bioplastics MAGAZINE Issue 05/2015

Additive technologies appear to be here to stay. In recent years, 3D printing has become a daily staple of news publications around the world.

The comfortable and generouslysizedn Kuskoa Bi, designed by Jean Louis Iratzoki is the fi rst chair on the market to be manufactured in bioplastic.

Multilayer cellulosic packaging systems for food or beverages generally consist of paper or board and a polyethylene layer that is included to provide the necessary water barrier properties.

A. Schulman, together with the consortium of companies formed by Germaine de Capuccini, Petroplast and the Ainia‑Aimplas alliance, has successfully developed the fi rst biodegradable fl exible tube for cosmetic products.

Matrìca, a 50:50 joint venture between Novamont and Versalis (Eni), is the result of the reconversion of a petrochemical site in Porto Torres (Sardinia) into an integrated biorefinery that today, using innovative and low-impact processes, produces a range of chemical products (biochemicals, building blocks for bioplastics, bases for lubricants, bioadditives for rubbers and plasticizers for polymers) from agricultural raw materials and vegetable scraps.

Like its precursor Wheylayer®, the barrier biomaterial featured in a past issue of this publication [1], ThermoWhey is a barrier coating based on whey protein.

MHG (Bainbridge, Georgia, USA) www.cargocollective.com/taegnishimoto/Undulae recently announced the presentation of the first ever certified biodegradable freshwater fishing lure at a tradeshow in Orlando.

The Bioplastics Organisations Network Europe (BON Europe) is a newly formed collaboration of national bioplastics organizations from across Europe.

Selecting the right barrier is the single most important requirement in packaging. Whether this is to oxygen, aroma, water, gas, UV, light, mineral oil or, depending on the product being packaged, “All of the Above”.

Filament manufacturer 3Dom USA has released a new bio-material made from coffee. Called Wound Up™, the filament is a continuing partnership with Fargo, North Dakota based bio-composite company, c2renew.

Sharp Corporation (Osaka, Japan) has chosen Mitsubishi Chemical’ (MCC) biobased engineering plastic DURABIO™ for the front panel of its new smartphone, the AQUOS CRYSTAL 2. The choice marks a world‑fi rst as bio‑based engineering plastic has ever been used on the front panel of any smartphone.

Organising our fi rst bio!CAR conference on biobased materials for automotive applications in parallel with the COMPOSITES EUROPE trade fair was an experiment – and it showed us that there is room for improvement…

Thanks to the new INTAREMA® plant generation launched by EREMA (Ansfelden, Austria) in 2013, bioplastics can now be recycled far more efficiently than before.

MHG strives to create a greener tomorrow with renewable, sustainable,biodegradable, and toxin free bioplastics for people at work and at home.

Algix LLC (Meridian, Mississippi, USA), the world’s leading producer of algae bio-products, and Effekt LLC (San Diego, California, USA), an environmentally minded product and material development company, recently announced the creation of the world’s first flexible foams using algae derived products as a filler.

Treleoni, Manning, South Carolina, USA, designs and manufactures cleaning and polishing pads for industrial fl oor cleaning machines and hand wipes for industrial cleaning services.

Can stable isotopes be used to determine the bio-based content of products?

Bologna, Italy-based Bio-on recently singed a number of important contracts to further develop the technology to produce PHAs.

For the growth of a large number of crops in horticulture support is used in the form of wires.

Within the scope of the European Dibbiopack Project (7th European Framework Programme; Grant agreement no: 280676), one of the main aims was the development of biodegradable films with improved barrier coatings as well as the investigations concerning the barrier properties of the bulk package using nanoparticles combined with the PLA material.

Within the scope of the European Dibbiopack Project (7th European Framework Programme; Grant agreement no: 280676), one of the main aims was the development of biodegradable films with improved barrier coatings as well as the investigations concerning the barrier properties of the bulk package using nanoparticles combined with the PLA material.

How much land is being used for the production of biobased plastics?

Laboratories will soon be able to use a new ASTM International standard to test and better understand biodegradability of plastics in marine environments.

The automotive sector currently generates large volumes of solid waste, particularly at the end of the vehicle’s life.

BASF has announced that it has added a new product to its range of bio-based polyols, sold under the Sovermol trademark. These products are used for manufacturing extremely low-emission 2K polyurethane coatings for interior and exterior applications.

“Today we greet the world with a new corporate image, that reflects the DNA of our values, celebrates our evolution over the years into today’s Novamont, and demonstrates our desire to be promoters of change.”

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Global Bio-based Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market 2015 – 2019” report to their offering.

NatureWorks and Thinkstep adhere to ISO standards for revision of Ingeo eco profi le

A conscientious South African company KiddieKix, who produce all‑natural children’s health products, found NatureFlex™ the best solution to wrap its cereals and dried fruit snacks.

With the explosive growth of the global 3D printing industry, a new market for plastic materials has opened up. In fact, it is estimated that by 2020, there will be over 115,000 tonnes of plastics used by 3D printers worldwide.

NatureWorks and Innovia Films have collaborated to develop the next big step forward in sustainable multilayer film materials.

Reflecting the ongoing growing demand for more sustainable solutions, production capacities for bioplastics are also expanding in order to keep pace with market developments.

QMILK fibre is a 100 % natural and renewable textile fibre made of nonmarketable milk and produced using an eco-friendly process.

As part of the Kuraray group (headquartered in Chiyoda, Prefecture Tokio, Japan) the world leader in barrier materials, Plantic Technologies Ltd (Altona, Victoria, Australia) brings to the barrier technology family naturally sourced, environmentally beneficial bio-plastics.

With a combined attendance of around 70 participants, the inaugural bio!CAR conference, organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE together with the nova-Institute, can truly be termed a success.

Within their ten year business plan for the environment, this year, Tetra Pak achieved a signifi cant milestone with the launch of Tetra Rex Bio‑based, the world’s fi rst fully renewable liquid food carton package — solely produced from renewable, recyclable and traceable FSC™ certifi ed packaging and bio‑based plastic derived entirely from sugarcane (Braskem’s bio‑PE).

Finalists for the 10th Global Bioplastics Award

Designed by Architect Taeg Nishimoto from San Antonio, Texas, USA, Undulae is a series of table and pendant lamps made of cornstarch-based bioplastic tubes.

Kansai University (Osaka, Japan) and Teijin Limited (headquartered in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan) announced earlier this year that Professor Yoshiro Tajitsu, Faculty of Engineering Science, Kansai University, and Teijin have developed the world’s first polylactic acid (PLA) fiber- and carbon-fiberbased piezoelectric fabrics.