Page 38 - Plastics News January 2023

VTT attempting to develop sustainable Devan to launch Purissimo®
plastics made from captured carbon NTL, a Full Biobased,
Biodegradable Allergen
Control Technology

elgian textile innovator Devan
BChemicals will launch Puris-
simo® NTL, a biobased and read-
ily biodegradable allergen con-
research project coordinated production. An interim goal in the trol technology, at the upcoming
A by Finnish company VTT is commercialisation of the process is to Heimtextil trade show in Frankfurt
examining the capture and utilisation build a small test plant in a selected (January 10-13, 2023). It is based
of carbon dioxide from the forest industrial environment in 2024. on the well-known probiotic en-
industry and waste incineration in VTT Research Professor Juha capsulation technology and aims
the manufacture of different types Lehtonen, said: “Solutions are being to improve the lives of people who
suffer from allergies. It can be ap-
of plastic products. Simultaneously, developed together with corporate plied to textiles during the finishing
process concepts will be developed partners the Forest CUMP project is stage of the textile manufacturing
to enable the commercial utilisation of being carried out in close cooperation process.
carbon dioxide emissions also in other with company partners as part of the
fields of industry. Worldwide, the prevalence of al-
Business Finland's Veturi ecosystems, lergic diseases has continued to
The company believes carbon from which promote sustainable rise in the industrialised world for
industrial emissions of carbon dioxide development. Borealis is one of the more than 50 years, according to
can be bound in the products of the Veturi companies. Forest CUMP is the World Health Organisation. Al-
plastics and chemical industries. part of Borealis’ SPIRIT programme, lergies have an impact on the qual-
The Forest CUMP project, which was which aims at green transition in the ity of life and are associated with
launched in August 2022, continues plastics industry.” other medical conditions. Devan is
this work, focusing on the carbon Antti Ilves, Borealis, added: “This now launching Purissimo® NTL,
dioxide emissions of the forest industry is a significant development project a natural allergen control technol-
and waste incineration. The intended that supports our vision, in which ogy that cleans up pet dander, pol-
end-products would be polyolefins – the carbon dioxide emissions from len and house dust mite allergens
in textiles throughout the home.
polyethene and polypropene. industry could be utilised for the The technology is based on encap-
The Forest CUMP project aims at production of e.g. durable plastic sulated probiotics, which are natu-
developing a processing concept pipes out of them, which can bind ral microorganisms similar in kind
which would enable the scaling of the carbon for long periods of time.” to those you can find in yoghurt,
technology up to the level of industrial cheese and other probiotic food.
Devan has many years of experi-
ence with probiotics. The compa-
ny introduced probiotics in textiles
already in 2010.

38 PLASTICS NEWS January 2023