Gehr Plastics US Produces First-Rate Plastic Sheets and Rods

Gehr Plastics is a well established name in the global plastic industry which started in Germany in 1932, with its original name as Eduard Gehr Celluloidwarenfabrikation. Although the company seems to be completely based in Europe, it has spread its manufacturing in Philadelphia and US since 1984 and 1982, respectively. For the present time, Gehr Plastics has carved out its unique niche in plastic sheets and rods of different sizes & types which include PEEK, ABS, Acetal and Ultem grades which typically varies in diameter, reaching highest to 14 inch. This plastic manufacturer has started its business with the production of spatulas, water stream regulators and punched door protectors with celluloid however; it also started to manufacture hand rails and PVC tubes.

With over eight decades of industry experience, Gehr Plastics is ISO 9001 and 14001 certified company which boasts of producing high quality plastic sheets like PEEK, rods, tubes and biodegradable plastic products. Website http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1079215 reports that it has established reputation with special biodegradable plastic products, ECOGEHR which is made from Polylactic acid. Since this material is sourced from starch or sugar, it helps in the reduction of carbon footprint and fossil fuel needs. You can really trust this company if you really need quality, higher engineering grade plastic products and innovative approach in production.

Increased contribution of DCO as biodiesel feedstock – good news for renewable chemical industry

In an appreciable move, YouTube video was released by REG or Renewable Energy Group which will cover the interviews from National Board Biodisel Board annual expo and conference. US biodiesel producer REG has posted this video in which you will get the much needed insights into latest technology, R & D works and innovations regarding the feedstock supply to the biodiesel industry and plenty of information will be shared by MARC-IV Consulting with Alan Weber. It will be really essential for the public to know the latest trends and continuing efforts invested in the biodiesel industry which is ought to be affected by the feedstock market dynamics. At the same time, biofuel industry has also contributed to supplement the future technology for the next generation feedstock which is pretty crucial for the renewable chemical industry.

Website http://greenchemicalsblog.com/2014/01/27/video-advances-in-biofuel-feedstock-technology/ reports that inedible crude corn oil or DCO, Distilled Corn Oil has been the latest inclusion in the feedstock for biodiesel industry, because of which new and established ethanol producers in US are now, interested in erecting integrated biodiesel facilities and incorporating corn oil separating technology at the ethanol plants. As per the study of National Biodisel Board, contribution to the feedstock made by animal fats and DCO are 14% and 11% respectively for the last season from January-July in 2013. The same study suggests that canola oil and recycled oils were something around 5 and 14% however; the greatest feedstock consumption was from Soyabean Oil. Margins will certainly increase for the local oleochemicals producers in US with increased consumption of DCO as it lowers the price of tallow.

BioAmber aiming at 100ktpa bio-BDO production by 2017 – Vinmar International purchases right to market and distribute it

With an excellent business take-or-pay contract with Vinmar, BioAmber is ready to build its new bio-BDO plant in North America which is to be commissioned in 2017. This new plant will boast of bio-BDO production capacity of 100 ktpa and the contract allows Vinmar International to get all bio-BDO produced at this facility for the next 15 years. It should be noted here that Vinmar International is a private company located in Houstan and is known for distribution, project development and marketing endeavors. Vinmar is also interested in investing some capital for the erection of this new facility, which is near to 10% minority equity stake. Apart from it, this company has earned the right to secure 100% off-take and investing refusal through this treaty in the future if any other bio-BDO plant is build by BioAmber.

Of course, Vinmar is now eligible to buy the plant output and sell it in the market with its vast database of chemical consumers, which will certainly strengthen and optimize the global logistics. No doubt, with its vast previous experience in BDO product marketing and distribution, Vinmar is supposed to offer BDO at competitive price to the interested consumers with increased carbon footprint. According to site http://greenchemicalsblog.com/2014/01/23/bioamber-vinmar-on-a-100ktpa-bio-bdo-plant/, BioAmber is targeting initial production of 4000 tpa of bio-BDO in US at toll manufacturing facility which would be commissioned in 2015. It will make use of the bio-succinic acid as the raw material which will come from Sarnia, Canada and this BDO production will be also purchased completely by Vinmar.

Borregaard is granted $2.04 million for R&D in bio-based chemicals

Borregaard has got an assurance for a $2.04 million (NOK 12.4 million) funding from Innovation Norway for to be used over a period of three years span in the sphere of modernization projects based on biomass products.

These funds will arrive from the Norway Government’s package for the measures intended for the forestry industry in addition to the bio refinery project financed by means of Local Government and Modernization Ministry. Borregaard is supposed to contribute amount less than NOK 50 million which shall spread over three dissimilar modernization projects in the areas of lignin, sugar and specialty cellulose.

High Purity Cellulose project has been granted 7.3 million NOK, which is meant for developing a process to manufacture specialty cellulose qualities to be used in advanced chemical formulations. 2.7 million NOKs has been awarded for the project of “Green Bonds”, this is a joint project among Borregaard and Elkem which is intended to develop bio-based binders to be used for carbon products.

Technology Strategy Board and the Innovation Norway are also working jointly for supporting projects between United Kingdom and the Norway, together with a joint project involving Lucite and Green Biologics where Borregaard has got assurances of 2.4 million NOK in support. For this venture, sugar of Borregaard’s BALI technology shall be used in the making of bio-butanol for an assortment of chemical applications.

Fresh and compostable bioplastic packaging material launched by Novamont and Iggesund

Invercote Bio paperboard packaging material from Iggesund has been typically used for Anglamark frozen berries by Coop, which comes now in 100% compostable clamshell container and have been developed by collaborative printing efforts of Olle Svenssons Partiaffar and Trosa Tryckeri. It should be noted here that Novamont has contributed with Mater-Bi bioplastic which coats the virgin-fiber made Invercote Bio packaging material.

This material has not used any genetically modified substances or starch in the production process rather Invercote comprises of folding box board, Incada and solid bleached board to make it more environments friendly and leave lesser carbon footprints.

Since the packaging material is free from starch, it was really hard for the development and production team to find the best and most appropriate adhesives and bioplastic material. Of course, Invercote presented the company with more attractive and easy printing surface.

In contrast to conventional PE coatings, this material will cost more due to advanced properties but it is very friendly to environment. A number of adhesive suppliers were in touch to find the best adhesive which helps the bioplastic material to go compostable and will find place in waste stream. http://www.freenewspos.com/news/article/c/1250387/today/iggesund-and-novamont-in-berry-bioplastic-launch further confirmed that Invercote Bio material will be exhibited at Packaging Innovations and Eco Park in UK on February 26-27.

Latest study indicates running effects of biodegradable plastic recycling to waste stream

It was really assumed that the waste management industry will not accept the latest government proposal of exempting biodegradable bags from carrier bag tax of UK because it will ruin the waste stream in process. BPFRG or British Plastics Federation’s Recycling Group is of different view which claims that recycling the biodegradable plastics with traditional plastic products will cause catastrophic effects and also affects PE and PET streams of established recycling.

Of course, tax exemption should be given to those products that have got higher plastic recycling content because normal biodegradable bags are already under the canvas of Irish bag tax legislation.

http://greenchemicalsblog.com/2014/01/22/study-on-compostables-in-recycling/ reports that integrity of recycled plastics will be severely affected if UK government announces tax exemption for the biodegradable bags.

However, plastics such as starch blends, PBAT and PLA that comprise 10% of compostable materials when recycled with conventional plastics have no effects of the ultimate recyclates or recycling waste stream, as per the study of European Bioplatsics. With logos like Seedling, compostable plastics have got their own specific organic recycling streams.

On the other hand, independent studies conducted by Biotec, the Italian National Packaging Consortium and the Institute of Bioplatsics and Biocomposites have shown that latest sorting technologies can easily sort the composites out if compostable plastics terminate in recycling streams.

New, greener and lighter technologies exhibited by Faurecia at the North American International Auto Show, Detroit

Faurecia’s exhibition of eco-friendly, personalized and light innovations at Crowne Plaza Detroit Pontchartrain Hotel in connection with the North American International Auto Show offers new technological advances by all four of Faurecia’s business groups -  Emissions Control Technologies, Automotive Seating, Automotive Exteriors and Interior Systems.

President of Faurecia North America, Michael Heneka talks about Detroit as the “focal point” for the resurgence of the automotive industry and says that there can be no better place to display Faurecia’s futuristic vision that in the “birthplace of the nation’s automotive industry.”

With a display of more than 30 products, Faurecia’s reflects its vision of the next generation of vehicles that will be built with the lighter and natural materials presented at the display. Performance 2.0 and the OIASIS seat are two major demonstrations that show an improved life on board.

Faurecia has made certain development towards manufacture of lighter and eco-friendly vehicles, which include, Exhaust Dynamic Sound Technologies, BioAttitude, Exhaust Heat Recovery Manifold (EHRM), sculpted seat covers and backs and Composite Future.

Faurecia has made a lot of breakthroughs in the manufacture of cleaner, greener and lighter vehicles that are comfortable and convenient. This has furthered the company’s progress allowing it to become the fifth largest supplier of automobiles in North America.

Source: http://www.kswt.com/story/24431173/faurecia-showcases-green-light-and-personalized-innovations-at-its-first-event-for-the-north-american-international-auto-show

Terrak Flex Bio-plastic has been used by Green Dot to synthesize biodegradable leather

Terratek® Flex, the market’s first compostable elastomeric bio-plastic, has been used by Green Dot in order to develop a high quality, biodegradable synthetic leather which is soft to touch and has a lesser environmental impact.

Green Dot, which is a bioscience social enterprise that has been serving the fashion conscious users by working with the plastics industry, has managed to produce the look and texture of a high quality of leather without compromising the environmental needs, leaving the traditional leather tanning and synthetic leather manufacturing industries far behind on the environmental protection front.

The leather is synthesized without the use of glues or solvents and Bisphenol A, phthalates and other toxins which are normally present in soft plastics used for leather synthesis are absent here. Terratek® Flex GDH-B1 has met both the European and U.S. standards of compostability after being tested in an industrial composting facility and is found to show the same results in a home composting environment too.

This new synthetic leather is available in a wide variety of colors, thicknesses and textures. The starch based bio-plastic provides a unique soft touch and gives the fabric a better breathability. It is suitable for printing and can be given a fragrance in order to add more variety to it.

Source: http://textilesupdate.com/green-dot-develops-compostable-synthetic-leather-made-with-its-terratek-flex-bioplastic

Four times stronger bio-polymer receives nomination for prestigious award

The University of Sheffield and CPD (supplier of cleaning and hygiene products, based in UK) has developed a new bio-polymer which has received a nomination for the Hull Daily Mail Business Award for Innovation and Technology.

CPD founder and chief executive Shaun Chatterton says that Floreon composts faster and requires less energy for production. He considers the new material to have huge potential for diversification and other benefits. He talked to PRW about its potential to change the entire notion of packaging and transform the way people think about plastics. With Floreon, they have managed to do much more than their initial idea of replacing water bottles, PET plastics and other derivatives.

A Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the top materials scientists at the University of Sheffield ultimately lead to the development of this polymer. Floreon can be produced using 62% less energy and is four times sturdier than standard bio-plastic PLA. Chatterton commented on the manufacturing process of the polymer, saying that it requires only 180 degrees Celsius of heat during production as compared to other rival polymers that require 280 to 300 degrees Celsius.

Apart from all these advantages, Floreon is a completely biodegradable polymer and it can be recycled back to virgin PLA in an energy efficient way without going through the process of “down-cycling” that is done for other plastics.

Source: http://www.prw.com/subscriber/newscat2.html?cat=1&channel=340&id=4187      

Swedish Retail Chain COOP Launches Innovative Compostable Bioplastic Packaging

The Sweden based retail chain Coop has decided to introduce innovative compostable Bioplastic packaging to be used for its brand frozen berries, it intentionally chosen a costly base material for ecological reasons.

The selected material by Coop is paperboard Invercote Bio it’s a virgin fiber based board covered with Bioplastic. The Bioplastic turns this packaging compostable as a result the used packaging goes into the similar waste line as other contents also go.

This result is healthier for the atmosphere but is costly by reason of the more sophisticated nature of the Bioplastic in comparison with those of conventional PE coatings. Louise Konig the Sustainability Manager in Coop explained that our decision is perfectly in line to our sustainability course of action and actually it’s not as unusual as we integrate sustainability policy in all our business pondering.

Commercial manager in Invercote Bio Mr. Jonas Adler told that the Bioplastic does not have starch made by genetically modified maize.

Project manager Henrik Bjurback told that our endeavor was to introduce a packaging which stands apart from the customary rectangular packs in the exhibit freezers. Apart from this we wanted to fulfill Coop's yearning to follow the environmental silhouette of the Anglamark brand.

Source - http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/swedish-retailer-launches-compostable-bioplastic-packaging/

Bio award function 2013 is taking place with the 9th Annual World Bio Market

Year 2013 will bring many more beneficial deals for companies working for the development of sustainable bio based fuels. In the fifth year of sustainable bio awards, it has been realized by them that many innovations are taking place in the progress of bio fuels. This year all the awards for finance, feedstocks, bio fuels and cosmetics etc. have celebrated advancement in the industry. The company running these awards is World Bio Markets which is nowadays accepting nominations. The award ceremony for the same will take place on 5^th March, 2014 in Amsterdam. For this purpose bio based industry will be represented on categories like collaboration of the year, best financier of the year and industry champion etc.

A panel of judges has been chosen for selection of winners and these judges belong to the cross section of biofuels industry only. The jury includes, Rob Vierhout, Hasso Von pogrell, Theirry de l’Escaillea and Jonathan Burbaum etc. The bio award function will be organized along with the 9^th annual world Bio Market in Amsterdam. One can find details in http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/chemistry_materials/jennifer_elks/awards_honoring_innovations_bio-based_fuels_product.

According to the founder of the Global Bio Market’s series, Nadim Chaundry, 2013 was an exciting year to bring advancements and innovations in bio based products. The industry of bio based products is going on stronger year by year and in the form of bio award function, they celebrate this success.  

PanAridus joined Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. on BRDI grant

A pre publicized $6.9 million Biomass Research Development Initiative (BRDI) funding for the development of tyre grade guayule rubber is being partnered by Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and PanAridus. Other consortium partners will help the joint effort for making the program successful. They will run research programs with an objective of developing enhanced production process of guayule rubber. This product will be manufactured as a biopolymer. Various biofuel applications on residual biomass will be followed for the production of this tyre grade rubber. This will be helpful to replace petroleum synthetics and natural rubber which is being used recently for the production of tyres.  

Yurkovich, Vice President of Cooper tyre’s Global Research and Development states that they are pleased to be joined by PanAridus to work over BRDI grant. They believe that PanAridus will represent some developmental programs and useful efforts regarding the guayule seed and agronomic technology. Actually guayule based natural rubber is high quality, durable and inexpensive rubber for tyres. While Mike, the CEO of PanAridus stated that they are focusing deeply for guayule genetics agronomics. They are happy to have successful grant partners who possess good understanding of relationship between competing favorably in marketplace and commercialization. In this way, the key to growth of higher quality guayule rubber has unlocked doors to replace synthetic and imported rubber that seems expensive than guayule rubber.

FTC approved three companies made misleading and unsubstantial biodegradability claims

Three companies in Washington DC, Carnie Cap, Inc.; Clear Choice Housewares Inc. and McNeill Engineering Company have been approved by FTC (Federal Trade Commission) that they violated an act by misrepresenting some facts about the manufacturing of plastic products. FTC allegedly stated that these companies don’t possess trustworthy scientific foundation for approving their claims. They have shown that they are treating their plastic products during production as follows-

·        Biodegradable

·        Biodegradable within short time

·        Favorable for degradation in landfill

FTC suspected that these companies are not making biodegradable products and they are prohibited for making such claims. FTC stated that until these companies will be able to prove their representation true, they cannot make such claims. Also, their claims should be supported by genuine scientific evidences. Any company claiming to produce biodegradable plastic products need to show that the elements used for the production of plastic is completely decomposable within a year. 

Until and unless the company will be able to qualify its claim by showing the product decomposable, their claims will not qualify the terms of FTC. A company needs to show entire rate and evidence of degradation regarding the plastic product manufactured by it. Also the company can alternatively attach a disclosure regarding the rate and extent of decomposition if the product does not decomposes fully.

Cereplast makes bio degradable and maintainable bio-based plastic products

In due course of time, petroleum-based plastics photo-degrade in Sun light by natural process called photo synthesis; this process breaks petroleum-based plastics into minute pieces. These particles keep suspended at or simply below the outside of salty water and become cornered by currents. The widest region wherever marine plastic contamination has accumulated is termed as the great Pacific contamination patch, and by some approximates, it wraps 270,000 to quite fifteen million square miles.

PHA products value double to what petroleum-based product value, and PLA plastics are 6% to 20% additional expensive subject to whether they’re matched up to with customary plastics for instance polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate or PETE.

Cereplast’s Scheer interprets that because the worth of crude oil rises, bioplastics can become additional value competitive. As technology advances and therefore the density of bioplastics improve, they're going to be able to compete better with petro-based plastics.

Cereplast makes bio degradable and maintainable bio-based plastic products by use of rice, corn, tapioca and bamboo. The company’s eco-friendly resins are used to prepare single-use disposables items and packaging such as bags, cups, straws and cutlery; whereas it’s maintainable resins can substitute to the extent of 95% of the petroleum in traditional plastics.

These sturdy plastics are well used in electronic and consumer goods, over and above by the automotive, construction and medical industries.

Innventia is going to produce the much awaited Bio based carbon fiber as it finally gets the grant

SEK 3,400,000 by VINNOVA, grant for production of products from renewable resources has been given to Innventia for two projects. 3D packages for paper will be seen to take a form of reality, along with the production of lignin, which will be used for the production of carbon based fiber, as a raw material.

VINNOVA has been working on the test beds with the area of technology and the grant includes the project where they will have test beds for carbon fiber which will be lignin based. And it is believed that 2020 will witness a fourfold increase in its production, as this fiber will be us useful as steel in cars, which will reduce the fuel consumption. The main focus is production of carbon fiber from lignin says Marie Backstrom, the leading researcher.

Pilot plant, FEX, is also to be examined by Innventia, as a grant of SEK 400,000 which might result in the production of highly stretchable paper in due time. 3D plastics and new paper is to be produced to reduce chemical waste. It will see a new sight in the paper industry which will enable the paper to be used on circular surfaces with 3D packages, and not only flat surfaces.

Source- http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/raw-materials/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=157405

BioAmber discusses personal care improvement via biochemicals at ICDC

ICDC which was held on 26-27 November saw presenters coming together for a great discussion on bio chemicals. The presenters included Evonik and Celanese and Huntsman from the global front, and rest from India which included Tata Chemicals Ltd., Reliance Industries and KLJ Plasticizers. Intermediate and Specialty Resins were in focus, Tecnon OrbiChem provided and industrial outlook on the derivatives of global chemicals the Institute of Chemical Technology of India provided a futuristic view on the chemical industries in India.

Bio based chemicals have benefits, and are better than petroleum products-

1)      BioAmber’s succinic acid has a lot of potential

2)      Carbon footprint is reduced

3)      Stable pricing of the bio feedstock

Succinic acid will be produced more by BioAmber, in Canada and Sarnia for scheduled completion in 2014.

BioAmber- one of the leading chemical industries, it has innovative idea regarding chemical catalysis, its purification and combining of industrial biotechnology. It uses biodegradable feedstock to produce certain chemicals and products that we use everyday like plastic, personal care products and food additives. It is one of the leading producers of succinic acid. This is what the future of bio chemical industries is where feed stock will play a very important role especially in the industrial sector.

Source of information- http://www.specialchem4cosmetics.com/services/news.aspx?id=10669

Six Bioplastic innovative PLA Filament Colors introduced by MakerBot

MakerBot has introduced six innovative MakerBot PLA filament colors in New York to expand its assortment of colors to make it 23 PLA filament options list. The fresh MakerBot colors are named as True Green, Neon Green, Neon Orange, Sparkly Dark Black, Neon Pink, and Sparkly Dark Blue. Sparkly Colors and Fun Neon Expands Filament Options.

MakerBot PLA Filament used in these colors is a Bioplastic which is derived from corn. Each filament color is widely tested for quality at layer resolutions of 100-micron and also 200-micron on the MakerBot Replicator named as 2 Desktop 3D Printer to confirm that the filament will execute every feature which MakerBot MakerWare software proffers and dependably slice and whether it prints every type of printing need or not.

MakerBot also remarks that its MakerBot PLA Filament is well known aand has been proved as the most excellent, safest and most dependable filament for use in MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers.

PLA Filament presented in markets by MakerBot is nice and reliable material for 3D prints and is very easy to make use of and performs wonderful with most prints. It also holds fast to glass and acrylic build plates and with blue painter's tape that many employ on their build plates.

Green' gift cards are in great demand

As per information available from International Card Manufacturers Association in the year 2012, the worldwide card industry’s production was 33 billion cards. Most of those produced cards contained polyvinyl chloride. Polyvinyl chloride contains pollutants which are injurious to the environment and are very slow in decomposing process. Previous year, during the holiday season the company Whole Foods initiated a gift card which was made with wood procured from sustainably supervised forests of Europe.

Vice president of division biopolymers in company Metabolix Mr. Bob Engle, a Massachusetts company said that retail vendors get value by marketing themselves as “Environment friendly” by means of recycling and other programs. Metabolix Company produces a Bioplastic substitute to the plastic which is usually used in these cards.

However alternative cards have inadequacies. In 2007, Target Company started using cards made up of a biodegradable substance produced by Metabolix but later they terminated the contract because of the high cost of production. 

Even though the price of a pound of polyvinyl chloride is little more than $1 but Metabolix’s alternative material costs more or less $2. And 1 wooden card made out of Sustainable Cards amounts between 10 to 15 cents, in comparison with 7 to 12 cents for plastic cards if ordered for 100,000 pieces at a time.

A few green chemistry awards for year 2013

As per information gathered from site http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/web/2013/12/Highlighting-Green-Chemistry-Achievements.html few green chemistry awards for year 2013 are mentioned below.

A biomolecular and chemical engineering professor Richard P. Wool, at the Delaware University is one among the 2013 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards award winners in US. He received this Academic Award for using computational designs plans to direct the discovery of an assortment of low-toxicity, biobased polymers and some other materials. His associates use feedstocks like vegetable oil, wool, flax fiber and chicken feathers to make plastics, adhesives, synthetic leather and foams that result into products such as circuit boards, automobiles, shoes and roofing materials.

Small Business Award was given to Faraday Technology which is developed in Clayton, Ohio. It is given for its revolutionary procedure to deposit chrome covering on metals and such materials that escape using hexavalent chromium that is carcinogenic; as a replacement for, Faraday uses not as much toxic trivalent chromium for plating electrolyte.

Dow Chemical the chemical industry corporation is awarded with Greener Reaction Conditions Award for the sake of developing Evoque, a co-polymer covering for titanium dioxide dye particles. This covering helps in separating the pigment particles in improving paint structure by reducing the quantity of TiO2 needed.

Bio isobutanol has been subjected for generic use now

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has declared approval for the generic use of bio isobutanol for equipment dispensing and storage of gasoline. Producers of the product Gevo and Butamax announced that generic use of up to 16 percent isobutanol in UL 87A pumps is completely safe. One can find full report on this in http://greenchemicalsblog.com/2014/01/03/bio-isobutanol-approved-by-ul/.

87A pumps with ASTM specifications can be used as new pumps by dispensing with isobutanol blended gasoline. According to the producers of this excellent bio fuel, for the first time UL decided to use bio isobutanol while Gavo and Butamax were working on this project for several years. 

As per the statement of the Butamax, this outstanding bio fuel will work well for dispensing of isobutanol blend gasoline in state and federal authorities. The proposal is soon to be subjected for final approval. The commercial production of isobutanol can start by 2015. Yet, the company has announced establishment of phase 1 of the first retrofit facility at Minnesota. On the other hand, Gevo is already engaged in production of gasoline blend isobutanol in the construction phase. Also, the company revealed a successful use of bio isobutanol. They announced that the US army has experienced a successful flight of the Black Hawk helicopter by using this bio fuel. As a result of the Gevo’s contract of 16000 gallons with the US army, this successful experiment was carried out. 

Bioplastics growth is expected to be higher than average in coming years

European Bioplastics - the group which stands for Europe’s Bioplastics industry anticipates the worldwide market for the Bioplastics to see more than average growth in upcoming years.

Berlin based organization European Bioplastics (EB) that stands for 70 affiliate companies existing all over the European Union, told yearly production capability of bioplastics shall go up from 1.4 million tonnes in year 2012 to a high level of 6.2 million tonnes by the year 2017.

European Bioplastics said that the most remarkable gains shall be acquired in non-biodegradable bio-based bioplastics field, particularly bio-based editions of bulk plastics for instance polyethylene and PET.

However the organization made it clear that capability for biodegradable plastics shall also increase in the region of approx 60% by year 2017.

In the midst of ultimate users, the packaging segment was set to again be the leading force for bioplastics consumers, although European Bioplastics made it known that other segments for instance automotive, consumer electronics, and the fiber sect are becoming more powerful.

EB board chairman Mr. François de Bie said that the growth of bioplastics has the capability to create numerous jobs all across Europe.

Mr. François also desired that the European Commission should set up equal situations for the bio-based industry in comparison to all other industries in Europe and a straightforward policy structure for potential markets like bioplastics, particularly in the situation of competition from regions Asia and South America.

Global production of lactic acid increases after Cellulac announces opening up of new production facility

In a recent move, Cellulac has express its views to build production facility in Dundalk which will be capable of producing 20 ktpa of ethyl acetate by June 2014, and it will further increase limits to 100 ktpa by 2016. The greatest portion of news in this announcement is the global presence of D- Lactic acid which will be produced at 40% cost of the present global rate. Gregard Brandon, CEO for Cellulac also confirmed that this combination of D- and L+ Lactic acid will feature more heat tolerance as compared to L-lactic acid. It has also made arrangements for the biomass feedback such as DDGS, SBG and lactose whey which will be used to produce D- Lactic acid at this biggest production facility with exceptional and advanced fermentation technology.

With selected microbes and customized enzyme production of its own, Cellulac is ought to make use of the latest SoniqueFlo Technology which is quite vital in pretreatment of biomass after lactobacillus fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis. http://greenchemicalsblog.com/2013/12/30/cellulac-to-build-lactic-acid-plant/ reports that this firm is targeting future ethanol producers’ partnerships to increase production of D- Lactic acid and improve profit margin. Energy efficient processing plants have already been installed using this excellent technology which will give a boost to energy savings by 67%. On the other hand, Direvo is also using BluCon technology to produce lactic acid at lower costs through conversion of non-food biomass stock.

Deinove develops specific category of Deinococcus bacterium for bio-chemical production

A French starter biotech company Deinove is today engaged in the promotion and development of Deinococcus bacterium which seems to be greatly effective and helpful in resisting various stress types, bacteria DNA fragment integration, co-digestion of sugars and production of rare compounds like carotenoids. It should be noted here that this company recently developed strain in 2012 for the transformation of wheat residue into ethanol, with no additives at all. It also built a Deinococcus library with 6000 strains, which have been produced with corn stover, wheat straw and wastes, to stand away from the crowd. It needs mentioning here that carotenoids have long been used as anti-oxidants apart from in ophthalmology, which will be the foremost target for this company.

As per the reports available on http://greenchemicalsblog.com/2013/12/31/learning-deinococcus-bacterium/, Deinove will focus on the production of three major categories in the names of aromatic compounds, carotenoids and isopropene under its DEINOCHEM program. This program has already received a fund of EUR 5.9 million in 2013, which is being considered highest in plant chemistry. Genoplante Valor has signed license option agreement through INRA Transfert with Deinove for improving the production of isoprenoid biosynthetic. A newer ‘Genoplante’ technology would be further integrated with the signature DEINOCHEM program for the improved production of bio-chemicals through Deinococcus bacterium.