Suppliers say: Bioresins taking bloom

Bioresin developments continue to branch out from polyolefin-style plastics and packaging into new resins, applications, and feedstocks, and suppliers for the materials will not be hard to find. The reasons are many but mostly attributable to the high cost of oil and natural gas, and the unstable pricing of these plastics’ precursors. Plastics suppliers are eager to find ways to put a cap on their raw materials’ costs, and many see plastics based on sustainable or renewable raw materials as a way out of the ’oil trap’.

For instance, Evonik Degussa (Düsseldorf, Germany) plans to debut commercial biopolymer products in the next 2-3 years, according to Manfred Spindler, member of the management board and responsible for the specialty materials business. The plastics supplier has been working on bio-based sources for plastics for the past year under agreements with various parties, including academic researchers.

Merquinsa (Barcelona, Spain), Arkema (Paris, France), BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany), Bayer MaterialScience (Leverkusen, Germany) and DuPont (Wilmington, DE) recently launched or expanded offerings of materials that have renewable content from 40% to 100% by weight. For its partially bio-based resin, BASF went back 50 years to retool a castor-oil technology and create Ultramid Balance polyamide (PA) 6,10. The material is based 60% on castor-oil-derived sebacic acid and offers low density (compared to most polyamides), low-temperature impact resistance, and good dimensional stability due to low water absorption.

For its part, DuPont is pushing Sorona EP, a resin similar to polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) but incorporating bio-based 1,3 propanediol. Currently, two glass-reinforced grades of Sorona EP are available. DuPont says Sorona EP offers performance advantages compared to PBT, including improved dimensional stability and surface appearance. Sampling for targeted development programs is under way with broader availability expected later this year. Other bio-based products from DuPont include Hytrel thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), Zytel long-chain PA, Biomax RS polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), Hytrel RS TPE, and Selar VP breathable films. The Zytel long-chain PAs are based on sebacic acid from castor oil. PA 10.10 is 100% renewably sourced and PA 6.10 is more than 60% renewably sourced. These flexible PAs are used where temperature resistance, low permeability, or mechanical properties are important. Part of the family is already commercially available with additional grades to be introduced this year.

Leading polyurethane supplier Bayer, meanwhile, unveiled a new polyol formulation derived from up to 70% vegetable oil. Conventional polyols normally contain naturally derived substances such as industrial sugars and vegetable oils, which account for 10-15% of the component. Bayer’s vegetable oil-based alternative, however, further reduces the environmental burden without compromising the performance of the final product. At the K trade show last October, Bayer highlighted use of the new polyol in refrigerator insulation.

Late last year, Merquinsa announced what it says is the first thermoplastic urethane (TPU) and adhesive product lines made using renewable sources. Merquinsa Pearlthane and Pearlbond Eco grades are made from 40% to 95% (by weight) renewable resources, respectively. These new products utilize a proprietary technology and reportedly boast performance that is equal to, or in some cases even better, than petroleum-based TPUs. Merquinsa’s Eco will be commercialized globally in the coming months, and a life-cycle assessment (LCA) is underway to provide full environmental data. “We aim to ship one-third of our products based on renewables within 2–4 years,” said Merquinsa president José Luis Ayuso.

Of Arkema’s many new products, two recently introduced ones are based on vegetable castor oil. Pebax Rnew TPEs are said to feature the same performance as petroleum-derived Pebax TPEs, while Platamid Rnew thermoplastic hot melt adhesives are said to function well even for very demanding bonding challenges. Arkema leveraged its expertise in renewable resource-based Rilsan polyamide 11 to develop the products. Arkema’s renewable materials-based product portfolio is developed and marketed under the Renewables label, which will apply to products involving at least 20% renewable origin.

On the 100%-biobased front, Novamont (Novara, Italy) launched a Mater-Bi Nanostarch it says can improve performance in flexible films. The company also announced the expansion of manufacturing capacity at its Terni biorefinery to 60,000 tons of material this year.

Besides the development of bio-based polymers, broader environmentally driven trends are influencing materials development in the plastics sector. The latest fluoroelastomer offering from Dyneon (St. Paul, MN), for example, is a peroxide-curable product for coextruded fuel line applications that offers resistance to biodiesel, even at elevated temperatures.

Biocompatibility, meanwhile, is a keyword at Solvay (Brussels, Belgium). The supplier late last year unveiled its newest materials for implantable medical devices. Zeniva PEEK has high strength and stiffness, toughness, and fatigue resistance, while Proniva, a self-reinforced polyphenylene, is the stiffest and strongest unreinforced thermoplastic available and also brings exceptional chemical resistance and hardness. Veriva polyphenylsulfone combines toughness, transparency, and chemical resistance. Finally, Eviva polysulfone is tough, strong, and transparent.—[email protected]; [email protected]

More on the companies mention in this story at:

Arkemawww.arkema.com

BASFwww.basf.com

Bayer MaterialSciencewww.bayer.com

Degussa Evonikwww.degussa.com

DuPontwww.dupont.com

Dyneon http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/dyneon_fluoropolymers/

Merquinsawww.merquinsa.com

Novamontwww.novamont.com

Solvaywww.solvay.com