News Biodegradable Bag Made From CO 2 Emissions Melbourne, Australia based packaging technology company Cardia Bioplastics Limited has developed a world first biodegradable plastic bag created from a blend of CO 2 (carbon dioxide) emissions and starch. Chairman Pat Volpe said the company has successfully completed a first production run of the revolutionary carrier bags, known as CO2S – or, carbon dioxide plus a starch based renewable resource. “This is the first time CO 2 emissions have been transformed in this way, and the development has the potential to revolutionise the production of bioplastics around the globe,” he said. Pollutant CO 2 emissions are captured prior to being released into the atmosphere. This pollutant is then transformed into a polypropylene carbonate (PPC) polymer and blended with a renewable resource (starch), using the company’s new technology, to produce the Cardia Bioplastics CO2S resin. This product is then used to produce a completely biodegradable carrier bag. “Our new patent pending blending technology used to manufacture CO2S compostable product will complement the existing Cardia Bioplastics portfolio.” Pat Volpe said. “We are delighted to be at the cutting edge of green technology by developing a new generation of bioplastics films for carrier bags and other products that is able to transform a problematic waste pollutant into an environmentally friendly alternative product,” he said. Cardia Bioplastics now plans to perfect the new CO2S technology by increasing the PPC content and the renewable resource component so that up to 60% less virgin oil will be used, when compared to currently marketed biodegradable oil based products. Cardia Bioplastics will also aim to achieve international compostability accreditation standards for CO2S. Pat Volpe said manufacturing can easily be scaled up to meet commercial volumes with the aim to provide CO2S bags at prices below current compostable carrier bags. “We are now ready to commercialise this innovative technology and are searching for a suitable international partner with oil or gas wells, or refineries producing CO 2 emissions. We are getting close in our negotiations and the market will be informed when current discussions materialise into a support agreement,” he said. FKuR and Synbra Cooperate FKuR (Willich, Germany) and Synbra (Etten-Leur,The Netherlands) realise the opportunities of the new PLA generation: GMO free and heat resistant. After first concluding highly promising development work FKuR has started systematic tests with Synbra’s second generation PLA produced from non-genetically modified carbohydrates. The PLA polymerization takes place in Synbra’s new plant in Etten-Leur with a capacity of 5000 t/a. The lactide feedstock is produced in Purac’s fermentation process. The development partners expect a further strong market push since many brand-owners and retailers in Western Europe are keen to use GMO-free materials. In addition, FKuR and Synbra are targeting at high temperature applications to date not accessible for bioplastics. By blending almost 100% pure PLLA with PDLA at high temperatures, a stereocomplex PLA (sc- PLA) can be formed with properties that excel the ones of the individual homopolymers. The melting temperature of the complex is around 220°C which is 50°C higher than that of conventional PLA. Consequently, FKuR in cooperation with Fraunhofer UMSICHT intends to develop a new generation of high performance bio compounds. “FKuR Kunststoff GmbH has outstanding knowledge in modifying bio-based raw materials and developing unique PLA blends and we are pleased to supply FKuR as a launching customer with our sc-PLA grades” Jan Noordegraaf, Managing Director of Synbra, pointed out. “Synbra’s GMO free resins pave the way to new markets and the technical capabilities of the stereo complex offer us incomparable opportunities to design high engineered bio-compounds.” Edmund Dolfen, Managing Director of FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, added. MT www.fkur.com www.synbra.com www.cardiabioplastics.com. bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5
News Awards for High-Performance Bioplastics and Biocomposites In August of this year, Solegear Bioplastics, Vancouver, Canada, was chosen by Frost & Sullivan as the recipient of the 2010 North American New Product Innovation Award in the field of Bioplastics. This award recognizes the talents of Solegear’s R&D team, as well as the Company’s R&D partners: the University of British Columbia and the National Research Council of Canada. More recently, Solegear was proud to be awarded the BC Hydro Sustainability Prize for new companies, the BC Innovation Council’s Economic Impact Prize and the 2nd place winner in one of North America’s largest new venture competitions: The New Ventures BC Competition. Just a few days before printing this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE, it was announced that Solegear has again been recognized for its innovative leadership with the 2010 CYBF (Canadian Youth Business Foundation) Best Green Business award. Founded in 2006 the company has developed and is commercializing a suite of high-performance bioplastics and biocomposites intended for long-life and durable injection moulding applications. Having launched Polysole ® and Traverse ® resins in the summer of 2010, the Company is now engaged in supplying these materials to customers across a variety of industries, including toys, health and wellness, construction, and automotive. Polysole is a 100% natural, non-toxic, biodegradable plastic, based off of the PLA platform. With properties of relatively low molecular weight, high impact strength and excellent elongation, this award-winning material is biodegradable at the end of its useful life. Polysole is a uniquely safer, more efficient and more sustainable high-performance bioplastic than petroleum-based incumbents. Traverse is a highly customizable natural fiber reenforced biocomposite. It can blend up to 60% natural fiber content with recycled or prime petroleum-based plastics. The fibers come from waste streams of traditional forestry and agricultural processes and include wood fiber, rice husk fiber, flax fiber and hemp fiber. Combining traditional performance with renewable technology, Traverse is a cost-effective, customizable and renewable biocomposite solution. The Company has developed unique formulations for these materials, based on Green Chemistry Principles. Polysole and Traverse are produced by Solegear using a proprietary production method that produces a pellet with unprecedented batch-to-batch quality and consistency. MT Pictures: Gala, nova-Institut Contact Lena Scholz: Programme, Innovation award, Press, Sponsor Phone: +49 (0) 22 33 4814–48 lena.scholz@nova-institut.de www.biowerkstoff-kongress.de 4 th International Congress on Bio-based Plastics and Composites & Industrial Biotechnology 4. Biowerkstoff-Kongress 2011 March 15 th – 16 th 2011, Maternushaus, Cologne, Germany Book now: www.biowerkstoff-kongress.de The conference will present the newest developments, investments and product placements from the leading countries in the European Union: France, Benelux and Germany, rounded off by highlights from Asia and America. Following speakers have already confirmed: Francesca Aulenta (BASF) n Wolfgang Baltus (National Innovation Agency, Thailand) n Marcel van Berkel (DSM) n Harald Häger (Evonik) n Christophe Luguel (IAR) n Hans van der Pol (Purac) n Jan Ravenstijn (TU Eindhoven, NL) The entire value chain of bio-based plastics and composites will be presented, from Industrial Biotechnology to recent market successes. All presentations are translated simultaneously into the English or German. For the fourth year running an Innovation Award will be awarded to the young, innovative bio-based industry. The competition seeks to encourage the development of new bio-based materials, along with suitable applications and markets for bio-based products. Dominik Vogt: Exhibition, Partner, Media partner Phone: +49 (0) 22 33 4814–49 Fax: +49 (0) 22 33 4814– 50 dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de www.solegear.ca Sponsor Innovation prize Sponsor Organiser market leader for twin screw extrusion systems bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/10] Vol. 5 nova-Institut GmbH | Chemiepark Knapsack | Industriestrasse 300 | D-50354 Huerth
