Natural Plastics

News about the bioplastics industry

With the biodegradable bottle cycling just got even greener

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Cycling isn’t just healthy and fun it’s also one of the key ways for developing sustainable transportation models for our increasingly congested cities filled with noise and atmospheric pollution.

 

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To make cycling even greener the Portuguese company Polisport has developed a bottle for cyclists which is also a friend to the environment. This bottle is made from biodegradable plastic made from renewable sources.

The bioplastic is called APINAT, developed and patented by API Spa, a dynamic Italian company that has been producing thermoplastic materials for 56 years. APINAT can be used to replace the majority of traditional plastics on the market. In the case of the biodegradable bottle made by Polisport, APINAT performs as a polyolefin for use with foodstuffs (eg. polyethylene PE or polypropylene PP) but with one unparalleled advantage over traditional polyolefins: it decomposes under controlled composting conditions.

APINAT is certified as biodegradable in an aerobic environment according to EN 13432 and EN 14995 standards as well as American standard ASTM D6400.

But its environmental credentials go even further as the formula of APINAT used to produce this biodegradable bottle comes from renewable sources which helps reduce the CO2 emissions that create greenhouse gases. These materials contribute to climate protection and assist in reaching the goals set out in the Kyoto protocol.

Polisport has already produced thousands of biodegradable bottles using the extrusion blow moulding process on traditional machines for plastic production without needing to make any changes to their existing equipment.

Source: http://www.apiplastic.it

Certified bio-based: high-performance plastics from Evonik

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The VESTAMID® Terra family of polyamides from Evonik Industries has been certified as "bio-based" by independent institutes. The bio-based components have been certified per DIN ISO 10694; 1996-08 and by the USDA’s Biopreferred® program. These official laboratories used C14 trace carbon analytics to verify that the carbon in these products originates not from petroleum, but biomass instead.


VESTAMID® Terra polymers are partially or entirely based on renewable feedstocks. The starting material is the castor bean (Ricinus communis) and its oil derivates, which are synthesized into monomers that form the basis of the VESTAMID® Terra product range. At present, three Terra products are available: 
VESTAMID® Terra HS is based on polyamide 610, which is the polycondensation product of 1,6-hexamethylene diamine (H) and 1,10-decanedoic diacid (sebacic acid – S). Sebacic acid is derived from castor oil, making Terra HS a 63% bio-content polymer.


VESTAMID® Terra DS is based on polyamide 1010, which is the polycondensation product of 1,10-decamethylene diamine (D) and 1,10-decanedoic diacid. Both decamethylene diamine and sebacic acid are derived from castor oil, making Terra DS a 100% bio-content polymer.
The 45% bio-content polymer VESTAMID® Terra DD is based on polyamide 1012, which is the polycondensation product of 1,10-decamethylene diamine (D) and 1,12-dodecanedoic diacid (D).


"VESTAMID® Terra proves that outstanding performance and responsible sourcing are not mutually exclusive," emphasizes Benjamin Brehmer, business manager for biopolymers. "We impart precisely those properties to our materials which the market expects from high-performance plastics." Thanks to their excellent chemical resistance, low water absorption, and good dimensional stability, VESTAMID® Terra polyamides are suitable for a vast number of applications and processing techniques.

Company information

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders
in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company form the heart of Evonik’s corporate strategy. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms.
Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In fiscal 2011 more than 33,000 employees generated sales of around €14.5 billion and an operating profit (EBITDA) of about €2.8 billion.

 

Source.  www.evonik.com

Polyolefins Innovator Braskem To Showcase Industry Commitment And Biopolymers At NPE 2012

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Braskem, the leading thermoplastics producer in the Americas and the global leader in biopolymers, will exhibit at NPE 2012 from April 2 to 5 at the Orange County Convention Center, South Hall, booth number 22006. It will be Braskem's first appearance at a North America-based trade show.


With the theme, "Discover New Possibilities," Braskem will feature its global operations and extensive portfolio of innovative polypropylene (PP) and leading Green Polyethylene (Green PE) offering customers new performance opportunities. The company's unique "spirit of entrepreneurship" also will be showcased, which drives its customer focus, product innovation and sustainable development.


Braskem's booth also will feature touch screen computer stations enabling visitors to browse all company literature and send PDFs of brochures to any email address.


A Leading Polypropylene Producer In The US
With the acquisition of Dow's PP business last year, Braskem has significantly expanded its PP production capacity and market presence in North America. It operates five world-scale plants in the US - Marcus Hook, PA; Neal, WV; and Freeport, La Porte and Seadrift, TX - and a unit at its state-of-the-art Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh, PA.


"Polyolefins is our core business," said Robert Nadin, VP Commercial & Supply, Braskem America. "We're at NPE to demonstrate our commitment to supplying the region with the highest quality products and services the industry offers."
Among the PP products Braskem will showcase at NPE are:
A new-generation PP for mono-spunbond nonwovens that provides a single-pellet solution designed to deliver an optimum combination of softness, cost effectiveness and sustainability for absorbent hygiene products and medical gowns and drapes;
The Unique 2000 Series Impact Copolymers for automotive and compounding designed to meet industry trends for higher levels of productivity and quality. Benefit from this exceptional balance of properties unmatched by the competition: high stiffness and flow performance; reduced emissions; low gels and suppressed tiger marking;
A wide range of PP resins for thermoforming that offers superior optics, exceptional stiffness and high heat distortion resistance. Light-weighting potential without sacrificing sidewall stiffness is an added benefit. Grades are microwaveable and FDA compliant.


Sustainable Solutions With Green PE
"We're innovating to meet market needs for more sustainable solutions," said Nadin. "Braskem is the only company producing renewable-resourced polyethylene, manufactured from sugar cane-based ethanol." 
The company's 200 KT per year commercial-scale Green PE facility in Triunfo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, produces HDPE and LLDPE that's shipped globally. Commercial-scale bulk or packaged quantities are supplied from the company's warehouses in New Jersey and Texas to North American customers. "Green PE provides our customers with a tangible, measurable way to produce a product made from a truly renewable resource with reduced CO2 impact, which advances their brand and corporate sustainability goals," added Nadin.


Braskem's Green PE is used in numerous consumer and industrial applications. Below are just a few of the many products that benefit from the company's sustainable solutions:
Coca-Cola's OdwallaTM juice bottles in the US;
P&G haircare bottles in the US and Europe;
Danone's dairy bottles in the US, Europe and Brazil;
Shiseido haircare stand pouch in Japan;
Johnson & Johnson's suncare bottles in Brazil and Latin America;
Nestle in partnership with TetraPak on cartoon package closures in Europe and Brazil.

Aggressive Growth Strategy
Braskem also will highlight one of its most important projects, Ethylene XXI. Braskem-Idesa, a joint venture between Braskem and Mexican group Idesa, is constructing a 1.05 million KT per year complex, integrating an ethane cracker and three PE plants in Mexico. The project is scheduled for start-up in early 2015 and will require a USD $3 billion investment.


Sustainability Pavilion Sponsors
Braskem's vision is to become the global leader in sustainable chemistry by 2020, innovating to better serve people. The company supports initiatives aimed at achieving this goal. Braskem is the sponsor of NPE's Sustainability Pavilion, which will highlight numerous important sustainable technologies, including Braskem's Green PE products and applications. The company's booth number in the Sustainability Pavilion is 59042.

Machinery Manufacturers Featuring Braskem Products
To showcase their extensive performance capabilities, Braskem products will be used at numerous machinery manufacturers during the show:
Bekum America Corp. will be blow molding 10 L bottles using SGF4950 Green PE in West Hall, booth number 2163.
Davis Standard will be running SLL218/21 Green PE on a cast film line in West Hall, booth number 5945.
BMB Spa will be injection molding Ti4100WM high melt flow PP in West Hall, booth number 323, demonstrating the grades exceptional TWIM capabilities.
Boy Machines Inc. will be molding D5501-70 in West Hall, booth number 2819, demonstrating high clarity for eye glass frames.
Cincinnati Milacron will be running RP250 clarified random copolymer to produce houseware lids in West Hall, booth number 2803.

Source:  www.braskem.com.br

BioAmber Produces Bio-based 1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BDO)

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BioAmber Inc. has scaled up its hydrogenation catalyst technology under license from DuPont and converted multi-ton quantities of bio-succinic acid into 100% bio-based 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BDO), tetrahydrofuran (THF) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).  BioAmber believes the global addressable market for these products exceeds $4 billion, and that they are principally used to make polyesters, polyurethanes, spandex and biodegradable plastics.

Using bio-succinic acid made at its French facility as a starting material, BioAmber successfully completed a 1,4-BDO production campaign in collaboration with one of the world’s leading commercial catalyst suppliers and a toll manufacturer possessing large-scale hydrogenation reactors and distillation columns. 

“This is the culmination of two years of work and an important milestone in the development of our bio-based 1,4-BDO platform. We have been able to couple the DuPont catalyst technology with our bio-succinic acid production to manufacture high purity bio-based 1,4-BDO at demonstration scale,” said Jim Millis, BioAmber’s Chief Technology Officer.  “We are developing an integrated plant engineering design that combines the production of bio-succinic acid and bio-based 1,4-BDO on a single site,” he added.

High purity, bio-based 1,4-BDO is available from BioAmber for testing and product development. Companies interested in obtaining samples should contact Patrick Piot (patrick.piot@bio-amber.com +33 6 75 72 88 87), or visit BioAmber’s web site at www.bio-amber.com.

About BioAmber Inc.

BioAmber is a next generation chemicals company. Its proprietary technology platform combines industrial biotechnology, an innovative purification process and chemical catalysis to convert renewable feedstocks into chemicals for use in a wide variety of everyday products including plastics, food additives and personal care products. BioAmber produces bio-succinic acid in what it believes to be one of the world’s largest bio-based chemical manufacturing facilities. For more information visit the company’s web site at www.bio-amber.com.

Avantium and Danone sign development partnership for Next Generation bio-based plastic: PEF

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Today Avantium announced its second major partnership for its YXY technology to produce PEF bottles. Danone Research and Avantium have entered into a Joint Development Agreement for the development of PEF bottles for Danone, number two worldwide in bottled water business. The agreement forms another cornerstone of Avantium's commercialization strategy to further co-develop the YXY technology for producing PEF bottles.

"The agreement with Danone Research is a fantastic step forward on our path to commercialize PEF bottles" says Avantium's CEO Tom van Aken. Today, Danone Research is at the forefront in contributing to the development of next generation bio-based plastic bottle. Our YXY solution for the packaging industry creates a new bio-sourced material delivering superior functional properties versus conventional PET technology (for example light weighting potential, barrier and thermal properties). We believe that the process economics and carbon footprint of PEF make it a suitable PET alternative. A recent study done by the Copernicus Institute at Utrecht University, showed that PEF has a 50-60% lower carbon footprint than oil-based PET. Finalizing the LCA study is part of the Joint Development Agreement. Avantium is currently validating the use of existing supply and recycling chains, enabling a full transition to bio-based PEF bottles in three to five years from now.

"Based on the YXY technology, the Avantium and Danone Research joint objective is to contribute to the emergence of a new renewable material generation which will not be in direct competition with food. YXY is used as a fast and efficient chemical-catalytic technology to convert carbohydrates produced from plants, grains, energy crops, lignocellulosic matter, waste streams, waste paper or agricultural residues, into a wide variety of bio-based polymers. Based on ongoing R&D programs, Avantium will also continue to develop PEF from renewable feedstock not competing with food.

Avantium has recently opened its pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands, with the capacity of producing 40 tons of PEF for application development. The collaborations with Danone and The Coca-Cola Company are key to secure a smooth transition into the mass production phase of PEF bottles. Avantium is in active discussion with other leading brand owners to develop PEF bottles, fibers and film. In the longer term Avantium will license its YXY technology to enable large scale, world-wide production and use of its bio-sourced plastic materials.

About Danone

Danone is one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world. Its mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible.The group, whose products are sold on five continents, has more than 180 production plants and around 100,000 employees. In 2011, Danone generated sales of €19 billion, of which more than half were in emerging markets. The group holds top positions in healthy food through four businesses: Fresh Dairy Products, Baby Nutrition, Bottled Water, and Medical Nutrition. Listed on Euronext Paris, Danone is a component stock of leading social responsibility indexes including the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, ASPI Eurozone and the Ethibel Sustainability Index.

About Avantium

Avantium is a leading technology company specialized in the area of advanced high-throughput R&D. The company develops and commercializes YXY - its brand name for chemical building blocks for making green materials with superior product properties at a competitive price. Combined with the significant reduction in carbon footprint, Avantium's lead application PEF, fulfills key criteria to become the next generation biobased plastics for bottles, film and fibers. Avantium has demonstrated the value and commercial potential of its unique technology by collaborating with leading companies in the energy and chemical industries. It has a proven track record in offering fast and efficient chemical catalytic development services and systems to market leaders such as BP, Shell and Sasol. Avantium offices and headquarters are based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

About YXY

Avantium has developed YXY (pronounced as icksy) - a family of bio-based building blocks for making materials and fuels that can compete on both price and performance with oil-based alternatives which have a superior carbon footprint. YXY is a patented technology that converts biomass into Furanics building blocks, such as FDCA (2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid). FDCA is the monomer that can be used for the production of the polyester PEF (Poly-ethylene-furanoate). YXY has the potential to become the perfect solution for today's challenges, using carbohydrates as feedstock to enable the manufacture of green and sustainable products. This fast and cost-effective production process is based on Avantium's catalytic technology. YXY can be implemented in existing chemical production assets. Avantium is collaborating with leading companies in the industry to develop and produce bio-based materials and fuels based on YXY building blocks. See www.yxy.com for more information.

Tennant Company Introduces Plant-Based, Sustainable Urethane Coatings to Protect and Add Durability to Floors

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Tennant Company (NYSE: TNC), a world leader in designing, manufacturing and marketing solutions that help create a cleaner, safer, healthier world, today announces its Eco-ITS™ bio-based urethane coatings to provide sustainable floor solutions made with 50% fewer petroleum-based chemicals, reduced odor and 21 g/L VOCs (clear), 23-46 g/L VOCs (color). Using a 95 percent plant-based BiOH® polyol, supplied under an exclusive agreement with Cargill, Tennant’s Eco-ITS™ protects floors and offers a sustainable coating application that improves productivity and minimizes shutdowns. Eco-ITS™ is available in gloss, satin and several color choices to create professional-looking appearances in manufacturing, industrial, warehousing and other facilities.

Tennant’s Eco-ITS™ offers:

  • Durability – Offers similar protection and performance as Tennant’s WearGuard™ technology, which has millions of square feet of coatings appliedworldwide
  • Sustainability – In clear formation, an environmentally friendly solution using up to 50% plant- based renewable technology
  • Low VOCs – Can be usedeven in geographies that require low VOCs—21 g/L VOCs (clear), 23-46 g/L VOCs (color)
  • LEED® Credit Availability – Potential LEED Green Building Certification Program credits for Indoor Environmental Quality and Materials and Resources
  • Professional Appearance – Available in gloss, satin and several colors to complement your image and transform your floor

“We’re committed to creating products that not only help our customers create cleaner facilities, but also help meet their sustainability goals,” says Mickey Gubman,Director of Coating Technologies for Tennant Company. “Our coatings offer superior durability while utilizing renewable resources. We believe facility managers and sustainability managers will benefit from the use of a bio-based polyol in our Eco- ITS™ gloss and satin urethane coatings.”

Source: www.cargill.com

DIBBIOPACK: Smart and Biodegradable Packaging

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Dibbiopack
This morning took place the official presentation of DIBBIOPACK project, a European project  that has a budget of almost € 8M, involving 19 partners from 11 different countries and is led by Aitiip, a technology center in Aragon (Spain).
This project, 48 months, starts to develop packaging that we can find in a few years in sectors such as food, pharmaceuticals or cosmetics. The main features of these new packages are:

-Biomaterials developed (biodegradable and renewable sources)
-Best thermal, mechanical and barrier through nanotechnology and innovative coatings, which increase the life of the product packaging.
-Integration of technologies and smart devices to provide consumer information on both the product, and the entire life cycle of the container.
-Made of flexible production processes and technologies more environmentallysustainable and effective.
    See the original here:  http://www.aitiip.com/en/news/presentacion-proyecto-dibbiopack-envases-inteligentes-y-biodegradables.html
    Note: Google Translation from the original

    IFMAS labelling: innovative materials produced from plant-based resources

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    roquete The French Institute of Agro-Based Materials (IFMAS, Institut Français des Matériaux Agro-sourcés) is the Nord-Pas de Calais institute of research, industrial valorization and training in the Plant-Based Chemistry field. It has just been given the label « Institute of Excellence for Decarbonated Energies » by the French Prime Minister François FILLON in conjunction with Laurent WAUQUIEZ, Minister for Higher Education and Research, Eric BESSON, Minister with special responsibility for Industry, Energy and the Digital Economy, and René RICOL, Commissioner-General for Investment. It will enjoy a grant of 30.8 million euros.

    IFMAS will develop new technologies to create innovative materials from local plant-based resources, such as cereals and the starch potato. Integrating all the players in the sector– from the farm to plant-based paints, coatings and plastics– IFMAS will study in particular the processing of raw materials and the processing of the plant-based plastics, taking into account the recycling and the management of the end of the life cycle of the products manufactured.

    IFMAS has today a total of eleven partners in a balanced and solid public-private shareholding synergising the skills of public and private research:

    • The industrial partners: Florimond-Desprez, Roquette, Mäder, CREPIB (Research and Testing Centre for Innovative and Biobased Plastics),
    • The scientific partners: INRA, CNRS, Ecole des Mines de Douai, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Lille, Université Lille 1, Université d’Artois,
    • The competitiveness cluster MAUD (Materials and Applications for Sustainable Use).

    The Members Club will bring together, in a unique way, many other companies that will have access to the services of the Institute: technological platforms, training and project house. To date twelve companies and organisations have already become associated to develop a portfolio of value-enhanceable technologies and structure the new industrial sector of Agro-Based Materials: CVP, Malengé Graphic, Néo-Eco, Pellenc, Plage SA, Schneider Electrics, Sealock, Unipackaging, Comité Nord Plant, Plastics Technology Excellence Centre, Grouping of Plastics Technology Industries, TEAM2 Cluster.

    More than 150 teachers-researchers, public and private researchers will work within the IFMAS, located on the campus of the Cité Scientifique in Villeneuve d’Ascq, in the immediate vicinity of the Michel-Eugène Chevreul Institute– the euroregional centre for Molecules and Materials.

    IFMAS is part of a strong initiative in favour of Plant-based Chemistry that will assure France industrial leadership with major socio-economic spin-offs for agriculture, chemistry, plastics technology and environment.
    Many markets are targeted: paints, packaging, the construction industry, transport, electrical and electronic equipment and the medical sector. IFMAS will enable France to become a global leader for sustainable valued added bio-based products generating lower CO2 emissions. It plans to create 5,000 new jobs over the next ten years.
    The IFMAS project has been awarded the label of two national competitiveness clusters: MAUD (Materials and Applications for Sustainable Use) and TEAM2 (Environmental Technologies Applied to Materials).

     

    Source:  http://www.roquette.com/

    Compostable Packaging Film Provides Fairytale Ending for Premium Sweets

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    MissMuffetMar Innovia Films' compostable cellulose-based material, NatureFlex™, has been selected by Miss Muffet & Co, to wrap its range of fairytale and nursery rhyme inspired premium confectionery.

    Miss Muffet & Co is a UK-based company, set up by Sarah Cadman, who has a philosophy of using natural ingredients wherever possible.

    Outlining why she chose NatureFlex™ to wrap her range of quality sweets, Sarah stated, "It was really important for Miss Muffet & Co that our packaging had the lowest possible impact on the world around us and it had to clearly show the contents. We chose Innovia Films' transparent NatureFlex™, primarily due to its environmental credentials. At the same time it keeps our sweets tasting and looking good."

    NatureFlex™ films are certified to meet the European EN13432, American ASTM D6400 and Australian AS4736 standards for compostable packaging. The wood-pulp is sourced from managed plantations from referenced suppliers operating Good Forestry principals (FSC or equivalent). The renewable biobased content of NatureFlex™ films is typically 95% by weight of material according to ASTM D6866. NatureFlex™ has been confirmed as suitable for emerging 'waste to energy' techniques such as anaerobic digestion, aiding the diversion of organic wastes from landfill.

    Transparent NatureFlex™ NE is used to flow wrap the sweets, which are then packed in beautifully designed, story book-shaped 'keepsake' boxes, with drawings by children's illustrator Rosie Brooks. The titles (stories) of sweets in the range include: Three Blind Sugar Mice, Oranges and Lemon Drops, Jack and the Jelly Bean Stalk, Goldilocks and the Jelly Bears and Tom Thumb Drops.

    "This is an excellent example of a company planning its packaging to meet their ethical product strategy," said Paul McKeown, Innovia Films' UK sales manager.

    NatureFlex™ was an obvious solution for the packaging in this application as the film begins life as a natural product - wood - and breaks down at the end of its lifecycle in a home compost bin (or industrial compost environment) within a matter of weeks. It also offers advantages for packing and converting such as inherent deadfold and anti-static properties, high gloss and transparency, resistance to grease and oil, good barrier to gases and aromas, print receptive surface and a wide heat-seal range.

    Source:  http://www.packaging-gateway.com

    Ames Lab chemists aid study of mutated plants that may be better for biofuels

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    Genetic mutations to cellulose in plants could improve the conversion of cellulosic biomass into biofuels, according to a research team that included two Iowa State University chemists.

    The team recently published its findings in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Mei Hong, an Iowa State professor of chemistry and an associate of the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, and Tuo Wang, an Iowa State graduate student in chemistry, contributed their expertise in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to the study.


    The study was led by Seth DeBolt, an associate professor of horticulture at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Chris Somerville, the Philomathia Professor of Alternative Energy and director of the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, is also a contributing author. The research project was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.

    Researchers studied Arabidopsis thaliana, a common model plant in research studies, and its cellulose synthase membrane complex that produces the microfibrils of cellulose that surround all plant cells and form the basic structure of plant cell walls.


    These ribbons of cellulose are made of crystallized sugars. The crystal structure makes it difficult for enzymes to break down the cellulose to the sugars that can be fermented into alcohol for biofuels. And so DeBolt assembled a research team to see if genetic mutations in the plant membrane complex could produce what the researchers have called "wounded" cellulose that's not as crystalline and therefore easier to break down into sugar.


    Hong, who had done previous studies of plant cell walls, used her lab's solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance technology to study the cell walls created by the mutated system. The goals were to collect as much information as possible about the molecular structure of the cell walls to see if mutations to the plants resulted in changes to the cellulose.


    "We found that the crystalline cellulose content had decreased in the mutant cell walls," Hong said. "We can quantify the degree of change, and be very specific about the type of change."
    The cellulose microfibrils in the mutant cell walls, for example, were thinner than those found in normal plants, Hong said. The studies also found an additional type of cellulose with an intermediate degree of crystal structure.


    Hong said those findings suggest the genetic mutations did create differences in cellulose production and formation.
    The study also reports the cellulose produced by the mutated plant could be more efficiently processed into the sugars necessary for biofuel production.


    "What this work suggests, in very broad terms, is that it is possible to modify cellulose structure by genetic methods, so that potentially one can more easily extract cellulose from plants as energy sources," Hong said.
    The research team's paper said developing techniques to modify the structure of plant cellulose in crops for better and easier conversion to fermentable sugars "could be transformative in a bio-based economy."
    Source:
    Iowa State University
    Via: www.k-online.de

    Are bioplastics really better for the environment than traditional plastics?

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    bioplastics The bioplastics market is expanding rapidly and by 2030 could account for 10 per cent of the total plastics market. But as the market grows so to does the public discussion whether these new plastics, that are based on biomass instead of mineral oil, really do have ecological advantages.

    Oliver Schmid, Managing Director of Proganic, whose company commissioned the study and use bio-based plastics in a range of products such as garden and household goods, said: "More and more customers are interested in bio-based solutions, but only in those possessing distinct ecological advantages."

    "We owe it to our customers to generate reliable data and make these available to them,” he added.

    The study found that producing plastics from bio-based polymers like polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) rather than petrochemical alternatives significantly reduces emissions of greenhouse gases and also the use of fossil raw materials – two criteria that are playing a major role in current political and public discussion.

    Michael Carus, co-author and managing director of nova-Institut, expressed his surprise at the results: “After the excited public debates of recent months we hadn’t expected such a clear result, the more so as bio-based plastics are still at the beginning of their development. So the meta-analysis not only shows the advantages already existing today, but also the substantial ecological potential as a result of further process optimisations.”

    The biggest greenhouse gas emission savings were found when bio-based polymers replaced polycarbonate (PC). If you replace PC with bio-based PLA the average savings amounted to 4.7 kilograms of CO2 equivalent per kilogram of plastic (kgCO2eq/kg) and this increased to 5.8 kgCO2eq/kg for PHA.

    In comparison when using bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS) rather than traditional PET or PS, savings ranged from between 2.5 and 4.2 kgCO2eq/kg. The lowest savings were found when comparing bio-based polymers to fossil-based polypropylene (PP).

    Source:  http://www.nnfcc.co.uk

    New Biodegradable Hot Melt Adhesive for Freezer: Deep Frozen & Eco-Friendly

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    DaniMer 92427 is an Eco-friendly, biodegradable hot melt adhesive made from renewable materials: this new revolutionary Hot melt has been designed and formulated for use in carton and case seal applications requiring freezer conditions down to - 40°C. This revolutionary formulation adheres to carton stock or corrugated substrates while retaining stability at lower temperatures. It is designed for a wide range of packaging and remains stable in extreme environments -88°C to 90°C.

    Source: http://www.ccrsas.com