Sustainable Production of PLA and Bioplastics - Assobioplastiche
Sustainable Production of PLA and Bioplastics - Assobioplastiche
Sustainable Production of PLA and Bioplastics - Assobioplastiche
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<strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Production</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>PLA</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Bioplastics</strong><br />
© Purac<br />
1
Content<br />
Introduction Purac<br />
Sustainability considerations<br />
<strong>PLA</strong><br />
<strong>PLA</strong> technology<br />
Summary<br />
© Purac<br />
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Purac pr<strong>of</strong>ile<br />
• 80 years world market leader in lactic acid<br />
• Dutch, part <strong>of</strong> CSM: Bakery supplies & food ingredients<br />
•4B$, listed AEX<br />
•Serving:<br />
Food market:<br />
• Natural preservation solutions<br />
• Taste & nutrition products<br />
Chemical & Pharma markets:<br />
• Biobased building blocks<br />
• Lactic acid & derivatives<br />
© Purac<br />
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Purac applications in <strong>PLA</strong><br />
• Biomedical <strong>PLA</strong> <strong>and</strong> Lactides since 20 years<br />
• Lactide for commodity <strong>PLA</strong><br />
• Unique stable powdered product<br />
• High isomeric purity<br />
L-lactic acid<br />
D-lactic acid<br />
L-lactide<br />
D-lactide<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
O<br />
(R,R)- lactide<br />
or D-lactide<br />
(S,S)- lactide<br />
or L-lactide<br />
(R,S)- lactide<br />
or meso-lactide<br />
© Purac 4
Lactide production today<br />
Purac’s 100,000 mton<br />
Lactic Acid plant<br />
in Thail<strong>and</strong><br />
Purac’s 75,000 mton<br />
Lactide plant<br />
• Lactide/<strong>PLA</strong><br />
• stable powdered product<br />
• High isomeric purity<br />
• GMO Free<br />
© Purac 5
Our customers make <strong>PLA</strong>:<br />
- Using Purac-Sulzer Polymerization technology<br />
- Exp<strong>and</strong>ed <strong>PLA</strong> foam to replace PS<br />
- PLLA <strong>and</strong> PDLA supplier<br />
Current plant<br />
5.000T <strong>PLA</strong><br />
Expansion to<br />
70.000T under<br />
investigation<br />
© Purac<br />
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Sustainability Considerations<br />
•Mega trends<br />
•Agricultural sustainability<br />
• Responsible L<strong>and</strong> use<br />
• Biodiversity<br />
• GMO<br />
• L<strong>and</strong> Availability / efficiency<br />
• Carbon footprint (PVC, Bio-PE, <strong>PLA</strong>)<br />
• Acceptable Cellulose options<br />
•How to define “socially acceptable feedstocks”<br />
•acceptable for br<strong>and</strong> owners <strong>and</strong> consumers/NGO’s ?<br />
© Purac 7
Sustainability: Mega Trends<br />
Population<br />
growth vs.<br />
Resource<br />
limitations<br />
• Population Growing<br />
numbers <strong>and</strong> avarage consumption<br />
• Climate change<br />
“Evidence <strong>of</strong> a warming trend is "unequivocal," <strong>and</strong> that human<br />
activity has "very likely" been the driving force in that change over<br />
the last 50 years.”<br />
United Nations<br />
• Energy security<br />
“The country that can make renewable energy sources pricecompetitive<br />
with traditional fossil fuels will become the economic<br />
superpower <strong>of</strong> the future.”<br />
US President Barack Obama<br />
• Public interest in Sustainability<br />
“ <strong>Sustainable</strong> development means that the needs <strong>of</strong> the present<br />
generation should be met without compromising the ability <strong>of</strong> future<br />
generations to meet their own needs.“<br />
United Nations<br />
“We peaked on oil production.”<br />
Source: Association for the study <strong>of</strong> Peak Oil & Gas<br />
© Purac 8
Sustainability: Responsible l<strong>and</strong> use<br />
Feedstocks:<br />
waste<br />
by-product<br />
biomass crops<br />
food/biomass<br />
crops<br />
palmfruit<br />
bunches<br />
wheatstraw<br />
EU<br />
Corncobs<br />
USA<br />
switch<br />
grass<br />
rice<br />
SEA<br />
corn<br />
global<br />
wheat<br />
EU<br />
corn<br />
USA<br />
bagasse<br />
Brazil<br />
sugarcane<br />
Brazil<br />
Thail<strong>and</strong><br />
sugar/starch<br />
potential sugar yield<br />
from cellulose<br />
Feedstocks currently<br />
used by Purac for <strong>PLA</strong><br />
sugarbeet<br />
EU<br />
food crops<br />
0 2 4 6 8 10<br />
Annual sugar/starch yield in ton/ha*<br />
* Source: FAO stats ‘08 <strong>and</strong> University <strong>of</strong> Wageningen<br />
© Purac<br />
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Sustainability: Lignocelluloses<br />
Wheat straw<br />
Sugar cane bagasse<br />
Corn stove<br />
Waste products<br />
Via Sugar – alternatives routes<br />
Technically possible - High cost<br />
Significant R&D investments required. We are making them<br />
© Purac<br />
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Sustainability: competition<br />
-oil price development in our favor<br />
© Purac<br />
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Sustainability: Sugar/kg bioplastic<br />
Source: Wageningen University NL; Bos et al., 2011<br />
© Purac 12
Sustainability: Sugar/kg bioplastic<br />
Required fermentable sugars for the production <strong>of</strong> biopolymers<br />
– cradle to gate<br />
Bio PET<br />
5,0<br />
Bio PE<br />
4,0<br />
<strong>PLA</strong><br />
1,6<br />
© Purac<br />
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Sustainability: carbon footprint<br />
Emissions *<br />
kg CO 2 eq per kg <strong>of</strong> polymer – cradle to gate<br />
PS<br />
PET<br />
2,0<br />
2,2<br />
PP<br />
LDPE<br />
1,7<br />
1,7<br />
<strong>PLA</strong> today<br />
0,5<br />
<strong>PLA</strong> target for 2015<br />
0,0<br />
• Source: www.lca.plasticseurope.org <strong>and</strong> Int. Journal Life Cycle<br />
Assessment, “LCA <strong>of</strong> the manufacture <strong>of</strong> lactide <strong>and</strong> <strong>PLA</strong> ...” 3<br />
Aug 2010 - <strong>PLA</strong> in 2015 is under development at Purac R&D<br />
© Purac<br />
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Sustainability: End <strong>of</strong> Life options<br />
• Don’t use?<br />
• Recycle <strong>and</strong> Reuse<br />
• Renewable energy recovery<br />
• Incineration<br />
• Anaerobic digestion<br />
• Compost / Biodegrade<br />
• Feedstock recovery<br />
Multiple end <strong>of</strong> life options exist:<br />
Choose the most optimal end <strong>of</strong> life option depending on<br />
-specific environmental priorities<br />
-the actual application<br />
-the environment <strong>and</strong><br />
-the available infrastructure<br />
© Purac<br />
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Conclusions <strong>PLA</strong>:<br />
• Efficient use <strong>of</strong> feedstock/l<strong>and</strong><br />
• Low carbon footprint<br />
• Excellent end <strong>of</strong> life options<br />
• GMO is a concern<br />
• Limited applications with current <strong>PLA</strong><br />
• New <strong>PLA</strong> technologies for new applications:<br />
• Foam<br />
• Fibres<br />
• High Temperature TF & IM packaging<br />
• Durable compounds<br />
© Purac<br />
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Application potential for <strong>PLA</strong><br />
Value &<br />
Performance<br />
Durables<br />
Semi-durables<br />
Disposables/packaging<br />
Time<br />
Higher T <strong>and</strong> hydrolysis resistance enable new applications<br />
© Purac<br />
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<strong>PLA</strong> homopolymers - high heat <strong>PLA</strong><br />
PLLA <strong>and</strong> PDLA homopolymers: crystallize fast<br />
• improve processing economics<br />
• improve heat performance<br />
Increasing<br />
heat performance<br />
PS<br />
PVC<br />
ABS<br />
PC<br />
<strong>PLA</strong><br />
PET<br />
high heat<br />
<strong>PLA</strong><br />
LDPE<br />
PP<br />
HDPE<br />
Purac technology based<br />
<strong>PLA</strong> can replace<br />
PS, PET, <strong>and</strong> ABS in<br />
applications where heat<br />
performance is required<br />
amorphous<br />
crystalline<br />
© Purac<br />
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<strong>PLA</strong>: Crystallization is key<br />
Resin:<br />
PLLA/PDLA homopolymers<br />
Stereo complex<br />
Additives:<br />
Nucleation<br />
Plasticizing<br />
Fibres / fillers<br />
Crystallization<br />
speed<br />
Processing:<br />
Temperature<br />
History<br />
© Purac 19
Summary<br />
• Fermentable sugars are very efficient for bioplastics<br />
• Cellulose options in research but not economical (yet)<br />
• Advantages <strong>of</strong> (Purac) <strong>PLA</strong> compared to other polymers:<br />
• Biobased: Made from renewable non GMO feedstocks<br />
• Favourable l<strong>and</strong> use ratio compared to other bioplastics<br />
• small CO 2 footprint<br />
• PLLA <strong>and</strong> PDLA enable fast crystallization<br />
• Faster processing<br />
• High temperature resistance<br />
• Hydrolysis resistance<br />
Allowing economical use in Injection moulding<br />
fibres, film, therm<strong>of</strong>orming.<br />
© Purac 20
For more information, contact:<br />
Hugo Vuurens<br />
Director Business Development <strong>PLA</strong><br />
M +31 653 112 470<br />
h.vuurens@purac.com<br />
No representation or warranty is made as to the truth or accuracy <strong>of</strong> any data, information or opinions contained herein or as to their suitability for any<br />
purpose, condition or application. None <strong>of</strong> the data, information or opinions herein may be relied upon for any purpose or reason. Purac disclaims any liability,<br />
damages, losses or other consequences suffered or incurred in connection with the use <strong>of</strong> the data, information or opinions contained herein. In addition,<br />
nothing contained herein shall be taken as an inducement or recommendation to manufacture or use any <strong>of</strong> the described materials or processes in violation<br />
<strong>of</strong> existing or future patent <strong>of</strong> Purac or any party.<br />
© Purac 21
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