MATERIALS | BIOPLASTICS
Right: Nature- Works and IMA Coffee have developed a compostable coffee pod solution
content for products that use its labels for ranges of bio-based content, with a minimum of 20%. There are many types of bio-based plastics, includ- ing cellulose derivatives, thermoplastic starches, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and others. Use of PLA is growing in a variety of applications, said Robert Green, North American Regional Sales Director for PLA producer NatureWorks, in a presentation at AMI’s Bioplastics conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, US in September. PLA can be used in industrially com- postable packaging that allows food waste to be diverted from landfills. For example, NatureWorks and IMA Coffee, which makes coffee processing and packaging technologies, presented a new compostable coffee pod solution earlier this year at AMI’s Single-Serve Capsules conference in Boston, MA. All parts of the pod – the rigid thermoformed capsule, nonwoven filter, and multilayer top lid – were made with Ingeo PLA. Green also noted that 3D printing is a growing area for PLA.
Bio-based PHAs PHAs are biodegradable polyesters that can contain C14-measurable carbon when made using renewable carbon sources as feed to the microor- ganisms in the bioreactor. PHA-manufacturer CJ Biomaterials uses bio-based feedstocks, such as sugars derived from sugarcane or corn, in its
biomanufacturing process. CJ introduced a semi-crystal- line PHA (scPHA), PHACT S1000P, at NPE 2024. The scPHA can be moulded, thermoformed, or extrud- ed. CJ has collaborated with NatureWorks on combinations of CJ’s amorphous PHA (aPHA),
PHACT A1000P, with
NatureWorks’ Ingeo PLA. The aPHA improves ductility and toughness and can improve biodegra- dability to potentially allow home compostability. CJ’s latest PHA-PLA blended compounds are two
grades developed for blown, cast, and machine- direction orientation (MDO) film applications. PHACT CA1270P is transparent, and PHACT CA1240PF is a calcium carbonate mineral-filled, opaque grade. Both are industrially compostable, and the opaque grade is being tested for home compostability. At AMI’s Bioplastics conference, CJ Polymer Scientist Akanksha Patel presented data on the performance of the two new compounds in blown film, where they showed good bubble and drawdown stability and a good balance between stiffness, strength, tear, and puncture. Compared to a PLA film, the compounds were extruded with lower torque and had a higher specific output rate. Possible applications include food packaging, shrink wrap, labels, bags, and agricultural mulch films. Calfornia-based Mango Materials is making poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), which is a type of PHA. The aim is to use biogenic methane as a feedstock, and the company’s plant is co-located
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IMAGE: NATUREWORKS
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