bioplastics MAGAZINE Issue 05/2020

Published in bioplastics MAGAZINE

A lgenesis (La Jolla Clifornia, USA) recently announced that their Soleic 52F bio-foam has proven to biodegrade in the natural environment and the results have been published in a Peer-Reviewed Science Paper.

Application News

BioPad® by Cortec Corporation (St. Paul, Minnessota, USA) is a unique flexible non-woven pad made from byproducts of corn processing. In 2020, it earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product label, which highlights its percentage of biobased content at 58 %. BioPad is infused with Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors (VpCI®/VCI) that vaporize and create a protective environment inside closed packages or void spaces. These vapors condense or adsorb when they come into contact with metal surfaces, creating a protective molecular layer. As long as the space stays closed, the metals continue to be protected. When the package or void is opened, the same vapor pressure that allowed the corrosion inhibitors to fill the space allows them to float off the surfaces of the metal. No extra cleaning or coating removal is required.

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS (Cologne, Germany) has developed a new range of methylene di-para-phenylene isocyanate (MDI) polyether prepolymers containing renewable, biobased raw materials. Marketed under the brand name Adiprene Green, the products are suitable as replacement for existing fossil based polyether prepolymers to manufacture highly durable polyurethane (PU) elastomers.

DSM announces partnership with SABIC and UPM Biofuels to create biobased Dyneema

This section highlights recent IP (patent) activity that is relevant to the field of bioplastics. The information offered is intended to acquaint the reader with a sampling of know-how being developed to enable growth of the bioplastics and bio-additives markets.

In early July, Kimberly-Clark (headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA) introduced an ambitious new sustainability strategy for 2030, which includes a commitment to reducing waste and innovating new ways to give consumers the products they need with the smallest impact on the environment.

W.AG (Geisa, Germany) has accomplished a milestone in the field of case production. After the successful completion of a development project lasting almost two years, the company is now in a position to manufacture all their case series in its new ORGANICLINE material line from a material consisting of up to 93 % renewable raw materials. The special ARBOBLEND® compound from the biopolymer producer Tecnaro (Ilsfeld, Germany) recently received the seal of approval from the international brand evaluation organization Green Brands. “The highlight is the resource-saving material mix of glucose, natural waxes, minerals and natural fibres, which can be processed using established methods of plastics technology,” says Tecnaro Managing Director Jürgen Pfitzer. The glucose, that is obtained from sugar cane and sugar beet, is technical sugar that does not compete with food. Numerous series of tests and successful customer projects now underscore the suitability of the material as a substitute for many well-known engineering plastics.

Sadly enough, the Coronavirus still influences our lives significantly. Even if our magazine, the daily news and newsletters can still be published as usual. And even if our first webinar on PHA was a success, we still suffer from the lack of direct face-to-face social interactions. The 15th Global Bioplastics Award is another topic that, from our point of view, cannot happen as we’d like to. We think that an award needs a stage, a trophy, an audience and applause. The 15th European Bioplastics Conference is going virtual for comprehensible reasons. That’s why we have decided to combine this and next year’s award into a 2020/2021 Award, which we will present at the end of next year.

International Polymer Compounding Group HEXPOL TPE (headquartered in Malmö, Sweden) have added more grades to their Dryflex Green family of Biobased TPE Compounds. The series now includes grades based on Styrenic Block Copolymer (TPS) and Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) technologies, with amounts of renewable content to over 90 % (ASTM D 6866-12) and hardness from 15 Shore A to 60 Shore D.

Establishing a suitable food-contact legal status for bioplastics in the USA

Tough and biodegradable thanks to innovative spinning technology

Gianeco S.r.l. is a plastic recycling company based in Piedmont, Italy and born to operate in the world circular economy. For years it has been dealing with the recycling of different polymers, starting from engineering polymers like ABS, PC, PA, PS, PBT, PEI, PES, focusing more and more its main activity on the thermoplastic elastomers and bioplastics.

… and consumer perception of different biomass feedstocks

Pełne polskie wydanie bioplastics MAGAZINE

As foodservice shifts to more disposables for hygiene, a new composting partnership offers a sustainable waste management solution for businesses in London, Brighton, and Sussex.

The full story

Toyochem Co., Ltd., a member of the Toyo Ink Group of Japan, based in Tokyo, recently developed two new partially biobased pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs). The two adhesives will be marketed under the Cyabine™ series of polyurethane PSAs, but are still in the developmental phase, and have not yet received product names for marketing purposes. They will simply be referred to as biodegradable adhesive and biomass adhesive here.

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Stora Enso (headquartered in Helsinki, Finland) will build a pilot facility for producing Cellufoam™ by Stora Enso, a lightweight, highly porous foam material from cellulose fibers, for protective packaging and cushioning. Biobased foams are renewable and recyclable and can be used in packaging, for example, to replace oil-based polymer foams which are widely used today. The pilot plant will be located at Stora Enso’s Fors Mill in Sweden.

Gantri (San Francisco, California USA) introduces Gantri Plant Polymers, the world’s first plant-derived polylactic acid (PLA) blends engineered specifically for premium lighting products. Co-developed with Dutch materials science company, colorFabb, Gantri Plant Polymers are a safe and sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics.

PU / Elastomer News

4 00 million parts per year in a wide variety of colours and materials are the basis for the high-quality ballpoint pens by Senator from Groß-Bieberau. The company from Germany is increasingly producing with a view to greater sustainability. In addition to using almost exclusively tie-bar-less ENGEL injection moulding machines, which are not only precise but also flexible and energy-efficient, Senator is also increasingly using bioplastics.

Bioresorbable polymers, such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid, (PGA), combinations of these in the form of a copolymer called poly(DL-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) [1], Poly-ε-caprolacton (PCL) [2] and others are a rapidly growing group of alternatives to traditional materials in many medical applications. Their main advantages are biocompatibility and safety. As they are degradable in the human body, they are particularly suitable for products needed only temporarily for the healing process [3].

Textile News

Total Corbion PLA, the 50/50 joint venture between Total and Corbion, is planning to build its second PLA plant with a targeted final capacity of 100,000 tonnes per annum. With this expansion Total Corbion PLA would advance to be the global market leader in PLA. So, the company would be firmly positioned to cater for the rapidly growing demand for their PLA resins, marketed under the brand Luminy®.

Designed for performance and durability, plastics have become an indispensable part of everyday life. However, poor waste management has led to the accumulation of plastic in the environment.