materials | Bioplastics Building interest around FDCA
It may not be a name familiar to most plastic processors but furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is causing quite a stir in the bioplastics area. The chemical is a “build- ing block” that can be used to create a range of high performance materials, including new high performance polyesters.
In January, DuPont Industrial
Biosciences and agricultural processor Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) announced a jointly developed method for producing FDCA derivative furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) from fructose that is said to be simpler than traditional conversion approaches and results in higher yields, lower energy usage and lower capital expenditures. One of the first polymers under
development using FDME is polytrimeth- ylene furandicarboxylate (PTF), a novel polyester made using DuPont’s Bio-PDO 1,3-propanediol. PTF is 100% renewable and recyclable and could find applications in bottles and other beverage packages due to its improved gas-barrier. The two
companies are planning to build an integrated 60 tonne/year demonstration plant in Decatur in the US. Another company developing routes to
FDCA is AVA Biochem. It began produc- tion of 5-HMF (5- hydroxymethylfurfural) in a 20 tonne/year pilot plant in Switzer- land in 2014. 5-HMF is produced by hydrothermal processing of plant sugars from non-food biomass and can be converted to FDCA by a number of chemical routes. AVA Biochem says it is currently in
AVA Biochem’s 5-HPF pilot plant at Muttenz in Switwerland produces feedstock for production of bio-based polyesters such as PEF
for vegetables, fruit, meat and other foodstuffs. FKuR has also extended its Terralene range of
partially bio-based polypropylene compounds for injection moulding. The company says that Terralene PP 2509 is a new PP compound with a melt flow rate (230°C/2.16g) of 42-47 g/10 min, offering good flow for the production of complex components and products with long flow paths. Terralene PP 2509 has a 35% renewable resource content. Meanwhile, Nurel started up a new facility at its
Zaragoza site in Spain for production of biodegradable compounds based on PLA and starch last November. Miguel-Ángel Caballero, MD of
discussions with a number of partners that it hopes will lead to a 30,000 tonne/ year FDCA production unit going into operation by 2019, providing feedstock for production of high performance polyes- ters such as PEF (polyethylene furanoate). PEF can also be used in place of PET in packaging applications and offers an approximate 10 times improve- ment in O2 and CO2 barrier, which may be sufficient to justify its likely price premium. AVA Biochem estimates PEF prices could be up to five times that of PET initially but could reduce rapidly with scale. ❙
www.dupont.com ❙
www.ava-biochem.com
Nurel Engineering Polymers, says the company is already commercialising the range under Inzea brand name. Earlier this year it announced the appointment of Biesterfeld to distribute the materials. Inzea injection grades offer a renewable content from 40 to 85% and process at lower temperatures than traditional fossil-based polymers, opening up potential for energy savings. The compounds carry the OK Compost label, indicating compliance with the EN13432 standard for industrial compostability.
DSM’s bio-based ForTii Eco grades are pitched at precison connectors such as the new USB-C type
52 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2016
Click on the links for more information: ❙
www.natureworksllc.com ❙
www.metabolix.com ❙
www.bio-on.it ❙
www.corbion.com/bioplastics ❙
www.aimplas.net ❙
www.covestro.com ❙
www.reverdia.com ❙
www.dsm.com ❙
www.fkur.com ❙
www.nurel.com
www.compoundingworld.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86
