PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2021

OUTER PLANET 54 PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 05/21 www.petpla.net OUTER PLANET Bio2Bottle: Biodegradable bottles made from bioplastics The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology Umsicht is conducting research on bio-based and recyclable plastics together with four other partners. The aim of the joint project “Bio2Bottle” is to develop bio-based bottles that satisfy high standards and are biodegradable and recyclable at the same time. Target demonstrator products are bottles for the packaging of cleaning agents and agricultural soil additives. The permeability of plastics made from renewable raw materials available today is too high for this application and they do not meet all requirements. The environmental awareness that has arisen among both end consum- ers and industrial companies is lead- ing to an even greater demand for sustainable products in the future. In their sales strategy, companies are increasingly focusing on recyclabil- ity and even biodegradability. The “Bio2Bottle” project, which is coordi- nated by Fraunhofer Umsicht, starts precisely here and has set itself the goal of developing a bio-based and recyclable plastic for the production of bottles. Requirements for biodegradable bottles Some marketable products already use bottles made from bio-based plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA). PLA is a bio-based polyester based on lactic acid with a high mechanical resilience, similar to PET. However, the material is not suitable for the intended applications due to an insuf- ficient water vapour barrier. The focus of the “Bio2Bottle” pro- ject is the development of a bio-based plastic that is simultaneously suitable for the storage and transport of clean- ing agents and agricultural soil addi- tives, recyclable and biodegradable. Key requirements for these applica- tions are high water vapour barrier, sta- bility and melt viscosity of the material. Carbon dioxide and oxygen permeabil- ity, as well as gamma sterilisation, will also be considered in the development. In addition to these stringent require- ments, the materials must be recycla- ble and biodegradable - even outside industrial composting facilities. “In the joint project, bio-based polymers are selected and their properties are modi- fied by compounding with additional components in such a way that these high requirements are met,” explains Inna Bretz, head of the Department of circular and bio-based plastics at Fraunhofer Umsicht. “The goal of the project is to combine bio-based materi- als and recyclability,” she continues. Fraunhofer Umsicht already has many years of experience in the devel- opment of marketable plastic materials based on renewable resources. With the “Bio2Bottle” project, the institute ensures that the material develop- ment meets the special requirements of the customers for their application. Furthermore, the joint project aims to demonstrate that the bottle material can be reprocessed in a technically efficient recycling process, making it more competitive. The long-term use of the bottles as well as their reuse leads to less plastic waste and a reduced consumption of fossil raw materials for short-term products. In addition to this, the biodegradability of the bio-based bottles will be investigated and tuned under the coordination of Fraunhofer Umsicht. Project cooperation Four industrial companies and Fraunhofer Umsicht teamed up for the joint project “Bio2Bottle”. The coop- eration partners include:  Fraunhofer Institute for Environ- mental, Safety and Energy Tech- nology Umsicht, Oberhausen  Cleaneroo GmbH, Berlin  UnaveraChemLab GmbH (Unav- era), Mittenwald, Germany  FKuR Kunststoff GmbH (FKuR), Willich  Fritzmeier Umwelttechnik GmbH & Co. KG (FMU), Großhelfendorf, Germany - associated partner www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de In the twin screw extruder, compounds can be produced from biobased com- ponents, for example. This is what a durable biodegradable bottle could look like