BIO-BASED PLASTICS | MATERIALS
bio-based and biodegradable.” Initially operating only as a distributor, the company now has a Coperion ZSK 26 Mc18 compounding extruder to produce sample batches and pilot-scale production runs. It has a partner- ship with Chemelot Innovation and Learning Labs, which provides additional testing capacity. Various applications have already been devel- oped with PHAradox materials, including coffee capsules, cutlery, sunglasses and various horticul- tural products.
moulding sector. Its new special compound, M∙Vera GP1045, which is certified according to OK compost Home according to NF T51-800 [11- 2015], is almost 100 % biobased and suitable for applications such as coffee capsules, plant pots, cutlery and others.
Food for bioplastics Last December, leading Cana- dian biotechnology company Genecis Bioindustries and Dutch distributor and compounder Helian Polymers announced a collaboration for creating formula- tions based on PHAs (polyhydroxyal- kanoates), which Genecis creates from food waste. Genecis says its rapid scaling model allows high throughput production capacity to be reached by adding its technology onto biogas plants. Target applications include bio- medical products and also 3D printing filaments. Helian Polymers has been active in bioplastics since 2007 (it also trades in colour concentrates and additives). Its PHAradox brand was launched mid-2021. The company has already developed numerous PHA-based materials under this umbrella (it obtains polymer from various sources). Helian is a sister company of ColorFabb, a European 3D printing company that pioneered the development of PHA and PLA/PHA blended filaments.
“By combining various PHA building blocks, unique and bespoke materials are being created,” says Sander Strijbos, responsible for marketing at Helian Polymers. “Some of them are brand new, others are drop-in replacements for traditional petrochemical polymers. All our materials are
www.injectionworld.com
Aimplas Plastics Technology Centre in Spain, which has over 30 years of experience in bioplas- tics, is also involved in a project to create bioplas- tics from food waste. Guacapack involves making use of waste generated from processing avocado to prepare other products, such as guacamole. The waste is used to create a new biodegradable packaging system that extends the shelf life of food by 15%. The starch from the avocado seed is extracted and purified to obtain a film that can be used to make multilayer IML labels with oxygen barrier properties that prevent the oxidation of food. In addi- tion, the active ingredients of waste avocado skin and flesh, which have a high antioxidant capacity, are obtained and used as a component of a bioplastic (PLA)
that is injection moulded to produce the packaging system. This project is funded by the
Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI) and led by the company ITC Packaging. The Universidad de Alicante research group on Polymer and Nanomaterial Analysis (Nanobiopol-UA) is also taking part in the project.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.cathaybiotech.com �
www.lanxess.com �
www.dsm.com �
www.solvay.com �
www.covestro.com �
www.avient.com �
www.eurotec-ep.com �
www.greendotbioplastics.com �
https://bio-fed.com �
https://genecis.co �
https://helianpolymers.com �
www.aimplas.net �
www.maipsrl.com �
www.sabiomaterials.com
June 2022 | INJECTION WORLD 47
Left: Avocado waste is the basis for a material
developed by Aimplas
Left: Cutlery is a target application for Helian Polymers’ PHAradox brand of PHA materials
IMAGE: HELIAN
IMAGE: AIMPLAS
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
