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Brasil
PackTrends
2020
168
quality and new technologies
Among thebiodegradablematerials, therearesome
fossil source polyesters. Consist of poly(caprolactones),
polyesteramides and some aliphatic and aromatic
copolyesters.Thosematerialsare,many times, associated
in blends with biopolymers, especially starches. BASF
sells an aromatic-aliphatic copolyerster from fossil
source (poli(butylene adipate-co-terphthalate) – PBAT),
biodegradable and compostable, called Ecoflex. Other
family of products that combines Ecoflex and PLA has
been named “ecovio” by BASF, for coating of cellulosic
materials. In partnership with Ingredion Incorporated
(once called Corn Products International), BASF
developed a polymer that combines the Ecoflex with
corn starch-based polymer, called Ecobras, with more
than 50% of renewable source raw material.
A family of regenerated cellulose-based films
that has gained some expression in the market of
biomaterials is the NatureFlex, by InnoviaFilms. The
products are manufactured from wood cellulose, on the
same concept as the cellophane, although it is actually
compostable material, certified in accordance with the
industrial composting standard EN 13432 (2000) and
ASTM D 6400 (2012).
The company Novamont® has developed and
sold the Mater-Bi technology, a family of biodegradable
and compostable thermoplastic biopolymers, starch-
based from non-transgenic source (usually corn). The
company DuPont offers thermoplastic starch-based
resins, under the name of Biomax TPS – thermoplastic
starch compostable. Cereplast Compostables is a family
of starch-based resines, compostable, available for the
market of disposable plastic cutlery, films and blown
packages. It can be used in blends with the PLA Ingeo.
The PLA is thermoplastic aliphatic polyester
produced from the fermentation of the dextrose and
later polymerization of the lactic acid in a polylactide.
It is one of the most commercialized biopolymers in the
package market due to its availability, competitive cost
and easy conversion into film or rigid packages. The
NatureWorks is one of the main worldwide manufacturers
of PLA from oleaginous crops. In USA, corn has been
used as a source of starch/sugar. Biopolymer Ingeo
acquired certification of biological based product from
the BioPreferred program, by the USDA. BioPreferred
confirms that, at least, 25% of the carbon content is
from biological base. In Europe, the company PURAC is
a leading manufacturer of PLA.
The PHA family of polyester includes the
poly(hydroxybutyrate) –PHBanda variety of copolyesters,
biodegradable and compostable. The world producers
are just a few, including Procter & Gamble.The family
of PHA biopolymers from the company Metabolix is
commercialized under the brands Mirel and Mvera.
In Brazil there is a pilot factory of PHB and of the
copolymer poli(hydroxybutyrate-valerate) – PHBHV,
products from the Biocycle family manufactured, by the
company PHB Industrial, using sugar cane.
The recyclable biopolymer is an option that allow
the revalorization and the preservation of energy and
raw material. In Brazil, Braskem adopted that concept
for the production of a biopolymer, a renewable source
biopolyethylene. In 2010, they started producing the
Green Polyethylene, similar to the commercial grades of
high density and low linear density polyethylene, to be
processed in conventional equipment, for manufacturing
recyclable packages. The resin is produced frombioethanol
obtained from sugar cane. The main step of the technology
is the transformation of the hydrated bioethanol into
ethylene. The product has a validation of the company
Beta Analytic, which determines the amount of carbon 14
of the material and, from that, determines the percentage
of raw material provided from renewable source.
That approach has also been adopted by Coke at
PlantBottle (Figure 6.32), that is recyclable, allowing
the return of the raw material to the productive cycle
with recycling. The PET bottle is produced with 30% of
renewable source raw material, which means that the
monoethylene glycol comes from sugar cane ethanol
– BioMEG. The remaining 70% are composed by
terephthalic acid (PTA) that, with the BioMEG, forms
the PET resin. So far, the monoethyleneglycol (MEG)
used in PET bottles was from fossil source. Coke and
the Indian company JBF Industries announced the
construction of a factory for the BioMEG resin in Brazil,
in Araraquara/SP, that might start operating from 2015.