Petrochemical giant Braskem s CEO José Carlos Grubisich ... - IraPlast

24 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | JANUARY 2008 | www.4spe.org
Petrochemical giant
Braskems CEO José
Carlos Grubisich has
a compelling vision
for Brazil: It will be
to green polymers
what the Middle East
is to polymers made
from nonrenewable
resources.

By Laura Flórez
His optimism stems from the role
that Brazil, and Latin America, play
in formulating and commercializing
biodegradable polymers from renewable
resources, primarily ethanol
derived from sugarcane, but also
indigenous plants and fibers,
microorganisms, and bacteria.
Biobased polymers have long been
a focus of development in Latin
America. One reason is the amount
of land available for cultivation of
precursors. Braskem estimates that in
Brazil alone, approximately 220 million
hectares (543 million acres) can
be used to grow sugarcane for ethanol
(and food). Of this amount, only 6
million hectares are in cultivation.
The region has been a hotbed of
research in green polymers, with business
and academia developing techniques
for producing bioresins. Some
are commercial, and companies
throughout Latin America are investing
in biodegradable packaging, agricultural
films, and even durables.
There is, moreover, acceptance of
sustainable materials among consumers.
Frederic Scheer, CEO of
Cereplast Inc., a bioresin producer in
Hawthorne, California, USA, says
regulation is the main driver for bioplastics
in Europe, while energy independence
and sustainability influence
the market in the U.S. In Latin
America, though, consumers seem
genuinely oriented toward bioplastics
and environmentalism as a lifestyle
choice.
“The environmental conscience is
much more acute in Brazil than in
Europe or the U.S.,” he remarks.
“This could have to do with a cultural
and economic background that’s
sensitive to agricultural resources.”
São Paulo-based Braskem, Latin
America’s largest thermoplastics producer,
has commercialized polyethylene
(PE) made from sugarcane
ethanol. The product received ASTM
D6866 certification as a 100%
biodegradable polymer from an international
laboratory, Beta Analytic.
The Sugarcane
Revolution
Braskem presented the green PE at
K2007. The company says that by the
end of 2009, it will be able to produce
200,000 tons of the polymer. The
company now runs a US$5-million
pilot plant; production is targeted at
big end-users in niche markets.
Antonio Morschbacker, technology
manager, says a new plant will be built
that produces a range of green PE
grades, with melt flow indexes from
0.2 to 50 g/10 min and densities
between 0.910 and 0.966 g/cc.
Products could include an ultra-highmolecular-weight
version and metallocenes.
Braskem claims the ethanol-based
PE has the same properties and performance
as conventional polyethylene.
“The only difference is a tiny amount
of carbon 14 in the molecules, which
doesn’t affect macro-properties,” says
Morschbacker. He adds that while
other resins produced from renewable
products such as PLA (polylactide)
have lower mechanical properties, the
green polymer “will not be different”
from conventional PE in this regard.
Converters can use it without substantial
changes in product design.
One key environmental benefit is
that during production, a reduction of
2.5 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of
green PE is achieved, owing to the
effect of photosynthesis on the sugarcane.
In conventional processes, about
3.5 tons of carbon dioxide are produced
for every ton of PE, the company
says.
Braskem’s initial plan for the resin is
to develop niches that benefit from a
100% renewable polymer and reductions
in carbon footprint. The green
benefits, however, will not come
cheaply: end-users will initially pay
40% more for the sugarcane-ethanol
PE than for conventional polyethylene.
“We are looking for partners who
want to be part of the process from the
beginning. We could sell all the production
to one client, but we want to
develop niches and evolve into diverse
applications,” says Luis Nitschke, sales
manager. Braskem anticipates that
10% of production will be sold in
Brazil, 10% in Latin America, and the
rest globally.
Other resin producers are also interested
in sustainable polymers. Dow
Chemical Co. announced earlier this
year a partnership with Crystalev, a São
Paulo-based ethanol producer, to jointly
build a plant to process PE from
sugarcane ethanol. Dow CEO Andrew
Liveris says this “will be the world’s
first ethanol-based chemistry park that
will make ethylene.” The plant, scheduled
to start production of 350,000
tons of PE per year in 2011, will supply
Brazil. Liveris says the resin will
have the same quality and performance
as conventional PE, and considerably
reduced carbon emissions.
Brazil Builds Green
Technology
A 2006 study analyzing the competitiveness
of biopolymers in Brazil—
from the Institute of Technological
Research (IPT) in São Paulo—estimates
that the production cost of
biopolymers in Brazil will be about
half what it is in the U.S. for PLA and
starch-based resins, and about onethird
the cost of PHB (polyhydroxybutyrate).
One reason for this is proprietary
techniques for production, some
15 years old.
IPT started researching the production
of PHB from sugarcane in 1992.
It studied the microbiological conversion
of sucrose from sugarcane into
PHB, and obtained yields of 33%. The
manufacturing process makes use of a
byproduct of alcohol production to
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GREEN POLYMERS IN LATIN AMERICA
extract the biopolymer from biomass
in the fermentation stage.
IPT transferred the process to
Corpesucar, the Cooperative of Sugar
Cane Producers in São Paulo state, and
PHB Industrial SA of São Paulo,
owner of the trademark Biocycle, was
formed in 2000 for pilot-scale production
of PHB and PHB-PV (polyhydroxybutyrate/valerate).
The resins are certified under
Germany’s DIN standard for
biodegradability, and are used mainly
in disposables, although engineering
and medical grades are in development.
Silvio Ortega, executive director
of Corpesucar, also says that vehicle
parts manufactured with the resins are
being tested by OEMs in Japan and
Europe. A plant with capacity for
30,000 tons/yr is planned.
PHB Industrial formed Brazil’s first
research center for biopolymers last
November with the Federal University
of São Carlos. The center, located on
the university’s campus in São Paulo
state, is expected to attract investors
interested in expanding applications
for bioplastics in packaging and developing
replacements for expanded polystyrene
and rubber.
The outlook for business is good
enough that Cereplast plans to expand
in Brazil. The company may build a
plant for bioresins, and plans to
announce through its distributor
Iraplast in Iracemápolis, near São
Paulo, a project to supply resins to
large converters in the food packaging
and automotive markets.
Converters Add
Products
Though biodegradable products in
Latin America are oriented to niches,
awareness of and investments in them
are increasing.
CBPAK, a producer of sustainable
packaging in São Paulo, plans to start
production of cassava starch-based
packaging with exceptional sturdiness
and durability. The company, which
has proprietary additive and thermoforming
technologies, will produce
packaging with 96% degradable materials,
sourced from native and renewable
crops. The National Development
Bank in Brazil recently bought 30% of
CBPAK and opened a line of credit to
start production. Revenue of $7 million
is expected after five years.
Claudio Bastos, managing partner of
the company, says sales networks are
being developed with food exporters,
producers of organic foods, and supermarket
chains, among them Wal-Mart.
Although the price of packaging will
be high, “I am marketing a solution
that consumers will understand and
value.”
Packaging producer Pleska, Bogota,
Colombia, began importing biodegradable
packaging two years ago and now
uses it in 80% of the products it sells.
Target markets are flowers and organic
food exported to the European Union,
organic food for local consumption,
and agricultural mulch.
Carlos Ruiz, general manager, says
the availability of green resins and suppliers
has improved acceptance of his
products. “The price of the resin has
been decreasing. We have products
that cost only 10% more than those
manufactured with conventional
resins—and some grades are cost-competitive
with PET.” The company
processes 2 to 3 tons a month of
bioresins, and their use is growing.
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26 | PLASTICS ENGINEERING | JANUARY 2008 | www.4spe.org

Research Efforts
Expand
The biodiversity of Latin America has
triggered R&D in green polymers and
fillers throughout the continent.
In Argentina, the University of
Buenos Aires works with Azotobacter
chroococcum, a diazotrophic bacteria
from agricultural waste, to produce a
resin similar to polypropylene.
Properties like UV resistance, rigidity,
and density can be tailored through the
modification of conditions in the bacteria
producing the monomers. “We
know how the polymer is synthesized,
but we need more information about
the degradation stage,” says Silvia
Miyazaki, director of the project.
Additional work is being done incorporating
natural fibers in the resin to
enhance the strength of applications,
mainly in food packaging.
Scientists at the national institute
Conicet, and the materials division of
the National Commission for Atomic
Energy (CNEA) in Argentina, are also
researching biodegradable resins with
natural fibers. They found that local
fillers like starch, wood pulp, sisal, and
jute could be added in loadings up to
45% to reduce the cost of PHB and
PHBV. The effect on mechanical properties
and improvements to the compatibility
between matrix and reinforcement
are under study.
PET recycled from bottles and food
packaging is also used to produce
biodegradable resin in Brazil. In a joint
project between the University of
Joinville, the Catholic University of
Rio Grande do Sul, and the Pierre and
Marie Curie University in Paris, recycled
PET is mixed with aliphatic polyester,
a polymer that’s edible to
microorganisms in soil. “By mixing
PET and aliphatic polyester, a highly
biodegradable product can be formulated,”
says researcher Ana Paula Testa
Pezzin. Adjusting the relative proportions
of PET and aliphatic polyester
controls permeability and mechanical
resistance.
Active biodegradable packaging, with
antimicrobials that enhance the shelf
life of foods, is the topic of post-doctoral
research by Cynthia Ditchfield at
the Polytechnic University of São
Paulo. The resin, based on cassava and
sugar, incorporates natural composites
of proven antimicrobial effect, such as
honey, cinnamon, cloves, essential
orange oil, and coffee. The effects of
these additives on the flexibility and
resistance of films, as well as the barrier
to humidity, are being evaluated.
GE Plastics South America
announced the first patent for a compound
of polyamide 6 reinforced with
10%–20% of the Amazonian fiber
curauá, a renewable, biodegradable,
and recyclable material. According to
GE, the reinforcement can replace
glass fibers in automotive and electronics
applications, reducing average part
cost by 50% and weight by 15%. The
project was developed with the
University of Campinas in São Paulo,
which shares patent rights.
Scientists at the Universities of Valle
and Cauca in Colombia developed a
biodegradable thermoplastic based on
cassava, for flexible and rigid packaging.
Reinforcement with native fibers
similar to cactus is under study.
Researchers at the National
University of Mexico are extracting
biodegradable polymers from microorganisms
in residual water. The bacteria,
fungus, and protozoa used to decontaminate
water produce resins after
controlled cycles of feeding and starving.
The process has the potential to
drastically reduce the cost of biopolymers
and increase their production
efficiency.
Mexico’s Center of Biological
Research of the Northwest has produced
biodegradable PHA (polyhydroxyalkoanate)
polymers from bacteria
in marine sediment off the coast of
Baja California. The resins have transparency,
strength, and elasticity similar
to that of polyester. Alejandro López
Cortés, a researcher, explains that in
production of biopolymers, marine
microorganisms have advantages over
soil-based microorganisms in that they
grow faster, require less space to reproduce,
and are easier to handle.
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