News Novamont and
News Novamont and Genomatica: JV for Biobased BDO Plastic Sustainability Award Dr. Edmund Dolfen, founder and CEO of FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, Willich, Germany, was awarded the 2011 Plastic Sustainability Award by the platform BKV for Plastics and Recycling and the Fraunhofer UMSICHT organization, on the occasion of the colloquium ‘Future of plastics’ recycling’ in Krefeld, Germany on September 6, 2011. The award honors outstanding dedication and achievements for the sustainable use of plastics and plastic waste. BKV and Fraunhofer UMSICHT recognize pioneering work in the field of plastics and sustainability. Dr. Edmund Dolfen was honored as he unifies tradition and the future of the award, as last year’s awardee, Dr. Thomas Probst (bvse), and Prof. Eckhard Weidner, director of Fraunhofer UMSICHT, highlighted during their speeches. With his life’s work in the field of recycling of plastics as well as the new development of biodegradable and biobased plastics, Dolfen was honored with this year’s award. Together with Prof. Heinz Breuer he founded the Research Institute for Plastics and Recycling (Forschungsinstitut Kunststoff und Recycling – FKuR) in 1992 as an affiliated institute of the University of Applied Sciences, Niederrhein. In 1997, Dolfen took up the topic of bioplastics as a further research focus, which was pursued in 1998 in cooperation with Fraunhofer UMSICHT. He quickly realized that a successful applicationoriented material development also included efficient compounders. In 2003, he founded the FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, which became one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of bioplastics. For more details see the news-section at www. bioplasticsmagazine.com. MT Genomatica, San Diego, California, USA and Novamont, Novara, Italy announced they have signed a letter of intent to establish a joint venture (JV) that is expected to lead to the first industrial plants in Europe producing BDO from renewable feedstocks. Novamont will consume the BDO for captive use to meet the increasing demand for its products. The first plant is expected to have a production capacity of approximately 18,000 tonnes per year and will be located in Italy. The companies intend to convert an existing industrial site to use Genomatica’s BDO production processes to begin production of this intermediate chemical by the end of 2012. Novamont will take care of the conversion of an existing industrial site using its skills in the production of renewable monomers to implement Genomatica’s BDO process and will run plant operations, while Genomatica will provide the basic engineering package for implementation of its BDO production processes, along with technology transfer and engineering support. “Genomatica’s BDO process in Novamont’s view is ready for scale-up and also looks sustainable from the economic point of view” said Novamont CEO, Catia Bastioli, “The scaleup of Genomatica’s BDO process will support the growth of Mater-Bi Bioplastics in line with Novamont’s strategy of integrated biorefineries reviving de-industrialized sites. “ “Genomatica’s processes enable a new approach to chemical production – smaller scale, capitalefficient manufacturing from renewable feedstocks that fulfill a broad range of customer needs across the value chain,” said Christophe Schilling, CEO of Genomatica. “Novamont is a leader in a rapidly growing segment of the BDO market and a first-class partner to add to our commercialization efforts.” www.genomatica.com http://www.novamont.com www.fkur.com 12 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6
News Artist using Bioplastics As an environmental artist Jacqui Jones from Norwich, UK aims to challenge preconceptions, pushing the boundaries of familiar materials and processes to encourage the public to view the natural world in new ways. In 2010 an exciting opportunity came her way, as she was asked to incorporate bioplastics into her artwork. The 12 month project called Art and Innovation, was coordinated by The InCrops Enterprise Hub (funded by the Regional Developmental Agency & European Regional Developmental Fund) and The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia, UK. The concept linked selected artists with companies creating sustainable products. Marchant Manufacturing Co Ltd in Haverhill and Cyberpac in Gt Blakenham, supplied Jacqui with a range of biodegradable polymers and she began a period of research and experimentation. This included factory visits to see the manufacturing process of both water-soluble and starch based bioplastics. The initial project was a series of embryonic sculptures called ‘A Bag For Life’. This work was directly influenced by research into compostable packaging. The sculpted bags are filled with seeds or saplings; each bag has burst as water has been poured on it allowing some of the contents to spill out. Following this Jacqui Jones produced two series of short-term installations entitled Harmless Landscape, one set in the mountains of Snowdonia and another in Thetford Forest, and a series called Presence which considers the long term waste issues associated with conventional plastics and the low environmental impact of biopolymers. Recent gallery exhibitions include ‘Melt’ in which a figure slowly dissolves as melting ice from above drips onto the torso below. The act of transformation from one state to another is a powerful metaphor for the impact the ice cap melt may have on coastal communities. This initiative has provided the artist with a platform to show how science and the environment can work in harmony rather than in conflict and she’s subsequently produced a range of creative workshops for community groups, highlighting the benefits of biodegradable packaging. The project demonstrates how a fusion between arts, commerce and science results in work that inspires, educates and raises the profile of bioplastics. Jacqui Jones would be really interested in collaborating with companies or universities in the development of further projects. She is particularly keen to work with injection moulding, vacuum forming and sheet extrusion techniques and to take part in artist residencies. Organisations that could offer support in any of these areas should get in touch with the artist directly. jacqui.jns@gmail.com http://jjenvironmentalart.blogspot.com © Cortec Corporation 2011 ECO - SMART ECO - CERTIFIED ECOWORKS ® RESIN • CERTIFIED COMPOSTABLE PER ASTM D6400 • RENEWABLE CONTENT (5-70%) • CONTAINS NO POLYETHYLENE www.CortecVCI.com info@CortecVCI.com 1-800-4-CORTEC St. Paul, MN 55110 USA E N V I R O N M E N T A L S Y S T E M R E G I S T E R E D EcoWorks ® BioPlastics 1.2011.indd 1 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/11] Vol. 6 13 1/6/11 11:23 AM
