materials feature | Bioplastics
from minimum downtime and high flexibility of KraussMaffei Berstorff lines
“ Carmen Michels, FKuR’s CEO FKuR benefits
tional one, and will increase the price of packaged goods by one cent per kilo of product. (So, 5kg of potatoes will cost an extra 5 cents if packaged in this way.) The biodegradable net can be manufactured in all of
”
at Corbion Purac, said of the partnership: “By pooling our expertise and combining our research strengths, we can develop a bio-based performance film to rival traditional, oil-based standards.”
Net benefits Spanish research organisation Aimplas has developed biodegradable nets as packaging for citrus fruits, potatoes, onions and shellfish products. They do not need to be separated from the organic waste in order to be recycled, as everything can be composted together. It is the result of research carried out by Aimplas and partners in the Ecobionet project: these include Ecoplas and Cristóbal Meseguer of Spainn, Tecnaro from Germany and OWS of Belgium. The net is fractionally more expansive than a conven-
Green alliance
Eight leading consumer brands – in collaboration with conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – have formed the Bioplastic Feed- stock Alliance (BFA), to support the development of plastics made from plant material. Its main focus will be to guide the selection and harvesting of
feedstocks – such as sugar cane, corn, bulrush, and switch grass – that is used to make bio-derived plastics. As the development of these renewable materials has grown, so has the need to address their impact on land use, food security, and biodiversity, says WWF. With consumers increasingly looking for more sustainable products,
responsible sourcing of these materials is critical, it says. “This alliance will go a long way in ensuring the responsible manage- ment of natural resources used to meet the growing demand for bioplastics,” said Erin Simon, of WWF. “Ensuring that crops are used responsibly to create bioplastics is a critical conservation goal, especially as the global population is expected to grow rapidly through 2050.” The Alliance’s eight founding companies are Coca-Cola, Danone, Ford, Heinz, Nestle, Nike, Procter & Gamble and Unilever.
26 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | January/February 2014
the variations currently used on the market: oriented (retain its original shape with the product inside, as is used for garlic and shellfish products); the non-oriented (for citrus fruits, potatoes and many fruit and vegetables); and combined (designed to see the product and to let it breathe, but prevent waste and dust from falling out). Researchers at the Masdar Institute of Science and
Technology in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, have developed a material comprising PLA and nanocrystal- line cellulose (NCC), which they say could be used for packaging and other applications. This could be a way of improving the toughness of PLA – and hence its process ability – but using a renewable substance rather than something like a nanoclay.
The NCC is extracted from cellulose fibres by subjecting them to acid hydrolysis. This separates the amorphous and crystalline parts of the cellulose. The rod-shaped cellulose crystals are then dispersed into the PLA, which is processed by electrospinning. The research was published in the Journal of Applied
Polymer Science. US-based Sierra Resins is looking to fishing industry
waste as a source for a new type of biodegradable plastic. In collaboration with Jason Bolton, a food safety
specialist at the University of Maine, it will develop biodegradable plastic for products used in the food services and food processing industry, including packaging.
“The fisheries waste stream could very well provide some answers in making materials more biodegrad- able,” said John Tersigni, CEO of Sierra Resins. Sierra Resins is a formulator of a bioplastics that
break down in landfills. Its Enviroable masterbatches promote the breakdown of materials including PVC, PET and HDPE.
Click on the links for more information: ❙
www.novamont.com ❙
www.biotec.de ❙
www.fkur.com ❙
www.kraussmaffeiberstorff.com ❙
www.metabolix.com ❙
www.innoviafilms.com ❙
www.corbion.com ❙
www.aimplas.net ❙
www.masdar.ac.ae ❙
www.sierraresins.com ❙
www.bioplasticfeedstockalliance.org
www.filmandsheet.com
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