Preview ECOFOAM –
Preview ECOFOAM – Expanded Biodegradable Trays Sirap – Gema Group started its activities in Verolanuova (Brescia, Italy) in the 1950s in the branches of thermal insulation, food and industrial packaging, transforming expanded polystyrene. Nowadays the Sirap-Gema Group has grown to a European dimension with six production plants scattered all over Europe. The Polymers transformed are PS, PET, PP, PLA and Mater-Bi ® . The new expanded biodegradable trays Ekofoam ® produced by Sirap-Gema are aimed to the packaging of fresh food such as fruit and vegetables and are made out of biopolymers obtained from renewable resources of the Mater-Bi of the company Novamont (booth E05). Ekofoam stand up for their lightness and extraordinary resilience, i.e. the ability, given by the expanded structure, to absorb shocks, for their insolubility in water, for their biodegrability and compostability. In the biodegradable field Sirap-Gema also produces PLA containers (photo) which exploits a renewable resource based material (corn). They respect the environment, they have high clarity, excellent barrier properties and a very good stiffness. Bio-materials for Thermoforming ANL Plastics shows a range of biomaterials for thermoforming. With the growing demand for bio-degradable materials from retailers ANL Plastics now offers a range of options to its customers. Specifically, ANL Plastics brings packaging solutions made of PLA, Biotec and Plantic materials. Based on the customer’s product requirements, the engineering team will help select the right raw material for each application. These three biomaterials conform to the bio degradability norm EN1304- 32 and all materials are suitable for food. In addition to the obligatory tests for these materials ANL Plastics is conducting enhanced testing, particularly in relation to product taint to ensure these materials are suitable for use. PLA, already well established in the packaging market, is extremely suitable for applications demanding a high transparency. Biotec, on the other hand, has other outstanding thermoforming properties. Still being developed further, Plantic is soluble in water and free of genetically manipulated substances. “The biomaterials will mostly be applied to blister packing and trays for the chocolate and biscuit industry because of the restricted temperature range” says Roger Janssens, marketing manager of the company. The R&D department of ANL Plastics is constantly looking for new materials in the area of renewable resources. Next to the novel biodegradable materials, ANL has developed and offers sustainable solutions as well. As an integrated company ANL Plastics extrudes PLA and Biotec itself and using the knowledge and expertise within the company, the range of thermoforming machines can easily be adjusted to produce trays from these biomaterials. www.sirapgema.com E10 www.anl-plastics.be D21 Thermoplastic Materials with Various Functional Properties BIOTEC GmbH & Co. KG, located in Emmerich, Germany, was founded in 1991. BIOTEC is a subsidiary of the SPhere Group and Stanelco plc and distributes a new generation of granules with the brand name BIOPLAST offering various functional properties. Its range of five major products covers a wide number of rigid and flexible product applications. The BIOPLAST granules can be processed on extrusion lines for blown film, sheet films, shaped articles, profiles and injection molding to manufacture completely biodegradable products. BIOTEC‘s expertise lies in the know-how regarding blending and modifying such resins to special compounds and blends. BIOTEC is certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 and DIN EN ISO 14001:2004. This certification is audited by an independent certification agency annually. www.biotec.de D04 bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/08] Vol. 3 21
Preview Time to Discover … … biolice ® . biolice is a Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients brand. This is a revolutionary material, 100% biodegradable, 100% compostable. biolice is made using a process unique on the bioplastics market, from whole cereal grains. It is an intelligent solution to help us reduce our consumption of petroleum products and protect and care for our environment. Always responsive to the needs of processors, the researchers and technicians at Limagrain’s Ulice research centre have achieved the optimum alliance between Limagrain plant genetics and the processes used by manufacturers. biolice benefits from the ‘OK Compost’ label, which, in accordance with standard EN 13432, guarantees the product’s complete decomposition with no toxic risk to the environment, in under twelve weeks . biolice is also a food contact material. biolice allows the making of films and sheaths, green waste bags, compost bags, packing and stretch films, as well as mulch films or films for seaweed and mud therapy. It can also be used to manufacture heat formed products. All biolice products convey high standards of strength, stability and flexibility. They are resistant to fats, water and most solvents. They can replace traditional plastics or be used in conjunction with traditional materials such as paper, linen, or hemp. www.biolice.com C09 Innovative Byproduct of Potato-Processing Rodenburg Biopolymers, a family owned company located in Oosterhout, The Netherlands, has developed a highly innovative biodegradable material for injection moulding: Solanyl ® BP. Thanks to its unique characteristics and competitive pricing the product can be used in a wide variety of market segments such as packaging, promotion, horticulture, infrastructure, sport and leisure, construction, automotive, controlled release technology etc. Depending on the desired functionality of the final product in terms of mechanical properties several blends of Solanyl BP are available. These can be processed on conventional injection moulding equipment with cycle times similar to most plastics. In addition, colouring can be done by traditional masterbatch technologies. Solanyl BP is a patented biodegradable product made from potato starch, a by product of the potato processing industry. Its environmentally friendly production process contributes to a reduction of green house gasses. Production of Solanyl BP requires 65 % less energy than polyethylene production. At Interpack 2008 several applications of Solanyl BP blends will be demonstrated. At the same time Rodenburg Biopolymers also offers visitors its know how and experience to develop new applications. www.biopolymers.nl E13 Biodegradable Zipper Bags Forapack is a flexible packaging films converter from Poggiofiorito, Italy. Recently they have expanded its product range of ready-made bags and pouches with a new series for food producers and retailers. The three product lines follow the approved design and function but are made completely of biodegradable and compostable material. The Bagflex-F-Bio line consists of bags and pouches made from a single web of bioplastic film, such as PLA, Materbi, Naturflex and the like. These bags are hot-wire sealed, and can be custom-printed and micro-perforated. The Bagflex-HS-Bio series of bags and pouches is made from a laminate composed of Kraft paper and a bioplastic film. The bioplastic film can be PLA, Materbi or Natureflex, depending on the application. Organic adhesives are used between the two layers to allow for 100% biodegradability. The Paperflex-Bio series of bags and pouches consists of a laminate of paper plus a bioplastic film, with or without a central „window“. In comparison with the abovementioned products Paperflex-Bio is produced in reels for automatic packaging machine applications. Among the latest developments are the so called Zipper-Bio bags with the world‘s first re-closable zippers made of biodegradable plastic, making the bags watertight and airtight and a PLA film with enhanced oxygen barrier properties to protect the contents from oxidation. www.forapack.it D11 22 bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/08] Vol. 3
