Bioplastics

KEVIN PORTER, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OF TECMAN ADVANCED HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS, CLEARS THE AIR ON BIOPLASTICS MISCONCEPTIONS.

Are bioplastics the answer?

I’ve long been fascinated by how we can use new materials and exploit their properties to do things better and more sustainably across the healthcare sector.

At Tecman, we focus on product design and advanced material technology, so we regularly undertake R&D activity to design and develop more sustainable medical products. The challenge in healthcare is to ensure that innovation that improves product sustainability does not compromise functionality or result in a loss of quality, which many are concerned is usually the case.

BARRIERS TO BIOPLASTICS Bioplastic is plastic manufactured from plant or other biological material. It could be created from corn starch derivatives, trees, cellulose, or another raw material and has a very low carbon footprint compared to traditional oil-derived alternatives.

In our own fi eld, face shields play an important role in a variety of healthcare settings. They off er greater fl exibility and comfort, and an additional layer of protection atop of facemasks. But, no surprise, they are almost entirely made of plastic.

From a manufacturing point of view, the use of bioplastic materials is undoubtedly better for the planet but is not without its challenges.

Recycling in healthcare works diff erently to other industries because of the need to safely manage hazardous waste. This complication to what can be processed is further challenged by the fact that some Trusts recycle themselves, whereas others outsource it. This results in a myriad of diff erent regional and local approaches to what is and what is not sustainable.

One reason there has not been uptake of more bioplastic-based products is because of confusion by offi cials as to whether bioplastic products are biodegradable. The Department for Health and Social Care argues biodegradable products can’t be recycled because of the diffi culty involved in separating them within existing waste streams, but it is important to point out that biobased products are not the same as biodegradable products and can be disposed of within regular waste streams.

SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY Bioplastics offer a third way between single use products and biodegradable ones. They are more sustainable and less carbon intensive than the former, but unlike many of the latter, can be recycled and disposed of via existing waste streams.

One major way to make plastic products more sustainable is through material innovation. Selecting the right material given a specific design challenge is difficult, but by adopting new technologies and processes and exploiting the properties of excellent materials like bioplastic, manufacturers can help bring down carbon emissions significantly and ultimately the commercial elements improve too.

In something as straightforward as a face shield, the use of biomaterials can reduce plastic use by 90%, so the opportunity to make a seismic difference if this was used across the medical device arena is there for the taking.

Preventing hospital acquired infections (HAIs) is a major reason for the use of disposable products in healthcare, and so we are unlikely to see a move to most items becoming reusable. The World Health Organisation estimates that high-income countries generate an average of 0.5kg of hazardous waste per hospital bed, per day.

The focus going forward for many healthcare organisations will be on implementing reusable products where possible, but otherwise looking to sourcing more sustainable single use products, particularly where HAIs are a present risk.

Bioplastics aren’t appropriate in every situation, with moulding behaviour, moisture stability issues and higher cost often preventing them from likefor-like replacing all existing plastic injection moulded devices. But they are incredibly versatile and should always be a key consideration for new product developments. I am confident that in the near future we will see the adoption and use of more biomaterial products, so that we can continue improving health outcomes in an increasingly sustainable way.

One major way to make plastic products more sustainable is through material innovation. Selecting the right material given a specific design challenge is difficult, but by adopting new technologies and processes, manufacturers can help bring down carbon emissions significantly.

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THE LEADING VOICE IN POLYMER INNOVATION FOR THE MEDICAL DEVICE SECTOR

Medical Plastics News provides essential information on materials and engineering processes for professionals involved in the design, supply and manufacture of plastic medical devices.

NEELAM KUMAR, STRATEGIC MARKETING MANAGER FOR MEDICAL AT VERTELLUS, EXPLAINS HOW PC TECHNOLOGY IS DIFFERENT TO OTHER HEMOCOMPATIBLE COATINGS.

Terms such as biomimicry and bio-inspired have long been used to describe systems that are designed on principles existing in nature. PC Technology is one such surface modifi cation technology, encompassing synthetic biomaterials whose chemical compositions are founded upon the structure of the cell membrane.

WHAT IS PC TECHNOLOGY Short for phosphorylcholine, PC is the chemical name of a polar head group found in many phospholipids, particularly those that form the bi-layers that make up cell membranes. PC plays a key role in determining how a cell interacts with its surrounding environment and is attributed to be one of the primary natural materials responsible for the biocompatibility that exists between most cells.

The zwitterionic nature of PC confers the PC group with high polarity and, consequently, a natural affi nity for water. As a result, materials incorporating the PC group are surrounded by molecular layers of water that eff ectively mask the substrate to which it is applied, providing a biological friendly surface that resists protein and cell adhesion. Essentially the surface layer of water that is bound to the PC acts as a camoufl age and disguises the surface such that the protein does not respond to the foreign body.

PC Technology helps the performance of medical devices and materials through reduced protein deposition/activation, reduced bacterial adhesion, biofi lm deposition, infl ammatory response, fi brous capsule formation, and decreased blood activation, making it a truly multifunctional surface technology. APPLICATIONS OF PC TECHNOLOGY PC Technology has been used to successfully coat a broad range of substrates including a variety of metal, plastic, rubber, glass and ceramic.

The most appreciated and widely deployed use of PC technology in recent years is in Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) devices. ECLS devices are used for cardiac and/or pulmonary support before, during and after surgical procedures.

During clinical use, blood is exposed to the artifi cial tubing and membrane surfaces. Despite the routine anticoagulation treatments, deposition of blood proteins onto the artifi cial ECLS surfaces may still occur, leading to ineffi cient membrane functioning, insuffi cient gas transfer, and potentially device failure. It is therefore of critical importance that device surfaces be managed to appropriately handle the issues of hemocompatibility and thrombogenesis, and to avoid such potential modes of device failure due to extracorporeal blood activation and resulting negative impacts on patient health outcomes.

WHAT SEPARATES PC TECHNOLOGY FROM OTHER HEMOCOMPATIBLE COATINGS? PC Technology, a proprietary platform of methacrylate polymers incorporating phosphorylcholine, is synthetic, allowing precise control over the purity profi le, the molecular structure and avoiding any of the risks associated with animal-derived material.

Furthermore, the application of PC Polymers onto the device surface does not require any elaborate surface pre-treatments, expensive coating equipment, or signifi cant changes in the device manufacturing value-chain. PC Technology can be deployed seamlessly into existing processes with minimal changes and investment.

In addition, medical devices coated with a bio-passive agent such as PC enjoy a relatively favourable medical device rating compared to ones using a bio-active agent such as Heparin or Albumin, or other types of combination devices.

In a diverse and ever changing medical device industry, PC technology continues to demonstrate its viability as a durable, hemocompatible, anti-thrombogenic, clinically-proven coating for medical devices.