Product improvement

Bioplastics have entered the market, have been tested in several applications and are produced at industrial level. In following years bioplastics producers already established will have to focused on improving their products performance. In order to do this, they can focus on one of the following factors:

• Increasing the renewable content of the final product by using additives, paints and adhesives that are also renewable.
• Achieving certifications related to renewable content or compostability.
• Improving properties by blending with oil-based plastics.
• Penetrating the durable goods market, for example in electronic products or automotive sector.

For more information, do check the following presentation by Jim Lunt & Associates, with information regarding current bioplastic suppliers, applications and future trends.

Changes in raw materials

Today most bioplastics are produced from starch or sugar. The starch is obtained from corn or potato. The main sources for sugar are sugarcane, beetroot and corn. Bioplastics use sugar obtained from the same sources used by bioethanol producers and therefore certain trends will be shared by both. One of the clear trends in the biofuel market is the search for new raw materials that substitute or complement those already being used. Some of the reasons for this are:

• Perception that biofuels, and other chemical products, derived from the same sources as food results in price hikes and therefore can represent a danger for the final consumer. Or in other words, our cars may end up drinking what other people could eat. This is a very difficult question and honestly, I don’t feel qualified to raise an opinion on it. However, it is clear that public perception of the issue could be a problem.
• Reducing costs: Bioplastics production has become cheaper in the last years, mainly due to industrial production. The use of cheaper raw materials will be a more stable way to reduce the final cost of the product.
• The scale issue: If we plan to substitute an important part of our consumption or products derived from oil, we are going to need a lot of raw material. This can lead to an intensive agriculture that can be harmful for environment.
• Waste generation: The part of the plants currently used in the biorefineries is small and a considerable amount of organic waste is generated.
• Technology adaptation: The ideal technology can be implemented anywhere in the world, regardless of where it has been developed (USA and Europe, in the case of bioplastics).

Taking into account the aforementioned factors, 2 clear candidates appear as possible alternatives to current raw materials: cellulosic materials and waste of any kind.

From sugar and starch to cellulosic derivatives

Parts of the plant with low content in starch or sugar are discarded today. These parts, which include leafs, corncobs, etc. will start to be used too. Other cellulosic sources can be totally different from the crops used now, like forestry and agricultural wastes or grass. The use of cellulosic sources will increase the yield of current crops and reduce production costs.

Waste as raw material

Domestic, or other, waste will become viable raw material sources thanks to the ability to adapt of bacteria and algae. The advantages: waste generation is reduced and is cheap! Furthermore, it would be a technology that can easily exported anywhere in the world, regardless of climate, arable surface or existing crops, as waste is created everywhere.

Market consolidation

Two markets coming together

Collaborations, already seen today, between companies from the agricultural and the chemical sectors will become even more important. If it is normal for a petrochemical company to have interests in oil extraction, it would also become normal for companies to ensure renewable feedstock availability.  Dow Chemicals, that aims to produce polyethylene from sugarcane, has been forced to change plans in Brazil as its joint venture with Crystalsev – a Brazilian sugar producer – was broken. In fact, even if Dow will continue with the project on its own, it has already announced it will look for a partner in order to obtain the raw material: sugarcane.

Agricultural companies that have entered the materials market will continue to follow allies in the chemical sector to improve their products and their distribution. Futerro, a joint venture of Galactic (global lactic acid producer) and Total Petrochemicals is a good example. Futerro produces PLA from lactic acid supplied by Galactic, using Total polymerisation technology, which also brings its knowledge of distribution and sales of plastics.

Big fish eats little fish

The bioplastics market is entering an unavoidable consolidation phase. In the last 5 years the number of companies dedicated to produce bioplastics or present in any way in the value chain has increased to reach hundreds. Consolidation will be driven in part by the benefits resulting from becoming industrial, together with a highly commoditised petrochemical industry that is actively searching added value products. It is therefore safe to assume that in the next 5 years those companies in the chemical or agricultural sector that can afford it, will buy smaller companies with product or technologies that complement their portfolio.

Conclusion

It remains difficult to forecast where such a dynamic market will reach, but I have no doubt it will continue to grow. Conventional plastics from renewable sources will become more common and those with different chemistries will find their niche markets. Bigger companies will be formed by the agglutination of small players, as alliances between chemical and agricultural companies will be strengthen. We will look further than the current crops for feedstock and there will be a stronger focus on process able to convert any type of feedstock into a viable material.

Related

Bioplastics, 5 years later

Bioplastics category in mundomaterial

Renewable category in mundomaterial

Source: Darwin Bell

An increasing number of competitors

In 2006 the number of “real” producers was reduced. There were several producers of starch based blends and Novamont was (and still is) the European market leader when considering production capacity. However, in the field of PLA production there have been important changes. In 2006 the sole producer was NatureWorks. It was the only company with an industrial production and there were only projects from other companies that were studying the possibility of using lactic acid to produce PLA. Nowadays NatureWorks continues to be dominating the PLA market, with a capacity of 140,000 tonnes per year, but there are other producers with smaller capacities and with plans to increase it in the next 2 years. Some examples are:

• Hisun, 5,000 tonnes per year
• BioAmber, 2,000 tonnes per year
• Futerro, 1,500 tonnes per year

Known chemistries, now from renewable sources

5 years ago bioplastics were new products, with a totally different chemistry, that have to find their way within the market of traditional plastics produced from fossil sources. The market was dominated by PLA, starch based blends and the big promise were PHAs. There were cases of traditional polymers produced from renewable sources, but in low volumes. Today there are 2 differentiated types of material, the “classic” bioplastics aforementioned and traditional plastics that instead of being produced from oil are derived from renewable sources.

It is worth mentioning Braskem cases, a big Brazilian petrochemical company, that is producing ethylene from sugarcane. Ethylene is then transformed into polyethylene or partially renewable PET. The current capacity of Braskem is 200,000 tonnes per year of polyethylene, overtaking NatureWorks and hence becoming the biggest bioplastic producer worldwide. Braskem has already announced it will also produce renewable PP, in a plant that will be operative in 2013 with a capacity of at least 30,000 tonnes per year.

Braskem’s advantage, similarly to other producers of traditional plastics from renewable sources, is that the market for its products is already there and its products only need to replace fossil-based alternatives. Even more, depending on the behaviour of the oil  and sugarcane price, its products may end up having the same price as conventional plastics or even cheaper. Although this is still uncertain, due to price fluctuations in the price of natural resources like sugarcane, corn, etc. in the last months.

Improving the products

Some bioplastics have been in the market for more than 5 years, but since 2006 several factors have been improved that have helped them to increase their market penetration. On the one hand, there are now tested commercial applications that act as success stories for new clients. Furthermore, the greater number of applications has allowed compounders and converters to test different grades and processing technologies. Even those applications that have been a bit of a fiasco have been a way to improve the materials or know their limits.

Another advance worth highlighting is the increase in renewable content in bioplastics. A good example is Novamont: 5 years ago it mixed starch with biodegradable polyester from fossil sources. Today it has the required technology to produce polyester from vegetable oils, maintaining the biodegradability of the final product and increasing the renewable content. Cargill, as well as owning 100% of NatureWorks, has been developing renewable polyols to produce polyurethane foam since 2005. The renewable content in the final product ranges from 5-25%. Cargill has focused part of its efforts in increasing such percentage. It recently announced its collaboration with Momentive to use one of its additives to achieve greater renewable content.

From plastics to everything else

The truth is that changes have been happening throughout the chemical industry, not only in the plastics field. The chemical industry has shown great interest in renewable sources. Some of the reasons are:

• Sustainability starts to be appreciated by the final consumers, becoming an added value to the product and a marketing tool.
• Oil price has increased, turning renewable raw materials into a more competitive alternative.
• Oil supply has demonstrated to be unstable, becoming an increasing factor in decision making.
• The technology behind renewable products has left the lab and has been tested at industrial level.

Therefore chemical companies are not only interested in semi-finished products, like PLA or other bioplastics, but also in building blocks or additives to improve the resin properties. We now see some companies basing their offer in the production of monomers, like Purac that plans to become a supplier of lactides for PLA producers. The number of plastic converters including bioplastic products in their portfolio has also multiplied and compounders supplying the market with blends of traditional plastics with bioplastics or with tailor-made additives is also increasing. Furthermore biofuel producers are starting to focus in going beyond ethanol and are developing methods to obtain more molecules from their biorefineries. Something that could be particularly important in the USA, where the biofuel production receives government help and where we see the first movements towards that help being extended to biochemicals other than biofuel.

Production in new regions

Although Europe still is, according to most market studies, the biggest consumer of bioplastics production has moved towards other world regions. Brazil is one of the most important ones due to the low cost of sugar produced there. Sugar can be transformed into lactic acid from which PLA is obtained or ethanol, from which ethylene is derived. Apart from Braskem, Dow is trying to start a new project in Brazil to produce polyolefins from sugarcane. Crystalsev, a Brazilian sugar producer, was going to be its partner, but the alliance was broken recently and now Dow is looking for another local partner to ensure supply.

Source: johnmcq

The other hope for the production of bioplastics is Asia. Although China could seem a main target, producers interested in renewable sources are choosing other countries. For example Purac is going to establish a new plant in Thailand for the production of lactides and has already announced that it will  join forces with Indorama Ventures to produce PLA in the region. Asia has, like Brazil, lower production costs than Europe or the USA, and it is also close to another major market for bioplastics: Japan.

What will happen in the next 5 years?

Although the future is full of surprises, some of the trends that will mark the following 5 years can already be appreciated. In my next post I’ll try to explain some of the changes that I think will take place in the bioplastics market.

• Pioneering work on green policy in California
• Identification of non-food sources of raw material for resin production
• Market overviews from the US and Europe
• Regulation, labeling and marketing
• End of life management options
• Technological innovation in packaging and beyond

Of particular interest to me are the sessions related to non-food sources of raw material for resin production and end of life management options. These areas could become a restraint in market growth due to negative public perceptions. Biopolymers appeal is based on environmental benefits. For biopolymers to continue growth in the medium term, the research into durable applications is a must too, as disposable applications are of little added value and not sustainable in the long term, regardless of the material used to manufacture them.

The sessions will be 20 minutes long, with 10 minutes for questions after each session. Here is a list of the diferent sessions, together with the person that will chair them:

• California’s Initiatives Leading the Way in Green Chemistry and Biopolymer Use; Maureen Gorsen, Partner, Alston & Bird LLP
• Consumer Applications; Derek Campbell, Manager of Footwear Future Concepts, Brooks Sports
• Technology Developments; Dr. Ramani Narayan, University Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
• Regulations and Metrics; Eric Koester, Attorney, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
• Waste Stream, Recycling and End of Life; John Williams, Polymers & Materials Manager, National Non Food Crops Centre , York
• Lessons from Europe; Andy Sweetman, Chairman of the Board, European Bioplastics
• Developments on Existing and Emerging Feedstock’s; Jim Kleinschmit, Director of Rural Communities Program, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
• Green Marketing and Eco-labels; Dr. Anastasia O’Rourke, Co-Founder, Big Room Inc .
• Developments in Packaging Applications; Scott A. Vitters, Global Director, Sustainable Packaging, The Coca-Cola Company
• Key Players in Bio-polyesters; Dr. Paul Fowler, Director, Welsh Institute for Natural Resources, Bangor Universit y
• Innovations in Materials; Mark Bünger, Research Director, Lux Research
• US Market Overview; Corey Linden, Research Scientist, Battelle
• Facilitating Markets for Bio-based Materials; Kate Lewis, USDA BIOPREFERRED

In the list of speakers, there are some important producers of polymers, like DSM, BASF or Arkema, with whom we’ve already discussed their range of renewables and that will be talking about the following:

• New and “greener” Plexiglas® acrylic polymers
• High performance hybrid thermoplastics with high bio-based content
• Performance enhancing additives for renewable thermoplastics

Some of the main bioplastic producers, i.e. FKUR, Telles, NatureWorks or Novamont will also speak, together with institutional and university speakers as well as end-users like The Coca-Cola Company, Pepsico, Intel and Chrysler Group. You can also check the figure below for the distribution of attendees per company type in the last edition of the Symposium.

More Information:

Biopolymers Symposium

Biopolymers Symposium pdf Brochure

Biopolymers Symposium Twitter

Biopolymers Symposium Linkedin Group

IntertechPira, a division of Pira International

Brazil

At the moment, production in Brazil is constraint to pilot scale. In 2009, the Bioplastics market in Brazil was composed mostly by the resins PLA, Starch-based, and PHB, representing revenues of US$ 4.4 million.However, large production scales in Brazil are expected to give a new shape to this market in the region, as for 2015, large scale production units are expected to be producing bioplastics, such as Braskem biobased polyethylene and Solvay bio-based PVC. Braskem bioplastics plant will be the largest in the world, providing to Brazil an expected CAGR of 140.7% in the period 2009-2015.

Note: All figures are rounded; the base year is 2009. Source: Frost & Sullivan

Brazil has easy access to cheap bio-based feedstock that can then be utilized to produce low cost bio-based plastics, such as sugarcane. This gives Brazilian companies an advantage in the commodity plastics market, where cost is one of the main deciding criteria for end users.  The Brazilian Association of Compostable Biodegradable Polymers (ABICOM) is being built in order to promote new legislation and government policies to support research and development of this market. This association was created in 2009, and it has still to gain strength to influence market movements.Note: All figures are rounded; the base year is 2009.
Source: Frost & Sullivan

Mexico

According to Frost & Sullivan‘s research, the Mexican bioplastics market represented 1,200 MT in 2009, it is in the growth stage in the product life cycle and the expected average annual growth rate for this market is higher than 20%. The growing environmental awareness and concern in Latin America is a driver for the market. Mexico’s bioplastics market is composed of 100% of PLA, different products from other companies are in a testing stage. At the moment PLA is imported from United States.

Corn based plastic is the most known resource in Mexico, but major problems arise since the country is the fourth world producer, and it still needs to import from 5% to 10% for local food demand. This is an important restraint, as bioplastics could be directly competing with a food resource and their image could be harmed if food prices increase due to corn’s industrial uses. Initiatives are being taken by research institutes to find different and productive sources to produce bioplastics.

About Frost & Sullivan

Founded in 1961, Frost & Sullivan has over 45 years of assisting clients with their decision-making and growth issues. Over 1,700 Growth Consultants and Industry Analysts across 32 global locations. Over 10,000 clients worldwide – emerging companies, the global 1000 and the investment community. Developers of the Growth Excellence Matrix – industry leading growth positioning tool for corporate executives. Developers of T.E.A.M. Methodology, proprietary process to ensure that clients receive a 360 perspective of technology, markets and growth opportunities. Three core services: Growth Partnership Services, Growth Consulting and Career Best Practices.

Also, I started my professional career as a consultant a few years back with Frost & Sullivan, in one of their UK offices.

More info:

Strategic Assessment of the Bioplastics Market in Brazil and Mexico, Frost & Sullivan

Bioplastics in Brazil: Beyond the Green Speech, by Alessandra Lancellotti, Frost & Sullivan

Search for Bioplastics, Frost & Sullivan

The approved potato variety is Amflora, developed by BASF for industrial applications such as lubricants, sprays and animal feed. When the news came out, some people suggested that it was to be used in the production of bioplastics. I always considered a bit risky to used GMO in the production of a product that bases part of its market appeal on environmental benefits and considered that European producers of bioplastics have an advantage over producers elsewhere that do use GMO crops as feedstock. It has to be said that resistance towards GMO is mostly a European concern and that public resistance to them in other world regions is not that high.

Naturally produced starch is a combination of amylose and amylopectin, both polymers of glucose. The main difference is that amylose is a linear polymer while amylopectin is branched. Amflora is genetically modified to produce only amylopectin, the more interesting component for most industrial applications, as it is not water soluble. However, for production of bioplastics in particular, amylose is more interesting than pure amylopectin, so the Amflora variety is not of particular interest for bioplastic producer. For example, Plantic Technologies products are made with high amylose corn starch as base. In my opinion, there is no need for genetic modifications to obtain better, sustainable materials. In some cases, there isn’t even the need for a crop to be used to produce a bioplastic. Rodenburg Biopolymers for example use as feedstock for their product, Solanyl, the waste generated by the Dutch potato processing industry, which discards 40% in weight of the potatoes. I think this approach is a much more sustainable one than any other, instead of modified crops or even crops that may compete with the food stream at all.

You can find more information on the science of starch based materials in the excelent blog by Luc Averous, to whom I have to  thank for sharing this particular link with me: http://www.biodeg.net/biomaterial.html through our Bioplastics group in Linkedin.

photo credit: FreeRangeLife

09-11-2009: Just a couple of days after I published this post, Twitter launched its lists, a new feature that allows users to create groups of twitterers with something in common. I’ve created one with contacts related with materials, which I’ve been updating.  You can find my materials list here.

@IslemYezza: Packaging innovation and biomaterials

@LucAverous: Expert in Bioplastics, Biomaterials and Biobased Materials

@EuropaBio: The European Association for Bioindustries

@ArgosBiotech: gateway to worldwide biotech which opens up resources to the best free available biotech information

@ICISchemicalbiz: The global chemical trade publication of leading chemical and energy information service provider ICIS.com

@Chem_Processing: Chemical Processing serves engineers designing and operating plants in the chemical industry.

@Bioplastics: Providing global bioplastics market research, strategy and sales consulting.

@biopolymers: IntertechPira’s Biopolymers Summit 2009

@ChemistryWorld: Chemistry magazine bringing you the latest chemistry news and research every day

@materiaLisam: Managing Editor of Wiley’s materials science journals. Making sure everything gets published OK

@NatureChemistry: A journal dedicated to publishing high-quality papers that describe the most significant and cutting-edge research in all areas of chemistry

@ICISgreenblog: Currently working full time as associate editor for ICIS Chemical Business, a global chemical trade magazine, and has been covering the renewable-based chemical

@materialsdave: Editor-in-Chief of the materials science journal Advanced Functional Materials. Solar cells, organic electronics, and more!

@blancourgoiti

@Verdezyne: We are an industrial biotechnology company directing the power of biology to create bio-based processes for clean and sustainable fuels and chemicals.

@HuntingDynasty: We are an advertising agency for sustainable products and services. Discover more about us »

@WI_Bioplastic: Use Bioplastic

@BioPreferred: BioPreferred is a Federal program that aims to increase the purchase and use of biobased products in the Federal, commercial and consumer markets.

14-10-2009

@BritishPlastics: the news headlines feed from British Plastics & Rubber magazine, which carries recycling issues as and when they are news topics (thanks to Ken Grace)

15-10-2009

@FransVos & @materialsfuture: Thanks to Frans Vos, General director of Materials Consult.

@NatureMaterials: A multi-disciplinary journal for cutting-edge research across the entire spectrum of materials science and related disciplines

@Polimerica_it: (Italian) Tutte le news pubblicate su Polimerica.it, notiziario online sul mondo delle plastiche e gomma (thanks to Carlo for the suggestion)

@polimericanews: (Italian) Notizie in tempo reale sul mondo della plastica e della gomma (thanks to Carlo for the suggestion)

Please feel free to tell me about any other interesting twitterers you may know and I’m yet to discover.

Today I’d like to present the upcoming conference “Biopackaging: From Feedstock to Waste Stream”. This conference, held in London 8-10th September 2009, will be of special interest for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). The event will gather representatives of the whole supply chain of bioplastics, as well as investors, researchers and regulator bodies.

On the 8th of September there will be a workshop on the “Principles and Concepts of Biobased and Biodegradable Materials/Plastics”, which should be a splendid opportunity for those new to the subject.

The diagram below identifies the type of attendees that will attend this venue or have done so in previous editions.

I have gone through the list of previous attendees and all areas are well represented, with the exception of investment institutions. Of course, other attendees have plenty of experience with investors and can give you insight and even hindsight on these.You can download the full agenda here.

Although most attendees are European, this should not detract people from elsewhere in the world, as many of the institutions present have an international presence and supplier base, inherent to the area of bioplastics. So, even if you are in Africa, you might, in fact end up meeting your future customer.

Another point is that traditionally the European Union spearheads the regulation for new products (materials, services, etc.), which means that in the future countries in Africa, Asia or elsewhere may come to adopting European Union standards, especially if their products will be used in the European Union.

The event is particularly a great opportunity for entrepreneurs or SME, because they can listen and talk to all of the relevant people who can help them start or expand their business!

As a last note, if you do decide to attend, just make sure you pack enough business cards, company brochures and questions.

Arkema Renewables

Arkema has been producing at commercial scale for more than 40 years a high performance polyamide, PA11, under the tradename of Rilsan®. The fact that Rilsan® is derived from castor oil, a renewable source, has not been a top marketing priority until recently —I don’t think the market place was requesting bioplastics until recently. Most of our customers were and still are concerned about performance first. If you consider automotive fuel lines, the highest concern is safety and performance. That goes first, then the biobased concerns are secondary— explained Mr Rogers. Arkema is a 6 billion euros chemical company and in the grand scheme of the world of plastics, PA11 production may seem small. But it is not a common polyamide, like PA6 or PA66 and hence production volumes are modest. However, Rilsan® is well placed amongst other bioplastics, as its production is in the many thousands of tonnes and its pricing is backed by its performance.

Rilsan® has another competitive advantage, apart from its performance: it is 100% biobased —There are other competitors, but none of their products has the biobased content we have in our Rilsan product. The only thing that keeps us from being 100% is the stabilisers and plasticisers that we add to the polymer—. Arkema manufactures two different products under the brand Rilsan®: one is the biobased PA11 and the other one is the petroleum based PA12. However, Mr Rogers was quick to point out that PA12 is a secondary business for Arkema — it is used when the performance requirements are not that high and the client needs a more cost effective proposition. The biobased PA11 has higher performance properties, which is very exciting for us. There is a small niche of properties that really require PA11. It has great chemical resistance, greater flexibility, higher temperature resistance—.

Arkema commercialises two other polymers with biobased content: Rilsan Clear® and Pebax Rnew®—The Rilsan Clear Rnew GE350® it’s 50% biobased, it’s totally transparent, very high performance. Rilsan® clear has great ductility, physical properties, strength, chemical resistance and of course higher tag price than other transparent polymers like PMMA or PC. It is used in eyewear, sport frames, etc. Pebax Rnew product line is a copolymer, which is partially PA11 and partially a soft segment coming from petroleum— It is not the first time that Pebax Rnew® is mentioned in mundomaterial, for those of you that want to know more, please read my previous post in Renewable TPEs.

Arkema’s renewables have traditionally being used in very demanding applications, like automotive under the hood components, electronics and Oil. But I couldn’t help wondering if Arkema has noticed any growth in demand recently—Yes, definitely. Some of the most prominent examples are in the Sports market. For example, skyboots or running shoes based on Pebax Rnew®. Both of them previously used Pebax®, based in petroleum. ATOMIC, a world leader in developing and manufacturing ski and snowboard equipment, scooped the Eco Responsibility Award at ISPO, the world’s largest international ski exposition in Munich for their Atomic Renu model. There a few examples were we see people migrating towards the performance biobased products vs the petroleum based products—.This confirms my idea that bioplastics tend to sell better in applications where consumers have a say, as biobased products like Pebax Rnew can become a decisive purchasing factor for customers and it is therefore easier to account for the higher tag price. Of course, the fact that Arkemas has placed its renewable materials in Michael Phelps goggles or Usain Bolt running shoes may also have something to do with its success in the sporting market.

Rilsan® and Pebax Rnew® are derived from castor oil, which does not compete with food resources, as it is grown in arid areas. Currently Arkema is not involved in the crop growth, although it was in the past. Today Arkema’s purchases castor oil in the open market. Most castor plants are grown in India, China and Brazil. To me, there is room for improvement here, as the castor oil is produced quite far from Marseille, France, where it is transformed into monomer—The polymer is produced in several locations globally: one in the US, one in France and one in China. By having several locations like that we can reduce CO and CO2 emissions produced during transportation, to serve our customer base locally. I think it would not be realistic to grow castor beans in Europe or the US, though—, explained Mr Rogers.

The overall corporation has the firm commitment to develop biobased products, not only bioplastics, but also biochemicals. Arkema is considering other renewable sources and its commitment towards renewable resources is summarised in this quote from T. Le Hénaff, Arkema CEO:

10% of Arkema turnover from Renewables Product in 2010

Bioplastics Council

The Society of the Plastics Industry, SPI, recently created the Bioplastics Council, with its founding members being all bioplastic producers, either those that are currently manufacturing or those that will soon be manufacturing. It includes Arkema, DuPont, Telles, BASF (Ecoflex), Cereplast and NatureWorks, of course. The 6 companies will come together under the umbrella of SPI. Basically is an special interest group focused on helping educate the public at any level of the value chain: consumers, processors, etc. Mr Rogers gave me details of some of the actions promoted by the Bioplastics Council:

The Bioplastics Council will be holding a section in the NPE in the US later this year. We will have a panel as well as a number of talks, with real members of the bioplastics industry encouraging people to get involved and educated. Also we will come out later this year with an industry guide that will help people understand who they should seek out for what type of products: if they want durable products they should come to Arkema, if they want packaging materials they can go to one of the other polymer manufacturers. This guide should help understand the size and scope of the market and the industry.

The council recently met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, to discuss how we can partner with them and with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is responsible in the US to make sure that advertisement is truth. There are many people out there putting false information and false claims, to fight these we have to educate people on every step of the value chain on technical specifications and test requirements, to keep this industry clean and not polluted with lies.

I asked Mr Rogers about the Bioplastics Council position on establishing a minimum percentage of biobased content in order to call a polymer bioplastic, a hot topic in the industry —I think in the end the understanding of the Council is that any small percentage of biobased content is a step in the right direction. That said, we have need to make sure that we are true and honest so they took a stand of encouraging people to go through the ASTM D6866 that measures the amount of organic content in a product, and then put that number in their product. If it is 5%, let the market dictate whether that percentage is enough. As long as that number is more than zero and it is fairly measured and provided to customers to decide, then it’s a fair approach— replied Mr Rogers.

After reading Arkema’s documents and talking with Mr Rogers, I’m quite convinced that bioplastics are ready to go durable, if customers want to. Arkema’s Rilsan® 11 is 100% biobased, but also has an excellent performance track. Arkema also has 2 other biobased polymers, aims to increase its turnover from Renewable products to 10% in 2010 and it is an active member of the Bioplastics Council. The growth potential is there to exploit, and one can only wonder where biopolymers will be in 10 years time.

Related Posts:

Renewable TPEs

Renewably Sourced Polymer in Automotive Part

How to make a bioplastic in your own kitchen

Bioplastics Vocabulary

Other sources:

Arkema 2007′s Annual and Sustainable Development Report: http://www.arkema.com/sites/group/en/corporate/annual_reports/interactive_version.page

Rilsan 11: http://www.arkema.com/sites/group/en/products/detailed_sheets/technical_polymers/rilsan_11/home.page

Pebax Rnew: http://www.pebax.com/sites/pebax/en/properties/pebax_rnew.page

Rilsan Clear: http://www.arkema.com/sites/group/en/products/detailed_sheets/technical_polymers/rilsan_clear/home.page

SPI Bioplastics Council: http://www.bioplasticscouncil.org/

SPI: http://www.plasticsindustry.org/

NPE2009, The International Plastics Showcase: http://www.npe.org/

SPI Bioplastics Council Meets with USDA and FTC: http://www.plasticsindustry.org/files/about/BPC/SPI%20Bioplastics%20Council%20Meets%20with%20USDA%20and%20FTC.pdf

ASTM D6866 - 08 Standard Test Methods for Determining the Biobased Content of Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using Radiocarbon Analysis: http://www.astm.org/Standards/D6866.htm

DuPont/Denso bioplastic radiator

The part: automotive radiator end-tank

The material: nylon

The grade that made it: DuPont™ Zytel® 610

DuPont Renewably Sourced Materials

The launch of a bioplastic underhood car part is well framed within DuPont’s strategy towards better environmental practices, it is certainly not an isolated movement. Through an alliance with Tate & Lyle, of which I have already written here, DuPont can now commercialised several plastics with renewable content, as well as polyols. DuPont has a specific portal, Dupont Renewable Sourced Materials, which I recommend you visit for more info. I find that, unlike other competitors, DuPont is quite honest and straightforward in its statements. A clear example of its down to earth approach is their public definition of renewably sourced material:

DuPont™ Renewably Sourced™ Materials contain a minimum of 20% renewably sourced ingredients by weight

This may seem a simple, not so ambitious claim, but very few companies will dare to publish such a number. Even bioplastic producers that use both renewable and petrochemical feedstocks tend to be very secretive about their minimum renewable content. Also DuPont is telling us its minimum content, not launching a marketing campaign about the product with the highest renewable content within its portfolio. This is not exactly new business for DuPont, and its current portfolio of biosourced materials speaks for itself:

• Cerenol^TM Polyols
• Susterra^TM Propanediol
• Zemea^TM Propanediol
• Hytrel® RS Thermoplastic Elastomers
• Pro-Cote® Soy Polymers Selar® VP Breathable Resins
• Sorona® EP Thermoplastic Polymers
• Sorona® Polymers

DuPont and Denso

DuPont is considered a strong partner in automotive, due to their expertise in materials science. It has proven its capacity in innovation by developing projects with clients to improve products. Denso Corporation, which is a global supplier of automotive systems and components, has already collaborated with DuPont in other projects. A few years back, Denso and DuPont worked together in a programme in which a global team made and tested a prototype automotive radiator end tank using 100 percent glass-reinforced nylon recovered from post-consumer radiator end tanks. The Society of Automotive Engineering awarded this initiative in 2005 and it seems Denso and DuPont have been working since then on improving the radiator end tank.

Have a look at some of my other posts looking at the materials used in the automotive industry. You’ll find out that right now our car can be made of recycled plastic, bioplastic, plastic reinforced with natural fibres… It’s not like the plastic industry is not trying here!

Related Posts

ELV directive or car recycling

Plastics, natural fibres and cars

PDO: petrochemical or renewable

Renewable TPEs

Other sources of information

Denso Corporation

www.globaldenso.com

DuPont de Nemours

www.dupont.com

Would you like to make a bioplastic instructional video?

Can you create a fun and informative instructional video about bioplastic? We are looking for videos of all different types. You can demonstrate how to make a specific bioplastic product in your own home. You can test the biodegradability of various bioplastic products. You can compare and constrast the properties (strength, flexibility, etc) of bioplastic compared to regular plastic. Regardless of what you

want to show, make it fun and informative and we will feature your video here!

Enjoy the lesson!