The Greening of an Industry: Bio-film meets demands for agri-film application

With polyethylene (PE) films, and especially bags, increasingly targeted by green-conscious consumers and governments, opportunities to create viable, biobased and biodegradable films are growing.

Targeting the agricultural market, compounder FKuR Kunststoff GmbH (Willich, Germany) and Fraunhofer Institute UMISICHT have created a compostable mulch film using a polylactic acid (PLA) blend that degrades more slowly than counterparts and is less sensitive to climatic variations. Extruded by Oerlemans Plastics b.V. (Genderen, Netherlands), which is part of the Oerlemans Packaging Group and a subsidiary of Kleiberg Beheer, the project’s goal was a film that would process on conventional film lines used for low-density polyethylene (LDPE).

Oerlemans specializes in flexible PE packaging and film for the agriculture, horticulture, retail, and industrial markets. It has up to eight-color printing capabilities and produces applications including pot-soil bags, frozen-food film, carrier bags, sheets, bags, and more.

The Bio-Flex mulch film has been tested on a variety of crops in varied climates, with comparable crop yields to PE agricultural films, according to FKuR and Fraunhofer. Suitable for greenhouse and outdoor applications, the films are available in thicknesses of 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, and 30 µm. Applicable crops include strawberries, pineapples, melons, and cut flowers.

The researchers say that compared to other biofilms based on starch, Bio-Flex lasts longer with greater climate resistance. After use, it can be plowed under, reducing the cost and time necessary to extract conventional films from the land. The film’s granules are rated fully compostable according to the European Union EN 13432 directive, and also meet CIN Certco, OK Compost, NFU 52001, and Ecocert guidelines.

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH; www.fkur.de

Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT; www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de

Oerlemans Plastics b.V.; www.oerlemansplastics.nl

Massive Mater-Bi line

Italian blown-film machinery supplier Ghioldi (Marnate) has supplied a three-layer coextrusion line fitted with a 450-mm die to a Scandinavian processor running Novamont’s (Milan) biodegradable Mater-Bi material. The full system consists of three extruders—two 65-mm lines and an 80-mm system—as well as an internal bubble-cooling system. Extruded at a rate of 300 kg/hr with a width of 3200 mm and thickness of 10 µm, the film required some machinery modifications.

Challenges in running Mater-Bi include a gummy consistency that affects bubble stabilization; oil released during extrusion; and the need for low, stable temperatures in a range from 140-160°C. Ghioldi’s solution is a motor that generates constant torque via direct coupling to the extruder screw, eschewing a gearbox.

The motors are standard on Ghioldi lines and feature a small water-cooled design. The company says the higher cost for these can be offset in 12-18 months due to efficiency, and the technology also reduces pumps and oil circuits, lowering the vibrations and noise caused by competing, indirect units.

To deal with the oil and bubble instability, Ghioldi created what it calls Plexiglas bubble protection with smoke suction. The suction device, which is connected to an air extractor, removes the oil produced by Mater-Bi in the extrusion process. Thickness tolerance and process stability are aided by automatic thickness control and an oscillating hauloff.

Classified as a synthetic, biodegradable resin, Mater-Bi has six grades with a specific gravity of 1.28 and a melt flow rate range of 0.8-9g/10 min. Film extrusion, injection molding, and extrusion blowmolding grades are available.

In related news, earlier this year Catia Bastioli, CEO of Novamont, was awarded the international prize of “European Inventor of the Year 2007” by the Commissioner of the European Union, Günter Verheugen, and by the President of the European Patents Office (EPO), Alain Pompidou.

The “European Inventor of the Year” award is a joint initiative by the EU Commission and the European Patent Office. Bastioli and colleagues were awarded the title in the Small and Medium Enterprise/Research Category for a series of patents filed between 1992-2001, which allowed the production of the first bioplastics from renewable agricultural sources with a stable market presence.

Novamont has 135 employees and turnover last year of about €41.4 million.

Ghioldi SRL; www.ghioldi.it

Novamont; www.materbi.com

Collage of ’green’ news

FDA smiles on PLA modifiers

A family of polymer additives, Biomax Strong 120, targets modifying and improving the performance of bio-based plastics, polylactic acid (PLA), packaging. The FDA-compliant material toughens PLA with minimal reduction in package clarity. This supplier first introduced a similar additive for PLA in August last year for non-food applications but has since obtained FDA approval for food-contact applications.

DuPont de Nemours (Deutschland) GmbH, Bad Homburg, Germany; www.dupont.com

Jarden promotes dinnerware using recycled resin

Jarden Home Brands (Muncie, IN) will introduce a line of disposable cutlery made from 100% recycled plastic. New Diamond Renew Dinnerware includes spoons, forks, and knives made with less plastic overall, reducing waste while reportedly maintaining strength and durability.

The cutlery features a patent-pending cored-out handle that uses 10% less plastic in each piece of cutlery, resulting in less waste in landfills. To further improve its overall environmental impact, Renew Dinnerware will be packaged in 100% recycled paperboard.

Beginning this summer, Renew Dinnerware 24- and 48-piece combo packs of spoons, forks, and knives will be available at major retailers throughout the U.S. “We are excited to offer cutlery that gives people the convenience they want for easy entertaining and meals on-the-go, while also allowing them to do something better for the environment,” said Amy Lemen, brand manager for Diamond Serviceware, Jarden Home Brands.

Biobased acrylic on horizon

Energy crop company Ceres Inc. (Thousand Oaks, CA) is working with specialty materials firm Rohm and Haas Co. (Spring House, PA) to create acrylic precursor, methacrylate monomer, from energy crops used for cellulosic ethanol production. The company says that 1.5 billion lb of methacrylate monomers are produced annually in the U.S., at a value of $780 million.

The researchers, working with a $1.5 million research grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have found that some plants naturally produce compounds similar to methacrylate monomers, but not in extractable forms or quantities. The partnership received a second $1.5 million grant to double switchgrass yields by 2020, with that crop being targeted for cellulosic ethanol production.