In
the past, words like "affordable", "recyclable",
"durable", "reliable" or "good processability"
did not leap to mind when talking about bioplastics. But all that's changing -
and changing fast. And as bioplastics continue to reinvent themselves, they are
starting to make their mark on the plastics market and industry.
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One
of the most important developments from the past few years has been the
emergence of what are known as drop-ins, or materials produced from monomer
building blocks from biomass feedstocks, that can directly replace conventional
petroleum-based plastics. The carbon content of plastics produced on the basis
of these biomonomers comes from renewable sources, such as plants or biowaste.
Another area that will continue to develop strongly is that of biobased additives and modifiers. These are not only relevant for engineering durable biopolymers with enhanced performance properties, but also for developing less hazardous alternatives to conventional modifiers.
So,
what are the major developments to keep an eye on in 2013?
Drop-ins
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One
of the most important developments from the past few years has been the
emergence of what are known as drop-ins, or materials produced from monomer
building blocks from biomass feedstocks, that can directly replace conventional
petroleum-based plastics. The carbon content of plastics produced on the basis
of these biomonomers comes from renewable sources, such as plants or biowaste.
Drop-ins
offer a rapid route to market through existing infrastructure and knowhow.
Also, new routes are increasingly opening up, bringing the economic production
of biomonomers that have the advantage of fitting easily into existing production
chains, increasingly within reach.
Potentially
all grades of polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride can currently
be made via biobased routes, as can various polyamides and polyesters. In fact,
a market study from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Hanover
showed that biobased commodity plastics, with a total of around 1 million
tonnes, would make up the majority of production capacity in 2015.
The
race to develop 100% bio-PET, for example, accelerated this year with
Coca-Cola's push to produce a 100% bio-bottle. 100% bio-based PET was
successfully produced on lab scale this year; more breakthroughs in this area
are expected in the year to come. In fact, according to a European Bioplastics
forecast, the next few years are likely to see the largest growth in the
production of biobased polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate. The
production capacity for biobased PET will continue to grow through 2016,
reaching just over 4.5 million tons, or four-fifths of total bioplastic
production capacity.
And,
as the technology matures, the affordability of these drop-in materials, for
which users must currently still pay a premium, will steadily improve.
Feedstocks
The
feedstocks used today to produce bioplastics are mainly starch or sugar derived
from corn, potato, sugarcane and beetroot; in other words, from food crops. The
use of arable land and edible crops to produce plastics is increasingly
perceived as an undesirable development that could increase food prices and
contribute to food shortages.
The
coming years will see a shift from these so-called first generation feedstocks
to second-generation feedstocks such as cellulosics. Cellulosic feedstocks, which
consist of crop residues, wood residues, yard waste, municipal solid waste,
algae or other biomass, sidestep the conflicts in land use.
They
can be converted to sugars via various technologies, including enzymatic
hydrolysis and biomass pretreatment. Already, cellulosic feedstocks are being
used to produce, among other materials, cellulose acetates and lignin-based
polymers. However, for cellulosic feedstocks to really come into their own,
more, and more, sophisticated biorefineries are needed that can perform the
process steps needed to produce various bioproducts. Once these are in place, a
stream of non-food crop based fermentable sugars will become available for
energy, chemicals and polymers.
End
of life
A
direct consequence of the development of biobased drop-ins is that
non-biodegradable biopolymers will show the largest growth in the coming years.
Whereas biodegradability and/or compostability used to be the characteristic
property of bioplastics, more and more biopolymers are now being developed that
instead are built to last. As a result, new or better end-of-life solutions
will have to be put in place.
More
landfills are not an option. An issue that needs to be addressed is that of
disposing of the biopolymers being developed from new biobased monomers and
polymers, such as furanic polyesters or high-heat resistant PLA. Separate
collection and recycling systems are needed to ensure these do not contaminate
existing waste streams. More research is needed into the possibilities for
chemical and mechanical recycling of these materials. These are all issues that
are on the agenda for the coming years.
Additives,
modifiers, blends
Another area that will continue to develop strongly is that of biobased additives and modifiers. These are not only relevant for engineering durable biopolymers with enhanced performance properties, but also for developing less hazardous alternatives to conventional modifiers.
Concerns
about the safety of the phthalates used as plasticizers in PVC and Bisphenol-A
in polycarbonate, among other things, have and will continue to drive the
search for more health and environmentally friendly solutions. Increasingly,
biobased formulations are also being used to modify conventional materials, as
these have been found to enhance the performance of these materials in various
ways while at the same time improving their carbon footprint.
Metabolix, for example has developed a
series of PHA-based polymeric modifiers that demonstrate very good miscibility with PVC, and improve its
mechanical and environmental performance characteristics. Mitsubishi Chemical produces a polycarbonate in
which the Bisphenol-A is has been replaced by isosorbide, a biomonomer that can
be safely used in food applications. Isosorbide-based copolyesters are
extremely promising materials that offer enhanced performance properties. PLA,
blended with PMMA, enhances the processability and other properties far beyond
those of conventional acrylic resins.
These
are developments that may be expected to open up hitherto unimagined
possibilities for biopolymers in the future.
Geography
A
striking finding of a report released in October this year by European
Bioplastics was that increasingly, new bioplastic production facilities are
being built in Asia and South America. In fact, in 2016, Asia is predicted to
be home to 46.3% of the global bioplastic production capacity. South America is
projected to have nearly as much capacity in place, with just over 45%. A main
driver is feedstock availability. Specifically, Thailand has expressed the
ambition to become bioplastics production hub of Southern Asia, and is taking
concrete steps in the form of investments and joint ventures to realize this,
while in Brazil, Braskem, already the world's leading producer of
bio-PE, has targeted 2013 as the year to bring its bio PP facility on stream.
Europe
and North America excel at research and development, but are lagging in the
production department. Andy Sweetman, chairman of European Bioplastics,
pointedly remarked at the Bioplastics Conference in November of 2012 that it is
time for decisions to be made if Europe wishes to profit from the growth in the
bioplastics industry - a comment that also applies equally well to North
America.
It's
something to keep in mind for 2013.
