Content Editorial ...................................3 News .................................05 - 10 Application News .......................20 - 22 Material News .........................30 - 35 Suppliers Guide ........................54 - 56 Event Calendar .............................57 Companies in this issue .....................58 05|2012 September/October Events 12 Will bioplastics benefit from Olympic boost? Bioplastics Award 14 Bioplastics Award Shortlist Fibres & Textiles 16 Textile bio-based materials design challenge 18 Bioplastics – to be walked all over Materials 24 PBS production 26 From meat waste to bioplastics Polyurethanes / Elastomers 36 A new compostable TPE 38 PPC polyol from CO 2 40 Polyurethanes from orange peel and CO 2 42 Renewable building blocks for polyurethanes Basics 43 No ‘greenwashing‘ with bioplastics 44 Plastics made from CO 2 48 Sustainable Plastic from CO 2 Waste Imprint Publisher / Editorial Dr. Michael Thielen (MT) Samuel Brangenberg (SB) Layout/Production Julia Hunold, Mark Speckenbach Head Office Polymedia Publisher GmbH Dammer Str. 112 41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany phone: +49 (0)2161 6884469 fax: +49 (0)2161 6884468 info@bioplasticsmagazine.com www.bioplasticsmagazine.com Media Adviser Elke Hoffmann, Caroline Motyka phone: +49(0)2161-6884467 fax: +49(0)2161 6884468 eh@bioplasticsmagazine.com Print Tölkes Druck + Medien GmbH 47807 Krefeld, Germany Print run: 4,200 copies bioplastics magazine ISSN 1862-5258 bioplastics magazine is published 6 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues). bioplastics MAGAZINE (Eu) is printed on chlorine-free FSC certified paper. bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 91 countries. Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. The fact that product names may not be identified in our editorial as trade marks is not an indication that such names are not registered trade marks. bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British spelling. However, in articles based on information from the USA, American spelling may also be used. Editorial contributions are always welcome. Please contact the editorial office via mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com. Envelopes A part of this print run is mailed to the readers wrapped in biodegradable envelopes sponsored and produced by Flexico Verpackungen Deutschland and Maropack Cover Photo: iStockphoto.com/mumininan 4 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/bioplasticsmag Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/bioplastics-MAGAZINE/103745406344904
News Metabolix to cooperate with Antibióticos Metabolix, Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA), announced end of July that it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Antibióticos S.A. for production of Mirel biopolymer resin (PHA) at its manufacturing facility in Leon, Spain. Under the terms of the LOI, Metabolix will begin work immediately with Antibióticos to conduct a series of validation production runs to demonstrate fermentation and recovery of Mirel biopolymer resin on full productionscale equipment at Antibióticos. The companies plan to enter into a definitive contract manufacturing agreement for Mirel biopolymers based upon the validation production runs as well as completion of economic and engineering feasibility studies. Metabolix will own the Mirel biopolymer resin produced during the validation production runs. “The agreement with Antibióticos represents a significant step forward in establishing a new supply chain for Mirel biopolymers to serve our customers worldwide and to continue product development in high value-added applications,” said Richard P. Eno, president and chief executive officer of Metabolix. “In addition, Antibióticos is located in the European Union near many of our targeted customers. We are impressed with the track record, technical expertise and facilities at Antibioticos, and believe their equipment is well-suited to the manufacturing process used to produce Mirel biopolymers at commercial scale.” “This agreement brings together our experience and technical capacity with Metabolix’s technology and processes in a way that supports the values and vision of both companies,” said Daniele Pucci Di Benisichi, president of Antibióticos. “The first step of our work with Metabolix will be to validate their technology in our facility. Then, we’ll look ahead to creating a contract manufacturing agreement. Antibióticos follows a very demanding and selective approach for new projects and partners, and we’re particularly pleased to be working with Metabolix to deepen our work in sustainable technologies and diversify our business portfolio.” Mirel biopolymers are based on polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), biobased, uniquely biodegradable, and suitable for a wide range of product applications. Metabolix has previously demonstrated production of Mirel biopolymer resin at industrial scale. Metabolix is currently supplying Mirel biopolymer resin to customers from existing inventory of approximately 2,300 tonnes (5 million pounds). MT www.metabolix.com www.antibioticos-sa.com Bio-based acrylic acid Presently, acrylic acid is produced by the oxidation of propylene derived from the refining of crude oil. BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany), Cargill (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) and Novozymes (Copenhagen, Denmark) signed an agreement in mid-August to develop bio-based technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable feedstocks. “The cooperation combines BASF’s global market strength and innovation power with the excellent knowhow and competencies of Novozymes and Cargill who are global leaders in their respective industry segments. Together we are uniquely positioned to more sustainably meet market and society needs”, said Michael Heinz, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE. New milestone towards commercialization Novozymes and Cargill have collaborated on renewable acrylic acid technology since 2008. Both companies have worked to develop microorganisms that can efficiently convert renewable feedstock into 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which is one possible chemical precursor to acrylic acid. BASF has now joined the collaboration to develop the process for conversion of 3-HP into acrylic acid. BASF is the world´s largest producer of acrylic acid and has substantial capabilities in its production and downstream processing. The company plans initially to use the bio-based acrylic acid to manufacture superabsorbent polymers. The three companies bring complementary knowledge to the project. Novozymes, the world-leader in industrial enzymes, has years of experience with developing technologies for bio-based production of chemicals used in plastics, ingredients, etc.. Cargill brings its global expertise in sourcing renewable feedstocks and largescale fermentation to this collaborative project. Acrylic acid is a high-volume chemical that feeds into a broad range of products. One of the main applications is in the manufacture of superabsorbent polymers that can soak up large amounts of liquid and are used mainly in baby diapers and other hygiene products. Acrylic acid is also used in adhesive raw materials and coatings. The annual global market volume of acrylic acid is around 4.5 million tons with a value of billion 1 at the end of 2011. The market has been growing at a rate of 4 percent per year. MT www.basf.com. www.cargill.com www.novozymes.com. 1 Based on ICIS pricing bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/12] Vol. 7 5
