bioplasticsMAGAZINE_1406

ISSN 1862-5258
November / December
06 | 2014
bioplastics magazine Vol. 9
Highlights
3D Printing | 16
Films, Flexibles, Bags | 10
Consumer & Office Electronics | 40
... is read in 91 countries

Spectra Using New Biopolymer Materials
Spectra Packaging, a leading UK-based plastic
packaging company, have chosen to offer BRASKEM’ S
GREEN PE and GLOBIO BIO-PET for their bottle
solutions. The benefits of offering their customers this
sustainable alternative are that the physical properties,
manufacturing processes and applications can be the
same as conventional oil-based plastics. In addition
these bioplastics can be recycled along with conventional
plastics. As a result, brand owners and retailers will be
able to contribute to a more sustainable future.
For more information visit
www.fkur.com • www.fkur-biobased.com

Editorial
dear
readers
Loyal, long time readers of bioplastics MAGAZINE have already learned
some details of my private life. Well here comes another bit. For about 30
years I’ve been a keen glove-puppet puppeteer. So it is no surprise that one
of my colleagues in that hobby would eventually end up being our cover girl.
May I introduce to you Miss Schniedermeyer (our gossip-monger)? And as
3D printing is one of our editorial highlights in this issue, we tried to clone
Miss Schniedermeyer on a 3D printer, using free open source software tools
and a wood-filled material (see page 21).
In many of the articles about 3D printing, the authors write about Fused
Deposition Modelling mentioning the abbreviation FDM. I want to take the
opportunity here to mention that FDM is a registered trademark of the
company Stratasys Inc.
The first of the other two editorial focus topics are Films, Flexibles, Bags
with, among other articles, yet another comment on the European Bagislation
development. The second one is Consumer and Office Electronics
Initially it was planned to publish a comprehensive article on the basics of
Sustainability: Brundtland and the forest industry having invented sustainability
400 years ago, and so on. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to write that
piece in time, so I’m grateful to Elevance for providing an article that in a
way covers the basics, certainly from their point of view.
And finally we’d like to draw your attention to two new conferences, that
bioplastics MAGAZINE is hosting in 2015. In May we invite you to the first
bio!PAC conference on biobased materials in packaging And in the autumn
of next year we will be presenting the first bio!CAR conference on biobased
materials in automotive applications We will be pleased to accept proposals
for presentations for both events.
Until then we hope you enjoy reading bioplastics MAGAZINE
Sincerely yours
Michael Thielen
bioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 9
ISSN 1862-5258
Highlights
3D Printing | 16
Films, Flexibles, Bags | 10
Consumer & Office Electronics | 40
November / December
06 | 2014
... is read in 91 countries
Follow us on twitter!
www.twitter.com/bioplasticsmag
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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol.9 3

Content
Films | Flexibles | Bags
10 New film bags for fresh food and electronics
11 Dutch Railways and Rwanda choose biodegradable
packaging
12 Bioplastics help natural rubber
3D printing
16 What is 3D printing?
18 Biobased Fabrication Network – BioFabNet
19 New bioplastic for 3D printing
19 PLA compounds for 3D printing
20 New tailor-made PLA/PHA compounds
for 3D printing
21 Cover-Story
22 PLA/PHA Blend for 3D-Printing
23 Rapid prototyping methods for bio-based plastics
24 Low cost extruder
26 New high performance PLA grades for 3D Printing
27 3D printed PLA egg
28 Different Bioplastics for 3D printing
30 3D printing of a real house
06|2014
November/December
From Science & Research
32 Design challenges with biobased plastics
Consumer Electronics
40 Biobased color toner
42 Durable plastic for mobile devices
43 Biobased high-performance polyamides for mobile
healthcare electronic devices
Politics
44 Bagislation in Europe – A (good?) case for biodegradables
Basics
48 Next-generation sustainability requires higher product
performance
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03
News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 05 - 07
Application News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 - 39
Suppliers Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 - 52
Event Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Companies in this issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Imprint
Publisher / Editorial
Dr. Michael Thielen (MT)
Samuel Brangenberg (SB)
contributing editor: Karen Laird (KL)
Layout/Production
Ulrich Gewehr (Dr. Gupta Verlag)
Mark Speckenbach (DWFB)
Head Office
Polymedia Publisher GmbH
Dammer Str. 112
41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany
phone: +49 (0)2161 6884469
fax: +49 (0)2161 6884468
info@bioplasticsmagazine.com
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
Media Adviser
Caroline Motyka
phone: +49(0)2161-6884467
fax: +49(0)2161 6884468
cm@bioplasticsmagazine.com
Print
Poligrāfijas grupa Mūkusala Ltd.
1004 Riga, Latvia
Total print run: 4,000 copies
bioplastics magazine
ISSN 1862-5258
bM is published 6 times a year.
This publication is sent to qualified
subscribers (149 Euro for 6 issues).
bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on
chlorine-free FSC certified paper.
bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 91 countries.
Not to be reproduced in any form
without permission from the publisher.
The fact that product names may not be
identified in our editorial as trade marks is not
an indication that such names are not registered
trade marks. FDM is a trademark
of Stratasys Inc.
bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British
spelling. However, in articles based on
information from the USA, American
spelling may also be used.
Editorial contributions are always welcome.
Please contact the editorial office via
mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com.
Envelopes
A part of this print run is mailed to the
readers wrapped in envelopes sponsored by
FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, Willich, Germany
Cover
Cover: Michael Thielen
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News
Corbion Purac to build
PLA production plant
Corbion Purac, the Netherlands-based global market
leader in lactic acid, lactic acid derivatives and lactides,
has decided to act on what its CEO Tjerk de Ruijter recently
described as an “attractive demand outlook for PLA, albeit
at a lower growth pace than previously assumed”.
With worldwide PLA capacity almost sold out and with
the PLA market expected to grow to 600 kTpa by 2025, the
market is seeking additional PLA suppliers – a role that
Corbion Purac feels more than competent to fulfill.
As De Ruijter pointed out: “Given our strong position in
lactic acid, our unique high heat technology and the market
need for a second PLA producer, we plan to forward integrate
in the bioplastics value chain, from being a lactide
provider to a PLA producer.”
The company has announced plans to invest in a 75 kTpa
PLA plant (estimated EUR 60 million capex) in Thailand, but
“only if we can secure at least one-third of plant capacity
in committed PLA volumes from customers”, according to
De Ruijter.
The announcement came at the company’s strategy update
conference a few weeks ago, and underscored the
revised strategic direction presented there: a focus on
strengthening the core business in ingredients for food and
biochemicals (Biobased Ingredients), while leveraging the
technology to build new business platforms in the biotechnology
arena (Biobased Innovations).
Corbion is already active in this area, and: “In Biobased
Innovations, we have a portfolio with large growth opportunities,
which requires significant investments,” noted De
Ruijter. Next to its PLA/lactide business, the company is a
partner in a succinic acid joint venture with BASF, has developed
gypsum-free fermentation technology, is exploring
fermentations based on 2 nd generation biomass, and other
longer-term development projects.
In addition, the company will continue to explore strategic
alliances, as a means to enhance the business opportunities
while mitigating the associated risks. “We will debottleneck
our existing lactic acid asset base, and therefore
we do not foresee the need for a major new lactic acid plant
in the near term,” said De Ruijter
Corbion’s existing polymerization customers, many of
whom have already successfully built up a strong local presence,
good distribution channels and extensive market
coverage, will continue to be supplied with lactides; new
PLA polymerization customers are welcome. Lactide sales
for the coatings and adhesives markets will also continue.
KL
Methane as feedstock
for lactic acid
The U.S. Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office
has announced a grant of up to $2.5 million to Nature-
Works, one of the world’s leading suppliers of bioplastics,
in support of the company’s ongoing reseach collaboration
with Calysta (Menlo Park, California, USA).
The project is aimed at achieving the successful sequestering
and, via a fermentation process, use of renewable
biomethane, a potent greenhouse gas, as a feedstock for
the NatureWorks’s Ingeo biopolymers and intermediates.
The research and development collaboration with Calysta
addresses NatureWorks’ strategic interests in feedstock
diversification and a structurally simplified, lower
cost Ingeo production platform and leverages Calysta’s
Biological Gas-to-Chemicals platform for biological conversion
of methane to high value chemicals. For Nature-
Works, methane could be an additional feedstock several
generations removed from the simple plant sugars used
today in a lactic acid fermentation process at the Nature-
Works Blair, Nebraska, Ingeo production facility.
This June, a year after the joint development program
was announced, Calysta demonstrated lab-scale production
of lactic acid from methane, a major milestone in the
project. Fundamental R&D should be completed in the
next two to three years, enabling pilot production in three
to five years.
A greenhouse gas 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide,
methane is generated by the natural decomposition
of plant materials and is a component of natural gas. Biomethane
refers specifically to renewably sourced methane
produced from such activities as waste-water treatment,
decomposition within landfills, farm wastes, and anaerobic
digestion. If successful, the technology could directly produce
lactic acid from any of these methane sources.
“If proven through this collaboration, methane to lactic
acid conversion technology could be revolutionary, providing
sustainable alternative feedstocks for Ingeo,” said
NatureWorks Ken Williams, Program Leader for the Calysta-NatureWorks
collaboration. “When coupled with NatureWorks’
proven commercial process for lactic acid to
Ingeo, the methane to lactic acid process would transform
a harmful greenhouse gas into useful and in-demand
consumer and industrial products. This disruptive platform
could support high-value chemicals and liquid fuels.
Our team thanks the Bioenergy Technologies Office and
is proud to have been recognized by the Department of
Energy grant for this NatureWorks and Calysta research
collaboration.” KL
www.corbion.com
www.natureworksllc.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 5

News
FDA approval for
PA 1010
Evonik Industries (Germany) has received a food
contact substance notification (FCN) for its family of
PA1010 polyamides. The VESTAMID ® Terra DS16 natural
may be used as a basic polymer in the production of
articles intended for food contact. Details to the approved
applications can be found in the FCN#001439. Whereby,
essentially, it may be come in contact with all types of food
at chilled to elevated room temperatures for single use
as well all types of food in repeated use application up to
100 °C.
Approval is based on the simulation and actual tested
migration behavior of the monomers, oligomers and other
trace substances.
“Receiving the FDA approval is a validation that our
efforts to strive for the best quality bio-based polyamides
on the market has paid off”, said Dr. Benjamin Brehmer,
Business Manager for biopolymers. “This milestone also
allows us to confidently enter new markets with clarity of
the regulatory situation”.
Vestamid Terra DS is based on polyamide 1010. Both
monomers (the diamine and the diacid) are derived from
castor oil, making Terra DS a 100 % bio-content polymer.
Vestamid Terra HS is based on polyamide 610, which is a
63 % bio-content polymer. PA610 has already received both
EU and USA food contact approvals with non-alcoholic
foods. Having food contact approvals for both products
enables Evonik to offer a broader portfolio of bio-based
polyamide to the market.
Vestamid Terra is derived partly or entirely from the
castor bean plant, a raw material that is not animal feed,
and which does not compete with that of food crops. Unlike
other bio-sourced products, biopolyamide Vestamid Terra
is a high performance polymer, so there are no restrictions
on its service life and it retains impressive physical and
chemical resistance properties similar to petroleumbased
high performance polymers. MT
www.corporate.evonik.com
FTC warns oxo-users
about deceptive claims
Staff of the Federal Trade Commission has sent out
letters warning 15 undisclosed marketers of oxodegradable
plastic waste bags that their oxodegradable, oxo biodegradable,
or biodegradable claims may be deceptive.
The FTC, which “works for consumers to prevent fraudulent,
deceptive, and unfair business practices and to
provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them”,
has taken on this issue before. In a demonstration that it
not only barks, but also bites, it last year - almost to the
day - announced six enforcement actions, including one
that imposed a US $ 450,000 civil penalty and five that for
the first time address biodegradable plastic claims, as
part of the ongoing crackdown on false and misleading
environmental claims.
This year, the Commission has targeted 15 sellers of
plastic bags manufactured from oxo-degradable plastic.
Oxodegradable plastic is made with an additive intended
to cause it to somewhat degrade in the presence of oxygen.
In many countries waste bags are intended to be
deposited in landfills, however, where not enough oxygen
likely exists for such bags to degrade in the time consumers
expect. Contrary to the marketing, therefore, these
bags may be no more biodegradable than ordinary plastic
waste bags when used as intended.
“If marketers don’t have reliable scientific evidence for
their claims, they shouldn’t make them,” said Jessica
Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
“Claims that products are environmentally friendly
influence buyers, so it’s important they be accurate.”
The staff notified 15 marketers that they may be deceiving
consumers based on the agency‘s 2012 revisions
to its Guides For the Use of Environmental Marketing
Claims (the Green Guides). Based on studies about how
consumers understand biodegradable claims, the Green
Guides advise that unqualified degradable or biodegradable
claims for items that are customarily disposed in
landfills, incinerators, and recycling facilities are deceptive
because these locations do not present conditions in
which complete decomposition will occur within one year.
The FTC advised marketers that consumers understand
the terms doxodegradable or oxo-biodegradable
claims to mean the same thing as biodegradable. Staff
identified the 15 marketers as part of its ongoing review
of green claims in the marketplace. It has given them a
brief period to respond to the warning letters and tell the
staff if they will remove their oxodegradable claims from
their marketing or if they have competent and reliable
scientific evidence proving that their bags will biodegrade
as advertised. KL/MT
www.ftc.gov
6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

News
Obama Administration to support
biobased materials
On October 27, US-President Barack Obama announced biobased materials as one of three emerging technologies for US
competitiveness. One of the executive actions will include investing over $ 300 million in emerging manufacturing technologies,
specifically composites and bio-based materials, which will be equally matched by the private sector.
The White House said in a statement the actions would build on the final report of Obama‘s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership
that recommends measures to spur innovation, secure a skilled workforce and improve the business climate.
“The executive actions announced today align with the report’s recommendations by making investments in emerging, crosscutting
manufacturing technologies, training our workforce with the skills for middle-class jobs in manufacturing, and equipping
small manufacturers to adopt cutting-edge technologies,” the administration noted in a statement. MT
www.whitehouse.gov
SPE Automotive Innovation Award for PA4
A 70 % biobased PA 410 (EcoPaXX by DSM) lightweight multi-functional crankshaft cover came top in the Powertrain category
at the Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Division Innovation Awards Competition and Gala in Detroit on November 12.
The crankshaft cover is produced by German company KACO for the latest generation of MDB-4 TDI diesel engines developed
by the Volkswagen Group.
The SPE recognized the numerous environmental and economic advantages of the new part and the technologies used to
make it. The EcoPaXX crankshaft cover weighs around 40% less than a crankshaft cover with similar geometry made in aluminum,
and so represents an important step in improving fuel efficiency in cars. Because the finished cover weighs so much
less, vehicles run more efficiently, saving fuel and reducing carbon dioxide emissions throughout their lifetime.
Kaco produces the crankshaft covers in an integrated fully automated process that involves insert molding a 50 % glass
fiber reinforced grades of EcoPaXX polyamide 410 over a plasma-activated dynamic PTFE seal, and then co-molding this with
a liquid silicone rubber static seal. Kaco itself developed and patented the plasma process, which replaces a wet activation
process involving solvents.
“The partners in this project have taken a holistic approach to sustainability,” says Andreas Genesius, head of project management
at Kaco. “In the application itself, the dynamic PTFE seals reduce friction to a minimum; the manufacturing process
is completely waste-free; and the part makes substantial use of sustainable materials.” EcoPaXX is derived 70 % from renewable
resources, and is certified 100 % carbon neutral from cradle to gate.
In addition to these environmental advantages, there is a significant cost advantage in using EcoPaXX instead of aluminum.
The total system cost can be up to 25 % less than that for a similar die-cast aluminum crankshaft cover design. This was the
first time that EcoPaXX has been used in a powertrain component.
The material had to meet a series of very demanding
specifications, including very low water absorption for
dimensional stability; high resistance to stress over a
wide range of temperatures (operating temperatures
range from -40 °C to +150 °C, with excursions up to
170 °C); resistance to engine oils and diesel fuel; and
the ability to bond, not only to the LSR and PTFE seals,
but also, during engine assembly, to the cast iron engine
block and to a second silicone seal on the oil sump.
KL
www.dsm.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 7

Bioplastics Award
And the winner is ...
9 th Global Bioplastics Award goes to two winners
For the second time (following the exciting 2012 awards)
the prestigious Bioplastics Award was again given to
two winners. And this year, both winners come from the
packaging sector.
The Annual Global Bioplastics Award, proudly presented
by bioplastics MAGAZINE, was now awarded for the 9 th time.
The award recognises innovation, success and achievements
by manufacturers, processors, brand owners or users of
bioplastic materials. This year it was given to Zandonella,
a German manufacturer of bio-ice cream, and to the Swiss
Coffee Company. As the award ceremony was held during
the 9 th European Bioplastics Conference in Brussels the
night before the publication date of this issue, you will find
photographs and other details from the ceremony online.
Again five judges from the academic world, the press and
industry associations from America, Europe and Asia have
chosen the two winners in a head-to-head race. For the judges
it was significant that both packaging related developments
represent a kind of holistic approaches that not only look at
the single packaging item itself.
Zandonella was awarded for the development of Sandro’s
Bio Box, a 500 ml box made of BioFoam ® for gourmet icecream.
As the first ice cream company to do so, Zandonella
GmbH from Landau, Germany introduced the box made of
expanded PLA particle foam from Synbra. In addition, all
other packaging components are made of renewable raw
materials, and all are appropriate for industrial composting.
Further parts of the packaging concept are: paper wrap,
shrink film (also for tamper evidence) made of PLA, label
made of cellulose or PLA, PLA inlay, as well as coating film
made of PLA.
The Swiss Coffee Company from Widnau, Switzerland, was
selected for the award for the development of their Beanarella:
compostable coffee capsules. In cooperation with BASF the
Swiss introduced a system that consists of a coffee capsule
made from ecovio ® IS1335 and an aroma tight outer packaging
which is predominantly based on renewable resources. Other
than the existing coffee-capsule producers the Swiss Coffee
Company pursued a holistic approach paying attention on the
whole life-cycle of the product. This includes the capsule, the
high barrier film, the filter medium and the coffee machine
as well as composting and anaerobic digestion scenarios for
the end of life.
For the first time the trophy of the Bioplastics Award
itself exhibits a bioplastics aspect too. The plaques given to
the winners feature a new Bioplastics Award logo that was
3D printed using a filament based on a PLA/PHA blend.
bioplastics MAGAZINE is grateful to FKuR and Helian Polymers
for their support.
8 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

io PAC
biobased packaging
conference
12/13 may 2015
n o v o t e l
amsterdam
bio CAR
Biobased materials for
automotive applications
conference
fall 2015
» Packaging is necessary.
» Packaging protects the precious goods
during transport and storage.
» Packaging conveys important messages
to the consumer.
» Good packaging helps to increase
the shelf life.
BUT:
Packaging does not necessarily need to be made
from petroleum based plastics.
biobased packaging
» is packaging made from mother nature‘s gifts.
» is packaging made from renewable resources.
» is packaging made from biobased plastics, from
plant residues such as palm leaves or bagasse.
» The amount of plastics in modern cars
is constantly increasing.
» Plastics and composites help achieving
light-weighting targets.
» Plastics offer enormous design opportunities.
» Plastics are important for the touch-and-feel
and the safety of cars.
BUT:
consumers, suppliers in the automotive industry and
OEMs are more and more looking for biobased
alternatives to petroleum based materials.
That‘s why bioplastics MAGAZINE is organizing this new
conference on biobased materials for the automotive
industry.
» offers incredible opportunities.
www.bio-pac.info
CAll foR
PAPeRs
now oPen
www.bio-car.info
in cooperation with
www. biobasedpackaging.nl

Films | Flexibles | Bags
New film bags
for fresh food
and electronics
Measuring only eight microns (µm) thick, Natural
Shield transparent film bags are currently
the thinnest bags made out of Ingeo PLA.
Fully 70 % of the Natural Shield film consists of Ingeo.
Because Natural Shield bags are so thin, water
vapor and gas transmission are high and many fresh
foods are better preserved with these properties.
Furthermore, aroma transmission is low, preventing
odors from being released, and while the film has
good stiffness it is still quiet when handled. Natural
Shields high transparency showcases the bag contents,
and the bags reclose naturally thanks to the
film’s unique twist effect. A high strength film as
compared to petroleum-based alternatives, Natural
Shield is USDA certified biobased (69 %, ASTM
D 6866) and DIN CERTO certified compostable (EN
13432 / ASTM D 6400).
Natural Shield film shrinks at energy saving low
temperatures, making it an ideal choice for shrink-film
applications. The film has a controllable shrink ratio
for improved processing during shrink applications.
The film does not contain BPA (bisphenol A), is food
contact compliant, and offers superior printability. In
addition to fresh food packaging, the film’s anti-static
properties make it ideal for packaging electronic
parts and components.
Natural Shield key specifications include:
Thickness (μm) 6-30
Thickness deviation (%) ≤±15
Width (mm) 200~600
Width deviation (mm) ≤±20
Tensile strength (MPa)
Elongation at break (%)
MD≥75 TD≥85
MD50-150 TD50-120
Initial shrink temperature °C 55-65
Shrink ratio (%) (70 °C)
Light transmittance (%)
Haze (%)
MD20-65 TD20-65
≥85
≤4
O 2
permeability (kg·m/m 2 sPa) ~3×10 -18
H 2
O vapor permeability (kg·m/m 2 sPa) ~8×10 -15
Remarks: MD = machine direction, TD = transverse direction
Shanghai Natural Shield New Material Technology
Co. Ltd. developed the Ingeo based film. Formed
by professors, students, and partners, this startup
company relies on the outstanding engineering
and technical knowledge of East China University
of Science and Technology as well as the extensive
business experience of its partners. Based on
innovation and developing strategy, the company
promotes novel environmentally friendly and
sustainable polylactide-based films under the
Natural Shield brand. MT
www.natureshieldchina.com
10 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Films | Flexibles | Bags
Dutch Railways and Rwanda
choose biodegradable
packaging
The Bioplastic Factory sees a growing demand
for bioplastics at large companies.
The 500.000 bags of train-shaped liquorice candy which
the Dutch Railways (NS) is handing out these days to
celebrate the 175-years of existence of the railway are
made of a biodegradable laminate of corn based PLA and cellulose
based film (Natureflex from Innovia).
So are the bags of crisps, which the residents of Rwanda
will snack on soon. Many more large companies and
organizations in the Netherlands choose for biodegradable
packaging, notes The Bioplastic Factory (Oud-Beijerland, The
Netherlands).
The company is a specialist in packaging, durables and
disposables all made of bioplastics. These are made out of
natural material such as corn, potato, sugarcane, bagasse,
wood pulp and bamboo. All renewable raw materials are
preferably from waste streams so the production is not
affecting the food chain. The bioplastics are mostly certified
compostable.
Using renewable raw materials or argicultural waste
streams, packaging and other plastics do not have to
be made of crude oil anymore. Compostable plastics
offer the additional benefit to the environment
that there will be no pollution anymore with nondegradable
plastics.
The Bioplastic Factory has contact with foodproducing
multinationals, large supermarket
chains, garden centers, a producer of frozen
chips and a large developing aid organization.
”We are talking with reputable companies
and organizations. All are having interest
in biodegradable plastics. We really see
a growing demand and believe that this
will provide huge opportunities.” says
Bas van den Bogerd of The Bioplastic
Factory.
He and his colleagues Wouter Geldhof and Alfred
Sandee started this company two years ago and
with former CTO from DSM innovation centrum
Dirk Sjoerdsma they have an experienced doctor
in polymer chemistry at their side.
The company will make packaging to order in
consultation with the customer. From food-grade
injection packaging made out of cornstarch to a thermoformed
bagasse dish to a packaging foil made of wood pulp.
Since the 20 th of September a half million bags of train
liquorice are being handed out to celebrate the 175 years of
existence of the railway. The company made these special
biodegradable packaging together with their partner
Bio4Pack. This way the NS will allow their travelers to
enjoy their fun marketing campaign in an environmentally
responsible way.
For Rwanda, The Bioplastic Factory is in the progress of
making biodegradable packaging for bags of crisps. “To
my knowledge we are one of the first in Europe to develop
a biodegradable crisp package, certainly the first in the
Netherlands”, says Van den Bogerd. MT
www.thebioplasticfactory.nl
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 11

Films | Flexibles | Bags
Bioplastics
help natural
rubber
Application of bioplastics
in Thailand’s natural
rubber plantations
Typical rubber nursery that uses polyethylene bags.
Natural rubber latex is obtained by tapping of rubber
trees called pará rubber. Car tyres are the biggest
natural rubber product. They are today made from a
compounding of natural rubber with synthetic rubber. Synthetic
rubber is petroleum-based similar to petroleum-based
plastic, while natural rubber is a biobased product.
Thailand supplies 37 % of the 12 million tonnes annually
of the world’s natural rubber and therefore has the single
biggest market share. Thailand currently grows 1.5 billion
rubber trees. Each year 90 million new rubber trees are
replanted to replace old trees whose service lives are finished.
Plastics are used in every stage of the natural rubber
industry, starting from the production of young rubber trees
in nurseries where plastics are used for bud grafting, planting
bags and netting. When young rubber trees are transferred
for planting in larger plantations, plastics are used for
ground cover or mulch film, and latex collection cups. After
harvesting plastics are used as rubber block wrappers for
transportation. Polyethylene and polypropylene are the most
widely used plastics in the rubber industry.
Maxrich Co., Ltd. is a Thai company that develops
technology and products in bioplastics. The company has
R&D and manufacturing facilities for compounding and
converting of bioplastics. Maxrich’s business includes various
applications of bioplastics, among which is the application
of bioplastics in the rubber industry. For applications in the
rubber industry, Maxrich has been working with the Office of
the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund (ORRAF), a state enterprise
under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. ORRAF
provide funds to rubber farmers for replanting. Thus ORRAF
and Maxrich have a mutual goal to replace petroleum-based
plastics used in the rubber industry with bioplastics. The
two parties cooperate to develop bioplastics products that
will replace polyethylene and polypropylene. The bioplastics
applications in natural rubber have been field tested in actual
plantation conditions. Some applications are as follow:
Bioplastics planting bags replace
polyethylene bags
Rubber trees are planted from bud-grafted root stocks
which have to be raised in nurseries for 6-12 months before
transferring into the ground. The traditional method is to
raise the bud-grafted root stocks in polyethylene bags. When
the root stocks are planted into the ground farmers cut open
the polyethylene bags. This process causes high mortality
rate to the root stocks due to damage to the root system. Also,
the polyethylene bags become litter in rubber plantations.
Polyethylene bags are not only environmentally hazardous but
also obstruct the natural flow of rain water. The bud-grafted
root stocks come from special clones and hence are highly
priced.
Maxrich and ORRAF have jointly developed planting bags
from bioplastics such that the bags can be planted into the
ground with the root stocks. There is no need to cut the
bioplastics bags because they will degrade in soil allowing the
roots to grow outside of the bags. Other advantages are that
12 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Films | Flexibles | Bags
while they are slowly degrading they keep the moisture inside.
The moisture supplements the rain during temporary rain
breaks and so ensuring a higher survival rate. The bioplastics
bags also save fertilizer which is normally washed away by
rain.
Although the material cost of bioplastics bags is higher
than that of the conventional polyethylene bags the benefits of
bioplastics bags far outweigh the material cost increase. An
economics comparison reveals that the benefits of bioplastics
bags are worth more than 30 times the increment in material
costs. Also, because rubber farmers get a subsidy from
ORRAF for replanting, the increase in material costs qualify
for ORRAF’s subsidy. In turn ORRAF will benefit from a better
environment, better plantation management and an economic
pay-back from lower rubber tree mortality.
Maxrich and ORRAF have done several field tests using
bags compounded from either PLA or PBS. The tests were
conducted in different geographical areas, in different soil and
temperature conditions. The field tests and growth monitoring
draw the above conclusions. From this stage Maxrich and
ORRAF are planning to expand the implementation to cover
all of Thailand. It is estimated that a few thousand tons of
bioplastics will be used to implement the change. Similar
ideas can also be applied to other economics crops such as
oil palms, fruit orchards and high value teaks.
Root trainers for rubber planting
A root trainer is a plastic tube used for raising root stock
in nurseries for the same purpose as that of planting
bags. Planting rubber by root trainers is a new agricultural
technology which increases latex productivity and extends
the service life of rubber trees. By planting in root trainers
the rubber tree’s root system can go deeper into the ground,
hence higher latex yield and stronger resistance to typhoons
and heavy storms are obtained. Root trainers are now made
by the injection moulding of polypropylene which does not
degrade in soil. Similar to PE planting bags, they have to be
removed before transferring rubber trees into the ground.
Maxrich is developing Bio Root Trainers by compounding
of biodegradable bioplastics for the injection moulding
process. The benefits of Bio Root Trainers mean a better
environment and economic savings from higher survival rates.
Transportation over long distance by plane to neighbouring
countries can also be done with root trainers.
Mulch film for rubber plantations
The technology for rubber plantation requires rubber trees
to be planted with standard spaces between rows of rubber.
Weeds that grow between the rows compete for soil nutrients
with young rubbers and jeopardize the growth of rubber trees.
In order to eradicate weeds the traditional method is either
to spray with chemical weed killer or by using manual labour.
Chemical weed killers do drastic damage to the ecology. They
kill not only weeds but are also harmful to human and other
natural living animals. The residual chemicals contaminate
the soil and water in the plantations.
Rubber planted with a bioplastics bag.
Rubber nursery using root trainers.
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 13

Films | Flexibles | Bags
Until recently mulch film was mostly made from
polyethylene. These mulch films are used only when rubber
trees are not matured. After rubber trees reach maturity,
their canopies touch each other preventing the sunlight from
reaching the soil. Weeds cannot grow without sunlight. Then
the mulch films have to be removed. However PE mulch films
do not degrade hence have to be removed by manual labour
which is very costly in large scale plantations.
Bioplastics geotextiles prevent soil erosion
while they slowly degrade.
Maxrich is developing biodegradable mulch films by
compounding bioplastics. The mulch films are to meet
specific requirements in rubber plantations. Biodegradable
mulch films for rubber plantations have to last long enough
for rubber trees to reach maturity. The bioplastics mulch
films would support the policy of reducing the use of chemical
weed killers and set an example for other agricultural crops.
Economics comparison shows that, over a long period, savings
of chemical weed killers can pay back for biodegradable
mulch films.
Geotextiles for soil erosion control
Rubber plantations on hill slopes face the problem of soil
erosion. Soil erosion causes landslides which damage rubber
trees and presents a danger to farmers. There have been
incidents where many rubber plantations were completely
destroyed and lives lost by landslides.
The traditional method to counter soil erosion is to make
earth ladders. This method requires massive manual labour
in rough terrains. Another method is to lay geotextiles on
sloped hills to prevent soil erosion. Presently, geotextiles are
made from plastics (polypropylene or polyethylene). Similar
to mulch films, these geotextiles are required until rubber
trees have matured. After the rubber trees reach maturity,
their roots hold the soil tightly and become their own natural
soil erosion control. Maxrich is developing biodegradable
geotextiles from compounds of bioplastics, then converting
them into non-woven textiles or netting. These biodegradable
geotextiles, while slowly degrading, control the soil erosion
while rubber trees grow to reach maturity.
The application of bioplastics in natural rubber plantations
is on the agenda of the Senate Committee for Science and
Technology. The Committee awarded Maxrich Co., Ltd.
with Excellence in Science and Technology Award. A policy
advocacy on bioplastics in agricultures is expected to follow.
Conclusion
Bioplastics applications are used for packaging as well as
for durable goods. In these applications their performance and
cost have to be competitive with petroleum-based plastics, in
many instances, bioplastics are not justifiable, but natural
rubbers are an economics crop with 30 years life span – better
agricultural practices, better environment, and economics
savings, can easily justify bioplastics. Bioplastics will be a new
era for 2 million families of Thai rubber farmers.
By:
Nopadol Suanprasert
President
Maxrich Co., Ltd
Bangkok, Thailand
www.bioplasticpackages.com
www.rubber.co.th
14 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

3D printing
What is 3D printing?
Challenges for making bioplastics 3D printable
Christian Bonten is the Chairholder and the director of
the Institut für Kunststofftechnik (Institute for Plastics
Engineering) in Stuttgart, Germany, partner in the
BioFabNet project (cf. p. 18) , and here he explains the technology:
As soon as you need just one of a kind, or a prototype, it is
worth using an additive manufacturing process, which does
not need a costly mould like for instance injection moulding.
There are different kinds of processes (see Fig. 1), that can all
be covered by the umbrella term 3D printing.
Commonly, all of these additive manufacturing processes
use flowable materials or materials in powder form and build
up the final products in the form of layers. Here, layer by
layer is deposited on, and connected to, the former layers in
different ways. The 3D CAD model is converted into a layer
model (STL format) and then forwarded to the controller of
the additive process machine. The final part is always stepped
and its surface is not smooth (Fig. 2).
The original 3D printing is just one kind of these additive
manufacturing processes. In this original process, a layer of
powder is brought onto a platform where a printing head runs
over the layer and glues the powder selectively. It works rather
similar to ink jet technology.
Today, another process, the Fused Deposition Modelling
(FDM), is used widely – even in private households – and
hence stands synonymously for the additive manufacturing
processes in general. In the FDM process, a heated nozzle
delivers a melt strand linearly on a platform (Fig. 3). This
thermoplastic strand solidifies after cooling and the next melt
strand can be laid down on top of it.
Solid
Liquid
Gaseous
Filament
Fusing /
solidifying
Solidify by
binder
Powder
Fusing /
solidifying
Blanking /
glue
Film
Blanking /
polymerisation
Polymerisation
Chemical
reaction
Process:
lay down of a melt strand
filament
Fused
deposition
modeling
(FDM)
3D-
Printing
(3DP)
Selektive
laser
sintering
(SLS)
Laminated
object
manufacturing
(LOM)
Solid
polymerisation
(SFP)
Stereolithography
(SLA)
Laser
chemical
vapor
deposition
(LCVD)
contact heating
Fig. 1: Different 3D printing processes at a glance
(source: 3D Printing, Carl Hanser Publishers)
1 2
prototype
nozzle
linewise
application
supporting structure
base plate
3
4
Fig. 3: Principle of the FDM process
(Source: Fig. 5.66 in Kunststofftechnik, Carl Hanser Publishers)
Layered
construction
Fig. 2: Principal cycle of additive manufacturing processes (Source:
Fig. 5.61 in Kunststofftechnik, Carl Hanser Publishers)
This QR-Code (or the short-link
bit.ly/1uiDvXh) connects to a short
video-clip on the IKT-Youtube-channel
that demonstrates the FDM process
16 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

3D printing
Fig. 4: Filament from a PLA blend (Source: IKT)
The melt strand is not produced by extrusion, as is usual in
plastics series processes, but out of a mono-filament (Fig. 4),
which is melted completely in the FDM nozzle by contact
heat. The nozzle-infeed (depending on the different machine
producers) usually has a diameter of exactly 3.0 or exactly
1.75 mm, whereas the nozzle outlet is 0.2 to 1,0 mm, depending
on the machine. The production pressure is raised by pushing
the filament into the heated nozzle. For this purpose, the
machine has pressure rolls or wheels (see Fig. 5).
Fig. 5: Detail of the printer head of the
FDM process (Source: IKT)
There are three process steps to produce 3D printed,
biobased, plastics parts (Fig. 6). The first step is the
compounding step that upgrades biopolymers to processable
bioplastics. The second step is the production of printable
monofilaments and the third step is the 3D printing process
itself.
Compounding: To achieve 3D printable bioplastic filaments
IKT Engineer Linda Goebel (Fig. 7) has to develop Bio-Blends
on one of the twin screw extruders in the compounding
technical centre of IKT.
Requirements of the material:
The chosen material has to be thermoplastic and needs to
consolidate quickly. In the solid state, the filament has to be
strong enough, to avoid breakage during its transport and
the filament´s surface needs a certain roughness, to prevent
slipping effects. In the molten state, the viscosity must be
high enough to avoid filament rupture, dripping off of melt
from the nozzle as well as keeping the upper new layer on
top of the layer laid down shortly beforehand. But, viscosity
should not be too high, to allow entanglements across the
layers´ surfaces and thus a fusion. The re-solidified state of
the material must meet the requirements of the later part.
Requirements of the filaments:
The filament diameter must be perfectly round to allow
pushing by means of the rolls and wheels as well as to make
sure that the there is enough contact to the inner nozzle wall.
If a filament were slightly oval it would probably neither be
pushed into the nozzle, nor would it have enough contact for
an efficient and fast heat transfer. In addition the filament’s
diameter should not pulsate along its length, i.e. the diameter
must be precisely the same over the whole length. This is not
easy, since the thermoplastic melt produced through a die
contains molecular orientations, which will relax after leaving
the nozzle. A so-called die swell occurs and will influence the
filament´s diameter even after production.
Compounding
Production of
the filaments
3D-printing
Fig. 6: Three process steps from the biopolymer
to the 3D part (Source: IKT)
Fig. 7: Linda Goebel during 3D printing
experiments (Source: IKT)
www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 17

3D printing
Biobased
Fabrication
Network –
BioFabNet
Fig 1: Open House at the German Government (Berlin).
Center: Ralf Kindervater, BIOPRO, right: Christian Schmidt,
German Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture
In the field of 3D printing, an upcoming innovation factor in
the plastics industry is the fact that the range of available
materials for the so called fused layer modeling method
(FDM) had been limited to polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylnitrile-butadiene-styrene
(ABS) for a long time. Few new and innovative
materials came up only recently and met a large demand
of 3D printing users. Meeting this trend and developing
new FDM-materials originating from renewable resources a
consortium based in Stuttgart, Germany, initiated the project
Biobased Fabrication Network (BioFabNet).
The BioFabNet consortium is lead by BIOPRO Baden-
Württemberg GmbH a public, non-profit innovation agency,
owned by the State of Baden-Württemberg, performing the
network building and support of the associated 3D printing
user community to test and evaluate novel Biobased plastic
materials.
Plastic technology research to develop the novel biobased
materials is performed by the IKT plastics technology Institute
of the University of Stuttgart, where blending, compounding
and filament extrusion is performed.
The Fraunhofer Institute for production technology and
automation (Fraunhofer IPA) has established a 3D-printing
test centre where several commercially available 3D-printers
have been installed jointly with highly specialized 3D printing
heads to pre-evaluate the novel materials, produced by the IKT.
Within the BioFabNet consortium new and innovative
filament materials are being developed using partially or totally
biobased polymers that are based on plant products such as
castor oil, sugar, starch, and lignin or cellulose based on wood.
The dedicated goal of the project BioFabNet is to achieve a
specific publicity for biobased plastic materials and gain an
increased market acceptance for this new material class.
Biobased plastics play an important role in a climate
compatible economy which abstains from the use of fossil
resources, the so called Bioeconomy. In the Bioeconomy of
the future, novel multi-usage cycles and long lasting recycling
procedures are to be established in a Cradle to Cradle way of
thinking and acting.
The molecular integrity of nature-derived structures like
plant fibres or plant oil ingredients, or wood as a complex
structured material, has to be maintained in usage cycles
to a high degree as long as possible, energetic use of such
complex structures should be last in the queue.
By combining novel biobased materials with consumer
used 3D printers a dedicated awareness about these topics
shall be placed widely in the public domain.
For this reason, BioFabNet directly addresses such private
users of 3D printers in order to evaluate novel materials
in a testing community. Currently more than 100 users are
part of the tester group of the BioFabNet, being supplied
with free samples of biobased filament material to perform
a range of 3D printing tasks like printing dedicated testing
rods, a precision printing performance check sample piece,
and some additional material amounts to print a free chosen
sample piece.
In order to bring the tester community in contact with
each other and to get a direct feedback on the 3D printing
experience with regard to the new materials a weblog has
been initiated (www.biofabnet-blog.de).
The project, funded by the German Ministry of Education
and Reseach (BMBF) in the BioIndustry 2021 funding program,
was started in August 2013 and runs for 2 years. The goal is
to develop 4 or 5 novel 3D printing filament materials and get
them evaluated in the user community. Promising materials
shall be commercialized by interested companies in the field
of plastic compounding.
The first material, a blend of PLA and PBAT has been
launched and evaluated by the testing community successfully.
The next 2 materials, another PLA blend and a biobased
polyamide, are currently being processed by IKT and IPA to
send to the testing community in the coming months.
In the run of the project interested companies that want
to commercialize the 3D printing filaments, are welcome to
contact the project consortium.
www.bio-pro.de
By:
Ralf Kindervater
CEO, BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg
Stuttgart, Germany
18 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

3D printing
New bioplastic for 3D printing
Plant-based plastics are already a popular choice for 3D
printing because they are much easier to work with during
processing, and are food safe and odour free. They are a great
example of how sustainable alternatives can gain market
share based on their performance, rather than just their green
credentials. However, oil-based printing filaments are still
used because they have a higher softening point and make
more flexible models that will bend before they break.
British-based developers Biome Bioplastics recently
launched a new bio-based material for 3D printing filaments.
Made from plant starches, Biome3D is a biodegradable
plastic that combines easy processing and a superior print
finish, while offering much higher print speeds. Developed
in partnership with 3Dom Filaments, the new plant-based
material was unveiled recently at the TCT Show 2014, the
leading event dedicated to 3D printing, additive manufacturing
and product development.
Biome3D combines the benefits of both plant and oil-based
printing filaments and demonstrates that high performance
plant-based plastics can be the ideal material for the 3D
printing industry. Biome3D combines a superior finish and
flexibility, with ease of processing and excellent printed detail.
In addition, and perhaps most importantly for the industry, it
runs at much higher print speeds, reducing overall job times.
“The future of bioplastics lies in demonstrating that plantbased
materials can outperform their traditional, oil-based
counterparts. Our new material for the 3D printing market
exemplifies that philosophy. Biome3D combines the best
processing qualities with the best product finish; it also
happens to be made from natural, renewable resources,”
explains Sally Morley, Sales Director at Biome Bioplastics.
However, Biome Bioplastics did not disclose any further
details about the bioplastic resins they are using. MT
www.biomebioplastics.com
PLA compounds
for 3D printing
In order to take advantage of 3D printing as a comparatively
inexpensive and creative option, special materials are needed
which must be formulated specifically to match customer
applications. PLA filaments are widely used today in 3D
printing. The GRAFE Group (Blankenhain, Germany) offers
its customers suitable and individual formulations for 3D
printing.
Reactor PLA can only, with much effort, be used to
produce PLA filaments. Normally the material undergoes
a compounding process using appropriate additives for
the individual application. When pigments are fed into
the formulation during compounding or through the
masterbatches, further components are added. The
additional materials in turn alter the viscosity and the result
is impaired processability. This presents a great challenge for
the manufacturers of (mostly) PLA and ABS filaments. The
addition of pigments in general impairs process reliability
and the consistent dimensional accuracy of the filaments.
Consistent dimensional accuracy of the filaments is, however,
a prerequisite for accurate printing and good structural
development of the component.
Grafe provides users of 3D printers with the right materials.
Newly developed additive masterbatches can raise quality,
efficiency and extrusion capacity. The thermoplastic PLA has
a huge advantage over other plastics. Besides being easy to
handle, the material displays minimal warp upon cooling so
that the work piece maintains greater dimensional accuracy.
High UV-resistance, low flammability and easy processing
are additional features of this thermoplastic polymer.
Environmentally conscious end consumers whose decisions
reflect concern for the ecological balance may also favor this
biobased and industrially compostable material. MT
www.grafe.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 19

3D printing
New tailor-made
PLA/PHA compounds
for 3D printing
German bioplastics specialist FKuR Kunststoff and Helian
Polymers, a leading Netherlands-based provider of
3D printing filaments, marketed under the ColorFabb
brand name, recently started to collaborate on the development
of novel PLA/PHA blends for 3D printing.
Customers know about FKuR’s outstanding expertise in
modifying and compounding PLA and PHA. So it is no surprise
that the company from Willich, Germany, recently started to
expand their range of bioplastics compounds into special
grades for 3D printing.
PLA compounds are particularly suitable for the FDM
process (Fused Deposition Modeling), as they offer a timely
solidification and low processing temperatures. Furthermore,
the low processing temperature results in easier control
of the printer and simplifies the regulation of the printing
process. With a printing accuracy that is far superior to that
of conventional ABS, still a major material used today, PLA
also offers cleaner processing conditions and unlike ABS,
PLA emits no potentially hazardous styrene vapours during
processing.
The inherent brittleness of unmodified PLA, however,
together with its low impact strength not only pose a challenge
during processing, they also impact adversely the quality of
the finished product. FKuR in close cooperation with Helian is
now developing new generations of PLA/PHA based filament
formulations that provide improved processing properties
combined with an optimized material quality.
“One important goal is to ensure productivity and production
reliability when extruding the filament,” explains Julian
Schmeling, Applications Technology and 3D print expert at
FKuR, “the other is to improve the process reliability when
3D printing with the filament.” The newly developed PLA/PHA
compounds meet these targets for example by exhibiting an
improved melt strength and elasticity. For the 3D printing
process it is essential that the filament delivered on a reel
is endless without any breaks. “Nothing is more annoying,
than finding your 3D print process interrupted due to a broken
filament,” says Edmund Dolfen, FKuR’s CEO and passionate
3D printer himself, “unless you want to stand next to your
machine and keep a watch on your 10 hour print process”. In
addition, Helian Polymers have optimized their four filament
production lines to the highest technical standards and
guarantee extremely narrow tolerances, a central criterion for
reliable 3D printing. And among other significantly improved
features the shrinkage and the propensity to warp are also
significantly reduced.
With their unique and comprehensive product portfolio, both
development partners will steadily expand the applications
and markets for PLA in 3D printing.
Helian’s Colorfabb filaments were initially launched in
2013, and are now available in a wide variety of colours.
Based on FKuR’s decades of experience in compounding
natural fibre (mainly wood) filled materials (e. g. under their
own brand Fibrolon ® ), the range of 3D print products was
recently extended to include new design materials reinforced
with natural fibres. The woodFill material consists of a
PLA/PHA blend and wood fibres, bambooFill is reinforced
with bamboo fibres, both grades optimized in fibre size and
content. Products printed with these novel filament grades
are characterized by a unique wood-like appearance and
distinctive feel. Compared with conventional wood, there are
virtually no limits to design freedom, opening new creative
options to all users, both professional and private. The latest
new developments include bronzeFill and copperFill, two
grades consisting of PLA/PHA blends filled with fine metal
powder. MT
www.fkur.com
www.colorfabb.com
20 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Cover-Story
C loning a
hand-carved
hand-puppet
From a series of about 40 photographs ...
Autodesk 123D catch
generates a CAD-file...
The undefined neck is
cut off in Netfabb...
And a new neck, consisting of
cylinders and a conical bore is
added in Autodesk 123D Design
Now the head can be 3D-printed
from FKuR/Helian woodFill PLA material
with wood fibre filling.
Miss Schniedermeyer on stage
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 21

3D printing
Fig. 2: Brittle fractured surface of printed PLA test bars (80x10x4 mm).
ISO 179 Charpy impact test (left); ISO 178 three-point bending test
(right). PLA/PHA does not show brittle fracturing.
PLA/PHA Blend
for 3D-Printing
The Institute for Natural Materials Technology (IFA-Tulln)
has many years of experience in injection molding and
extruding PLA. Due to the rising consumption of PLA in
the 3D-printing community the institute has adapted its approach
to these new demands.
Most 3D printers for home use are based on an open source
technology which is called Fused Filament Freeforming (FFF).
A filament of thermoplastic resin is pushed through a heated
nozzle which moves in two directions to form a solid layer.
This is repeated for many layers until the part is finished.
PLA is very popular because it does not require a heated
bed for good print bed adhesion. The use of unmodified PLA
in FFF can lead to several inconveniences such as oozing,
warping or a brittle filament. The Institute has developed a
PLA/PHA blend which solves these problems.
Oozing
Oozing refers to the problem of uncontrolled leaking
of material which leads to strands between separated in
printing areas. This can be reduced by retraction of filaments
if the printing vector is interrupted and a lower printing
temperature. Still this leads to a reduction in quality and does
not completely prevent the oozing. The captive ball test (Fig. 1)
was used as an accurate indicator for the oozing tendency of
the material.
Warping
There are two different kinds of warping. Warping of the
first layer and warping of overhanging areas. Both can cause
a collision with the extruder nozzle and may destroy the print.
The warping of the first layer can be prevented by good print
bed adhesion and a heated print bed. Warping of overhangs is
more difficult to reduce. These need a well set temperature
profile or an active cooling. Since most desktop open source
printers do not have active cooling the material’s warping
tendency must be reduced.
Mechanical Properties
When it comes to mechanical properties PLA’s biggest
weakness is its brittleness. Brittle filaments often break
in the feed, which prevents the print from being finished.
Further, good mechanical properties of the final printed part
are always desired and need to be tested and improved. To
test the material’s mechanical properties test specimens for
the ISO 178 three point bending test were printed (Fig. 2) and
injection molded.
Blending PLA with PHA
To improve the 3D printing properties PLA was blended with
PHA. This led to superior properties compared to a regular
PLA filament.
Tests have shown that an ISO 1133 melt flow rate
(190 °C/2.16 kg) below 10 g/10 min would be optimal for a PLA
based filament to prevent oozing. Unfortunately a low MFR
has an adverse effect on warping of overhangs. Therefore
a PLA/PHA blend was used which showed less oozing and
would still not warp on overhangs.
PLA/PHA blends also avoided brittle fracturing of the
filament. A printed PLA/PHA specimen showed an ISO 178
bending strength of 85 MPa and an ISO 179 Charpy impact
strength of 18 kJ/m². Blending PLA with PHA increased
the mechanical properties, print bed adhesion and oozing
behaviour while remaining completely bio-based and biodegradable.
www.ifa-tulln.boku.ac.at
By:
Bernhard Steyrer
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
Department for Agrobiotechnology, IFA-Tulln
Institute for Natural Materials Technology
Vienna, Austria
Fig. 1: Captive ball test on the left shows strong oozing
with high-MFR PLA/PHA compared to a fine print on the
right with low-MFR PLA/PHA (edge length 20 mm).
22 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

3D printing
Extruding of the thermoplastic Bio-PU out of a 0.5 mm nozzle
(Photo: Merseburg Univ. Appl. Sc. /D. Glatz)
Rapid prototyping methods
for bio-based plastics
Merseburg University develops procedures and devices
Today rapid prototype parts are required in all areas and
are vitally important for the product development process.
The wide range of Rapid Prototyping (RP) procedures
and thus the choice of the materials to be used are limited.
FABIO (FAbrication of parts with BIOplastics) is an R&D
project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and
Agriculture (BMEL) through its project management agency,
the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR). As part of this
project, scientists from Merseburg University of Applied Sciences
(Merseburg, Germany) have developed a test facility
for rapid prototyping, using the so called fused extrusion
prototyping (FEP), for processing bioplastics. This technology,
which is considered important for the industry, could not be
used so far with biopolymers.
Specific values for the processing of the bioplastics were
determined by carrying out different analyses. The extrusion
unit was developed to enable processing of all sizes of
granulates. Temperature ranges are adjustable up to 300 °C.
Particular attention was paid to the extruder feeder,
the optimum melting and discharge of the biopolymers
considering the influences of the cylinder and screwconstruction,
screw clearance, screw speed and head and
nozzle geometry. The necessary cooling facilities were also
taken into consideration.
Different settings were tested using selected bio-plastics
and any deficiencies disrupting the process could be remedied.
Some complex and individual parts for the internal design of
the equipment were produced on RP machines, belonging
to the university. The rack could be provided with inside
superstructures, among other things, changing devices,
a heating system, a cooling system, a granulate material
supply, a construction platform, and procedural units in an
X-, Y-, Z-direction. The interaction of control mechanisms and
software could be tested, irrespective of the materials used.
The implementation of FABIO technology is imminent.
FABIO technology makes it possible to choose from a wide
range of thermoplastic granulates such as Polyamide,
Polyhydroxybutyrate, Polyurethane, Polylactide and starch.
After successful completion of the project, the aim is to take
the innovative idea, which was a spin-off from Merseburg
University of Applied Sciences, and turn it into a service
platform for prototype parts.
Other topics this service platform for rapid prototyping
with bioplastics will deal with are PSP (Photo Sensitive
Polymerisation of thermoset materials) and material
modifications for the SLS process (Selective Laser
Sintering). MT
www.hs-merseburg.de
Info:
The complete final report (German
language only) and a short project
description can be downloaded from
www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/201406
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 23

3D printing
Low cost
extruder
Specifications of the low cost extruder
Plastics (tested)
Production rate
Motor
Heating
Total performance
Producing affordable
bio filaments
for 3D printing
PLA, ABS
0.5 kg / h
60 rpm, 14 Nm
Up to 300 °C, 48 V, 230 W
0.2 kWh
In recent years the use of low cost 3D printing has become a
significant factor. A student project at the Institute of Plastics
Processing (IKV) in Industry and the Skilled Crafts at
RWTH Aachen University deals with the design and the engineering
of an extruder that produces 3D printer compatible
filaments. Central aspects are low costs and the use of easily
available components. The result is an extruder which manages
the challenge of uniting functional performance and the
minimization of costs. It has the ability to produce customized
plastics filaments in a fast and easy way.
The personal low cost 3D printer market grew between
2008 and 2011 at an average of 346 % per year. [1] In the
context of Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), there are
different requirements that need to be fulfilled by the extruded
filament. The filament should be highly customizable and
available at comparatively low volumes and low cost. To meet
the requirements of small businesses and individuals, a small
and very cheap extruder is needed, which is able to produce
filament with appropriate technology.
The engineering of a low cost extruder
The popular, low cost versions of 3D printers are designed
to be working with thermoplastics (usually PLA or ABS) in
filament shape. These filaments are, compared to pellet
costs, relatively high priced. Especially in the case of using
multiple colours or material properties the user needs to
purchase larger amounts of filament. From this situation,
the idea to produce cheap filament from pellets emerged.
Colours should be individually mixable and produced in small
quantities.
From the beginning, the project was sponsored by the IKV.
Beside the financial grant and the provision of laboratory
extruders, premises as well as professional skill led to the
successful preparation of the theoretical foundations for
single-screw extruders. Hereby, the scientific approach
for designing and engineering the low cost extruder was
ensured. Since the goal was a low cost implementation,
the core components of an extruder should be replaced by
simple, products commercially available in any hardware- or
DIY-store.
Components of the low cost extruder
From a cost-perspective point of view it is obvious that one
cannot fall back to complicated screw geometries like threezone
screws used in conventional extruders. Therefore a
screw with a simple geometry has to be used. In this case
24 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

3D printing
an SDS-hammer drill for concrete is installed, working as a
conveying screw. For the cylinder a commercially available
precision stainless steel tube is used.
Requirements posed on the motor are a high torque
transmission at a low rotational speed as well as a
constant rotational speed even with fluctuating torque. The
implemented DC motor is commonly used as a garage door
motor, but meets exactly those requirements. For its cooling a
computer CPU fan ventilates cooling ribs.
An aluminium frame functions as an absorber for direct
agent forces. Laser cut MDF panels serve to conduct the
cooling flow, to protect from external impacts as well as to
cover components. Their stability is achieved by joining the
parts with the help of tongue and groove joints. Advantageous
in this case are the low material cost, the manufacturing
quality of the panels and the easy installation.
To melt the pellets during the conveying process, the
extruder has to be heated over a large part of the tube.
The basic requirement is a constant, high-power and well
controlled heating. Therefore approximately 85 cm of heating
wire was wound around the extruder tube and is supplied with
48 V AC, resulting in a heat output of 230 W. The heating is
controlled by a PID controller.
The extruder is connected to a conventional 230 V AV
household outlet. The input voltage is transformed to
24 V DC by a power supply to drive the motor. Additionally,
a transformer converts the 230 V AC to 48 V AC to run the
heating.
Cost analysis
The total costs of an extruder are estimated at about
375 Euros. Relevant cost units are power supply, transformer,
drill and motor, which together add up to about 50 % of the
total. A reduction of 20 % can be achieved by a higher batch
size which decreases the manufacturing costs of a singl
extruder to approx. 300 Euros. Electrical current costs occur
from the total power per hour, 0.2 kWh.
Conclusion
In the project’s context a low cost extruder was successfully
designed, built and tested. As a result of this it is shown that
the processing of plastic granules to 3D printable filaments is
possible with very simple means and at very low costs.
With the extruder a homogenous (after adding a
masterbatch) even a coloured filament can be produced.
Tests have shown that the filament can be processed on
open-source 3D printers with hardly any differences to be
observed compared to commercial filament. The deviation
in the filament diameter was found to be with in the given
tolerances. However, a follow-up project targets optimising a
constant diameter by developing a haul-off unit controlled by
a cross-section measuring device.
This project provides a basic introduction to the development
of solutions for a low-budget extrusion. The low cost extruder
and its performance data, determined in experiments,
conclude with instructions for its use and development
and can serve as a guide for future projects. Thus low cost
applications open up new perspectives for small businesses
in developing and emerging countries.
Further members of the student team are M. El‐Mahgary
and J. Klose)
Literature:
[1] Wohlers, T.: Wohlers Report. Fort Collins: Wohlers Associates, 2013
By:
Christian Hopmann
Head of the Institute
Martin Kimm, Yannick Ostad
Student Project Workers (Authors)
Christian Windeck
Head of department extrusion and rubber technology
Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University
Aachen, Germany
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 25

3D printing
New high performance
PLA grades for 3D Printing
NatureWorks will introduce in 2015 new grades of high
performance Ingeo PLA specifically formulated for
professional and consumer 3D printing applications.
These new grades will make significant improvements to the
performance and heat resistance of 3D printed parts without
sacrificing the printability and user friendliness of PLA.
In the professional and consumer 3D printing market, ABS
and PLA are the preferred polymers in use. In professional
or production applications, the strength, flexibility,
machinability, and high temperature resistance make ABS a
top choice polymer. Unpleasant fumes when printing with ABS,
a tendency for warped parts during printing, high printing
temperatures, and the potential need for a heated print bed
or controlled-temperature build chamber are the most often
quoted negatives associated with ABS. PLA filament offers
excellent printing and fusing performance, a glossy appearance,
low odor and printing temperatures, a wide range of colors, and
renewably, rather than fossil, sourced feedstocks, all attributes
that have attracted users of desktop printers.
Upgrades to the Blair, Nebraska,
manufacturing facility bring new performance
characteristics to Ingeo
In 2013, NatureWorks completed a major upgrade at its Blair,
Nebraska, Ingeo manufacturing facility that not only increased
plant capacity, but also made it possible to polymerize new
high performance grades of PLA for durables, fibers, and
lactide intermediates. The new Ingeo durable grades allow
faster cycle times and production rates, a 10–15 °C (18–27 °F)
improvement in heat deformation temperature (HDT), and a
three-to-four fold increase in bulk crystallization rate.
Shortly after the new high performance Ingeo grades were
introduced, NatureWorks began market research aimed at
better understanding 3D printing applications and end-user
needs for customers ranging from professional users, to
prototypers, hobbyists, artists, schools, printer manufacturers
– and to the filament supply chain. NatureWorks purchased its
own printers, using them for filament testing and assessment
of the new Ingeo grades, and regularly using them at trade
shows for applications discussions with attendees.
It soon became clear that an optimized resin that rivals or
exceeds the performance and cost of ABS would be a market
winner if it were coupled with the right supply chain strategy.
NatureWorks intends to work closely with a limited number of
industry leaders per region to bring Ingeo filament to market
using its new grades.
According to Dan Sawyer, Segment Leader-New Business
Development, “We are often asked by users where we
recommend they buy PLA filament. Because filament quality
is essential to successful printing, NatureWorks is focused
on innovative Ingeo filament producers who have a strong
understanding of the gauge consistency and filament uniformity
necessary to print for hours or even days, without disruption.
We are carefully vetting filament producers that can deliver the
quality and growing demand for Ingeo-based PLA filament.”
The NatureWorks 3D resin grade and market development
team is excited about the growth opportunities for Ingeo and
building on the fact that PLA is the preferred material for 3D
printing by introducing advanced grades that satisfy a broader
application space. The quickly evolving state of the market
is reminiscent of a decade ago when bioplastics were first
introduced at a global commercial scale.
www.natureworksllc.com
By:
Leah Ford
New Markets Analyst
NatureWorks
Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA
26 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

IMAGINE – If there
was an easy way to
identify your polymer.
PET 1
64,48 %
PET 2
76,67 %
%
PET 3
95,93
3D printed PLA egg
Up until now Dutch designer Michiel van der Kley was mainly known for
his furniture designs. Now, his fascination with the possibilities of 3D
printing has inspired the development of Project EGG – an organically
shaped, airy object suffused with light that is perhaps best described as a pavilion.
It’s a space in which floor, walls and ceiling seamlessly flow together to
form an egg-shaped building measuring 5 x 4 x 3 meters made of recyclable,
biodegradable PLA links, or stones.
To date, Project EGG is the largest desktop 3d-printed co-creation art
project undertaken anywhere. Project EGG is composed of 4670 stones, each
with its own, unique shape, produced by a worldwide 3D printing community
participating in the project.
During his research into the potential of the 3D-printer, Van der Kley came
into contact with bloggers and digital communities all over the world, whom
he invited to be part of Project EGG by printing a stone. Since each stone
had to be printed individually, slight variations could be made in each design.
Participants received the digital version for their unique stone, including their
name. Enthusiasts who did not own a printer could support the project by
adopting a stone. Hundreds of contributions were received from co-creators
and adopters, from the US to Australia, from Portugal to Croatia.
Project EGG was completed on time to be shown at the Dutch Design week
last month; Studio Michiel van der
Kley is now planning a global tour,
to take place in the next two years,
to show the structure to a broader
international audience. In addition,
the designer is researching other
options, such as the best material
that would enable Project EGG
to be produced for an outdoor
setting. KL
www.projectegg.org
We made it possible.
The new DSC 214 Polyma.
More than a DSC.
Your Solution.
Find out more:
www.netzsch.com/n22221
NETZSCH-Gerätebau GmbH
Wittelsbacherstraße 42
95100 Selb
Germany
Tel.: +49 9287 881-0
Fax: +49 9287 881 505
at@netzsch.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 27

3D printing
Different Bioplastics
for 3D printing
Besides ABS as a fossil-based plastic, when talking about
3D printing, often only PLA is mentioned. But there are
quite a few more bioplastics already being used as environmentally
friendly materials for 3D printing. In this article,
the authors give a brief introduction to the application of some
typical bioplastics in the current 3D printing field.
PLA
In Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), a PLA filament allows
the production of high quality prints. 3D printed parts from
PLA filaments show much less warping and curling. Thus
PLA can be successfully printed without the need for a heated
bed. Other details such as sharp corners and edges print well
and PLA printed objects will generally have a rather glossy
look and feel. Kids can easily make their fantastic ideas come
true without any worry about toxic evaporates as PLA is FDA
(US Food and Drug Administration) certified. Scientists are
researching the use of PLA in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS),
too. The authors believe that the potential of PLA to be used
for SLS in the future is as huge as it is for FDM. For the future,
one target of modifying PLA is to make it stronger and maybe
even allow transparent 3D prints.
PVA
PVA or polyvinyl alcohol is a biodegradable and watersoluble
polymer product made from fossil resources. As a
new material for making FDM filaments PVA can be used
as temporary supporting material for overhangs in the
3D-printing process. After printing it can easily dissolve in
water with no odour and no toxic residues, which mean that
it is very convenient to clear up. Esun has produced such
support material and it enjoys considerable popularity. In
addition, PVA performs very well in combination with PLA.
PHA
PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates) are a family of 100 % biobased
and biodegradable polyesters. On the aspect of 3D printing,
PHA is comparable to PLA. It can be applied in the form
of filaments in FDM and first attempts are proceeding to
research usability for SLS. However the price of this kind of
filament is somewhat higher than PLA, and its processing
window is narrow. PHA creates a slight odour during
3D printing. Nevertheless blends of PLA and PHA are also
already available.
PBAT
PBAT (poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) is a biodegradable
aliphatic aromatic copolyester, today mainly
produced from fossil resources (with first attempts to make
it at least partly biobased). One of the unique features is its
enhanced ductility compared with that of other 3D printable
bioplastics. In 3D printing it can be used to make FDM
filament. PBAT has already gained much popularity due to
its biodegradability and its ductility. Esun’s new flexible PBAT
product can replace conventional TPU and TPE for more
environmentally friendly products.
PETG
Partly biobased PETG (polyethylene terephthalate co-
1,4-cylclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate) is a clear,
transparent, amorphous thermoplastic that can be injection
moulded or extruded. PETG can be semi-rigid to rigid and it
is fully recyclable. PETG gives a good gas barrier and a fair
moisture barrier, as well as presenting a good barrier to
alcohol and other solvents. At the same time, it is strong and
impact-resistant. Although already some companies have
By:
Yihu (Kevin) Yang, CEO,
Yu Wang, Xianglian Xiao,
Daimei Chen and Jun Qiu
Shenzhen Esun Industrial Co., Ltd.
Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
28 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

3D printing
By:
Yihu (Kevin) Yang, CEO,
Yu Wang, Xianglian Xiao,
Daimei Chen and Jun Qiu
Shenzhen Esun Industrial Co., Ltd.
Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
produced FDM filament from PETG, it is a still a new and unique
filament that has some very interesting characteristics with
regards to transparency and strength.
PCL
Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable polyester with a low
melting point of around 60 °C and a glass transition temperature
of about −60 °C. PCL has been approved by FDA in specific
applications in the human body, such as a drug delivery device, a
suture or adhesion barrier. Esun’s PCL FDM filament is an ecofriendly
and non-toxic product, thus it is safe for printing food
contact and skin contact products. Due to its low melting point
the 3D printing nozzle doesn’t need to be too hot, so injuries can
possibly be prevented. An important feature are PCL’s shape
memory properties. This means the printed object has kind of
a memory and under the stimulus of certain conditions it can
be automatically assembled into a preset shape. In the field of
medicine, this application has more practical value. It can for
example, be used to make biological heart stents.
Polyamide 11
Polyamide (PA) 11 is known as a long carbon chain nylon made
from castor oil. Although it may seem strange, 3D printing with
polyamide 11, due to its flexibility, was recently applied to print
a unique bathing suit. The material is strong and elastic, so it
would not break during printing.
Biobased TPU
Biobased TPU is a new generation of thermoplastic
polyurethanes that it can be synthesized from PLA polyols and
PCL polyols, and is, for instance, produced by Esun. Its renewable
resource content is as high as 60 % and it can be recycled after
use. The mechanical properties are excellent: it exhibits a good
hydrolysis resistance and good adhesion, and it can withstand
high pressures. In addition its density is lower than that of fossil
based TPU. In 3D printing, it was shown to be a kind of elastic
line material for a wide range of applications, such as 3D printed
shoes, bracelets, etc.
Outlook
The development of 3D printing for personalized use still
requires further development. Customers want accurate
printing with fast printing speed. In some fields of application
multi-coloured printing is very much in demand. More
important, customers may require the use of more and more
environmentally-friendly and healthy consumable materials. In
many respects certain bioplastics can meet these requirements,
so Esun is looking to perfect the balance between the two factors.
Eventually the ability to print objects at home may change how
we think of manufacturing for small businesses.
Reference
[1] Fleming, M.: What is 3D Printing? An Overview
http://www.3dprinter.net/reference/what-is-3d-printing
www.brightcn.net
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 29

3D printing
3D printing
The Dutch company DUS Architects from Amsterdam
have developed a 3D printer that is ten times as big as
a conventional 3D printer. The giant printer is called the
KamerMaker (the Room Builder). It is integrated in a 20-foot
shipping container, oriented vertically upright. The purpose of
this machine is to print a complete house from a bioplastics
material. Originating from Amsterdam it proposes printing a
typical Amsterdam canal house.
“Different partners from a diverse range of industries work
together on this project, and we learn together by doing,” says
Hans Vermeulen of DUS architects, initiator of the project.
The premium partners invest in the project by contributing
knowledge and materials. The bioplastics material that the
company is currently using is called Macromelt, a type of
industrial glue (Hotmelt) developed by Henkel. It is made of
80% vegetable (rapeseed) oil. It melts at 170 degrees Celsius.
The aim is to print with a material that is sustainable, of
biological origin, melts at a relatively low temperature, and
of course is sturdy and stable. In addition, the material is
recyclable, so if a fabricated piece is slightly out of spec, it can
be ground up and reused.
The Kamermaker needs about a week to print one of the
huge, unique, honeycomb-structured blocks that can be
assembled together rather like Lego bricks. The parts are
later filled with a so-called eco-concrete. The concrete casting
has a twofold function; firstly to increase the compressive
30 bioplastics magazine [06/14] Vol. 9

of a real house
Think Sustainable
We are
still there
for you!
As of October 2014, the
Metabolix GmbH team in Cologne
is part of the Feddersen Group.
As an AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH branch,
we are operating under the name
BIO-FED with immediate effect.
Nothing – other than the name –
will change for our customers!
The team you are familiar with
at the Cologne location will still
be there to assist and advise you,
and will also be happy to continue
supplying you with our “mvera”
product portfolio.
structural capacities of the printed pieces, secondly it will
also act as a connecting material to join separate pieces
together. The concrete mix includes lightweight aggregates
in an attempt to keep the weight and material consumption
to a minimum. The first block, which forms one corner of the
house and part of a stairway, weighed around 180 kilograms
(without the concrete).
“The 3D Print Canal House is a unique project because it is
a building site, a museum and a research facility in one,” says
Hans Vermeulen. “By 3D printing the first building block we
celebrate the start of researching the possibilities of digital
fabrication for the building industry.” The research project will
take three years. Hedwig Heinsman of DUS: “We hope that
in three years time the excitement of the visitors is still as
fresh as today, and that the house has developed into a mature
3D printed building with different rooms, each with different
constructions and material properties that all tell something
about the time that they were printed. And (we hope) that
the 3D Print Canal House becomes a permanent place for
pioneering activities in design and architecture.” MT
www.3dprintcanalhouse.com
www.dusarchitects.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAoW1iA385w
BIO-FED
Branch of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH
BioCampus Cologne · Nattermannallee 1
50829 Cologne · Germany
Phone: +49 221 88 8894-00
Fax: +49 221 88 88 94-99
info@bio-fed.com
www.bio-fed.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/14] Vol. 9 31

From Science & Research
Design challenges with
biobased plastics
Biobased plastics, made from renewable resources, are
nowadays well-known materials in the packaging industry
in many countries. In more durable products
though, the application of biobased plastics is still something
of a rarity. To stimulate the adoption of biobased plastics in
more lasting applications an important role is foreseen for designers.
Because designers, both professionals and students,
lack a real knowledge of biobased plastics, the CleanTech research
programme of the Amsterdam University of Applied
Sciences, started a research project focussed on various aspects
of designing for and with biobased plastics.
What are the challenges that designers meet?
Although biobased plastics are not new (in fact the first
plastics we know were bio-based (cf. bM 04/2014), the current
generation of designers and engineers was raised and
educated in an era of petrochemical plastics. The renewed
attention to biobased plastics only commenced some 15 years
ago. Biodegradable biobased plastics, such as PLA and PHA,
are often used for packaging purposes. But biobased plastics,
whether or not biodegradable, also become a more and more
interesting alternative for more durable applications, such
as consumer electronics, textiles, automotive parts, toys and
sporting goods. Not only the transition towards a biobased and
circular economy can be a motive to go biobased (for example
with the biobased equivalents of PP, PE and PET), but also
new biobased plastics with specific material properties can
offer valuable advantages. Until now biobased plastics have
not been used for a wide range of applications. Reasons for
this are the higher material price, limited feedstock supply
and the lack of clarity on biodegradability of both biobased
and non-biobased plastics. But ignorance of designers of the
unique characteristics and possibilities of biobased plastics is
also a reason.
Practical tools to fill the knowledge gap
One of the aims of our research project at the Amsterdam
University of Applied Sciences is to provide designers with
practical tools to lower the threshold to biobased plastics.
Together with students and teachers of the Bachelor of
Engineering, the team worked on several cases in which
product manufacturers were asked to (re)design a product
with biobased plastics. Examples are furniture and products
for horticulture. Also new biobased plastics, such as Glycix,
made of citric acid and glycerine, were studied by examining
their unique properties and by designing and prototyping
applications.
Based on these cases and on interviews with designers,
producers and product manufacturers three major challenges
were identified:
• I do not know a lot about the possibilities of current
and upcoming biobased plastics. How do I know which
biobased plastic is suitable for my product?
• LCA’s (Life Cycle Analyses) are very time consuming
and lack the data of most biobased plastics. How can I
assess the value, both ecologically and economically, of
applying biobased plastics in comparison with alternative
materials?
• It is difficult to distinguish a biobased plastic from
petrochemical plastics. How can I show the consumer that
a product is made of a biobased plastic by its design?
To cope with these challenges three practical tools were
developed: a material selection tool, a product quickscan and
a set of design rules for the look and feel of biobased plastic
products.
Fig. 1 and 2: Prototype tables made with Glycix, a new biobased material developed by the University of Amsterdam.
32 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

From Science & Research
Bioplastics4U: material selection
Already at the concept stage of a new product, or at
the start of a redesign, designers think about material
selection. The desired functionality of a product is an
important starting point to make a preliminary choice
about the material used. Together with Wageningen UR
(University and Research centre) a tool was developed
that shows designers which bioplastics, both biobased
and biodegradable, might be suitable for the manufacture
of their new product. By answering 10 simple questions
about the desired functionality of the product, the designer
gets an indication of which bioplastic fits his application.
The first two questions address to what extend
the product should be biobased and/or should it be
biodegradable. The next five questions concern properties
such as transparency, dimensional stability and
mechanical properties. The last three questions relate to
the maturity, availability and costs of the materials. The
tool shows whether there are bioplastics that meet all
criteria or not. It makes designers aware of the choices
Fig. 3: Plastics cups, both biobased and petrochemical, that
were evaluated in the Look and Feel study.
INTAREMA ®
The new system generation from EREMA.
Self-service. Redefined.
Reaching perfect pellet quality at the press of a button: the new
INTAREMA ® features the intelligent Smart Start operating concept,
bringing together production efficiency and remarkably straightforward
operation. This is all about usability. Including an ergonomic
touchscreen, practical recipe management and automated standby
mode.
CHOOSE THE NUMBER ONE.
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 33

From Science & Research
they make and the influence these choices have on the
available options.
The materials suggested by the tool are only standard
grades and were chosen for their distinctive properties.
This means that optimisation of the material is possible
using specific grades and additives. Material suppliers,
compounders and producers can help designers with this
next step.
Quickscan: ecological and economical value
The wish to apply biobased plastics often starts from
an ecological viewpoint. Designers and marketers
often want to know whether the envisioned product,
when using biobased plastics, will indeed have less
environmental impact than alternatives. Conducting a full
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is the way to go, but that takes
a considerable amount of time and money. Furthermore
current databases only contain the data of a very limited
number of biobased plastics.
Designers and marketers also want to know what other
advantages the application of biobased plastics may give,
such as lower life cycle costs, which can be the case with
biodegradable plastics or when the material has special
characteristics.
Together with Partners for Innovation, a Dutch
consultancy on sustainable innovation, a quickscan was
developed that assists designers in comparing the new
design using biobased plastics with an alternative design.
This quickscan contains preliminary data of 10 biobased
plastics alternatives, based both on the eco-costs model
and on extrapolation of data. Because the designer needs
just to fill in the information that deviates from the original
design the scan takes only a short time. The quickscan
also provides a comparison between the life cycle costs
of the biobased design and its alternative. It also assists
designers in assessing other advantages of biobased
plastics. The first full version of the quickscan is currently
being evaluated and will be issued in 2015.
Look and feel of biobased plastics
In some cases it is desirable to make clear that a product
is made of biobased plastics. Not by a logo on the product
or notification on the packaging, but by the look and feel
of the product itself. This is especially relevant when the
product is biodegradable or when sustainability is an
important element of the company’s mission. What design
rules can material and product designers use to make sure
that their product positively communicates that it is made of a
biobased plastic? To develop these design rules an evaluation
was made of the way that people perceive biobased plastics in
comparison with petrochemical plastics. The team conducted
a study in which respondents were asked to assess 10 (nondisposable)
cups, either made of petrochemical or biobased
plastics. All five senses - look, feel, taste, smell and sound
- were tested individually.
Design rules that were derived from this study are for
example: A biobased plastic cup …
• has a smooth and soft feel.
• sounds thick, solid and heavy.
• shows a grain, fibre or uneven structure.
Of course these design rules are applicable for cups only
and have yet to prove their effectiveness. Applicability of the
design rules for other product types is subject of further
research.
Further research and actions
These practical tools will help designers to choose in favour
of biobased plastics more often. The Amsterdam University
of Applied Science intends to extend the research with
exploring how natural filling materials can make biobased
plastics more attractive and cheaper. Of course other steps
have to be taken too. Material producers for example can
help in providing complete and accurate data on the material
properties and origin. Plastic processors can be more open for
questions and testing, especially with new biobased plastics.
And finally, product manufacturers can help the uptake of
biobased plastics by using, for example, their marketing
budgets to cover the temporarily higher prices of material and
processing.
By:
Inge Oskam
Professor Technical Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.biobasedplastics.nl
www.hva.nl/CleanTech
34 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Polylactic Acid
Uhde Inventa-Fischer has expanded its product portfolio to include the innovative stateof-the-art
PLAneo ® process. The feedstock for our PLA process is lactic acid, which can
be produced from local agricultural products containing starch or sugar.
The application range of PLA is similar to that of polymers based on fossil resources as
its physical properties can be tailored to meet packaging, textile and other requirements.
Think. Invest. Earn.
Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH
Holzhauser Strasse 157–159
13509 Berlin
Germany
Tel. +49 30 43 567 5
Fax +49 30 43 567 699
Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG
Via Innovativa 31
7013 Domat/Ems
Switzerland
Tel. +41 81 632 63 11
Fax +41 81 632 74 03
marketing@uhde-inventa-fi scher.com
www.uhde-inventa-fi scher.com
Uhde Inventa-Fischer

Application News
PaperFoam
Not exactly a bioplastic, but nonetheless an interesting
biobased and biodegradable packaging, PaperFoam is a
commercially attractive, environmentally friendly packaging
material that is produced by an innovative company was
established in 1998 in Barneveld, the Netherlands.
One of the innovations nominated for the 2014 Food Valley
Award is a lightweight, portable gift pack for champagne
bottles made of PaperFoam.
PaperFoam contains no oil-based ingredients whatsoever:
the packaging is made of locally sourced renewable raw
materials - mainly potato starch, natural fibre and water -
and is fully home compostable. It has a carbon footprint that
is smaller from start to finish than comparable packaging
made from plastic or paper pulp. The packaging has 4-star
biobased certification, is extremely lightweight and fully
biodegradable. It is completely safe: even when incinerated,
no harmful substances are produced.
Bioplastics take off!
On the occasion of the 25 th anniversary of the Fall of
the Wall (in Berlin, Germany), the IfBB – Institute for
bioplastics and biocomposites at the University of Applied
Sciences and Arts, Hanover, Germany manufactured
20,000 balloon clips from bioplastics for balloons made
of natural rubber.
Lichtgrenze (frontier of light) is the name of the
installation that is reminiscent of the course of the Wall
in Berlin. Over a distance of approximately 15 kilometers
a light-wall of balloons disappeared into the sky on the
evening of November 9 th . For the implementation of this
symbolic idea some environmental aspects also had to
be considered.
For this reason, the project team asked the IfBB to
develop a balloon clip from a bioplastic that would meet
the technical and environmental requirements. 8,000
balloons alone on the day of reunification were carried
in all directions by the wind and landed in many different
locations. And that’s where they should eventually rot,
which conventional balloons and clips would not do.
At the IfBB a mould had been developed for the
production of the clips, which was adapted to the
processing properties of the PLA blend used. One special
requirement for the pearlescent clip is that it must
exhibit both a high strength and also elasticity so that the
clips do not break when closing the balloon and no brittle
fracture occurs.
The biobased and biodegradable materials used for the
clips and the balloons finally ensure that the wall that
once separated East and West Berlin from each other,
may disappear into the sky free of any concerns. MT
These properties make the PaperFoam technology
especially suited to the production of low-quantity, highquality
packaging applications. The product is produced via
an injection moulding process. Basically, the ingredients are
mixed and then injected into a heated mould. The material
is foamed by evaporating the water, after which the finished
packaging is ejected. The process is thus able to produce
accurate shapes that provide better product protection.
The design freedom and colourability make the material an
attractive choice to designers.
Just recently PaperFoam was chosen to manufacture a
packaging for the new wireless, noise cancelling over-ear
headphones from Plantronics. The PaperFoam ‘mountain’
on which the headphones nestle, encased in a clear plastic
frame, was developed in cooperation with Plantronics and
PKG Packaging, one of PaperFoam’s sales partners located
on the US west coast.
PaperFoam is currently used to pack champagne,
electronics, cosmetics, medical and dry-foods. The
company received a Cradle-to-Cradle Quality Statement
from EPEA in May 2014. KL
www.paperfoam.com
www.ifbb-hannover.de
www.berlin.de/mauerfall2014/en/highlights/balloon-event
36 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Application News
New cellulose
based exfoliator
Image: DTR Medical
PTT for healthcare
applications
DTR Medical (Swansea, UK), a leading manufacturer of
single-use surgical instruments, has specified Sorona ®
(partly biobased PTT Polytrimethylene terephthalate) for six
components in its new Cervical Rotating Biopsy Punch. This
grade is a 15 % glass filled grade of Sorona EP providing
high strength and stiffness. Further attributes of Sorona
useful in this application include resistance to gamma
sterilisation and excellent dimensional stability.
The Cervical Rotating Biopsy Punch is used to take a tissue
sample from the patient for cell analysis by microscopy.
The DuPont material, which is supplied with full regulatory
compliance for use in healthcare applications and is
produced according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
standards, is used in the handle and trigger mechanism to
mould the rear hand left and right, front handle, connector
pin, rotational controller and the rotational controller
with chamfer. These parts are used to activate a spring,
driving the inner rod which, assisted by the Sorona inserts,
generates a clamping force to cut the tissue sample.
The Cervical Biopsy Punch with Rotation from DTR
Medical is designed for single-use, which eliminates
cross contamination that occur when re-using hard-toclean
instruments on patients undergoing cervical cancer
biopsies and saves considerable time and cost incurred by
sterilizing the equipment for re-use.
According to Andrew Davidson, Managing Director at DTR
Medical “The surface finish of the handle is fundamental for
instrument quality, replacing stainless steel and for good
grip in the clinical setting. The part must deliver durable
mechanical performance in use throughout the five year
shelf life and the benefit of renewably sourced material
is an added advantage for a single-use manufacturer.
We tested many polymers for these components, and the
DuPont material was superior.”
Glen Wells, General Manager at St Davids Assemblies
added “Sorona EP from DuPont combines the benefits of
renewability with processing and performance advantages.
The material can be processed similarly to PBT and PET,
offers very low shrinkage and warpage, enhanced surface
finish, and scratch resistance in finished parts.”
Sorona contains 20 % to 37 % renewable material made
with a renewably sourced propanediol (bio-PDO) made from
technical starch. MT
Celluloscrub XLS exfoliator from Lessonia
(Saint Thonan, France) is a 100 % renewable and
biodegradable white scrub that provides the same high
performance of polyethylene (PE) beads. Coming from
wood pulp, Celluloscrub is derivated from cellulose
acetate making it a real renewable and biodegradable
resource for the personal care industry. It answers to
the technical and economic needs of the manufacturers
of body washes, hand & feet scrubs and bar soaps.
After several months of works of development in
laboratories, it’s now clear that Celluloscrub is the
ultimate product that can easily replace polyethylene in
cosmetics. The formulators that worked with it confirm
that all its characteristics are similar in that of the PE.
Furthermore, Celluloscrub does not interfere with the
stability of the cosmetics which contain it.
Lessonia works according to the cosmetic GMP rules
(ISO 22716). The biodegradation of Celluloscrub is very
easy in a wide variety of environments including soils,
composts, and waste water treatment facilities. The
STURM-test according to EN9439/DIN54900-3 showed
biodegradation in aerobic environment of 50–87 % after
9 weeks. Even if not a packaging product, Lessonia
confirms that the polymer used to make Celluloscrub
meets the requirements of the well-known EN 13432
compostability standard.
The biodegradation of the polymer in waste water
treatment facilities, the environment where most of the
product will end up, has been measured according to
the standards ASTM D5210-92 and ISO 11734. These
methods evaluate the anaerobic biodegradability of
organic compounds in municipal sewage sludge. The
determination of anaerobic degradability is based on
the liberation of biogas using diluted digested sludge
as the inoculums. The study demonstrated that after
3 weeks 60–70 % of the initial polymer is degraded. MT
www.lessonia.com
www.dupont.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 37

Application News
Compostable pack aging assists expansion
NatureFlex certified renewable
and compostable cellulose based films
from Innovia Films are helping a Dorset
based organic coffee company expand
their distribution.
Bird & Wild produce certified Bird
Friendly coffees, which mean they
have been grown in a way that protects
important migratory bird habitats in
equatorial coffee growing regions. To
enhance their environmental credentials
they chose Econic ® packaging developed
by New Zealand converter, Convex
Plastics. The pack is a triplex laminate
of reverse printed clear NatureFlex /
High-Barrier Metallised NatureFlex
and a Starch based biopolymer. This
structure ensures that the delicate
flavor and freshness of Bird & Wild’s
unique coffees are locked in.
Emma Broomhead and Ben Roberts
who run the company claim “Econic
packaging is an ideal fit with our
brand and the packaging is helping us
expand our UK distribution into health
food stores, delicatessens and farm
stores whose owners and customers
are increasingly demanding more ecofriendly
options. Planet Organic is one
such supermarket who has chosen to
stock our coffee. Using compostable
packaging is important for us as it fits
the ethos of our brand.”
NatureFlex films are certified to meet
the American ASTM D6400, European
EN13432 and Australian AS4736
standards for compostable packaging.
They begin life as a natural product,
wood which is sourced from managed
plantations operating on good forestry
principals. They also offer a host of
advantages for packing and converting
such as high seal strength and integrity,
excellent gas, aroma & UV light barrier,
grease and chemical resistance, dead
fold and anti-static properties, enhanced
printing and conversion.
Convex Plastics Managing Director
Owen Embling said, “The NatureFlex
films have allowed us to develop high
barrier compostable packaging that
provides the same level of functionality
as traditional fossil fuel-based films.
Econic packaging is ideal for a wide
range of dry foods, including coffee,
cereals and snack bars.”
Neil Banerjee, Innovia Films’ Market
Manager, Coffee said, “Our NatureFlex
films are increasingly being used in
bio-laminate packaging constructions
such as these to provide the necessary
barrier.”
www.birdandwild.co.uk
www.natureflex.com
PLA film for candies
and chocolates
The new Convergreen Ingeo PLA based film from Argentinian Packaging
manufacturer Converflex S.A. continues to interest candies and chocolates
manufacturers in Argentina as an outer twist wrap. The printability of the film is
excellent and the film can be metalized. The film used for this kind of application
has a thickness of 25 µm. Tests indicate that Convergreen runs well on more than
a half dozen of the most popular twist wrap machines. The Ingeo-based film can
be used as naturally advanced alternatives to PVC, BOPP, and other films. The
manufacture of the Ingeo-based film releases 74 % less greenhouse gas emissions
than the typical PVC wrapper foil it replaces. Most recently, Cabsha Alpine, Alka
and Saquito confections became the latest to feature the Convergreen film wrap,
which vibrantly catches the eyes of consumers.
www.converflex.net
www.natureworksllc.com
38 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

You make
great things.
We make great
things happen.
In March 2015, more than 60,000 professionals from every aspect of the
plastics industry and its vertical and end-user markets will assemble in
Orlando, Florida for the largest, most influential plastics event of the year.
Expect great things.
Register for free today at www.npeguestpass.org/Bio1
NPE2015: THE INTERNATIONAL PLASTICS SHOWCASE
March 23-27, 2015
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida USA
Face-To-Face, NPE2012

Consumer Electronics
Biobased color toner
Kodak achieves near 100 % biocontent with chemical color biotoner
In September 2012, Kodak (Rocherster, New York, USA) entered
into a joint development agreement (JDA) with Diamond
Research Corporation (DRC) of Ojai, California to
develop biobased monochrome and color toners for digital
printers and copiers. The R&D project was implemented by
Kodak scientists working in close collaboration with DRC’s
Art Diamond and polymer chemist Velliyur Sankaran (San
Rafael, California), whom DRC engaged as an independent
consultant.
Working together, Kodak contributed its ELC (Evaporative
Limited Coalescence, see below) processing and toner
formulation technology while DRC supplied a key source of
PLA bioresin capable of fulfilling the demanding properties
and specifications for a toner resin.
In June of this year Kodak announced that the company
had achieved more than 85% biocontent in a chemical color
toner. This cost competitive, environmentally friendly product
is planned to be in full-scale production by June 2015. The
announcement at the Tiara Group’s 31 st annual TONERS 2014
Seminar was the culmination of this two year cooperative
effort.
The ELC Process
In support of these auspicious goals is Kodak’s proprietary
chemical process known as Evaporative Limited Coalescence
(ELC). What follows is a rather basic description of the ELC
process.
Starting with toner components dissolved or dispersed in
a volatile solvent, an aqueous phase is added that contains
silica particles and/or a polymer latex. The two- phase mixture
is then homogenized and a proprietary shape control agent
added. Limited coalescence technology results in uniform
droplet size. Upon evaporation and solvent removal these
droplets are transformed into solid particles with controlled
size and shape. Filtration, washing and drying results in toner
particles typically 6 to 9 microns in size. The process itself
is capable of producing solid or porous particles in the size
range 1–30 µm. A wide variety of polymers may be processed
using this technology these include thermoplastics, acrylates
and polyesters.
One important feature of Kodak’s ELC biotoner is its low,
unit manufacturing cost (UMC) based upon the bioresin (PLA)
Waste toner bio-feed
Green scope
Intensified de-inking plant
Bio based raw materials
Kodak Technology >95 %
Intensified chemical plant
Green scope
Paper only recycled
Chemical bio toner
40 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Consumer Electronics
component. This sustainable resource can be derived
from harvested crops, such as field corn (not for human
consumption), sugar beets and sweet potatoes, Already
cost competitive with existing styrene-acrylate and
polyester petrotoners, economies of scale are expected
to enable Kodak, in the long term, to offer high quality,
biobased chemical color toners at prices equal to or less
than existing petrotoners.
Migration to Chemical Process Toners
Historically, Mechanically Produced Toners (MPT)
dominated EP (Electronic Photography) imaging from 1960
to 2000. From 2000 forward, however, chemical processes
for toner (CPT) manufacturing gradually replaced many
MPT lines, especially for color toner production. Kodak’s
announcement adds a whole new dimension to toner
marketing, with a product that is:
• Environmentally friendly
• Equal to or lower in UMC (Unit Manufacturing Cost)
than petrotoners
• A drop-in replacement for petrotoners
• Based upon a polylactic acid (PLA) resin
• Compostable (PLA and waxes are compostable,
5 % inorganic pigments are inert)
• Free of styrene monomer present in styrene-acrylate
toners
• Free of bisphenol A (BPA) used in polyester-based
toners
Availability
Kodak`s chemical color biotoners has become available
from pilot plant operations since August 2014. Sales
volume is expected to ramp up, driven by Kodak’s strategic
partnerships and the fact that they can offer a near 100 %
biobased product close to the cost of conventional toners.
Color imaging is unquestionably the largest growth
opportunity in digital printing and Kodak, well recognized
for the high quality of its imaging products, plans to
match the demand for color biotoners by a scale-up of
manufacturing to production plant level next year. Much
of that growth in demand is expected to come as a result
of evolving strategic partnerships such as the one recently
inked with Static Control Components (Stanford, North
Carolina, USA). SCC is one of the largest suppliers of
toners and machine components, with sales, warehouse
and distribution facilities worldwide.
Acknowledgement
This article is based on a more comprehensive article
previously published in Recycling Times Magazine.
(Photo: shutterstock/Nyvlt-art)
By:
Tomas McHugh
Extended Materials Business
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, New York, USA
www.kodak.com
(Photo: shutterstock/rawcaptured)
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 41

Consumer Electronics
Durable plastic
for mobile devices
Among the major bioplastics polylactic acid (PLA) attracts the
developer by its wide potential for use in various applications
such as injection, extrusion, blow moulding, fibres/textiles,
and even foaming. However, it’s rather weak heat resistance blocks
its way, to a certain extent, in the field of engineering plastics but
holds a strong position mainly in the field of disposables, or within
a room temperature environment. By adding reinforcing fibres or
other fillers it may improve PLA’s heat resistance, but the resulting
blends still suffer from longer cycle times, especially in the field of
injection moulding. Moreover, the dimensional stability, which might
affect the assembly process, is another problem related to its slow
crystallization rate.
By properly introducing PDLA (poly-D-lactide) into PLLA (poly-
L-lactide), the SUPLA 155 not only has an HDT superior to ABS
with similar mechanical properties but also has an acceptable
cycle time. Suplas was honoured that the AIO/PC (all-in-one 21.5”
Kuender touch screen PC, made of the Supla 155), was awarded
second prize at the 8 th Bioplastics Award in 2013 by the successful
application in high-end electronics. For further adaptation into
personal mobile communication devices, Supla have developed a
new grade of modified PLA not only to meet the requirements of
durability, ease of manufacture and assembly, and shock resistance
but also has an anti-bacterial property.
With the lactide from Corbion (Purac), Supla has PLLA and PDLA
polymerized at the Sulzer PLA unit. Based on these materials of
high optical purity, Supla developed Supla 158 in 2014, responding
to a new market for mobile consumer electronics. Kuender, an
expert in injection molding for electronics housings, has applied
Supla 158 to the kid’s cell phone for Dikon Information Technology
(shanghai) Co, Ltd., who have been authorized by a famous cartoon
rights owner. The design of this product, mentioned in this article,
is still confidential before the formal launch. In addition to the kid’s
cell phone, a 10” Pad (Fig. 1), the MIFI (Fig. 2), a mobile power
charger with wireless router, will be launched by Kuender under the
Ecotrend brand by the end of this year, using Supla 158 as the
material for the outer housing.
Supla 158 has physical properties to meet the requirements for
tensile strength of 45-55 MPa, elongation at breakage of 15-20 %,
impact strength of 30-50 J/m and HDT/B of 135‐145 °C. Moreover,
since such devices are usually held between the hand and the mouth,
the reduced bacterial activity on the surface makes it safer for the
user. To answer the special need of this market, Supla 158 also
features anti-bacterial properties with regard to the antibacterial
ratio of coli and aureus respectively (99.2 % and 99.6 %).
Supla (SuQian) New Materials Co. Ltd. has a production capacity
of 10,000 tonnes per annum for PLA polymerization and will have
additional compounding lines by the end of 2014 at SuQian, China.
It offers eco-friendly high performance plastics derived from
green plants, which could be processed by current manufacturing
machines without major changes.
Fig.2: Eco-trend MIFI
By:
Robin Wu
Chairman
Supla (SuQian) New Material Co. Ltd.
Jiangsu, China
www.supla-bioplastics.cn
Fig.1: Antibacterial Pad
42 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Consumer Electronics
Biobased high-performance
Polyamides for mobile
healthcare electronic devices
Solvay Specialty Polymers (the Solvay Group headquartered
in Brussels, Belgium) recently introduced
a new family of Kalix ® high-performance polyamides
(HPPAs) for structural components used in mobile healthcare
(mHealth) electronic devices. The new products include
among others also biobased Kalix HPPAs. They deliver exceptional
strength, stiffness, and significantly improved chemical
resistance versus traditional polycarbonate (PC) or PC/
acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) materials typically used
for covers and housings for mHealth electronic devices.
The new Kalix HPPAs – first launched for smart
mobile electronics at K 2013 in Germany last
October – are a unique offering targeted for
frames and covers for healthcare displays,
terminals, and modules along with chassis,
housings, and bezels for mHealth devices.
“This material introduction strengthens our
commitment to both the healthcare and mobile
electronics industries,” said Maria Gallahue-
Worl, global healthcare business manager for
Solvay Specialty Polymers. “We’ve leveraged
our extensive know-how in polymer
technology and our long-term
presence in healthcare to give
our customers a competitive
edge in meeting their end-use
requirements.”
With the introduction of a
new portfolio of biobased
HPPAs for healthcare
OEMs Solvay wants to
incorporate renewable,
biobased polymers for
mHealth devices. This
includes the Kalix HPPA
3000 series, the first
biobased amorphous PPA,
and the Kalix 2000 series,
a family of biosourced
PPA grades that provide
outstanding impact
resistance. According
to Gallahue-Worl, the
company’s expanded portfolio of biobased PAs is driven by
environmentally-conscious medical manufacturers who are
continually striving for more sustainable alternatives.
The Kalix 3000 series breaks new ground as the industry’s
first biobased amorphous PPA. The two new grades – Kalix
3850 and Kalix 3950 – provide less warp, reduced shrinkage,
and low to no flash. This improved processability results
in tighter dimensional tolerances and more cost-effective
manufacturing due to fewer secondary operations such
as deflashing. Both compounded grades consist of 16 %
renewable content, according to the ASTM D6866 test method
for determining biobased carbon content.
Meanwhile, the new Kalix 2000 series, based on PA 6.10,
consists of Kalix 2855 and Kalix 2955. They provide strong
mechanical properties, high impact strength, an exceptional
surface finish, and low moisture absorption.
These two compounded grades consist of
27 % renewable content according to ASTM
D6866.
Both the Kalix 2000 and 3000 series
contain monomers that come from the
sebacic acid chain which is derived from
non-food competing and GMO-free castor
oil. Overall, in addition to their renewable
content, the grades (between 50-55 %
glass fiber loading) provide greater
strength and stiffness than most
competing glass-reinforced
materials including
high-performance PAs
and lower-performing
engineering plastics such
as PC.
Both the Kalix 2000
and 3000 series offer
an ultra-smoth surface
finish. Along with Kalix
5950 HFFR, they can
be matched to a wide
range of colors including
the bright and light
colors used for mHealth
electronic devices. They
can also be painted
with existing coatings
commonly used for
these devices.
The new Kalix HPPA
materials are available globally and Solvay is currently
seeking qualifications with leading manufacturers of mHealth
electronic devices. MT
www.SolvaySpecialtyPolymers.com.
Photo just as an example. No pictures from Solvay available
(shutterstock / Piotr Marcinski)
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 43

Politics
Bagislation in Europe –
A (good?) case for biodegradables
A critical review on legislation addressing
single-use plastic carrier bags in Europe
No other plastic product has ever created such public
debate and worldwide legal action. The single-use
plastic bag scores Number One on the virtual list of
the “most hated products”, being accused of exceptional overconsumption,
and the harm such bags do to the environment
and wildlife. Consequently it does not come as a big surprise
that the list of countries and cities acting against these bags
is long – and still growing fast. Several European member
states have regulated shopping bags, with the help of bans,
levies and taxes to reduce consumption. In due time the EU is
expected to set the framework by adding a specific proposal
to its Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. The bioplastics
industry, i.e. the producers of biodegradable polymers
and bags, has become a main stakeholder in Bagislation, as it
hopes for legal privileges and exemptions. Harald Kaeb, policy
expert for bioplastics, has followed the debates and outcomes
since the beginning. In this article he gives an up‐to-date overview
on the relevant legislation and examines the arguments
of various stakeholders against the background of science
and waste infrastructure. The perspectives of Bio-Bagislation
stand opposed to risks which could affect the credibility and
image of the bioplastics industry. The knowledge base needs
serious improvement. The author pledges that lacks and gaps
should not be ignored. The article is an update of his first article,
published three years ago in bioplastics MAGAZINE 06/2011.
No doubt, Europeans still use too many plastic bags.
However, the number of single-use plastic bags per capita, per
annum, varies widely dependent on regional marketing and
consumption patterns, ranging from 10–500 per annum in the
28 EU Members States (MS), and 176 on average, according
to the European Commission’s (EC) impact assessment
published November 2013 [1] (Fig. 1).
An estimation of the EU production of plastic carrier bags is
illustrated in Table 1. Immediately these figures were disputed
by the plastics industry organisation, calling them too high
and confusing because of lack of clear definitions and official
statistics. It is the vast number of single-use bags which is
targeted. Its tonnage (250 kt) is only about 20 % of the total
plastic bag market according to the EC assessment.
The main objective of Bagislation at EU and MS level is to
reduce the total number of single-use plastic bags and thus
reduce littering and its harmful effects, for example on the
marine eco-system. The replacement of single-use bags by
reusable bags and bags-for-life is considered an easy-to-pick
fruit by politicians and environmentalists, i.e. easy to achieve
and well accepted by most businesses and consumers. In
November 2013 the EU Commission had published its proposal
[2] to amend the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive
(PPWD), leaving it to MS to choose from diverse economic
instruments like taxes or levies on plastic bags. Pricing and
thereby increasing their value is generally perceived as the
best way to change consumption patterns to less single-use
and more reusable bags, e.g. bags-for life. The EC would also
Fig. 3: Bagislation often addresses the littering
by single-use plastic bags (Photo: Kaeb)
44 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Politics
By:
Harald Kaeb
narocon InnovationConsulting
Berlin, Germany
allow bans for single-use plastic bags
to achieve this goal. This would occur in
derogation of the Article 18 which obliges
MS not to impede the placing on their
market packaging which satisfies the
provisions of the PPWD. Such exemption
can only be justified to tackle serious
risks and minimize damages.
The EU Bagislation proposal would
affect only single-use bags with “a
thickness below 50 µm”, which is the
proposed criteria to separate singleuse
from reusable bags. Heavier
plastic bags are not supposed to have
negative effects, they are not prone to
littering, can be reused more often and
recycling is feasible. The EU Parliament
(EP) made many amendments to the
EC proposal in its first reading on 16 th
April 2014 [3]. For instance, the EP
wants to set binding reduction targets
of 50 % and later 80 %. Because of
the benefits it would also allow a
50 % reduction of mandatory charges
for biodegradable and compostable
single-use plastic bags to incentivize
(or at least enable) their use. Some EU
countries have biodegradable-preferred
policies in place (Table 2). This refers to
the EN 13432 standard to qualify such
bags, but is also called on to develop
a standard for home compostability
ensuring that these bags would also
biodegrade rapidly enough on private
backyard composts. In October 2014 the
first tripartite talks took place to prepare
an agreement between the EP and the
Council of Member States, moderated by
the EC. Several MS already had imposed
Bagislation and had significantly
reduced consumption. They criticized
the 80 % target for the EP which they
say would neglect their efforts. MS were
pointing out their individual situation,
especially with regard to the national
waste management and recycling policy.
It is unlikely that an agreement can be
reached by 2014, thus implementation
at MS level will not take place before
2017.
Estonia
Hungary
Lativa
Lithuania
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Czech Republic
Romania
Bulgaria
Greece
Italy
EU-27 (average)
UK
Cyprus
Spain
Malta
Sweden
Belgium
France
Netherlands
Germany
Austria
Ireland
Luxembourg
Denmark
Finland
Fig. 1: Plastic bag consumption 2010 [1]
kg / Inh · yr
250
200
150
100
50
0
206
182
143
114
101
86 85
100 200 300 400 500
43 42 42
Specific collection
31 30
Multiple Use Plastic Bags
Single Use Plastic Carrier Bags
NL AT DK LU DE FI BE FR SE IT UK IE SK CZ HU ES PT PL GR BG CY EE LT LV MT RO SI
EU Production (Tonnes)
Single-use non-biodegradable 239 250
Single-use biodegradable 10 831
Multiple-use 873 993
Total plastic bags produced 1 124 074
EU27 = 48 kg / Inh · yr
13 13 13 7
3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fig. 2: Implementation of separate collections across the EU (source: [4])
Tab 1: Breakdown of EU plastic carrier bag production 2010 by weight [1]
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 45

Politics
Geography
EU / EC
proposal
Bulgaria
Bagislation
(enforced)
Most likely
(2017 or later)
Yes
(Oct. 2012)
Type Scope / Criteria Exemption Level / Cost
MBI & Bans
– up to MS
Tax
SUPCB / < 50 µm
SUPCB / < 15 µm?
Or all plastic bags? (late news)
EC: none (up to MS)
EP: Biodegradable Plastics
Biodegradables acc. EN
13432
(up to MS)
“Progressive tax -
appr. 28 Cents / bag 2014”
Denmark Yes (2001) Tax all bags > 5 l (plastic & paper) none 22 DKK = appr. 3 € / kg
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Romania
Spain
UK:
England
N-Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Most likely
(Jan. 2016)
No
Yes
(2007)
Yes
(01-2011)
No
Yes
(01-2009)
No
(suspended
2014)
Yes
(Autumn 2015)
Yes
(04-2013)
Yes
(proposal,
10-2014)
Yes
(10-2011)
“Ban
(before:Tax)”
Charge / Levy
Ban
not yet defined (decree)
SUPCB / < xx µm (?)
all plastic bags; various criteria
most plastic CB - complex: size, thickness,
type, applic., ...
Tax n. n.
Charge (Levy)
Charge (Levy)
Charge (Levy)
Charge (Levy)
until 2014:
progressive subsitution targets
SUPCB
to be further defined
SU bags incl. paper & plastic &
plantbased materials
all SU bags
(all materials)
SU bags incl. paper & plastic & plantbased,
complex: < 49 µm, size < 40x44 cm, a. o.
Biodegradables (EN 13432)
> 40% biobased content
for specific applications;
not for biodegradables
Biodegradables acc EN 13432
unclear - probably for
EN 13432 biodegradables
until 2014:
Biodegradables acc.
EN 13432
DEFRA proposes:
Biodegradables be exempt
several applications
(not bioplastics)
complex, small businesses
& several appl. exempt (not
biopl.)
for several applications
(not for bioplastics)
“Ban
(until 03-2014:
tax 6 Cents / bag)”
10–20 Cents
pricing is very common
22 Cents / bag
“ban of non-biodegradable;
biodegradable bags for free
or sold”
0,2 Lei / bag (25 Cents)
5 Pence / bag
5 Pence / bag
5 Pence / bag
5 Pence / bag
Abbreviations: MS = Member State(s); SUPCB = Single-Use Plastic Carrier Bags; MBI = Market-based Instruments, MBT = Mechanical Biological Treatment
(mixed waste composting), Ct=Euro-Cent
A more comprehensive versio of this ‘mapping’ can be downloaded from www.bioplasticsmagazine.de(201406)
Tab 2.: Mapping Bagislation in Europe (selection)
Whilst the EU framework legislation is still pending and
predictions on a final version are hard to make for now,
it is clear that EU/MS legislation will vary significantly.
When mapping out national laws addressing carrier bags
the current picture resembles a puzzle showing variations
regarding the scope (which bags are addressed) the criteria
(definitions what is in and out) and applied measures. Table 2
lists the main aspects of Bagislation in some selected EU/MS.
On one extreme, Italy has banned plastic bags up to 100 µm
and exempted biodegradable EN 13432 conforming bags.
Because of assumed discrimination and violation of §18 an EC
Fig. 4: How to avoid damage from littering?
infringement was run against Italy – but put on hold with regard
to the running PPWD revision procedure. The UK members
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland imposed pricing
measures on all types of carrier bags, with no exemptions
for biodegradables. England’s proposed measures foresee
privileging biodegradable bags – if they can find the perfect
bag which biodegrades quickly in home compost, and
anaerobically in digestion plants. France recently changed
its earlier proposal to tax all plastic bags by at least 6 Cents,
switching to a ban of non-biodegradable single-use plastics
bags, starting in 2016. Like France, England has not yet laid
down more specific criteria. Countries like France, Spain
or Romania proposed exemptions for biodegradable plastic
bags but none of them so far have enforced any legislation.
None of them has a fully established organic waste
collection and industrial composting infrastructure. For at
least a significant part of the population this question arises:
Where to put biodegradable plastic bags after use, and,
would this affect conventional plastic recycling? Another
extreme is a country like Germany where organic recycling
schemes are well established but industrial composters are
against compostable carrier bags. The German biowaste
legislation is allowing the composting of only specific nonpackaging
items like biowaste collection bags. In Germany
only reusable plastic bags were sold at most supermarkets
and PE film recycling is increasing.
46 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Politics
Fig. 5: Disposable plastic products stand
for waste and littering (Photo: Kaeb)
The difference between a carrier bag and a biowaste
bag is very simple: Consumers get and buy biowaste bags
intentionally for the purpose of composting. Buying a
compostable shopping bag is not linked to that intention.
The added value and second life of a compostable shopping
bag is a main argument, but it would need that composting
infrastructure to be available and accessible at regional /
MS level. Although European waste legislation has set
targets for separate collection and treatment of biowaste,
practice shows that many countries and regions are
lagging quite far behind (see Fig 2). The same is true for the
intended but very slow phasing out of landfill of untreated
waste. Implementation and control of legislation is much
more challenging than putting targets on paper. National
waste management policy and infrastructure must be the
guiding principle when designing Bagislation to make it fit
for purpose.
The discussions and debates on the role of biodegradable
and compostable plastics in the EU Bagislation have
revealed many open questions. How to recycle them if
organic recycling is not in place, or is in place but refuses
acceptance of compostable plastic products? Several
studies were made, or are ongoing. What about home
compostability? What happens to biodegradable bags
if littered on the land, in rivers, in sea water? Experts
know the speed and extend of biodegradability is heavily
dependent on various parameters of the environmental
conditions (industrial composting occurs under optimum
conditions). What happens to marine life if ingested, what
about the risks of entanglement? Some of these questions
are addressed in running standardisation processes or
research projects (KBBPPS, OpenBio), some are not yet
tackled at all. It would be worth reviewing these questions
and actions in a detailed review article to better understand
the situation and the implications.
Advocates of privileges for Biodegradables had to learn
that most NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in
Europe wanted a complete ban or very wide reduction of
all types of single-use plastic bags. Even if these NGOs
acknowledge the benefits of biodegradability they prefer the
switch to reusable bags. They learned that biodegradability
is not synonymous with compostability and doubt it will
happen fast enough to prevent wildlife from potential
damages. The advocates of biodegradable single-use bags
stress their advantages, e.g. to contribute to better organic
waste management and less contamination of recycling
streams with food waste. Positioning biodegradable bags
as “a good alternative” to conventional single-use plastic
bag and finding acceptance is not easy. A more general
view says: If markets are destroyed or created by legislation
the arguments need to be bullet-proof. Expect them to
be scrutinized and put under the microscope by affected
(opposing) parties.
To summarize and conclude: It is good to see that
biodegradable and compostable bags were recognized
as beneficial for proper organic waste collection. It is at
least a bit frightening to see them sometimes recognized
as a contribution to solving (marine) littering problems
– because of lack of knowledge and comprehensive
test methods. Biobased plastic bags, i.e. reusable and
recyclable products from Bio-PE or BioPET30, have not been
addressed directly but would suffer from extreme national
reduction targets and measures, i.e. if the scope addresses
reusable bags. At EU level nothing is carved in stone yet,
and implementation has to occur at national level in any
case. The list of legal measures targeting the consumption
of plastic carrier bags and promotion of biodegradable
alternatives is revealing a scattered landscape – which also
is true for the existing waste management and recycling
schemes in place. Biodegradable single-use plastic bags
should not fail to meet the expectations of awarded legal
privileges when put under the microscope.
Literature
[1] EU Plastic Bags Impact Assessment http://ec.europa.eu/environment/
waste/packaging/legis.htm#plastic_bags
[2] EC Proposal http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-1017_en.htm
[3] Procedure http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/ficheprocedure.
do?lang=en&reference=2013/0371(COD)
[4] Enzo Favoino, Scuola Agraria del Parco di Monza and International
Solid Waste Association ISWA, presentation 3rd Baltic Biowaste
Conference, 23/24 Nov. 2011, Vilnius
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 47

Basics
Next-generation
sustainability
requires higher
product performance
By:
Del Craig
Executive Vice President, Sustainability,
Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc.
Woodridge, Illinois, USA
Proponents of the sustainability movement can point to
the Brundtland Commission and Report as an important
step in defining sustainability as “development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This
definition has provided the chemicals and plastics industry
with a roadmap to find ways to substitute petroleum with a
biobased or recycled alternative.
It’s important to note that biobased isn’t new and isn’t
enough to meet the needs of a growing population. Consider
this. Since the beginning of civilization, mankind has utilized
readily available biobased materials made from plants and
animals to enhance welfare and improve living standards.
For example, animal fats and vegetable oils have been used
for centuries for lubrication, illumination and manufacture
of soap, and then later through further processing into paint
and varnish. In the mid-20 th century, large-scale oil production
and the petrochemical industry really expanded and replaced
many biobased products with widely available petroleummade
products and again improved living standards for many.
These advancements, however, have a price. The extraction,
processing and use of petroleum involve trade-offs that leave
a definite footprint on the planet. This footprint is becoming
ever more meaningful as the global population and standard
of living increases. So, it was worth taking another look at
biobased alternatives.
In fact, the chemical industry can learn from the agricultural
industry, which it helped improve. According to the American
Farm Bureau, in production agriculture in the U.S., farmers
have produced 262 % more food with 2 % fewer inputs since
1950 on a decreasing base of land, thanks to improved
technology. Further, with careful stewardship farmers have
spurred a nearly 50 % decline in erosion of cropland by wind
and water since 1982. U.S. farmers, ranchers and foresters
are keenly positioned to manage the land to produce the
food, fiber and energy needed in 2050 to support a growing
population and economy, while simultaneously improving
biodiversity and the health of our environment. What’s more,
the agricultural industry has played an increasingly important
role in supplying renewable feedstocks to the biofuels and
biomaterials industries.
48 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Basics
The continual challenge for many industries served by
the chemical industry, however, is that traditional biobased
products don’t perform as well as the petroleum-based
products developed during the past 50 years. In the plastics
industry, specifically, performance is critical for durable goods
because materials have a long development time and are used
in products with a long product life. This adds to the burden
of finding new and better approaches today to be incorporated
into future downstream uses.
It is clear that the chemicals and plastics industry needs a
solution that provides a sustainable portfolio of products. The
solution must provide a better performing, more productive
and sustainable future for everyone — a new category of
solutions to deliver products that exceed performance of
petrochemical-based products and to do so with a smaller
environmental footprint.
Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc., a high-growth specialty
chemicals company, is leading the industry by introducing
game-changing solutions that build on the Brundtland
Commission’s definition of sustainability and marry it with
performance that exceeds what’s been possible before. We
believe the way to become more sustainable is to develop
products that use fewer resources in the manufacturing
process and perform better. That’s where Renewicals
comes in.
Renewicals are a breakthrough category of novel products,
building blocks and ingredients that enable performance
impossible until now. Renewicals mark a paradigm shift in
the way companies are addressing industry and consumer
demand for improved performance and sustainability,
enabled by renewable feedstocks and advanced sustainable
manufacturing processes.
At Elevance alone, we provide two examples of how
Renewicals are changing the game for the chemicals and
plastics industry.
Inherent C18 Diacid is a mid-chain length, biobased diacid
that facilitates the creation of more than a dozen new base
polymers that can result in more than 100 new compounds
or formulations. Inherent C18 Diacid enables producers of
polyamides and polyurethanes to significantly expand their
portfolios with cost-competitive products that demonstrate
performance not possible from products made with more
common, shorter-chain diacids.
C
For example, Inherent C18 Diacid will allow polyamides to
M
enter new automotive and electronic applications that demand
better hydrolytic performance, improved optical properties
Y
and greater material toughness or flexibility. Using Inherent
CM
C18 Diacid in polyester polyols enables the creation of new,
MY
previously unattainable pre-polymers, helping polyurethane
manufacturers create polymers with exceptional solvent
CY
resistance, hydrolytic stability, optical clarity and toughness.
CMY
These high-performance, differentiated materials are suitable
K
in market segments such as automotive. Their use reduces
automotive weight, which improves car fuel efficiency and the
environmental footprint of transportation.
Another example is that Inherent C18 Diacid makes a
tougher GMA (glycidyl methacrylate) acrylic for powder
coatings. When the C18 diacid is used as the system
crosslinker in GMA powder coatings, the resultant coating has
twice the impact resistance as that of the incumbent diacid
and improved flexibility due to the longer, more elastic C18
methylene chain. As a result, this reduces the need for service
and repair, and improves the overall efficiency of equipment
use while extending equipment life.
Elevance is making Inherent C18 Diacid, also known as
octadecanedioic diacid or ODDA, using a unique and efficient
production process and materials produced from its worldscale
biorefinery in Gresik, Indonesia — the first based on
Elevance’s proprietary metathesis technology. The process
allows for the purity required for demanding applications like
polymers and is a solution that is cost competitive with other
specialty diacids in the marketplace. A mid-chain diacid,
Inherent C18 Diacid enables performance attributes not
possible by more common, shorter chain diacids.
Conclusion
Engineering polymer and plastic formulator customers can
now add biobased products with enhanced performance to
their portfolios, expanding their supply chains while achieving
their business and sustainability goals. The industry can also
make a difference and do things that have never been done
before — today. Join us in the Renewicals movement and help
transform the industry to meet the needs of the nine billion
people who will live here. It promises to be an exciting and
more sustainable future for everyone.
www.elevance.com
Renewicals and Inherent C18 Diacid are trademarks of Elevance
Renewable Sciences, Inc.
magnetic_148,5x105.ai 175.00 lpi 15.00° 75.00° 0.00° 45.00° 14.03.2009 10:13:31
Prozess CyanProzess MagentaProzess GelbProzess Schwarz
Magnetic
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bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 49

Suppliers Guide
1. Raw Materials
AGRANA Starch
Thermoplastics
Conrathstrasse 7
A-3950 Gmuend, Austria
Tel: +43 676 8926 19374
lukas.raschbauer@agrana.com
www.agrana.com
Shandong Fuwin New Material Co., Ltd.
Econorm ® Biodegradable &
Compostable Resin
North of Baoshan Road, Zibo City,
Shandong Province P.R. China.
Phone: +86 533 7986016
Fax: +86 533 6201788
Mobile: +86-13953357190
CNMHELEN@GMAIL.COM
www.sdfuwin.com
FKuR Kunststoff GmbH
Siemensring 79
D - 47 877 Willich
Tel. +49 2154 9251-0
Tel.: +49 2154 9251-51
sales@fkur.com
www.fkur.com
39 mm
Simply contact:
Tel.: +49 2161 6884467
suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com
Stay permanently listed in the
Suppliers Guide with your company
logo and contact information.
For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you
can be present among top suppliers in
the field of bioplastics.
For Example:
Polymedia Publisher GmbH
Dammer Str. 112
41066 Mönchengladbach
Germany
Tel. +49 2161 664864
Fax +49 2161 631045
info@bioplasticsmagazine.com
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
Showa Denko Europe GmbH
Konrad-Zuse-Platz 4
81829 Munich, Germany
Tel.: +49 89 93996226
www.showa-denko.com
support@sde.de
DuPont de Nemours International S.A.
2 chemin du Pavillon
1218 - Le Grand Saconnex
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 22 171 51 11
Fax: +41 22 580 22 45
plastics@dupont.com
www.renewable.dupont.com
www.plastics.dupont.com
Tel: +86 351-8689356
Fax: +86 351-8689718
www.ecoworld.jinhuigroup.com
sales@jinhuigroup.com
Jincheng, Lin‘an, Hangzhou,
Zhejiang 311300, P.R. China
China contact: Grace Jin
mobile: 0086 135 7578 9843
Grace@xinfupharm.com
Europe contact(Belgium): Susan Zhang
mobile: 0032 478 991619
zxh0612@hotmail.com
www.xinfupharm.com
1.1 bio based monomers
Corbion Purac
Arkelsedijk 46, P.O. Box 21
4200 AA Gorinchem -
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)183 695 695
Fax: +31 (0)183 695 604
www.corbion.com/bioplastics
bioplastics@corbion.com
1.2 compounds
GRAFE-Group
Waldecker Straße 21,
99444 Blankenhain, Germany
Tel. +49 36459 45 0
www.grafe.com
PolyOne
Avenue Melville Wilson, 2
Zoning de la Fagne
5330 Assesse
Belgium
Tel.: + 32 83 660 211
www.polyone.com
WinGram Industry CO., LTD
Great River(Qin Xin)
Plastic Manufacturer CO., LTD
Mobile (China): +86-13113833156
Mobile (Hong Kong): +852-63078857
Fax: +852-3184 8934
Email: Benson@wingram.hk
Sample Charge:
39mm x 6,00 €
= 234,00 € per entry/per issue
Sample Charge for one year:
6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 €
The entry in our Suppliers Guide is
bookable for one year (6 issues) and
extends automatically if it’s not canceled
three month before expiry.
Evonik Industries AG
Paul Baumann Straße 1
45772 Marl, Germany
Tel +49 2365 49-4717
evonik-hp@evonik.com
www.vestamid-terra.com
www.evonik.com
API S.p.A.
Via Dante Alighieri, 27
36065 Mussolente (VI), Italy
Telephone +39 0424 579711
www.apiplastic.com
www.apinatbio.com
1.3 PLA
Shenzhen Esun Ind. Co;Ltd
www.brightcn.net
www.esun.en.alibaba.com
bright@brightcn.net
Tel: +86-755-2603 1978
1.4 starch-based bioplastics
www.facebook.com
www.issuu.com
www.twitter.com
www.youtube.com
Natureplast
11 rue François Arago
14123 Ifs – France
Tel. +33 2 31 83 50 87
www.natureplast.eu
t.lefevre@natureplast.eu
Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd.
No.33 Kefeng Rd, Sc. City, Guangzhou
Hi-Tech Ind. Development Zone,
Guangdong, P.R. China. 510663
Tel: +86 (0)20 6622 1696
info@ecopond.com.cn
www.ecopond.com.cn
FLEX-162 Biodeg. Blown Film Resin!
Bio-873 4-Star Inj. Bio-Based Resin!
Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients
ZAC „Les Portes de Riom“ - BP 173
63204 Riom Cedex - France
Tel. +33 (0)4 73 67 17 00
Fax +33 (0)4 73 67 17 10
www.biolice.com
50 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Suppliers Guide
1.6 masterbatches
6. Equipment
6.1 Machinery & Molds
BIOTEC
Biologische Naturverpackungen
Werner-Heisenberg-Strasse 32
46446 Emmerich/Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 2822 – 92510
info@biotec.de
www.biotec.de
GRAFE-Group
Waldecker Straße 21,
99444 Blankenhain, Germany
Tel. +49 36459 45 0
www.grafe.com
Taghleef Industries SpA, Italy
Via E. Fermi, 46
33058 San Giorgio di Nogaro (UD)
Contact Frank Ernst
Tel. +49 2402 7096989
Mobile +49 160 4756573
frank.ernst@ti-films.com
www.ti-films.com
4. Bioplastics products
Molds, Change Parts and Turnkey
Solutions for the PET/Bioplastic
Container Industry
284 Pinebush Road
Cambridge Ontario
Canada N1T 1Z6
Tel. +1 519 624 9720
Fax +1 519 624 9721
info@hallink.com
www.hallink.com
ROQUETTE
62 136 LESTREM, FRANCE
00 33 (0) 3 21 63 36 00
www.gaialene.com
www.roquette.com
Grabio Greentech Corporation
Tel: +886-3-598-6496
No. 91, Guangfu N. Rd., Hsinchu
Industrial Park,Hukou Township,
Hsinchu County 30351, Taiwan
sales@grabio.com.tw
www.grabio.com.tw
Wuhan Huali
Environmental Technology Co.,Ltd.
No.8, North Huashiyuan Road,
Donghu New Tech Development
Zone, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Tel: +86-27-87926666
Fax: + 86-27-87925999
rjh@psm.com.cn, www.psm.com.cn
1.5 PHA
TianAn Biopolymer
No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd,
Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800
Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2
Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0
enquiry@tianan-enmat.com
www.tianan-enmat.com
Metabolix, Inc.
Bio-based and biodegradable resins
and performance additives
21 Erie Street
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
US +1-617-583-1700
DE +49 (0) 221 / 88 88 94 00
www.metabolix.com
info@metabolix.com
PolyOne
Avenue Melville Wilson, 2
Zoning de la Fagne
5330 Assesse
Belgium
Tel.: + 32 83 660 211
www.polyone.com
2. Additives/Secondary raw materials
GRAFE-Group
Waldecker Straße 21,
99444 Blankenhain, Germany
Tel. +49 36459 45 0
www.grafe.com
Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH
Duesseldorfer Strasse 23-27
68219 Mannheim, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)621-8907-233
Fax: +49 (0)621-8907-8233
bioadimide.eu@rheinchemie.com
www.bioadimide.com
3. Semi finished products
3.1 films
Huhtamaki Films
Sonja Haug
Zweibrückenstraße 15-25
91301 Forchheim
Tel. +49-9191 81203
Fax +49-9191 811203
www.huhtamaki-films.com
www.earthfirstpla.com
www.sidaplax.com
www.plasticsuppliers.com
Sidaplax UK : +44 (1) 604 76 66 99
Sidaplax Belgium: +32 9 210 80 10
Plastic Suppliers: +1 866 378 4178
Minima Technology Co., Ltd.
Esmy Huang, Marketing Manager
No.33. Yichang E. Rd., Taipin City,
Taichung County
411, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Tel. +886(4)2277 6888
Fax +883(4)2277 6989
Mobil +886(0)982-829988
esmy@minima-tech.com
Skype esmy325
www.minima-tech.com
Natur-Tec ® - Northern Technologies
4201 Woodland Road
Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA
Tel. +1 763.404.8700
Fax +1 763.225.6645
info@natur-tec.com
www.natur-tec.com
NOVAMONT S.p.A.
Via Fauser , 8
28100 Novara - ITALIA
Fax +39.0321.699.601
Tel. +39.0321.699.611
www.novamont.com
President Packaging Ind., Corp.
PLA Paper Hot Cup manufacture
In Taiwan, www.ppi.com.tw
Tel.: +886-6-570-4066 ext.5531
Fax: +886-6-570-4077
sales@ppi.com.tw
ProTec Polymer Processing GmbH
Stubenwald-Allee 9
64625 Bensheim, Deutschland
Tel. +49 6251 77061 0
Fax +49 6251 77061 500
info@sp-protec.com
www.sp-protec.com
6.2 Laboratory Equipment
MODA: Biodegradability Analyzer
SAIDA FDS INC.
143-10 Isshiki, Yaizu,
Shizuoka,Japan
Tel:+81-54-624-6260
Info2@moda.vg
www.saidagroup.jp
7. Plant engineering
EREMA Engineering Recycling
Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH
Unterfeldstrasse 3
4052 Ansfelden, AUSTRIA
Phone: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-0
Fax: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-23
erema@erema.at
www.erema.at
Uhde Inventa-Fischer GmbH
Holzhauser Strasse 157–159
D-13509 Berlin
Tel. +49 30 43 567 5
Fax +49 30 43 567 699
sales.de@uhde-inventa-fischer.com
Uhde Inventa-Fischer AG
Via Innovativa 31
CH-7013 Domat/Ems
Tel. +41 81 632 63 11
Fax +41 81 632 74 03
sales.ch@uhde-inventa-fischer.com
www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 51

Suppliers Guide
9. Services
10.2 Universities
Biopolynov
11 rue François Arago
14123 Ifs – France
Tel. +33 2 31 83 50 87
www. biopolynov.com
t.lefevre@natureplast.eu
Osterfelder Str. 3
46047 Oberhausen
Tel.: +49 (0)208 8598 1227
Fax: +49 (0)208 8598 1424
thomas.wodke@umsicht.fhg.de
www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de
Institut für Kunststofftechnik
Universität Stuttgart
Böblinger Straße 70
70199 Stuttgart
Tel +49 711/685-62814
Linda.Goebel@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de
www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de
narocon
Dr. Harald Kaeb
Tel.: +49 30-28096930
kaeb@narocon.de
www.narocon.de
nova-Institut GmbH
Chemiepark Knapsack
Industriestrasse 300
50354 Huerth, Germany
Tel.: +49(0)2233-48-14 40
E-Mail: contact@nova-institut.de
www.biobased.eu
Bioplastics Consulting
Tel. +49 2161 664864
info@polymediaconsult.com
UL International TTC GmbH
Rheinuferstrasse 7-9, Geb. R33
47829 Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 2151 5370-370
Fax: +49 (0) 2151 5370-371
ttc@ul.com
www.ulttc.com
10. Institutions
10.1 Associations
BPI - The Biodegradable
Products Institute
331 West 57th Street, Suite 415
New York, NY 10019, USA
Tel. +1-888-274-5646
info@bpiworld.org
European Bioplastics e.V.
Marienstr. 19/20
10117 Berlin, Germany
Tel. +49 30 284 82 350
Fax +49 30 284 84 359
info@european-bioplastics.org
www.european-bioplastics.org
IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics
and Biocomposites
University of Applied Sciences
and Arts Hanover
Faculty II – Mechanical and
Bioprocess Engineering
Heisterbergallee 12
30453 Hannover, Germany
Tel.: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 22 69
Fax: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 99 - 22 69
lisa.mundzeck@fh-hannover.de
http://www.ifbb-hannover.de/
Michigan State University
Department of Chemical
Engineering & Materials Science
Professor Ramani Narayan
East Lansing MI 48824, USA
Tel. +1 517 719 7163
narayan@msu.edu
‘Basics‘ book on bioplastics
This book, created and published by Polymedia Publisher, maker
of bioplastics MAGAZINE is available in English and German language
(German now in the second, revised edition).
The book is intended to offer a rapid and uncomplicated introduction
into the subject of bioplastics, and is aimed at all interested readers, in
particular those who have not yet had the opportunity to dig deeply into
the subject, such as students or those just joining this industry, and lay
readers. It gives an introduction to plastics and bioplastics, explains which
renewable resources can be used to produce bioplastics, what types of bioplastic
exist, and which ones are already on the market. Further aspects,
such as market development, the agricultural land required, and waste
disposal, are also examined.
An extensive index allows the reader to find specific aspects quickly,
and is complemented by a comprehensive literature list and a guide to
sources of additional information on the Internet.
The author Michael Thielen is editor and publisher bioplastics MAGA-
ZINE. He is a qualified machinery design engineer with a degree in plastics
technology from the RWTH University in Aachen. He has written
several books on the subject of blow-moulding technology and disseminated
his knowledge of plastics in numerous presentations, seminars,
guest lectures and teaching assignments.
110 pages full color, paperback
ISBN 978-3-9814981-1-0: Bioplastics
ISBN 978-3-9814981-2-7: Biokunststoffe
neu: 2. überarbeitete Auflage
Order now for € 18.65 or US-$ 25.00 (+ VAT where applicable, plus shipping and handling, ask for details)
order at www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/books, by phone +49 2161 6884463 or by e-mail books@bioplasticsmagazine.com
Or subscribe and get it as a free gift (see page 57 for details, outside German y only)
52 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

Events
Event
Calendar
BioPlastics: The Re-Invention of
Plastics via Renewable Chemicals
28.01.2015 - 30.01.2015 - Miami, Florida, USA
InterContinental on Biscayne Bay
http://bioplastconference.com
24. Stuttgarter Kunststoffkolloquium
25.02.2015 - 26.02.2015 - Stuttgart, Germany
www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de
World Bio Markets 2015
10.03.2015 - 12.03.2015 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.greenpowerconferences.com/BF1503NL
Green Polymer Chemistry 2015
18.03.2015 - 19.03.2015 - Cologne, Germany
Maritim Hotel, Cologne
www.amiplastics.com/events/event?Code=C637
Subscribe
now at
bioplasticsmagazine.com
the next six issues for €149.– 1)
Special offer
for students and
young professionals
1,2) € 99.-
2) aged 35 and below.
Send a scan of your
student card, your ID
or similar proof ...
NPE 2015 - The international Plastics Showcase
23.03.2015 - 27.03.2015 - Orlando FL, USA
www.npe.org
BioMAT2015
21.04.2015 - 22.04.2015 - Weimar, Germany
www.dgm.de/dgm/biomat
Biochemicals & Bioplastics 2015
06.05.2015 - 07.05.2015 - Denver, Colorado, USA
www.wplgroup.com/aci
bio!pac: Conference on biobased packaging
organized by bioplastics MAGAZINE
12.05.2015 - 13.05.2015 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Novotel Amsterdam City
www.bio-pac.info
Chinaplas
20.05.2015 - 23.05.2015 - Guangzhou, China
China Import & Export Fair Complex
ahweb.adsale.com.hk/t.aspx?unt=1982-CPS15_bioplastics
Biopolymers and Bioplastics
10.08.2015 - 12.08.2015 - San Francisco (CA), USA
http://biopolymers-bioplastics.conferenceseries.net/
You can meet us
bio PAC
biobased packaging
conference
12/13 may 2015
n o v o t e l
amsterdam
+
Mention the promotion code ‘watch‘ or ‘book‘
and you will get our watch or the book 3)
Bioplastics Basics. Applications. Markets. for free
or
1) Offer valid until 31 Mar. 2015
3) Gratis-Buch in Deutschland nicht möglich, no free book in Germany
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9 53

Companies in this issue
Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert
Agrana Starch Thermoplastics 50
API 50
BASF 8
BIO-FED 31
Biome Bioplastics 19
Biopolynov 51
Bio-Pro 18
Biotec 51
Bird & Wild 38
BMEL 23
BPI 52
Calysta 5
Converflex 38
Corbion 5, 42 50
Diamond Research Corporation 40
DSM 7
DTR Medical 37
DuPont 37 50
DUS Architects 30
Dutch Railways 11
Elevance 48
EREMA 33, 51
European Bioplastics 52
Evonik Industries 6 50, 55
Fachagentur Nachwachsende
23
Rohstoffe FNR
FKuR 20, 21 2, 50
Fraunhofer UMSICHT 52
FTC 6
Grabio Greentech 51
Grafe 19 50, 51
Hallink 51
Helian Polymers 20
Henkel 30
Hochschule Merseburg 23
Huhtamaki Films 51
IFA Tulln 22
Innovia Films 38
Institut for bioplastics &
36 52
biocomposites (IfBB)
Institut für Kunststoff-
24
verarbeitung (IKV)
JinHui 15. 50
KACO 7
Kingfa 50
Kodak 40
Lessonia 37
Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients 50
Maxrich 12
Metabolix 51
Michigan State University 52
Minima Technology 51
narocon 44 52
Nature Shield 10
Natureplast 50
NatureWorks 5, 10, 26, 38
Natur-Tec 51
Netzsch 27
nova Institute 52
Novamont 51, 56
ORRAF 12
PaperFoam 36
Plantronics 36
Plastic Suppliers 51
polymediaconsult 52
PolyOne 50, 51
President Packaging 51
ProTec Polymer Processing 51
PSM 23, 51
Rhein Chemie 51
Roquette 51
Saida 51
Shandong Fuwin 50
Shenzhen Esun Industrial 28 50
Showa Denko 50
Sidaplax 51
Solvay Specialty Polymers 43
St. Davies Assemblies 37
Sulzer 42
Supla 42
Swiss Coffee Company 8
Taghleef Industries 51
The Bioplastics Factory 11
TianAn Biopolymer 51
Uhde Inventa-Fischer 35, 51
UL International TTC 52
Univ.Stuttgart (IKT) 16 52
University of Amsterdam 32
Volkswagen 7
WinGram 50
Wuhan Huali 23, 51
Zandonella 8
Zhejiang Hangzhou Xinfu
Pharmaceutical
50
Editorial Planner 2015
Issue
Month
Publ.-
Date
edit/ad/
Deadline
Editorial Focus (1) Editorial Focus (2) Basics Fair Specials
01/2015 Jan/Feb 2/2/15 12/23/14 Automotive Foams Glossary (update) NPE Preview
02/2015 Mar/Apr 4/7/15 3/2/15 Thermoforming /
Rigid Packaging
Polyurethanes /
Elastomers / Rubber
Bioplastics in
Packaging (Update)
NPE-Review
Chinaplas Preview
03/2015 May/Jun 6/1/15 4/27/15 Injection moulding Biocomposites incl.
Thermoset
04/2015 Jul/Aug 8/3/15 7/3/13 Blow Moulding Bioplastics in Building
& Construction
FAQ
Foaming of
Bioplastics
Chinaplas Review
05/2015 Sept/Oct 10/5/15 9/4/13 Fiber / Textile /
Nonwoven
06/2015 Nov/Dec 12/7/15 11/6/13 Films / Flexibles /
Bags
Subject to changes
Barrier Materials
Consumer & Office
Electronics
Land use (update)
Plastics from CO 2
(Update)
www.bioplasticsmagazine.com
Follow us on twitter!
Be our friend on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine
54 bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/14] Vol. 9

VESTAMID® Terra
High Performance Naturally
Technical biobased polyamides which achieve
performance by natural means
VESTAMID® Terra DS (= PA1010) 100% renewable
VESTAMID® Terra HS (= PA610) 62% renewable
VESTAMID® Terra DD (= PA1012) 100% renewable
• Outstanding mechanical and physical properties
• Same performance as conventional engineering polyamides
• Significant lower CO 2
emission compared to petroleum-based polymers
• A wide variety of compound solutions are available
www.vestamid-terra.com

A real sign
of sustainable
development.
There is such a thing as genuinely sustainable
development.
Since 1989, Novamont researchers have been working
on an ambitious project that combines the chemical
industry, agriculture and the environment: “Living Chemistry
for Quality of Life”. Its objective has been to create products
with a low environmental impact. The result of Novamont’s
innovative research is the new bioplastic Mater-Bi ® .
Mater-Bi ® is a family of materials, completely biodegradable and compostable
which contain renewable raw materials such as starch and vegetable oil
derivates. Mater-Bi ® performs like traditional plastics but it saves energy,
contributes to reducing the greenhouse effect and at the end of its life cycle,
it closes the loop by changing into fertile humus. Everyone’s dream has
become a reality.
Living Chemistry for Quality of Life.
www.novamont.com
Within Mater-Bi ® product range the following certifications are available
284
The “OK Compost” certificate guarantees conformity with the NF EN 13432 standard
(biodegradable and compostable packaging)
5_2014