Analysis on the application and development trend of bioplastics

Why are more and more companies and countries optimistic about bioplastics? What are the reasons for their development? The two outstanding characteristics of the material are enough to answer these questions. On the one hand, the source of bioplastics is renewable raw materials; on the other hand, bioplastics are biodegradable, and the latter is its main characteristic. These two characteristics are independent of each other, have different directions, and the respective representative materials are not competitive with each other. In a nutshell, "bioplastics" appears to be somewhat arbitrary and confusing. Both of these features are extremely important.

Bioplastic

In the specific polymer category, PET with a biobased content of 30% is an outstanding leader in terms of capacity and market. The Nova Institute has published professional data on the development of bioplastics in the world in recent years, and this data has also been used by the European Bioplastics Association for its published data (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 In the 2020 global bioplastics capacity estimate, the market potential of bioPET is quite large.

If ethylene glycol (MEG) can be produced from biological feedstocks, essentially every manufacturer can produce PET with a biobased content of 30%. The market currently supplies about 300,000 tons of bio-based MEG, capable of producing about 1 million tons of PET with 30% biobased content. A portion of PET was used by Coca-Cola for beverage bottle production. In fact, Coca-Cola started this production project in 2009. Since then, the company has produced more than 40 billion beverage bottles containing bioPET, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 300,000 tons.

In the spring of 2015, Coca-Cola showed the first bioplastic beverage bottle that used 100% terephthalic acid (PTA). But producing PTA is not economic enough for startups, and they are currently testing a variety of integrated approaches. Bio-based PET materials are easy to recycle and suitable for long-term applications, meeting the high demands of the plastics industry in the future. At present, the number of users and applications of PET are steadily increasing, covering pharmaceutical packaging, automotive parts, and outdoor textiles.

Polyvinylfuranone (PEF)

After the success of PET, polyethylene furanone (PEF) is currently under development. This material is made from MEG and furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA), which is 100% biobased starting from the starting segment. Avantium Technologies, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is a technology leader in the production of FDCA. BASF Europe, based in Ludwigshafen, Germany, announced in March last year that it will build a new FDCA production plant in Antwerp, Belgium, with a capacity of 50,000 tons/year. Mitsui & Co., Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan has also signed a long-term supply contract.

Compared with PET, PEF is positioned to have a stronger barrier to CO2 and O2. Thanks to its higher mechanical strength, it produces a thinner wall thickness, which reduces the weight of the film and the packaging of the bottle. Based on its functionality, environmental performance and cost advantages, PEF is recognized as a new material for the future of the bioplastics market.

Polyethylene

Bio-polyethylene (PE) has entered the market for many years. Braskem, based in São Paulo, Brazil, is the only manufacturer that has successfully positioned the polymer as a premium product in the tough commodity sector – without giving it new features, with the advantage of lower carbon emissions. Currently, its customer base is growing and distribution channels continue to develop. In the past, food manufacturers often avoided the use of bioplastic packaging for packaging between food and non-food, and now they see business opportunities again (see Figure 3). For manufacturers, bio-based PE production capacity of 200,000 tons / year is an important first step, and further investment is now under consideration. Although bio-PE materials are also used in technology products, such as cable outer layers or sewage pipes, the main use of bio-polyolefins is still in the non-food packaging sector, such as the packaging of cosmetics or consumables.

It is worth noting that the packaging giants, such as the RPC Group in Rushden, England, Amcor in Hawthorne, Australia, the Stora Enso Group in Helsinki, Finland, and the Gerresheimer Company in Dusseldorf, Germany, all attach great importance to the “bio-based” and It is the foundation of future development. Tetra Pak International, based in Pie, Switzerland, plans to invest about 100 million 100% bio-based TetraRex boxes in the market in early 2016, sourced from bio-PE materials from Braskem.

Polyamide

Excellent tolerance and high elasticity are the basic characteristics of many bio-polyamides (PA). Like PA10 and PA11, which have been on the market for decades, the new PA4 and PA5 are attracting market attention due to their special properties such as temperature stability, chemical resistance and dimensional stability. Traditionally PAs are often used for special applications in the automotive sector, and bio-PAs have also conquered consumer goods such as outdoor clothing, sports shoes and eyeglass frames. Major polymer producers such as KS/Invista Sarl of Wichita, USA, DSM Engineering Plastics of Heerlen, The Netherlands, and Evonik Industries of Essen, Germany, are actively working with various organisms to further expand the range of PA monomer combinations. Technology companies collaborate, such as Calysta in Menlo Park, Canada, Cathay Biotech Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, China, Emery Oleochemicals in Selangor, Malaysia, and Verdezyne in Carlsbad, Canada.

Other bioplastics

Customer demand drives the development of sustainable high performance plastics. The highly transparent, scratch-resistant "Durabio" synthetic material won the 2015 Bioplastics Award, which is derived from isosorbide, from Roquette Freres, France, and Tokyo, Japan. Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Ltd. and Sharp Corporation of Osaka, Japan, jointly manufacture.

The customer's superior performance requirements for bioplastics also contributed to the development of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT), which is especially suitable for flexible process textile fibers (see Table 1). If thermoset plastics are also taken into account, the number of derivatives will be even greater. Bio-based polyurethanes (PUs) or polyepoxides are now available in many different applications with promising prospects (see Figure 6). Intentional companies can take advantage of the growing number of commercially available biobased monomer building blocks, primarily glycols or polyols, which have as much room for improvement in performance as biological components.

The application of bioplastics in the toy industry is also increasing. Lego Toys in Billund, Denmark, issued a statement in 2015 stating that it will only use sustainable raw materials to produce products by 2030, which is equivalent to 70,000 tons/year of plastic capacity. Finding materials that can replace fossil ABS is the next task, and reducing carbon emissions must also be implemented. LEGO Toys has established an Innovation Center and has partnered with biopolymer manufacturers and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Although bioplastics have been used in the toy industry, its market development is still in its infancy.

Biodegradable plastic

Many polymers are biodegradable in relation to their chemical and physical structure, with polyester being the largest branch. Polylactic acid (PLA), a complex polymer material, has a myriad of structures, including a durable structure. MN/Minnetonka's NatureWorks is a leader among many manufacturers, with a top-ranking capacity of 150,000 tons/year, leaving competitors far behind. At present, many companies are trying to further improve the manufacturing process or production process. Corbion of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, announced plans to build a plant with a capacity of 75,000 tons per year in Rayon, Thailand, which is expected to be operational in 2018.

PLA is now sold globally, mainly in the packaging sector, fibers and films, and most of them occupy an important market share in the form of composites. The functionality of this material is suitable for a wide range of applications: food packaging (eg yogurt cups, beverage bottles, composite films or foam containers) as textile fibers or technical products (fabrics, filters, non-woven materials) or for Consumables (such as office supplies or technical components).

PBS and PBAT

Due to the booming succinic acid (SA) biotechnology, experts expect that the production of polybutylene succinate (PBS) will see rapid growth. Like PLA, the aliphatic polymer can be 100% biomaterial, and can be produced by hydrogenating SA to produce 1,4 butanediol (BDO), or directly by fermentation. Chemical companies such as BASF, DSM Engineering Plastics and Mitsubishi Chemical are investing in innovative biotech startups in this technology sector, such as BioAmber in Quebec, Canada, Genomatica in Canada/San Diego, USA, and Myriant in Morocco/Warburn, USA the company. It is believed that PBS will soon be mass-produced like polybutylene adipate diol (PBAT), which is now widely used. Both polyester materials have been widely used as softening blends of starch or PLA, and have benefited the most from the growth of the "bag market".

Many countries and regions already have relevant national laws that require the sorting of biological waste and other wastes, such as Italian transport packaging, French fruit and vegetable packaging, which has contributed to the huge market for 70,000 tons of compostable bags. In the future, the market potential is even greater: experts predict that the consumption of compostable bags in Europe in the next five years will be three times the current level, and the global market potential will increase several times in the next five years. Currently, nova researchers are carefully studying the importance of the EU market and basic legal conditions.

PHA

As another member of the polyester family, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are produced directly from bacterial bodies, and PHAs of different structures exhibit distinct properties, some of which can be completely decomposed in various media. Many small companies are trying to produce and market on a global scale. Recently, Bio-On Srl of San Giorgio di Piano announced that it is working with two of Italy's most interested business partners, from Italy and France, to build two new production plants, each with approximately 10,000 each. Tons per year of capacity. Companies in China and the United States are also involved in the PHA field.

The development of degradable polymers is more complex than currently thought. The PLA itself already has some modern plastic properties: it can be tailored to the needs of a particular application, and many structures can be fully integrated with other polymers to take full advantage of their properties. The current focus is on a relatively narrow range of product categories – using a variety of biodegradable polyesters to create short-lived, compostable, single-use products, primarily due to policy-driven requirements and “compostable” Position as a unique market selling point. However, this is not the end of development, but just a small climax during the development period.

Prospect

Plastic is undoubtedly powerful, it can help us solve many problems. In the next few decades, it must also reinvent itself. Resource and environmental issues are directly related to short-lived plastics. Plastics are widely used, but recycling is often difficult. This is why plastic products must be recyclable, otherwise they will put a lot of burden on the environment.

According to the plastics strategy of the Allen MacArthur Foundation, experts and representatives of large companies believe that biodegradation is the right solution for short-lived plastic products. The fundamental problem, however, is that products must be produced with as little resources as possible and designed for more uses. Life cycle analysis reports show that recycling and using renewable resources is the focus of the problem. The European Parliament and the European Commission have proposed many proposals under the basic principles, but the status of bioplastics has not been affirmed. It has only been developed in recent years, and the structure of mass-produced plastic systems has also been constructed, which in turn has led to The inertia of traditional plastic production. However, this does not affect the development of the bioplastics industry. Once the market develops to build a stable foundation, bioplastics will be fully supported by politicians, consumers and commentators, as well as attracting and retaining new investors.