Issue 02/2017

Automotive Materials Material-News
New blends for home compostable films
Bioplastics producer FKuR has introduced
new Bio-Flex blends which meet the stringent
requirements of the French Energy Transition
Law for plastic bags. Home compostable and up
to 40 % biobased, the new compounds fit the bill
for a wide range of applications.
The new Bio-Flex blends are designed for the
production of low gauge films that will biodegrade
completely in garden compost at low, variable
temperatures. The new grades have already
been awarded OK Compost HOME certificates by
Vinçotte, the Belgian accredited inspection and
certification organisation. In addition, most of the
new compounds meet the requirements of Article
75 of the French Energy Transition Law (“Loi sur
la transition énergétique”), under which since
January 1, 2017, plastic bags may no longer be
issued by retailers for fruit and vegetables, nor
for cheese, meat and fish sold at supermarket
counters. However, bags made from home
compostable bioplastic which contain a minimum
content of renewable raw materials of 30 % (and
from 2025, 60 % renewable raw materials) are
excluded from this ban.
All home compostable Bio-Flex compounds
are regarded as having outstanding moisture
resistance. This is a great advantage when
compared with many other commercially
available starch-based plastics of this type. These
biodegrade rapidly but should only be filled with
dry contents. The range of possible applications
for these new compounds of FKuR is wide and
includes multi-purpose bags, as well as bags for
fruit and vegetable packing, mulching films and
other packaging
The product range currently comprises
both translucent and opaque grades. Bio-Flex
FX 1803 (30 % biobased), F 1804 and F 1814
(both 40 % biobased) grades are translucent.
Bio-Flex F 1814 offers the additional benefit of
increased tear resistance. They are suitable for
packaging goods with printed QR codes as well
as for visually attractive packaging for all types of
printed materials.
Bio-Flex FX 1821 (10 % biobased), FX 1823
(30 % biobased) and FX 1824 (40 % biobased)
grades are all opaque. These opaque grades
show very good tear resistance and toughness.
Pilot tests with customers have shown that
bag thickness can easily be down gauged to 8
μm with these new grades. The good processing
properties using existing production facilities
are similar for all Bio-Flex grades and are a
characteristic of FKuR compounds. MT
www.fkur.com
9 / F14
translucent
Bio-Flex FX1803
tear resistant
Bio-Flex FX 1824
Towards all-cellulosic packaging materials
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd has developed lightweight 100 % bio-based stand-up pouches with high
technical performance. High performance in both oxygen, grease and mineral oil barrier properties has been reached by
using different biobased coatings on paper substrate. The pouches exploit VTT’s patent pending high consistency enzymatic
fibrillation of cellulose (HefCel) technology.
“One-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. Packaging with efficient barrier properties is
a crucial factor in the reduction of the food loss. Our solution offers an environmentally friendly option for the global packaging
industry”, says Senior Scientist Jari Vartiainen of VTT.
VTT’s HefCel technology provides a low-cost method for the production of nanocellulose resulting in a tenfold increase in the
solids content of nanocellulose. Nanocellulose has been shown to be potentially very useful for a number of future technical
applications. The densely packed structure of nanocellulose films and coatings enable their outstanding oxygen, grease and
mineral oil barrier properties.
HefCel technology exploits industrial enzymes and simple mixing technology as tools to fibrillate cellulose into nanoscale
fibrils without the need for high energy consuming process steps. The resulting nanocellulose is in the consistency of 15-25 %
when traditional nanocellulose production methods result in 1-3 % consistency.
The stand-up pouch is the fastest growing type of packaging, growing at a rate of 6.5 % per year from 2015-2020.
Fossil-based plastic films still dominate the packaging market. However, the development of environmentally
friendly new materials is of growing importance. Nanocellulose has been shown to be potentially very
useful for a number of future technical applications.
VTT has solid expertise in various bio-based raw materials and their application technologies
for producing bio-based coatings, films and even multilayered structures both at lab-scale and
pilot-scale. A versatile set of piloting facilities are available from raw material sourcing through
processing to application testing and demonstration.
Not exactly a bio-plastic product, this fully biobased packaging is a very interesting development. MT
www.vtt.fi
18 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/17] Vol. 12