Natural Plastics

Cereplast, Inc. (Nasdaq:CERP), a leading manufacturer of proprietary biobased, compostable and sustainable plastics, has extended its agreement with Italy-based ColorTec S.r.l to supply bioplastic resin to the Italian and Slovenian markets effective November 4, 2011 through December 31, 2012. Under the terms of the agreement, ColorTec is projecting to purchase $20 million of materials in 2012.

"With the signing of this significant agreement, ColorTec intends to purchase $20 million of product in 2012 and becomes Cereplast's main distribution partner in Italy," said Frederic Scheer, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast, Inc. "The expansion of this agreement reflects the increasing demand for our bioplastic products in Italy, where we have recently completed the purchase of a manufacturing plant, expected to start production in 2012. We look forward to continuing our already strong relationship with ColorTec to expand our footprint in Italy."

"We have been serving Southern Italy and will be broadening our reach to capture increasing demand in Northern Italy," stated Gaetano Paolillo, chief operating officer of ColorTec. "We find that Cereplast bioplastics provide superior properties compared to other bioplastic resins, providing better performance and improved strength. As such, we expanded our relationship with Cereplast."

Based in Italy, ColorTec is a leader in designing and developing masterbatches for adding colorant to bulk, uncolored resins. Its color and additive masterbatches are used in all major plastic processing methods, including blown and cast films, blownware, injection molding, extrusion coating, wire and cable, pipe and conduit, fiber spinning, among others.

About Cereplast, Inc.

Cereplast, Inc. (Nasdaq:CERP) designs and manufactures proprietary biobased, sustainable plastics which are used as substitutes for traditional plastics in all major converting processes - such as injection molding, thermoforming, blow molding and extrusions - at a pricing structure that is competitive with traditional plastics. On the cutting-edge of biobased plastic material development, Cereplast now offers resins to meet a variety of customer demands. Cereplast Compostables® resins are ideally suited for single-use applications where high biobased content and compostability are advantageous, especially in the food service industry. Cereplast Sustainables® resins combine high biobased content with the durability and endurance of traditional plastic, making them ideal for applications in industries such as automotive, consumer electronics and packaging. Learn more at www.cereplast.com. You may also visit the Cereplast social networking pages at Facebook.com/Cereplast, Twitter.com/Cereplast and Youtube.com/Cereplastinc.

Telles, a joint venture of Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBLX) and Archer Daniels Midland Company, today announced the appointment of Entec Polymers LLC and Channel Prime Alliance as distributors of Mirel™ for the North American market.

Channel Prime Alliance focuses on providing consistent products and services to meet its customers’ requirements for plastic products across North America. With more than 25 years of industry expertise, Entec is a licensed compounder, recycler and distributor of thermoplastic resins, with a heavy focus on specialty products and applications through all major conversion technologies.

“The Mirel family of bioplastics is an important addition to our portfolio,” said Joe Muhs, General Manager at Channel Prime Alliance. “Mirel will enable us to provide our customers with biobased and biodegradable solutions to meet the increasing demand for sustainable plastic products.”

“We are seeing an increased demand for thermoforming, sheet, and film grade packaging products made with biobased materials like Mirel,” said Andy Vocaire, Manager of Packaging Business Development at Entec. “Our distribution arrangement with Telles enables us to more quickly bring products to the market in order to meet this demand. Mirel bioplastics will play an important role in our growth strategy, and in helping our customers achieve their sustainability initiatives.”

About Channel Prime Alliance
Channel Prime Alliance focuses on plastic, rubber, and elastomer products distribution across North America. We strive to provide consistent products to our customers through service that meets or exceeds their requirements. We also work to maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction ratings. Channel Prime Alliance currently commands a sales force of 42 professionals throughout North America to accommodate our customer's requirements.

About Entec Polymers LLC
Entec Polymers began serving the engineering resins community in 1985. Its mission is to offer cost effective material alternatives to the plastics processing industry by providing distribution services for a variety of products from industry-leading manufacturers. In less than 20 years, Entec had grown to become one of America’s leading resins supplier. Sales professionals with technical expertise help our customers find the best total solution for every project.

About Mirel Bioplastics
Mirel is a family of bioplastic materials that have physical properties comparable to petroleum-based resins, yet are biobased and biodegradable in natural soil and water environments, in home composting systems, and in industrial composting facilities where such facilities are available. The rate and extent of Mirel’s biodegradability will depend on the size and shape of the articles made from it. However, like nearly all bioplastics and organic matter, Mirel is not designed to biodegrade in conventional landfills.
Commercial grades of Mirel are available for injection molding, thermoforming, sheet extrusion and film applications. For more information, please visit www.mirel.com.

About Metabolix
Founded in 1992, Metabolix, Inc. is an innovation-driven bioscience company focused on providing sustainable solutions for the world’s needs for plastics, chemicals and energy. The Company is taking a systems approach, from gene to end product, integrating sophisticated biotechnology with advanced industrial practice. Metabolix is now developing and commercializing Mirel™, a family of high performance bioplastics which are biobased and biodegradable alternatives to many petroleum-based plastics, through Telles, a joint venture of Metabolix and Archer Daniels Midland Company. Metabolix is also developing biosourced industrial chemicals and a proprietary platform technology for co-producing plastics, chemicals and energy, from crops such as switchgrass, oilseeds and sugarcane.

For more information, please visit www.metabolix.com.

Eastman Renewable Materials, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eastman Chemical Company, announced that it has acquired the assets of TetraVitae Bioscience, Inc., located in Chicago, Ill. TetraVitae is a leading developer of renewable chemicals, including bio-based butanol and acetone. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“This announcement is a demonstration of Eastman’s continued investment in innovation and our commitment to delivering sustainable solutions to our customers,” said Dr. Greg W. Nelson, senior vice president and chief technology officer. “I am confident that TetraVitae’s patented bio-catalysis technology will provide Eastman an excellent platform for the development of a range of bio-based processes that will strengthen our sustainable product offerings.”

“This technology is an excellent example of connecting science and sustainability,” said Godefroy Motte, senior vice president and chief regional and sustainability officer. “This acquisition is an important step in our sustainability journey and will go a long way toward helping us meet our goals for sustainably-advantaged products.”

Eastman recently released its 2011 Sustainability Report, which outlines the company’s current progress as well as measurable economic, environmental and social goals. To learn more, visit www.eastman.com/sustainability.

Eastman’s chemicals, fibers and plastics are used as key ingredients in products that people use every day. Approximately 10,000 Eastman employees around the world blend technical expertise and innovation to deliver practical solutions. The company is committed to finding sustainable business opportunities within the diverse markets and geographies it serves. A global company headquartered in Kingsport, Tenn., USA, Eastman had 2010 sales of $5.8 billion. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

Cobalt Technologies, a leading developer of next generation bio-based chemicals and Rhodia, a specialty chemical company, today announced the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding setting the basis for a strategic alliance to develop bio n-butanol refineries throughout Latin America.  

Under the terms of the alliance, Cobalt and Rhodia will work together to deploy Cobalt’s technology for the conversion of sugar cane bagasse into n-butanol for the chemicals and fuels market.  The parties will initially develop options for deploying Cobalt’s technology at a sugar mill. Following this first step, the partners will jointly develop a demonstration plant to demonstrate Cobalt’s technology on site in Brazil.  Following the demonstration plant the parties intend to construct multiple bio-refineries co-located with sugar mills, first in Brazil and then in other Latin American countries.
This relationship establishes a clear path to commercialization for our technology,” said Rick Wilson, Ph.D., and CEO of Cobalt Technologies.  “Rhodia is the perfect partner for expansion into Brazil and Latin America.  They have a long history of successful operations in Brazil and have significant experience in sugar mill operations through their ownership of a bagasse-based power plant co-located with a sugar mill.  Additionally, Rhodia is a renowned global chemical company, providing us a unique opportunity to market our products internationally through our partnership.”

Bio n-butanol based on bagasse will enlarge our Augeo® range of biosourced solvents and perfectly fits with Rhodia’s sustainable development strategy. We are convinced that Cobalt’s bagasse-based leading-edge technology will provide an unmatched cost advantage over the long term,” said Vincent Kamel, president of Rhodia Coatis Business Unit. “There is undoubtedly a huge potential for bio n-butanol in Latin America and beyond and we are looking forward to building a large international business with Cobalt.”

About Cobalt Technologies
Cobalt is the leading company in the production of low cost bio n-butanol, a platform molecule for the production of renewable chemicals and fuels, from cellulosic feedstocks. Bio n-butanol is a widely used industrial chemical found in paints, lacquers and other surface coatings, with a global market of over $5 billion, approximately eight times the size of the market for isobutanol. By producing low-cost bio n-butanol, Cobalt’s unique technology enables the use of bio n-butanol as a platform molecule for application in a broad array of chemical markets, including the plastics and synthetic rubber markets. Cobalt’s low-cost platform also enables fuels production such as jet fuel, where, Cobalt and the U.S. Navy have jointly developed technology to convert Cobalt’s bio n-butanol into full performance jet fuel and are on track to achieve fuel certification. Cobalt’s technology platform offers a continuous process to efficiently convert diverse non-food feedstocks into biobutanol.Engineered to achieve low costs through its proprietary biocatalyst, advanced bioreactor and energy efficient design and the use of low-cost feedstock, Cobalt is making biobutanol and its derivatives a cost-effective substitute to petroleum-based chemical products. Cobalt is based in Mountain View, CA. Cobalt is backed by leading investors in the cleantech sector, including Pinnacle Ventures, Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund, VantagePoint Capital Partners, Parsons & Whittemore, Life Sciences Partners (LSP), @Ventures, Harris & Harris and Burrill and Company.

About Rhodia
Rhodia is an international chemical company resolutely committed to sustainable development. As a leader in its businesses, the Group aims to improve its customers’ performance through the pursuit of operational excellence and its ability to innovate. Structured around 11 Global Business Units (GBUs) within 5 business clusters, Rhodia is the partner of major players in the automotive, electronics, flavors and fragrances, health, personal and home care markets, consumer goods and industrial markets. The Group employs around 14,000 people worldwide and generated sales of 5.23 billion in 2010.

Coatis a Rhodia Global Business Unit develops oxygenated solvents and manufactures phenol-based products and derivatives specifically for the worldwide market

About Solvay 
SOLVAY is an international industrial Group active in Chemistry. It offers a broad range of products and solutions that contribute to improving quality of life. The Group is headquartered in Brussels and employs about 14,800 people in 40 countries. In 2010, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 7.1 billion. Solvay is listed on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Brussels, Belgium (NYSE Euronext: SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLBt.BR).

Source:  www.cobalttech.com

The future of the U.S. ethanol industry depends on its ability to increase yields, be competitive with fossil fuels and fill a growing need for energy independence. Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) is lending its expertise to make that possible.

Fred Michel, a biosystems engineer based on OARDC’s Wooster campus, has been collaborating with Cleveland-based Arisdyne Systems Inc., which developed a technology called hydrodynamic controlled-flow cavitation that enables ethanol plants to produce more renewable fuel from the same amount of corn.

Supported by a $1 million Third Frontier grant awarded in 2008, Arisdyne’s technology is currently installed at four ethanol plants throughout the United States, with several more plants considering implementation. Testing conducted by Michel has proven that Arisdyne’s cavitation system helps increase ethanol yield by 2 to 3 percent -- data critical to convince even more players in the industry to test and adopt this new technology.

The impact can be significant: a 3-percent yield boost can increase the revenue of a 100-million gallon ethanol plant by approximately $3.75 million annually. And if the entire U.S. ethanol industry (13.2 billion gallons in 2010) were to use cavitation, the revenue increase could reach at least $500 million annually.

In addition to testing and validating Arisdyne’s cavitation technology, Michel has assisted in demonstrating the amped-up yield claims at ethanol plants where this technology is being considered. He has also conducted a broad range of experiments to help prove and improve the process.

“At ethanol plants in the United States, corn grain containing between 70 and 73 percent starch is dry-milled, mixed with water and enzymes, fermented and then distilled to ethanol,” said Michel, who has spent time researching biofuel technologies at the

National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. “While the recovery of starch in commercial ethanol plants is high, as much as 4 percent of the starch remains in the byproducts after fermentation. We are targeting that 4 percent through the use of cavitation.”

Installed at the beginning of the ethanol production process, Arisdyne’s cavitation system breaks open the cell structure of corn particles, releasing trapped starch molecules in the kernel -- more starch means more sugar and, ultimately, more ethanol. This system has the added advantages of easily adapting to existing ethanol plant infrastructure and requiring little energy to run.

This diagram illustrates how cavitation "liberates" more starch from milled corn before it's fermented and distilled to ethanol (courtesy of Arisdyne Systems Inc.).

While maximizing the availability of starch is a key feature of this technology, Michel is also looking at the possible use of cavitation to treat another carbohydrate present in corn that can be turned into ethanol: cellulose. Use of cavitation for cellulosic ethanol production could generate another 3- to 5-percent boost in total fuel production from the same amount of grain delivered to ethanol plants.

Additionally, Michel is investigating the use of cavitation for cellulosic ethanol production from non-edible crops and crop residue, including wheat middlings, wheat and soybean straw, switchgrass and sorghum. “The pre-treatment process involved in cellulosic ethanol production is very expensive, hindering the development of this renewable fuel sector,” he explained. “Cavitation could reduce pre-treatment costs and make the whole process more effective.”

While Arisdyne is a pioneer in the use of cavitation to produce biofuels (successfully using its technology at biodiesel and wastewater plants), it lacked expertise in the ethanol production process when it decided to test the cavitation system in this industry. Conversations with Ohio State agricultural economists and the university’s

Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center led Arisdyne to Michel and, soon after, to the Third Frontier grant application.

“Dr. Michel and OARDC have brought to our team expertise we didn’t have regarding the chemistry of ethanol and the challenges of cellulosic ethanol production,” said Fred Clarke, Arisdyne Systems’ executive vice president. “This relationship has also made available to us very sophisticated lab capabilities, equipment, and staff; testing procedures that are crucial for the success of this project; and the credibility that comes from having an unbiased academic perspective.”

Arisdyne has so far secured more than $7.5 million in private equity funding, including investments from such Ohio entities as Columbus-based Reservoir Venture Partners, Cincinnati- based Queen City Angels, and Cleveland-based Early State Partners. Funding also comes from California-based Chevron Technology Ventures and Georgia-based Cordova Ventures.

The company has created and sustained 13 jobs as a result of this project.

Find out more at http://arisdyne.com/vp/ethanol.htm.

Source:  http://bioproducts.osu.edu

Novomer Inc., a sustainable materials company pioneering a family of high-performance plastics, polymers and other chemicals from renewable feedstocks such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO), today announced that it was selected for a prestigious 2011 ICIS Innovation Award. Lauded as the “Innovation with Best Environmental Benefit,” the company’s revolutionary technology was recognized for using CO₂ as raw material to create high-performance polyols for coatings, adhesives, foams, composites and surfactant applications.

The award continues tremendous momentum for Novomer in 2011, having been named among the MIT Tech Review 50 Most Innovative Companies, GoingGreen Global 200 and winning the InformexUSA Profiles in Sustainability Award. Additionally, the company is on track to have its first commercial products enter the coatings market in 2012, a direct result of scale up and applications development efforts supported by more than $20M dollars from the US Department of Energy and numerous industrial partners.

ICIS, the leading global provider of news and information for the chemical and energy sectors, designed the Innovation Awards to recognize those companies that have made significant steps forward in technological and business innovation, with tangible results emerging during 2010 and the earlier part of this year. Celebrating its 8th year, the Awards are open to companies around the world, and judged by a panel of five leading industry experts. In reflecting on this year’s Awards, program founder and Global Editor at ICIS, John Baker stated, “the Awards continue to highlight the best the chemical industry has to offer in the way of innovation and providing solutions to society’s needs.”

“We thank the ICIS organization and the judges for this recognition, and echo their enthusiasm for the state of, and potential for, innovations that can truly have a meaningful, positive impact on the environmental footprint of industrial products,” said Peter Shepard, Novomer Executive Vice President. “Novomer’s innovation is a revolutionary advancement which delivers high performance, cost competitive, sustainable products. We are excited to be on the cusp of commercially launching our first products in coatings early next year. We also expect, based on the flexibility and adaptability of Novomer’s technology, to launch products into other related applications and markets soon thereafter.”

The core to Novomer's innovation is a highly active and selective catalyst that allows CO₂, a plentiful and low cost greenhouse gas, to react with commodity petrochemicals to form aliphatic polycarbonate polyols and polymers (APCs). In addition, Novomer has developed proprietary technology encompassing the use of chain transfer agents to precisely control the production of low molecular weight APC polyols for a wide range of industrial and specialty applications. Novomer's products contain up to 50% CO₂ by weight and are produced at low temperature and pressure, yielding significant environmental benefits relative to competing materials. From a performance perspective, when compared to traditional plastics, Novomer’s CO₂ based thermoplastic polymers have mechanical and barrier properties that make them attractive in a variety of flexible and rigid packaging applications. In addition, Novomer’s CO₂ based polyols are well suited as resins for food and beverage can coatings and linings, coil coating, and automotive and industrial finishes. Although still early in the development phase,  Novomer polyols have already shown promise in a range of composite resin, adhesive, and polyurethane foam applications. 

About Novomer

Novomer (www.novomer.com) is a revolutionary new materials company pioneering a family of low-cost, high-performance, sustainable plastics, polymers and other chemicals. Novomer's groundbreaking technologies allow carbon dioxide and other renewable feedstocks to be cost-effectively transformed into polymers, plastics and other chemicals for a wide variety of industrial markets. The company is partnered with equity investors Flagship Ventures, Physic Ventures, OVP Venture Partners, DSM Venturing and KensaGroup, and has received support from the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and the State of New York.

Source:  www.novomer.com

The probiotic yogurt brand Actimel has announced that all of its bottles are now being made from sugarcane-based bioplastics.

Actimel is owned by French food giants Danone, who earlier this year announced a series of major initiatives to reduce the company's CO₂ emissions by 30 per cent. This included the adoption of 'green' plastic across its Activia and Danoninho brands.

Actimel’s new bottles are made from a minimum of 95 per cent bioplastic, using Brazilian sugarcane and produced by plastic manufacturers Braskem. According to Danone, just one hectare of sugarcane can produce enough bioplastic for over 550,000 Actimel bottles.

Marketing Director of Danone Dairies UK, Corinne Chant, said, “We are delighted that customers can now buy our new 95 per cent plant-based bottle. Changing the bottle from oil-based to plant-based is a big step for Danone UK and is part of our wider sustainability journey.”

The remaining 5 per cent of each bottle is made up of non plant-based plastic from Danone's production lines and the white bottle colouring. The bottles are non-biodegradable and 100 per cent recyclable, meaning they can be recycled in exactly the same way as plastic milk bottles.

The company also said that using sugarcane to make their bottles does not lead to deforestation, a wider concern associated with bioplastics. According to the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE), more than 60 per cent of recent sugarcane expansion took place on pasture land, mostly degraded pastures, in South-Central Brazil.

Making the Actimel bottles used just 0.0002 per cent of the total arable land available in Brazil.

Source:  www.nnfcc.co.uk

Collaboration to Target High-Performance Molecules from Amyris Biofene^®.

Amyris, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRS), a leading renewable chemicals and fuels company, and Method Products, Inc., the leading innovator in premium, environmentally-conscious household and personal care products, have signed a Joint Development Agreement to generate a portfolio of novel molecules from Biofene, Amyris renewable farnesene made from plant sugars, for use in Method’s products.

Under the agreement, Amyris and Method will collaborate to evaluate and develop multiple ingredients, such as surfactants and solvents, derived from Biofene, to deliver environmentally-friendly products with uncompromising performance. Upon successful development of an ingredient and incorporation into a Method product, Amyris and Method will pursue a supply agreement for Amyris to supply the ingredient to Method for use in its products.

“For more than a decade, Method has been bringing innovative and sustainable products to the cleaning and personal care sectors,” says Adam Lowry, Method co-founder and Chief Greenskeeper. “Our partnership with Amyris gives us the unprecedented opportunity to develop entirely new molecules that take our already industry leading technology to the next level. The ingredients we are developing deliver never-seen-before performance in a cleaning product of any kind, yet these are ingredients made from natural, renewable, and sustainable sources.”

About Method
Founded in 2000, Method is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif. Method is the leading innovator of premium healthy home and personal care products and can be found in more than 35,000 retail locations throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Major national retailers include Target, Whole Foods, Lowe’s Home Improvement Centers, Bed Bath & Beyond, Wegman’s and Safeway,Method is a privately held company backed by San Francisco Equity Partners, Simon Equity Partners, and private individual investors. For more information, visit methodhome.com/.

Source:  www.amyris.com

Cereplast, Inc. (Nasdaq:CERP), a leading manufacturer of proprietary biobased, compostable and sustainable plastics, has completed its purchase of a manufacturing plant in Assisi (Cannara), Italy that will serve as the hub for the company's European bioplastics production. This initiative enables Cereplast to further expand its capabilities to produce and deliver bioplastic products to the European marketplace.

"This purchase reflects Cereplast's strong commitment to serving Europe's burgeoning bioplastics market and we're proud to be the first bioplastics manufacturer to have production facilities on two different continents," said Frederic Scheer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cereplast. "This new plant strengthens our ability to meet soaring demand for bioplastics in the region, which is expected to reach one million tons by 2014 according to European Plastics, representing an approximate 33% increase per year. Upon completion of the first phase of development of the plant, we will have dramatically expanded our manufacturing capacity from 36,000 tons to 86,000 tons which will enable us to satisfy the accelerating number of supply and distribution agreements we continue to secure."

Monte De Paschi di Sienna (MPS), a leading Italian bank, is providing funding that will cover the majority of the costs associated with the purchase and refurbishment of the facility. IntesaSanPaolo Bank participated as well in opening credit facilities totaling over one million euros to Cereplast Italia SpA with the support of Eurofidi. The remainder of the project will be subsidized with loans and grants from local government agencies.

Scheer continued, "We were pleased to work with top-tier Italian institutions like MPS and IntesaSanPaolo to finance this facility and accomplish this significant milestone for our company in an overall challenging economic landscape in Europe. The support of local institutions coupled with the commitments of local government agencies underscores Italy's dedication to job creation, clean technology, the environment and the potential benefits that Cereplast can bring to the region."

Vinicio Bottachiari, Executive Director of Sviluppumbria SpA, a regional organization that promotes economic development in Umbria, Italy said, "Sviluppumbria is committed to helping further develop the economy in Umbria while also improving the overall social and environmental quality in the region. We are pleased to welcome Cereplast's new bioplastics facility in Assisi, as not only will it create new jobs, but the material that it manufactures is earth friendly and offers a lower carbon footprint.  With the ban on plastic bags that was passed this year in Italy, demand for bioplastics is expected to increase exponentially as manufacturers seek out alternatives to traditional plastic."

Management estimates the total cost of the purchase and refurbishment of the facility will be approximately 12 million euros. The company intends to build a 125,000 square foot plant with capacity of approximately 100,000 tons or about 220 million pounds, which will be completed in two phases. The first phase will allow for a 50,000 ton capacity with manufacturing expected to begin by the fourth quarter of 2012, with the second phase expected to be completed based on market demand. Being developed on the site of a former industrial plant, the company expects to benefit from existing infrastructure, including its chemical site permit.

About Cereplast, Inc.

Cereplast, Inc. (Nasdaq:CERP) designs and manufactures proprietary biobased, sustainable plastics which are used as substitutes for traditional plastics in all major converting processes - such as injection molding, thermoforming, blow molding and extrusions - at a pricing structure that is competitive with traditional plastics. On the cutting-edge of biobased plastic material development, Cereplast now offers resins to meet a variety of customer demands. Cereplast Compostables® resins are ideally suited for single-use applications where high biobased content and compostability are advantageous, especially in the food service industry. Cereplast Sustainables® resins combine high biobased content with the durability and endurance of traditional plastic, making them ideal for applications in industries such as automotive, consumer electronics and packaging. Learn more at www.cereplast.com. You may also visit the Cereplast social networking pages at Facebook.com/Cereplast, Twitter.com/Cereplast and Youtube.com/Cereplastinc.

Yorkshire-based paper agency Papico has been appointed UK agent to a leading U.S bio plastic technology company DaniMer to help it to market its revolutionary plant-based renewable hot melt adhesive to the UK carton industry.

Papico will be particularly beneficial in helping to gain prominence for DaniMer’s hot melt adhesive, which is being marketed as a real economic alternative to petro chemical-based products. Director of Papico Tony Knight says: “Bio technology has often had the reputation for being more costly than less environmentally-friendly alternatives, but this bio adhesive will mean carton producers and converters now have a renewable bio-adhesive that is not only competitively priced but also enables companies to offer a truly sustainable piece of packaging.”

The hot melt adhesive is made from renewable resources and uses DaniMer’s proprietary Seluma condensation polymer technology which enables the finished product to be ASTM 6400 compostable and suitable for hydro-repulping operations for the waste paper recovery supply chain.

The product is suitable for case, carton seal and carton edge sealing and can form a drop-in replacement for most hot melt adhesives. Tony Knight comments: “We are extremely pleased that we have been chosen as the UK agent for DaniMer as its technology has the capacity to create a major difference in making UK carton production even more sustainable and environmentally-friendly.”

Source:  http://www.danimer.com/

LANXESS is strengthening its commitment to renewable raw materials. The German specialty chemicals company aims to produce phthalate-free plasticizers from bio-based succinic acid from 2012 onwards. Its strategic partner is the U.S. company BioAmber, Inc., based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. BioAmber is a global leader in succinic acid generated on the basis of renewable resources. Together, the two companies are developing plasticizers, whose cost-effectiveness and safety profile make them sustainable alternatives to phthalate-containing formulations.

BioAmber produces succinic acid through the fermentation of renewable raw materials. The process developed by BioAmber consumes considerably less energy than the production of succinic acid using fossil fuels, is significantly more cost-effective and has a better carbon footprint. In the future, the company plans to use waste from the agriculture industry and sugarcane processing as starting materials.

“Our cooperation with BioAmber is a unique opportunity to launch a new generation of plasticizers on the market that meet all legal regulations and can also score in terms of environmental aspects and sustainability,” said Jorge Nogueira, head of LANXESS' Functional Chemicals business unit that manufactures phthalate-free plasticizers.

Phthalate-free plasticizers gaining importance
As a market leader in the field of phthalate-free plasticizers, LANXESS has large capacities, expertise in production and a global distribution network. Its key products include Mesamoll, Adimoll, Ultramoll and Unimoll. Through the acquisition of the UNITEX Chemical Corporation based in Greensboro, North Carolina, LANXESS also now has access to an additional capacity of 50,000 metric tons per year, plus an extensive portfolio of phthalate-free plasticizers such as benzoates, citrates and trimellitates.

BioAmber manufactures bio-based succinic acid in Pomacle, France, at a plant with 3,000 metric tons of capacity per year. It will add a further 17,000 metric tons of capacity from 2013 with a new facility to be built in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, at LANXESS' site there.

The global market for phthalate-free plasticizers is currently estimated at EUR 1.3 billion – with annual growth rates of around seven percent. As a result of legal initiatives, demand for phthalate-free plasticizers is growing in markets such as North America, Western Europe and Japan. An increase in demand is also being observed in global growth markets such as Latin America. Authorities are increasingly restricting the use of phthalate-containing plasticizers for consumer goods such as toys, food packaging and cables.

Bio-sourcing initiatives
LANXESS is strongly committed to using renewable raw materials to produce premium synthetic rubbers. From November 2011, LANXESS will produce the world’s first bio-based EPDM rubber in Brazil. The Brazilian company Braskem will supply the raw material ethylene derived from sugarcane. This will be marketed under the name Keltan Eco.

Scientists at Empa have designed a production method for nanocellulose powder, a raw material used in the production of polymer composites that can be utilized as a filter and membrane material in biomedical applications and in lightweight structures for the automobile market.

The cellulose researchers at the Wood Laboratory of Empa have processed wood pulp to isolate cellulose nanofibers, which are strongly interlinked and have a length of several micrometers and a thickness of a few nanometers. The surface area of the material is extremely large, where physical-chemical reactions of materials such as polymer compounds, water, inorganic and organic chemicals can take place. Thus, the highly reactive biodegradable raw material finds use in far-reaching technical applications.

The isolated nanocellulose from the wood pulp is originally in the form of an aquatic suspension. During the drying process, the cellulose nanofibers join together producing rough clumps, resulting in the loss of the material’s excellent mechanical properties. The method developed by the Empa scientists enables the material to be dried out without the formation of clumps and becoming rough.

The researchers treated the cellulose utilizing a completely harmless technique that can be executed easily on a large scale and even ideal for the food industry applications. When re-dissolved in water, the dried nanocellulose powder produced by the method demonstrates the same superior properties of unmodified, undried cellulose.

This new method allows the production of a better replacement to traditional cellulose suspensions used in the manufacture of bio-nanocomposite materials. The suspensions currently being utilized comprise more than 90% of water, which results in high logistics expenditures and raises the risk of degradation by fungi or bacteria. Empa researchers used the innovative nanocellulose powder to strengthen hydrogels, adhesives and biodegradable synthetics.

Source: http://www.empa.ch

Teijin Limited has developed film and sheet versions of its Biofront heat-resistant bioplastic, which already is available as fibre and resin.

In film and sheet form, Biofront exhibits high transmission properties due to its stereocomplex crystalline structure achieved with high-purity L-lactate and D-lactate polymer made from renewable plant resources.

The film and sheets can be used for a wide range of applications, including packaging and printing substrate requiring high transmission and strength; optical film requiring high transmission, low heat-shrinkage and optical isotropy (uniform properties in all directions); white reflective film and printing substrate requiring strong light scattering; transparent substrate, decorative film, insert moulding and blister packaging requiring high transparency and non-crystalline properties.

Biofront has a melting point of at least 210ºC, which is significantly higher than that of conventional bioplastic. It also has good hydrolytic stability and achieves semi-crystallisation in just 20-25% of the time required by conventional bioplastic, which Teijin says makes it well suited for moulded plastic, clothing and interior materials.

Biofront films and sheets were developed with support from the Innovation Promotion Program of Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Source:  http://ei.wtin.com