News daily upated news at www.bioplasticsmagazine.com Camphor as viable alternative to castor oil for production bio-PA? Within the scope of the Camphor-based polymers international research project, the Fraunhofer Institute IGB will, in the coming year, research sustainable production processes for biobased monomers. The Camphor-based polymers project, a collaborative effort between the IGB branch Bio, Electro and Chemocatalysis BioCat in Straubing, Germany and research and industry partners, aims to develop technology that will make it possible to use residual materials from pulp production for the manufacture of plastics. Castor (ricinus) oil is one biobased alternative to crude oil as a starting material for the production of polyamides; however, it has some disadvantages: processing is complex and several synthesis steps are required to convert castor oil into monomers. BioCat and its project partners are investigating the use of terpene camphor for the production of biobased monomers for polyamides and polyesters. Moreover, in contrast to castor oil production, both the extraction and processing of camphor is unproblematic. The terpene is produced in large quantities in China from by-products of the pulp industry and is therefore not only a sustainable raw material, but also readily available. In addition, only a single synthesis step is required to produce the targeted biomonomers. As part of the Camphor-based polymers project, BioCat and its partners are working on an efficient biocatalytic process for the selective functionalization of the camphor into biobased monomers. “The ultimate goal of our project is the sustainable production of biobased polymers, which ranges from the use of natural terpenes from the Chinese pulp industry to the production of polymeric materials in Germany,” said IGB scientist Dr. Michael Hofer, who heads the project at BioCat. In order to achieve this goal and to map out the entire value-added chain, Hofer and his team are working together with scientific and industrial project partners from China and Germany. Worldwide, pulp-based camphor production currently amounts to 17 000 tonnes per year, mainly produced by just five Chinese pulp manufacturers. One of these was enlisted as an industrial partner for the project “Camphor-based polymers”. The potential for global camphor production based on pulp is estimated by the project partners to be 100 000 tonnes. The project, which was launched in January 2018, is scheduled to run until December 2020 and is coordinated by the Chair of Chemistry of Biogenic Raw Materials at the Technical University of Munich. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the project as part of the “Bioeconomy international” program. MT https://is.gd/PDuoR7 (Fraunhofer IGB) DuPont & Archer Daniels Midland open biobased pilot facility End of April 2018, DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) announced the opening of the world’s first biobased furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) pilot production facility in Decatur, Illinois. The plant is the centerpiece of a long-standing collaboration that will help bring a greater variety of sustainably sourced biomaterials into the lives of consumers. FDME is a molecule derived from fructose that can be used to create a variety of biobased chemicals and materials, including plastics, that are ultimately more cost-effective, efficient and sustainable than their fossil fuel-based counterparts. One of the first FDME-based polymers under development by DuPont is polytrimethylene furandicarboxyate (PTF), a novel polyester also made from DuPont’s proprietary Bio-PDO (1,3-propanediol). PTF is a 100 % renewable polymer that, in bottling applications, can be used to create plastic bottles that are lighter-weight, more sustainable and better performing. Research shows that PTF has up to 10-15 times the CO2 barrier performance of traditional PET plastic, which results in a longer shelf life. With that better barrier, companies will be able to design significantly lighter-weight packages, lowering the carbon emissions and significant costs related with shipping carbonated beverages. MT www.biosciences.dupont.com 6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/18] Vol. 13
News BioAmber announces filing for stay of proceedings on creditors BioAmber Inc. announced on May 4th, that it filed a voluntary petition for relief under chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code Its two Canadian subsidiaries, BioAmber Sarnia Inc. and BioAmber Canada Inc., filed a Notice of Intention (the "NOI") to make a proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada), with a view to strengthening the company’s financial health and solidifying its long-term business prospects. BioAmber believes filing these procedures is the best way to protect all stakeholders and will best facilitate its efforts to renegotiate its debt and raise the funds needed to continue its operations. The filing of these procedures has the effect of imposing an automatic stay of proceedings that will protect the company, its Canadian subsidiaries and their assets from the claims of creditors while the company pursues its restructuring efforts. There can be no guarantee that the company will be successful in securing further financing or achieving its restructuring objectives. Failure by the company to achieve its financing and restructuring goals will likely result in the company and/or its subsidiaries being forced to cease operations and liquidate its assets Pursuant to the NOI filing, PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. has been appointed as the trustee in the proposal proceedings. MT www.bio-amber.com Symphony Environmental moves into the bioplastic sector Symphony Environmental Technologies has signed a collaboration agreement and commitment to a strategic investment with French biotechnology start up, Eranova. bEranova has developed a technology which extracts starch from algae which can be used to produce a range of compostable and biodegradable bioplastics. Other applications include biofuel, biopolymers, proteins for food and animal feed stock, and by-products for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The key benefits of the technology, said Symphony, are, among other things, the fact that a natural, renewable waste product which pollutes beaches can now be put to good use; also, algae are a non-foodbased resource, which do not impact the food industry, in addition to providing higher yields per hectare due to the fast growing rate of algae. The agreement marks Symphony’s first move into the bioplastics sector. The UK-based company is a producer of a wide range of polymer masterbatches and additives, including oxo-degradable and anti-microbial technologies.MT www.symphonyenvironmental.com Full stereocomplex PLA technology now commercially available from Total Corbion PLA Total Corbion PLA, Gorinchem,The Netherlands, recently announces the launch of a novel technology that can create full stereocomplex PLA in a broad range of industrial applications. The proprietary technology will enable PLA applications able to withstand temperatures close to 200°C (HDT-A). The new technology enables stereocomplex PLA – a material with long, regularly interlocking polymer chains that enable an even higher heat resistance than standard PLA. This breakthrough in PLA temperature resistance unlocks a range of new application possibilities, and provides a biobased replacement for PBT and PA glass fiber reinforced products. For example, injection molded applications for under-the-hood automotive components can now be made from glass fiber reinforced stereocomplex PLA, offering both a higher biobased content and a reduced carbon footprint. The technology can offer these same sustainability benefits to the wider automotive, aerospace, electronics,home appliance, marine and construction industries. “Over the past decades, the benefits of full stereocomplex PLA have been studied by universities and R&D departments on a laboratory scale”, says Stefan Barot, Senior Business Director Asia Pacific. “Now, Total Corbion PLA is the first company to scale up this technology and make it available for a broad range of industrial applications. The technology enables full stereocomplex morphology not only in the lab environment but also in commercial production facilities”. Commercial samples of full stereocomplex PLA will soon be made available for customer evaluation. Total Corbion PLA is looking for brand owners, converters and compounders that wish to validate and capitalize on this new technology. MT www.total-corbion.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/18] Vol. 13 7
