materials | Bioplastics
Right: Italian fi rm Bio-on moulded these bricks to
demonstrate the dimension stability of its PHA bioplastics
work together to build a production site with a 5,000 tonne/year output, expandable to 10,000 tonnes/year. A similar agreement was signed in September with Moore Capital to build a 10,000 tonnes/year plant to make PHA from sugar cane co-products in Brazil. And in Decem- ber it signed a third deal with SECI in Italy, to produce PHA from glycerol that is a bi-product from biodiesel production.
Building in PLA
Below: This tablet housing was produced by Kuender using a Corbion PLA compound- ed by Supla
Lactides company Corbion Purac has set itself on the path to become a leading player in PLA polymers. The company has committed to build a €65m 75,000 tonne/ year PLA polymerisation plant alongside its existing lactides production facility in Rayong Province in Thailand. The plant, due for start up in 2018, will produce standard and high heat resistant PLA grades. The project also includes a €20m investment to increase lactide production capacity. The company has been offering pre-marketing volumes of its PLA polymers in Europe and Asia for some time and last month an- nounced the extension of this programme into North America, where it will now also be offering a range of polymers including high heat, high performance PLLA and PDLA homopolymer resins targeted
at applications where durability are key requirements
alongside standard PLA grades. Corbion Purac says that its PLA homopolymer resins
Below: Corbion Purac has committed to a 75,000 tonne/ yr plant to produce PLA polymers in Thailand
are available in a range of melt viscosities and can provide improved heat resistance over standard PLA. The grades can be used as a neat resin or compounded for optimised properties. There are high and medium fl ow grades for injection moulding, as well as a high viscosity resin for fi lm extrusion, thermoforming and fi bre spinning. A standard, amorphous transparent resin is also available. The company has also developed a general
purpose nucleating agent for PLA homopolymer resins that can provide a compound with a good combination of heat resistance and mechanical properties. Recent applications for the company’s PLA materials
have included an air fi lter box developed by Rochling Automotive and interior trim parts for the automotive industry. The injection moulded parts display a heat resistance up to 140°C and offer impact and UV resistance, as well as high gloss, colourability and dimensional stability. Corbion says that PLA can now make a good alternative to many polyesters, polysty- renes, polyolefi ns and polyamides. Its PLA has also been employed for the world’s fi rst bioplastic touch- screen introduced by SUPLA and Kuender. The housings are high gloss white and have good impact, high heat and scratch resistance. Spanish technical institute AIMPLAS helped wine
producer Bodega Matarromera to develop a new sustainable bottle manufactured from PLA. The new bottle is claimed to be the fi rst PLA design to reproduce the shape and appearance of a traditional glass wine bottle. The bottles have an inner coating of silicon oxide that is claimed to make a signifi cant improvement in gas permeability. Advantages of the new PLA bottle include that it is lighter (50g), is fully recyclable and offers a lower environmental impact during manufacturing. AIMPLAS was subcontracted to design the package, including development of the preform and blowing moulds, and carry out characterisation of the new packaging.
Renewable polymers Covestro, formerly Bayer MaterialScience, and Reverdia have reached an agreement to develop and jointly promote thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) based on renewable raw materials. Covestro will employ biosuccinium succinic acid from Reverdia for the production of its Desmopan-brand TPU for use in a variety of applications, including footwear and consum- er electronics. Bio-based Desmopan products are already available in various hardness grades, including 85 Shore A, 95A and 60D, and are claimed to match the
48 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2016
www.compoundingworld.com
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