Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - 24

bioplastics
3D printing filaments made from
NatureWorks Ingeo PLA .
Photos courtesy NatureWorks
Creating capacity for
sustainable plastics
NatureWorks' new investment in the biopolymer market, located in the Nakhon
Sawan province of Thailand, will be the first fully integrated facility to produce
polylactic acid (PLA). The company's ambition is to provide low carbon, biobased
alternatives to many petroleum-based plastics that are commonly used in the world
and this new facility in Thailand meets the growing demand in the PLA market
By Kent Smith,
Vice President &
General Manager,
Specialized
Manufacturing,
Jacobs.
W
24
hile most plastics
are made
from non-renewable,
fossil
fuel-based products, NatureWorks'
Ingeo brand of polylactic
acid (PLA) is made by using
sugars from fully renewable
plant sources, like corn or sugarcane,
that are fermented to
make lactic acid. The lactic acid
is then polymerised into PLA
in pellet form. Partner companies
transform the pellets into
a range of consumer goods,
including compostable products
like food serviceware and
tea bags, as well as household
goods, nonwovens for hygiene
applications, and filament for
3D printers. Biobased projects
have seen steady growth over
the years, driven at first by
concerns for energy security
and more recently by heightened
demand from consumers,
brands, and governments for
non-petroleum based products,
aligning with the global ambition
to mitigate climate change
and reduce plastic waste.
The development of new
biobased chemistries, using
yeast-based organisms for fermentation,
has opened up opportunities
for new sustainable
products but it also poses design
challenges to manufacture these
products at an industrial scale.
Unique challenges of
biobased projects
Traditionally selected based on
criteria such as utility costs and
November/December 2021
labour availability, sites for manufacturing
biopolymers must
consider local feedstock availability,
the environmental impact
of growing the feedstock, as
well as matching the fermentation
organism to the feedstock.
For example, in the Mid-western
US, sugar sources are largely
dextrose-based, whereas other
regions may rely on alternative
sugars and fermentables as feed
stock. The fermentation organism
changes depending on the location
and specific feedstock used,
resulting in a non-cookie cutter
approach. Consequently, significant
bioresearch and exploration
of site adaptability is required
early in the design process.
The primary challenge of a
biobased project is the management
of the fermentation
organism, and the necessity
to prevent all other impurities
or organisms from entering
the process. Simulation of the
fermentation process is difficult,
due to lack of real-world,
empirical data. Instead, the
process must be replicated,
which involves significant testing
up-front for scaling-up the
process. As development progresses
from a small lab scale,
through piloting and ultimately
to industrial production processes,
the performance of
the process can also change,
requiring further adjustment to
the facility and process design.
For solutions providers helping
to deliver biopolymer projects,
understanding the organism
and its process requirements
and limitations is key. Furthermore,
focusing on the environmental
safety requirements
and appropriate hygienic and
sterility requirements to prevent
bio-excursions is critical.
An appropriate level of sanitisation
balances an efficient use
of resources and minimises
the number of bio-excursions
which can cause operational

Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021

Contents
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - Cover1
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - Cover2
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - Contents
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - 4
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - 5
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - 6
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - 7
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Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - 34
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - Cover3
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2021 - Cover4
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