Page 26 - Plastics News September 2017

FEATURES
FEATURES

the pellets for the detergent market, more specifi cally than a year and has a shelf life of close to four. It can be
the powder tabs for dishwashers. Other developments used to manufacture a wide range of products, from thin
are also planned on the laundry, water treatment and bags to rigid pieces, such as containers or kitchen utensils.
agrochemicals market. This discovery, unique in the world, is protected by a
Mexican patent and an international patent is on the way.
The pellets are mainly made of milk protein coming from
Mexico is the world's largest avocado producer, with more
the milk powder industry. The company uses non-edible
than 1 million tonnes per year, of which 30,700 tons are
casein for the non-food application and biodegradable
discarded. Although the price of bioplastic is almost double
additives. The milk powder is supplied by manufacturers
compared to conventional plastics derived from petroleum,
based in Eastern Europe.
Biofase's technology could reduce the fi nal cost by up to
The company is also planning to build a manufacturing a quarter, according to Scott Munguía, who adds that to
site in France by the end of 2018. “We are looking at the achieve this they are working on the improvement of the
different places but the plant will be in France in Loire, processes. "We are achieving everything we always wanted
between Saint Etienne and Lyon in the Vallée du Gier,” in terms of technology, which was to have a resin with
the CEO explained. the quality we expected and able to completely replace
polypropylene, polystyrene and polyethylene, aiming also
The company is still at the planning stage in terms of costs
for it to have an affordable price, because in the industry,
and budgeting for the new plant. “For the investment
the issue of prices in bioplastics is a very large barrier,"
and size we do not yet exactly know. We haven’t made
explains the young entrepreneur.
the plans yet as the building site hasn’t been defi ne yet,”
Gramatikoff added. Bioplastic made with dried shrimp shells
Other Bio Plastics developments A group of Egyptian researchers is developing a bioplastic

Bioplastic made from avocado seeds made with dried shrimp shells. Just six months into a two-
year project, the team is already seeing some success.
Bioplastic made from avocado seeds has been developed Scientists at Nile University clean and chemically treat
by Mexican company Biofase. Through a patented process, shrimp shells, then ground them up and dissolve them in
the avocado seed undergoes a chemical modifi cation with a solution that dries to form plastic. The researchers have
the aid of a plasticising agent; this is how it becomes a utilized chitosan, a polymer made from the compound
thermoplastic, and depending on the end use application, chitin commonly found in crustacean shells, to make their
it can be mixed with other elements to generate the clear, thin plastic prototype. The shells are inexpensively
thermoplastic resin. The biopolymer's production process, sourced from local supermarkets, restaurants, and
which does not generate hazardous waste, has been fi shermen. The shells are then cleaned, chemically treated,
patented in Mexico. The project's development counted ground, and dissolved into a solution that dries into thin
with the participation of specialists from the Monterrey fi lms of plastic, a technique the team says has the potential
Institute of Technology and other research centres. The for large-scale industrial production.
fi nal product is a thermoplastic resin that degrades in less
Project researcher Hani Chbib told Reuters Egypt imports
some 3,500 metric tons of shrimp, and is left with 1,000
metric tons of shrimp shell waste. So the project could
help alleviate waste and reduce plastic pollution. The
Egyptian researchers are collaborating with a team from
Britain’s University of Nottingham, where the professor
overseeing the project, Irene Samy, conducted post-
doctoral research and began exploring the idea of converting
shells into plastic. The team envisions the biodegradable
plastic might be used for packaging and plastic bags. They
said their technique could potentially work for large-scale
industrial production, and while so far they’ve only made
small samples, are working to enhance properties like
durability and thermal stability so the product could be
widely used.

Plastics News | September 2017 26