December 2009 marked the beginning of a game changing initiative by The Coca-Cola Company with the launch of its innovative PlantBottle™ package. With the 30 percent MEG portion made from plant-based resources, this was a big step toward reducing the company’s dependence on fossil-based materials for making its PET plastic packaging. Demonstrating its leadership, Coke has already sold approximately 10 billion PlantBottle™ packages in 20 countries since the launch. Rapid global expansion is continuing. ... more »  

Shale Gas: A Boom or Bust for Drop-In Bioplastics?

The discovery of massive shale gas resources has brought about a major increase in U.S. natural gas reserves. This development has particular significance for the chemical and plastics industries. When natural gas is passed through crackers, abundant, low cost supplies of some chemical feedstocks result.

The emergence of shale gas brings into question the economic viability of renewable chemicals and drop-in biobased plastics, especially high volume PE, PP and PET. ... more »  

Bioplastics in Building and Construction: Threat or Opportunity?

The Building & Construction industry accounts for 15% of total U.S. thermoplastics consumption. Its sheer size and determination to move towards increased sustainability would appear to make it an attractive potential target for bioplastics market penetration. Yet, some question whether this optimism is realistic. To assess whether or not bioplastics can gain a foothold in this risk-averse business, the BioPlastek 2012 Forum is bringing together a number of downstream experts. ... more »  

Can 100% Plant-Based BioPET Compete with Conventional PET?

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are racing to become the first to commercialize a PET bottle made entirely from plants. The timeline to attain that goal is vague. When large-scale production might become a reality may depend on when polyester resin derived from renewable resources (BioPET) becomes competitive with conventional petroleum-based PET. This complex question will be analyzed in a presentation to be given at the BioPlastek 2012 Forum by Dr. Mark Morgan, Global Managing Director-Renewables at consultancy IHS. The Forum will take place on March 28-30 in Arlington, Virginia, USA (near Washington, DC). ... more »  

Unlocking the Potential of Seaweed as Feedstock for Bioplastics

Seaweed has long been recognized as having potential to be one of the most environmentally sustainable and cost effective feedstocks for the production of fuels and chemicals. It is globally abundant, has very high sugar content as compared with sugar cane, exhibits fast growth, does not require fertilizer or fresh water, does not have lignin, and can be easily be cultivated.

Yet, despite these advantages, the full potential of seaweed as a biomass source has not been realized. ... more »  

Does Bio-Polypropylene Make Economic Sense?

With its successful launch of bio-polyethylene, Braskem is now also turning its attention to bio-based polypropylene. The company recently announced that it will produce at least 30,000 metric tonnes/year of bio-based propylene from ethanol by the end of 2013. The propylene will be used to make polypropylene and will have the same properties as conventional hydrocarbon-derived propylene. Braskem acquired ... more »  

Bioplastics: Will They be Mainstream or Niche?

Most companies from raw materials to brands strive to become more sustainable. It’s attributed to the desire to improve public image. But it’s also driven by the opportunity for improving the bottom line, either by reducing product costs and/or increasing market share. Biosourced materials are emerging as an important option for meeting sustainability goals. Many suppliers are developing bio-based technologies and leading brands are committing to bioplastics ... more »  

Road Map to Drop-ins and Strategies for Implementation:

A Key Session at the BioPlastek 2012 Forum

As learned at BioPlastek 2011, “drop-ins”, bio-versions of petro raw materials and polymers, represent a much easier path to commercialization as compared to “new to the world” raw materials and polymers. But is it just a simple swap? Clearly it’s much more complicated for the critical business and environmental decisions that must be made. BioPlastek 2012 leads the way by addressing the key questions: ... more »  

Bio-Based Sustainable Label Approaches and Future Directions

Avery Dennison (AD) is a recognized industry leader that develops innovative identification and decorative solutions for businesses worldwide. Like many companies these days, Avery Dennison seeks to reduce the environmental impact of its products which include pressure-sensitive labeling materials, self-adhesive base materials and self-adhesive consumer and office products. Avery Dennison’s sustainability approach is to manage and mitigate the environmental impacts across the value chain, and bio-based materials can help in achieving the desired economical, functional and ecological improvements in the label industry. ... more »  

New Compostable Biobased Polyester Films To Highlight BioPlastek 2012

In response to the growing market demands for a flexible film that offers high performance capabilities while providing multiple end of life options, DaniMer Scientific has introduced a family of biobased film resins.

Described as a proprietary formulation built using degradable polyesters, the new biobased resins meet the demands of blown film converters. Single-use shopping bags is a primary target application.

For the first time at any public forum, details on the performance of the new degradable film ... more »  

A New Metabolic Pathway to Styrene Bio-monomer

The widely used chemical styrene is currently derived entirely from petroleum feedstocks, a dwindling resource.  This chemical building block is most commonly used to produce polystyrene.  Styrene production typically requires large quanitites of steam, making it one of the most energy-intensive bulk petrochemical production processes.  In light of apparent sustainability and environmental concerns and the huge demand for styrene, a bio-based alternative is sought. ... more »  

Cost-Effective Ethanol Production in a Forestry Feedstock Biorefinery

There is now heavy interest in utilizing next generation, non-food cellulosic biomass as a feedstock for ethanol production. Examples include municipal solid waste, switchgrass, crop waste and forest waste. The large forestry biomass production base in the U.S. (including forest mill residues) makes this option especially attractive.

A major challenge that must be addressed is an effective feedstock infrastructure delivery system. The low bulk density of cellulosic biomass ... more »  

New Acrylic/Biopolymer Alloys Surpass Performance of Traditional PMMA Products

In the transition from petro-derived polymers towards those with higher bio-content, material performance is often sacrificed. For instance, blending bio-based and conventional polymers often fail to significantly enhance material performance. Such approaches have limited opportunities especially in durable product applications.

In contrast, the newly developed Plexiglas® Rnew acrylic/biopolymer alloys from Altuglas International of Arkema Inc. are examples ... more »  

Nanocrystalline Cellulose Leads to Bio-based Barrier and Engineering Resins

Nanocrystalline Cellulose (NCC) is an advanced renewable material derived from trees, or other biomass. Pulp material is milled and then hydrolyzed to remove amorphous regions. The resulting NCC is then separated and concentrated to create uniform, redispersible natural nanoparticles. When NCC is incorporated as a high-performance reinforcement additive to resins, their mechanical and barrier properties are significantly improved. The unique new NCC material was developed by Canada-based CelluForce, Inc, a joint venture between FPInnovations and Domtar, Inc. ... more »  

Biomass and an Integrated Supply-Chain Model for Cost-Effective Bioplastics Production

Because of their polymeric structures, C-5 and C-6 sugars produced from plant and woody biomass are a potential feedstock for the production of bioplastics. Second generation non-food sources of biomass avoid the issues of food shortages and rising food prices. Moreover, they are widely available. According to Robert Kozak of Atlantic Biomass Conversions, to compete with petroleum or natural gas, the cost of the sugars will have to be equivalent to about $85/barrel of oil. To meet this cost goal, a system will have to be developed and implemented that is able to address market pressures by being ... more »  

Proprietary Bioplastics Deliver Performance, Cost-Effectiveness and Sustainability for Global Electronics Manufacturer

As the demand for consumer electronics continues to explode globally, so too does waste generation! The waste generated spans the devices entire life cycle from initial packaging to the actual product casing at “end of life” and all the transport containers in between.

As sales of personal electronic devices continues to skyrocket, the waste issue is attracting even more attention by both consumers and government agencies alike. This is causing branded product suppliers, logistics companies and retailers to heighten their focus on sustainability while maintaining competitive prices, ... more »  

Ground-Breaking BioPlastek 2012 Program Announced

The long-anticipated BioPlastek 2012 Forum program is here and it’s unlike any other, anywhere. It builds on the successful business model devoted to the entire bioplastics value chain, first demonstrated at the inaugural Forum in New York last June. The organizers concluded that if the forum concept is to retain its uniqueness and leadership, it must continue to innovate. The new program promises to deliver.

Featured will be several new sessions on topics not covered in competitive events. ... more »