Bioplastics
ID: 3971

Abstract: Sylvio Ortega

The “Bioplastics” is gaining more space on dedicated forums and normal daily life. However still hasn’t replaced conventional plastics in any significant way. The main reason for this is economic: petroleum-base plastics can still be manufactured much more cost effectively.

Taking this fact into account, we propose a production model, particularly tested for PHB, where the whole manufacturing facility is fully integrated into a sugarcane mill. Such integration has several benefits, including: availability of low-price raw-material and natural solvents for the biopolymer manufacturing process, a renewable energy source and an effective wastes disposal system, which can include the return of the used bioplastic itself, after composting, to the sugarcane fields as fertiliser. In this vertical production system, where the utilisation of available resources is maximised, PHB production costs are significantly reduced when compared to an autonomous production facility.

PHB Industrial S/A, has been developing PHB and PHB-HV for more than one decade in Brazil, based in the related concept. After establishing a product with quality and good performance, the company moved all its efforts towards application developments based in its products.

PHB’s potentialities were explored in different application, such as automotive parts (from injected pieces until revetment), polyurethanes uses, seedling recipient for eucalyptus industry, medical and veterinary devices, agricultural devices, fibers, foams and general injection process.

The company has been improving PHB’s potentiality through R&D compounding efforts, with the use of fillers and natural additives. The main physical-chemical characteristics of BIOCYCLE (PHB commercial name) were modified based in these compounding developments. BIOCYCLE can present a higher resistance, stability, elongation and general strength, according to the product’s final use.



Amar Mohanty

Renewable resource based bioplastics will play a major role in building a sustainable bioeconomy. Two recently highlighted bioplastics are polylactides (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). They are of particular interest because of their renewable origin, biodegradability and claimed environmental sustainability in reducing green house gas emission. Poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) is a stiff and rigid bioplastic and needs to be made tougher. Toughening of PLLA is mainly achieved through plasticization or by blending with tough polymers or rubber. The blending of polylactides with tough polymer or rubber requires a higher content of blending partner (50% or more), a suitable compatibilizer to generate tougher bioplastic however with the significant sacrifice of the stiffness. PLLA blended with tough biodegradable polymers such as poly-(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), poly-(tetramethylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PTAT), polybutylene succinate (PBS), poly (epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and polyesteramide (PEA). In another approach a dendritic hyperbranched polymer (HBP) was tailored for inclusion into PLLA matrix which generated a nano-structure controlled bioplastic that is named as a nano-blend. The hyperbranched polymers are the emerging new class of polymers and have unique molecular architecture, properties and nanoscopic dimensions. A nano-structure controlled technology based on hyperbranched polymers improved the elongation at break by around 1000% with a very minimal or no sacrifice of the stiffness of PLLA. The polylactides in order to reach multifarious uses should have requisite stiffness-toughness balance and reduced melt viscosity thus to allow further reinforcements. The reinforcements of these nano-structure controlled bioplastics with micro-/macro-/nano- particles and fibres alone or in combinations would help in the design and engineering of a new class of multifunctional biomaterials. Such biomaterials are called hierarchical nano-biocomposites. The term “hierarchical” relates to the varying size order reinforcements, from nano to macro. The value-added biomaterials from new discovered bioplastics will have applications in greener auto-arts, building products, furniture and rigid packaging. This will not only help in providing additional uses and new markets for agriculture and manufacturing industry, but will also supplement and substitute the existing petroleum-based counterparts. This means a tremendous reduction in green house gas emission through use of biomaterials and reducing our dependency on petroleum.





Oliver Peoples

Extracting energy and petrochemicals from fossil carbon is no longer sustainable, in particular due to emissions of atmospheric CO2 and consequent real impact on climate change. Metabolix, Inc. is addressing this problem by focusing on environmentally responsible bioplastics, biobased chemicals, and bioenergy. This talk will focus on how we employ sophisticated metabolic engineering to develop robust production strains for the commercial manufacture of different polyhydroxyalkanoates and to innovatively design novel microbes for the production of bio-based industrial chemicals.





Olga Selifonova

Olga Selifonova, co-founder and VP Corporate Development of Segetis, will present on the progress toward renewable building blocks for polymers and polymer systems enabled via Segetis’ novel L-Ketal platform. Leveraging the experience from commercializing other successful bio-based materials, Segetis is working on meeting industry’s need for innovative materials while enabling the transformation from fossil-fuel based technologies to a more sustainable future.



Moderator: Jim Stoppert, Segetis, Inc (United States)

Presenter 1: Smart Multifunctional Biomaterials: Nano-Structure Controlled Bioplastics and Their Hierarchical Green Nano-Biocomposites
Amar Mohanty, University of Guelph, (Canada)  [Confirmed]

Presenter 2: Environmentally Responsible Bioplastics, Biobased Chemicals and Bioenergy 
Oliver Peoples, Metabolix, Inc, (United States)  [Confirmed]

Presenter 3: Renewable Bioproducts and Biopolymers Based on L-Ketals 
Olga Selifonova, Segetis, Inc, (United States)  [Confirmed]

Presenter 4 (if necessary): Furanics: a New Generation of Biobased Polymers 
Dirk Den Ouden, Avantium Technologies BV, (The Netherlands)  [Confirmed]

Panel Organizer:
Matthew Carr, Biotechnology Industry Organization, (United States)

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