by adding a nucleating agent the degree of crystallization can be increased to obtain a higher impact resistance surface in order to meet the customer’s exact requirements. MT www.ecoworld.jinhuigroup.com

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

Foam

Mushroom packaging

A

bout a year and a half ago Sealed Air Corporation (Elmwood Park, New Jersey, USA) and Ecovative Design LLC (Green Island, New York) completed an agreement about the production, sales and distribution of Ecovative’s EcoCradle® Mushroom® Packaging, a unique technology for environmentally responsible packaging materials made from agricultural byproducts and mycelium, or mushroom roots.

As part of the agreement, Sealed Air would be the exclusive licensee of Ecovative’s mycelium based material technology in North America and Europe for protective packaging applications.

Sealed Air and Ecovative developed together plans for sales and marketing as well as the augmentation of production capabilities.

Just recently, end of 2013, Sealed air started production in a converted facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

www.sealedair.com www.ecovativedesign.com www.mushroompackaging.com References: [1] Plastics News online, Nov. 12, 2013 [2] The Guardian online, Oct. 22, 2013

The packaging material — albeit not exactly a bioplastic — can replace conventional plastic foams, such as those made from polystyrene, polyethylene or polypropylene. It is made by inoculating agricultural waste, that can be anything from corn husks, rice hulls to chopped up plant stocks with fungal mycelia. The mycelia grow extensively to form an intricate, interwoven network as they feed on the substrate. The composite is then heated to kill the mycelia and fuse the mass into a rigid, plastic-like substance. The properties of the material can be tailored by varying the organic substrate and type of fungus to grow in it. Target markets include protective packaging, automotive components, construction materials, shoes and floral foam [1].

There are several problems with polystyrene foams, Ecovative CEO Eben Bayer said. Polystyrene is made from oil, a limited resource with a fluctuating price, in a process that uses a lot of energy. And plastic packaging, which typically ends up getting thrown away, takes a very long time to degrade – and finds its way to oceans and beaches around the world. By contrast, he said, Mushroom Packaging, is renewable and biodegradable, and made from crop waste bought from farmers, providing them with additional income [2].

Info: watch video clip at bit.ly/LjWfm2

Examples for protective packaging are a wine-botttle box or protective corners for (e.g.) household appliances. Other applications for Ecovative’s Mushroom materials include insulating panels in building and construction, surf boards and much more. MT

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

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People Report

Reinventing waste as a resource

bi

op

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l a s ti

cs M A G

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2013

Bacteria and biopolymers key players in innovative hospital waste management system

AZ

IN

By: Karen Laird

D

ue to the specific nature of health care activities, waste management in hospital environments poses problems not encountered elsewhere. In most hospitals, therefore, elaborate procedures have been put in place to ensure that the health-care waste they produce is appropriately managed. However, even with the strictest of segregation, transport and disposal regulations in force, cross-contamination and errors occur. Pharmafilter is a young Dutch company offering a new and innovative approach that completely eliminates these problems. At the heart of its solution is an anaerobic digester; over time, biopolymers will become a major source of digestible input material.

Health-care waste includes a large component of general waste and a smaller proportion of hazardous waste. According to Eduardo van den Berg, director of Pharmafilter, one of the main problems is where to draw the line between the two. “In hospitals, waste is managed by segregating it, which creates a great many separate waste streams. We found that fully one-third of all movement in hospitals is related to waste. A lot of effort, for example, goes into carefully separating all the infectious waste from the general waste.” He added: “But then, if a patient - the source of the infection – uses a bedpan or goes to the toilet, that is infectious waste that goes directly into the sewer.”

Down the drain Van den Berg is a creative thinker with a proven track record and experience in health-care settings. An earlier idea – the development of a hygienic, environmentally friendly, disposable vase for hospital flowers – had been successfully introduced in hospitals throughout the Netherlands and Germany. He was convinced that there had to be a safer, cleaner and especially, a more efficient approach to the transport, handling and treatment of the health-care waste produced in hospitals. So when he was approached by Reinier de Graaf hospital, in Delft, the Netherlands, who asked him to help devise a modern, safe and efficient waste management system for the new facilities that were being planned, he came up with an solution that was both impressively simple and remarkably effective.

www.pharmafilter.nl

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

“I thought, why not simply treat all the waste produced as biohazardous waste? Then, instead of separating everything for segregated disposal, all the waste streams could be combined into a single stream, disposed of in a single contaminated area and processed all together,” he explained.

How? “Simply by using the hospital’s existing sewage system.”

Report

Using the hospital’s internal drainage system would greatly decrease the amount of waste being transported through the hospital, thus considerably reducing the number of contact moments and contamination risks. In a purely practical sense, it would have the added advantage that far less use would be made of the elevators, reducing the waiting time for them, as well.

First, however, a safe and workable system for implementation needed to be devised. “Obviously, because the municipality it not equipped to handle contaminated waste through the sewage system, some kind of self-contained treatment facility would be needed on site to process this waste. This was the start of Pharmafilter,” said Van den Berg.

In 2008, the first Pharmafilter pilot plant was built, in order to test the feasibility of the idea and the configuration of the installation developed by Van den Berg. This pilot facility operated on a 10% scale at Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis in Delft and proved such a success that a full-scale system was installed in the existing H-building, which went on stream in the autumn of 2010.

And today, construction of the new hospital facilities in Delft is in full swing, together with the integrated new Pharmafilter installation that will be ready for operation from day one.

The new waste disposal system has also attracted attention from other hospitals as well, both in the Netherlands and abroad. Pharmafilter currently has 10 more projects for similar systems with hospitals in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Powered by bacteria Standing in one of the containers housing the Pharmafilter installation, Van den Berg called attention to the fact that there was no odor – nothing at all – even though underneath the floor all the waste from the hospital was going through a giant sieve to separate the solids from the water.

“On all the wards, where the bedpan washers used to be, and in the operating rooms and other strategic locations,

we’ve installed shredders, called Tontos, into which all waste is deposited, including food, sharps, disposables, human organic waste, plastic, paper, whatever. The self-cleaning Tonto unit grinds up the waste, adds water and delivers it via the hospital’s internal sewer system to where we are standing, together with the waste water from showers, washbasins and toilets,” explains Van den Berg. “We purify the air of all aerosols and possible pathogens, so there’s no smell or danger of contamination at all.”

After sieving, the solids – metals, plastics, feces, food are ground into pulp, suctioned into the hydrolysis unit and then fed into the anaerobic digester. Here, the organic waste, including all bioplastics, is digested by the bacteria in this unit, a process that takes around thirty days and occurs at a temperature of 60°C. The biogas produced in the process meets 65-70% of the power needs of the installation.

The non-digestible remainder is largely decontaminated during the process as well, but is nonetheless treated at 100°C prior to being compressed and further processed into briquettes that for instance can serve as fuel in the cement industry. Van den Berg hopes that, as the volumes increase, it will be possible to separate the metals and conventional non-digestable plastics out for recycling in order to achieve a true end-of-life cycle closed loop.

No more pharmaceutical pollution The wastewater, which next to all else contains high amounts of pharmaceutical substances, from cardiovascular medicines to X-ray contrast fluids, undergoes rigorous purification treatment, as well. The water from the sewagesieving step and from the digester is first fed through a membrane bioreactor equipped with ultrafiltration membranes, where bacteria are responsible for nitrogen and phosphate removal and most of the contaminants are eliminated. Next, ozone is introduced into the water to get rid of any color, micro particles of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals remaining. The ozone causes chain scission into basic elements and metabolites. “After the ozone treatment, an

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Report

active carbon step is carried out to filter out any toxic residue. We buffer the water, subject it to UV light and then reuse it,” says Van den Berg. “It’s a closed loop. It’s led to the hospital using 70% less drinking water.”

He added: “Actually, this water is cleaner than drinking water – the amount of microcontaminants it contains is under the detection limit. Our process eliminates residual pharmaceuticals far better than the water purification plants do. However, it can’t be used as drinking water due to legal restrictions. It may be used as process water, though, and in the new building, the infrastructure is being put in place, so that there it will be used for everything except drinking purposes.”

In fact, at the current Delft facility, the purified water is used to fill a fish aquarium, in which numerous goldfish are happily swimming around. Once a month, a fish is caught and thoroughly examined for any sign of problems..

Biopolymers hold the future A key element in the Pharmafilter concept is the replacement of the use of conventional hospital supplies by products made of biopolymers, as, next to providing a “green” alternative to conventional materials, these will serve to increase the amount of digestible organic matter, allowing the installation to produce more biogas and become a truly closed-loop system.

According to Van den Berg, the hospitals are ready to embrace the use of biopolymers.

Already, a list of over 200 products eligible for replacement by bioplastic alternatives has been compiled, opening up exciting possibilities for a host of new bioplastic applications.

It will take time, however. Pharmafilter is investigating the possibilities of developing the new products itself, as manufacturers are generally reluctant to invest in unproven products with uncertain volumes. Van den Berg: “It’s a chicken and the egg situation. So we are currently experimenting with different blends of PHA and PLA to develop these products ourselves.

What’s important is their digestibility. PLA is not anaerobically degradable, although in a blend, in a certain proportion, we have found that with the Pharmafilter patented system the bacteria will handle these blends.” and how this is achieved is Pharmafilters proprietary knowledge.”

Already, PHA and starch-based bioplastics have been shown to be easily digestible in the digester. “Traditional metal bedpans have already been replaced by the bioplastic Olla, made of PHA,” noted Van den Berg. “It was designed for patient comfort, comes with an airtight lid and fits easily into the Tonto.” Prior to the introduction of the disposable bedpans, it was not uncommon for the (used) bedpans to pile up in the bedpan washer station because they could not be cleaned fast enough. “Imagine the smell,” he added.

Other products include catheters, urinals and urine collection bags, with many others, such as serviceware, containers and trash bags, due to be introduced in the near future.

But: “What we’re really looking forward to is the development of bioplastic incontinence material and diapers,” said Van den Berg. “It’s already a disposable. The volumes are huge.

It’s a perfect product for us.”

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People Report

Facts on land use for old and new biobased plastics 0.18 ha

0.16 ha

0.37 ha

By:

Step 3

Methodology of land use calculation – using the example of PLA

Hans-Josef Endres and co-workers

1.04 ha

IfBB - Institute for bioplastics and Biocomposites Step 2

Sugar beet

Sugar cane

Corn

Wheat

9.19 t

11.31 t

2.39 t

3.54 t

ferment. Sugar

Fermentation

1.67 t CO2 H2O

H2O Enzymes

Lactic Acid*

Catalyst

H2O Dextrins

Hydrolysis Glucose

1.25 t Dehydration

C

Starch

1.47 t

1.47 t H2O

CO2 H2O

Fermentation

Lactide

Lactic Acid*

1.00 t

1.25 t

Polymerization

Dehydration

PLA

Lactide

1.00 t

1.00 t Catalyst

Step 1

H2O

Polymerization PLA

* Conversion Rates Sugar – Lactic Acid 85%

Hanover, Germany

1.00 t

urrent discussions on land use requirements for bioplastics, or of the amount of renewable resources needed, are often centered on rather irrational estimates and groundless reservations. To counteract the widespread scepticism towards bioplastics and return to a more fact-based debate, the following contribution is made to show the relevant data on current and future land use for bioplastics and to support these data by drawing various comparisons.

The mass flows were first calculated using a molar method based on the chemical process, with the introduction of known rates and conversion factors. The routes so established were confirmed with polymer manufacturers and the industry generally as far as possible. In so far as no loss rates due to the chemical processes or the process stages were included, the calculations were made basically assuming no losses.

Step 3: To calculate land use in this bottom-up approach, the producer-specific productioncapacities of a type of bioplastics were multiplied by the output data of the corresponding process routes Step 2: Feedstock requirements were calculated for the use of different crops.

For final land use calculation only the most common used crop was taken into consideration. Yield data from FAO statistics served as a basis for calculation (global, nonweighted, average over the past 10 years).

The mass flows differ depending on which of the following two aspects is considered: feedstock and/or land use requirements for the production of one metric ton of bioplastics, bioplastics output from one metric ton of feedstock, or per hectare or square kilometre.

Step 1: Process routes show the manufacturing steps involved from the raw material to the finished product, specifying the individual process steps, intermediate products, and input-output streams.

Bioplastics production capacities 2012 (by material type)

56.6%** 43.4%

Biobased/non-biodegradable

1.1 %

PLA

13.7 % Biodegradable polyester

Bio-PA

Bio-PE

Biobased/non-biodegradable

13.4 %

2.4 % 14.3 %

83.8%*

Biodegradable

Other (biobased/ non-biodegradable)

in % total: 1.4 million tonnes

11.4 % Biodegradable starch blends

38.8 %

2.4 %

Bio-PET 30

PHA

2.0 % Regenerated cellulose* * Only hydrated cellulose foils ** Comprises drop-in solutions and technical performance polymers

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

Bioplastics production capacities 2017 (by material type)

2.0 % Other (biodegradable)

16.2%

Biodegradable

1.6%

13.4 %

Other (biobased/ non-biodegradable)

PLA

6.9%

1.4%

PLA

Bio-PA

4.4% Bio-PE

in % total: 6.2 million tonnes

76.4% Bio-PET 30

3.6% Biodegradable polyester

2.7% Biodegradable starch blends

2.4% PHA

* Comprises drop-in solutions and technical performance polymers Source European Bioplastics / Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (December 2013)

0.6% Other (biodegradable)

Report The importance of transparency for generating clear-cut estimates of land use Two sources of information served as a basis for an accurate estimate of land use. First, the production process of various biobased plastics including their feedstock conversion rates for individual process steps, and second, official data on agricultural yields as feedstock. See the example of PLA, as shown in Fig.1.

When considering these process routes and the respective market volumes of the various bioplastics, the feedstock and land use requirements for these bioplastics can be derived in a clear and understandable way.

Defining the scope of biopolymer materials under consideration Another essential aspect in the discussion is to clarify, or concretize, which biobased materials are considered and in particular also which ones are excluded.

For example, do the data for land use or feedstock refer to the resources required specifically for new types of bioplastics, i.e., those developed within the last 20 - 30 years (New Economy)? What about traditional biopolymers such as cellulose derivatives (cellulose acetate, cellophane, etc.), rubber, linoleum, etc. (Old Economy) – are they also considered?

Are ready-to-use polymers the only ones covered?

What about biobased polymer raw materials (bio-acids, alcohols, etc.) and functional oligomers or other polymers (plasticizers, etc.)?

If no clear distinction is made regarding whether certain materials are included or excluded, this will result in a wide spread of values and lack of clarity in the assessment of land use and resource consumption for bioplastics. Eventually, there will be confusion on all sides.

Resource consumption for biobased plastics: New Economy (2012 and 2017) When, based on these pre-considerations, New Economy bioplastics, with their annual production capacity of currently 1.4 million tonnes are taken into focus, and it turns out that their land use is as low as 0.4 million tonnes per hectare. This is equivalent to only 0.008 % of the global agricultural area (5 billion hectare) or 0,03 % of the global arable land (1.4 billion hectare) Even though global forecasts predict a rapidly growing market for these novel bioplastics in the next few years, the need for agricultural areas will be kept at a very low level.

While the market for new bioplastics has been growing by around 15 % annually during the last three years and a sustained growth is anticipated for the future it can be assumed that land use for New Economy bioplastics by 2017 (6.2 million tonnes), for example, will be as low as 0.02 % of the global agricultural area or less than 0.4 % of the arable land.

Regardless of the significant growth rates, it should be mentioned that the market share of these New Economy bioplastics is still hovering at less than 1 % of the global plastics market and is likely not to exceed 2 - 3 % in the near future.

Are biobased synthetic fibres, or even natural fibres, also included?

Are composites with biobased reinforcements (starch-filled polymers, natural-fibre reinforced composites, etc.) also covered?

Global production capacities of bioplastics

6,185

6,000

Chemically novel z.B. PLA, starch, PTT, PBS, PBAT Thermoplastics

„New Economy“

Petroleum based (and biodegradable)

5,000

Biodegradable (compostable)

4,000

Biobased „Drop-Ins“, e.g.

Bio-PE, Bio-PET, Bio-PA Thermoset resins Elastomers, TPE „Old Economy“ e.g. caoutchouc, Viscose, Linoleum, CA, Cellophane

1,000 metric t

Durable (and biobased)

Bio-Polymers

1,000

Biobased (partly or completely)

3,000 5,185

2,000 1,016

1,000

0

1,161

1,395

342

486

604

674

675

791

2010

2011

2012

2017

Biodegradable | Biobased/non-biodegradable| Total capacity Forecast

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

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Report Old and New Economy (2012 and 2017) In addition to these innovative and novel bioplastics, when considering the most important Old Economy bioplastics with their global production capacity of 17 million tonnes annually, it turns out that the share of New Economy bioplastics is 15 times lower, i.e. 7.5 % of the market volume of all biobased plastics (including the Old Economy bioplastics), with rising tendency.

By and large, Old and New Economy bioplastics (about 18.5 million tonnes) have a combined share of presently 6 - 7 % of the global plastics market. Taking into account the anticipated market growth, especially of New Economy bioplastics, over a 5-year period the market share of Old and New Economy bioplastics is expected to reach a maximum of 10 % of the global market for plastics within the next 5 years.

The corresponding land use of Old and New Economy bioplastics is currently at approximately 15.5 million hectares, which is equivalent to only 0.3 % of the global agricultural area or approximately 1% of the arable land.

Comparing these figures reveals that New Economy bioplastics, which tend to be the sole focus of interest in land use discussions, use up only 3 % of the area required for all biobased plastics combined.

Total substitution of all petro-based plastics by biobased plastics Even assuming, as a theory, that innovative biobased plastics would be introduced globally to fully substitute for the entire range of conventional petroleum-based plastics, this scenario would require just 1.5 - 2 % of the globally available agricultural area (approx. 5 billion hectares) or about 5 - 7 % of the currently available arable land (approx.

1.4 billion hectares).

Contrary to common belief, this indicates that, even in view of significant growth forecasts, bioplastics are not in competition with food production!

Old and New Economy Biopolymers PLA, PHA, PTT, PBAT, Starch blends, Drop-Ins (Bio-PE, Bio-PET, Bio-PA) and other 2 material use excl. paperindustry 3 calculations include linseedoil only 1

56.000 Linoleum3

Alternative utilisation of renewable resources: Energy-related utilisation of renewable resources In the past few years energy crops, which are grown as biomass for generating heat, fuels and electricity, were covering an area of 2 million hectares in Germany. This is equivalent to almost 17 % of the total arable land in Germany.

On the other hand, the cultivation of sugar, oil or starchbearing crops for material usage takes up a negligible area of 0.26 million hectares (2.1 % of the arable land) in Germany. On the other hand the German land use for biogas crops is nearly 1 million hectare. So it can be inferred that less than 50 % of the arable land used to grow corn for biogas production in Germany would currently be sufficient for the entire global production of bioplastics. To modify the example, German arable land for biogas production could be used to produce feedstock for 1.6 million tonnes of bio-PET. This means that almost 10 % of the global demand for PET (or more than 50 % of the European, and 350 % of the German demand), could be satisfied with the German biogas land use.

German bio-ethanol for global biobased PE production: 613,000 tonnes of bio-ethanol, the total amount generated from growing fodder cereals and industrial beets on around 250,000 hectares of German arable land, would suffice to produce 295,000 tonnes of bio-PE. This means that even with the German land use for bioethanol the current global demand for the biobased PE, of approximately 200,000 tonnes, would be over-satisfied.

To make things even more compelling, it is a fact that biobased plastics, even after multiple material usage, can still serve as an energy carrier. This means that additional crop lands, which are currently used for direct energy production, could be set aside for the production of bioplastics. Prior material usage of biomass, as in the case of bioplastics, still permits subsequent trouble-free energy recovery, whereas direct incineration of biomass (and also crude oil based products!) precludes an immediate

400.000 New Economy Biopolymers1

140.000 Linoleum3

1.395.000 New Economy Biopolymers1

2.900.000 Cellulose2

5.800.000 Global production capacity (t)

Global land use (ha)

12.000.000 Natural Rubber

10.978.000 Natural Rubber

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

Cellulose2

Report

subsequent material usage. In this case, furthermore arable land for plant cultivation is needed and consequently another photosynthesis process, in order to gain new resources once again as feedstock for material usage.

Starch consumption rate for the paper industry The starch consumption rate for the paper and board industry, for instance in Germany (2010 about 660.000 tonnes), would be enough to cover one third of the total amount of petro-based PET needed for the plastics processing industry in that country with a 100 % biobased PET. With a 30 % biobased PET even the whole German petro based PET could be substituted with the starch used for Paper and board industry in Germany.

Renewable resources instead of food waste 25 % of all food products bought in Germany remain unused and are discarded. This amounts to 6.6 million tonnes (approximately 80 kg per person) each year. Increased awareness and prudent food purchases would avoid these losses and lead to an extra gain of 2.4 million hectares of arable land in Germany alone. This is six times the area currently used for New Economy bioplastics. Given that avoidably taken up area was used to produce bioplastics instead, it could substitute more than two-thirds of Germany’s PE demand with Bio-PE. Regarding PET with this wasted area in case of 100 % biobased PET more than 20 % of global PET and in case of a 30 % biobased PET even almost 80 % of global PET, i.e. 12.9 million tonnes could be substituted.

(in numbers 100 million hectares) of the global arable area that is now blocked in favour of discarded food would be sufficient.

Against this background it seems entirely overstated to look at bioplastics - particulary the New Economy bioplastics - as the main cause or even a risk for food shortages! Plastic materials, including bioplastics, continue to make important contributions to improved transportation and storage of food products and help protect these from spoiling.

More information on the market for bioplastics – free of charge A comprehensive statistical database for bioplastics has been established by the IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts) and made available in 2013 via the Internet (see link in the box below). This platform provides free access to a wide range of information, including market figures, production capacities, regional distribution of bioplastics production, market shares for specific materials, detailed process routes for nearly all types of bioplastics, including conversion rates for the various process steps as well as feedstock and land use requirements, comparisons of area and feedstock efficiency, future forecasts, and more. Unrestricted access, free of charge, is provided via the Internet. All graphics and charts can be downloaded for free and used according to the copyright notice. www.ifbb-hannover.de

Furthermore much less than 0.1 % of the global agricultural land taken up for producing discarded food (ca. 1.4 billion hectares according to FAO), would suffice to cover the current total production of New Economy bioplastics. Even when relating this context to the aforementioned maximum scenario of substituting biobased plastics for all petroleum based plastics, it can be reasonably calculated that around 7 %

100 %

Global land area 13,4 billion ha

Global agricultural area 5 billion ha

37 % 10 % land Arable

1,4 billion ha 0,9 %

0,003 %

Arable land 1,4 billion ha

The database, with statistics, can be found at: www.downloads.ifbb-hannover.de

Material Use 0,12 billion ha

Bioplastics 0,00004 billion ha

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

37

Basics

Glossary 3.2

last update issue 02/2013

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

Since this Glossary will not be printed in each issue you can download a pdf version from our website (bit.ly/OunBB0) bioplastics MAGAZINE is grateful to European Bioplastics for the permission to use parts of their Glossary (see [1]) Readers who would like to suggest better or other explanations to be added to the list, please contact the editor. [*: bM ... refers to more comprehensive article previously published in bioplastics MAGAZINE)

Bioplastics (as defined by European Bioplastics e.V.) is a term used to define two different kinds of plastics: a. Plastics based on → renewable resources (the focus is the origin of the raw material used). These can be biodegradable or not. b. → Biodegradable and → compostable plastics according to EN13432 or similar standards (the focus is the compostability of the final product; biodegradable and compostable plastics can be based on renewable (biobased) and/or non-renewable (fossil) resources).

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

Aerobic - anaerobic | aerobic = in the presence of oxygen (e.g. in composting) | anaerobic = without oxygen being present (e.g. in biogasification, anaerobic digestion) [bM 06/09]

Anaerobic digestion | conversion of organic waste into bio-gas. Other than in → composting in anaerobic degradation there is no oxygen present. In bio-gas plants for example, this type of degradation leads to the production of methane that can be captured in a controlled way and used for energy generation.

[14] [bM 06/09] Amorphous | non-crystalline, glassy with unordered lattice Amylopectin | Polymeric branched starch molecule with very high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is → Glucose) [bM 05/09]

Amylose | Polymeric non-branched starch molecule with high molecular weight (biopolymer, monomer is → Glucose) [bM 05/09] Biobased plastic/polymer | A plastic/polymer in which constitutional units are totally or in part from → biomass [3]. If this claim is used, a percentage should always be given to which extent the product/material is → biobased [1] [bM 01/07, bM 03/10]

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

Biobased | The term biobased describes the part of a material or product that is stemming from → biomass. When making a biobasedclaim, the unit (→ biobased carbon content, → biobased mass content), a percentage and the measuring method should be clearly stated [1] Biobased carbon | carbon contained in or stemming from → biomass. A material or product made of fossil and → renewable resources contains fossil and → biobased carbon.

The 14C method [4, 5] measures the amount of biobased carbon in the material or product as fraction weight (mass) or percent weight (mass) of the total organic carbon content [1] [6] Biobased mass content | describes the amount of biobased mass contained in a material or product. This method is complementary to the 14C method, and furthermore, takes other chemical elements besides the biobased carbon into account, such as oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen. A measuring method is currently being developed and tested by the Association Chimie du Végétal (ACDV) [1] Biodegradable Plastics | Biodegradable Plastics are plastics that are completely assimilated by the → microorganisms present a defined environment as food for their energy. The carbon of the plastic must completely be converted into CO2 during the microbial process.

The process of biodegradation depends on the environmental conditions, which influence it (e.g. location, temperature, humidity) and on the material or application itself. Consequently, the process and its outcome can vary considerably. Biodegradability is linked to the structure of the polymer chain; it does not depend on the origin of the raw materials.

There is currently no single, overarching standard to back up claims about biodegradability.

One standard for example is ISO or in Europe: EN 14995 Plastics- Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme and specifications [bM 02/06, bM 01/07]

Biomass | Material of biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formations and material transformed to fossilised material. This includes organic material, e.g. trees, crops, grasses, tree litter, algae and waste of biological origin, e.g. manure [1, 2]

Biorefinery | the co-production of a spectrum of bio-based products (food, feed, materials, chemicals including monomers or building blocks for bioplastics) and energy (fuels, power, heat) from biomass.[bM 02/13] Blend | Mixture of plastics, polymer alloy of at least two microscopically dispersed and molecularly distributed base polymers Bisphenol-A (BPA) | Monomer used to produce different polymers. BPA is said to cause health problems, due to the fact that is behaves like a hormone. Therefore it is banned for use in children’s products in many countries.

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

Carbon footprint | (CFPs resp. PCFs – Product Carbon Footprint): Sum of → greenhouse gas emissions and removals in a product system, expressed as CO2 equivalent, and based on a → life cycle assessment. The CO2 equivalent of a specific amount of a greenhouse gas is calculated as the mass of a given greenhouse gas multiplied by its → global warmingpotential [1, 2] Carbon neutral, CO2 neutral | Carbon neutral describes a product or process that has a negligible impact on total atmospheric CO2 levels. For example, carbon neutrality means that any CO2 released when a plant decomposes or is burnt is offset by an equal amount of CO2 absorbed by the plant through photosynthesis when it is growing.

Carbon neutrality can also be achieved through buying sufficient carbon credits to make up the difference. The latter option is not allowed when communicating → LCAs or carbon footprints regarding a material or product [1, 2].

Carbon-neutral claims are tricky as products will not in most cases reach carbon neutrality if their complete life cycle is taken into consideration (including the end-of life).

If an assessment of a material, however, is conducted (cradle to gate), carbon neutrality might be a valid claim in a B2B context. In this case, the unit assessed in the complete life cycle has to be clarified [1] Catalyst | substance that enables and accelerates a chemical reaction Cellophane | Clear film on the basis of → cellulose [bM 01/10] Cellulose | Cellulose is the principal component of cell walls in all higher forms of plant life, at varying percentages. It is therefore the most common organic compound and also the most common polysaccharide (multisugar) [11]. C. is a polymeric molecule with very high molecular weight (monomer is → Glucose), industrial production from wood or cotton, to manufacture paper, plastics and fibres [bM 01/10] Cellulose ester| Cellulose esters occur by the esterification of cellulose with organic acids.

The most important cellulose esters from a technical point of view are cellulose acetate

Basics (CA with acetic acid), cellulose propionate (CP with propionic acid) and cellulose butyrate (CB with butanoic acid). Mixed polymerisates, such as cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) can also be formed. One of the most well-known applications of cellulose aceto butyrate (CAB) is the moulded handle on the Swiss army knife [11] Cellulose acetate CA| → Cellulose ester CEN | Comité Européen de Normalisation (European organisation for standardization) Compost | A soil conditioning material of decomposing organic matter which provides nutrients and enhances soil structure. [bM 06/08, 02/09]

Compostable Plastics | Plastics that are → biodegradable under ‘composting’ conditions: specified humidity, temperature, → microorganisms and timefame. In order to make accurate and specific claims about compostability, the location (home, → industrial) and timeframe need to be specified [1].

Several national and international standards exist for clearer definitions, for example EN 14995 Plastics - Evaluation of compostability Test scheme and specifications. [bM 02/06, bM 01/07] Composting | A solid waste management technique that uses natural process to convert organic materials to CO2, water and humus through the action of → microorganisms.

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

Cradle-to-Gate | Describes the system boundaries of an environmental →Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which covers all activities from the ‘cradle’ (i.e., the extraction of raw materials, agricultural activities and forestry) up to the factory gate Cradle-to-Cradle | (sometimes abbreviated as C2C): Is an expression which communicates the concept of a closed-cycle economy, in which waste is used as raw material (‘waste equals food’). Cradle-to-Cradle is not a term that is typically used in →LCA studies.

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

Crystalline | Plastic with regularly arranged molecules in a lattice structure Density | Quotient from mass and volume of a material, also referred to as specific weight DIN | Deutsches Institut für Normung (German organisation for standardization) DIN-CERTCO | independant certifying organisation for the assessment on the conformity of bioplastics Dispersing | fine distribution of non-miscible liquids into a homogeneous, stable mixture Drop-In Bioplastics | chemically indentical to conventional petroleum based plastics, but made from renewable resources. Examples are bio-PE made from bio-ethanol (from e.g. sugar cane) or partly biobased PET (the monoethylene glykol made from bio-ethanol

(from e.g. sugar cane, a development to make terephthalic acid from renewable resources are under way). Other examples are polyamides (partly biobased e.g. PA 4.10 or PA 10.10 or fully biobased like PA 5.10 or 10.10) Elastomers | rigid, but under force flexible and elastically formable plastics with rubbery properties EN 13432 | European standard for the assessment of the → compostability of plastic packaging products Energy recovery | recovery and exploitation of the energy potential in (plastic) waste for the production of electricity or heat in waste incineration pants (waste-to-energy) Enzymes | proteins that catalyze chemical reactions Ethylen | colour- and odourless gas, made e.g. from, Naphtha (petroleum) by cracking, monomer of the polymer polyethylene (PE) European Bioplastics e.V. | The industry association representing the interests of Europe’s thriving bioplastics’ industry. Founded in Germany in 1993 as IBAW, European Bioplastics today represents the interests of over 70 member companies throughout the European Union. With members from the agricultural feedstock, chemical and plastics industries, as well as industrial users and recycling companies, European Bioplastics serves as both a contact platform and catalyst for advancing the aims of the growing bioplastics industry.

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

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

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

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

Genetically modified organism (GMO) | Organisms, such as plants and animals, whose genetic material (DNA) has been altered are called genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Food and feed which contain or consist of such GMOs, or are produced from GMOs, are called genetically modified (GM) food or feed [1] Global Warming | Global warming is the rise in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans since the late 19th century and its projected continuation [8]. Global warming is said to be accelerated by → green house gases.

Glucose | Monosaccharide (or simple sugar).

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

Greenhouse gas GHG | Gaseous constituent of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorbs and emits radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of

infrared radiation emitted by the earth’s surface, the atmosphere, and clouds [1, 9] Greenwashing | The act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company, or the environmental benefits of a product or service [1, 10] Granulate, granules | small plastic particles (3-4 millimetres), a form in which plastic is sold and fed into machines, easy to handle and dose.

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

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

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

IBAW | → European Bioplastics Industrial composting | Industrial composting is an established process with commonly agreed upon requirements (e.g. temperature, timeframe) for transforming biodegradable waste into stable, sanitised products to be used in agriculture. The criteria for industrial compostability of packaging have been defined in the EN 13432. Materials and products complying with this standard can be certified and subsequently labelled accordingly [1, 7] [bM 06/08, bM 02/09]

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

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

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

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

Monomer | molecules that are linked by polymerization to form chains of molecules and then plastics Mulch film | Foil to cover bottom of farmland PBAT | Polybutylene adipate terephthalate, is an aliphatic-aromatic copolyester that has the properties of conventional polyethylene but is fully biodegradable under industrial composting. PBAT is made from fossil petroleum with first attempts being made to produce it partly from renewable resources [bM 06/09] PBS | Polybutylene succinate, a 100% biodegradable polymer, made from (e.g. bio-BDO) and succinic acid, which can also be produced biobased [bM 03/12].

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

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

39

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

PPC | Polypropylene Carbonate, a bioplastic made by copolymerizing CO2 with propylene oxide (PO) [bM 04/12]

PE | Polyethylene, thermoplastic polymerised from ethylene. Can be made from renewable resources (sugar cane via bio-ethanol)

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

[bM 05/10]

PET | Polyethylenterephthalate, transparent polyester used for bottles and film PGA | Polyglycolic acid or Polyglycolide is a biodegradable, thermoplastic polymer and the simplest linear, aliphatic polyester. Besides ist use in the biomedical field, PGA has been introduced as a barrier resin [bM 03/09] PHA | Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. The most common type of PHA is → PHB. PHB | Polyhydroxybutyrate (better poly-3-hydroxybutyrate), is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a polymer belonging to the polyesters class. PHB is produced by micro-organisms apparently in response to conditions of physiological stress. The polymer is primarily a product of carbon assimilation (from glucose or starch) and is employed by micro-organisms as a form of energy storage molecule to be metabolized when other common energy sources are not available. PHB has properties similar to those of PP, however it is stiffer and more brittle.

PHBH | Polyhydroxy butyrate hexanoate (better poly 3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), Like other biopolymers from the family of the polyhydroxyalkanoates PHBH is produced by microorganisms in the fermentation process, where it is accumulated in the microorganism’s body for nutrition. The main features of PHBH are its excellent biodegradability, combined with a high degree of hydrolysis and heat stability. [bM 03/09, 01/10, 03/11] PLA | Polylactide or Polylactic Acid (PLA), a biodegradable, thermoplastic, linear aliphatic polyester based on lactic acid, a natural acid, is mainly produced by fermentation of sugar or starch with the help of micro-organisms.

Lactic acid comes in two isomer forms, i.e. as laevorotatory D(-)lactic acid and as dextrorotary L(+)lactic acid. In each case two lactic acid molecules form a circular lactide molecule which, depending on its composition, can be a D-D-lactide, an L-L-lactide or a meso-lactide (having one D and one L molecule). The chemist makes use of this variability. During polymerisation the chemist combines the lactides such that the PLA plastic obtained has the characteristics that he desires. The purity of the infeed material is an important factor in successful polymerisation and thus for the economic success of the process, because so far the cleaning of the lactic acid produced by the fermentation has been relatively costly [12].

Modified PLA types can be produced by the use of the right additives or by a combinations of L- and D- lactides (stereocomplexing), which then have the required rigidity for use at higher temperatures [13] [bM 01/09] Plastics | Materials with large molecular chains of natural or fossil raw materials, produced by chemical or biochemical reactions.

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

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

Semi-finished products | plastic in form of sheet, film, rods or the like to be further processed into finshed products Sorbitol | Sugar alcohol, obtained by reduction of glucose changing the aldehyde group to an additional hydroxyl group. S. is used as a plasticiser for bioplastics based on starch.

Starch | Natural polymer (carbohydrate) consisting of → amylose and → amylopectin, gained from maize, potatoes, wheat, tapioca etc. When glucose is connected to polymerchains in definite way the result (product) is called starch. Each molecule is based on 300 -12000-glucose units. Depending on the connection, there are two types → amylose and → amylopectin known. [bM 05/09] Starch derivate | Starch derivates are based on the chemical structure of → starch. The chemical structure can be changed by introducing new functional groups without changing the → starch polymer. The product has different chemical qualities. Mostly the hydrophilic character is not the same.

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

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

and social equity. In other words, businesses have to expand their responsibility to include these environmental and social dimensions.

Sustainability is about making products useful to markets and, at the same time, having societal benefits and lower environmental impact than the alternatives currently available. It also implies a commitment to continuous improvement that should result in a further reduction of the environmental footprint of today’s products, processes and raw materials used.

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

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

Vinçotte | independant certifying organisation for the assessment on the conformity of bioplastics WPC | Wood Plastic Composite. Composite materials made of wood fiber/flour and plastics (mostly polypropylene).

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

References: [1] Environmental Communication Guide, European Bioplastics, Berlin, Germany, 2012 [2] ISO 14067. Carbon footprint of products Requirements and guidelines for quantification and communication [3] CEN TR 15932, Plastics - Recommendation for terminology and characterisation of biopolymers and bioplastics, 2010 [4] CEN/TS 16137, Plastics - Determination of bio-based carbon content, 2011 [5] ASTM D6866, Standard Test Methods for Determining the Biobased Content of Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using Radiocarbon Analysis [6] SPI: Understanding Biobased Carbon Content, 2012

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

One of the most often cited definitions of sustainability is the one created by the Brundtland Commission, led by the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland.

The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as development that ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Sustainability relates to the continuity of economic, social, institutional and environmental aspects of human society, as well as the non-human environment).

[7] EN 13432, Requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation. Test scheme and evaluation criteria for the final acceptance of packaging, 2000

Sustainability | (as defined by European Bioplastics e.V.) has three dimensions: economic, social and environmental. This has been known as “the triple bottom line of sustainability”. This means that sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental protection

[13] de Vos, S.: Improving heat-resistance of PLA using poly(D-lactide), bioplastics MAGAZINE, Vol. 3, Issue 02/2008

[8] Wikipedia [9] ISO 14064 Greenhouse gases -- Part 1: Specification with guidance..., 2006 [10] Terrachoice, 2010, www.terrachoice.com [11] Thielen, M.: Bioplastics: Basics. Applications. Markets, Polymedia Publisher, 2012 [12] Lörcks, J.: Biokunststoffe, Broschüre der FNR, 2005

[14] de Wilde, B.: Anaerobic Digestion, bioplastics MAGAZINE, Vol 4., Issue 06/2009

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BioPlastics 2014: The Re-Invention of Plastics 04.03.2014 - 06.03.2014 - Las Vegas, NV, USA Caesars Palace www.BioplastConference.com

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AGRANA Starch Thermoplastics Conrathstrasse 7 A-3950 Gmuend, Austria Tel: +43 676 8926 19374 lukas.raschbauer@agrana.com www.agrana.com

Shandong Fuwin New Material Co., Ltd. Econorm® Biodegradable & Compostable Resin North of Baoshan Road, Zibo City, Shandong Province P.R. China.

Phone: +86 533 7986016 Fax: +86 533 6201788 Mobile: +86-13953357190 CNMHELEN@GMAIL.COM www.sdfuwin.com

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

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

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

Jincheng, Lin‘an, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, P.R. China China contact: Grace Jin mobile: 0086 135 7578 9843 Grace@xinfupharm.com Europe contact(Belgium): Susan Zhang mobile: 0032 478 991619 zxh0612@hotmail.com Natur-Tec® - Northern Technologies DuPont de Nemours International S.A. www.xinfupharm.com 4201 Woodland Road 2 chemin du Pavillon Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA 1218 - Le Grand Saconnex Tel. +1 763.225.6600 1.1 bio based monomers Switzerland Fax +1 763.225.6645 Tel.: +41 22 171 51 11 info@natur-tec.com Fax: +41 22 580 22 45 www.natur-tec.com plastics@dupont.com www.renewable.dupont.com www.plastics.dupont.com Corbion Purac Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21 4200 AA Gorinchem The Netherlands Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695 PolyOne Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604 Avenue Melville Wilson, 2 www.corbion.com/bioplastics Zoning de la Fagne bioplastics@corbion.com 5330 Assesse Tel: +86 351-8689356 Fax: +86 351-8689718 www.ecoworld.jinhuigroup.com jinhuibio@126.com

1.2 compounds

Belgium Tel.: + 32 83 660 211 www.polyone.com

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

Sample Charge for one year:

Evonik Industries AG Paul Baumann Straße 1 45772 Marl, Germany The entry in our Suppliers Guide is Tel +49 2365 49-4717 bookable for one year (6 issues) and evonik-hp@evonik.com extends automatically if it’s not canceled www.vestamid-terra.com three month before expiry. www.evonik.com 6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 €

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

WinGram Industry CO., LTD Great River(Qin Xin) Plastic Manufacturer CO., LTD Mobile (China): +86-13113833156 Mobile (Hong Kong): +852-63078857 Fax: +852-3184 8934 Email: Benson@wingram.hk 1.3 PLA

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

Natureplast 11 rue François Arago 14123 Ifs – France Tel. +33 2 31 83 50 87 www.natureplast.eu t.lefevre@natureplast.eu

Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd. No.33 Kefeng Rd, Sc. City, Guangzhou Hi-Tech Ind. Development Zone, Guangdong, P.R. China. 510663 Tel: +86 (0)20 6622 1696 info@ecopond.com.cn www.ecopond.com.cn FLEX-162 Biodeg. Blown Film Resin!

Bio-873 4-Star Inj. Bio-Based Resin!

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

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

43

Suppliers Guide 1.4 starch-based bioplastics

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

BIOTEC Biologische Naturverpackungen Werner-Heisenberg-Strasse 32 46446 Emmerich/Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 2822 – 92510 info@biotec.de www.biotec.de

ROQUETTE 62 136 LESTREM, FRANCE 00 33 (0) 3 21 63 36 00 www.gaialene.com www.roquette.com

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

PSM Bioplastic HK Room 1901B,19/F, Allied Kajima Buil- ding 138 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hongkong Tel: +852-31767566 Fax: +852-31767567 support@psm.com.cn www.psm.com.cn

6. Equipment

Metabolix, Inc. Bio-based and biodegradable resins and performance additives 21 Erie Street Cambridge, MA 02139, USA US +1-617-583-1700 DE +49 (0) 221 / 88 88 94 00 www.metabolix.com info@metabolix.com

44

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

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

1.6 masterbatches

GRAFE-Group Waldecker Straße 21, 99444 Blankenhain, Germany Tel. +49 36459 45 0 www.grafe.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 4. Bioplastics products

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

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

ProTec Polymer Processing GmbH Stubenwald-Allee 9 64625 Bensheim, Deutschland Tel. +49 6251 77061 0 Fax +49 6251 77061 500 info@sp-protec.com www.sp-protec.com 6.2 Laboratory Equipment

Minima Technology Co., Ltd. Esmy Huang, Marketing Manager No.33. Yichang E. Rd., Taipin City, 2. Additives/Secondary raw materials 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 GRAFE-Group Waldecker Straße 21, 99444 Blankenhain, Germany Tel. +49 36459 45 0 www.grafe.com

1.5 PHA

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

6.1 Machinery & Molds

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

MODA: Biodegradability Analyzer SAIDA FDS INC. 143-10 Isshiki, Yaizu, Shizuoka,Japan Tel:+81-54-624-6260 Info2@moda.vg www.saidagroup.jp 7. Plant engineering

EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH Unterfeldstrasse 3 4052 Ansfelden, AUSTRIA Phone: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-0 Fax: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-23 erema@erema.at www.erema.at

Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH Holzhauser Strasse 157–159 D-13509 Berlin Tel. +49 30 43 567 5 Fax +49 30 43 567 699 sales.de@uhde-inventa-fischer.com Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG 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 www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com

Suppliers Guide 9. Services

10.2 Universities

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

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

Biopolynov 11 rue François Arago 14123 Ifs – France Tel. +33 2 31 83 50 87 www. biopolynov.com t.lefevre@natureplast.eu

10. Institutions nova-Institut GmbH Chemiepark Knapsack Industriestrasse 300 50354 Huerth, Germany Tel.: +49(0)2233-48-14 40 E-Mail: contact@nova-institut.de www.biobased.eu

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

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

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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

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

IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hanover Faculty II – Mechanical and Bioprocess Engineering Heisterbergallee 12 30453 Hannover, Germany Tel.: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 22 69 Fax: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 99 - 22 69 lisa.mundzeck@fh-hannover.de http://www.ifbb-hannover.de/

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

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

International Conference on Bio-based Materials 8–10 April 2014, Maternushaus, Cologne, Germany HIGHLIGHTS FROM EUROPE: Bio-based Plastics and Composites – Biorefineries and Industrial Biotechnology 1st Day (8 April 2014): Policy and Industry • Policy & Strategy • Biorefineries in Europe • Innovation Award (6 presentations)

2nd Day (9 April 2014): Industry • Industrial Biotechnology & Bio-based building blocks • Bio-based plastics & polymers • Bio-based Composites

3rd Day (10 April 2014): Science • Science & Start-ups

www.nova-institute.eu

Venue & Accomodation

Book now

Maternushaus Cologne, Germany Kardinal-Frings-Str. 1–3, 50668 Cologne +49 (0)221 163 10 | info@maternushaus.de

10% reduction – enter code bio-based during your booking.

Contact

Organiser

Dominik Vogt Exhibition, Partners, Media partners, Sponsors +49 (0)2233 4814-49 dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de

www.bio-based.eu/conference bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

45

Companies in this issue Company

Editorial Advert

Agrana Starch Thermoplastics

43

AIMPLAS

5

Aphios Corporation

6

API

43

Editorial Advert

Kingfa

43

Kuender

8

Lessonia

6

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients

44

Editorial Advert

TianAn Biopolymer

44

Tianjin Glory Tang

10

Uhde Inventa-Fischer

10

44

UL International

45

21

Looplife

BASF

13

Mercedes

3, 19

Bio4Pack

27

Metabolix

10

WinGram

45

Metzerplas

5

Wuhan Huali

7

44

Michigan State University

10

Xinfu Pharm

43

45

Minima Technology

14

BPI - The Biodegradable Products Institute Braskem

11

Celabor

22

Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites CONAI

14

Coperion

10, 16

DSM

43

18

DuPont

43

Ecovative Design

29

Erema

10

European Bioplastics

43

Zandonella

26

Roquette

34

45

Saida

NaturePlast

43

Seemore New Materials

10, 22

59

ShanDong DongCheng 43

nova-Institut

32

Shandong Fuwin New Material Co

5, 45

Shanghai Disoxidation

44, 48

27, 58 33

Novamont

14

Shenzhen Esun Industrial

58

Organic Waste Systems

5

Showa Denko

58

Passive House Institute

25

Sidaplax

3, 8, 30

Siemens

59

Pharmafilter Plastic Suppliers

44

Solvay

31, 42

plasticker

7

Supla

13, 38

polymediaconsult

45

Swiss Fed. Lab. f. Mat. Sc.+ Techn.

44

Synbra

36

9, 10

45

7

43, 47

Extruline Systems

5

FKuR

10

Flanders Plast Vision Floreon

2, 43

PolyOne

10

22

Polytechnic Institute (Milan)

14

10

President Packaging

44

Tecnaro

3, 15

43, 44

37

Taghleef Industries

59 10, 12, 34

ProTec Polymer Processing

44

Tecniq

36

Fraunhofer ICT

10

PSM

44

Texchem

30

Fraunhofer IVV

10

Rhein Chemie

44

TianAn Biopolymer

Fraunhofer LBF

22

Roechling Automotive

10, 16

59

TPG

7

Fraunhofer UMSICHT

45

Roquette

44

Uhde Inventa-Fischer

Grabio Greentech Corporation

44

Saida

44

UL International

Grafe

43, 44

Schüco

25 29

GreenTech

33

Sealed Air Corporation

Hallink

44

Shandong Fuwin

Hanover University

13

Helmut Lingemann

8, 9

Univ. Pisa 20, 43

Shenzhen Esun Industrial

43 43

Showa Denko

60 59

Weihenstephan Univ. App. Sc.

19

Wifag Polytype

5

10

Institut for Bioplastics & Biocomposites (IfBB) 9, 10, 34

45

Sulzer Chemtech

10

WinGram

Institut für Kunststofftechnik

45

Supla

8

Wuhan Huali

28

KACO

20

Synprodo 43

10

Technical University Berlin

9

58 35, 59

WWF

10, 26

Taghleef Industries

26, 28

Wei Mon

Sidaplax

22

44

26

Univ. Stuttgart IKT

44

Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV)

44

15, 60 60

Univ. Modena + Reggio Emilia

Huhtamaki Films

Jinhui ZhaoLong High Tech

1 59

44

Evonik Industries

Ford

3, 20

narocon

Natur-Tec

22

Corbion Purac

45

6

NatureWorks

12

Volkswagen

44

Mitsubishi Chemical 28

University of Hanover

6

Xinfu Pharm

58

Zejiang Huju GreenWorks

31

2014

Editorial Planner Issue

Month

Publ.-Date

edit/ad/ Deadline

02/2014

Mar/Apr

07.04.14

03/2014

May/Jun

04/2014

Editorial Focus (1)

Editorial Focus (2)

Basics

Fair Specials

07.03.14

Thermoforming (Rigid packaging)

Polyurethanes / Elastomers

Polyurethanes

Chinaplas & Interpack Preview

02.06.14

02.05.14

Injection moulding

Thermoset

Injection Moulding

Chinaplas & Interpack Review

Jul/Aug

04.08.14

04.07.14

Bottles / Blow Moulding

Fibre Reinforced Composites

PET

05/2014

Sept/Oct

06.10.14

06.09.14

Fiber / Textile / Nonwoven

Toys

Building Blocks

06/2014

Nov/Dec

01.12.14

01.11.14

Films / Flexibles / Bags

Consumer Electronics

Sustainability

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/14] Vol. 9

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Subject to changes

Biotec

10

Company

Arkema

Biopolynov

46

Company

VESTAMID® Terra

High Performance Naturally

Technical biobased polyamides which achieve performance by natural means VESTAMID® Terra DS VESTAMID® Terra HS VESTAMID® Terra DD

(= PA1010) (= PA610) (= PA1012)

100% renewable 62% renewable 100% renewable

• Outstanding mechanical and physical properties • Same performance as conventional engineering polyamides • Significant lower CO2 emission compared to petroleum-based polymers • A wide variety of compound solutions are available www.vestamid-terra.com

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

Visit us at K 2013 in Dusseldorf, Germany, at Booth E09, Hall 06

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) 6_2013