bioplastics MAGAZINE Issue 06/2013

Do biowaste bags decompose fast enough in industrial composting or AD plants?

Solvay Specialty Polymers LLC (Alpharetta, Georgia, USA) recently announced the launch of a new portfolio of bio-based high-performance polyamides (HPPA) offered for use in smart mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, and other smart mobile electronics.

TECNIQ LLC, San Diego, California, USA, a leading developer of environmentally conscious materials and products, and SYNBRA BV, Etten-Leur, The Netherlands, leading innovators in expanded rigid foam technology, announced in October the creation of the worlds first certified 100% biodegradable and 99% bio-based surfboard foam.

Understanding terminology and value proposition in the bioplastics space – biobased vs biobased carbon vs biomass based

Wifag-Polytype is a leading manufacturer of thermo-forming and printing equipment, and the sole company producing the entire range from sheet extrusion, to thermoforming, to coating and printing of thermoformed products.

The Laboratory for Biomaterials at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) in St. Gallen, Switzerland, is actively searching for new solutions in the area of bio-based packaging materials.

Eight of the world’s leading consumer brand companies and conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced in mid November the formation of the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA) to support the responsible development of plastics made from plant material, helping build a more sustainable future for the bioplastics industry.

A little later this year, bioplastics MAGAZINE will once again be honoured to present the five finalists for the Bioplastics Award.

The bioplastics facade mock-up was created within the framework of Research Project Bioplastic Facade, a project supported by EFRE (European Fund for Regional Development).

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources (mainly starch or sugar, currently). One of the attractive characteristics of the PLA is the nature of crystallinity.

A US company has developed a ground breaking fabric that offers high level chemical protection, using NatureFlex™ from Innovia Films (Wigton, Cumbria, UK) within its construction.

Worldwide polyethylene nets are abundantly used for packaging organic products, such as potatoes, onions, green beans, garlic, shellfish, etc. However, the disposal of these nets causes problems to household waste treatment due their low apparent density and high strength (i.e. material is difficult to be cut and the nets may get entangled and collapse treatment machines).

a proposal to amend the European Packaging Directive in terms of (what we call) bagislation caused quite a lot of excitement in early November.

Evonik Industries AG, High Performance Polymers Business Line (Marl, Germany), and FKuR Kunststoff GmbH (Willich,Germany) announced their distribution agreement for VESTAMID® Terra during K’2013 in Düsseldorf.

Actions challenge deceptive biodegradable claims for both plastics and paper

M&G Chemicals, headquartered in Luxemburg, announced in late November its decision to construct a second-generation bio-refinery in the region of Fuyang, Anhui Province of China for the conversion of one million tonnes of biomass into bio-ethanol and bio-glycols.

Mulch films can be used when cultivating crops in order to achieve earlier and higher yields as well as to enhance the quality of many different types of vegetables, such as tomatoes, eggplants, water melons, peppers and cucumbers.

At K’2013 some 218,000 trade visitors came from well over 120 countries around the world to Düsseldorf, Germany, between October 16th and 23rd, 2013.

Novamont (Novara, Italy) recently presented its products from the 3rd and 4th generation of Mater-Bi®, the family of biodegradable and compostable bioplastics designed to resolve specific environmental problems, but also to offer opportunities for reindustrialisation through the creation of integrated Biorefineries.

In the electrical industry about 1.5 million tonnes of petrochemical epoxides are processed annually for circuit boards, printed circuit boards and similar.

Meredian, Inc. (Bainbridge, Georgia, USA), a privately held manufacturer of fully renewably sourced and completely biodegradable PHAs, with a range of Fortune 500 clients anticipating their products, expects to be operating at full capacity by the second quarter of 2014.

CHOMARAT (Le Cheylard, France ) recently rolled out the world premiere of a new line of biobased coated fabric called OFLEX™ Bio-based, which is made from Gaïalene® produced by ROQUETTE.

Biome Bioplastics (Marchwood, Southampton, UK) has helped to develop a biodegradable coffee pod, offering one of the first sustainable packaging alternatives in the single-serve market.

During the last decade, among biodegradable and biocompatible polymers, polylactic acid PLA has been considered as a potential alternative for synthetic plastic materials on the basis of its good processability, and relatively low cost.

The increasing concern about the environmental impact and sustainability of traditional plastics has led to the development of new materials derived from renewable sources, in particular for use in the production of bags (shoppers).

In early November a new proposal by the European Commission (EC) to amend the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPDW) caused quite some excitement throughout the industry. This article comprises some facts and some opinions.

Novamont from Novara, Italy during K’2013 unveiled what they call another milestone for Novamont research. It is a new grade of Mater-Bi® specifically designed for the production of transparent mulching film which biodegrades in the soil.

With 50 million tonnes of waste produced worldwide every year, electronics (smartphones, tablets, computers, etc.) are now a serious problem for the environment.

As global demand for compostable and biodegradable bags grows, by some estimates as much as 15% over the next five years, a range of compostable bag options are being developed to address all desired performance profiles for compostable materials.