News Congress unveiled two-figure growth in WPC production With nearly 300 participants from 21 countries and 30 exhibitors, the 4 th German WPC Congress, Cologne (13 th -14 th December 2011) organised by nova-Institute once more lived up to its reputation as the industry’s leading European event. The European market for Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs) has been growing at an average annual rate of 35% since 2005. Given the current levels of investment in expanding production and growing interest from both trade and consumers, the industry is optimistic about the future and expects continued growth in every sector in the coming years over the next few years. WPCs are predominantly used in applications that emphasise product characteristics such as great rigidity and low shrinkage (compared to pure plastics) and better durability and mouldability (than pure wood products). However, as prices for plastics rise, it is only a matter of a few years before WPC pellets are cheaper than pure plastic pellets (they are presently 20-30% more expensive) and can then conquer mass markets. Winners of the WPC Innovation Prize – Evonik, Möller and Werzalit The presentation of the ‘WPC Innovation Prize’, which was sponsored this year by BASF Color Solution Germany was awarded to three companies. The audience of the congress voted for their favourites out of a short list of six innovations. 1 st place: Evonik Industries, Essen, Germany - PLEXIGLAS ® Wood PMMA-wood composite Together with Reifenhäuser, Evonik developed a pure PMMA-wood composite that could be used to produce directly extruded profiles. Evonik says that the new material ‘takes WPCs to a whole new level in terms of weather resistance, colour stability, dimensional stability and technical strength’. The 2 nd place went to Möller, Meschede, Germany for a new WPC noise protection profile and the 3 rd place was awarded to Werzalit, Oberstenfeld, Germany for their process technology for in-mould coating of injection-moulded WPC parts. MT www.wpc-kongress.de Coca-Cola signed agreements to develop 100% plant based bottles In Mid December 2011 the Dutch company Avantium, Amsterdam, The Netherlands announced an agreement with The Coca-Cola Company to further co-develop their YXY technology for producing PEF bottles. First milestones include the start-up of an Avantium PEF pilot plant last December. Avantium plans to initiate commercial production of PEF in about three to four years. The Coca-Cola Company at the same time announced multi-million dollar partnership agreements with two other leading biotechnology companies to accelerate development of the first commercial solutions for next-generation PlantBottle packaging made 100% from plant based materials. The Coca-Cola Company‘s first generation PlantBottle packaging is the only fully recyclable PET bottle made with up to 30% plant-based material available today. PlantBottle packaging is made up of two components: MEG (monoethylene glycol), which makes up 30% of the PET, and is already made from plant materials, and PTA (purified terephthalic acid), which makes up the other 70%. In the next step, PTA will be replaced with plant-based materials, too. Therfore, Coca-Cola signed agreements with Virent and Gevo, also industry leaders in developing plant-based alternatives to materials traditionally made from fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources. Virent, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, has a patented technology that features catalytic chemistry to convert plantbased sugars into — among others — bio-based paraxylene, a key component needed to deliver plant-based terephthalic acid. Gevo, Englewood, Colorado, USA is going develop and commercialize technology to produce paraxylene from biobased isobutanol. Since introduced in 2009, the Coca-Cola Company has already distributed more than 10 billion partly biobased PlantBottle packages in 20 countries worldwide. MT www.thecoca-colacompany.com www.yxy.com www.gevo.com www.virent.com 8 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7
News New crystal clear bioplastic for injection moulding End of last year FKuR from Willich, Germany presented its further developments of the cellulose acetate based Biograde® products. The highlight of this development is Biograde® V 2091 which is a completely transparent injection mouldable grade that has been developed for thin wall parts with long flow paths. Along with its high transparency, Biograde V 2091 stands out due to its smooth and shiny surface. Moreover, especially for thin walled parts, it outperforms standard polystyrene (PS) as to flexibility and heat distortion temperature. With these extended properties, the product line Biograde sets new standards and allows for the realization of diverse applications within the electronic and household appliances sector. Plate and cup made from transparent Biograde V 2091 (Photos FKuR Kunststoff GmbH) www.fkur.com FKuR will present more details on their PLA activities at the 2 nd PLA World C o n g r e s s 15 + 16 MAY 2012 * Munich * Germany Contact sales@fkur.com, to get a 15% discount on the conference fee. organized by bM A truly globally diverse conference addressing the entire value chain. Experience networking and interactive events for real-time collaboration unlike any other. www.biopolymerworld.com Mestre-Venice, Italy, 23-24 April +1 858.592.6951 Early Bird Discount Ends 24 February Latest technology, future directions, & emergent trends that will leave you inspired. bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/12] Vol. 7 9
