New Test Method Developed to Analyze Bio-Content of PlantBottle® PET

The Coca-Cola Company first announced their PlantBottle® PET packaging innovation in 2009. Made from up to 30% plant-based, renewable materials that come from sugarcane, this remarkable package has since been launched in twelve markets globally. This fast global roll out has created a need for a convenient method to quantitatively analyze the MEG (monoethylene glycol) content from bio-source in PET resins used to produce PlantBottle® PET.

In response, the Coca-Cola Analytical Science Team has developed a novel, patent-pending, analytical method to quantitatively determine the amount of bio-based material in PlantBottle® PET resin. This novel test method has shown excellent reproducibility and accuracy, with excellent correlation to the conventional ASTM 6866 method using accelerator mass spectroscopy for determining bio-content.

The new method is based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) interfaced with either an isotopic total organic carbon (iTOC) analyzer or a combustion module (CM) that allows scientists to determine the value of delta carbon 13 (delta ¹³C) from sample combustion. By correlating the delta ¹³C values measured by CRDS with values measured by accelerator mass spectroscopy, it is possible to determine the percentages of bio-carbon (from renewable resources). The correlation between the two methods has been shown to be highly linear.

The major attributes of the new test method are that it is both rapid and cost-effective. This has enabled The Coca-Cola Company to analyze large numbers of PlantBottle® production samples to validate their bio-content for market introductions.

Details of this new quantitative method for determining the percentage of bio-carbon from renewable resources will be presented by Dr. Sheng Yang, Director of Analytical Science, Research &Technology, The Coca-Cola Company, as a late addition to Session 2A (Packaging Applications – I) of the BioPlastek 2011 Forum. It will take place on June 27-29, 2011 at The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

With almost one week until the BioPlastek 2011 Forum convenes, there is still time to join the more than 220 who have already made plans to attend this world-class bioplastics event. Register today at www.bioplastek.com