K‘2010 Review Show Review At K’2010, with 222,000 visitors the world’s biggest trade fair for plastics and rubber, held in Düsseldorf every three years, the bioplastics industry strengthened its presence from October 27 to November 03. In our K-show preview we already presented a large number of the bioplastics related products and services. This review will round off our report. Renewably-Sourced TPE for Airbag Systems Joint development work between Takata-Petri of Aschaffenburg, Germany, and DuPont has resulted in the launch of a new grade of DuPont Hytrel ® RS, the industry’s first renewably-sourced thermoplastic elastomer for use in airbag systems. Replicating the technical properties of the standard grade of Hytrel used for such applications, including consistent physical properties over a wide range of temperatures, the material contains a minimum of 35 % renewable content by weight, derived from non-food biomass, thereby addressing auto manufacturers’ needs for sustainable solutions. The newly-developed grade of Hytrel RS for airbag systems constitutes one of the latest technological advances in the area of renewably-sourced, high performance polymers. It is based on a thermoplastic ether-ester elastomer (TPC-ET) with hard segments of polybutylene terephthalate and soft segments that contain a polyether derived from non-food biomass. In its finished, compounded form, as used in airbag systems, its renewablysourced content is at least 35 % by weight. www.dupont.com Innovative Range of Plant-Based Plastics The international Roquette group, world leader in starch and starch-based derivatives, has joined the plastics market and launched GAÏALENE ® , a new range of plant-based plastics for converters and compounders. GAÏAHUB ® is one of Roquette’s major innovation programmes and since 2007 they have been grafting natural polymers to create thermoplastic plant resins. “Gaïalene‘s manufacturing process is based on 75 years of expertise in starch transformation and the synthesis of its derivatives; it is also supported by a fruitful partnership with SETUP PERFORMANCE, a polymer expert,“ says Jean-Bernard Leleu, Deputy CEO of Roquette. Gaïalene has around a dozen patents that protect Roquette‘s technological innovations. “Our Gaïalene resins contain over 50% plant based materials and are completely new. They are not the result of mixing or compounding; they are the product of genuine hemisynthesis which gives them their original properties,“ Jean-Bernard Leleu continues. The new plastics from Roquette are plant-based alternatives with an excellent cost/effectiveness. Gaïalene is targeting sustainable applications using common polyolefins, ABS, or more technical polymers. The Gaïalene range is different from other plant-based plastics because of its very specific characteristics such as shock resistance, softness, and easy colouring and compounding (mineral fibres, plant fibres, etc.). These qualities open new horizons in traditional plastics applications like packaging (bottles, film wrap, etc.), household appliances, automobile industry, interior design and more. Gaïalene resins can be easily formed and converted at a lower temperature (about 170°C) than traditional plastics using existing industry processes: injection moulding, blown film, extrusion blow molding, etc. It is also recyclable and complies with REACH. www.roquette.com 10 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 6
