Obama Administration supports bioeconomy End of April, the Obama Administration announced its commitment to strengthening bioscience research as a major driver of American innovation and economic growth. The National Bioeconomy Blueprint outlines steps that agencies will take to drive the bioeconomy— economic activity powered by research and innovation in the biosciences—and details ongoing efforts across the Federal government to realize this goal. The bioeconomy emerged as an Administration priority because of its tremendous potential for growth and job creation as well as the many other societal benefits it offers. A more robust bioeconomy can enable Americans to live longer and healthier lives, develop new sources of bioenergy, address key environmental challenges, transform manufacturing processes, and increase the productivity and scope of the agricultural sector while generating new industries and occupational opportunities. A growing U.S. population requires increased health services and more material resources including food, animal feed, fiber for clothing and housing, and sources of energy and chemicals for manufacturing. Recent advances in the biological sciences are allowing more and more of these needs to be met not with petroleumbased products and other non-renewable resources but with materials that are quite literally home-grown. Indeed, the convergence of biology with engineering and other sciences—including physics, chemistry, and computer sciences—is proving to have tremendous power to generate new scientific discoveries, new products, new markets, and new high-skilled jobs. The benefits can be seen in every sector of the economy, from agriculture to healthcare and from energy production to environmental monitoring and stewardship. Biobased materials (including biobased plastics) are also proving to be excellent and sustainable substitutes for hydrocarbonbased raw materials in a number of industrial and manufacturing processes (…) In early February the European Commission had issued their ‘blueprint’ entitled ‘Innovating for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe’ . MT Avantium and Danone to develop PEF bottles End of March Avantium, Amsterdam, the Netherlands announced its second major partnership for its YXY technology to produce PEF bottles. Danone Research and Avantium have entered into a Joint Development Agreement for the development of PEF bottles for Danone, number two worldwide in bottled water business. The agreement forms another cornerstone of Avantium‘s commercialization strategy to further co-develop the YXY technology for producing PEF bottles. “Today, Danone Research is at the forefront in contributing to the development of next generation biobased plastic bottle,” says Avantium‘s CEO Tom van Aken. “Our YXY solution for the packaging industry creates a new bio-sourced material delivering superior functional properties versus conventional PET technology (for example light weighting potential, barrier and thermal properties). A recent study done by the Copernicus Institute at Utrecht University, showed that PEF has a 50- 60% lower carbon footprint than oil-based PET. Finalizing the LCA study is part of the Joint Development Agreement. Based on the YXY technology, the Avantium and Danone Research joint objective is to contribute to the emergence of a new renewable material generation which will not be in direct competition with food. YXY is used as a fast and efficient chemical-catalytic technology to convert carbohydrates produced from plants, grains, energy crops, lignocellulosic matter, waste streams, waste paper or agricultural residues, into a wide variety of bio-based polymers. Based on ongoing R&D programs, Avantium will also continue to develop PEF from renewable feedstock not competing with food. MT www.avantium.com www.yxy.com www.danone.com Both documents can be downloaded in their full original version from www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/201203 6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/12] Vol. 7
