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Overall, 2018 was not a good year for synthetic polymerand fibre-based products suchas nonwovens.

The issue of microplastics in theoceans generated a mountain ofnegative publicity and calls for far-ranging action against plastics and atthe same time, the publicity surroundingso-called ‘fatbergs’ continued. Even thehumble teabag was the subject of asuccessful consumer campaign to seethe elimination of plastics from it.

AEPWFollowing various initiatives from both corporations and governmentlegislators during 2018, on January 16ththis year – as noted elsewhere in thisissue of SNW – Procter and Gambleannounced that it was teaming up with29 other corporations to form the cross

value chain Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), which is immediatelycommitting $1 billion to advancesolutions to eliminate plastic waste in the environment, and especially in the oceans.

The Alliance will develop and bring toscale solutions that will minimise andmanage plastic waste and promotesolutions for used plastics by helping toenable a circular economy.

Its membership includes manycompanies who are active along thenonwovens supply chain and in additionto P&G, these include BASF, Berry Global,Braskem, Clariant, Covestro, Dow, DSM,ExxonMobil, Formosa Plastics, Henkel,LyondellBasell, Mitsubishi, RelianceIndustries, SABIC, Sumitomo and Total.

“Everyone agrees that plastic wastedoes not belong in our oceans oranywhere in the environment,” said

David Taylor, Chairman of the Board,President and CEO of Procter & Gamble,and chairman of the AEPW. “This is acomplex and serious global challengethat calls for swift action and strongleadership. This new alliance is the mostcomprehensive effort to date to endplastic waste in the environment. I urgeall companies, big and small and from allregions and sectors, to join us.”

CriticismHowever, the initiative has inevitablydrawn criticism from some campaigners.

“This is a desperate attempt fromcorporate polluters to maintain thestatus quo on plastics,” said GrahamForbes, global plastics project leader forGreenpeace talking to The Guardiannewspaper. “In 2018 people all over theworld spoke up and rejected the single-use plastics that companies like Procter &Gamble churn out on a daily basis,urging the industry to invest in refill andreuse systems and innovation. Instead ofanswering that call, P&G preferred todouble down on a failed approach withfossil fuel giants Exxon, Dow and Totalwhich fuel destructive climate change.

“Make no mistake, plastics are alifeline for the dying fossil fuel industry,and this announcement goes to showhow far companies will go to preserve it.”

Despite such negativity, there can belittle doubt that solutions are beingsought with a new urgency.

While growth projections for bioplastics look healthy enough, isthe industry anywhere near where it should be? Consultingeditor Adrian Wilson assesses new developments in the field.

A complex andserious challenge

Total Corbion has now started upits 75,000 tons-per-annum PLAbioplastics plant in Thailand.

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SeaweedBioplastics which don’t havepetrochemical origins and degradequickly could provide a partial solution tothe plastics problem, although they arealso not entirely without an environ-mental price – to grow the plants orbacteria as raw materials requires fertilesoil and fresh water, which manycountries don’t have in abundance.

With this in mind, scientists are lookingto the oceans as the potential source ofnew raw materials, with projects in Israeland the USA examining seaweed andalgae respectively.

Tel Aviv University (TAU) has developeda process to make bioplastic polyhydrox-yalkanoate (PHA) polymers from themicroorganisms that feed on seaweed.These are biodegradable, produce zerotoxic waste and can be recycled intoorganic waste.

Microorganisms“Our new process produces new plasticfrom marine microorganisms thatcompletely recycle into organic waste,”said Dr Alexander Golberg of the PorterSchool of Environmental at TAU. “Ourraw material was multicellular seaweed,cultivated in the sea. These algae wereeaten by single-celled microorganisms,which also grow in very salty water andproduce a polymer that can be used tomake bioplastic. There are alreadyfactories that produce this type ofbioplastic in commercial quantities, butthey use plants that require agriculturalland and fresh water.”

The scientists believe the process theypropose will enable countries with ashortage of fresh water, such as Israel,China and India, to switch frompetroleum-derived plastics tobiodegradable plastics.

“We have proved it is possible toproduce bioplastic completely based onmarine resources in a process that isfriendly both to the environment and toits residents and we are now conductingbasic research to find the best bacteriaand algae that would be most suitable forproducing polymers for bioplastics withdifferent properties,” Dr Golberg said.

AlgaeMeanwhile, a $2 million grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop new methods for manufacturing products based on algaehas been awarded to a team ofbiologists and chemists at University ofCalifornia San Diego.

Project principal investigator StephenMayfield of UC San Diego’s Division ofBiological Sciences will lead efforts todevelop novel platforms to producebiologically-based monomers that will beused to manufacture renewable andbiodegradable polyurethanes.

“We propose to develop novel algaeplatforms for the production of one ofthe key monomers used to makepolyurethane polymers, while simulta-neously developing basic tools to enableimproved algal production systems thatwill accelerate the process from initialconcept to market supply,” he said.

The grant is part of a recentlyannounced $80 million DOE BioenergyTechnologies Office initiative supporting36 projects in bioenergy research anddevelopment. In addition to bio-basedproducts, projects include renewablehydrocarbon fuels and power from non-food biomass and waste feedstocks.

Mayfield’s laboratory is developingalgae for the production of human andanimal foods and feeds, and as aplatform for the production of

recombinant proteins useful astherapeutics or industrial enzymes.

Global productionSo much for new research, but whatabout commercial production and thesolutions available in 2019?

European Bioplastics says that globalbioplastics production capacity is set toincrease from around 2.1 million tons in2018 to 2.6 million tons in 2023, withPLAs (polylactic acids) and PHAs drivingthe growth.

PHAs have been in development for awhile and are now entering the market ata larger commercial scale, with productioncapacities set to quadruple in the next fiveyears. These polyesters are bio-based,biodegradable, and feature a wide array ofphysical and mechanical properties.

Production capacities of PLA aremeanwhile set to double by 2023. PLAis a very versatile material that featuresexcellent barrier properties. High-performance PLA grades are an idealreplacement for several conventionalfossil-based plastics such as polystyreneand polypropylene.

Total CorbionIn the largest single capacity expansionfor bioplastics, Total Corbion PLA, a50/50 joint venture between Total andCorbion, has now started up its 75,000tons-per-annum PLA bioplastics plant inRayong, Thailand.

The plant has successfully producedLuminy PLA (polylactic acid) resin whichmakes a valuable contribution towards thecircular economy, being 100% renewableand biodegradable and offering multipleenvironmentally-friendly waste solutions.

The new facility will produce a broadrange of Luminy PLA resins fromrenewable, non-GMO sugarcane sourced

BIOPLASTICS

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At its recent Innovation Takes Root conference in SanDiego, NatureWorks announced new performanceattributes for nonwovens manufactured with its Ingeo PLA.

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locally in Thailand – from standard PLAto innovative, high heat PLA and PDLA1with unique properties. The products willmeet customer needs in a wide range ofmarkets notably packaging, consumergoods, 3D printing and automotive andare specifically optimised for extrusion,thermoforming, injection moulding andfibre spinning and nonwovens processes.

RecyclingAt the end of their useful life, the PLA products can be mechanically or chemically recycled, or in some cases composted and returned to thesoil as fertilizer.

Total Corbion PLA will leverage on theintegration with its plant for lactide (themonomer required for the production ofPLA), that has simultaneously beenexpanded to 100,000 tons per yearproduction capacity. Furthermore, the1,000 tons per year PLA pilot plant,which has been operational since the endof 2017, is located on the same site andwill be used for product development.

The start-up marks a major milestonefor both the joint venture and thebioplastics market. With this additional75,000 tonnes per year facility, theglobal production of PLA bioplastics willincrease by almost 50% to 240,000 tonsper year. PLA is a fast-growing polymermarket with an estimated annual growthrate of 10-15%.

“The start-up of this state-of-the-artplant establishes Total Corbion PLA as aworld-scale PLA bioplastic producer, ideallylocated to serve growing markets fromAsia Pacific to Europe and the Americas,”

said Stephane Dion, CEO of the company.“The subsequent increase in global PLAcapacity will enable manufacturers andbrand owners to move into the circulareconomy and produce biobased productswith lower carbon footprints and multipleend of life options.”

Ingeo advantage Having opened its Ingeo PLA plant inBlair’ Nebraska, back in 2001,NatureWorks had a considerable headstart in bringing products to market andat its 6th Innovation Takes Rootconference held in San Diego, California,in September 2018, there was a specialsession dedicated to the future ofperformance fibres and nonwovens.

New inventions for Ingeo PLAnonwovens are creating performanceattributes unseen before in the field ofheath, hygiene and personal care, thecompany says. Delegates learned, forexample, how new hydrophilic technologyis creating diapers that reduce diaper rashand create slimmer, more effectiveabsorbent hygiene products. There havealso been advances in the multi-compati-bility of Ingeo with polypropylene.

TransformationalBio-based, non-biodegradable plastics,including the drop-in solutions bio-basedPE (polyethylene), PET (polyethyleneterephthalate) and PA (polyamide),currently make up around 50% or onemillion tons of the global bioplasticsproduction capacity. The production ofbio-based PE is predicted to continue togrow as new capacities are planned to

come on line in Europe in the comingyears. Plans to increase productioncapacities for bio-based PET, however,have not been realised at the ratepredicted in previous years, according toEuropean Bioplastics.

This, however, may be about tochange through what could be a trulytransformational technology developedby Canadian start-up Loop.

Coca Cola thinks so, as do Danone,Evian, L’Oreal and Pepsico who areamong the major brands who havequickly signed agreements with Loop.

Loop’s process allows plastics of no orlittle value – plastic bottles, packagingand polyester textiles of any colour,transparency or condition, and evenplastics retrieved from the oceans thathave been degraded by sun and salt – tobe diverted, recovered and recycledendlessly into new, virgin-quality PET thateven meets FDA requirements for use infood-grade products.

Through Loop’s patented zero energydepolymerization technology, the wasteplastic and fibres are completely brokendown into their constituent monomers– dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) andmono ethylene glycol (MEG). Themonomers are then purified, removingall colouring, additives, and organic orinorganic impurities.

From there, the DMT and MEGcomponents are repolymerized into newPET plastic.

Loop stresses that “down-cycling” iswhat most often happens in thetraditional recycling process, when highquality goods of food-grade plastic are

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GLOBAL PRODUCTION CAPACITIES OF BIOPLASTICS GLOBAL PRODUCTION CAPACITIES OF BIOPLASTICS2018 (BY MATERIAL TYPE)

Source: European Bioplastics, nova-Institute (2018).

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transformed into lower quality goods.This reduction in quality preventsrecycling efforts from being truly circular,since a surprising amount of wastematerial still eventually ends up inlandfills, and manufacturing fromoutside the process is required to retainproduct quality.

By contrast, Loop’s de-polymerisationprocess involves taking low-qualitymaterial and transforming it into high-purity PET.

IVL JVLoop is also currently building a new plantin the USA with Indorama Ventures (IVL).

As one of the biggest, and certainlythe most diversified manufacturers ofsynthetic fibres and fibre feedstocksproducers in the world, Thailand-headquartered IVL is now a major playerin the nonwovens industry following itsacquisition of a controlling stake in Avgolin May 2017. It is also a key fibresupplier to the nonwovens industrythrough acquired companies includingFiberVisions, Trevira and Wellman.

IVL and Loop announced plans fortheir new plant in last September, in adeal which gives IVL an exclusiveworldwide license to use Loop’stechnology to produce 100% sustainablyproduced PET resins and polyester fibres.

Commercial production is scheduled tobegin at the new JV plant in shortly andIVL says it will be fully subscribed byleading global consumer brands.

PrimaLoftIn another interesting development,New York-headquartered PrimaLoft

announced in October last year that ithad developed insulation for theoutdoor and active sports markets madefrom a 100% recycled PET with theability to almost completely biodegradein 394 days.

PrimaLoft Bio PET microfibre has beendeveloped over the last four years by thecompany’s team of scientists andengineers and despite its highlyaccelerated rate of biodegradation(compared to the negligible rate of thatfor standard PET) there is no negativeimpact on the performance, look or feelof the insulation, the company says.

PrimaLoft Bio fibres break down whenexposed to either landfill or the ocean,since they have been enhanced to bemore attractive to the naturally-occurringmicrobes found in these anaerobicenvironments. The microbes eat away atthe fibres at a faster rate, returning theinsulation to nature.

The biodegradation process leavesbehind water, methane, carbon dioxideand biomass (expired microorganismsand organic waste). PrimaLoft Bioinsulation will only biodegrade whenexposed to the microbes in landfills orocean water, remaining highly durablethroughout the insulation’s usable lifecycle in a garment.

To date, PrimaLoft has recycled morethan 84.7 million PET bottles fromlandfills and transformed them intoinsulation and by 2020, 90% of thecompany’s insulation products will haveat least 50% post-consumer recycled(PCR) content.

However, while believing recycling is agood start, the company’s president and

CEO Mike Joyce has said PrimaLoft isintent on providing an even betteranswer to the environmental issuesfacing the textile industry.

Over 80% of discarded textile andgarment wastes are still landfilled in theUSA, accounting for nearly 8% of thenation’s total waste and PrimaLoftbelieves its advanced biodegradationtechnology should be of interest to anyapparel brand interested in making asmaller environmental footprint, with thepotential to transform the outdoor andfashion/lifestyle industries’ supply chains.

Trapped airPrimaLoft PET microfibres trap significantquantities of air, resulting in superiorthermal performance and a softer handfeel. They are also said to be morecompressible than other fibres and alsowater repellent, due to a proprietarytreatment which reduces the amount ofmoisture they can absorb, while at thesame time changing the characteristicsof the fibres so they physically repelwater molecules. As a result, theinsulation maintains the highestpercentage of warmth when wet.

Going a stage further, in November2018, PrimaLoft announced that itsbiodegradable fibres had been proven tostand up to the rigorous process oftextile manufacturing, while maintainingits ability to degrade. Consequently, it isintroducing PrimaLoft Bio performancefabric, billed as the first 100% recycledand biodegradable synthetic fabric.

Both the performance fabric and theinsulation material will be appearing inbranded products by autumn 2020. SNW

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GLOBAL PRODUCTION CAPACITIES OF BIOPLASTICS2023 (BY MATERIAL TYPE)

GLOBAL PRODUCTION CAPACITIES OF BIOPLASTICS2018 (BY REGION)

Source: European Bioplastics, nova-Institute (2018).

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