This paper briefly introduces two types of bio-based plastics: non-biodegradable bio-based plastics such as bio-based PE, bio-based PP, bio-based PET and degradable bio-based plastics such as starch-based degradable plastics, PLA, PHA, summarizes their cases in the packaging industries of cosmetics, food and pharmaceuticals, and gives an outlook on the development of bio-based plastics.
While plastic products bring all kinds of convenience to human beings, they also bring unimaginable troubles to people. The massive use of plastic, as well as the random discard and non-scientific disposal behavior, to human life and survival caused a great environmental hazards and white pollution problems.
With the continuous innovation of R&D technology, bio-energy industry and bio-manufacturing industry have become the development hotspots all over the world. The development of renewable resources, especially bio-based materials, is the main material production method to replace fossil resources such as oil in the future, and is also an important way to truly realize circular economy, energy saving and emission reduction.
As the application field of plastics continues to expand, the emergence of bio-based plastics has become a hope for the plastics industry to move from pollution to green, and has opened up new ways for the plastics industry to get rid of its over-dependence on petrochemical resources. China is a large packaging manufacturing country, and plastic packaging accounts for nearly one-third of the total packaging output. Traditional plastics are widely used in all aspects of life because of their excellent use properties. Resource scarcity, environmental degradation, advocating "environmental protection", "low carbon", "emission reduction" concept of consumption, so that bio-based plastic products are gradually entering the market.
1 Non-biodegradable bio-based plastics and their application in packaging
Non-biodegradable bio-based plastics are raw materials that are derived in whole or in part from biomass but do not readily degrade in the environment. For example, bio-based PE, bio-based PP, bio-based PET, etc. The main target market for these materials is as a complement to petroleum-based plastics. For example, bio-based PE and petroleum-based PE, with the same structure and the same chemical properties, as a replacement for existing petroleum-based similar products, can achieve the purpose of saving oil resources, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, etc.
1.1 Bio-based PE and its application in packaging
There are two main production methods for bio-based PE as an alternative to petroleum-based PE, with Braskem's sugarcane base being the main bio-based PE used in the market. In regions such as Brazil, where sugarcane production is booming and a range of derivatives made from sugarcane are becoming viable alternatives to traditional plastics, Braskem's development of I'mgreen TM polyethylene also relies on sugarcane ethanol. This bio-polyethylene uses sucrose from sugarcane as the main raw material to produce sugarcane ethanol, which is dehydrated to synthesize ethylene, which is then polymerized to produce bio-based PE.
The other bio-based PE feedstock source is different and is mainly made from tall oil. Tall oil is a dark brown viscous mixture derived primarily from the waste products of the wood pulping process in the papermaking process and is free of animal and palm oil feedstocks and does not compete directly with human food production sources. Compared to traditional fossil-derived polyethylene resins, bio-based PE prepared from bio-feedstocks derived from sugarcane or tall oil are able to significantly reduce their carbon footprint and have the potential to make a significant contribution to a low carbon economy.
In September 2011, Chifure Cosmetics started using bio-based PE from Brazil to produce cosmetic bottles. In February 2014, Coca-Cola used Braskem bio-based LDPE in its packaging material for Coca-Cola's Del Valle juice drink packaging.
Matrix, a leading hair brand owned by L'Oréal, has improved the packaging of its Biolage range using Bio-PE from Brazil. United Caps began by using Braskem's high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to produce two standard bottle caps, a threaded cap designed for non-foaming beverages (Victoria cap) and a cap designed for dairy and non-foaming beverages (Proflatseal cap), and later partnered with Braskem to introduce a "green" bio-based plastic cap and cap.
Avery Dennison introduces a new bio-based PE film label using a resin made from Braskem's sugar cane. In addition, Braskem's bio-based PE customers include Johnson & Johnson, Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido, Procter & Gamble, Toyota Japan and Swiss packaging group Tetra Pak.
1.2 Bio-based PP and its application in packaging
There are two main ways to produce bio-based PP as an alternative to petroleum-based PP, similar to bio-based PE. The source of Sabic's bio-based PP is also primarily tall oil. The other is to extract ethanol from biomass such as sugarcane and then manufacture it into bio-based PP or ferment various biomass (mainly non-edible plants) to produce isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and then dehydrate it to obtain propylene monomer for polymerization to finally obtain bio-based PP.
Beiersdorf used Sabic's bio-based PP resin to produce jars for Beiersdorf's Nivea Naturally Good day and night creams. Sabic supplies its certified bio-based PP material to AlmaPackaging AG for use in new coffee capsules. Paccor, a leading global packaging company, will reportedly provide its customer company Orkla with the production of 100% bio-based polypropylene (Bio-PP) products.
1.3 Bio-based PET and its application in packaging
In recent years, with increasingly stringent environmental regulations, the application of petroleum-based PET has been somewhat restricted, and the bio-based PET market has seen a good opportunity for development. Currently, most bio-based PET materials are partially bio-based. Bio-based PET is synthesized from bio-based ethylene glycol (MEG) monomer and fossil-based terephthalic acid (TPA), but with related technological advances, 100% bio-based PET is expected to be the largest bio-based material in terms of capacity in the future.
PET bottles are the most common type of beverage packaging, and five companies, including Anellotech, have jointly developed the bio-based PET production technology "Bio-TcatTM" (thermocatalytic biomass conversion technology), which has been used to develop a 100% bio-based polyester that has been supplied to Santory for use in food and beverage packaging. (Santory) for food and beverage packaging.
On December 7, 2021, Suntory said it has successfully produced a 100% sustainable PET plastic bottle with a goal of using 100% recycled or plant-based PET by 2030, commercialized as soon as possible through its iconic brand Orangina in Europe and SunTory Tennensui 100% bio-based PET bottles in Japan.
Coca-Cola has promised that 100% plant-derived materials will be used in all of its PET polyester containers by 2020, and in October 2021, Coca-Cola launched a prototype all-plant-based PET bottle, excluding the cap and label. As major consumer product manufacturers, Nestle and Procter & Gamble, among others, also use bio-based film materials in their product packaging materials.
