News Animal Protein
News Animal Protein Waste Turned into Bioplastic A process developed at the University of Waikato , New Zealand will allow animal waste to be turned into useful and biodegradable plastic. The new process, developed over two years by University of Waikato chemical engineer Dr Johan Verbeek and Masters student Lisa van den Berg, can turn animal protein waste like blood meal and feathers into a polymer using industrystandard plastic extrusion and injection moulding machinery. The material has the strength of polyethylene but it‘s fully biodegradable, as stated by Dr. Verbeek. “Proteins are polymers so we know they can be turned into plastics,“ Dr Verbeek said. “Plant proteins have successfully been used to make bioplastics, but animal protein has always ended up gumming up the extruder. The process we‘ve developed gets round that problem. People said it couldn‘t be done, but we did it!“ Dr Verbeek expected the bioplastic would be suitable for agricultural plastic sheeting, seedling trays, plant pots and even biodegradable golf tees, for which, he said there was a surprisingly high demand. Plantic Wins PACIA Sustainability Award Plantic Technologies Ltd., Australian manufacturer of biodegradable packaging and materials, has been selected as the winner of this year’s PACIA Sustainability (Plastics) Award. Each year, PACIA awards outstanding performance in Health and Safety, Environment and Sustainability through the PACIA Awards Program. In winning this award, Plantic was recognised for its contribution to environmental protection and conservation of natural resources, its contribution to society, and its employee, community and stakeholder engagement. In terms of sustainability, Plantic’s “environmentally friendly” R1 product is fully biodegradable; home compostable; and compostable (EN 13432, ASTM 6400), water dispersible and made from non-GM high amylose corn starch. Plantic ® sheet has the lowest absolute energy consumption across the entire lifecycle of the material. Life Cycle Assessments of Plantic indicate that the total amount of energy consumed for the production of 1000 Plantic trays is about half that of petrochemically derived plastics. www.plantic.com.au, www.pacia.org.au www.waikato.ac.nz Nokia Will Launch 40 Mobile Phones with Biodegradable Components Nokia is planning to launch around 40 new ‘green’ mobile phones this year — each comprising biodegradable components that can be easily recycled. In markets like the US, Nokia encloses a pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope in sales packs, providing customers an easy method for returning used products for recycling, at no cost to them. The consumer simply places the contents in the bag and then puts it in their mailbox. Nokia India is evaluating similar refurbishment processes, as stated by D. Shivakumar, VP and managing director, Nokia India. India is the second-largest telecom market. Nokia uses bioplastics, such as polylactide (PLA) with plant or other biomass-based modifiers that help reduce the use of non-renewable materials. Elastomers based on biomaterials can be used as rubberlike materials to seal off the battery case. www.nokia.com Mazda Develops Non-Food-Bioplastic Mazda Motor Corporation recently signed a collaborative research agreement with Hiroshima University to launch the ‘Mazda Bioplastic Project.’ The project aim is to develop a bioplastic from non-food-based cellulosic biomass and have it ready for use in vehicles by 2013. The bioplastic being developed will not consume food resources because it will be made from cellulosic biomass produced from inedible vegetation such as plant waste and wood shavings. Furthermore, because cellulosic biomass is plant-derived and therefore carbon neutral, the bioplastic will reduce reliance on limited fossil fuel resources and alleviate carbon dioxide emissions. The project will focus on designing a production process for an extremely versatile polypropylene, appropriate for extensive use in vehicles, by first converting cellulosic biomass to ethanol, and then investigating various mixtures of ethylene and propylene. The polypropylene must have sufficient heat resistance, strength and durability to be used in vehicle bumpers and instrument panels. The project will also seek to optimize the manufacturing process for the bioplastic so that it is eco-friendly and cost-effective. www.mazda.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3
News Australia’s Biograde Ltd. to Supply 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games with Biodegradable Packaging Australian company Biograde Ltd. announced that it has been appointed the exclusive supplier of biodegradable packaging to the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This biodegradable packaging contract was awarded by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and will involve the supply of seven different bag formats. Selection of biodegradable packaging is in line with the ‘Green Materials, Green Olympics’ strategy declared by BOCOG, which committed to use environmentally friendly packaging materials at the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. BOCOG appointed the Beijing Advanced Material Development Centre to select the Olympic supplier from among the top global producers of biodegradable packaging derived from renewable sources. Biograde managing director Dr Frank Glatz said the contract was won by the superior performance of the company’s resin, which meets stringent European compostability standard EN13432, and its effective supply capability through Biograde’s local manufacturing plant in Nanjing, China. “The Biograde range of renewable hybrid resins and certified biodegradable resins also meet new Chinese packaging regulations enacted 1 June 2008 and our Nanjing manufacturing business is one of the few Chinese companies awarded with the prestigious China Environmental Label,” said Dr Frank Glatz. “A key element of the Beijing Advanced Material Development Centre selection process was the plan to use the Olympic packaging supply project as a national case study to promote sustainable packaging materials across China. Biograde products more than meet these criteria”, Dr Glatz said. Biograde materials are based on renewable raw materials, namely cornstarch. www.biograde.com.au Principia Partners Announces... Bio-based and Biodegradable Polymers 2008 A GLOBAL INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE Principia What’s Inside? A comprehensive market study assessing the bio-based and biodegradable polymers industry, the report is designed to be a strategic planning tool for polymer producers, processors, and end users seeking to or currently participating in this emerging industry. g Global analysis of the industry by various regions, markets, major applications, and products using 2008 as the baseline year g Insights on market trends and regulations affecting future demand that will help subscribers identify the next set of markets and applications Contact Ashish Aneja Tel: US +1-610-363-7815 ext 252 Mobile: US +1-484-354-9688 Fax: US +1-484-214-0172 E-mail: AAneja@PrincipiaConsulting.com Principia Partners 604 Gordon Drive P.O. Box 611 Exton, PA 19341 USA g Detailed value-chain analysis to aid readers in building the right partnerships and capabilities to serve this high growth industry Visit www.PrincipiaConsulting.com and click on Principia Publishing > Industry Reports > Bio-based and Biodegradable Polymers 2008 to view study prospectus. Use promotion code BBP08 to receive a US 0 discount. bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/08] Vol. 3
