Materials News
Can bioplastics fix the world’s waste mess? The environmental impact of non-degradable plastic waste has made the world rethink of how we use and produce environmentally-friendly plastics, says Angelica Buan in this report.
China to stop taking plastic waste from developed countries The making of an environmental disaster is on the cards now that China has decided to stop the import of some 24 types of waste materials including plastics. With the ban coming in effect in March, more than 6 billion tonnes of global plastic waste will not be recycled in China. China, which has topped the rank of global plastic polluters, can hardly be blamed. It said it has to fix its own environmental issues. So what will happen since Europe and the US are two major exporters of waste to China? In a bid to nearly halve Europe’s plastic consumption by end of 2019 and by a further 80% by end 2025, European Union has stepped up its plastic bag taxation drive. The US, on the other hand, which ships nearly 1.5 million tonnes of plastic waste to China to be recycled, will have to rely on its capabilities to manage its waste and recycling. As well, what seems to be hoped for is that the rest of Asia will open its doors to recycling opportunities. This is ironic because the region is also contending with plastic waste troubles in its own backyard, with the top 20 polluting rivers found to be mostly in Asia, according to Dutch Foundation Ocean Cleanup. Asia as a bioplastics hub Against this backdrop, the push to use bioplastics is growing with research house Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence forecasting the global bioplastics market with a value of U S $ 4 3 . 8 billion in 2022, against US$17 Increasing use of degradable materials may fend off recycling woes
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billion in 2017, growing at a CAGR of 20%. The same growth trajectory of 20%, driven by demand for biopolymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), was also cited in the European Bioplastics’ annual market data update recently. The Asian region is also flexing its capabilities on producing bioplastics with LuxResearch’s 2016 report pointing at Southeast Asia as a biochemical hub, given its local access to sustainable raw materials. Thailand has sufficient supply of sugarcane and, according to the 2017 data of USDA Gain, has produced 11.2 million tonnes of sugar to more than meet the country’s consumption and cater to exports. It is not surprising that large-scale bioplastics factories are coming up in the country. Total Corbion, a joint venture between Dutch PLA producer Corbion and French oil and gas company Total, is completing construction of a 75 kilotonne/year-PLA plant in Rayong, with start-up scheduled this year.
Corbion’s site in Rayong uses Bonsucro-certified sugar
The second half of the year will also see the company’s expansion of its existing lactide plant, also in Rayong, by 25 kilotonnes/year. The PLA polymerisation plant will be producing Corbion’s Luminy portfolio of PLA resins. Total Corbion says it uses Bonsucro-certified cane sugar (a global non-profit network that sets standards to ensure sustainability) as a feedstock that is converted to lactic acid through fermentation, which in turn is used as a base for PLA bioplastics. The company sources its raw materials from Bangkok-headquartered Mitr Phol, Thailand's biggest sugar and bio-energy producer, which has two Bonsucrocertified mills.