MATERIALS | BIOPLASTICS
The new bags – which consist mainly of starch
Dedicated bio-polymers, which have no ‘petroleum equivalents’ are expected to see fast growth, says a report from the Nova Institute
could be used in applications such as dry food packaging – including lidding films for coffee capsules or for cups and trays, flow packs, trays for snacks, and biscuit packages. With refined design, it could also be used for ‘wet’ foods such as ham, fish, and meat.
Organic waste There are other examples where bioplastics are used to overcome limitations of more conventional materials. The pan-European research project Biovege – which has recently finished – has developed a range of biodegradable films and nets for horticul- tural products. The products were made in part using agricultural waste products from Spain. “In Andalusia, about 500,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetable by-products are landfilled,” said research organisation Aimplas, one of the project partici- pants. “From these wastes, we have extracted substances of high value for the packaging and food industries.” Several types of biodegradable films with a thickness of 23 microns will be used as shrink film for the packaging of cucumbers and making bags for weighing all kinds of agricultural products. Biodegradable netting will be used to package products such as garlic and green beans. At the same time, film manufacturer RKW has developed a biodegradable star-sealed bag for organic household waste in Germany. The disposal of organic waste from kitchens has always been a challenge for households, says the company -- as conventional plastic bags cannot be disposed with organic waste, while paper bags tend to soak through over time.
14 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | July/August 2018
and PLA, plus other biodegradable components – are fully compostable and suitable for organic waste. They will be produced at RKW Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, and supplied by major retailers in Germany. Certified as fully compostable by DIN Certco, it is also the first T-shirt starseal bag available on the market made of more than 50 percent from renewable materials. “With the first T-shirt starseal bags that are compostable – and consist of more than 50% renewable materials – RKW is a pioneer on the market,” said Manh-Hung Ngo, product manager at RKW Vietnam. “So far, bags with around 40% renewable content have been available in markets such as France and Italy. We were able to design bags with a significant higher proportion.”
Growth rate A report by the Nova Institute of Germany says that production capacity of bio-based polymers is growing by 3-4% per year. This is no faster than the growth rate of conventional polymers – meaning that bio-based polymers will continue to account for around 2% of the market. However, the report says that bio-polymers are
growing at different rates: while some are “virtually collapsing” compared to previous forecasts – such as bio-based PET – others are showing constant or slightly increasing capacities, while others (such as PLA) are showing significant growth. “Additionally, for some bio-based polymers such
as PHA, PEF, bio-PE and bio-PP, the prospects for the future are quite positive,” said the report. “Overall, the market remains challenging with low crude oil prices, little political support and partially under-utilised capacities. Until now, the biodegra- dability of some bio-based polymers has not yet been able to generate a real advantage globally.” The report estimates that, in 2017, worldwide capacities for bio-based polymers reached 4.6 million tonnes (which rises to 6.4m tonnes if bio-based PUR – which is hard to quantify – is included). The forecast for 2022 shows 5m tonnes (or 7.5m tonnes including bio-based PUR). However, growth of ‘dedicated’ bio-based polymers – which have no direct counterpart in the petrochemical world – is faster, and price pressure from cheap crude oil is lower than for other groups. These materials, such as PLA, PHA and PEF – also offer new properties and functionalities. “As a consequence, the highest innovation takes place in this group, and a number of new develop- ments are still to be expected,” said the report. While capacities of polymers themselves has
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