MATERIALS | BIO-BASED POLYMERS
European projects target new applications for bio-waste
Different biodegradable and com- postable materials being developed within the European Union Agrimax project comprise bio-based polymers compounded with fibres coming from agro-industrial waste. Agrimax is funded through the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI) European initiative and the EU Research and Innovation Programme Horizon 2020. The aim of Agrimax is to take the
residues and by-products from agricultural crops and process them in two, flexible, multi-feedstock pilot biorefineries, purpose-built for the project. A refinery in Italy will process waste from tomatoes and cereals and another in Spain will do the same for olive and potato waste. The target is to convert 40% of the waste the pilot plants receive into high-value materials, including biobased packaging, as well as food ingredi- ents and agricultural products. Compounds have been used to
make injection moulded plant pots. Although the addition of fibres increases the viscosity of the biopoly- mers used, the formulation of material and processing parameters have been optimised to achieve a proper
Compostable plant pots were produced in the Agrimax project
mould filling, thus reducing the friction of the material and its resi- dence time in the equipment. Spanish research organisation
Aimplas, a member of the Agrimax project, has evaluated the process- ability of the new compounds, characterising mechanical and thermal properties in injection moulded test bars. The best biocom- pounds were selected for the produc- tion of prototype plant pots. In terms of their surface, dimen- sions and mechanical properties obtained so far, the materials pro- duced are suitable for growing ornamental plants and seeds, says Pili
Arnitel thermoplastic polyester elastomer and Stanyl polyamide 46 product portfolio at the show. The Stanyl bio-based grades are already available with the globally recognized sustainability certifica- tion ISCC Plus. According to Joost d’Hooghe, Vice President Polyamides, the Arnitel and Stanyl bio-based alternatives “will deliver the same functional performance as our conventional portfolio. This will enable our customers to easily shift to a more sustainable solution without having to requalify materials.” In the case of Stanyl, the C4-based part of the polymer is bio-based; DSM is currently using tall oil as a feedstock. The company already offers bio-based polyamides in the form of EcoPaXX
20 INJECTION WORLD | June 2020
Villanueva, an Aimplas researcher. Aimplas is also involved in the EU
Naturtruck project, whose main objective is to develop injection moulded parts for commercial vehicles (mainly truck cabin parts, as the project title implies) made with thermoplastic composite materials from renewable resources (at least 80% by weight) – modified PLA and natural fibres – with improved thermal and flame retardan- cy properties and high quality surface finish. The intention is that the compounds
will offer an alternative to low-gloss standard ABS grades at a competitive cost.
PA410 and ForTii Eco; but here, it is the C10-based section of these materials that is bio-based, coming from castor plants.
Bio-TPEs Trinseo says it is experiencing demand for its biobased thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) for injection moulded baby care applications, with the demand for bio-based materials expected to have continuous growth over the next years. Apigo Bio is Trinseo’s portfolio of thermoplastic olefins (TPO), partially derived from biomass. The exact propor- tion of bio-based material is based on formulation requirements of the final application Apigo Bio is suitable for injection and co-injec-
www.injectionworld.com
IMAGE: AIMPLAS
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