BIOPLASTICS | MATERIALS
Moving ahead in bioplastics
The bioplastics market is not large but bio-based and compostable materials can offer novel advantages in certain applications. Chris Saunders reviews the latest developments
Interest in bio-based and biodegradable — or more accurately compostable — polymers is on the rise, even if overall volumes are small. Data published by European Bioplastics (based on information from Nova-Institute) shows global bioplastics production — including bio-based versions of PE, PET and PA — amounted to 1.9m tonnes for 2022. That is less than 0.5% of global plastics production (400m tonnes for 2022 according to PlasticsEurope data). However, although a niche market, bioplastics
(which Compounding World defines as plastics produced from a bio-based source) can offer reduced environmental impact and simplified waste management options compared to some of today’s fossil-based polymers. While actual environmental benefits vary depending on feed- stocks, production methods, application, and end-of-life options, considerable strides are being made in the sector. “Recent developments in bioplastics have
accelerated as the industry builds on the techno- logical improvements of the past decade. This is happening across the supply chain, from resin producers and converters to brand owners and retailers, as the needs of the market and the capabilities of the materials converge to provide real solutions for customer needs,” says Dr Michael Mang, Vice President of Technology Commerciali- sation at US-based polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) producer Danimer Scientific. “This acceleration derives from three interre-
lated areas. Firstly, design for functional perfor- mance highlights the fact that new material must work for the intended end use. The experience of packaging engineers in understanding how new
www.compoundingworld.com
materials perform has allowed bioplastics to fit more quickly into intended use cases,” he says.
“End-of-life performance is another area where the foundation built over time accelerates the development of new materials,” Mang adds. He says there has been a convergence between the company’s ability to design for specific end-of-life performance and its customers’ understanding of how end-of-life works in real-world biological disposal systems. “For example, coffee pods in the European
market are an opportunity for an industrially compostable resin because the pods are disposed of with coffee grounds still present. In this case, a resin intended for home composting was repur- posed and adapted,” he says.
Bioplastic developers such as Danimer also have to consider how their materials will be processed. “Conversion processing is a little-con- sidered requirement for bioplastic use. There is an installed base of conversion equipment designed and engineered for specific petroleum-based plastics,” Mang says.
Adapting to scale “Introducing bioplastics at scale requires adapting the process and the resin, creating significant economic incentives for equipment owners to transition to higher-value materials that support greater returns.” He says the company has priori- tised building this conversion adaptation into its resin design process. Netherlands-based TotalEnergies Corbion
November 2023 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 33
Main image: Bioplastics are drawing attention. These tooth- brushes,
designed by Revelop and produced using a PHA compound from CJ Biomaterials, won a Red Dot design award this year
IMAGE: CJ BIOMATERIALS
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
