bioplastics MAGAZINE Issue 04/2019

Cove is bringing about the future of packaging

“We won’t give up!” In July 2019 William Horner, now CEO of Totally Green Bottles and Caps LLC (Red Oak, Iowa) said:

Bio-on SpA, (Bologna, Italy) listed in the AIM segment on the Italian Stock Exchange and active in the highquality biopolymers market, declared on July 24th, that it totally denies the assertions published in a report of the American hedge fund Quintessential Capital Management (QCM) that would attribute to Bio-On’s management incorrect behaviors and that the Company is communicating false information to the market. Bio-on said it was considering legal action against the fund.

Adjustable compound properties

Most modern surfboards are a sandwich-like construction: a polyurethane foam core – known as a blank – coated with a fibre-reinforced composite. The reinforcements are usually glass, but they can also be carbon or plant fibres, like hemp and flax.

Plastics can be replaced by wood or natural fibres – with biocomposites

Potential applications and benefits

The global market for bioplastics and biocomposites has very impressive predicted growth rates over the coming decade – mainly based on the increasing demand for sustainable products, stronger policy support and the continuous efforts of the bioplastics industry to engineer innovative materials. Scion has developed thermoplastic and thermoset biocomposites over the last 15 years. These composites based on biobased fillers in compostable/biodegradable bioplastics have grown in popularity due to benefits such as:

Manufacturer in Benin switches from polyethylene-based to biodegradable products with help from Coperion

In early July Adidas (Herzogenaurach, Germany) announced that it would make strides in the continued drive to solve the problem of product waste with the introduction of two new apparel innovations within adidas by Stella McCartney – in addition to a recyclable hoodie a tennis dress created with Microsilk™ and cellulose blended yarn.

This section highlights recently granted patents that are relevant to the specific theme/focus of the Bioplastics Magazine issue. The information offered is intended to acquaint the reader with a sampling of know-how being developed to enable growth of the bioplastics markets.

T he French companies Expleo, Arkema, Cobratex, Specific Polymers, Cirimat, Compositadour, Lisa Aeronautics and Mécano ID have come together in Paris, France, late last year to design new biosourced technical composites based on long bamboo fibres. Known as BAMCO (Bamboo long fibre reinforced biobased Matrix Composite), this innovation will eventually reduce the environmental footprint of aircraft, as well as delivering benefits that extend well beyond the aerospace industry.

Since June 2019, Boulder Clean, producer of impressively powerful plant based cleaning products from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA offers its 30oz. laundry detergent container made from Braskem’s biobased Polyethylene to deliver improved sustainability and reduce its overall carbon footprint.

ALDI U.S., headquartered in Batavia, Illinois, USA, announced earlier this year a series of commitments it has made to help combat the global plastics crisis. By 2025, 100 % of ALDI U.S. packaging, including plastic packaging, will be reusable, recyclable or compostable. ALDI will also reduce packaging material across its entire range by at least 15 %. ALDI U.S. has the ability to influence how its products are sourced, produced and brought to shelves because more than 90 % of its range is ALDI U.S.-exclusive.

North Dakota State University has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to become a university site of the Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB2). The CB2 Center is part of NSF’s Industry–University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRC) program and NDSU will receive an initial award of $150,000 to set up the site followed by an expected additional $150,000 in 2020.

Paper cups are one of the most popular single use food contact application and they are always mistreated when disposed. Most people do not know that there are polymer liners inside these cups and these cups end up in paper bins or compost sites which causes problems in waste management.

Certified, verifiable compostable plastics is the “enabling technology” to efficiently and efficaciously divert food and other organic wastes from landfills & open dumps (mismanaged wastes in the emerging economy countries) to environmentally responsible end-of-life solutions like composting. Compostable defines boundary conditions under which complete biodegradation (microbial utilization) needs to be validated using ASTM/ISO International Standards. ASTM D6400 & D6868 is used for USA-BPI certifications. EN 13432, ISO 18606 are specifications for compostable packaging used in European certifications, and ISO 17088 is a specification standard for compostable plastics used in Asia. AS 4736 and 5810 is used in Australia. The fundamental requirements are the same in all these standards – 90%+ biodegradation as measured by the evolved carbon dioxide from microbial metabolism in 180 days or less; 90 % of the product passes through a 2 mm sieve after 12 weeks in active composting vessels, and show no eco or phyto toxicity as per the standards.

Since mid-July MyKAI, the Ocean-Friendly cosmetics line created out of the alliance between Bio-on (Bologna, Italy) and Unilever is available at NORTH SAILS stores. Mykai sun protection products contain no microplastics and their formulation is enriched with an “ocean-friendly” system made from 100% mineral filters and a powerful SPF (Sun Protection Factor) booster. Mykai sunscreen lotion is available in three face and body types: SPF 15, SPF 30 and SPF 50, which protect the skin from UVB rays, responsible for sunburn, and UVA rays, associated with long-term sun damage.

Last year I wrote in issue 04 : “This year is the hottest summer in Germany that I can remember in 15 years.” This year, with temperatures of 41°C (106°F) at the time of writing, has already broken that record. The advice I gave last year, however, still holds. As I wrote then, “one of the fundamental rules in weather like this is to drink a lot. Preferably water.” And we’ve kept to the theme with a cover story this year about water bottles - in this case, the world’s first PHA water bottles.

Braskem, Kautex Maschinenbau and Erema following the idea of Circular Economy

VivaTech is the world’s rendezvous for startups and leaders to celebrate innovation. It’s a gathering of the world’s brightest minds, talents, and products taking place in Paris.

Since the beginning of March 2019, the German Plastics Center SKZ, in cooperation with Kunststofftechnik Paderborn (KTP), has been researching possibilities for improving the filling behaviour of natural fibre-filled melts by adding foaming agents in the injection moulding process in a two-year project.

Yield10 Bioscience, Woburn, Massachussetts, USA, an agricultural bioscience company that uses its “Trait Factory” to develop high value seed traits for the agriculture and food industries, recently announced that the Company has filed a U.S. Patent application for new technology enabling low-cost production of PHA-based biomaterials in Camelina sativa, an oilseed crop.

How to enable their application for structural composite parts

Neste, Helsinki, Finland, the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel from waste and residues, and LyondellBasell, headquartered in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world, jointly announced in mid June the first parallel production of biobased polypropylene and biobased low-density polyethylene at a commercial scale.

Shapeable, reshapeable and compostable

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) asks the UK to bring forward a ban on biodegradable waste to landfill to 2025 after a new report published by the Committee revealed the UK to be ‘lagging far behind’ on efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, a recommendation that has split opinion within the waste industry.

Studies commissioned by Italian bioplastics manufacturer Novamont have demonstrated that the Mater-Bi family of materials produced by the company will biodegrade in the marine environment.

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Biocomposites of PLA and Wood- Thailand’s new material

Automaker Porsche is leveraging the benefits of organic materials in automotive manufacturing applications. The new 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport features body parts made of natural-fiber composite materials developed in the Application Center for Wood Fiber Research HOFZET, which is part of the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research, Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut WKI, together with the Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites IfBB of Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Spectalite, located in Heidelberg, Germany with its manufacturing unit in Quzhou, Zhejiang, PR China, is a global supplier of different natural fiber reinforced material compounds and sheets for applications in the automotive, personal care, houseware, agriculture and gardening industry. Spectalite is manufacturing durable grades with traditional thermoplastics (Spectadur) as well as biodegradable and biobased materials (Spectabio). These are available as compounds and sheets. All grades are either reinforced with mechanically extracted, performance bamboo fibers, rice husk, wheat straw/husk or other natural fibers; they are available for injection, extrusion, thermoforming and press molding processes.

On March 14, 2019 the American Chemical Society (ACS) broadcasted a live webinar with Ramani Narayan (Michigan State University) on the topic: "Is Biodegradability a Solution to Plastic Waste Pollution in the Ocean and on Land?"

Vegware, Edinburgh, Scotland, a manufacturer and visionary brand, the global specialist in plant-based compostable foodservice packaging, recently announced their Green Tree sandwich wedges and boxes are perfect for hearty meals and sarnies on the go. A crisp white design with on-pack eco-based messaging intertwined within a Green Tree motif. A clear identifier of a sustainable product.