6/27/2016 Bioplastics from carbon dioxide, new and biodegradable - Bio Based Press

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Bioplastics from carbon dioxide, new andbiodegradablearticles

Carbon dioxide is thefinal product of thecarbon cycle, eitherby biologicalprocesses or byincineration. Itdisappears into theatmosphere or istaken up in a newphotosynthetic cycle.Its main economicuses are in oilrecovery, beveragesand fireextinguishers. And for

quite some time, in urea production. And now also in new,biodegradable CO2 plastics.

The production amounts are minute as yet, and the catalysts for thesereactions to produce the new polymers are still being developed. It isremarkable that the architects and developers of these new materialsprefer to do the ‘right’ thing straight away; preferably they do notresearch cobalt or cadmium containing catalysts, but rather thosecontaining iron or zinc. Or, as Peter Styring (Sheffield University) puts it:‘catalysts are the most important cross­over technology, in use with 85%of all chemical processes.’

Better biodegradable Most new polymers and their processes are in the research phase as yet,although Siemens showed a household appliance (a vacuum cleanercasing) at this summer’s Achema, made from polypropylene carbonate,one of these new CO2 plastics. One of the advantages of this category ofpolymers is that most of them are biodegradable as a result of the oxygenatom in the chain. That makes for better ‘food’ to the bacteria.

The first CO2 plastics on the market are polypropylene and polyethylenecarbonate, and CO2 urethanes. They were hotly debated at nova­Institut’stwo­day CO2 conference in Essen, in the first half of October. The entireCO2 economy was discussed there, with the applications and the way ofacquitting CO2 (see our article, 14 October 2012). CO2 is the onlyfeedstock which is readily and cheaply available in Europe.

An absolutebreakthrough Polypropylene carbonate(PPC), containing 43%CO2 by weight, seemsto be the first important

Order the book'Groene Groei, Naarde maatschappij van2040' (in Dutch) byAlle Bruggink,Diederik van derHoeven and PaulReinshagen throughthis link (price: € 20)or through your(internet) bookstore.>>

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#BioMass youtube.com/watch?v=ChS_ex… Alan Moran on thegovernment's carbon taxannouncement16:14 · 27 June 2016

6/27/2016 Bioplastics from carbon dioxide, new and biodegradable - Bio Based Press

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New pathway for polypropylene carbonate production polymer in this newseries. Its production

now includes polymerization of conventional propylene oxide, fromnaphtha, with CO2. Later (when artificial photosynthesis will have made abreakthrough), propylene oxide will be synthesized from CO2 itself,through methanol as an intermediate. By that time, the polymer willconsist almost entirely of CO2, and will be 100% biobased. It is a highlythermo stable polymer, very elastic, transparent, biodegradable, non­toxic, containing a ‘memory’. It can be foamed and processed into films,and is easily mixed with other biopolymers like polylactic acid (PLA) andpolyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA); in doing so, the plastic becomes less brittle,approaching an engineering plastic in its properties, but retaining itsbiodegradability. It can be processed on existing machines, like extrudersand blow moulding machines. American Novomer company, in which DSMparticipates, owns important patents for the polymerization; othercompanies are active in this field as well. According to Bernard Rieger (UTMünchen), PPC is an absolute breakthrough, and the ultimate answer topolypropylene.

Insulation foam, matrasses, packaging material The process to produce polyethylene carbonate (PEC), another new CO2plastic, includes polymerization of ethylene oxide with carbon dioxide. It isa polymer with an even higher CO2 content by weight than PPC. Novomerpossesses the patents for the production of this bioplastic as well. It has avery low oxygen permeability, and is therefore very well suited for foodpackaging. In the USA, it is Food Contact Approved (AFC).

Polyurethanes, produced from polyols and CO2, are another new class ofcarbon dioxide polymers in development. They will initially be marketed asinsulation foam and materials for mattress production. A Bayer pilot plantfor the production of this material has come on stream; Bayer plans tostart commercial production in 2015. A lignite factory supplies therequired carbon dioxide. Technical University Aachen (RWTH) developscatalysts for this process. In short, many German research results at thisconference in the German Ruhr area. As one would expect, but the rest ofthe world are in the game as well.

High hopes Carbon dioxide chemistry – just like biobased polymer production – is notabout copying fossil polymers, but about developing better polymers,which can be processed on plastics industry’s existing devices. Otherpolymers than those mentioned, like polyhydroxy butyric acid (PHB) orpolycyclohexane carbonate (PCHC) are in the pilot phase. Chemicals likeformic acid on the verge of a breakthrough.

Chemical researchers buzz with enthusiasm, and are eager to develop andmarket these new polymers. The breakthrough of the last new polymer inthe market dates from 30 years ago, and there are high hopes that such acash cow will be amongst these new polymers. Bernard Rieger, quotedbefore, thinks: ‘We perform better than nature itself.’ Although theamounts produced as yet are minute. The growth of new materials, bothbiobased and by the CO2 pathway, is by far not fast enough to coverdemand of renewable materials. Let alone to make a dent in thegreenhouse effect.

Tags: Biobased polymers, Innovation

By: Paul Reinshagen on: 14 October 2012

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6/27/2016 Bioplastics from carbon dioxide, new and biodegradable - Bio Based Press

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