bioplastics MAGAZINE Issue 05/2019

In September 2019, Patrick Gerritsen, founder and CEO of Bio4Pack said: 10 years of Bio4Pack means 10 years of fighting for the opportunities of sustainable packaging.

Mussel cultivation involves a number of different steps. In The Netherlands mussel seed is collected on ropes hanging in the Waddenzee. The seed is harvested from these ropes and collected. Subsequently this seed is used for the cultivation of mussels. This can be done on the bottom of the sea. But more than 95 % of all mussels produced worldwide are grown on ropes. In that case, mussel seed is attached to a rope hanging in the sea. While there are various ways to ensure the mussel seed becomes attached to the rope, a common one is by using a so-called mussel sock. This sock is placed around the rope and the space between the rope and the sock is filled with mussel seed. This allows the mussels to grow and adhere to the rope. After about one month, the mussel sock is no longer required to support the mussels and should then start degrading. If the sock does not degrade in time, it will hamper the further growth of the mussels.

SeaBird, based in Brittany, France, is a company that engages in the research, development and production of bioplastic materials. Since its founding in 2011, the company has focused on reducing the impact of conventional plastics in the marine environment by evolving sustainable waste management solutions.

It is well-known that the properties of plastics are not inherent in the polymer itself, but that these are obtained through the use of functional additives. Nucleating agents, plasticizers, flame-retardants, colorants, anti-statics, stabilizers are all examples of additives that are indispensable in today’s materials. However, in many cases, biobased versions of these additives are unavailable. This makes it almost impossible to produce 100 % biobased products. To be able to do so, it is essential to develop biobased additives.

Francesco Degli Innocenti, Ecology of Products Director, Novamont, Italy

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.

Founded in 1992, BIOTEC (Emmerich, Germany) is one of the oldest and most experienced companies worldwide in the area of compostable and biodegradable plastics. Looking back at nearly 30 years of history in this field, it is remarkable how some trends and focus points seem to change, whereas - even after almost 3 decades - others remain stubbornly the same.

CaixaBank (Valencia, Spain) recently started releasing its first biodegradable cards, 150,000 units of which will be distributed per year. It is a new type of card that can be acquired in any branch of the CaixaBank network, in the format of a gift card. In fact, from now on, all gift cards issued by CaixaBank will be biodegradable.

The Lenzing Group (Lenzing, Austria) received confirmation of the full biodegradability of its fibers in fresh water by the independent research laboratory Organic Waste Systems (OWS) (Ghent, Belgium). The new and existing international certifications conducted by OWS and issued by TÜV Austria (Kraainem, Belgium) verify that LENZING™ Viscose fibers, LENZING Modal fibers and LENZING Lyocell fibers are biodegradable in all natural and industrial environments: in the soil, compost as well as in fresh and in marine water.

As society changes and evolves, people are increasingly seeking more convenience and ease in daily life, both at home and at work. This trend is boosting demand for lightweight and high-performance polymers in various industries.

A few days ago, I visited FACHPACK, an international trade show for the packaging industry held annually in Germany. There was no doubt about this year’s key theme: I was overwhelmed by the wall-to-wall claims of sustainability that bedecked the show. In fact, greenwashing was a suspicion that sprang to mind. Everything was labelled as being sustainable or recyclable - just two of the buzzwords conspicuously being brandished at almost all the booths. Clearly, the concept of sustainability had arrived, at least in the marketing departments- although not yet in the R&D departments, it would seem. Products that actually incorporated recycled content, especially PCR (post consumer recyclates), were very thin on the ground. Plus, if products are recyclable, but don’t actually get recycled, the benefits in terms of sustainability are zero.

Multilayer plastic packaging films are commonly used to pack sensitive food products. Their share on the packaging market is increasing as they enable light-weighting and increase resource efficiency in their primary use in comparison to rigid packaging. However, multilayer packaging concepts are currently not recyclable. Indeed, high purity fractions are needed for reprocessing and the vast majority of them end up in land fill or in energy recovery systems. In addition, most of the barrier materials such as Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) or polyamides (PA), are fossil based. In this article, emerging solutions in recent research and innovation initiatives will subsequently be reviewed, first in terms of new biobased feedstocks from which barrier materials can be sourced and second on how using them can positively affect the end of life of the derived laminates.

In the current efforts to develop an LCA methodology for biobased polymers by the JRC (Joint Research Centre), fundamental problems must be confronted if an equal and fair comparison is to be made between the environmental effects of biobased polymers and those of petrochemical polymers, write four scientists from Germany’s nova Institute in an open letter to the JRC.

T otal Corbion PLA, a 50/50 joint venture between Total and Corbion, officially inaugurated its 75,000 tonnes per year PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) bioplastics plant in Rayong, Thailand on Sept. 09, 2019. The world’s second largest PLA plant is located on the same premises, right next to a lactic acid plant of Corbion. It was finished in mid 2018 and commissioned end of 2018. As of yet, the PLA plant has produced more than 20,000 tonnes of PLA.

K 2019, known as “The World’s No. 1 Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber” and scheduled to take place in Düsseldorf from 16 to 23 October 2019, is fully booked. Over 3,000 exhibitors from more than 60 countries have registered to participate, and more than 200,000 trade visitors from all over the world are expected to come to the event. And this year again, bioplastics will play a major role at the K-show.

Several efforts have been made to produce biobased multifilament yarn for textile applications. While these have generated considerable interest, monofilament applications of biopolymers have not yet been sufficiently researched to allow their use in textile applications. In the present research, a monofilament spinning process is developed for biopolymer blends with the aim of producing biobased monofilaments for use in agrotextile applications.

Using multilayer films for food packaging in which the layers consist of different types of material makes it possible to combine different properties of different materials, such as oxygen and water vapour protection into a single packaging solution. However, the use of different materials to achieve these different properties makes the multilayer packaging developed to date impossible to recycle at the end of life. And as biodegradable or compostable materials do not offer sufficient barrier properties to be applied in packaging for fresh foodstuffs like cheese, compostable packaging cannot be used, either.

Use or invest in (biobased) Polymerization Shared Facility – Call for Partners

Biodegradable materials, such as polyglycolic acid (PGA) and polylactic acid (PLA), are used commercially in medicine for sutures, osteosynthesis systems and drug delivery systems. The degradation of these materials inside the body offers a big advantage in implants, like meshes and support structures (scaffolds), as a second operation for removal is not necessary and long-term foreign body reactions are prevented. Furthermore, a gradual reduction of the mechanical support function is possible, which allows load transfer from the temporary structure to the healing tissue, unlike when using metal implants.

Today’s expectations are very high for primary packaging for such applications as food, cosmetics and household goods, as the products packed should be kept clean, fresh and sweet-smelling. In addition, nothing from the surroundings should get into the packaging. However, the entire pack should also be sustainable as well as environmentally friendly. The matter of recycling is also an important issue.

As the automotive industry focuses on more sustainable manufacturing, Sicomin, the leading supplier of eco-resins, has announced a replacement for petroleum based materials with the launch of its new bio-based epoxy resin aimed specifically for HP-RTM processing techniques.

bioplastics MAGAZINE is honoured to present the five finalists for the 14th Global Bioplastics Award. Five judges from the academic world, the press and industry associations from America, Europe and Asia have again reviewed the incoming proposals. On these two pages we present details of the five finalists.

Solving the world’s problems of plastic and food waste is right at the forefront of Plantic Technologies business. To fight food waste Plantic supplies ultra-high barrier films made from renewable and recycled materials throughout the world. The recycled content in the materials is providing a source for food grade waste plastics that would otherwise be going to land fill.