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Bio-based plastics can lock away vast quantities of CO2 in durable, recyclable applications and make a real contribution to climate protection. All that is needed for this is the right product design and a functioning circular economy. By focusing more on this approach, the plastics sector has the chance to evolve into a key industry of a green economy.

How Bio-Based Polymers Can Help Sequester CO2 for the Long Term

Kunststoffe, biobasiert

Recycling

Biokunststoffe

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Kunststoff

Kunststoffe, bioabbaubar

Kunststofffasern

Kunststoff-Recycling

Into the Future with Biopolymers

A year to forget is nearing its completion. To brighten up this dreary fall season without a major event like Fakuma, injection molding machine builders have concocted various strategies.

Injection Molding Machine Builders Are Discovering New Ways to Reach Their Customers

Spritzgießen

Spritzgießmaschinen, allgemein

Vernetzung / Cloudlösung für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Nachhaltigkeit

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Spritzgießmaschinen

Schneidmühlen

Silikonkautschuk

What Can You Do at Fall Fairtime,  When There Aren’t Any?

Many people have good ideas and intentions. Few have the courage and determination to put them into practice. The young rezemo entrepreneurs Julian Reitze and Stefan Zender are one successful example. In 2019, some three years after their start-up was founded, the company was already producing well over one million compostable coffee capsules per year.

A Start-up Produces Organic Coffee Capsules Made of Wood and Plant Starch in Millions

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Holz

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Successful with Wood

Arburg Plastic Freeforming is predestined for the additive manufacturing of medtech components. The associated Freeformer-type additive manufacturing systems process the same plastic pellets that are used in injection molding. That makes the open systems very economical to use.

Medical Product Manufacturers Are Processing Original Materials Using the Freeformer

Anlagen Additive Fertigung / 3D-Druck, andere

Additive Fertigung

Medizintechnik

Medizinprodukte

Werkstoffe für additive Verfahren

Arburg Kunststoff Freiformen

New Possibilities for Use  in the Human Body

Borealis, Clariant, Remondis, LyondellBasell – many of the big names in the plastics industry announced partnerships with Neste at, or in advance of, K 2019. The Finnish company is a sought-after partner in the industry.

Interview with Mercedes Alonso, Executive Board Member at Neste

Streifinger, Florian

“Chemical Recycling Is Not yet Ready for Commercial Use”

Bioplastics, biodegradable plastics and recyclates pose individual demands on colorization. BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany, presented Sicoversal B, a biodegradable masterbatch for coloring compostable plastics. With this product, bioplastics can be colored in an environmentally friendly manner. 

Masterbatches for Polyethylene 

Additive

Farbstoffe

Masterbatches

Ecological Coloring of Bioplastics  

Clariant of Muttenz, Switzerland, has introduced additives based on renewable raw materials. The manufacturer is cooperating here with the Finnish company Neste of Espoo, Finland. Their additives with the name suffix “Terra” are based on mass-balance certified ethylene and propylene. The starting materials are supplied by Neste. They are obtained from bio-based raw materials such as food wastes and residual oils. According to Clariant, these additives behave like corresponding products from fossil sources. Thus renewed approvals or modifications to manufacturing processes and equipment are not believed to be required. 

Bio-Based Flame Retardants 

Flammschutzmittel

Food-Waste Based 

Shape-changing structures (smart structures) are able to change their shape in response to external stimuli. The change of shape is self-induced and requires no artificial energy input. In view of the increasing demand for efficiency and resource conservation, shape-changing (smart) materials offer a sensible approach to integrating functionalities into a component without giving rise to additional energy and material costs. Even greater sustainability is achieved if the components are produced from bioplastics.

Bioplastics for Shape-Changing Structures

Polylactid

Green Shape Changers

With its Industry 4.0 solution portfolio, the Wittmann Group is receiving a positive echo in the market. This virtually extends the injection-molding machine into a smart workcell. For the near future, the company is tooling up for the demands of a circular economy – and declining demand.

Wittmann Continues to See Itself Well Placed as a One-Stop Supplier

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Energieeffizienz

Ressourcenmanagement

Immediately Ready for Use

A blend of natural plant and inorganic fibers produces a composite with a very good property profile, without reducing the content of renewable raw materials. In this way, plant fibers such as kenaf or flax hybridized with basalt fibers can compete with glass fiber reinforcement as a low-cost, natural lightweight construction material. 

Blending Basalt Fibers with Plant Fibers in Thermoplastic and Thermoset Composites 

Fasern

Natural Fine-Tuning 

Growing customer awareness of ecological issues is reflected in marked increases in sales of bicycle parts and accessories, for example. There are established hard-soft composites for pumps, tools, and other handy products. A research project is now attempting to combine both aspects in bio-based two-component injection molding. 

Converting Cellulose Acetate into Bicycle Accessories and Automobile Parts by  Two-Component Injection Molding 

Celluloseester, -ether

Bio-Based Alternatives for  Hard-Soft Connections 

It is difficult to use bioplastics in engineering parts due to a lack of processing data. However, these data are very important for making a change from conventional to bio-based plastics. They are essential for simulating process parameters and designing injection molds for economical processing. 

Injection Molding Simulation Puts Bioplastics on the Road to Industrial Mass Production 

Spritzgießsimulation

Prozesssimulation

Digital Preview of Bio-Based Parts 

Much as when injection molding materials were being developed 30 years ago, the current trend in additive production is toward higher melting materials and materials with improved mechanical properties. The latter can be achieved, for example, by fiber embedding. In machine technology, the developments are increasingly aimed at adapting processing times, sensor systems, and quality monitoring to the demands of high-tech companies.  

Materials Manufacturers and Process Developers Face Growing Demands in 3D Printing  

Kohlenstofffasern / -matten

Rapid Prototyping

Rapid Tooling

Rapid Manufacturing

Selektives Laserschmelzen von Kunststoff, Metall, Keramik

Selektives Lasersintern von Kunststoff, Metall, Keramik

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Pulver-Spritzgießen

Schleifen, Polieren

Additive Adolescence 

What kind of packaging do consumers evaluate as environmentally friendly? A study conducted in seven countries shows that consumers pay particular attention to the last stage of the packaging life cycle, e. g. compostability or recyclability. There are important differences between individual countries. 

Results of an International Comparative Study on Consumer Preferences 

Simulation Verpackung

Verpackungsmaterial

How Consumers Evaluate  Environmental Friendliness 

A plant that is unique in Germany, with the character of a pilot plant, at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences combines the advantages of wood or natural fibers with those of plastics. The goal is to develop technically innovative products of natural fiber-plastic composites for auto engineering, wood and furniture construction and other applications, as well as the appropriate resource-friendly manufacturing processes.  

Multifunctional Natural Fiber-Plastic Composites 

Extruder

Faserverarbeitung

Mischer

Dosierer

Compoundieren

Combining Natural Fibers and Plastics 

Due to the fast growing global need for more sustainable coatings, resins and synthetic lubricants Perstorp AB, Perstorp, Sweden, introduces the two renewable polyols Evyron and Neeture. That makes Perstorp the only chemical company in the world to offer all three essential polyols Penta, TMP and Neo in both traditional and renewable forms. 

Renewable Polyols 

ISCC Certified  

A number of materials have meanwhile become established, which are made on the basis of renewable resources, either entirely, or in part. Some of these materials are biodegradable. Masterbatches and dyes are now following suit. Establishing the formulations of additives, the particular properties and the behaviors of bioplastics during processing must be considered. What is more, the formulations have to meet specific requirements. This is because, in line with their application, the individual components should consist of renewable resources, too. They should also be biodegradable, if this is part of the product specification. 

Karl Finke 

Sustainability in Colors  

Weight reduction is crucial to equipment suppliers and automakers who are seeking to curb emissions. A 10 kg reduction in vehicle weight is enough to cut CO 2 emissions by 1 g/km. Faurecia designed and developed its hemp-fiber-based NAFILean and NAFILite materials to help achieve these goals. Hemp is an eco-friendly, non-food crop that requires no pesticides, fertilizers or irrigation.

Hemp-Fiber-Based PP 

Polypropylen

Verstärkungsstoffe

Reduced CO2 Emissions 

Taiwanese company Sungo introduces the Ludavi drink bottle which is made of the transparent Trogamid Terra biopolymer by Evonik Industries and stands out for its trendy look and high-quality material that makes it virtually indestructible. 

Microcrystalline Biopolymer 

Polyamide

Unbreakable Drink Bottle 

Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, TN/USA, the world’s leading producer of cellulosic materials, introduces Trēva, a versatile, cellulose-based thermoplastic that marries high-level performance and sustainability. 

Bioplastics for Skin Contact 

Excellent Chemical Resistance 

In case of thermoset Sheet Molding Compounds, the density of the resin paste can be reduced up to 22 % by replacing conventional filler materials such as calcium carbonate with bio-based filler materials – with consistent mechanical properties. This was proved on filler materials, which are by-products of plant-based oils and timber production.  

Bio-Based Filler Materials for Sheet Molding Compound Applications 

Duroplaste

Füllstoffe für Kunststoffe

Sustainability Depending on the Details 

Synbra Technology bv, Etten-Leur, Netherlands, is currently finalizing the certification of the world’s first particle foam to receive a Carbon Neutrality verification in compliance with the PAS 2060 standard. BioFoam is a PLA-based particle foam made from renewable resources. 

The First CO2-Neutral Foam in the World 

Polystyrol

Schaumstoffe und Vorprodukte

BioFoam 

FKuR GmbH, Willich, Germany, has developed new Bio-Flex blends for the production of low gauge films which will biodegrade completely in garden compost at low, variable temperatures. 

Bio-Flex Home Compost Compounds 

For Home Compostable Films  and Packaging 

With single serve drinks systems continuing to grow in popularity, there is an increasing requirement to balance the demand for capsules with sustainable packaging solutions. RPC Bebo, Bremervörde, Germany, has developed an innovative coffee capsule material that is able to be industrially composted while still delivering long-term protection of the contents and being able to withstand the high pressurised operation of coffee machines. 

Compostable Capsule Retains Coffee Quality 

Folien

Bebo B2nature 

adidas has partnered with AMSilk for the first premium innovation footwear made using silk biopolymers. The adidas Futurecraft Biofabric prototype shoe features an upper made from 100% Biosteel fiber, a nature-based and completely biodegradable high-performance fiber, developed by the German biotech company AMSilk. 

First 100% Biodegradable Performance Shoe 

Futurecraft Biofabrics 