Press
Bioplastics: an alternative with a future?
As a complement and in some areas as an alternative to conventional
plastics, bioplastics appear to be a logical and necessary step for a
modern and forward-looking plastics industry. And they will also of
course have their place at K 2013 in Düsseldorf from 16 to 23 October.
Any discussion of the pros and cons, the future role and the market
potential of bioplastics makes little sense without prior clarification of the
meaning of the prefix “bio-”, says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Bonten of the
Institute of Plastics Engineering at the University of Stuttgart, expressing
his reservations.
One prefix, two meanings:
bio-degradable and bio-based plastics
Biodegradable plastics
Apart from small quantities of substances, biodegradable plastics consist
of biodegradable polymers and additives. Special bacteria and their
enzymes demonstrably convert biodegradable plastics into biomass, CO2
or methane, water and minerals as soon as the macromolecules have
been sufficiently fragmented by other degradation mechanisms. For a
plastic to be termed “compostable” in Europe, 90 per cent of it must
degrade in clearly defined conditions into fragments smaller than 2 mm
within 12 weeks. Only then can composting facilities operate costeffectively and without disruption.
Biodegradable plastics are not necessarily made from renewable
resources and can also be derived from mineral oil. Biodegradability
therefore depends not on the raw material, but on the plastic’s chemical
structure. Examples of biodegradable polymers are polylactides (PLA),
polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), cellulose derivatives and starch as well as
mineral-oil-based polybutylene terephthalate (PBAT) and polybutylene
succinate
(PBS).
Non-biodegradable,
on
the
other
hand,
are
polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
and polyamides (PA), for example.
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Bio-based plastics
Bio-based plastics, on the other hand, are renewable resources derived
from nature. However, these are not necessarily biodegradable as well.
The adjective “bio-based” merely tells us that the carbon atoms in the
molecule chains come from today’s nature and are thus “bio”. At present,
bio-based plastics are derived from different hydrocarbons such as those
found in sugar, starch, proteins, cellulose, lignin, bio-fats and oils. Biobased polymers include polylactides (PLA), polyhydryoxybutyrate (PHB),
cellulose derivatives (CA, CAB) and starch derivatives as well as, for
example, bio-polyethylene (PE). The latter is derived entirely from
Brazilian sugar cane, has the same properties as conventional
polyethylene, but is not biodegradable. The at least to some extent biobased but not biodegradable polymers also include natural-fibrereinforced
conventional
plastics
along
with
polyamides
and
polyurethanes.
Bioplastics – global output
In global polymer output, bioplastics have not so far figured highly in the
roughly 235 million tonnes of plastics materials. Because of the high
market growth, European Bioplastics is forecasting world production
capacity for bioplastics to reach roughly 5.8 million tonnes by 2016. The
study of the nova institute of March 2013 is forecasting output of over 8
million tonnes by 2016 and roughly 12 million tonnes by 2020 for biobased plastics.
According to the manufacturers’ association European Bioplastics,
biodegradable plastics at several 100,000 tonnes accounted for the lion’s
share of total global capacity for bioplastics in 2009. Since 2010, the
growth rates for biodegradable plastics have been far outstripped by
those for bio-based plastics. According to association forecasts and
despite constant growth, they will account for only about a seventh of
overall bioplastics output by 2016. The far larger share of bioplastics will
then be bio-based but not biodegradable.
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Production capacity for biodegradable and bio-based plastics in 2011
with a forecast for 2016 (source: European Bioplastics; Hannover
University of Applied Sciences and Arts, IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics
and Biocomposites)
Rising standards – bioplastics are no exception
For their growing technical applications, plastics have to meet
increasingly high standards. And bioplastics are no exception. As far as
reproducibility is concerned, they still have some catching-up to do, and
in terms of barrier properties, durability and compatibility with other
biopolymers and additives, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Bioplastics and their applications today
Biodegradable plastics are usually employed in applications where
degradability proves to be particularly useful. This applies, for example,
in agriculture to mulch films and plant pots that do not have to be
collected and transported elsewhere after use, but metabolise on the
spot in the soil to form biomass. In private households, degradable
kitchen waste bags have conquered a market and can be composted
together with their contents.
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Domestic/
Office
Furniture/-
Waste
near-domestic
supplies
furnishings
management
Watering cans,
Writing
Chairs
(Compostable)
vacuum cleaners,
implements,
waste bags and
drinking straws
correction
bin liners
products
rollers, rulers
Agriculture/
Catering
Construction
Electrical items
Agricultural films
Disposable
Tool handles,
Housings for
and nonwovens,
cutlery and
dowels, bio-PU
computer mice,
dispensers,
crockery,
insulation,
keyboards,
plant pots
waste bags
insulating
telephones,
materials,
mobile phones,
terrace surfaces,
cable insulation
gardening
and
landscaping
carpeting and
floorcoverings
Current applications of bioplastics (source: Hannover University of
Applied Sciences and Arts, IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics and
Biocomposites)
Bio-based plastics are now also found in consumer electronics and
automotive applications. For its Sai hybrid car only available in Japan,
Toyota, for instance, has developed interior furnishings and equipment
made of 80 per cent renewable raw materials, as of model year 2011.
This has been made possible by the use of bio-PET, a plastic derived
from sugar cane. Nonetheless, PLA and polyurethane (PU) foam based
on soya are also found today in a vast diversity of automotive
components. Practically all car manufacturers make use of bioplastics in
their vehicles and are working towards increasing their use.
If you want to find out about the prospects for and potential of bioplastics
along with the latest developments and innovative applications, you will
have plenty of opportunities to do so at the exhibitors’ stands at K 2013.
The world’s most important trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry
is taking place this year in Düsseldorf from 16 to 23 October.
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In addition, Bioplastics Business Breakfasts, brief seminars on selected
industry topics, will be taking place from 17 to 19 October, daily from 8 to
12 h.
Mulch films of biodegradable PBAT/PLA compound can be ploughed in
after the harvest and, unlike classical film, do not have to be first
collected and then disposed of (photo: BASF SE).
Transparent food film made of Bio-Flex® A 4100 CL / F 2201 CL / A 4100
CL (photo: FKuR)
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M440 ECO computer mouse housing made of Biograde® (source:
Fujitsu)
August 2013
Contact
Press Office K 2013
Eva Rugenstein/Desislava Angelova
Tel. +49-211-4560 240
Fax +49-211-4560 8548
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
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