K‘2010 Preview Show Preview K’2010 - Oct. 27 - Nov. 03, 2010 At K‘2010, the world’s biggest trade fair for plastics and rubber, opening its doors from 27 October to 03 November in Düsseldorf, Germany, about 3,100 companies will showcase their latest developments for all industry segments. Among them more than 60 companies that present their products and services in the field of bioplastics. In this K-show preview bioplastics MAGAZINE gives an overview of what visitors can expect in terms of bioplastics. For better orientation see floor plan on pages 34-35. Biosourced Plastics in the Limelight Arkema: Biosourced plastics (as per Arkema’s definition plastics with over 20% of non-fossil carbon) already account for 30% of Arkema’s technical polymer business and call upon around two thirds of their R&D capability. These polymers offer the same properties as their oil-sourced counterparts, and even outperforming them. By exhibiting finished components and prototypes made from these materials, Arkema will showcase their biosourced polymers, and in particular: Rilsan ® 11 (polyamide processed entirely from castor oil), Pebax ® Rnew (up to 90% biosourced elastomer), Rilsan Clear Rnew (transparent polyamide made from 54% renewable raw materials). Rilsan HT (high temperature polymer derived from castor oil for engine-compartment automotive applications). The first office chairs designed by Japan’s n°2 furniture maker will be unveiled for preview - their main components and textiles are made from Rilsan PA11 and Pebax Rnew - as will objects made of Rilsan and Pebax Rnew developed with the Japanese company Sanko Lite, specialised in the use of Urushi natural lacquer. SCARPA Ski boots FLASH PRO in PEBAX® Rnew www.arkema.com 06C57 Sustainable Compounding of Biodegradable Materials Coperion/Cabopol: The first compounding plant for biodegradable plastics in Portugal underlines the expertise of the German Coperion GmbH in biodegradable material processing systems. The extrusion line went into trial operation in January 2010 with the Portuguese compounding company Cabopol, S. A. Cabopol is now the first manufacturer of biodegradable polymers on the Iberian Peninsula. Both companies are exhibitors at K’2010. Biodegradable compounds based on compostable polyesters, with and without starch, are being manufactured.The processing system includes materials handling for all raw materials – i.e. storage, conveying, weighing and dosing – as well as compounding with downstream pelletizing and drying. The processing extruder, a ZSK MEGAcompounder PLUS, has a ZS-B twin screw side feeder and a venting unit. The die discharges into a water bath for strand cooling followed by suction drying of the strand surface prior to strand pelletizing. Cabopol procured a ZSK 26 MEGAcompounder laboratory extruder especially for this project and during the optimization of the screw geometry and process technology was able to make use of know-how from Coperion. It is the formulations that include starch which represent a particular challenge: The melt zone in the compounding extruder has to not only melt the polymer, but also plastify the non-melting starch by adding liquid. www.coperion.com www.cabopol.com Coperion 14B33/ Cabopol 8bG45 30 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/10] Vol. 5
K‘2010 Preview A New Leader in Biopolymers Production NATIVIA the first melt (Courtesy Taghleef Industries) BOPLA Film Production Brückner Maschinenbau from Siegsdorf, Germany offers concepts for new lines or the modification of existing lines, such as: • Special raw material handling systems for the hygroscopic material PLA • A specially adapted extruder screw design for PLA ensuring gentle plastification • Special adaptation of all melt leading components ensuring gentle handling of the acidic PLA • A temperature control system specially adapted and aligned for PLA for machine and transverse stretching of the material given the fact that PLA must be stretched with considerably lower temperatures than other polymers • Units for film surface treatment adapted to the material Taghleef Industries and Brückner recently created a concept to modify one of Taghleef’s existing BOPP lines in Italy in order to produce BOPLA - based on Taghleef’s own researches and the long track record of Brückner’s tests on its laboratory line in its German headquarters. The startup of this modified line will be in the 4 th quarter of 2010 (see p. 6). Braskem: Having presented its landmark project of building the first plant to produce green ethylene from sugar cane ethanol at the 2007 K’show, the Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem will have had its plant running for exactly three years when the K’2010 takes place in Düsseldorf, Germany. Built in record time, Braskem’s plant started production of ‘Green Polyethylene’ from sugar cane based ethanol as of the end of September. Its nominal production capacity is 200,000 tonnes/year, which will equal to the same amount of green polyethylene. Ethylene is the raw material for polyethylene - the most commonly-used plastic in the world. The green polyethylene has the same properties and provides the same performance as traditional resin, but with the huge advantage of being made from a renewable resource (see p. 52). The final product, as with polymers made from naphtha or natural gas, can be used by a wide variety of industries, ranging from the automobile industry, through the cosmetics, tools, domestic utensils, and food packaging industries, to the toy manufacturing business. www.braskem.com 06D27 / 06.1W01 www.brueckner.com 03C73 The World’s Most Advanced and Versatile Bio Resin The bioresins.eu division of A&O FilmPAC is using the K’show as the opportunity to launch and present the ECOMANN range of biodegradable/compostable PHA resins. Ecomann PHA is said to be currently the world’s most advanced and versatile bio resin. A number of different well proven resin grades exist for film and sheet, rigid and flexible injection mouldings, rigid and flexible foam and bio elastomers. Ecomann resin products have obtained all of the certifications relevant to the bio resins industry. Numerous new applications arise all the time in this very dynamic industry with a high growth rate. A&O FilmPAC’s team of multi-lingual application experts will show product samples and discuss customer projects at the K show. A&O FilmPAC, based in the UK, represents Ecomann in the EU, Turkey, the Middle East and some East African countries. www.bioresins.eu 07.1A48 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/10] Vol. 5 31
