Page 24 - Plastics News July 2023

BASF opens Biodegradation and Microplastics Center of Excellence in North
America

ASF has officially opened its new lations, analytics, and piloting. in-house’, according to Dr. Jeanette
BBiodegradation and Microplas- The Wyandotte labs are expected Hanna, Biopolymers Market Devel-
tics Center of Excellence at its site in to yield valuable information on pro- opment Manager for North America.
Wyandotte, Michigan. The new cen- cesses ranging from the disintegration The new laboratory will support bio-
tre includes a biodegradation labora- performance of compostable materi- degradable product development pri-
tory, which BASF inaugurated at a als to biodegradation performance of marily in food service and packaging,
ribbon cutting ceremony attended novel chemistries, as well as insights agriculture, detergents, cleaning, and
by BASF representatives from across into microplastics and the behaviour cosmetics industries. Furthermore,
North America within research and of plastics through their life cycles. the lab will have the capability to as-
business divisions.
“By advancing our understanding of sess rates of disintegration for novel
BASF said the centre had been es- current materials and the characteri- compostable products designed to di-
tablished to ‘help customers across zation techniques needed to examine vert food waste to composting facili-
North America achieve their circular- next generation materials, we help ties. It is part of a broader network of
ity and sustainability goals’. pave the way for a more sustain- similar labs at BASF globally.
“The Wyandotte site houses a broad able future,” said Dr. Jeanne Hankett, “For BASF to develop fully biodegrad-
range of business, manufacturing Leader for the Center of Excellence able products for our customers, this
and R&D activities within BASF. I’m and the Microplastics Research Liai- requires a fundamental understanding
excited to see the center at the site son for North America. of chemistry and of biological pro-
furthering BASF’s support to our The biodegradation laboratory will cesses combined with digital tools,”
customers and our company’s goals work closely with customers to ad- said Prof. Andreas Künkel, vice presi-
toward a sustainable future,” said dress the end-of-life performance of dent, Biopolymers Research in Lud-
Benjamin Knudsen, vice president of their products. It will enable BASF wigshafen, Germany. “It is essential
Research North America. The Wyan- to directly support its customers ‘by to test these products under various
dotte site has an interdisciplinary accelerating their product develop- framework conditions, which, among
setup, and has a broad R&D portfolio ment processes with measurable data others, means, in different environ-
including chemicals, materials, formu- ments around the globe.”
they would not have had access to

24 PLASTICS NEWS July 2023