BIO-PLASTIC INDUSTRYBio polymers were first developed by Cargill from corn. They are now well entrenched under the trade name of
NatureWorks. Due to higher cost of synthesis and manufacturing several attempts have been made to look for
alternate feedstocks. PLA based bio plastics are currently produced almost exclusively from corn and grain
starch. But given that prices for this feedstock keep rising because of their use in the production of ethanol,
the utilization of new raw materials becomes an attractive proposal. The production of sugar crops; both cane
and beets, is outstripping demand. Both Brazil and India delivered record crops, and in the EU
too sugar prices have declined. Some of the feedstocks that hold promise are:
Sugar beet and sugarcane residues
Sugarcane
Cassava
Soy
Sago starch
Palm oil residue
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Sugar beet and sugarcane residue A new Italian
company called Bio-On is entering the bio plastics market with a
process that produces polylactic acid (PLA) based plastics from sugar
beet and sugarcane residues with a claimed efficiency of 95%. Bio-On
has developed a series of patented processes that ferment waste and
byproducts from beet and cane processing into lactic acid, filtrates
and polymers useable for the production of a range of fully
biodegradable plastics. Waste streams become valuable resources that
can be converted almost in their entirety in a useful product. Sugar
beet pulp, one of the prime feedstocks, is usually used as low value
animal feed or disposed of at additional cost. Likewise, bagasse and
molasses from sugarcane have a relatively low value and are abundantly
available. Moreover, Bio-On's production process would reduce energy
costs and as it is based on a multi-feedstock strategy, costs for raw
materials would be substantially lower than those for traditional PLA
production.
The planned location of the production plant is quite significant: 'Plastic Valley' in Bologna, the region with a long
tradition of developing innovative plastics, with some leading research organizations working on bio products.
There, Bio-On is creating relations with universities and scientists, and aims to have a production facility ready
by 2009. Output would be 10,000 tons. Bio-On has already spent € 2-3 million in research and development, whereas the
full scale production plant would entail an investment of another €10 million.
Sugarcane
The University of Queensland (UQ) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have teamed
up to develop and patent technologies to convert sugar cane into bio plastics. A leading bio plastics producer
Metabolix announced collaboration with the Cooperative Research Centre for Sugar Industry Innovation through
Biotechnology, an alliance of Australia's sugarcane biotechnology research organizations, to develop natural
plastics from sugarcane.
Cassava
Cassava is an important raw material for sugar in Brazil. The research
work in Brazil has found out that the production cost of industrial
starch from cassava in Brazil is around US$262/MT compared to
production costs of US$478/MT for corn starch in the U.S. The
production cost of sugars for the production of bio polymers, derived
from sugarcane is between $150-200/MT, while the cost of comparably
useful glucose from corn starch in the United States is about $450/MT.
As a consequence, the production cost for polylactic acid (PLA) and
polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) based bio polymers in Brazil is estimated to
be about one half (for PLA) to one third (for PHB) of that in the
United States. The competitiveness of bio polymers produced in Brazil
with those produced in the U.S. depends on freight costs and import
taxes at the destination country. Bio polymers produced in Brazil and
the U.S. have significant cost advantages when compared to those
(currently) produced in Europe or Japan. The study also evaluates the
probability of technical and commercial success in the development of
different bio polymers in Brazil.
The country can not only produce bio polymers at low cost, but is also
well positioned to develop the necessary technology based on ten years
of local experience in PHB research, and current pilot-scale production
of this material. The future of large scale production of bio polymers
in Brazil is currently restricted by limited investment capital and
lack of well developed government incentives.
In Colombia, Professor
Hector Villada from the Universidad del Cauca and researchers of the
Universidad del Valle en Colombia (grouped under the umbrella of the
research group CYTIBIA - Ciencia y Tecnologia de Biomoleculas de
Interes Industrial), have developed a bio plastic based on cassava
starch. The scientists fermented cassava root (locally known as 'yuca
root') for a 20-day period, mixed it with water and “plasticizers of
natural origin”. They then successfully formed resin pellets by a
traditional extrusion process. The scientists also indicated that the
cassava polymer has "shape memory" capabilities, or, in other words, a
shape shift can be obtained when the material's temperature is changed.
There now is a Colombian patent pending application for this bio
plastic material and its associated production process.
In
another development, the Thai Ministry of Science and Technology
announced last year that it is going to promote the production and use
of cassava starch-based bio plastics as part of a National
Biotechnology Policy Framework. Under this framework, an investment was
announced of about US$26 million (until 2009) to encourage production
and application of bio plastics, which will be utilizing local
agricultural resources. The recently created Thai National Innovation
Agency (NIA), which manages the funds, indicates on its web page that
it is focusing efforts on three strategic areas: 1) the development of
a bio-based industrial sector 2) bio energy and the environment and 3)
design and branding.
The NIA and the Federation of Thai industries are the organizers of
InnoBioplast, an international conference and exhibition on bio
plastics.
Sago starch
In Malaysia, an international team of scientists from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and the UK succeeded in
developing an efficient polylactic acid production process based on starch derived from the sago palm:
Sago starch is obtained directly from the palm tree's trunks, in which
it grows in great quantities. It is easily fermentable by most
microorganisms and easily hydrolyzed into glucose. This sugar can be
further converted into lactate by bacteria. The group has succeeded in
maximizing the production of lactic acid from sago starch by utilizing
a continuous fermentation system coupled with a cell recycling system
which minimized the possibility of wash-out even at high dilution rates.
Recently, scientists also accomplished the purification of the lactic
acid from the fermentation system by electro dialysis. Current research
indicates that the purity of lactic acid can be affected by the storage
parameters, such as pH, temperature, ionic strength and degree of
purification. The research may be extended into methods in polymerizing
the pure lactate in the formation of a bio film for bio plastic
synthesis.
Palm oil residue
In Malaysia, Professor from the University Putra introduced the
challenges and opportunities of biomass research in Malaysia during the
Biomass-Asia Forum in 2006. The major contributor to the biomass
industry in Malaysia is the palm oil industry (85% of all available
biomass). Palm oil production is rising as a consequence of biodiesel
demand around the world. Professor Hassan has contributed to this
effort by focusing on the development of bio polymers like PLA and PHB
from palm oil mill effluents and palm fruit residues .
MIT and University of Putra researchers worked together between 2000
and 2002 on a project that pursued transgenic palm capable of
synthesizing PHB at a commercial scale capacity. The project was
successful, but there have not been commercial developments associated
with its conclusions.
These developments in the sector of plant-based plastics and polymers clearly indicate the opportunity for the
development of bio polymers from natural and renewable resources that are locally available biomass resources.
Even though the global market for bio plastics and polymers is only in its infancy, environmental considerations,
waste-management and pollution issues, and the prospect higher prices for oil and petrochemical feedstocks,
makes it reasonable to assume that the sector has a bright future.