MATERIALS | BIO-BASED COMPOUNDS
energy production, Schirp said. “For the project, SBP was mechanically ground or run through a double-disc
refiner. Next, compounds were pressed into thin thermoplastic sheets and 3D-moulded into plates (tableware) using a vacuum press,” he explained. The plates needed to be suitable for home composting, and it was found that plates made from the SBP polymers decomposed faster than paper plates. The researchers also aim to test the
Above: Test samples of Renol, a bio-based
plastic which is a blend of lignin and a bio-based oil. Pic: Lignin Industries
material in injection moulding of single-use cutlery. The SBP project is part of the Bio4MatPro project, which is coordinated by the RWTH Aachen University and funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research. Spain-based Aimplas is participating in several EU-funded projects to develop bio-based plastics for different applications. In the Bioprocess project, Aimplas is working to enhance the mechanical and barrier properties of bioplastics to produce films for flexible packaging. In addition, it is co-ordinating the Promofer project, which seeks to convert lignocellulosic biomass (such as rice or wheat straw) and agroindustrial waste (low-value starches, whey permeate) into a biodegradable bioplastic (PHBV) and 2,3-butanediol (to make polyurethanes). The project completed its first year in July, and next steps include scaling up the fermentation process. Most recently, Aimplas announced participation in a 25-partner consortium, the Repurposing Olive Waste (OLIWA) project. Aimplas will investigate whether natural polymers (ie proteins and polysac- charides) can be recovered from olive waste (such as leaves, fruit skin, and olive mill wastewater) and used alone or in combination with other biopoly- mers to make bioplastic packaging materials.
Lignin development Lignin Industries, headquartered in Sweden, is producing a bio-based, pelletised masterbatch for thermoplastics that is a blend of lignin and a bio-based oil, such as rapeseed oil. Renol is a drop- in, bio-based plastic that can run on existing equipment, said Christopher Carrick, Founder and CTO of Lignin Industries. One of the company’s new products is Renol Flex for PP applications, where the lignin and bio-oil are blended with an elastomer additive, resulting in up to 60% higher impact strength and 40% reduction of carbon footprint compared to conventional PP in the end application. The Renol masterbatch is currently used in packaging such as e-commerce bags and
32 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2025
is also in late-stage trials in consumer electronics, home accessories, appliances, and the construction segment, and multiple launches are expected in the coming year, reported Carrick. To make the masterbatch, the company extracts
lignin from waste biomass and modifies it into a thermoplastic material, thereby making it mixable with traditional thermoplastics. Lignin is the more hydrophobic component in wood, which means that it has the least moisture uptake and the best candidate to mix with thermoplastics, compared to other components or waste streams such as wood flour or cellulose, explained Carrick. “We handpick lignins to fit into a downstream value chain,” Carrick said. “We have worked with more than 50 different types of lignin from different pulp and paper companies, operating with different trees and different processes. We have also worked with different agricultural waste streams, such as wheat straw, bamboo and rice husk lignins, with different processing ranging from pulping processes but also lignin residues when making bioethanol production.” Carrick said the company has several patents that cover the conversion of the lignin powder by the combination and functionalisation of natural oils, as well as patents on the formulation with Renol and other plastics, such as PE, PP and ABS, and the intellectual property on the use of additives to improve processing and mechanical properties of the final object or material. He said that lignin is the residue material with the lowest value when process- ing biomass, making it the best candidate from a price point of view to compete with fossil plastics.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.european-bioplastics.org �
http://mosaiccolor.com �
https://cjbiomaterials.com �
https://totalenergies-corbion.com �
www.benvic.com �
www.useon.com �
https://emiratesbiotech.com �
https://safabioworks.com �
www.natureworksllc.com �
www.teknorapex.com �
https://danimerscientific.com �
www.planeterthos.com �
www.colgatepalmolive.com �
www.acs.org �
www.kuraray.com �
https://plantic.com.au �
www.wki.fraunhofer.de �
www.aimplas.es �
www.lignin.se
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
