Shorts MEG from captured carbon A consortium, including LanzaTech (Skokie, IL, USA) and Danone (Paris, France), led to the discovery of a new route to monoethylene glycol (MEG), which is a key building block for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), resin, fibres, and bottles. The carbon capture technology uses a proprietary engineered bacterium to convert carbon emissions, from steel mills or gasified waste biomass, directly into MEG through fermentation, bypassing the need for an ethanol intermediate, and simplifying the MEG supply chain. “We have made a breakthrough in the production of sustainable PET that has vast potential to reduce the overall environmental impact of the process”, said Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech. “This is a technological breakthrough which could have a significant impact, with applications in multiple sectors, including packaging and textiles!” “We have been working with LanzaTech for years and strongly believe in the long-term capacity of this technology to become a game changer in the way to manage sustainable packaging materials production. This technological collaboration is a key enabler to accelerate the development of this promising technology”, said Pascal Chapon, Danone R&I Advanced Techno Materials Director. AT www.lanzatech.com | www.danone.com Electrochemical conversion of CO 2 Avantium (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), announced that it has been awarded a EUR 3 million grant by the EU Horizon Europe programme for its participation in the 4-year research and development programme WaterProof. This programme aims to demonstrate the value of electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into highvalue chemicals and products. Avantium is a frontrunner in developing and commercialising innovative technologies for the production of chemicals and materials based on sustainable carbon feedstocks, i.e. carbon from plants or carbon from the air (CO 2 ). One of Avantium’s innovative technology platforms is called Volta Technology and uses electrochemistry to convert CO 2 to high-value products and chemical building blocks such as formic acid, oxalic acid, and glycolic acid. The latter two are key building blocks for polyesters and other materials, allowing the production of CO 2 -negative plastics. The WaterProof programme aims to demonstrate the full value chain of a closed carbon cycle. Under this programme, Avantium will convert CO 2 , from wastewater purification and waste incineration into formic acid using its proprietary catalytic electrochemistry platform. This formic acid can then be used to make new consumer products. This project will demonstrate that competitive and profitable business opportunities can be created by turning CO 2 into value-added products. AT www.avantium.com Polyamide 6 from 92 % sustainable raw materials LANXESS (Cologne, Germany) recently introduced its new brand extension, called “Scopeblue”. The first product in this new line is Durethan BLUEBKV60H2.0EF. 92 % of the raw materials used in this easy-flowing PA 6 compound have been replaced with sustainable alternatives – that’s more than in any other prime quality glassfibre-reinforced plastic. The new brand label identifies products that either consist of at least 50 % circular (recycled or biobased) raw materials, or whose carbon footprint is at least 50 % lower than that of conventional products. One of the raw materials used in the production of this PA 6 based highperformance plastic is cyclohexane from sustainable sources – meaning cyclohexane that is either biobased, recycled biobased, or produced by means of chemical recycling. The material is also strengthened with 60 % by weight of glass fibres comprising industrial glass waste instead of mineral raw materials. The alternative raw materials that Lanxessuses in the precursors for polyamide 6 are chemically identical to their equivalents of fossil origin (drop-in solutions), so Durethan BLUEBKV60H2.0EF exhibits the same characteristics as the virgin material and can be processed just as easily using exactly the same production tools and facilities with no conversion work needed. But developers are setting their sights on more than 92 % sustainable raw materials. “We’re currently working on increasing the content of sustainable raw materials in this compound to 100 %”, says Günter Margraf, Head of Global Management at Lanxess’ High-performance Materials division (HPM). This requires ammonia synthesized with carbon-neutral hydrogen. Over the medium term, the specialty chemicals company is also planning to replace the additives used in its plastics with sustainable equivalents. In mid-November, Lanxess announced it will transfer its HPM business unit to an independent legal corporate structure. MT www.lanxess.com 6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/22] Vol. 17
Twelve and LanzaTech to produce polypropylene from CO 2 emissions Shorts Twelve’s carbon transformation technology converts CO 2 into materials that have up until now, mainly been made from fossil fuels. The company (Berkeley, California, USA) helps brands eliminate emissions by replacing the petrochemicals in their products and supply chains with CO 2 -made carbon-negative chemicals and materials, as well as carbon-neutral fuels. LanzaTech’s (Skokie, Illinois, USA) carbon recycling Pollution To Products technology uses nature-based solutions to produce ethanol and other materials from waste carbon sources. The partnership will bring together the two platform technologies to enable additional product development from CO 2 streams, representing just one of many pathways to scale carbon transformation solutions. “Polypropylene is a key material for essential medical supplies and for many products we rely on in our daily lives. Today, 100 % of new polypropylene in use worldwide is made from petrochemicals. We now have a way to produce this critical material from CO 2 and water instead of from fossil fuels, with no tradeoffs in quality, efficacy, or performance. Replacing all of the world’s fossil polypropylene production with CO 2 -made polypropylene would reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 700 million tonnes per year or more”, said Twelve Chief Science Officer, Etosha Cave. “By harnessing biology, we can leverage the power of nature to solve a very modern problem. The overabundance of CO 2 in our atmosphere has pushed our planet into a state of emergency. We need all carbon transformation solutions to turn this liability into an opportunity, keeping fossil resources in the ground, and our climate safe for everyone”, said LanzaTech CEO, Jennifer Holmgren. To pursue the partnership, Twelve and LanzaTech have been awarded a USD 200,000 grant from Impact Squared, a USD 1.1 million fund that was designed and launched by British universal bank Barclays and Unreasonable, a catalytic platform for entrepreneurs tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. With the Impact Squared grant, Twelve and LanzaTech are taking a collaborative approach to reduce the fossil fuel impact of essential products”. MT PHA containers made from carbon emissions Teal bioWorks (Los Angeles, California, USA), the sustainable goods company best known for combining its leading material innovation with high-tech manufacturing, aims to further eliminate unnecessary harm to the environment with its first fully biodegradable and carbon-negative packaging solutions developed for beauty and hotel industries. “The packaging industry has been producing plastic containers for decades, it's shocking how little sustainability efforts have been made in manufacturing”, says Kelly Nagasawa, biochemist and founder of Teal. Teal operates on science-backed discoveries that capture and transform methane + CO 2 gas emissions, that otherwise would be released in the atmosphere, into PHA. For the time being, however, Nagasawa cannot disclose their partner/supplier. Through strategic partnerships, Teal is set to see their premium, and cost-effective jars and bottles come to market soon. Making the switch from plastic to biodegradable seamless with their injection mould capabilities and signature tealcoloured caps, also made of PHA. Teal hopes to generate awareness of this breakthrough material and ensure consumers that they are helping the environment with no fine print. Teal is dedicated to changing not only the way industries manufacture and capture carbon but bring sustainable opportunities to future scientists and the community. “Working together is critical in our current environmental state, replacing plastic as soon as possible is important. The renewable and circular packaging revolution is here, and we think that's exciting”. says Nagasawa. MT www.tealpkg.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/22] Vol. 17 7
