BIOPLASTICS | FORMULATION AND COMPOUNDING
under home-composting conditions. Another focus area in development of biopolymer compounds is in reinforced materials for additive manufacturing. The Composites Center at the University of Maine (UMaine), is among the leaders in this, having built up experience developing and processing PLA/cellulose composites. UMaine is now partnering with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in a multi-year “Hub and Spoke” program to advance efforts to 3D print with bio-based feed- stocks made with wood. The aim is to create a new market for the forest products industry. UMaine and ORNL are conducting fundamental
Global production capacity for bioplastics is set to grow from a 2020 level of 2.1m tonnes to 2.8m tonnes by 2025, according to the latest data published by European Bioplastics in conjunction with Germany’s Nova Institute. The trade association says that biodegradable plastics (including bio-based and petrochemical-based types) account for 60% of global bioplastics production capacity. Bio-based non-biodegradable polymers make up the remaining 40%. Around 47% of 2020 production (around 1m tonnes) went to packaging applications.
www.european-bioplastics.org
corn, wheat, rice, potatoes, and peas has been incorporated in several compound recipes to obtain thermoplastic starch (TPS) compounds. From these materials, final demo samples were obtained using different techniques, such as cast and blown film extrusion. “Aimplas is now also working in the development
Right: Aimplas is compound- ing bioplastics derived from many different feedstocks
of new natural biopolymer formulations derived from other polysaccharides, as well as proteins, from both vegetal and animal sources,” says a spokesperson. “Laboratory-scale trials using a torque rheometer have been carried out using different additive packages and concentrations to obtain new thermo- plastic biopolymers for packaging applications.” Some of these compounds have been success- fully scaled to pilot plant volumes using co-rotating twin-screw extruders and then processed by cast extrusion to obtain thin films based on plasticised natural polymers. The next steps will focus on optimising processability and properties, as well as adding new functionalities to obtain customised compounds for food packaging and cosmetic applications. In addition, Aimplas is also leading the BIOnTop
project, the objective of which is to develop new, competitive, low-cost, recyclable packaging solutions designed to be mechanically recycled, compostable either industrially or at home, or suitable for anaerobic digestion. To achieve these goals, the institute has developed a number of new fully-bio-based PLA copolymers obtained using reactive extrusion that, unlike pure PLA, compost
30 COMPOUNDING WORLD | September 2021
www.compoundingworld.com
research in order to place cellulose-derived materials into bio-based resins such as PLA to produce strong, stiff, and recyclable bio-based materials suitable for large scale 3D printing. The materials are to be printed at high deposition rates using the group’s large polymer 3D printer, which can make parts as long as 30m. Compounds have fibre loadings of up to 50% cellulose fibre. The research effort has led to 18 industrial
collaborations across energy, infrastructure, and building technology. “We are working with Nature- Works to evaluate the material characteristics of its new PLA formulation for 3D printing,” says Susan MacKay, Senior R&D Program Manager at the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center. “We are specifically incorporating wood derived materials to improve stiffness and strength and then demonstrating the ability of the opti- mised formulation in a series of large area additive manufacturing applications.”
Soy solutions A Finnish collaboration between Finnfoam, Brightplus, VTT Technical Research Centre, and Nordic Soya hopes to develop what is said to be a world-first process to produce compostable bioplastic from food and feed production side
IMAGE: AIMPLAS
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