Bioresins in full bloom

CHICAGO — The expansion of biobased resins continues, with new players, materials, and applications on display in Chicago at the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute’s (PMMI; Arlington, VA) Pack Expo (Oct. 29-Nov. 1; McCormick Place). Market leader, NatureWorks (Minneapolis, MN) promoted new applications in shrink sleeves and emulsion coatings, among others, at the show.

Dennis McGrew, NatureWorks CEO, addressed attendees in an Oct. 31 keynote address, saying that in spite of recent growth, supply at its lone production facility in Blair, NE remains capped at 140,000 tonnes, with all material commissioned and no publicized plans for expansion.

McGrew said the bulk of use remains in thermoforming and film extrusion, but injection stretch blowmolding of bottles is gaining interest, as is use in non-food applications by consumer product companies and others wanting to package items in green packaging. Still, McGrew said NatureWorks is “managing growth” and not necessarily interested in expanding to all available markets. “No one petroleum-based polymer does every job,” McGrew said, “similarly, no one biopolymer is going to do every job.”

Metabolix (Cambridge, MA), which registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 27 for an initial public offering to take list its company, was at PackExpo, if without much comment, as it remains in a pre-IPO “quiet” period. Commercial-scale production of its polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) resin will take place at a 50,000 tons/yr facility in Clinton, IA.

New to Pack Expo, and the industry at large after launching in June, is PSM Bioplastic, a corn-starch-based resin from teInnovations Inc. (Warrenville, IL) that the company says is suitable for thermoforming, extrusion, foaming, and injection and blow molding. Based on starch, versus corn sugar like PLA, PSM has four grades (HL-101, blown film; HL-102, thermoforming, extrusion; HL-103, injection, blow molding; and HL-104, foaming), with extruded sheet available as well. Corey Knauer, business development manager North America, says starch makes up a far larger percentage of raw corn than sugar, and the company reports that PSM is fully biodegradable in soil, reportedly breaking down over 70% in 95 days. Material production is currently handled in China through a joint-venture partner, but PSM plans to bring it to the U.S.—[email protected]