Biodegradable plastics from a plentiful natural resource
Wolfgang Glasser says he was hesitant at first when a start-up company asked him to be their chief scientific officer. But then the professor emeritus of sustainable biomaterials realized that cycle Wood Solutions Inc. could make his dream — biodegradable plastics from a plentiful natural resource — a reality.
During his three decades with Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment, Glasser worked with many students as they advanced the field of natural polymers. But the most recent breakthroughs came in partnership with two University of Arkansas MBA graduates.
When Nhiem Cao, a chemical engineer, and Kevin Oden, an industrial engineer, both of whom had been with International Paper, had to write a business plan to complete their MBA degrees, they came up with a plan to use lignin for biodegradable plastic bags. The plan won a number of regional, national, and international competitions, and then drew the attention, and support, of venture capitalists.
Cao and Oden called Glasser based on his work with lignin, and he agreed to consult.
“Then they went to National Science Foundation for a Small Business Innovation Research grant,” Glasser said. “The NSF wanted them to have a lignin chemist on staff, and that is how I became the chief scientific officer of cycleWood Solutions.”
The Fayetteville, Ark., company has created and tested a number of products. Pilot scale production volumes are being used for specific customer applications while the company moves towards commercial volumes.
Lignin is a compound of plant cell walls that is discarded in the papermaking process. Glasser began working with it because it was plentiful and cheap. It could be used to make “green” polymers — those from a renewable source rather than from petroleum. He worked with IBM to make green circuit boards, for instance.
“My ‘ah ha’ moment came when, in addition to viewing it from a resource viewpoint, I realized its environmental benefits,” he recalled. “It could be compostable. Plastic bags and bottles needn’t last forever.”
His research hit a speed bump when an important source of lignin dried up because the mill that provided it went out of business.
“The pilot pulp mill in New Brunswick, Canada, operated a 60-ton-per-day papermaking plant using ethanol for dissolving and isolating lignin, called organosolv lignin, that was used by many academics as well industries, like IBM, as a resource for developing ‘green’ products based on biobased resources,” said Glassser.
Now, however, Domtar Corporation’s Plymouth, N.C., pulp mill has installed technology from the Swedish firm Metso called LignoBoost to remove lignin during the pulp process.
“Domtar, the first user of the technology, is isolating 75 tons of lignin per day and looking for markets,” said Glasser. The project, funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, includes setting up similar mills across the U.S. to refine pulp and paper mill byproducts for biofuels and other bioproducts, “so lignin has become a cheap resource again.”
That’s where cycleWood Solutions comes in. Cao, Oden, and Glasser have filed patent applications on the chemistry and technology that deals with lignin modification and preparation of derivatives. The company has produced single-use plastic bags, trash can liners, and meat bags, and is testing cups and plates.
“The compostability was tested by a commercial lab in Belgium, and the bags meet the requirements of disintegrating to particles less than 2 millimeters in size in 180 days,” said Glasser. “The bags are made with natural components and can be composted just like any other plant-based material.”
Plastic garbage bags are being outlawed in many places worldwide because they don’t degrade; cycleWood bags degrade in composting operations. The process is speeded by the structure of the polymer, the composting process, and the addition of another biodegradable polymer with the lignin. “Lignin gives the plastic the needed strength,” said Glasser.
The Latest on: Biodegradable plastics
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Biodegradable plastics” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Biodegradable plastics
- The Big Read in short: How far have we come in weaning off plastics?on April 26, 2024 at 6:03 am
SINGAPORE — Before she leaves home, Ms Cha Yoo Kyung, 27, always makes sure she has three essential items with her: A food container, cutlery and a reusable shopping bag.
- The Big Read: Reducing single-use plastics and disposables — are we there yet? Or are companies just greenwashing?on April 26, 2024 at 6:01 am
Before she leaves home, Ms Cha Yoo Kyung, 27, always makes sure she has three essential items with her: A food container, cutlery and a reusable shopping bag.
- It's Giving ... Plastic-Free Plugging: In Conversation With Eco-Period Care Pioneer Susie Hewson (Exclusive)on April 26, 2024 at 5:00 am
"Eco-warrior, pioneer, and disrupter" Susie Hewson introduced the world to natural, organic, plastic-free tampons back in 1989, and she's not done campaigning for what's right.
- Will the US ban the use of single-use plastics like England, India, Hong Kong and other countries?on April 24, 2024 at 11:55 am
Madhavi Venkatesan, associate teaching professor of economics at Northeastern University, is convinced that human convenience is an expense the environment cannot afford.
- Declare Composition of Biodegradable Bags Replacing Garbage Collection Plastic Bags, Greenpeaceon April 22, 2024 at 11:53 pm
Greenpeace Africa lauded the government of Kenya's efforts to reduce plastic usage saying the ban on plastic garbage bags in collection of organic waste was timely.
- Charting the rise of plastic pollution – and solutionson April 22, 2024 at 7:52 pm
Plastic pollution is a focus of Earth Day and of global treaty talks. Our story and charts show the scale of the problem and possible paths toward solutions.
- Bioplastics as toxic as regular plastics; both need regulation, say researcherson April 22, 2024 at 12:57 pm
By Alden Wicker Almost 25 years after their hopeful debut, bioplastics contribute only about 1% of the global plastics market share, mainly for food packaging. But that may soon change. The Biden ...
- Dow CEO on Plastics Treaty: Governments Must Mandate Recyclingon April 22, 2024 at 10:44 am
Jim Fitterling, Dow's chairman and CEO, is calling for recycling mandates and better waste management infrastructure at UN meeting in Ottawa, Canada this week.
- Earth Day: How one grocery shopper takes steps to avoid ‘pointless plastic’on April 21, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The global theme for Earth Day on Monday is planet vs. plastic. Plastic production continues to ramp up globally and is projected to triple by 2050 if nothing changes.
- This chic furniture is almost entirely biodegradableon April 19, 2024 at 1:30 am
The Danish brand Mater is expanding its line of biodegradable furniture made from coffee waste and wood fibers.
via Bing News