bioplastics MAGAZINE Issue 03/2017

A few weeks ago B4PLASTICS (Maasmechelen, Belgium) and its development partner Trideus (Ham, Belgium) turn 3D printing with plastic materials circular: COMPOST3D® is the first 3D plastic filament in the world that connects design and composting of 3D objects by means of a smartphone app. Since the origin of plastics, Compost3D is thereby the first plastic product ever that gives consumers numeric end-of-life information dependent on the way of design and use.

In May 2017, Hans-Josef Endres (Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites IfBB) at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hannover, Germany) says:

Need hydration on the go? Ooho! is a single-serve seaweed-based squishy spherical packaging for beverages of every kind. Touted as being biodegradable and 100 % natural, the product has created a sensation - securing its initial GBP 400,000 (EUR 462,000) funding target through Crowdcube within days and more than doubling that to date.

Biotechnologically produced building blocks for chemistry and biodegradable plastic

Damir Perkic calls himself an enthusiastic entrepreneur. About a year ago he started with Be-O and developed his first product which was launched on Kickstarter on the 30th of May – the Be-O reusable water bottle which is made from sugarcane and is 100 % recyclable, BPA free and dishwasher proof. Damir Perkic works at Startup in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Bolloré, (Quimper, France) a pioneer in ultra-thin packaging, launched the first ultrathin packaging shrink film on a basis of green polyethylene called B-Nat®. It was developed to offer most attractive shelf presentation and the optic properties were optimized. It is also a good product for multipacking applications due to his cohesion strength. Although I’m green™ PE is a drop in solution for many applications, with Bolloré and its specialty films, it was quite a bit different. Bolloré worked hard to adjust its process to develop B-Nat with Braskem’s grades and has already achieved 40 % renewable content. The production of I’m green Polyethylene contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.“The development of B-Nat was an important first step that needs early adopters to give us the confidence that we are on the right direction and allow us to develop with Bolloré the next generation with even higher renewable content. In fact, I am sure this will be one more success case where an already sustainable product adds to its value proposition by shifting from fossil to renewable,” says Martin Clemesha, Technical Sales, Renewable Chemicals at Braskem.

Working with NASA, civil engineers at Stanford University have developed a form of bio-concrete that humans could produce on Mars or the moon – and that might have important benefits here on Earth.

INTRODUCTION Uncertainty in terms of price and unavailability of petroleum, in addition to global, political and institutional tendencies toward the principles of sustainable development, is urging the chemical industry towards a sustainable chemistry and particularly the use of renewable resources in order to synthesize biobased chemicals and products. There is an increasing demand for biobased, sustainable performance materials, where the emphasis is laid mainly on performance and endurance. Thus, fully biobased epoxy cross-linked polymers are nowadays a real target and also a great challenge for researchers.

Rennovia Inc., (Santa Clara, California, USA), a privately held company that develops novel catalysts and processes for the cost-advantaged production of chemical products from renewable feedstocks, recently announced that it has successfully commissioned, and is operating, all core pilot plant operations for its sugars to 1,6-hexanediol (1,6-HDO) process.

Biobased plastics can be mechanically recycled just like conventional plastics and biodegradable plastics are not a solution to the plastic soup in the oceans. These are two key findings in the report ‘Biobased and biodegradable plastics – Facts and Figures’, recently released by Wageningen Food & Biobased Research (Wageningen, The Netherlands).

Biobased plastics are often associated with physical–chemical properties (e.g. at, vapor and oxygen permeability, modulus etc) that recommend them for the packaging of food. Despite their apparent suitability, the presence of biobased plastics on the German market is low.

BIO-FED specialises in marketing biodegradable and biobased plastics. Until now the Cologne, Germany based company’s activities were centred primarily on products for film applications and individual products in the injection moulding sector, with a strong focus on the biodegradablity of the products. With the M∙VERA® ECS product line, this branch of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH is now adding renewable resource based polyamide compounds to its portfolio.

Organic waste generated by the fish industry and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste are a valuable resource from whose recovery new products of high added value can be obtained, such as flame-retardant additives, edible coatings with a gelatine base to extend the shelf life of fish or to be incorporated in multilayer packages, as well as chemical substances to produce bioplastics.

bio!CAR, the international conference on biobased materials in automotive engineering will bill be held for the second time now at the Exhibition Centre Stuttgart on 21 and 22 September as part of COMPOSITES EUROPE 2018. The conference will be organised jointly by bioplastics MAGAZINE and the nova-Institut in cooperation with trade fair organiser Reed Exhibitions and is supported the German FNR (Agency for Renewable Resources).

Within our series “special focus on certain geographical areas” we present simple surveys, to get an idea about the general perception of bioplastics in these countries.

This year at Chinaplas, the number of exhibitors in the bioplastics zone decreased to a number of 27 which is less than 50 % compared to the first launch of a bioplastics zone at Chinaplas ten years ago. The bioplastics market in China is rather small. Most of the resin manufacturer such as Kingfa, Hisun, Jinhui, Sogreen or Tunhe are all selling resins as well as compounds. As a result many small compounders left this industry and newcomers seem not to be too interested to enter the bioplastics industry because they obviously cannot compete with resin manufacturers in cost. The situation could be compared to Europe where BASF is selling Ecovio.

The introduction of Trafo Hummus Chips marks a further expansion of the range of organic crisps and snacks from FZ Organic Food, based in Wolvega, The Netherlands. Not only the delicious flavour of this product is exceptional, but also its packaging. FZ Organic Food has chosen a Bio4Pack packaging that is fully compostable, in accordance with the strict EN13432 standard – see the 7P0466 seedling logo – and is also four-star (i.e. > 80 %) biobased. In other words, more than 81 % of the raw materials used are renewable. In short, the packaging fits perfectly into FZ Organic Food’s mission and vision.

Food for thought

About a year ago, I became a beekeeper. One of the reasons I took up this new and exciting hobby was because our bees are in trouble, and with their numbers in decline, I wanted to do something to help. That - and because I really like honey. Hence, the recent news picked up by virtually all media - who outdid themselves with catchy headlines, such as “A Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Plastic Bags” – struck a real chord. Please read my comment on pp 40. This was also the reason for our cover photo: I though an attractive young beekeeper was greatly preferable to an ugly caterpillar.

The bioplastic developed by Bio-on (San Giorgio di Piano, Bologna, Italy) will be at the centre of a new European project that, thanks to a budget of almost 4 million Euro, aims to create new sustainable and biodegradable food packaging materials in the coming years.

Eastman introduced a new versatile, cellulose-based thermoplastic for injection moulding

The European Project BARBARA (Biopolymers with advanced functionalities for building and automotive parts processed through additive manufacturing) is a 36 month research project within the EU Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020. With a EUR 2.7 million budget, coming nearly exclusively from the EU, it brings together 11 partners from Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Belgium. Coordinated by Aitiip, it envisages developing two prototypes helping demonstrate the prospects offered by that these new materials for key sectors of our economy such as the construction and automotive industries.

One of the most important aims of bioplastics MAGAZINE is to answer any questions that people may have about biobased and biodegradable plastics. However, a number of questions tend to be asked again and again by newcomers to the field. European Bioplastics has compiled a comprehensive set of FAQs, which can be found on that organization’s website. A condensed version of this FAQ page was also published in bioplastics MAGAZINE, issue 03/2015. Now, however, European Bioplastics is thoroughly updating its FAQ page, with added information and new FAQ topics. It will be on their website soon. To keep readers abreast of these changes, a few of the most noteworthy are presented here. We have focussed on topics that are current, hot or that address various misconceptions or myths. The complete list of FAQs can be found on the FAQ page on the website of European Bioplastics.

Bioplastics at interpack Bioplastics were again strongly represented at this year‘s interpack trade fair, which took place from 04 to 10 May in Düsseldorf, Germany. The world’s biggest and most important trade fair of the packaging sector and related process industries presented a new record attendance of 2,865 companies. 74 % of the approximately 170,500 visitors travelled to the metropolis at the river Rhine from more than 160 countries around the world. The show started with our personal highlight, the 2nd edition of bio!PAC – the conference on biobased packaging. About 100 experts and interested visitors came to the Congress center on the first three days of interpack. The bioplastics companies represented at the exhibition again demonstrated that for a wide spectrum of packaging applications bioplastics offer solutions that can decisively reduce environmental impact. After our comprehensive preview in the last issue, the following pages shall give some more examples of what was presented in Düsseldorf.

Total Corbion PLA presented a number of application examples at interpack (4 – 10 May) in Düsseldorf, Germany. Among these examples visitors could see applications in packaging and serviceware based on Luminy® PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) resins from Total Corbion PLA. The Luminy PLA portfolio, which includes both high heat and standard PLA grades, is an innovative material that is used in a wide range of markets from packaging to consumer goods, fibers and automotive.

Novamont’s carrier bags were shown to degrade completely when processed in German anaerobic digestion plants, found a German study. No bioplastic residue was found at the end of the composting process in any of the samples examined in the four test sites.

When it comes to biodegradable plastics, aesthetics matter as much as function. To meet market demand, AF-COLOR (Niederzissen,Germany), a branch of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH, has added new biodegradable masterbatch carriers to its AF-Eco® product portfolio.

As a leader in manufacturing safer, more environmentally friendly corrosion inhibiting solutions for industries involving metal, Cortec® Corporation has put additional effort into offering a fully compostable film for basic packaging. Eco Film® is certified compostable according to EN 13432 (DIN Certco) and ASTM D6400 (BPI). When exposed to a typical commercial composting environment, it will fully biodegrade into carbon dioxide and water within a matter of weeks, without introducing toxicity to the soil, plants, or microorganisms involved in the process. Eco Film is helpful for organic waste diversion and can also be used in a variety of packaging applications where waste reduction is a concern.

Sukano and Total Corbion PLA recently announced at interpack that a range of functional and optical PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) masterbatches to further improve the performance of PLA will now be available from Sukano.

The amendment of the EU Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste from 2015 tasked the European Commission with assessing the impacts of so-called “oxo-degradable” plastics on the environment and proposing “a set of measures to limit their consumption or to reduce any harmful impacts“. To inform the Commission’s decision-making process, a comprehensive impact study was contracted out to independent consultancy Eunomia. The results of Eunomia’s report on “The Impact of the Use of “Oxo-degradable” Plastic on the Environment” are very clear in concluding that oxo-degradable plastics should not be allowed to be sold in Europe.

Interim approval constitutes a major step towards integration of packaging from Synvina’s PEF in the circular economy.

Promoting the development of China’s biodegradable industry

Pokon (Veenendaal, The Netherands), the market leader in plant food and potting soils for the Dutch consumer market, has recently introduced a new, sustainable potting-soil concept. This concept’s distinguishing feature is that it consists largely of renewable raw materials. It also features organic fertilizer and bio-based packaging. All this has resulted in the fact that Pokon is the first Dutch company with the MPS certificate for potting soils! MPS stands for More Profitable Sustainability.

The International Conference on Bio-based Materials in Cologne (Germany) is a well-established meeting point for companies working in the field of bio-based chemicals and materials. Almost 200 participants, mainly from the industry and representing 25 countries, met on May 10th and 11th for the 10th edition of this event to discuss the latest developments in the sector. 25 companies presented their products and services at the exhibition.

Cotton + Corn is an initiative developed by the Reebok Future team to create shoes “made from things that grow.” The first release will be a shoe that has an upper comprised of organic cotton and a base originating from industrial grown corn (a non-food source).