bioplastics MAGAZINE 03-2015

bioplastics

magazine

Vol. 10

ISSN 1862-5258

May / June

03 | 2015

Cover Story Lovechock

Highlights Injection Moulding | 14 Biocomposites | 34 Thermoset | 30

Basics Frequently Asked Questions | 44 2 countries

... is read in 9

The Next Step: Biobased Packaging Choose a recyclable and sustainable container for a world focused more and more on packaging. The entire range of Lameplast Group containers are now available in biobased plastic: Green PE, polyethylene from plant origin, a renewable raw material from Brazilian sugar cane. A product that sets us free from oil use and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information visit www.fkur.com • www.fkur-biobased.com

Editorial

dear readers Dear Readers

May / June

ISSN 1862-5258

It was a try and it was a success. The first bio!PAC conference on biobased packaging in Amsterdam on May 12 and 13 was very well received by the almost 100 attendees, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors.

03 | 2015

Cover Story Lovechock

MAGAZINE

bioplastics

Other highlights are injection moulding, biocomposites and biobased thermoset. All of these topics are kind of paving the way to our next big conference event. Together with the nova-Institute we are organizing the first bio!CAR Conference on Biobased Materials in Automotive Engineering. This conference will be held within the framework of the trade fair COMPOSITES EUROPE at the end of September in Stuttgart, Germany. Please see page 8 for more details.

Vol. 10

One presentation that most participants were excited about was the one from Laura de Nooijer from Lovechock. Although (or maybe even because) it was not the usual technical stuff. We liked it too, so we made it the cover story of this issue.

Highlights Injection Moulding | 14 Biocomposites | 34 Thermoset | 30

Basics Frequently Asked Quest

ions | 44 ... is read in 92 countries

In the Basics section we offer a little taster of the really comprehensive FAQs about bioplastics, developed by European Bioplastics. On pages 44 – 45 you find a few of those Frequently asked Questions. Go and visit EUBP’s website for the full version and download of the PDF-file.

As usual this current issue is once again complemented by a number of industry and applications news items

Follow us on twitter!

www.twitter.com/bioplasticsmag

We hope you enjoy the forthcoming summer and, of course, reading bioplastics MAGAZINE Sincerely yours

Michael Thielen

Like us on Facebook!

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

3

Content

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

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

Media Adviser Caroline Motyka phone: +49(0)2161-6884467 fax: +49(0)2161 6884468 cm@bioplasticsmagazine.com Chris Shaw Chris Shaw Media Ltd Media Sales Representative phone: +44 (0) 1270 522130 mobile: +44 (0) 7983 967471

Layout/Production Ulrich Gewehr (Dr. Gupta Verlag) Max Godenrath (Dr. Gupta Verlag) Mark Speckenbach (DWFB)

03|2015 May / June

Events

10 bio!PAC - Review

14 Bioplastics Injection Moulding 16 From beach toy to 100 % biodegradable 18 New PLA formulations to replace ABS

Cover Story

44 Frequently asked Questions (FAQ)

ISSN 1862-5258

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 91 countries.

changer in marine pollution

made with bio-PA 4.10

Thermoset 33 100 % biobasedepoxy compounds

Basics

bioplastics magazine

22 PHA biopolymers promise te be a game

30 Fully biobased epoxy resin from lignin

12 Lovechock

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

Total print run: 3,500 copies

bM is published 6 times a year.

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

25 New light mountaineering shoes

29 World’s first algae-based surfboard

Poligrāfijas grupa Mūkusala Ltd. 1004 Riga, Latvia

20 Biodegradable materials for

injection mouldings

Applications

42 Holland Bioplastics

Injection Moulding

24 New heat resistand blend for thin wall

26 Chinaplas – Review

Report

micro-irrigation

8 bio!CAR announcement & programme

Print

Biocomposites 34 Basalt fibres in biocomposites 36 Carbon footprint of flax, hemp, jute and kenaf 40 PowerRibs technology

Every effort is made to verify all Information published, but Polymedia Publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions or for any losses that may arise as a result. No items may be reproduced, copied or stored in any form, including electronic format, without the prior consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed in articies do not necessarily reflect those of Polymedia Publisher.

All articies appearing in bioplastics MAGAZINE, or on the website www. bioplasticsmagazine.com are strictly covered by copyright. bioplastics MAGAZINE welcomes contributions for publication. Submissions are accepted on the basis of full assignment of copyright to Polymedia Publisher GmbH unless otherwise agreed in advance and in writing. We reserve the right to edit items for reasons of space, clarity or legality. Please contact the editorial office via mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com.

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

3 Editorial

Envelopes

5 News

A part of this print run is mailed to the readers wrapped in bioplastic envelopes sponsored by Flexico Verpackungen Deutshhand, Maropack GmbH & Co. KG, and Neemann

28 Application News 46 Glossary

Cover

50 Suppliers Guide

Lovechock

52 Event Calendar 54 Companies in this issue Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/bioplasticsmag

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine

daily upated news at www.bioplasticsmagazine.com

News

20 years certification of compostability

Kuraray acquires Plantic and expands into bio-based barrier materials

In the early 1990s a piece of legislation was published with a fairly significant impact on households: citizens had to start sorting their waste. This legislation, the European Directive 94/62/EC, covering the selective collection and recycling of waste, was the first European text to feature the concept of organic recycling, better known as composting.

Kuraray (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan) announced on April 8 the completion of the acquisition of all of the shares in Plantic Technologies Limited (Australia), which is engaged in the bio-based barrier film business.

At that time the (now obvious) standard EN 13432 was only in the initial outline, yet various municipal authorities began considering the use of compostable bags for collecting green waste.

In the midst of all the numerous and sometimes rather fanciful claims of the bag manufacturers, the independent body Vinçotte developed the OK compost conformity mark (now widely known but regarded as an unseen anomaly at the time).

The first two certificates were signed precisely 20 years ago, on 5 May 1995.

20 years later, Vinçotte is the world leader in the certification of bioplastics, with 380 certificate holders in all corners of the globe, 1200 certificates in circulation and a constantly growing range of conformity marks: OK biodegradable SOIL (since 2000), OK compost HOME (2003), OK biodegradable WATER (2005), OK biobased (2009) and (last but not least ?) OK biodegradable MARINE (since 2015).

In addition Vinçotte is recognized as a certification body for the Seedling mark of European Bioplastics since April 2012.

Vinçotte wishes a happy anniversary to all its licensees, ranging from the veterans of the 1990s to today’s newcomers, all of whom are pioneers in their own way. MT www.vincotte.com

Kuraray was the first to commercialize the high-performance barrier resin, EVAL (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer), which it launched in 1972. EVAL boasts the highest level of gas barrier properties of all plastics and is the market leading barrier resin used in food packaging and industrial barrier applications.

The acquisition of Plantic enables Kuraray to provide barrier materials which meets the increasing global demand of bio-based food packaging materials. This is in line with Kuraray’s corporate mission “we in the Kuraray Group are committed to opening new fields of business using pioneering technology and contributing to an improved natural environment and quality of life”. As a world leading producer of barrier materials, Kuraray will further develop its business through the addition of Plantic’s best in class bio-based barrier material.

Plantic is a global leader in bio-based barrier materials. Plantic film is used in a broad range of products in the barrier packaging sector and is supplying major supermarkets and brand owners on three continents (Australia, North America and Europe) in applications such as fresh case ready beef, pork, lamb and veal, smoked and processed meats, chicken, and fresh seafood and pasta applications. Kuraray expects that its global sales network will assist to develop the biobased barrier business in Europe, USA and Asia, responding to the global demand of improved freshness, reduced food loss and waste with the use of environmentally friendly material, Plantic film.

In the Australian market Plantic film is well known and is being used by a major supermarket. In the United States, the largest meat consumer country, Plantic has commenced supply to a number of brand owners and retailers and Kuraray will further develop Plantic’s business including the potential establishment of a production base or an alliance with third parties. In Japan where the demand for extension of shelf life for fresh meat and other fresh food is increasing, Kuraray can assist its customers to reduce food loss and waste with the environmentally friendly material, Plantic film. These market developments are expected to expand the bio-based barrier material business and we expect to achieve revenue of JPY 10 billion globally over the next 3 years.

In addition there are significant synergies between Kuraray’s existing barrier business and Plantic’s bio-based barrier technology which will drive new applications. Further, Kuraray’s market leading technology and global sales network is expected to accelerate the development and expansion of a barrier material business including Plantic’s technology. http://www.kuraray.co.jp/

- www.plantic.com.au

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

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News

daily upated news at www.bioplasticsmagazine.com

Coca Cola to show 100 % biobased PlantBottle in Milan For its PlantBottle, Coca-Cola currently uses PET that is 30 % (by weight) renewably sourced in many of its core brands. This 30 % ingredient (mono-ethylene glycol – MEG) can be produced from natural plant sources, the 70 % purified therephtalic acid (PTA) is currently not bio-based. Coca-Cola uses MEG derived from Brazilian sugar cane to make its PlantBottle 1.0. The company is also exploring the possibilities of using second-generation feedstocks for the production of bio-MEG. “That is PlantBottle 1.1,” as Klaus Stadler, responsible for the Environmental Sustainability agenda in Coca-Cola’s European Business Group, called it at the 8th International Conference on Bio-based Materials in Cologne, Germany in mid April.

In order to develop a bio-derived PTA, the Coca-Cola Company has also entered into long-term commitments with industry partners Gevo and Virent. “We have that.

In fact, we will be showing a 100 % biobased PlantBottle—what we call PlantBottle 2.0—at the upcoming Expo Milano 2015,” said Stadler. Coca-Cola is the official soft drink partner of Expo Milano 2015. However, according to Stadler, it will take another five to eight years for bio-PTA to become available in commercial quantities. MT www.thecoca-colacompany.com

New Initiative to Support 3D Printing Market NatureWorks recently announced a broad new initiative to support the growth of the additive manufacturing market. The company’s move to support the 3D market comprehensively is based on a three pronged approach. It includes the introduction of an entirely new series of Ingeo™ grades designed specifically for PLA filament for the 3D printing market; a full suite of technical support services for the additive manufacturing industry’s leading 3D printer and filament producers; and the creation of an in-house print lab, enabling the company to rapidly test new Ingeo formulations and collaborate with printer and filament producers.

For the past 18 months, NatureWorks has engaged directly with 3D filament suppliers, printer manufacturers, and print operators to obtain first hand feedback on the needs of the 3D printing market. “3D printing has the rapid pace of innovation, development, and change that is normal to a new and still nascent market,” said Dan Sawyer, Global Leader, New Business Segment, NatureWorks. “Many new suppliers are entering the PLA filament market, while a breadth of experienced suppliers large and small are formulating and compounding to provide additional filament properties and options. That’s the sort of innovation that NatureWorks is aggressively moving to support and amplify with our new broad-based initiative.” With the launch of its initiative, NatureWorks is immediately offering the first grade in its new Ingeo 3D series. Denoted Ingeo 3D850, this base 3D grade takes advantage of the latest Ingeo polymer chemistries to provide a good overall balance of processability in filament production, filament consistency, and print quality. It is also designed to provide optimum performance for those looking to enhance the properties of PLA through further formulation and compounding to extend part properties beyond what base PLA grades provide.

“What we learned from our market engagement,” said Sawyer, “is that a large segment of the market prefers to print with PLA and would like to replace petroleum-based ABS if PLA can rival the other material’s heat resistance and the toughness of finished parts.” To enable this substitution, NatureWorks has been working on the next offering in its new Ingeo 3D series with extended-property-range Ingeo 3D resin formulations. PLA filament produced from new higher heat and toughness Ingeo formulations are now being tested in NatureWorks’ newly established in-house print lab, with market introduction targeted for later in the year.

NatureWorks has developed a full suite of filament melt processing guides, technical data sheets, and other technical service resources for printer manufacturers and filament producers. Furthermore, NatureWorks personnel are developing close working relationships with key regional suppliers. For those interested in purchasing Ingeo based PLA filament, the company has produced the NatureWorks 3D Suppliers Guide, which is now available for download.

The new NatureWorks 3D printing lab employs multiple printers for assessing the performance and quality of new Ingeo formulations, both in printer operation and in the final printed part. This lab shortens time to market for new Ingeo grades in the 3D series and aids collaboration with printer and filament producers.

Downloadlink http://bit.ly/1PNzYwa

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

www.natureworksllc.com.

News

Bio-On and Pizzoli collaborate to build potato waste-based PHA plant Bio-on S.p.A. (San Giorgio di Piano, Italy) and Pizzoli S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy) Italian potato processor will collaborate to build Italy‘s first PHAs bioplastic production plant using waste product from the potato agro-industrial process.

The collaboration, signed by the two companies in March, arises from Bio-on‘s laboratory research and Pizzoli‘s experience in potato transformation, and aims to build a plant producing 2,000 tonnes/year of PHAs, expanding to 4,000 tonnes/year in the future.

“It‘s a big step forward in the world of bioplastics,“ explains Marco Astorri, Chairman of Bio-on, “because it demonstrates how waste can be converted into raw material, teaming concepts such as biodegradability and eco-sustainability with technically advanced plastics. This collaboration represents an important factor in the affirmation of PHA in the latest-generation plastics market.“ “The path undertaken,“ says Nicola Pizzoli, Chairman of Pizzoli, “is part of an innovative industrial project aiming to improve and optimise potato processing technology, by transforming the by-products and waste into innovative products that will become new-generation plastics.“ Following an initial study phase to optimise the integration with existing structures and check economic compatibility, the project is set to be completed within approximately two years. The new plants will start production in 2017.

“We will begin with a 220,000 Euro investment for the feasibility study,“explains Pizzoli, “but the real challenge will lie with future investments in an integrated industrial facility, serving the food sector and with zero environmental impact.“ “The collaboration between Bio-on and Pizzoli adds a new ingredient to the construction of the Italian green chemical industry,“ says Astorri, “and it also enables us to broaden the number of raw materials from which PHAs can be made using Bio-on technology. Our bioplastic can already be produced from sugar beet and sugar cane production waste.“ MT www.bio-on.it

–

www.pizzoli.it

Wageningen UR presents Biobased Packaging Catalogue The very first edition of the new Biobased Packaging catalogue, compiled by Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research on request of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, has recently been translated into English and is now available for download.

The catalogue offers a comprehensive overview of the various types of biobased packaging that are currently available on the market, including their current and potential applications. The idea behind the catalogue, which was put together in collaboration with a number of producers of biobased materials and packaging, was to boost the use of sustainable and biobased packaging by offering a clear review of the options and possibilities for commercial application.

Interesting advantages of biobased plastics The most successful applications are those in which the specific properties and advantages of the biobased plastics are taken advantage of. Biobased plastic packaging often offers enhanced breathing properties, ensuring that fresh products such as lettuce or bread stay fresher, longer. A number of these plastics are naturally anti-static, which means that fewer additives are needed compared to conventional plastics. Compostable plastics are not required to be separately disposed of but can be disposed of together with the other organic household waste.

The new catalogue is intended for buyers, users and producers of packaging materials, as well as for policy officers at public organizations. www.wageningenur.nl/

Downloadlink http://bit.ly/1dxTiMZ

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

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Events

bioplastics MAGAZINE presents: bio!CAR, the new international conference on biobased materials in automotive engineering will debut at the Exhibition Centre Stuttgart on 24 and 25 September as part of COMPOSITES EUROPE 2015. The conference will be organised jointly by bioplastics MAGAZINE and the nova-Institut in cooperation with trade fair organiser Reed Exhibitions and is supported by the German Federation for Reinforced Plastics (AVK) as well as the German FNR (Agency for Renewable Resources).

Conference on Biobased Materials for Automotive Applications

24-25 sep. 2015

The bio!CAR conference is aimed at reflecting the trend towards using biobased polymers and natural fibres in the automotive industry: more and more manufacturers and suppliers are betting on biobased alternatives derived from renewable raw materials such as wood, cotton, flax, jute or coir, all of which are being deployed as composites in the interior trims of high-quality doors and dashboards. According to the Hürth/Germany based nova-Institut, the European car industry most recently (2012) processed approximately 80,000 tonnes of wood and natural fibres into composites. The total volume of biobased composites in automotive engineering was 150,000 tonnes.

Bioplastics are equally useful for premium applications in the automotive sector. Biobased polyamides from castor oil are used in high-performance components, PLA in door panels, soy-based foams in seat cushions and arm rests, and biobased epoxy resins in composites. In May, the nova-Institut published an updated market study on biobased polymers and their worldwide deployment (http://bio-based.eu/markets/#top).

At bio!CAR, experts from all segments touching on biobased materials will present lectures on their latest developments.

Among other materials, the portfolio will include conventional plastics filled or reinforced with sophisticated natural-fibre products as well as biobased, so called drop-in bioplastics, such as castor oil-based polyamides or polyolefins from sugar cane-based bioethanol. Novel bioplastics such as PLA or PTT will also be featured, as will thermoset resins from renewable resources and biobased alternatives for rubber and elastomers . www.bio-car.info

Programme - ­bio!CAR: Conference on Biobased Materials in Automotive Engineering Christian Bonten

IKT, Uni Stuttgart

Keynote: Actual plastic innovations to meet current requirements and demands for the modern automotive industry.

Ralf Kindervater BioPro Baden Württemberg The impact of biobased materials in the bioeconomy of tomorrow: mouse or elephant ?

Michael Carus nova-Institut Biocomposites in the automotive industry, markets and environment Elmar Witten AVK Trends and developments in the composites market Maira Magnani Ford Motor Company Filling the (technology) gaps to promote the use of bio-based materials: Ford Motor Company’s example Mona Duhme Fraunhofer UMSICHT Review of ECOplast project: Research in new biomass-based composites from renewable resources with improved properties for vehicle parts moulding Hans-Jörg Gusovius Leibniz-Institute f. Agric. Eng. Novel whole-crop raw materials for automotive applications Francesca Brunori Röchling PLA compounds for automotive applications Hans-Josef Endres Inst. f. Bioplastics & Biocomp. Biobased hybrid structures for automotive applications Sangeetha Ramaswamy Institut für Textiltechnik Aachen Systematic integration of bio-materials in automotive Interiors Gareth Davies Composites Evolution Hybrid carbon-biocomposite automotive structures with reduced weight, cost, NVH and environmental impact François Vanfleteren Lineo A sandwich panel reinforced with flax fibers for the automotive industry Marc Mézailles PolyOne Lightweighting, performance and sustainability: A new material breaks the paradigm Nicolas Dufaure Arkema A long-term innovation to offer the widest range of biobased polyamides Andreas Weinmann and Anna Hoiss DSM Capturing the performance of green Lars Ziegler Tecnaro Bio-based Thermoplastic Compounds and Composites Christian Fischer Bcomp Save weight and cost with powerRibs in interior and exterior Luisa Medina and Florian Gortner Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe Development of a new test tool to measure emissions and odors from Univ. Kaiserslautern optimized NF composites Hans Hoydonckx TransFurans Chemicals Use of Polyfurfuryl Alcohol as renewable matrix in fibre reinforced products Thibaud Caulier Solvay Epicerol Biobased epichlorohydrin - A biobased building block to reduce the environmental footprint of the automotive industry Stefano Facco Novamont Renewable oils, esters and fillers for rubber compounding

A concrete time table will follow soon. Visit www.bio-car.info for updates 8

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

bio CAR REGISTER NOW Early Bird Price EUR 799 (save € 100 until June

biobased materials for automotive applications

conference

30, 2015)

24.-25. September 2015

Stuttgart

» The amount of plastics in modern cars is constantly increasing. » Plastics and composites help achieving light-weighting targets. » Plastics offer enormous design opportunities. » Plastics are important for the touch-and-feel and the safety of cars.

BUT: consumers, suppliers in the automotive industry and OEMs are more and more looking for biobased alternatives to petroleum based materials.

That‘s why bioplastics MAGAZINE is organizing this new conference on biobased materials for the automotive industry. co-orgnized by

in cooperation with

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Events

First bio!PAC event deemed great success New biobased packaging conference fills a need, say key stakeholders at bio!PAC As the newest kid on the block as far as packaging and bioplastics events are concerned, bio!PAC, the new conference on biobased packaging held on 12 – 13 May at Novotel in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, had something to prove. Jointly organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE and Biobased Packaging Innovations, the conference aimed to provide both a showcase for bio-packaging technology and a forum for industry stakeholders to meet and learn about the opportunities and developments in this area. Attendees and speakers at the event unanimously agreed: bio!PAC more than lived up to its billing in both respects.

“The importance of an event like this cannot be overstated,” said Francois de Bie, chairman of European Bioplastics and bioplastics Marketing Director at Corbion, who both attended and spoke at the conference. “Biobased packaging is a young field, and there is a lot of ignorance and confusion about what it really is, and what it can do. Events like this can help get the message out by providing clear information, opening up discussion and by demonstrating the capabilities of biobased packaging.”

The some 24 speakers at the conference addressed topics ranging from new materials and new applications to the need for a biobased carbon standard, presenting breakthroughs and offering updates on the latest developments. Presentations were held not only by major players in the industry, such as BASF, Innovia Films, NatureWorks and TetraPak but also by a number of lesser-known companies, whose innovations are helping to provide momentum to the field.

A good example was Arjan Klapwijk of Bio4Life, a Dutch manufacturer of biobased adhesives and labels, whose presentation about his company’s development of an EN certified solution for fruit labeling created an awareness for a problem most of the attendees had never considered.

“Conventional PE adhesive fruit labels end up with the peelings in the compost bin, and are a huge problem at industrial composting facilities. Compostable labels coated with a biodegradable adhesive offer a simple, highly effective solution,” he concluded.

Panel discussion on “Land use for biobased materials”

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

By Karen Laird

One important discussion point throughout the conference concerned the ongoing shift in emphasis regarding biobased packaging materials: from a focus on the end of life to an increasing interest in the beginning of life. As a result, biodegradability is no longer the sole property associated with biobased materials. Now, renewably sourced, durable materials are gaining in importance, a development that has been fueled by the development of drop-ins such as bio-PET and bio-PE, engineered bioplastic compounds and barrier constructions enabling the design of sophisticated packaging. Erik Lindroth, of TetraPak, presented the example of the 100 % biobased beverage carton developed by TetraPak, which is currently being rolled out in Europe. “We have to ask ourselves: where does the material come from,” he said, adding that TetraPak was participating in a project called “Locally grown bioplastics” aimed at developing sustainable local feedstock sources for bioplastics. “Results are expected within 3 to 5 years,” he said.

Technology challenges are not the only issues in the biobased packaging industry. “Between 70 and 80 % of the bioplastics market today is packaging”, said Francois de Bie in his presentation. “Why is that? I think because bioplastics have been embraced by both the big brands and by small innovative companies,” he said. “Using bioplastics supports the image of the brand.”

But what about the premiums on biobased materials?

Are customers prepared to pay more for environmentally responsible packaging? As numerous participants pointed out, the challenge for brand owners now is how to leverage the use of biobased packaging, not only to satisfy consumer demand for responsible packaging and to build customer relationships, but also to drive profits.

Next to bringing new insights and ideas, the bio!PAC conference also showed that opportunities abound for biobased packaging now and in the future. To continue the discussion, participants, packaging experts and other industry stakeholders are cordially invited to join bioplastics MAGAZINE for the second edition of bio!PAC, which is now planned for the spring of 2017. The organizers are looking forward to seeing you there! www.bio-pac.info

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Cover-Story

Lovechock Chocolate with love – wrapped in Natureflex

W

ith her presentation at bio!PAC in Amsterdam on the 12th of May, Laura de Nooijer impressed many of the attendees. That’s why we share her story with our readers here.

Lovechock is born out of Love. Love for excellent raw chocolate that opens the heart and uplifts the soul. As the Maya’s already knew, chocolate is something very sacred and Lovechock wants to bring people back to this essence.

Lovechock as a brand was started by Laura de Nooijer in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 2008. At that time she had her first mind-altering sacred medicine drink in a ritual and became very inspired by the wisdom of nature. She then decided that her study Psychology was quite boring compared to all the bright visuals released by those magic plants. She quitted her studies and started on a shamanic path in Brazil involving sacred medicine plants. She met David Wolfe, a USA raw food expert and was impressed by his healthy, shiny aura. From him she learned about the raw cacao bean. One can actually eat the raw cacao bean, because it is full of antioxidants and lovechemicals, goodies that make you feel happy and loving. The antioxidants in chocolate widen the blood vessels and improve overall cardio vascular function. Together with some friends Laura started the Chocolateclub, monthly dance parties all involving the intake of raw chocolate smoothies, consisting of raw cacao beans, bananas, coconut oil and other superfoods. Those parties were full of excitement, laughter and joy. Nevertheless Laura was missing the real bite of a crisp chocolate bar, so she started to order raw chocolate bars from the USA. Those bars were expensive, so she decided to make them herself.

She saw her chocolate make so many people happy with

The chocolate is wrapped in 100 % renewable and compostable Natureflex film 12

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

Laura de Nooijer: “Our product has so many great angles to shed light on, but our main proposition is love. This is great as it is inherent to the product.”

a big smile and seized the opportunity to write a business plan. In September 2009 the launch of the first Lovechock bars were a fact. Every day she was in the kitchen and the maximum of bars she could produce was 1000 a day. After 1.5 years the small bakery kitchen capacity became too small and the whole enterprise moved to a social working place, where the bars were produced from that moment on.

The growth of this business was a wobbly road, as chocolate making is a real art and cacao one of the most complex food commodities on the planet to work with. More and more people got involved and sales went up. Turnover doubled every year and Lovechock rapidly expanded into Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

What is the success behind Lovechock ?

Mainly it is the chocolate itself which is made of high quality Arriba Nacional cacao, high quality coconut blossom sugar and other superfoods. The bars of Lovechock are always full of whole pieces of fruit and nuts, which deliver the extra chew and make it unique.

Being the first serious raw chocolate company in the Netherlands, Lovechock seized the opportunity to be the first mover in lots of places.

Cover-Story Besides the great chocolate it’s the great packaging that gives the real kick to the product. Working closely together with Prouddesign an identity and packaging for a chocolate was created that works. And one that is distinctive from the luxury brands that are out there.

The concept is “Raw from the outside and Wow from the inside”. So this means an honest, eco, natural look on the outside and a world of happiness and joy on the inside (full color print on the inside of the wrapper). This is also the actual experience of raw chocolate. It is less processed chocolate, therefore a little more rough, gritty and chewy to eat, but once you eat it, a rich palette of fine flavors unfolds plus the celebrative effect of the lovechemicals (tryptophan, dopamine, PEA).

What is the story behind the design ?

Lovechock started with the chocolate covered in aluminum foil packed in a carton wrapper, held together by plastic, rubber look-a-like, bands. — handwrapped.

Eventually the detrimental effects of aluminum on the environment and even the migration of aluminum to the chocolate became clear.

Inside view of the paper wrapper

Also the aluminum was looking luxurious, but a bit kitschy as well. So Lovechock looked into bioplastics and came across Innovia Films and their home compostable foil Natureflex. It is made from sustainably planted eucalyptus wood. At first a bit hesitating they were afraid that the permeability would age the chocolate more quickly, but there was already another chocolate brand that used this foil successfully. At the same time the plastic bands were replaced by a little tab on the wrapper that makes the wrapper reclosable.

The result proved to be a good choice; the chocolate looks very tasty in the transparent packaging and Lovechock posted the whole eco make-over on social media.

Another good news was that Innovia is still working to reduce the carbon footprint of the foil, by optimizing their production efficiency. Laura is very happy not to use fossil sources, but sustainably planted eucalyptus trees.

Besides the foil, Lovechock created the wrapper in a way to make sure all the carton is PEFC certified, printed with organic ink. Also the labels (From the only certified company in Holland Autajon) are completely biodegradable as even the pigments in the ink are nonfossil fuel based.

In terms of sustainability overall Lovechock is on their way but there is always things to improve. Of course is happy about the fact that by not using harmful pesticides they also not further damage the earth. They started as an organic company as a start so that is nice as they add more high quality chocolate choice in the organic store. “It is great that we pursue sustainable packaging but in total we still leave a carbon footprint on the earth”, says Laura da Nooijer, “we looked at different angles of sustainability and decided to focus first on social responsibility the coming years and focus then more on our planetary responsibility.”

And she adds: “Our product has so many great angles to shed light on, but our main proposition is love. This is great as it is inherent to the product.” MT

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Injection Moulding

From beach toy to 100 % bio-degradable By:

Cradle to Cradle Islands project

Sebastian Thomsen Senior Business Development Manager BIO-FED, branch of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH Cologne, Germany

A

s part of a European Union support programme, 22 partners from 6 different countries took part in the Cradle to Cradle Islands project, with the aim of making a contribution to sustainable development of the biosphere on the islands of the North Sea region.

During this project, the islands became laboratories and testing grounds for sustainable innovations.

In cooperation with the Dutch engineering firm Pezy (Eindhoven/Groningen) and the EPEA (Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency), 25 actual product concepts for innovative tourism products were developed based on the Cradle-to-Cradle philosophy. These product concepts were designed to help maintain the beauty and cleanliness of the North Sea islands.

By promoting economic activity in the region in a sustainable, healthy and creative manner, they are also having a positive impact on inhabitants and visitors to the islands.

Should the Superscoop happen to land in the ocean, it will bio-degrade.

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Beach toy One of the 25 concepts was based on the fact that every year, many children’s toys are lost or left behind and end up in the sea, where they contribute to the pollution of the shoreline and the oceans. To solve this problem, the Superscoop was developed. The Superscoop, a multifunctional beach toy used for shovelling and carrying sand or water, makes playing at the beach even more fun for small children. The appropriate, child-friendly frog-shaped design and ergonomic details were developed for children aged three to six years old.

Biological or technical metabolism The Cradle-to-Cradle principles were taken into account during all phases of development. Special care had to be taken particularly when selecting the materials to be used, since products which satisfy the requirements of the philosophy must be fully recyclable and/or biodegradable in soil, ideally in sea water, or in an industrial composting facility.

Injection Moulding To determine which end-of-life scenario is best suited for this product, the life cycle of existing shovels and buckets was first examined. Rather than being disposed of properly at the end of their life cycle, it seems that many of these toys unintentionally went missing instead. It is therefore to be expected that the Superscoop will also frequently find its way into the maritime ecosystem. For this reason, industrial composting was ruled out, and the focus turned to an eco-friendly material with the potential to bio-degrade in sea water.

Development process During development, the child-friendly frog design was first realised as an injection-mouldable concept. Bright colors or imprints are typically used for this type of toy to enhance a child’s playing pleasure and improve its easeof-identification. From the Cradle-to-Cradle perspective, however, this would require the use of 100 % innocuous pigments and materials. Both for humans and the ocean. Taking into consideration all of the desired properties in terms of texture and shape, this presented the biggest problem.

The Superscoop is also stackable.

Material During the entire development process, the Dutch engineering firm Pezy Product Innovation worked together with the Portuguese injection-moulder Moldes RP (Marinha Grande).

Rui Pinho, Managing Director of Moldes RP, was thrilled with this project from the very start and decided to invest in the mould. Tests were conducted with this mould using various materials which were designed to be biodegradable and manufactured from renewable resources, and which met mandatory safety standards for use in children’s toys. The component had to have a certain stability when handled by children and an appropriately long durability, whilst also decomposing relatively quickly if it ended up in the ocean.

The choice ultimately fell upon a biopolyester blend, mvera® GP1001 from BIO-FED (a branch of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH). This variant of the blend is in fact produced from fossil resources. The matrix polymer, however, is biodegradable wherever bacteria exist (e. g. in soil, and potentially in the ocean) and does not require high temperatures for decomposition as are present only in industrial composting facilities. Moreover, all monomers today could already be produced as bio-based materials in principle. And the pigments used in this product are entirely free of ecologically harmful substances. The masterbatch from Akro-Plastic GmbH branch AF-COLOR used to color the Superscoop contains only components which comply with the current DIN EN 13432 standard.

These components have successfully passed both the Cress test and the Barley Plant test and have received the corresponding Vinçotte certification.

Partnership Biopolymers, irrespective of which variant, either (partially) bio-based and/ or bio-degradable, cannot typically serve as simple substitution products.

Owing to the complexity of this matter, purchasing departments alone cannot adequately provide the selection of materials for what are frequently designated sustainable or green products. Experience has shown that product developments using biopolymers are most successful when project teams from across the supply chain (from the customer to the raw-material supplier) and involving various departments (Purchasing, Engineering, and Sales, in particular) work together to come up with solutions. This was the approach pursued by the Dutch service provider Pezy Product Innovation, an expert in the design of innovative product solutions. Thanks to this work performed in multidisciplinary teams and the successful cooperation with EPEA (sustainability consulting), Moldes RP (mould construction and injection moulding) and BIO-FED (bioplastic producer), this product is now ready for volume production. www.bio-fed.com www.pezy.nl

The Cradle-to-Cradle® concept refers to a type of cyclical resource utilization in which production processes are aimed at the preservation of added value. Like the nutrient cycle in nature, in which waste from one organism is used by another, material flows in production are planned such that waste and the inefficient use of energy are avoided.

The Cradle-to-Cradle concept was developed in 2002 by Michael Braungart and William McDonough. The concept is based on a term introduced in the 1970s by the Swiss corporate and political consultant Walter R. Stahel.

Just as in nature, Cradle to Cradle has no limitations, nothing is wasted and nothing is relinquished. Through the use of biological and technical nutrient cycles, the right materials are used in the right place, at the right time.

And the final result is always improved quality.

The Cradle-to-Cradle production method directly opposes the Cradle-toGrave model, in which material flows are frequently established without consideration of resource conservation.

Rather than minimising linear material flows in today’s products and production methods, the Cradle-to-Cradle design concept transforms these into cyclical nutrient cycles, meaning that once values are added, they are preserved for people and the environment. The Cradle-to-Cradle design concept is based on three basic principles: Waste as nutrients Use of renewable energy Promotion of diversity

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Injection Moulding

New PLA formulations to replace ABS

N

atureWorks (Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA) announced in late April the availability of new ABS replacement formulations that clearly demonstrate PLA based Ingeo™ resins have evolved into a practical and safe alternative for a broad range of styrenics in terms of performance, price, and eco profile.

Durables Business platform. “Compared to ABS, these Ingeo formulations also offer significantly improved resistance to many common household chemicals – including spray and wipe cleaning agents, oils, and common personal care products such as nail polish remover, sunscreen and hand sanitizer.

Three new formulated Ingeo injection molding offerings built on NatureWorks’ heat-stable technology platform offer a range of impact and modulus performance features in tandem with excellent chemical resistance. Two formulations offer medium and high impact performance with high bio content, making them ideal for injection molding applications – particularly those currently utilizing ABS. Additionally, a high modulus Ingeo formulation for profile extrusion applications maintains excellent impact performance and, just as with the injection molding offerings, this formulation’s high stiffness (up to 50 % higher flex modulus vs. ABS) offers opportunities for downgauging and materials savings.

Diodato explained that unlike legacy polymer blend approaches that often alloyed or compounded PLA with a petroleum-based polymer to achieve requisite properties, although at a reduced biobased content, these new Ingeo formulations derive their functionality from the crystallization enabled by combining NatureWorks’ newly commercialized polymer chemistries. The resulting Ingeo formulation has a renewably sourced carbon content of approximately 90 %.

The new Ingeo grades possess significantly faster crystallization kinetics than conventional PLA resins currently in the market place. The rapid crystallization rate leads to high heat distortion temperatures of up to 92 °C (HDT B @ 0.46 MPa). The fast crystallization also allows for the molding of crystalline parts at significantly faster cycle times than legacy products in the market.

“Our new Ingeo formulations take factors like thermal performance as a given and move beyond that to offer a comprehensive suite of properties, which in some cases exceed ABS,” said Frank Diodato, who leads NatureWorks

Excellent chemical resistance vs. ABS ESCR performance

Solvent/chemical

Ingeo medium impact formulation (884-41-1) 1 hour

24 hours

96 hours

Ingeo high impact formulation (884-41-2) 1 hour

24 hours

ABS

96 hours

1 hour

24 hours

None Distilled vinegar (5 % acidity) Isopropanol Ajax spray & wipe cleaner Dawn liquid dish soap Bertolli extra virgin olive oil Unsalted butter Based on ASTM D543-06 standard practices for evaluating the resistance of plastics to chemical reagents. Tested under 1 % strain

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Excellent Very good Good

Fair Poor Not tested

96 hours

Injection Moulding

Chemical resistance “An important step in development of the new formulations,” said Diodato, “was to begin to understand how Ingeo components used for consumer products would perform when exposed to common household chemicals.”

The company began a focused series of Environmental Stress Crack Resistance (ESCR) tests comparing Ingeo PLA to ABS. Rather than picking from a standard laundry list of industrial solvents – irrelevant for the non-industrial markets targeted by these grades – NatureWorks used a range of common household chemicals, those typically of interest to brands in its targeted markets. The tests were based on ASTM D543-06 standard practices for evaluating the resistance of plastics to chemical reagents. Test parts were put under 1 % strain.

Ingeo medium and high impact formulations and ABS were evaluated at intervals of one hour, 24 hours, and 96 hours. Solvents and chemicals used in the tests included: Distilled vinegar (five percent acidity)

and 96 hours. For isopropanol, Ingeo was rated good to very good. For dish soap, Ingeo was rated very good to excellent. ABS was not yet tested for either isopropanol or dish soap.

In a further series of independent tests performed by Nypro, a Jabil Company, the chemical resistance of Ingeo and ABS was assessed using a method designed to test how plastics used in consumer electronics stand up to commonly carried items such as hand cream, sunblock, insect repellent, acetone (nail polish), and isopropyl alcohol (hand sanitizer). Ingeo passed each test. ABS failed to pass two tests – insect repellent and nail polish.

After the consumer products chemical resistance tests, NatureWorks calculated that if 500,000 mobile phones were molded from Ingeo instead of from ABS the non-renewable energy saved would be equivalent to 750 gallons (2,893 l) of gasoline. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be significant: a savings equivalent to a car driven for 22,000 miles with no emissions. MT www.natureworksllc.com

Isopropanol AJAX spray and wipe cleaner

Simulating the chemical resistance of plastics used in consumer electronics (Testing performed by Nypro, a Jabil Company)

Dawn liquid soap Bertolli extra virgin olive oil Unsalted butter Both Ingeo and ABS had excellent resistance to distilled vinegar. For Ajax spray, Ingeo was rated excellent at alltime intervals, while ABS was rated as poor after 96 hours.

For olive oil and butter, Ingeo achieved an excellent rating at all-time intervals while ABS was rated poor at both 24

Injection Moulding grades

Chemical

Ingeo

ABS

Hand cream

Pass

Pass

Sunblock

Pass

Pass

Insect repellant

Pass

Fail

Acetone (nail polish)

Pass

Fail

Isopropyl alcohol (hand sanitizer)

Pass

Pass

PLA

ABS

Medium impact (884-41-1)

High impact (88441-2)

Ingeo profile extrusion formulation High modulus (82156-2)

Bio content (%)

100

0

89

88

76

Specific gravity (g/m3)

1.24

1.04

1.22

1.21

1.24

Specular gloss 60°

125

89

72

73

77

Specular gloss 20°

112

68

48

47

56

3,400

2,316

2,850

2,850

3,125

Tensile yield strength (Mpa)

64

39

37

38

33

Tensile elongation at break (%)

3.6

5.5

32

21

38

Notched Izod impact (J/m)

21

277

139

443

352

Flexural strength (Mpa)

113

68

66

65

59

Flexural modulus (Mpa)

3,640

2,381

3,140

3,100

3,550

55

87

92

77

85

Tensile modulus (Mpa)

Heat distortion (HDT B @ 0,46 MPa)

Ingeo injection moulding formulation

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Injection Moulding

Bioplastics injection moulding Closing the knowledge gap in bioplastics injection moulding operations

B

ioplastics – sustainability top, processing capabilities flop. Numerous companies, upon deciding to substitute bioplastics for petrobased plastics, have had to face up to this or similar conclusions.

This is deplorable, especially since bioplastics are usually in no way inferior to their petrochemical counterparts and in addition may bring to bear new and interesting properties. Yet, unresolved processing problems as well as higher prices paid for the raw materials until now have prevented widespread industrial use of bioplastics. The price is truly an impediment, mainly due to the hitherto significantly smaller production volumes. Processing problems, however, can be resolved by adapting the processing technology. Such problems often arise because of insufficient material data sheets and/or the absence of technical services to support the process adjustments necessary for producing high-quality parts from bioplastics.

This is the background for a project undertaken by a research alliance as part of a larger programme funded by the German Federal Ministry of Nutrition and Agriculture (BMEL) and supported by the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR), entitled “Processing of Biobased Plastics and Establishment of a Competence Network within the FNR Biopolymer Network”. This collaborative project takes on all processing technologies currently employed for plastic materials (injection moulding, extrusion, fibre production, thermoforming, extrusion blow moulding, welding, …) and examines a wide range of marketable bioplastics with respect to their process-specific data, most of which have not been made available yet by the material suppliers. In addition, small and medium-sized companies are offered technical support for the processing of bioplastics.

Plasticizing performance (cm3/min)

260

220 200 180 160 140

18

Plasticising the material stands at the beginning of each moulded parts production cycle. An important factor in this process is to minimize the time needed to feed and melt the materials in order to reduce the cycle time and hence the cost of the moulded parts. In trial runs, the cavity of a test specimen (Campus type A1 (DIN EN ISO 20753) was used to produce the moulded parts.

Generally, a plasticising performance here of about 200 cm³/min is a good value, which indicates a stable injection moulding process. The graph in figure 1 shows several bioplastics with different melt temperatures to represent the typical scope in industrial processing. The tests performed on these bioplastics reveal that, within the appropriate temperature range, all chosen bioplastics show an adequate plasticising performance. Typically, for semi-crystalline materials, an increased melt temperature leads to reduced viscosity. Consequently, there is higher leakage flow and a significantly lower plasticising performance, as is evident with PLA 3251D and PA Vestamid Terra HS 16.

500

Ingeo 3251D Ingeo 6202D Hisun PLLA ShowaDenko Bionolle 1020MD Evonik Vestamid Terra HS16

450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100

120 100 190

Plasticising performance

Figure 2: Melt temperature-related injection pressure

Ingeo 3251D Ingeo 6202D Hisun PLLA ShowaDenko Bionolle 1020MD Evonik Vestamid Terra HS16

240

The Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (IfBB) within this project has taken on the task to examine injection moulding performance of bioplastics. Materials selected for the investigations included two PLA’s (polylactic acids), a PLLA (Poly-L-Lactide), a biobased PA (polyamide), and a PBS (polybutylene succinate). To determine the optimum processing parameters for bioplastics, extensive pre-tests were run first to identify process-relevant material properties such as melt viscosity, thermostability, thermal conductivity, melting point, glass transition temperature, and density.

Injection pressure (bar)

Figure 1: Plasticizing performance of various bioplastics

Injection moulding performance of bioplastics

50 210

230 250 270 Melt temperature (°C)

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290

310

0 190

210

230 250 270 Melt temperature (°C)

290

310

Injection Moulding

3.0

2.5 Friction coefficient (-)

2.0

* Static friction (begining of demolding) ** Sliding friction (during the sliding of the mold core) *** Optical shrinkage measurement: Plate with 500 bar hold pressure, measuring the longitudinal shrinkage after 16 hours (Plate 150x105x3.0mm) **** Coefficient of static friction higher than 1 are generally regarded as critical and often leads to damage to the component

PA 6.10 Evonik Vestamid Terra HS16

1.8 1.6

Static friction coefficient * Sliding friction coefficient ** Longitudinal shrinkage ***

1.4 1.2

PBS Showa Denko Bionolle 1020MD

2.0

1.0 1.5

1.648 2.28

**** 1.0

PLA Ingeo 6202D

PLA Ingeo 3251D

0.76

0.62

0.69

0.268

0.54

0.66

0.282

0.6

1.84

Hilsun PLLA

0.768

1.32 0.5

0.4

1.22

0.2

0.305

0.53

0.8

Longitudinal shrinkage (%)

3.5

0

Sh

rin

ka ge

°C 0 25

°C 0 25

ka ge rin Sh

°C 22

0

°C 0 22

ka ge Sh

rin

°C 22

0

°C 0 22

ka ge rin Sh

°C 0

°C 0

22

rin Sh

22

ka ge

°C 0 22

22

0

°C

0

Melt temperature (°C)

Figure 3: Demoulding forces and material shrinkage

Injection behaviour The viscosity of the materials in a real processing environment can be characterized by means of the mouldspecific injection pressure. This was determined by derivation from maximum changes in the cavity pressure curve during the injection phase. As indicated in the graph in figure 2, Hisun PLLA shows especially high viscosity, comparable to that of Polycarbonate (PC). The measured viscosity of PLA Ingeo 6202D is lower in comparison, but still on a high level.

Processing these materials is easily possible however by raising the melt temperature above 200 °C. Significantly lower is the injection pressure with the low viscosity types PLA 3251D, Bio-PA Vestamid Terra HS16 and PBS Bionolle 1020MD. As expected, all these materials show a reduction of viscosity as melt temperatures are raised. It is widely assumed that some bioplastics have a low thermo-mechanical stability range.

However, all biobased materials used in these tests were showing a normal injection behavior across all processing temperature ranges. Hence they obviously possess the same process reliability as petrobased materials.

Demoulding and Shrinkage After the injected part cools off in the mould, it must be ejected from the cavity by means of an ejector system. This requires special ejection forces which consist of the normal force (material acting on the mould surface, as caused by material shrinkage when cooling off) multiplied by the coefficient of static and sliding friction (the forces needed to keep the material from sticking to the mould, and the forces needed to maintain steady sliding of the material on the mould surface). A friction coefficient higher than “1” means high forces are needed, which may cause problems in the process and even create damages such as deformations or distortions to the moulded parts. As shown in figure 3, the PLA types Ingeo 3251D and 6202D as well as Hisun PLLA

have increased values, but not on a critical level. PBS Bionolle 1020MD and Bio-PA Vestamid Terra HS16 however show much higher ejection forces, which means that an additional release agent is recommended with this material. There is also significant variation in shrinkage. While the PLA types shrink by about 0,3 % only, there is much more shrinkage for PBS (about 0,7 %) and Bio-PA (1,6 %). These values have to be judged as neutral, since petrobased plastics have similar values. They could cause a problem, however, if the same mould is used for the biobased material as for the substituted petrobased one. Given that moulds are designed for specific material shrinkage rates, shrinkage is an important factor as well to determine beforehand whether bioplastics can replace petrobased materials.

Conclusions Basically, most bioplastics are process-stable. Processing capabilities of bioplastics have improved significantly in the past few years. Once all relevant technical data are available, nothing really can get in the way of substituting bioplastics for petrobased thermoplastics. Still, processing bioplastics on existing machinery often turns out difficult due to a lack of technical data.

Acknowledgement The authors express their gratitude to the Federal Ministry of Nutrition and Agriculture (BMEL) for funding this project.

By: Marco Neudecker Hans-Josef Endres Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (IfBB) University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hanover Germany http://ifbb.wp.hs-hannover.de/verarbeitungsprojekt/

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Biodegradable materials for micro-irrigation systems

F

AO results published in the “World agriculture: towards 2015/2030” study, show the global increase of crops irrigated area. The study suggests that the irrigated area in the 1997 – 1999 period was 202 million hectares. This figure will rise up to 242 million hectares by 2030.

Dripping irrigation systems (micro-irrigation systems) are required due to irrigation growing needs. These systems allow a more sustainable management of the water needed for crops maintenance.

Current micro-irrigation pipes, manufactured with polyethylene, are taken to a recycling plant or incinerated in situ after use, depending on each country’s legislation.

The amount of plastic waste generated in agriculture by the EU-27 countries, Norway and Sweden in 2008 was 1.243 million tonnes (Mt). 53.6 % of the total was thrown away. On the other hand, the remaining 46.4 % was recovered: 262.000 tonnes (21 %) were mechanically recycled and 315.000 tonnes (25.3 %) were energetically recycled. The amount of waste generated by irrigation pipes and accessories was 200.000 tonnes [1].

Figure 1: Industrial line of micro-irrigation pipe extrusion.

One alternative to agricultural plastic waste management is to use biodegradable plastics. Biodegradable plastics are for example in use already for mulch films, plant pots and many more applications. However, until now no materials suitable for manufacturing of compostable micro-irrigation systems have been available.

DRIUS project: compostable micro-irrigation system The European project DRIUS Industrial implementation of a biodegradable and compostable flat micro-irrigation system for agriculture applications aims to produce new biodegradable and compostable drip irrigation systems and place them on the market.

The developed irrigation systems will be especially used for plant cultivations, such as strawberries and tomatoes, which have shorter growing periods.

The advantages of this new system will be: An alternative to current incinerating and recycling processes. It has to be taken into account that uncontrolled incinerating in the EU is not permitted (The Incineration Directive (Directive 2000/76/EC) (EN. 2000)) and that the resulting recycling is a low quality product due to high contamination and degradation of pipes, which are in contact with soil, pesticides and fertilizers.

Economic saving: elimination of separation, removal and recycling costs, which entails an expenditure of approximately 1,050 €/hectare.

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Figure 2: B iodegradable pipes coming out of the calibration and quenching baths.

Figure 3: Flat and tubular drippers developed in DRIUS.

Injection Moulding Energy saving during the elaboration process as the pipes made with these materials requires lower processing temperatures.

At the end of their lifetime, pipes would be managed as all organic wastes and they will biodegrade in less than 6 months.

A new compostable product will be obtained with an additional value at the micro-irrigation systems endof-life. Its development will allow its management in a composting plant without any need to separate.

Project’s results During the project’s first year, the extrusion process was optimized in order to elaborate biodegradable pipes in conventional extrusion lines (see Figures 1 and 2). These pipes can be processed at a temperature 40º C lower than polyethylene, resulting in energy saving and a lower environmental impact.

In order to develop these pipes, several commercial biodegradable materials were mixed through physical compatibilisation and chemical functionalisation. At the same time, the synergy effect of these mixtures was studied. The developed pipe consists mainly of PLA (polylactic acid), modified with other biopolymers and additives to achieve the properties required. The percentage of used material from renewable sources is higher than 70 %.

During this same period, new moulds were designed to inject the developed biodegradable materials for drippers.

Figure 3 shows that results were satisfactory and that the

ing t a r b e l Ce S R A E Y 0 2

new developments present suitable physical features for its injection moulding processing, creating drippers with the required geometry. Drippers’ geometry is crucial for the micro-irrigation system so that they provide the necessary amount of water for different crops.

The companies involved in this project are currently working on improving not only the demoulding process but also the insertion of drippers in the pipes.

The DRIUS Project began on 1st November, 2013 and will run for 24 months. It is funded by the European Commission within the “CIP-Eco-Innovation” Programme (contract number ECO/12/332883). The consortium is formed by Spain’s Technological Institute of Plastics (AIMPLAS); Extruline Systems SL of Goñar, Spain; Metzerplas Irrigation Systems of Kibbutz Metzer, Irael; and OWS NV of Gent, Belgium.

Coauthors of this article are Oded Baras, Antonio Bayonas, Steven Verstichel, Chelo Escrig, Raquel Giner.

More information / sources [1] Plastic Waste in the Environment, BioIntelligence Service, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pdf/plastics.pdf

By: Maria Pilar Villanueva Extrusion Department AIMPLAS (Technological Institute of Plastics) Paterna, Spain

VINÇOTTE, PIONEER & WORLD LEADER IN BIOPLASTICS CERTIFICATION www.okcompost.be

995

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PHA - a game changer for marine plastic pollution?

MHG’s emergence onto the world stage as the premier manufacturer of PHA biopolymers (polyhydroxyalkanoates) came full circle this spring when Belgium’s Vinçotte International awarded its first ever OK Marine Biodegradable certification to the company.

The award is especially judicious in light of the fact that plastic pollution in oceans, lakes and rivers has moved to the forefront as one of the most damaging and challenging environmental problems of our age.

The validation is also significant in respect to the ongoing domino effect of legislative bans on plastic bags, microbeads, and polystyrene food service items in cities and states across the U.S. and internationally.

Just over a year ago, MHG (Bainbridge, Georgia, USA) was basking in the afterglow of its unique position as the only biopolymer company to be awarded all six Vinçotte OK biodegradable and compost certifications available at that time, as well as U.S. FDA food contact approval.

MHG’s merger of Meredian, Inc. and Danimer Scientific into a consolidated entity (Meredian Holdings Group) formalized the company’s plan to position itself as a global provider of bioplastic resins.

Since then, the company has received commercial scale production validation from food ingredient provider Tate & Lyle (headquartered in London, UK).

In addition to ongoing work with LC Industries (Durham, North Carolina) to produce renewable cutlery for U.S. service personnel, MHG has secured a contract to make biodegradable packaging for one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, and has others in the works.

“Historically the packaging and container world is crowded with many different shaped objects made from

petroleum-based resins,” says Paul Pereira executive chairman and CEO of MHG. “More recently the introduction of bioplastic polymers made from Canola oils or any fatty acid vegetable oil has started to take center stage due to the renewable content and in some cases the degradability. This transformation will be a game changer for the world of packaging and waste disposal.”

By all accounts, MHG is fully on track to expand production of its Canola based PHA to a broader commercial scale.

During the fall 2014 planting season, the company’s second Canola crop was widened to 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres). In early 2015, MHG partnered up with Perry-McCall (Jacksonville, Florida, USA) to build out its AgroCRUSH facility to include a 6,000 tonnes (260,000-bushel) grain storage facility.

Harvest time commenced in May 2015. The crop is expected to yield six million pounds of PHA resin. To further accommodate new demand, MHG has acquired over 19,000 m2 (200,000 square feet) of lab and manufacturing space at its Bainbridge facility.

As MHG continues on the journey to expand its mission to the world marketplace, Pereira travels from Asia to Europe and throughout the U.S. to introduce PHA to manufacturers.

Due to its heat deflection temperature, UV resistance, excellent mechanical properties, and expedient biodegradability, MHG’s Nodax™ family of PHA serves as possibly the most viable alternative to both petrochemical plastics and less effective bioplastics.

The Achilles heel of many competitive biopolymers, including those produced from cellulose, sugars and

MHG’s 2015 Canola harvest commenced in May 2015 in Decatur County, Georgia, USA.

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Injection Moulding starches, is a lack of heat and moisture tolerance. The polymers can soften when even slightly warmed, become brittle and fail when dried or left in sunlight, or become sticky in high humidity environments.

Limp bottle caps, wilting coffee spoons, or toys that crumble into powder just won’t do, no matter how environmentally friendly the products seem. Any biopolymer resin used to make such articles must meet the appropriate temperature and viscosity requirements for mass production, remain durable and reasonably heat resistant while in storage or use, and decompose safely and organically in a short period of time.

As a thermoplastic polyester, PHA has a heat deflection range of 125 to 170 oC (about 260 to 340 oF). The high melt temperature offers an attractive and effective solution to the problem, considering that the average temperature in a sealed, parked car is 50 °C, a hot cup of coffee can reach 75 °C, and water boils at 100 °C (212 °F).

PHA also offers superior biodegradability over many other commercialized bioplastics because it decomposes aerobically in soil and water, and anaerobically in fresh water, salt water, soil and compost.

The fact that it is produced by microbial organisms that feed on the Canola oil is the simple reason PHA degrades so well. The material is synthesized within the organisms as a means of fat storage. As a result, many other microbial organisms see PHA as a kind of Twinkie™ for bacteria.

MHG PHA Compostable Spoons, before and after: MHG PHA biodegrades within three months to a year.

By: Laura Mauney The Kidd Group

Nodax per se is also highly adaptable to various processes and product requirements.

Nodax encompasses a family of PHA polymers where each variation possesses a slightly different mix of monomer units, and can thus be customized for different mechanical properties.

Explains MHG’s Chief Science Officer and Nodax inventor Dr. Isao Noda, “Various PHA polyesters are controlled by the proportion of the different building blocks (monomers) used to make the large polymeric molecules. For injection molded articles, the variation of the components gives us the very nice extra design flexibility to manipulate the softness of end products.

Sometimes we want hard and tough products, while in other applications we need much more soft and flexible items.”

In many ways, PHA functions as a better product than petrochemical plastics. It more effectively preserves food freshness, blocks transfer of many odors and gasses, and is toxin-free.

PHA can be used successfully to make biodegradable versions of the single use plastic items notorious for polluting oceans and lakes, including plastic bags, microbeads, six pack holders, bottle caps, and all manner of other disposable goods.

Though cleaning up the world’s water bodies will require strategies that go well beyond replacing plastic, the introduction of PHA to our throwaway culture has the potential to significantly deter future damage. www.mhgbio.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

23

Injection Moulding

New heat resistant blend for thin wall injection mouldings While the demand for biodegradable packaging continues to rise, injection molders are still facing challenges to process these type of polymers, especially when it comes to very thin wall packaging.

mold. Tests have shown that the new generation of ecovio® blends is processible similar to conventional polymers which means at the same cycle time. MT www.ecovio.com

BASF’s biobased and certified compostable polymer ecovio® is proven in many applications. BASF now offers a new generation of heat resistant certified compostable blend.

It is particularly suitable for injection molding and enables applications such as coffee capsules or single use cups, where thin wall geometries are required.

Due to the special formulation, it enables the very thin wall production with a thickness of up to only 0.3mm while still being rigid and strong with a good toughness as well as an outstanding dimensional stability. The cycle times that can be reached with this type of polymer are comparable to those of easy flowing PP types in injection molding.

With this new ecovio® blend, packaging manufacturers also do not need to cut back on their design demands. For example, it can be colored with any biodegradable masterbatch available. It is as well suitable for in-mold labelling, a state of the art surface decoration process in which a film for surface decoration is combined with the molded part in the open

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

Volume 7, March 2015

1| 2015

Injection Moulding

New light mountaineering shoes made with bio-PA 4.10 Royal DSM (Heerlen, The Netherlands) recently announced that its high performance biobased EcoPaXX® polyamide 4.10 has been chosen for the Edging Chassis of an innovative new mountaineering shoe from sports specialist Salomon.

Light mountaineering shoes fit with one of the latest trends in outdoor sports: they provide users with very comfortable lightweight equipment that lets them be quick, agile and safe. The Salomon X Alp range is at the forefront of this trend, with its innovative Edging Chassis (patented by Salomon), a special plate built into the sole with a sophisticated design that combines two opposites: flexibility and stiffness.

X Alp GTX

The Edging Chassis provides stability for the foot in the transverse direction – to provide good grip on narrow ledges – but also allows enough flexibility in longitudinal direction to accommodate the natural flexing of the foot.

This requires a material with the right combination of appropriate mechanical properties and toughness, and which can also be processed easily.

DSM’s biobased polyamide 4.10 EcoPaXX has enabled Salomon to produce a chassis with an intricate design that is light, has the necessary mix of flexibility and rigidity, retains its properties at very low temperatures typical of mountain environments, and has reduced moisture uptake, despite being a polyamide.

X Alp MTN GTX

The material is very suitable for injection molding and is certified as carbon neutral from cradle to gate. It is being used in the chassis of three models of Salomon’s new X Alp range of mountaineering shoes: the X Alp GTX, X Alp MTN GTX, and X Alp PRO GTX. For the Edging Chassis, a material with excellent flow characteristics is needed as the design requires the use of a mold with multiple gating, which creates multiple weld lines, which means weld line strength needs to be high. DSM bio‑PA 4.10 has these excellent flow characteristics, together with outstanding mechanical properties and also processes very well. Altogether, EcoPaXX provides a very costeffective solution that makes it stand out from the competition and a perfect fit for the Edging Chassis.

Aude Derrier, project manager in Materials Footwear Department of Global Footwear at Amer Sports says: “X Alp shoe expresses the cutting edge of light mountaineering. It is the result of over two years of intensive development and field tests with professional guides, rescue teams and athletes, and is a pure expression of Salomon’s approach to product innovation and its mountain heritage. Models with the patented EcoPaXX Edging Chassis can be used from lower flanks of the mountain as well as for approach.”

“Salomon, the mother company Amer Sports Group, and DSM have a long partnership history, and have worked together on other challenging EcoPaXX projects like high-end snow board bindings. We were confident that DSM could help us to create our new generation of mountaineering shoes, and our confidence has been justified.” MT www.ecopaxx.com

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

25

Show Review

CHINAPLAS 2015 Review

C

HINAPLAS 2015, held from 20-23 May 2015 in Guangzhou, has again set new records with unprecedented scale, with a gross exhibition area exceeding 240,000 m² and over 3,200 exhibitors from 40 countries and regions. After our show preview in the last issue, our reporters did not report about significant breakthrough developemnts in the field of bioplastics at this year’s Chinaplas. Thus we just present a few news from the Bioplastics Zone, that comprised again a total of 28 companies plus another 23 companies showcasing bioplastics products or services in other halls.

Guangzhou Bio-plus

CJ Cheiljedang

Guangzhou Bio-plus Materials Technology Ltd (Guangzhou, China) is a high-tech company focusing on modification of bio-based and biodegradable materials.

Their talented R&D team cooperates with Scientific Academia of China. Guangzhou Bio-plus successfully improved PLA in heat-resistance, impact strength and the ability to expand, which significantly widens the field of applications for PLA.

CJ Cheiljedang (CJ) from Seoul, South Korea, one of the largest producers of amino acids, has developed renewable chemicals for Nylons, Polyurethanes, and Resins.

The most challenging topic in PLA modification is to improve its foam ability. Recently Bioplus succeeded in developing a modified PLA for extruded foam sheet with butane or CO2, and the material is being used commercially now. Its expansion rate can be controlled from factor 3 to 20, and the structure of the foam can be open-cell or closed-cell.

PLA foam sheet can be used in packaging material, disposable food boxes, trays, Hamburger boxes, coffee cups, etc. It is the best option to substitute polystyrene foam and paper products in above fields.

It has been a challenging task, to foam PLA in the extrusion process over the past years. A lot of institutes and companies studied this topic for many years, without significantly overcoming the lab-scale. Bio-plus however, has now succeeded PLA foam sheet with butane or CO2 in industrial production line continuously and stably. This is a milestone that PLA foam material can be promoted in scale. In one word, Bio-plus’s success in PLA foam is revolutionary, and it will push the bio-plastics industry go forward quickly. http://www.bio-plus.cn/en/

CJ introduced biobased diamines – Butanediamine (BDA) and pentanediamine (PDA) - which can be used for Nylon and Polyurethane. BDA is a raw material for Polyamide 4X engineering plastics. PDA is for Polyamide 5X, high functional fiber, and PDI (pentamethylene diisocyanate), a raw material of urethane coating.

CJ also made a great advancement in D-Lactic acid. PLA is a biodegradable polymer from renewable resources with about 200,000 tonnes market volume. PLAs made with D-LA (e.g. stereocomplex-PLA) have better heat resistance and mechanical properties than conventional PLA. Thus, they are more broadly applicable.

Lignolic phenol is studied as bio-friendly chemical, but technological barrier limits its applicability.

Innovative technology enables CJ to produce cost-efficient lignolic phenol, the preceding material of phenolic resins used in various industrial products. http://www.cj.co.kr/cj-en

bioplastics MAGAZINE bioplastics MAGAZINE for the first time introduced a special Chinese language version of the magazine (16 pages “Best of 2014”). It was printed in 1000 copies and distributed at Chinaplas in addition to the 1000 copies of the regular, international issue.

ZINE.C MAGA

www.bio

plastics

A pdf-version of the complete Chinese issue can be read online at www.issuu.com/bioplastics or bit.ly/1AxH9BF

OM

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

生物塑料杂志 中文专刊

2015年

5月

Application News

Rubber seals made of Bio-EPDM Specialty chemicals company LANXESS (Cologne, Germany) provides its innovative bio-based Keltan Eco EPDM rubber to Freudenberg Sealing Technologies. This well-known global manufacturer of seals and vibration control technology products recently started to produce rubber seals made of Keltan Eco EPDM at its North American affiliate.

Keltan Eco EPDM (ethylene-propylenediene monomer) rubber contains up to 70 % of ethylene obtained from sugarcane, and has an impressive set of properties that is in no way inferior to that of conventional EPDM. The bio-renewable rubber compound, for which development at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies already began in 2012, addresses the constantly increasing standards on CO2 footprint reduction, especially in the automotive industry, and the overall global pull for more sustainable industrial solutions.

Joe Walker, Global Director Advanced Materials Development at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, explains: “We had been working with polymer suppliers for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, but the polymer offerings lacked the specific characteristics we needed for our advanced manufacturing processes. So we initiated a project to research the area, and we were able to develop a material that can be used in our next generation injection molding process.”

Applications for the rubber compound based on Keltan Eco polymers include seals for coolants, steam, synthetic hydraulic fluids, brake fluids and aerospace hydraulic fluids. The newly developed material is capable of withstanding temperatures up to 150 °C, and the material has outstanding compressive stress force retention. MT www.lanxess.com www.fst.com

The World’s first plant-based durable bottles ZAZA Bottles are the first refillable water bottles made from a plant-based polymer. They’re also the only customizable ones as they promote a fusion of fashion & sustainability. The Prague-based startup launched their Kickstarter campaign in late May. Zuzana Cabejskova, the founder of ZAZA has long been involved in the topic of sustainable hydration. She started an NGO called Czech The Tap in 2010 to promote tap water among Czech restaurants and citizes. The NGO’s blind-tasting experiments were a huge success: “Over 2 thousand people participated and 80% couldn’t tell the difference between tap and bottled water.”

As an Industrial Ecologist, Zuzana Cabejskova also insisted that the bottle be as sustainable as possible. “We’re introducing the first plant-based bottle to really show we’re serious about circular economy. The transparent part is made of a 50% bioC PA and we’re still looking for a supplier for the non-transparent parts, preferably that would be a close-to 100% biosolution.” www.zazabottles.com

Disposable gloves B.GLOVE, disposable gloves made from a biodegradable film are a high quality product, as stated in a press release by glove machine manufacturer CIBRA from Cernusco sul Naviglio, Italy.

The softness of such gloves, their breathability, the pureness of their composition make these gloves suitable for food handling, for use in pharmaceutical and chemical industries, for wellness treatments, and in many other applications.

Biodegradable gloves can become organic waste and will be totally degraded in compost in a short time. The machine manufacturer states that it can be expected that the same rule could soon be applied to gloves, e.g. in the fruit/vegetable area of supermarkets, in the veterinary, medical and food handling fields, and in wellness centres, where plastic gloves are still used. The MaterBi gloves offer a perfect alternative to conventional plastic gloves because they can be collected together with other organic waste and converted into compost.

B.GLOVE is a result of many years of development: from the first semiautomatic machine for disposable gloves that Cibra presented at PLAST 1968, from the first experiences on Mater-Bi films at PLAST 2003, from the last two year experience in producing full time biodegradable Mater-Bi gloves for innovative customers. MT www.cibra.it www.novamont.com

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

Applications

World’s first algae-based surfboard University of California San Diego’s efforts to produce innovative and sustainable solutions to the world’s environmental problems have resulted in a partnership with the region’s surfing industry to create the world’s first algae-based, sustainable surfboard. The surfboard was publicly unveiled and presented in early may, the day before Earth Day, to San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer at San Diego Symphony Hall.

The project began several months ago at UC San Diego when undergraduate students were working on a precursor of the polyurethane foam core of a surfboard from algae oil.

Polyurethane surfboards today are made exclusively from petroleum.

Students from the laboratories of Michael Burkart, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Robert “Skip” Pomeroy, a chemistry instructor who helps students recycle waste oil into a biodiesel that powers some UC San Diego buses, first determined how to chemically change the oil obtained from laboratory algae into different kinds of polyols.

Mixed with a catalyst and silicates in the right proportions, these polyols expand into a foam-like substance that hardens into the polyurethane that forms a surfboard’s core1.

The effort to produce the surfboard was headed by Stephen Mayfield, a professor of biology and algae geneticist at UC San Diego. To obtain additional high-quality algae oil, Mayfield, who directs UC San Diego’s California Center for Algae Biotechnology, or “Cal-CAB,” called on Solazyme, Inc. The California-based biotech, which produces renewable, sustainable oils and ingredients, supplied a gallon of algae oil to make the world’s first algae-based surfboard blank.

After some clever chemistry at UC San Diego, Arctic Foam successfully produced and shaped the surfboard core and glassed it with a coat of fiberglass and renewable resin.

Although the board’s core is made from algae, it is pure white and indistinguishable from most plain petroleumbased surfboards. That’s because the oil from algae, like soybean or safflower oils, is clear.

Photo courtesy Arctic Foam

Photo courtesy Eric Jepsen

“In the future, we could make the algae surfboards ‘green’ by adding a little color from the green algae to showcase their sustainability,” said Mayfield. “But right now we wanted to make it as close as we could to the real thing.”

Mayfield said that, like other surfers, he has long been faced with a contradiction: His connection to the pristine ocean environment requires a surfboard made from petroleum.

“As surfers more than any other sport, you are totally connected and immersed in the ocean environment,” he explained. “And yet your connection to that environment is through a piece of plastic made from fossil fuels.”

But now, he explained, surfers can have a way to surf a board that, at least at its core, comes from a sustainable, renewable source. “In the future, we’re thinking about 100 % of the surfboard being made that way – the fiberglass will come from renewable resources, the resin on the outside will come from a renewable resource,” Mayfield said.

“This shows that we can still enjoy the ocean, but do so in an environmentally sustainable way,” he added. KL, MT http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu

Info: 1) From algae oil to polyurethane Robert “Skip” Pomeroy explains it this way: The algae oil is a chemical mixture of Triacylglycerides (TAGs). This consists of a glycerol backbone and three fatty acid chains. The fatty acid chains in algae based TAGs have points of unsaturation (double bonds). These double bonds can be reacted to create OH or alcohol functionality where the double bond used to be. Because there are multiple double bonds within the TAG, you can create multiple OH groups, hence the term polyol (many alcohols, many OHs).

When a polyol is reacted with a diisocyanate you create multiple urethane bonds, hence polyurethane.

The precise formula of the polyurethane foam is a trade secret of Artic foam that creates the foam with the right density, flexibility and cell size to meet there expectations as a substitute for the petroleum polyol. We control the chemistry through the reagent balance, temperature of the reaction and the time.

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

29

Thermoset

Fully biobased epoxy resin

from lignin Thermosets

hardwood (e. g. eucalyptus, birch, beech), softwood (e. g. pine, spruce), and annual plant lignin.

Thermosets are polymeric materials generated by irreversible crosslinking of multifunctional monomers or oligomers thus forming a three dimensional network out of the initial resin system. Obviously, thermoset properties depend both on the monomer structure and on the architecture of the network. For the latter, the network density is a decisive parameter: the shorter the links, the more resistant the thermoset against mechanical, thermal, and chemical impacts. Thus the spectrum of crosslinked polymers reaches from flexible elastomers to firm resin systems for high performance composites.

Lignin sources Technically lignin is a by-product of the pulp and paper industry and is used almost exclusively as a fuel, in particular for running the pulping processes. Two processes dominate by far the chemical pulping to obtain cellulose: the Kraft (or sulfate) process with 90 % market share [2] and the sulfite process. Both generate sulphur containing lignins but with different chemical bonding patterns to the lignin skeleton. While the socalled lignosulfonates from the sulfite process have been available on the market for decades, this is not the case for lignins from the Kraft process. Only recently big pulping companies like Domtar, Stora Enso or Suzano began to isolate lignin from their black liquors. An important input to this development was the market introduction of the Ligno-Boost technology by Metso, which is applicable to both hard and soft wood and works with supercritical CO2 for lignin precipitation.

Lignin structure When looking for alternatives to petroleum-based resin components, lignin is a particularly interesting candidate.

It is synthesized biochemically from three aromatic monomeric units, i. e. Cumaryl, Coniferyl, and Sinapyl alcohol (Fig. 1).

With its highly cross-linked structure in combination with its specific functional groups (Fig. 1 B), lignin is suited as a building block in phenol formaldehyde (PF), polyurethane (PU), and epoxy (EP) resin systems. While for PU and EP systems the OH functionalities play the major role. PF resins take advantage of the free ring positions as reactive centres.

Sulphur may cause olfactory problems in final applications of lignin as a material. Therefore sulphurfree pulping processes such as Alcell® [3], Organocell [4], or Soda [5] could gain some importance in this respect.

Also enzymatic bio-ethanol production from annual plants generates sulphur-free lignins with quite a high molecular weight. This is a disadvantage for resin formulations since it impairs the solubility of the lignin in general.

Lignin is synthesized in all vascular plants and represents, after cellulose, the second most frequently occurring polymer on earth. There are three main types:

Figure 1 Structure of lignin monomers (A) and a lignin fragment (B) according to Freudenberg [1] HO By:

HO

Gunnar Engelmann Johannes Ganster

OH H HOH2C C C H OH

HO

Fraunhofer-Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP

OH H3CO

Potsdam-Golm, Germany

Cumaryl-

H3CO

A

Sinapyl-

CH2OH HO H C CH O H3CO

O HO

OCH3

OH H3C HOH2C

HC O CH H C O

OH OCH3

O

O CH3

OCH3

OCH3

O OH

O

HO C C HO O H

O

HOH2C OH HC OH HC

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

OCH3

HOH2C O HC HC OH

OCH3

OH

H3CO

30

O

HO CH2 OH CH2 O CH HC

OH

Coniferyl-

H3CO

OCH3

CH2OH H2C C O

OH

OCH3 HO

OCH3 B

OCH3

Thermoset Apart from the use of the caloric value of lignin for energy generation mostly by directly burning the spent liquor, lignin is used in comparatively small quantities for thermoplastic processing with lignocelluloses reinforcing fibres [6] and more recently as a blend component in derivatised form in biobased packaging films in combination with biodegradable petro-based polyesters [7]. On the other hand lignosulfonates from the sulphite process have a broad spectrum of applications, e. g. as additives for briquettes, animal feed, or concrete [8]. The possibility of using lignosulfonates for PF resin formulations, substituting the increasingly expensive phenol has been known for a long time, but is not exploited commercially on a larger scale. However, detailed investigations were performed for products like plywood, oriented strand boards, and medium density fibre boards.

For PU and EP resin formulations lignosulfonates are less suited owing to the different chemical structure compared to sulphur-free lignins or lignins from the Kraft process. With regard to synthetic EP resins made of bisphenol-A, (Kosbar et al.) in cooperation with IBM demonstrated the possibility to use 50 % lignin in a resin formulation for the manufacture of printed circuit boards [9]. However, the demonstrator never went into production.

For resin producers the use of Kraft lignins isolated from the black liquor would be the economically most viable way. However, these lignins have a relatively high molecular weight (not to mention organosolv or enzymatic lignins) and thus impede the lignin solubility in the reactive resin formulations. To avoid an additional technological step to degrade the lignin separately, a modification of the cooking process such that a more severe degradation takes place in situ, might be an option.

Biobased epoxy resins The advantages of using low molecular weight lignins can be demonstrated for a fraction of a softwood Kraft lignin in a completely biobased, bisphenol-A-free epoxy resin formulation [10]. To achieve this goal, besides the low molecular weight lignin fraction, glycerol-1,3diglycidyl ether (1) and, as a co-cross-linker, pyrogallol (2) are used (Fig. 2).

Here the glycidyl ether can be traced back to glycerol which is (also) a by-product of bio-diesel production.

Pyrogallol can be prepared by thermal decarboxylation of gallic acid, a biobased building block of hydrolysable tannins [11]. Optimum compositions lead to thermosets with a tensile strength of 82 MPa, a stiffness of 3.2 GPa, and a glass transition temperature of 70 °C. These resins are suited for manufacturing fibre reinforced composites.

Using 50 % of (bio-based) cellulose regenerated fibres in unidirectional composites; a bending strength of 210 MPa, a modulus of 12.5 GPa, and a heat distortion temperature of 160 °C were achieved.

OH

O

O

O 1

O HO 2

OH OH

Figure 2: Main components (besides lignin) for a completely biobased epoxy resin

Figure 3: Comparison between plant oil [12], lignin-, and bisphenol‑A-based [13] resins in terms of selected mechanical and thermal properties 120 100

Waste vegetable oil Lignin Bisphenol-A-based

80 Values

Lignin utilization

60 40 20 0

Tensile strength (MPa) E-Modulus*10 (GPa)

Tg (°C)

Figure 4: Prototype of light element Prachteck by Alfred Pracht Lichttechnik using lignin-based resin

Further improvements can be obtained by abandoning the claim of being completely biobased and using carboxylic acid anhydrides as hardener but still being bisphenol-Afree. Approximately 65 % of biobased formulations give values of 85 MPa strength, 3.5 GPa modulus and a glass transition temperature of 80 °C, still somewhat below petroleum-based bisphenol-A containing formulations (Fig. 3).

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Thermoset However, alternative biobased solutions with epoxidized plant oils suffer from low strength, stiffness, and glass transition temperature as shown in Figure 3 and cannot compete with the lignin-containing formulations. Further on, the above partially biobased lignin system was used for prepreg formulations and bulk moulding compounds. Prepregs with 50 % jute fabric could be stored at -8 °C for 17 weeks giving 110 MPa strength and 7 GPa stiffness after curing. Bulk moulding compounds with 60 % sawdust were compression moulded to give 60 MPa strength and 5.3 GPa modulus.

Application example The above mentioned jute fabric composites were used to manufacture an LED light element prototype called Prachteck in cooperation with the Institute for Plastics and Recycling (University of Kassel, Germany), and Alfred Pracht Lichttechnik (Dautphetal, Germany) [10]. This kind of light element was presented at the K show 2013 in Düsseldorf, Germany, as an application example.

Conclusion A clear trend is recognized to utilize lignin as an abundant renewable resource rather than just burning it. Big pulping companies start to think in this direction and the process is flanked by industrial developments to isolate lignin from spent liquor on the one hand, and by investigating possible applications on the other. Lignin structure and reactivity makes it a promising candidate for biobased resin formulations as shown for an epoxy resin system.

References [1] Freudenberg, K. und A.C. Neish (1968): „Constitution and Biosynthesis of Lignin.” Springer Verlag. Heidelberg-Berlin-New York [2] Toland J, Galasso L, Lees D, Rodden G, in Pulp Paper International, Vol. Paperloop, 2002, p. 5 [3] Y. NI, Q. HU (1995) Alcell® Lignin Solubility in Ethanol-Water Mixtures. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 57, p. 1441 – 144 [4] Lindner, A., Wegener, G. (1988) Characterization of lignins from organosolv pulping according to the organocell process. 1. Elemental analysis, nonlignin portions and functional-groups. Journal of Wood Chemistry and Technology, 8(3), p. 323 – 340.

[5] Lora, Jairo; Glasser, Wolfgang (2002) Recent Industrial Applications of Lignin: A Sustainable Alternative to Nonrenewable Materials. J. of Pol. Env.10, p. 39 – 48.

[6] www.tecnaro.de [7] www.cyclewood.com [8] K. H. Kleinemeier in O. Faix und D. Meier (Hrsg) 1st European Workshop on Lignocellulosics and Pulp, 1990, Verlag M. Wiedebusch, Hamburg 1991 [9] Kosbar, L. L., Gelorme, J. (1997) Biobased epoxy resins for computer components and printed wiring boards. Proceedings of the 1997 IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment, ISEE-1997. pp. 28 – 32.

[10] Project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture via the Specialist agency renewable raw materials e. V. (FNR), FKZ: 22025808 [11] Fiege, H., Voges, H.-W., Hamamoto, T., Umemura, S., Iwata, T., Miki, H., Fujita, Y., Buysch, H.-J., Garbe, D., Paulus, W. (2000) Phenol derivatives. In: Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. pp. 521 – 582.

[12] Dracosa AG, personal communication [13] Composite Solutions AG; (Data sheets SR 1700, SR 5550, SR 8500)

mistry.eu www.co2-che Carbon Dioxide as Feedstock for Chemistry and Polymers

4 th

29 – 30 September 2015, Essen (Germany) Conference Team Michael Carus CEO michael.carus@nova-institut.de

Barbara Dommermuth Programme, Poster session +49 (0)2233 4814-56 barbara.dommermuth@nova-institut.de Dominik Vogt Conference Manager, Organisation, Exhibition, Sponsoring +49 (0)2233 4814-49 dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de Jutta Millich Partners & Media Partners +49 (0)561 503580-44 jutta.millich@nova-Institut.de

Venue Haus der Technik e.V. Hollestr. 1 45127 Essen, Germany Tel: +49 (0) 201/18 03-1 www.hdt-essen.de 32

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

For the 4th year in a row, the nova-Institute will organize the conference „Carbon Dioxide as Feedstock for Chemistry and Polymers“ on 29 - 30 September 2015 in the “Haus der Technik” in Essen, Germany. CO2 as chemical feedstock is a big challenge and chance for sustainable chemistry. Over the last few years, the rise of this topic has developed from several research projects and industrial applications to become more and more dynamic, especially in the fields of solar fuels (power-to-fuel, Free booth – only a 2-days power-to-gas) – but also in CO2-based chemicals and polymers.

Several players are very active and will showcase some enhanced and also new applications using carbon dioxide as feedstock.

The conference will be the biggest event on Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) in 2015.

conference entrance ticket is needed!

Attending this conference will be invaluable for businessmen and academics who wish to get a full picture of how this new and exciting scenario is unfolding, as well as providing an opportunity to meet the right business or academic partners for future alliances.

Early Bird Reduction of 15% until the end of April 2015. Discount code: earlybird2015

More information can be found at www.co2-chemistry.eu Organiser

nova-Institute Chemiepark Knapsack Industriestraße 300 50354 Hürth, Germany

Thermoset

100 % bio-based epoxy compounds

N

agase ChemteX is a Japanese chemical manufacturer and is supplying high-performance, high added-value chemical products to meet their customers’ needs in a number of sectors, from electronics and life sciences to automobiles and the sustainability business.

Figure 1: Stress-strain behaviour Ref.

Composition 1

Composition 2

60 Stress / MPa

The product DENACOL has become a benchmark in the world of aliphatic epoxies and has unique characteristics of water solubility, made from epoxy compounds.

Biobased Denacol GSR series are made from natural renewable resources – such as isosorbide, etc. – and show high reactivity with active hydrogen from carboxyl groups, amino groups and hydroxyl groups. Therefore, they work in textiles, paper finishing, coatings, adhesives, molding compounds and specialty polymers as a good crosslinking agent.

40

20

0

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Strain / %

Composition

1

2

Ref.

Denacol GSR-101

100

37

0

TG-DDM

0

63

100

Table 1 gives an overview about the product line-up All these products show an excellent performance, derived from their unique chemical structure of natural resources. For instance, Denacol GSR-101W is a special epoxy compound based on an isosorbide structure and epoxy resins hardened with this product exhibit various interesting features, such as good toughness, high reactivity, low viscosity and excellent light stability.

1

1

2

23 27 30 DDS2 T etraglycidyl diaminodiphenyl methane type epoxy resin (WPE: 120 g/eq.)

Diaminodiphenyl sulfone

Figure 1 shows the stress-strain behaviour for different formulations.

Another interesting feature is the hardness of coatings made with Denacol. Coating films formulated with Denacol GSR-101W show higher pencil hardness with good adhesion compared to BPA type epoxy resin, on aluminum plate.

Denacol GSR-103W and GSR-104W have multifunctional epoxy groups and can improve adhesion performance with metal plate.

All grades show a high water solubility, therefore are applicable for waterborne system and also contribute to a VOC free environment. MT

3

4

http://www.nagase.co.jp/english http://www.nagasechemtex.co.jp/en/ Kharchenko@nagase.de

Test item3

Denacol GSR-101

BPA type epoxy resine4

Pencil hardness

2H

B

Adhesion 10 10 S ubstrate: Aluminium Composition: Epoxy resin/phenol novolac resin WPR: 473 g/eq.

Table 1 Grade

Chemical name

WPE (g/eq.)

Total chlorine content(%)

Viscosity (mPa∙s, 25 °C)

Bio-based content* (%)

GSR-101W

Isosorbide type epoxy resin

170

0.4

4,000

100

GSR-103W

Aliphatic epoxy resin

144

10.3

302

98

GSR-104W

Aliphatic epoxy resin

169

12.6

3,700

98

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

33

Biocomposites

Basalt fibers in biocomposites

B

asaltex® is a Belgian based company who introduced the basalt fiber to the European Market. It has many years of experience in basalt fibers and its applications.

Basalt fibers are made from natural basalt rocks and unlike other materials such as glass fiber, essentially no other materials are added. The basalt stones are molten at 1,400 – 1,450 °C and then extruded into continuous filaments of basalt fibers. The basalt fibers have mechanical properties that are better than glass, but are a lot cheaper than carbon or glass. However, due to good thermal properties of basalt and the fact that the fiber doesn’t burn, it is a fiber mostly used in fire resistant applications.

Over the years Basaltex has been working closely together with customers to develop custom made basalt fiber solutions for primarily the technical textiles and composite sector. As like in any sector, sustainability is increasingly important and the search for sustainable and bio-solutions within composites is a constant trend.

SmartCart galley cart made with FibriRock

As basalt is one of the most common types of rock in the world, it has nontoxic properties and due to the very low consumption (1 – 1.5 %) of chemicals during the production of basalt fibers, it is an ideal material to use in sustainable solutions.

Fire resistant composite applications Load floor with basalt/flax/bioresin in the skins and an aramid paper core

Basalt and furan resin give excellent abrasion performance (200,000 cycles)

Ski’s, snowboards, hockeysticks, etc. are examples for the use of basalt fibres in the sports/leisure sector

Within public transportation sectors regulations are only getting more stringent and this pushes towards the removal of phenolic based composites. Basaltex has developed in collaboration with Centexbel, NetComposites and TWI a bio based prepreg which outperforms E-glass/phenolic composite systems on both mechanical properties with equal to better fire performance. The basalt fabric is impregnated by a bio-resin (sugarcane-bagasse based furane resin) and can be cured in both conventional ways like vacuum bagging and compression moulding, but also more sustainable ways like micro-wave curing. The cured laminate is as such a 100 % fully bio composite (i. e. all carbon in the composite comes from renewable resources and none comes from petroleum.

The basalt itself does not contain any carbon.) with excellent fire resistant properties.

Basalt vs. E-glass laminate

34

Tensile strength (ASTM D2343)

2,700 – 3,200 MPa

E-Modulus (ASTM D2343)

84 – 87 GPa

Elongation at break

3.15 %

Density

2.67 g/cm3

Melting point

1,450 °C

Minimum operating temperature

-260 °C

Maximum operating temperature

600 °C

Fire blocker

Up to 1,200 °C

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

30

500

25

400 300 200

441 326

344

100 0

E-Modulus (GPa)

Value Tensile strength (MPa)

Property

20 15 10

20.9

25.6 18.6

5 ISO 527-5

E-glass/ phenolic

0 E-glass/ bioresin

ISO 527-5 Basalt-bioresin

Biocomposites A second example is the FibriRock composite that is used in the lightweight SmartCart galley cart. This composite panel is made by EcoTechnilin and has won the Sustainability Award at JEC Composites Paris 2015 and the 3rd price at the Innovation Award Bio-based Material of the Year 2015.

This is an example of basalt fibers used in combination with other natural fibers in a sugar-based bio-resin. Except for the aramide core, this product is fully bio-sourced. The properties of the composite panel are lightweight, robust, good fire smoke toxicity performance, good mechanical performance (9G pull test), fast manufacturing process, it is mouldable, has good abrasion resistance and is low cost. The composite panels can be used for load-floors and trim panels, for both transport and construction.

Other applications Another sector where basalt is often used is Sports & Leisure. In the early days a camera tripod was made using basalt fibers and an epoxy matrix, since then manufacturers of ski’s, snowboards, hockey-sticks, etc. found basalt fibers as an ideal fiber for its better mechanical properties than E-glass and lower cost than carbon.

Within the above mentioned applications there is a change towards bio-grade epoxy resins, choosing basalt fibers or fabrics as reinforcement is only a logical ecological consequence. Currently these changes are made especially in more luxury and high end consumer markets. These consumer segments are more passionate about sustainability when it comes to purchase considerations.

Future developments Basaltex will continuously develop both customer specific solutions and own products. The company will continue offering competitive products that meet the needs of the customers while trying to enhance the environmental impact of the end product. The target will be to share the successes of fully bio-based/sourced products with other markets. Larger consumer markets like automotive will be one of the first where the potential and demand is there for green solutions. www.basaltex.com

Some boat manufacturers have been using basalt multi-axial fabrics for hull reinforcement and mainsail reinforcement and have seen excellent performance. It seems that there is a nearby inexistent osmosis degrade, but specific research has to be carried on further.

By: Jeroen Debruyne Operations Manager Basaltex NV Wevelgem, Belgium

Visions become reality.

COMPOSITES EUROPE 22. – 24. Sept. 2015 | Messe Stuttgart 10. Europäische Fachmesse & Forum für Verbundwerkstoffe, Technologie und Anwendungen www.composites-europe.com

Organised by

Partners

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

35

Biocomposites

Carbon footprint of flax, hemp, jute and kenaf 1 Introduction

By: Martha Barth Michael Carus nova-Institute Hürth, Germany

production of other natural fibres for 1961 – 2013 based on FAO data (fig. 2) shows that jute has always been the most dominant of these materials. Apart from some fairly strong fluctuations, the overall volume of natural fibres produced globally has increased slightly over the last fifty years. The amount of jute has stayed more or less the same, coir has steadily increased its production volume, and production of flax and sisal has decreased.

Natural fibres are an environmentally friendly alternative to glass and mineral fibres. In the last twenty years more and more natural fibres have started being used in biocomposites, mainly for the automotive sector and also as insulation material.

As a first step towards supporting the development of sustainably produced and innovative biorefinery products, a carbon footprint for various natural fibres was conducted.

These natural fibres include: flax, hemp, jute and kenaf.

2 Carbon footprint The goal of this carbon footprint calculation is to evaluate the carbon footprint of the four most important natural fibres used in the automotive and insulation industry: flax, hemp, jute and kenaf.

In the year 2012, 30,000 tonnes of natural fibres were used in the European automotive industry, mainly in socalled compression moulded parts, an increase from around 19,000 tonnes of natural fibres in 2005. As shown in figure 1, in 2012 flax had a market share of 50 % of the total volume of 30,000 tonnes of natural fibre composites.

Kenaf fibres, with a 20 % market share, are followed by hemp fibres, with a 12 % market share, while other natural fibres, mainly jute, coir, sisal and abaca, account for 18 %.

This study covers the cultivation, harvest, retting, processing and transportation of natural-bast-fibres from the northwest of Europe (flax and hemp), India and Bangladesh (jute and kenaf) to non-woven-producers in Europe. One tonne of technical fibre for the production of non-wovens for biocomposites or insulation material is used as functional unit. In particular, inventory data related to current conditions (2013/2014) of the agricultural system, fibre processing and transportation were obtained from farmers and fibre producers and where necessary complemented with bibliographic sources. Allocation was necessary as all four fibre systems provide more than one product: e. g. the fibre process also produces shives and dust. In this study mass-based allocation was used for all four investigated systems, as it is more stable than economic allocation, which fluctuates more.

The total volume of the insulation market in Europe is about 3.3 million tonnes – the share of flax and hemp insulation material is 10,000 – 15,000 tonnes (ca. 0.5 %).

Globally, cotton is the largest natural fibre produced, with an estimated average production of 25 million tonnes during recent years (2004 – 2012). Jute accounts for around 3 million tonnes of production per year. Other natural fibres are produced in considerably smaller volumes. Globally, bast fibres play a rather small and specialized role in comparison to other fibres. The overview of worldwide

Fig. 2: Development of worldwide natural fibre production 1961 – 2013 in million tonnes without cotton (based on FAOSTAT 2015) Fig. 1: Use of natural fibres for composites in the European automotive industry 2012 (total volume 30,000 tonnes, without cotton and wood); others are mainly jute, coir, sisal and abaca

7

6

5 18 % 4

12 %

50 %

Sisal Ramie Jute Hemp Flax Coir

3

2 20 %

36

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

2013

2011

2009

2007

2005

2003

2001

1999

1997

1995

1993

1991

1989

1987

1985

1983

1981

1979

1977

1975

1973

1971

1969

1967

1965

1963

Hemp Others

1961

Flax Kenaf

1

Biocomposites 2.1 Comparison of the carbon footprint of flax, hemp, jute and kenaf

2.2 Comparison with fossil based fibres

Figure 3 sums up the results of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission calculation for flax, hemp, jute and kenaf. The result is that GHG emissions per tonne show no significant differences, especially when taking the uncertainty of the data into account. However there are some differences in results, which are described in more detail below: The emissions related to the fertilizer subsystem are the most important contributors to greenhouse gas emissions of each considered bast fibre.

However, the use of organic fertilizer for hemp cultivation (scenario 2) minimizes these emissions. Organic based fertilization is, however, not an option for all fibres, for different reasons (details see [1]).

Pesticides contribute relatively little to the carbon footprint of each fibre, except for the emissions stemming from pesticides used during flax cultivation. Due to its low shading capacity, flax is prone to weed infestation.

Therefore, herbicides usually need to be applied for flax in higher doses.

Field operations, decortication and transportation differ for jute and kenaf and hemp and flax. Field operations and decortication of jute and kenaf are mainly done manually, which causes relatively low emissions. Since both are grown and processed outside of Europe, however, transportation must be taken into account, both overland transport from the farm to the processing site as well as marine transportation to the factory gate in Europe.

Another important contributor to overall greenhouse gas emissions for hemp and flax straw is their procession into fibres. These emissions are mainly caused by the energy consumption for decortication and fibre opening. Jute and kenaf fibre opening, is done by machines; on the other hand, decortication is done manually. Therefore the impact of fibre processing for jute and kenaf is smaller compared to hemp and flax fibre processing.

In the impact category greenhouse gas emission, natural fibres show lower emissions than fossil based materials. For instance, production of 1 tonne of continuous filament glass fibre products (CFGF) extracted and manufactured from raw materials for factory export has an average impact of 1.7 tonnes CO2-eq. Based on data from Ecoinvent 3, glass fibre production has an impact of 2.2 tonnes CO2-eq per tonne glass fibre. Compared with natural fibres, which have greenhouse gas emissions between 0.5–0.7 tonnes of CO2-eq per tonne of natural fibre (from cultivation to fibre factory exit gate, excluding transport to the customer), impact on climate change from glass fibre production is three times higher than the impact from natural fibre production.

This is also reflected in the impact category primary energy use. Figure 4 shows primary energy use for the production of hemp fibre compared to a number of non-renewable materials. With about 5 GJ/t, the production of hemp fibre shows the lowest production energy of all the materials by far. For example, primary energy for producing glass fibre accounts for up to 35 GJ/t of glass fibre, which is seven times as much primary energy as hemp fibre uses.

Natural fibres are used in biocomposites, among other things. Biocomposites are composed of a polymer and natural fibres, the latter of which gives biocomposites their strength. Figure 5 indicates that hemp fibre composites show greenhouse gas emission savings of 10 – 50 % compared to their functionally equal fossil based counterparts; when carbon storage is included, greenhouse gas savings are consistently higher, at 30 – 70 %. However, the great advantage of natural fibres compared to glass fibres, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, only partially remains for their final products, because further processing steps mitigate their benefits.

Fig. 3: Comparison of greenhouse gas emissions per tonne natural fibre (flax, hemp, jute and kenaf) Hemp (scenario 1: mineral fertilizer) Hemp (scenario 2: organic fertilizer) Flax Jute Kenaf

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

kg CO2-eq/t natural fibre Field operations Seeds Fertilizer Fertilizer-induced N2O-emissions Pesticides

Transport I (field to processing) Fibre processing Transport II (Asia to Europe) Transport III (within Europe)

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

37

Biocomposites 3 Discussion on further sustainability aspects of natural bast fibres Although carbon footprints are a very useful tool to assess the climate impact of products, a comprehensive ecological evaluation must consider further environmental categories. Only taking into account greenhouse gas emissions can lead to inadequate product reviews and recommendations for action, in particular when other environmental impacts have not been considered at all. Therefore, one task of further studies is to take other impact categories into consideration.

Fig. 4: Primary energy use of different materials in GJ/t 350 300 250

GJ/t

200 150 100 50 0

Carbon PUR fibre

PES

PES

PP

Glass Mineral Hemp fibre wool fibre

Since natural fibres are used in many industry sectors, certification is a suitable instrument to prove sustainability. At the moment there are certification systems available which insure the production of biomass in a social and environmentally sustainable way. For natural technical fibres there are two favourable systems in place which are recognized worldwide. These are (in alphabetical order): 1. International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) for food and feed products as well as for technical/chemical applications (e. g. bioplastics) and applications in the bioenergy sector (e. g. solid biomass).

2. Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) is an international multi-stakeholder initiative for the global standard and certification scheme for sustainable production of biomaterials and biofuels.

Fig. 5: GHG emissions expressed in percentages for the production of fossil based and hemp based composites for a number of studies – showing the effects of biogenic carbon storage where available Hemp-based composites, accounted for carbon storage Hemp-based composites, not accounted for carbon storage Fossil-based composites 100

Natural fibres certified as sustainable have hitherto been unavailable on the market. However, the ISCC PLUS certification is currently underway for different hemp fibre producers within Europe. So it is expected that the first sustainable certificated natural fibres will be available by the end of 2015.

80

60

40

20

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

9

Hemp/PP vs.

GF/PP battery tray

8

Hemp fibre/PTP vs.

GF/PES bus exterior panel

7

Hemp fibre/epoxy vs.

ABS automotive door panel

6

Hemp fibre/PP vs.

PP composite

5

Hemp fibre/PP vs.

GF composites

4 0

38

[1] Barth, M., Carus, M.: Carbon Footprint and Sustainability of Different Natural Fibres for Biocomposites and Insulation Material, nova-Institute, Hürth, Germany, 2015

Hemp fibre/PP vs.

GF/PP mat

GHG emissions in %: fossil- and hemp-based composites compared

http://bio-based.eu

This article is an extract from the publication “Carbon Footprint and Sustainability of Different Natural Fibres for Biocomposites and Insulation Material“ that is available for download at www.biobased.eu/ecology . The publication also includes various references which were not reproduced here in the interest of length.

2015

P R E S E N T S

THE TENTH ANNUAL GLOBAL AWARD FOR DEVELOPERS, MANUFACTURERS AND USERS OF BIOBASED PLASTICS.

Call for proposals

til Please let us know un

July 30th

and does rvice or development is 1. What the product, se win an award or development should ce rvi se t, uc od pr is th 2. Why you think ganisation does oposed) company or or pr e th (or ur yo at Wh 3. ay also (approx. 1 page) and m s rd wo 0 50 ed ce ex t d/or Your entry should no marketing brochures an t be s, ple m sa , hs ap gr oto es mus be supported with ph nt back). The 5 nomine se be ot nn (ca ion tat technical documen 30 second videoclip prepared to provide a ded from try form can be downloa More details and an en ine.de/award www.bioplasticsmagaz

The Bioplastics Award will be presented during the 10th European Bioplastics Conference November 5-6 2015, Berlin, Germany

Sponsors welcome, please contact mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com

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

supported by

bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/15] Vol. 10

9

Biocomposites

powerRibs technology

Figure 1: Reduction of weight and cost using powerRibs at a constant flexural stiffness Plates for given flexural stiffness (tCFRP = 1 mm)

45

Well-known concepts

40

CFRP

Price (EUR/m2)

35 -40 %

30 -27 %

25 20

CFRP + powerRibs

GFRP -30 %

-43 % GFRP + powerRibs

15 10

-42 % NF Mat + powerRibs

5 1.0

1.5

NF Mat

2.0 2.5 Weight (kg/m2)

3.0

3.5

Figure 2: Flexural stiffness increase with powerRibs at constant weight Bcomp powerRibs

10

Increasing rib thickness

Relative specific flexural stiffness (-)

12

8

6

4

2

0

Aluminium

Glass fibre composite

Carbon fibre composite

Flax fibre composite

Potential applications using powerRibs powerRibs with Duroplast Automotive

Space

powerRibs with Thermoplast Leisure

Automotive

Luggage

Luggage Satelite Canoes & Front panel Body parts shell parts structures kayaks Door interior Local rein­ Star tracker Surf & SUP Roof panels forcement baffles Solid rocket Loading Electro Spoiler booster top Bike frames areas casing cones Maintenance Trunk lid Trunk lid doors Back rest

40

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

Back rest

Back in 2010, two PhD students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) were discussing a technical problem during a run in the forest. They wanted to develop a natural fibre composite tube which was lighter and stiffer than the carbon composite version. The materials engineer Christian Fischer had the idea to reinforce the tube from the inside with a ribbed structure. While the idea sounded interesting, the mechanical engineer Julien Rion demonstrated how this concept would increase the stiffness of the tube’s wall, but not of the overall tube. The intense exchange that followed lead to the invention of the powerRibs technology, and the patent was filed soon after.

This technology is based on the concept of the leaf-veins, rigidifying a surface with minimum weight. Instead of the nervures we use so called ribs made with flax fibres to reinforce thin-walled structures, resulting in a pseudo mini sandwich, since no core material is involved.

These ribs are easily combined with any type of base fabrics, such as natural fibre- (NF), glass fibre- (GF) or carbon fibre (CF) preforms

Natural fibres in space With their high stiffness, low density and limited length, flax fibres are ideal for the use in the powerRibs technology. Their maximum fibre length of 60 cm – looking like a disadvantage at first sight – is a key factor for this technology, since the fibres need to be spun into a continuous yarn for further textile processing. Thanks to the resulting twist, the yarn has a good compression strength perpendicular to its direction, keeping its shape during composite processing, and leading to a 3D surface characteristic to the powerRibs technology.

However, the mechanical properties in yarn direction rapidly decrease when the twist is too high.

With this in mind, the Bcomp Ltd. engineers have been optimizing the yarn twist angle over several years. The findings have been further developed in the framework of several R&D

Biocomposites

By: cYrille Boinay managing director, co-founder Bcomp Ltd. Fribourg, Switzerland

Figure 3: Effect of powerRibs on damping properties

The main effect of the powerRibs is that they triple the flexural stiffness of thin-walled structures without adding weight. Thus, cost and weight can be reduced when making composite parts, and damping properties can be increased by up to 250 %. For any given composite part, a large part of the synthetic fibres – such as glass or carbon – can be replaced with this novel material, increasing the part’s biobased material content. This effect adds up to the powerRibs structure’s lower weight, outperforming any given material in terms of sustainability.

The powerRibs fabrics can easily be processed with the common vacuum molding techniques. Furthermore, Bcomp Ltd. has partnered with processing technology partners, to develop concepts for the mass production of powerRibs parts. Depending on the final application, two processing technologies are currently available: a sophisticated thermoplastic version for interior automotive parts and luggage shells on one hand side, and a thermoset-based version for the production of automotive body- and space parts on the other hand side.

The powerRibs technology was awarded with the JEC Innovation Award 2015, the Swiss Excellence Award and the Hermes Price.

Bcomp have compiled a significant amount of data on the material‘s mechanical properties, such as static- and dynamic behaviour, thermo-mechanical characteristics and processing parameters of various production technologies which can be found on the website www.bcomp.ch.

Carbon Carbon + powerRibs Flax + powerRibs

1.2 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6

0.002

0.004

0.006 0.008 0.010 Loss factor, ξ (-)

0.012

0.014

Figure 4: Eco-footprint of flax fibre composites 90 Carbon fiber composites

85

Stiffer

High relevance due to less weight and less cost

Specific tensile modulus, E/ρ (MPa/(kg/m3))

projects, and have been applied to various customer projects within the mobility-, space- and sports & leisure industries.

One example is the European Space Agency which is highly interested in the unique combination of high stiffness and damping properties offered by this technology.

Normalized specific flexural stiffness (-)

1.3

30

Flax fiber composites Aluminium

Thermoset

25

20

Recycled

Thermoplastic Glass fiber composites

Primary

Wood

Greener 15

0

1x105

2x105

3x105

4x105

5x105

6x105

Embodied energy per m3, Hm*ρ (MJ/m3)

Technical data powerRibs: Rib thickness

1 – 2 mm

Yarn thickness

1,500 – 3,000 tex

Grid mesh size

15 – 28 mm

Rib stiffness

20 GPa

Fabric Areal Weight (FAW)

200 – 240 g/m2

Standard width

1,150 mm

Sales unit

Roll of 50 linear meters

Fibre volume ratio (vacuum infusion)

40 %

Weight reduction*

25 %

Damping properties*

+350 %

-50 % CO2 reduction* * Comparison between a 0/90° carbon composite plate of 1 mm thickness, and a plate with half the carbon quantity with powerRibs

bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

41

Report

Holland Bioplastics New association shares knowledge and connects parties around bioplastics

A

ttention for bioplastics is increasing in the Netherlands. There are both national and international companies that focus on the production and processing of bioplastics. However, there is still a need for further awareness of the benefits of using bioplastics both in the public and business domain. In an attempt to increase awareness and understanding of bioplastics in the Netherlands, Holland Bioplastics was recently formed.

NatureWorks, Braskem, Bio4Pack and Corbion are the founding partners who took the initiative to start Holland Bioplastics with the aim to share and provide unified, clear and objective information regarding bioplastics and their advantages. In addition, it is the aim to connect interested parties to further strengthen the bioplastics value chain.

François de Bie, Marketing Director Bioplastics at Corbion: “Innovation and investments are taking place in new materials, knowledge and technologies in order to make the transition from an oil-based, linear economy to a more bio-based, circular economy. This provides an important contribution to the Dutch economy and serves to create new jobs. But to achieve this, parties need to be able to find each other.”

“Until recently, The Netherlands remained behind with bioplastic developments, but now we are catching up” says Patrick Gerritsen of Bio4Pack. “Bioplastics are already widely accepted worldwide, and are being used by leading brands such as Ford, Nike, Puma, Toyota, Mercedes and The Coca Cola Company. In the Netherlands, bioplastics are a strong, upcoming market and are already being used by Albert Heijn, The Greenery, M+N, KLM, Rabobank, Desch, Heineken and Grolsch.”

The association is represented by Caroli Buitenhuis, bioplastics expert, and not related to one specific bioplastics producer or convertor. “This makes it easier for entrepreneurs and brand owners to get objective information on bioplastics”, she tells.

“But we have more ambitions. We also aim to clarify emotional assumptions around bioplastics with objective hard facts, proven with scientific research. Therefore we also work together with international knowledge institutes and universities.”

Holland Bioplastics is also committed to streamlining processes; from crop to end-of-life, and vice versa. Therefore the association participates in a special working group Bioplastics, initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment.

Within this working group there are also representatives from the composting industry, plastics recycling industry, knowledge institutes and retailers/brand owners.

Participation in this new association is open to all those who are involved directly or indirectly in the production, manufacture, research and / or marketing of bioplastics and if they share the same aim.

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

www.hollandbioplastics.nl.

4th PLA World Congress MAY 2016 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 4th PLA World Congress on:

May 2016 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 three two congresses the 4th 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

Call for Papers

› Latest developments

bioplastics MAGAZINE invites all experts worldwide from material development, processing and application of PLA to submit proposals for papers on the latest developments and innovations.

› Market overview

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

› Additives / Colorants

The team of bioplastics MAGAZINE is looking forward to seeing you in Munich.

› Fibers, fabrics, textiles, nonwovens

› Online registration will be available soon.

Watch out for the Early–Bird discount as well as sponsoring opportunities at

www.pla-world-congress.com

organized by

› High temperature behaviour › Barrier issues

› Applications (film and rigid packaging, textile, automotive,electronics, toys, and many more)

› Reinforcements › End of life options (recycling,composting, incineration etc)

Basics

Frequently asked questions

By Michael Thielen

E

ven if bioplastics MAGAZINE has tried to give answers to all kind of questions from the field of biobased and biodegradable plastics for almost ten years now, there are always the same questions asked by people who just learned about these new kinds of materials. European Bioplastics has put together a comprehensive set of such FAQ which is accessible via their website or as a pdf document for download. Here bioplastics MAGAZINE presents a small and edited excerpt of these FAQ:

2. using renewable resources for bioplastic products, organically recycling them (composting) at the end of a product’s life cycle (if certified accordingly) and creating valuable biomass/humus during the process. This resulting new product facilitates plant growth thus closing the cycle. Furthermore, plastics that are biobased and compostable can help to divert biowaste from landfill and increase waste management efficiency across Europe.

All in all, bioplastics can raise resource efficiency to its (current) best potential.

What are bioplastics: bioplastics are biobased, biodegradable or both. The term biobased describes the part of a material or product that stems from biomass.

When making a biobased claim, the unit (biobased carbon content or biobased mass content) expressed as a percentage and the method of measurement should be clearly stated. Biodegradability is an inherent property in certain materials that can benefit specific applications, e.g. biowaste bags. Biodegradation is a chemical process in which materials, with the help of microorganisms, degrade back into water, carbondioxide and biomass.

When materials biodegrade under conditions and within a timeframe as defined by the EN 13432 standard, they can be labelled as industrially compostable

Are bioplastics edible? Bioplastics are used in packaging, catering products, automotive parts, electronic consumer goods and have many more applications where conventional plastics are used. Neither conventional plastic nor bioplastic should be ingested. Bioplastics used in food and beverage packaging are approved for food contact, but are not suitable for human consumption.

What are the advantages of bioplastic products? Biobased plastics help reduce the dependency on limited fossil resources, which are expected to become significantly more expensive in the coming decades. Slowly depleted fossil resources are being gradually substituted with renewable resources (currently predominantly annual crops, such as corn and sugar beet, or perennial cultures, such as cassava and sugar cane).

Biobased plastics also possess the unique potential to reduce GHG emissions or even be carbon neutral.

Plants absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide as they grow.

Using this biomass to create biobased plastic products constitutes a temporary removal of greenhouse gases (CO2) from the atmosphere. This carbon fixation can be extended for a period of time if the material is recycled.

Another major benefit offered by biobased plastics is that they can close the cycle and increase resource efficiency.

This potential can be exploited most effectively by establishing use cascades, in which renewable resources are firstly used to produce materials and products prior to being used for energy recovery. This means either: 1. using renewable resources for bioplastic products, mechanically recycling these products several times and recovering their renewable energy at the end of their product life or

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Can fossil-based plastics be completely substituted by biobased bioplastics? According to the PRO BIP study conducted by the University of Utrecht, bioplastics could technically substitute about 85 % of conventional plastics, though this is not a realistic short- or mid-term development. With a share of 1.6 million tonnes (2013) compared to 300 million tonnes total plastic production per year, bioplastics are still only beginning to penetrate the market. However, with increasing availability and a quickly expanding number of products in diverse market segments, bioplastics will become a significant part of the plastics market in the long run.

How are costs for bioplastics developing? The cost of research and development still makes up for a share of investment in bioplastics and has an impact on material and product prices. However, prices have continuously been decreasing over the last decade. With rising demand, increasing volumes of bioplastics on the market and rising oil-prices, the costs for bioplastics will be comparable with those for conventional plastic prices.

How much agricultural area is used for bioplastics? In 2013, the global production capacities for bioplastics amounted to around 1.6 million tonnes. This translates into approximately 600,000 hectares of land.

The surface area required to grow sufficient feedstock for today’s bioplastic production is therefore about 0.01 % of the global agricultural area of 5 billion hectares.

Assuming continued high and maybe even politically supported growth in the bioplastics market, at the current stage of technological development a market of around 6.7 million tonnes accounting for about 1.3 million hectares

Basics could be achieved by the year 2018, which equates to approximately 0.02 % of the global agricultural area.

There are also many opportunities including using an increased share of food residues, non-food crops or cellulosic biomass that could lead to even less land use demand for bioplastics than the amount given above.

Is the current use of food crops ethically justifiable?

According to the FAO, about one third of global food production is either wasted or lost every year. European Bioplastics acknowledges that this is a serious problem and strongly supports the food industry’s efforts to reduce food waste as a key element in fighting world hunger.

The main deficiencies that need to be addressed are: - logistical aspects such as poor distribution/storage of food/feed, - political instability, and - lack of financial resources.

When it comes to using biomass there is no competition between food/ feed and bioplastics. About 0.01 percent of the global agricultural area is used to grow feedstock for bioplastics, compared to 97 percent used for food, feed and pastures.

Food crops such as corn or sugar cane are currently the most productive and resilient feedstock available. Other solutions (non-food crops or waste from food crops) will be available in the medium and long term with second and third generation feedstock under development.

There is no well-founded argument against a responsible and monitored (i. e. sustainable) use of food crops for bioplastics. Independent third party certification schemes can help to take social, environmental and economic criteria into account and to ensure that bioplastics are a purely beneficial innovation.

Are GMO crops used for bioplastics? The use of GM crops is not a technical requirement for the manufacturing of any bioplastic commercially available today. If GM crops are used, the reasons lie in the economic or regional feedstock supply situation.

If GM crops are used in bioplastic production, the multiplestage processing and high heat used to create the polymer removes all traces of genetic material. This means that the final bioplastic product contains no genetic traces. The resulting bioplastic is therefore well suited to use in food packaging as it contains no genetically modified material and cannot interact with the contents.

What is the difference between oxo-fragmentable and biodegradable plastics? The underlying technology of oxo-degradability or oxo-fragmentation is based on special additives, which are purported to accelerate the fragmentation of the film products if incorporated into standard resins. The resulting fragments remain in the environment.

Biodegradability is an inherent characteristic of a material or product. In contrast to oxo-fragmentation, biodegradation results from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae. The process produces water, carbon and biomass as end products.

Oxo-fragmentable materials cannot biodegrade as defined in industry accepted standard specifications such as ASTM D6400, ASTM D6868, ASTM, D7081 or EN 13432.

What are enzyme-mediated plastics? Enzyme-mediated plastics are not bioplastics. They are not biobased and they are not reported to be biodegradable or compostable in accordance with any standard. Enzyme-mediated plastics are conventional, non-biodegradable plastics (e.g.

PE) enriched with small amounts of an organic additive.

The degradation process is supposed to be initiated by microorganisms, which consume the additives. It is claimed that this process expands to the PE, thus making the material degradable. The plastic is said to visually disappear and to be completely converted into carbon dioxide and water after some time.

Is biodegradation a solution for the littering problem?

A product should be designed with an efficient recovery solution. In the case of biodegradable plastic items, the preferable recovery solution is collection with biowaste, organic recycling (e.g. composting) and the creation of compost (a type of humus which is beneficial for soil fertility). Designing a product for littering of any kind would mean encouraging the misuse of disposal, which is unfortunately widespread. Consequently, biodegradability does not constitute a permit to litter.

However, the issue of pollution, especially marine pollution, is taken very seriously by the bioplastics industry; research is actively being conducted to provide further factual information in the immediate future. Generally, when advertising products as biodegradable, a clear message should be communicated to consumers, who often misunderstand this property. A clear recommendation on product recovery is therefore important.

Are biobased plastics more sustainable than conventional plastics? Biobased plastics have clear advantages over conventional plastics. They provide the same and in some cases better performance while also being based on renewable resources. Thus, the plastics industry will be able to move away from finite fossil resources in the future and take its place in the bioeconomy. Saving fossil resources and reducing GHG emissions are two inherent advantages that biobased plastics offer in contrast to conventional plastics. With use cascades biobased plastics can also contribute towards closing the loop of a product thus helping to increase resource efficiency immensely.

Bioplastics are either more sustainable than conventional plastics or have the potential to be so. According to a study by the German Environment Agency “bioplastics are at least as good as conventional plastics”. The study also mentions that “considerable potential is as yet untapped” .

Info: The complete set of European Bioplastics’ FAQ can be found at their website: http://en.european-bioplastics.org/press/faq-bioplastics/

A pdf-version of the FAQ can be downloaded from http://bit.ly/1J2y1X9

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Basics

Glossary 4.0

last update issue 01/2015

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.

This new version 4.0 was revised using EuBP’s latest version (Jan 2015). All new or revised parts are printed in green [*: 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.

1 Generation feedstock | Carbohydrate rich plants such as corn or sugar cane that can also be used as food or animal feed are called food crops or 1st generation feedstock. Bred my mankind over centuries for highest energy efficiency, currently, 1st generation feedstock is the most efficient feedstock for the production of bioplastics as it requires the least amount of land to grow and produce the highest yields. [bM 04/09] st

2nd Generation feedstock | refers to feedstock not suitable for food or feed. It can be either non-food crops (e.g. cellulose) or waste materials from 1st generation feedstock (e.g. waste vegetable oil). [bM 06/11] 3rd Generation feedstock | This term currently relates to biomass from algae, which – having a higher growth yield than 1st and 2nd generation feedstock – were given their own category.

Aerobic digestion | Aerobic means in the presence of oxygen. In →composting, which is an aerobic process, →microorganisms access the present oxygen from the surrounding atmosphere. They metabolize the organic material to energy, CO2, water and cell biomass, whereby part of the energy of the organic material is released as heat. [bM 03/07, bM 02/09]

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Anaerobic digestion | In anaerobic digestion, organic matter is degraded by a microbial population in the absence of oxygen and producing methane and carbon dioxide (= biogas) and a solid residue that can be composted in a subsequent step without practically releasing any heat. The biogas can be treated in a Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHP), producing electricity and heat, or can be upgraded to bio-methane [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 | 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 biobased carbon content is measured via the 14C method (radio carbon dating method) that adheres to the technical specifications as described in [1,4,5,6].

Biobased labels | The fact that (and to what percentage) a product or a material is →biobased can be indicated by respective labels. Ideally, meaningful labels should be based on harmonised standards and a corresponding certification process by independent third party institutions. For the property biobased such labels are in place by certifiers →DIN CERTCO and →Vinçotte who both base their certifications on the technical specification as described in [4,5] A certification and corresponding label depicting the biobased mass content was developed by the French Association Chimie du Végétal [ACDV].

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 has been developed and tested by the Association Chimie du Végétal (ACDV) [1] Biobased plastic | A plastic in which constitutional units are totally or partly 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]

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]

Biogas | → Anaerobic digestion 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 [1,2,15]

Basics Carbon neutral, CO2 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] Cascade use | of →renewable resources means to first use the →biomass to produce biobased industrial products and afterwards – due to their favourable energy balance – use them for energy generation (e.g. from a biobased plastic product to →biogas production). The feedstock is used efficiently and value generation increases decisively.

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]. Cellulose 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 (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) Certification | is a process in which materials/products undergo a string of (laboratory) tests in order to verify that the fulfil certain requirements. Sound certification systems should be based on (ideally harmonised) European standards or technical specifications (e.g. by →CEN, USDA, ASTM, etc.) and be performed by independent third party laboratories. Successful certification guarantees a high product safety - also on this basis interconnected labels can be awarded that help the consumer to make an informed decision.

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 timeframe. 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 | is the controlled →aerobic, or oxygen-requiring, decomposition of organic materials by →microorganisms, under controlled conditions. It reduces the volume and mass of the raw materials while transforming them into CO2, water and a valuable soil conditioner – compost.

When talking about composting of bioplastics, foremost →industrial composting in a managed composting facility is meant (criteria defined in EN 13432).

The main difference between industrial and home composting is, that in industrial composting facilities temperatures are much higher and kept stable, whereas in the composting pile temperatures are usually lower, and less constant as depending on factors such as weather conditions. Home composting is a way slower-paced process than industrial composting. Also a comparatively smaller volume of waste is involved. [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

e.g. sugar cane) or partly biobased PET; the monoethylene glykol made from bio-ethanol (from e.g. sugar cane). Developments to make terephthalic acid from renewable resources are under way. Other examples are polyamides (partly biobased e.g. PA 4.10 or PA 6.10 or fully biobased like PA 5.10 or PA10.10) 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) Environmental claim | A statement, symbol or graphic that indicates one or more environmental aspect(s) of a product, a component, packaging or a service. [16] Enzymes | proteins that catalyze chemical reactions Enzyme-mediated plastics | are no →bioplastics. Instead, a conventional non-biodegradable plastic (e.g. fossil-based PE) is enriched with small amounts of an organic additive.

Microorganisms are supposed to consume these additives and the degradation process should then expand to the non-biodegradable PE and thus make the material degrade. After some time the plastic is supposed to visually disappear and to be completely converted to carbon dioxide and water. This is a theoretical concept which has not been backed up by any verifiable proof so far. Producers promote enzyme-mediated plastics as a solution to littering. As no proof for the degradation process has been provided, environmental beneficial effects are highly questionable.

Ethylene | colour- and odourless gas, made e.g. from, Naphtha (petroleum) by cracking or from bio-ethanol by dehydration, 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 about 50 member companies throughout the European Union and worldwide. 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.

DIN | Deutsches Institut für Normung (German organisation for standardization)

FDCA | 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, an intermediate chemical produced from 5-HMF. The dicarboxylic acid can be used to make → PEF = polyethylene furanoate, a polyester that could be a 100% biobased alternative to PET.

DIN-CERTCO | independant certifying organisation for the assessment on the conformity of bioplastics

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

Dispersing | fine distribution of non-miscible liquids into a homogeneous, stable mixture

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.

Density | Quotient from mass and volume of a material, also referred to as specific weight

Drop-In bioplastics | chemically indentical to conventional petroleum based plastics, but made from renewable resources. Examples are bio-PE made from bio-ethanol (from

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Basics 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]. If GM crops are used in bioplastics production, the multiple-stage processing and the high heat used to create the polymer removes all traces of genetic material. This means that the final bioplastics product contains no genetic traces. The resulting bioplastics is therefore well suited to use in food packaging as it contains no genetically modified material and cannot interact with the contents.

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.

HMF (5-HMF) | 5-hydroxymethylfurfural is an organic compound derived from sugar dehydration. It is a platform chemical, a building block for 20 performance polymers and over 175 different chemical substances. The molecule consists of a furan ring which contains both aldehyde and alcohol functional groups.

5-HMF has applications in many different industries such as bioplastics, packaging, pharmaceuticals, adhesives and chemicals.

One of the most promising routes is 2,5 furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), produced as an intermediate when 5-HMF is oxidised. FDCA is used to produce PEF, which can substitute terephthalic acid in polyester, especially polyethylene terephthalate (PET). [bM 03/14] Home composting | →composting [bM 06/08] 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).

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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).

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, 02/09] ISO | International Organization for Standardization JBPA | Japan Bioplastics Association Land use | The surface required to grow sufficient feedstock (land use) for today’s bioplastic production is less than 0.01 percent of the global agricultural area of 5 billion hectares.

It is not yet foreseeable to what extent an increased use of food residues, non-food crops or cellulosic biomass (see also →1st/2nd/3rd generation feedstock) in bioplastics production might lead to an even further reduced land use in the future [bM 04/09, 01/14] LCA | is the compilation and evaluation of the input, output and the potential environmental impact of a product system throughout its life cycle [17]. It is sometimes also referred to as life cycle analysis, ecobalance or cradle-tograve analysis. [bM 01/09] Littering | is the (illegal) act of leaving waste such as cigarette butts, paper, tins, bottles, cups, plates, cutlery or bags lying in an open or public place.

Marine litter | Following the European Commission’s definition, “marine litter consists of items that have been deliberately discarded, unintentionally lost, or transported by winds and rivers, into the sea and on beaches. It mainly consists of plastics, wood, metals, glass, rubber, clothing and paper”. Marine debris originates from a variety of sources.

Shipping and fishing activities are the predominant sea-based, ineffectively managed landfills as well as public littering the main land-based sources. Marine litter can pose a threat to living organisms, especially due to ingestion or entanglement.

Currently, there is no international standard available, which appropriately describes the biodegradation of plastics in the marine environment. However, a number of standardisation projects are in progress at ISO and ASTM level. Furthermore, the European project OPEN BIO addresses the marine biodegradation of biobased products.

Mass balance | describes the relationship between input and output of a specific substance within a system in which the output from the system cannot exceed the input into the system.

First attempts were made by plastic raw material producers to claim their products renewable (plastics) based on a certain input of biomass in a huge and complex chemical plant, then mathematically allocating this biomass input to the produced plastic.

These approaches are at least controversially disputed [bM 04/14, 05/14, 01/15]

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 Organic recycling | means the treatment of separately collected organic waste by anaerobic digestion and/or composting.

Oxo-degradable / Oxo-fragmentable | materials and products that do not biodegrade!

The underlying technology of oxo-degradability or oxo-fragmentation is based on special additives, which, if incorporated into standard resins, are purported to accelerate the fragmentation of products made thereof. Oxodegradable or oxo-fragmentable materials do not meet accepted industry standards on compostability such as EN 13432. [bM 01/09, 05/09] 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 and not degradable, used for e.g. baby bottles or CDs. Criticized for its BPA (→ Bisphenol-A) content.

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

PE | Polyethylene, thermoplastic polymerised from ethylene. Can be made from renewable resources (sugar cane via bio-ethanol) [bM 05/10] PEF | polyethylene furanoate, a polyester made from monoethylene glycol (MEG) and →FDCA (2,5-furandicarboxylic acid , an intermediate chemical produced from 5-HMF). It can be a 100% biobased alternative for PET. PEF also has improved product characteristics, such as better structural strength and improved barrier behaviour, which will allow for the use of PEF bottles in additional applications. [bM 03/11, 04/12] PET | Polyethylenterephthalate, transparent polyester used for bottles and film. The polyester is made from monoethylene glycol (MEG), that can be renewably sourced from bio-ethanol (sugar cane) and (until now fossil) terephthalic acid [bM 04/14] 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 (PHA) or the polyhydroxy fatty acids, are a family of biodegradable polyesters. As in many mammals, including humans, that hold energy reserves in the form of body fat there are also bacteria that hold intracellular reserves in for of of polyhydroxy alkanoates. Here the microorganisms store a particularly high level of

Basics energy reserves (up to 80% of their own body weight) for when their sources of nutrition become scarce. By farming this type of bacteria, and feeding them on sugar or starch (mostly from maize), or at times on plant oils or other nutrients rich in carbonates, it is possible to obtain PHA‘s on an industrial scale [11]. The most common types of PHA are PHB (Polyhydroxybutyrate, PHBV and PHBH. Depending on the bacteria and their food, PHAs with different mechanical properties, from rubbery soft trough stiff and hard as ABS, can be produced. Some PHSs are even biodegradable in soil or in a marine environment 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.

Modified PLA types can be produced by the use of the right additives or by certain combinations of L- and D- lactides (stereocomplexing), which then have the required rigidity for use at higher temperatures [13] [bM 01/09, 01/12] Plastics | Materials with large molecular chains of natural or fossil raw materials, produced by chemical or biochemical reactions.

PPC | Polypropylene Carbonate, a bioplastic made by copolymerizing CO2 with propylene oxide (PO) [bM 04/12] PTT | Polytrimethylterephthalate (PTT), partially biobased polyester, is similarly to PET produced using terephthalic acid or dimethyl terephthalate and a diol. In this case it is a biobased 1,3 propanediol, also known as bioPDO [bM 01/13] Renewable Resources | agricultural raw materials, which are not used as food or feed, but as raw material for industrial products or to generate energy. The use of renewable resources by industry saves fossil resources and reduces the amount of → greenhouse gas emissions. Biobased plastics are predominantly made of annual crops such as corn, cereals and sugar beets or perennial cultures such as cassava and sugar cane.

Resource efficiency | Use of limited natural resources in a sustainable way while minimising impacts on the environment. A resource efficient economy creates more output or value with lesser input.

Seedling Logo | The compostability label or logo Seedling is connected to the standard EN 13432/EN 14995 and a certification process managed by the independent institutions →DIN CERTCO and → Vinçotte. Bioplastics products carrying the Seedling fulfil the criteria laid down in the EN 13432 regarding industrial compostability. [bM 01/06, 02/10] 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.

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.

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]

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

Starch derivatives | Starch derivatives 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 connected with an 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.

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

One famous definition of sustainability is the one created by the Brundtland Commission, led by the former Norwegian Prime Minister G. H. 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 nonhuman environment).

Sustainable sourcing | of renewable feedstock for biobased plastics is a prerequisite for more sustainable products. Impacts such as the deforestation of protected habitats or social and environmental damage arising from poor agricultural practices must be avoided. Corresponding certification schemes, such as ISCC PLUS, WLC or BonSucro, are an appropriate tool to ensure the sustainable sourcing of biomass for all applications around the globe.

Sustainability | as defined by European Bioplastics, has three dimensions: economic, social and environmental. This has been known as “the triple bottom line of sustainability”.

This means that sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental protection and social equity. In other words, businesses have to expand their responsibility to include these environmental and social dimensions. Sustainability is about making products useful to markets and, at the same time, having societal benefits and lower environmental impact than the alternatives currently available. It also

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 [7] EN 13432, Requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation. Test scheme and evaluation criteria for the final acceptance of packaging, 2000 [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 [13] de Vos, S.: Improving heat-resistance of PLA using poly(D-lactide), bioplastics MAGAZINE, Vol. 3, Issue 02/2008 [14] de Wilde, B.: Anaerobic Digestion, bioplastics MAGAZINE, Vol 4., Issue 06/2009 [15] ISO 14067 onb Corbon Footprint of Products [16] ISO 14021 on Self-declared Environmental claims [17] ISO 14044 on Life Cycle Assessment

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Suppliers Guide 1. Raw Materials

AGRANA Starch Thermoplastics Conrathstrasse 7 A-3950 Gmuend, Austria Tel: +43 676 8926 19374 lukas.raschbauer@agrana.com www.agrana.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 www.xinfupharm.com 1.1 bio based monomers

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

Simply contact:

Tel.: +49 2161 6884467 suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com Stay permanently listed in the Suppliers Guide with your company logo and contact information.

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

39 mm

For Example:

DuPont de Nemours International S.A. 2 chemin du Pavillon 1218 - Le Grand Saconnex Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 171 51 11 Fax: +41 22 580 22 45 plastics@dupont.com www.renewable.dupont.com www.plastics.dupont.com 62 136 Lestrem, France Tel.: + 33 (0) 3 21 63 36 00 www.roquette-performance-plastics.com

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

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

1.2 compounds

Tel: +86 351-8689356 Fax: +86 351-8689718 www.ecoworld.jinhuigroup.com ecoworldsales@jinhuigroup.com

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

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

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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/15] Vol. 10

Corbion Purac Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21 4200 AA Gorinchem The Netherlands Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695 Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604 www.corbion.com/bioplastics bioplastics@corbion.com

Evonik Industries AG Paul Baumann Straße 1 45772 Marl, Germany Tel +49 2365 49-4717 evonik-hp@evonik.com www.vestamid-terra.com www.evonik.com

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

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

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

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 Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients FLEX-162 Biodeg. Blown Film Resin! ZAC „Les Portes de Riom“ - BP 173 Bio-873 4-Star Inj. Bio-Based Resin! 63204 Riom Cedex - France Tel. +33 (0)4 73 67 17 00 Fax +33 (0)4 73 67 17 10 www.biolice.com

Suppliers Guide 4. Bioplastics products

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

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

Wuhan Huali Environmental Technology Co.,Ltd. No.8, North Huashiyuan Road, Donghu New Tech Development Zone, Wuhan, Hubei, China Tel: +86-27-87926666 Fax: + 86-27-87925999 rjh@psm.com.cn, www.psm.com.cn

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

Minima Technology Co., Ltd. Esmy Huang, Marketing Manager No.33. Yichang E. Rd., Taipin City, Taichung County 411, Taiwan (R.O.C.) 2. Additives/Secondary raw materials 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

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

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

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 1.6 masterbatches

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

3.1 films

Infiana Germany GmbH & Co. KG Zweibrückenstraße 15-25 91301 Forchheim Tel. +49-9191 81-0 Fax +49-9191 81-212 www.infiana.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

MODA: Biodegradability Analyzer SAIDA FDS INC. 143-10 Isshiki, Yaizu, Shizuoka,Japan Tel:+81-54-624-6260 Info2@moda.vg Natur-Tec® - Northern Technologies www.saidagroup.jp 4201 Woodland Road Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA 7. Plant engineering Tel. +1 763.404.8700 Fax +1 763.225.6645 info@natur-tec.com www.natur-tec.com EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH Unterfeldstrasse 3 4052 Ansfelden, AUSTRIA Phone: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-0 Fax: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-23 NOVAMONT S.p.A. erema@erema.at Via Fauser , 8 www.erema.at 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

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 9. Services

Taghleef Industries SpA, Italy Via E. Fermi, 46 33058 San Giorgio di Nogaro (UD) Contact Emanuela Bardi Tel. +39 0431 627264 Mobile +39 342 6565309 emanuela.bardi@ti-films.com www.ti-films.com

6. Equipment 6.1 Machinery & Molds

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

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

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Suppliers Guide

Events 10.2 Universities

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

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

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/

Event Calendar BiobasedWorld at Achema 2015

15.06.2015 - 19.06.2015 - Frankfurt, Germany www.biobasedworld.de

Biopolymers and Bioplastics

10.08.2015 - 12.08.2015 - San Francisco (CA), USA http://biopolymers-bioplastics.conferenceseries.net/

ESBP2015 - 8th European Symposium on Biopolymers 16.09.2015 - 18.09.2015 - Rome, Itlay

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

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

10.3 Other Institutions

www.esbp2015.org

bio!CAR: Biobased materials in Automotive Applications

organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE and nova-Institute 24 - 25 September 2015 - Stuttgart, Germany www.bio-car.info

4th Conference on Carbon Dioxide as Feedstock for Chemistry and Polymers 29.09.2015 - 30.09.2015 - Essen, Germany http://co2-chemistry.eu

10th European Bioplastics Conference

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

05.11.2015 - 06.11.2015 - Berlin, Germany www.european-bioplastics.org

Biobased Packaging Innovations Caroli Buitenhuis IJburglaan 836 1087 EM Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel.: +31 6-24216733 http://www.biobasedpackaging.nl UL International TTC GmbH Rheinuferstrasse 7-9, Geb. R33 47829 Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 2151 5370-370 Fax: +49 (0) 2151 5370-371 ttc@ul.com www.ulttc.com 10. Institutions 10.1 Associations

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

European Bioplastics e.V. Marienstr. 19/20 10117 Berlin, Germany Tel. +49 30 284 82 350 Fax +49 30 284 84 359 info@european-bioplastics.org www.european-bioplastics.org 52

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3rd Biopolymers 2015 International Conference 14.12.2015 - 16.12.2015 - Nantes, France https://colloque.inra.fr/biopolymers2015

4th PLA World Congress

organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE May 2016 - Munich, Germany www.pla-world-congress.com

You can meet us

4 Conference & Exhibition th

AUTOPARTS MANUFACTURING Q u e r e t a r o C o n g r e s s C e n t e r, Q r o . , M e x i c o

The leading industry event focused on the production and manufacturing of auto-parts and components.

Directed primarily to auto-part manufacturing and production engineers at OEMs and Tier-1/2/3 plants in Mexico.

Organized by the leading Latin American publications Metalmecanica & Tecnologia del Plastico.

Technical Conferences • Commercial Exhibitions • Networking Opportunities

August

26-27 2

0

1

5

Sponsorship Sales: Daniel Céspedes, daniel.cespedes@carvajal.com USA: +1 (305) 448-6875 Ext. 15043 Mex: +52 (55) 5093 0000 Ext.:15043 Seminar Registrations: David Carreño, eventosb2b@carvajal.com Mex: +52 (55) 5093 0000 Ext. 47301 USA: +1 (305) 448 6875 Ext. 47301 Latam: +57 (1) 2 94 0874 Ext. 47301

www.autopartmanufacturing.com S P E C I A L

CURRENT SPONSORS:

P A R T I C I P A N T S :

Premium:

Gold:

With the support of:

Organizers:

Venue:

Companies in this issue Company

Editorial

Advert

Agrana Starch Thermoplastics

Company

51

AIMPLAS

20

Akro Plastic

16

API

53

Editorial

Fraunhofer UMSICHT

8

Freundenberg Sealing Technologies

28

Gevo

6

Novamont

8,28

OWS

21

Pizzoli

7

Plantic

5

51,52

polymediaconsult

Grafe

AVK

8

GUANGZHOU BIOPLUS MATERIALS

Basaltex

34

Hallink

BASF

10,24

Holland Bioplastics

Bcomp

8,4

Infiana Germany

Biobased Packaging Innovations

10

Bio4life BIO-FED Bio-on

26 52 42 52

8

52 52

ProTec Polymer Processing

52 12

10

Inst. f. Textiltechnik RWTH Aachen

8

Reed Exhibitions

8

16

Inst. Verb.Werks. Univ Kaiserlautern

8

Rhein Chemie

7

Institut for bioplastics & biocomposites (IfBB)

8,14

52 53

Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites

23

Jinhui Zhalolong

51

Kingfa

51

Kuraray

5

Centexbel

34

Lanxess

28

Cibra

28

Leibniz Inst. Agr. Eng.

8

CJ CHEILJEDANG

26

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients

Coca-Cola

6

Lineo

8

Composites Evolution

8

Lovechock

1, 12

Corbion

10

Meredian

22

Danimer

22

DSM

8,25

51

Metabolix

DuPont

51 34

Erema Plastic Recycling Systems 10,44

Evonik

52

Metzer Irrigation Systems

21

MHG

22

Michigan State University

53

52

Minima Technology

52

53

Moldes RP

17

51,55

Nagase Chemtex

33

Extruline Systems

21

narocon

Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe FNR

8,1

NatureWorks

FKuR

Natur-Tec

2, 51

Ford Motor Company

8

Fraunhofer IAP

30

Editorial Planner

53 6,8,18 52

NetComposites

34

nova Institute

8,36

53

8

ROQUETTE

51

Saida

52

SHENZHEN ESUN INDUSTRIAL

51 51

Solazyme

29

Solvay Epicerol

8

Taghleef Industries

52

Tecnaro

8

Tetra Pak

10

TianAn Biopolymer

52

TransFuran Chemicals

8

TWI

34

Uhde Inventa-Fischer

52

UL International TTC

53

Univ Calif San Diego

29

Univ. Stuttgart (IKT)

8

Vincotte

5

Virent

6

Wageningen (WUR)

7

WinGram 28

Zhejiang Hangzhou Xinfu Pharmaceutical

2015

Month

Publ.Date

edit/ad/ Deadline

Editorial Focus (1)

Editorial Focus (2)

Basics

04/2015

Jul/Aug

03 Aug 15

03 Jul 15

Blow Moulding

Bioplastics in Building & Construction

Foaming of Bioplastics

05/2015

Sept/Oct

05 Oct 15

04 Sep 15

Fiber / Textile / Nonwoven

Barrier Materials

Land use (update)

06/2015

Nov/Dec

07 Dec 15

06 Nov 15

Films / Flexibles / Bags

Consumer & Office Electronics

(Update)

Fair Specials

Plastics from CO2

icastics t e n g Ma for Pl • International Trade in Raw Materials, Machinery & Products Free of Charge.

• Daily News from the Industrial Sector and the Plastics Markets.

• Current Market Prices for Plastics.

• Buyer’s Guide for Plastics & Additives, Machinery & Equipment, Subcontractors and Services.

• Job Market for Specialists and Executive Staff in the Plastics Industry.

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51

ZAZA Bottles

Issue

er.com lastick www.p

35 52

Roechling Automotive

Showa Denko

51

51,52

President Packaging

Prouddesign

BPI

52, 56

PSM

10

53

Advert

53

PolyOne

Innovia Films

Biotec

European Bioplastics

Editorial

52

8

EcoTechnilin

52

Company

Grabio Greentech

Arkema

53

Advert

ional rofess ast • P ate • F -d o -t Up

51

Green up your vehicle High performance naturally

Biobased polyamides employed in automotive applications can improve the overall environmental sustainability of the transport sector. Typically used in under-the-hood applications requiring outstanding mechanical and physical properties, VESTAMIDÂŽ Terra can be spread to a wider range of automotive components. Evonik offers a variety of technical longchain polyamides suchs as PA610, PA1010 and PA1012. They all share a similar to improved technical performance compared to conventional engineering polyamides while also having a significantly lower carbon footprint. 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

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

284

The “OK Compost” certificate guarantees conformity with the NF EN 13432 standard (biodegradable and compostable packaging) 5_2014