Bio-based Materials (BBMs) are a new class of materials made from renewable biomass or (and) biologically manufactured raw materials through biological, chemical and physical means, such as bioplastics and biomass functional polymers.
Bio-based materials are different from traditional chemical products made from non-renewable petrochemical resources such as coal and petroleum, which have the characteristics of renewable raw materials, carbon emission reduction and energy saving.
Looking ahead, bio-based materials are expected to gradually replace traditional petroleum-based materials in some application areas, becoming a new industry leading scientific and technological innovation and economic development, and serving as the main way of green low-carbon development and the highlight of low-carbon economic growth.
At present, common bio-based materials are renewable biomass such as cereals, legumes, straw, bamboo and wood powder through bioconversion to obtain biopolymer materials or monomers, and then further polymerization to form environmentally friendly chemical products and green energy and other polymer materials, such as including biogas, fuel ethanol, biodiesel and bioplastics. In addition, bio-based materials can also be generated and obtained from designed or modified biological systems through biomanufacturing and biosynthesis methods.
Classification of bio-based materials
According to product properties, bio-based materials can be classified into bio-based polymers, bio-based plastics, bio-based chemical fibers, bio-based rubber, bio-based coatings, bio-based material additives, bio-based composites and various products made from bio-based materials.
Among them, bio-based biodegradable materials have green, environment-friendly, renewable raw materials and biodegradable characteristics that traditional petroleum-based plastics and other polymer materials do not have; bio-based fibers have been widely used in fashion, household, outdoor and industrial fields, and are gradually moving towards industrial scale practical application and industrialization stage; bio-based plastic products are better applied in packaging materials, disposable tableware and shopping bags, baby diapers, agricultural films, textile materials and other fields, and are generally recognized and accepted by the market.
According to the common product forms, bio-based materials can be divided into five main categories: bio-based platform compounds, bio-based plastics, polysaccharide bio-based materials, amino acid bio-based materials, and wood-plastic composite materials. Among them, bio-based platform compounds, i.e., chemical monomers polymerized into raw material polymers, such as lactic acid, 1,3-propanediol, etc.; bio-based plastics are the most widely used and well-researched bio-based materials, with representative products such as polylactic acid and polyhydroxy fatty acid esters.
Bio-based Plastics and Polymers Industry
Bio-based plastics: Application areas are mainly packaging and consumer goods, textiles, etc. A polymer is a compound of very high molecular weight consisting of one or more structural units connected by covalent bonds, and plastic is a type of polymer. Depending on the source, polymers can be classified as bio-based polymers, fossil-based polymers, etc. There is a wide range of biobased polymers, and most fossil-based polymers have their counterparts or similar biobased products. The demand for biobased plastics is expanding due to the carbon reduction and renewable advantages of biomass-sourced biobased plastics over petroleum-based plastics. At present, bio-based polymer materials have been developed to a certain extent; however, compared with traditional polymer materials, the production of bio-based sources is still small, the variety is still relatively single, and in some of the use of performance can not completely replace petroleum-based products for the time being. Biobased plastics are used in all areas of industry and life, with packaging and consumer goods, and textiles being the most prominent applications. According to whether they are biodegradable or not, bio-based plastics can be classified into biodegradable and non-biodegradable bio-based plastics. According to European Bioplastics, global bio-based plastics account for about 1% of the plastics produced each year. 2.111 million tons of global bio-based plastics production capacity in 2020, with 1.227 million tons of biodegradable plastics and 884,000 tons of non-biodegradable capacity. By the end of 2021, Asia will have a total of 49.9% of the world's bio-based plastics production capacity.
Classification of bio-based polymers: Biodegradable and non-biodegradable bio-based materials
According to biodegradable or not, bio-based plastics can be divided into biodegradable and non-biodegradable bio-based plastics.
In 2020, the global bio-based plastics capacity will reach 2.111 million tons, of which 1.227 million tons will be biodegradable plastics, mainly PLA and starch-based plastics, each accounting for 32%; the non-biodegradable capacity will be 884,000 tons, of which PA (polyamide) and PE (polyethylene) will account for the largest proportion, 28% and 25%, respectively. With the tightening of environmental requirements and the development of environmental industries, the proportion of biodegradable plastics in bio-based plastics capacity will be further increased.
Bio-based material concepts: differentiate between biodegradable materials, biomaterial concepts
Bio-based Materials and Biodegradable Materials are completely different concepts. Generally speaking, biodegradable polymers are polymers that degrade under the action of microorganisms or under composting conditions. Biobased materials emphasize the renewable source nature of their biological origin, which can be either biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) or biodegradable polymers such as bio-based polyethylene, while biodegradable materials emphasize biodegradability, which can be either biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) or petroleum-based polymers (PBAT) PBS and PBAT. Biodegradable plastics can be integrated into the circular economy by closing the Biological Cycle concept if they use biological feedstocks and biodegrade under controlled composting conditions.
Bio-based Materials and Biomaterials are completely different concepts. Biomaterials are a class of materials used for diagnosis, repair or function enhancement of human or animal internal assemblies and organs, and can include organic materials, inorganic materials, metallic materials, etc.
Biodiesel Industry
Biodiesel is a low-carbon and environmentally friendly green energy.
Biofuel (Biofuel) mainly includes fuel ethanol, biodiesel, aviation biofuel, etc., with an average annual compound growth rate of 4.1%. Biodiesel is divided into fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), hydrogenated oil (HVO/HEFA) according to its structure, and biodiesel refers to fatty acid methyl ester/ethyl ester in a narrow sense, which is divided into soybean oil methyl ester (SME), palm oil methyl ester (PME), rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME), waste cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME), and microbial fatty acid methyl ester according to the source of raw materials.
The main production areas of biodiesel are USA, EU, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, etc.
Broadly speaking, biodiesel is divided into fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO)
According to the preparation process, it can be divided into the first generation biodiesel (FAME) with fatty acid methyl ester as the main component and the second generation biodiesel (HVO) obtained after hydrogenation and isomerization treatment.
The first generation of biodiesel technology is mature and low cost, currently accounting for more than 85% of the total, according to the reaction characteristics can be divided into acid or alkali catalytic method, bioenzyme method and supercritical method, among which acid or alkali catalytic method is more commonly used. Overseas biodiesel is prepared using vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil and soybean oil, which have low free fatty acid content and mainly use one-step alkali-catalyzed esterification reaction. The main components of domestic waste oils and fats are a mixture of fatty acids and glycerolipids, with fatty acid content between 5% and 80%.
The second generation biodiesel has the same structure of main components as common diesel, with similar viscosity and heating value as diesel, lower density, higher cetane number, lower sulfur content, good stability, and in line with the development direction of clean fuel. However, the cost and price are higher than the first generation biodiesel.
High growth in global biodiesel demand
Global biodiesel production will be 42.9 million tons in 2020, an increase of 2.8% year-on-year. In terms of origin, the EU is the world's largest biodiesel producing region, with a production share of about 30%, and Indonesia is the world's largest producer, with a production share of about 19%. From the viewpoint of raw material structure, palm oil is the largest source of biodiesel, accounting for about 39%, soybean oil and rapeseed oil account for 25% and 15% respectively, and waste oil biodiesel only accounts for 10%.
Bio-based chemical fiber industry
Bio-based chemical fibers are processed from agricultural, forest and marine wastes and by-products, and are a type of fiber derived from renewable biomass. Bio-based chemical fibers have excellent characteristics such as green, environment-friendly, renewable raw materials and biodegradable, which can help solve the current problems of resource and energy shortage and environmental pollution faced by global economic and social development.
The focus of the development of bio-based chemical fibers is to break through the manufacturing of key equipment for the industrialization of bio-based chemical fibers, to overcome the technical bottlenecks in the industrialization of bio-based chemical fibers and raw materials, to achieve large-scale production of bio-based chemical fibers, while further expanding the application in the field of clothing, home textiles and technical textiles.
Classification of bio-based chemical fibers
There are many varieties of bio-based chemical fibers: from the biological properties, they can be divided into animal matter fibers, plant matter fibers and microbial matter fibers; from the industrial classification, they can be divided into agricultural by-products fibers and marine by-products fibers.
According to the production process, bio-based fibers can be divided into three main categories.
1) Bio-based primary fibers, processed by physical methods into plant and animal fibers for direct use after processing.
2) Bio-based recycled fibers, i.e. fibers made from natural plants and animals, physically or chemically made into spinning solutions, and then prepared through an appropriate spinning process.
3) Biobased synthetic fibers, made from biomass, are chemically manufactured into high purity monomers, which are then polymerized to obtain high molecular weight polymers, and then processed into fibers by an appropriate spinning process.
Bio-based rubber industry
Bio-based rubber is a low-carbon and environmentally friendly green material. Bio-based rubber refers to rubber prepared synthetically using bio-based raw materials and rubber produced from latex produced by plants other than the triticale rubber tree.
Bio-rubber contains two categories of materials, one is bio-based traditional rubber, using biological materials to produce traditional monomers such as isobutanol, and then by chemical synthesis to obtain traditional rubber, according to the source of raw materials can be divided into bio-based isoamyl rubber, bio-based ethylene propylene rubber, bio-based cis-butyl rubber, etc.; the second category is the second natural rubber in addition to trilobal rubber, such as silver chrysanthemum rubber, dandelion rubber, juniperus rubber. Biobased EPDM (EPDM). EPDM (EPDM) is a terpolymer of ethylene, propylene and non-conjugated diolefins.
Ordinary EPDM comes from fossil raw materials, the polymerization of ethylene propylene diolefin produced by petroleum cracking. Alansinco's bio-based EPDM raw material comes from sugar cane, which is used to produce sugar, ethanol from sugar, and ethylene from ethanol, and then polymerized into EPDM.
The performance of bio-based EPDM is exactly the same as that of regular EPDM. Derived from sugar cane, it reduces the carbon footprint and dependence on oil, is recyclable and green.
EPDM main chain saturated, its macromolecules are very stable and soft, so it has excellent aging resistance, heat resistance, oxygen, ozone, ultraviolet, outdoor aging and other properties, and excellent elasticity. It can be used in various fields such as shoes, tires, auto parts, wires and cables, plastic runways, etc. The 2018 World Cup official match ball Adidas Telstar is the use of Arlon Xinko's bio-based EPDM material.
Bio-based Coating Industry
Compared with traditional petroleum-based materials, bio-based coatings are mainly derived from plants, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and dependence on petroleum, while its production process is greener, in line with people's pursuit of environmental protection and sustainable development. The market for biopolymer coatings will exceed $1.3 billion by 2024.
Research and development of vegetable oil coatings, etc. is the future trend
Scientists and scholars recognize that vegetable oils and fats are renewable resources, and the development of vegetable oil coatings is the way forward. There is great potential for expanding the sources of non-edible oils for paints in China, and with policy support, bio-based paints have great potential for development. In addition, according to the characteristics of the molecular structure of grease and alkyd resins, they can be modified with phenolic, amino, epoxy, acrylic, polyurethane, silicone, fluorine resin, hydrocarbon resin, natural resin and other ways to improve the physical and chemical properties of coatings, so that they can be widely used in different industries and different fields.
Bio-based heavy anti-corrosion coatings (cashew nutshell oil epoxy resin system) water-based biological nano-waterproof coatings, water-based biological with rust anti-rust coatings, bio-based antifouling coatings (with natural antifouling agents, that is, the use of a variety of marine and terrestrial plants and animals to extract substances to prevent fouling of sea life, to create antifouling coatings) and so on.
