NatureWorks launches platform technology for faster composting PLA grades

NatureWorks has expanded its Ingeo biopolymer product line with the launch of the Ingeo Extend platform, enhancing the material’s performance and application range.

According to the company, its Ingeo Extend platform is a new advancement in its biopolymer portfolio designed to accelerate biodegradation and disintegration while enhancing productivity for commercial-scale applications of biobased Ingeo PLA.

The new Ingeo Extend grades offer up to eight times faster compostability than existing PLA formulations and can be blended with other Ingeo PLA grades to improve biodegradation and disintegration rates.

PLA polymer

The first grade in the platform, Ingeo Extend 4950D, is a PLA polymer engineered to boost the production efficiency of biaxially oriented polylactic acid (BOPLA) films while lowering manufacturing costs. It enables a stretch ratio of up to seven times in the transverse direction and can be used with other Ingeo PLA grades to optimize film production on equipment typically designed for biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP).

Oriented film producers and brand owners can leverage Ingeo Extend 4950D to reduce BOPLA production costs. Additionally, biaxial films incorporating this material degrade more rapidly than unmodified Ingeo PLA, depending on the blend ratio. The polymer enhances sealing performance, particularly in coextruded film structures where it is used in sealing layers at up to 15%. Films made with Ingeo Extend 4950D offer high heat resistance (130–140°C), excellent clarity, and strong mechanical properties, including low shrinkage.

Roger Tambay, chief growth officer for NatureWorks, said brand owners and film producers often request lower cost biaxial films for compostable food packaging, and Ingeo Extend 4950D biaxial films are ideal to replace small-format food packaging made from polymers such as polypropylene.

“These packages are difficult to recycle due to challenges in sortation, or the inaccessibility of end-use markets for recyclates,” Tambay said. “Naturally, small-format packaging films are a better fit for composting, not recycling, and this new platform and the Ingeo Extend 4950D grade, we can meet this demand beyond niche applications or a single product line, achieving production at a scale that makes replacing fossil-based persistent plastics with compostable bio-based materials more feasible than ever.”

Extended producer responsibility legislation

According to the company, the rise of extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation in the US and the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has intensified demand for compostable flexible films and food packaging to meet diversion targets. The company noted its Ingeo Extend platform aims to expand the production of cost-effective, high-performance compostable packaging for hard-to-recycle items with food residue, such as condiment packets, snack and candy wrappers, salad bags, and lidding for creamer containers, coffee pods, and sauce cups.

Moreover, the company noted compostable packaging plays a role in diverting food waste from landfills, reducing environmental impact. By replacing fossil-based plastics, the company said its biopolymers lower the carbon footprint of packaging by an average of 73%. Additionally, food waste in landfills is the third-largest source of methane emissions globally. It also noted that diverting these scraps to composting facilities mitigates methane release while producing nutrient-rich soil amendments that improve soil structure and enable carbon sequestration.

Further supporting its environmental benefits, the company pointed to a study by Hydra Marine Sciences it said confirms that Ingeo PLA does not contribute to persistent microplastic pollution in the environment

source:plasticstoday.com

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : The Future of HEXCEL Carbon Fiber

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

The Future of Carbon Fiber:

Manufacturers including Hexcel continue to innovate and build product portfolios based on carbon fiber production. Carbon fibers are now available across the full range of performance from standard modulus fibers (33 Msi), intermediate modulus fibers (42 Msi) and high modulus fibers (>50 Msi), with a range of tensile strengths from 500 ksi to > 1000 ksi. Carbon fibers are also available in a range of tow sizes (the number of filaments in the yarn bundle), ranging from 1K filaments to 320K filaments.

Composite parts producers now have a wide range of carbon fiber performance and product forms from which to choose. Advanced composite part manufacturing has matured in recent years, moving from hand layup of carbon prepregs to a number of automated and rapid production processes. The cost of manufacturing carbon fibers has declined over the years as the development of cost-effective manufacturing techniques for carbon composites has increased, leading to the broad adoption of advanced composites.

As the use of carbon fiber composites grows, the industry must focus on end-of-life technologies for composites. Economic recycling, reclamation and reprocessing techniques are showing great promise for carbon fiber. Methods now exist to separate the carbon fiber from the matrix with little degradation and to repurpose them into a wide variety of applications. Continued advancement in composite recycling will be essential to ensure continued competitiveness with traditional metals and plastics going forward.

Hexcel is proud to have been an important part of the early development and commercialization of carbon fibers. We also have technologies, products and value-added processes for carbon fiber including weaving, non-crimp fabrics, prepregs, and additive manufacturing materials. We have manufacturing scale and installed capacity to meet the needs of the industry going forward. And we will continue to be an industry leader in carbon fibers with a broad product portfolio and an unrivaled range of product offerings that deliver excellent performance across many aerospace and industrial applications.

source:Hexcel

France hits hydrogen jackpot: World’s largest reserve valued $92 billion found

This discovery positions France to lead the charge in hydrogen production, boosting local economies

cientists in France have made a groundbreaking discovery that could transform clean energy production. Beneath the soil of Folschviller, in the Moselle region, researchers have uncovered an astonishing 46 million tons of natural hydrogen.

This unexpected find has the potential to reshape global energy strategies by providing a new source of carbon-free fuel.

The discovery was made by scientists from the GeoRessources laboratory and the CNRS while they were searching for methane. Instead, at a depth of 4,101 feet (1,250 meters), they found an enormous deposit of white hydrogen.

This form of hydrogen is naturally occurring and does not require industrial production, unlike green hydrogen, which is made using renewable energy, or gray hydrogen, which is derived from fossil fuels.

To put this discovery into perspective, the newly found deposit represents more than half of the world’s annual gray hydrogen production—but without the environmental costs. If extracted efficiently, this resource could provide a clean, low-cost energy solution that eliminates CO₂ emissions entirely. Media reports estimate the discovery’s value to be approximately $92 billion.

White hydrogen: A game-changer for clean energy:

For years, the hydrogen industry has faced two major challenges: the high cost of producing green hydrogen and the pollution caused by gray hydrogen. White hydrogen offers a solution to both problems. Since it already exists underground, it does not require energy-intensive processes like electrolysis, nor does it rely on fossil fuels.

If similar hydrogen deposits exist elsewhere, this could signal the beginning of a major shift in energy production worldwide. Countries that previously depended on expensive hydrogen production technologies may suddenly find themselves with a natural supply of this clean fuel.

source:Hydrogen Central

Machine learning enables customized plastics that could reduce environmental impact

About 100 million metric tons of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), one of the world’s most commonly used plastics, are produced annually, using more than 15 times the energy needed to power New York City for a year and adding enormous amounts of plastic waste to landfills and oceans.

Cornell chemistry researchers have found ways to reduce the environmental impact of this ubiquitous polymer found in milk jugs, shampoo bottles, playground equipment and many other things by developing a machine-learning model that enables manufacturers to customize and improve HDPE materials, decreasing the amount of material needed for various applications. It can also be used to boost the quality of recycled HDPE to rival new, making recycling a more practical process.

“Implementation of this approach will facilitate the design of next-generation commodity materials and enable more efficient polymer recycling, lowering the overall impact of HDPE on the environment,” said Robert DiStasio Jr., associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S).

source: Cornell University/ Lifeboat Foundation

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Mantis Shrimp Pack a Punch With the Force of a Bullet

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Mantis Shrimp Pack a Punch With the Force of a Bullet and They Don’t Get Hurt.

Mantis shrimp are powerful little crustaceans: With a single, strong punch, they can smash a shell with the force of a .22 caliber bullet, unleash a shockwave and even crack aquarium glass—all without hurting themselves.

Now, scientists have discovered how the colorful invertebrates use the power of physics as a shield. Their punching fist, called a dactyl club, has a protective structure with multiple layers that the team says might one day inspire impact-resistant gear for humans. Their findings were published in the journal Science last week.

“To repeatedly execute these high-impact strikes, the mantis shrimp’s dactyl club must have a robust protection mechanism to prevent self-damage,” explains Horacio Espinosa, an engineer at Northwestern University who co-led the study, in a statement. We found it uses phononic mechanisms structures that selectively filter stress waves.This enables the shrimp to preserve its striking ability over multiple impacts and prevent soft tissue damage.

The team of researchers tested a hypothesis that the peacock mantis shrimp’s resilience comes from the structure of its dactyl clubs. The outer part of the club is covered in layers of mineralized fibers that form a V-shaped herringbone pattern, giving it resistance. Underneath, corkscrew like bundles of fibers form what’s called a Bouligand structure, where the fibers fan out in different directions.

In 2015, researchers proposed that the Bouligand structure in the lower layer could filter out certain high-frequency shockwaves from the punch, preventing the damaging vibrations from traveling back into the mantis shrimp’s body. But scientists hadn’t proven it in the lab.It was mostly theoretical calculations.

So, the Northwestern researchers conducted various experiments to confirm the idea. They used lasers to analyze how stress waves travel through the mantis shrimp’s club and used high-frequency pulses to peer into the inner workings of the armor’s microstructure.

Their work revealed that the outer layer of herringbone fibers helps the club resist cracking from the strike, while the inner Bouligand structure can selectively absorb high-frequency stress waves that might otherwise harm the rest of the creature’s limb.

The findings highlight the potential of exploiting these natural designs for technological applications. The structure could inspire new designs for protective military and sports equipment, as well as impact-resistant coatings & improved materials for the aerospace industry.

While the study used 2D models of the shockwaves, more complex, 3D simulations are needed to fully capture how the club’s structure works. Designing aquatic experiments with state-of-the-art instrumentation would allow us to investigate how phononic properties function in submerged conditions.”

source:smithsonianmag.com

video source:You Tube

https://youtu.be/E0Li1k5hGBE

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Polyethylene Furanoate(PEF)

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Polyethylene Furanoate(PEF) : THE FUTURE OF BIOPLASTIC

In the diverse world of sustainable biopolymers, it's easy to get lost in the sea of options. We're not claiming to be the ultimate solution for every need, but we're proud of how releaf®'s PEF stacks up against other materials.

This chart compares PEF with rPET, PBS, PHA, and PLA across key performance indicators. While each material has its strengths, PEF shines in areas like barrier properties, mechanical strength, and recyclability.

We're newcomers built on decades of research, and we're excited to be part of the sustainability conversation.

Delivering high-performance, truly recyclable materials that meet the evolving needs of eco-conscious brands.

source:Avantium

#polymers #bioplastic #circulareconomy #avantium

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : New techniques clarify recycled plastic, increasing their value

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Mellow the yellow : New techniques clarify recycled plastic, increasing their value

A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers has developed a new solvent-based technique for removing stubborn pigments from recycled multilayer plastic packaging. The advance makes recycled plastic more commercially appealing—increasing its market value and moving the industry closer to “closing the loop” for recycled plastic.

The research, published in the March 14, 2025, issue of Science Advances, was led by postdoctoral fellow Tianwei Yan and PhD student Charles Granger, who work in the lab of George Huber, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at UW-Madison.

Plastic pollution is a major environmental and sustainability issue, with millions of tons of plastic produced from petroleum products entering landfills, waterways and oceans each year. Despite decades of research, plastic recycling is still very limited; only about 9% of plastic is recycled globally, with much of it downcycled into less valuable products.

New technologies, however, may help close the loop on recycling, producing high-quality recycled plastic just as good as fresh, “virgin” plastic. Since 2020, researchers at UW-Madison have made great strides in chemical recycling through a pioneering process called solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation (STRAPTM).

STRAP is particularly good at recycling colored multilayer, flexible plastics, which include food packaging like bags, pouches, wrappers and films. These types of plastic often incorporate multiple specialized layers that prevent moisture, seal out oxygen and improve strength. STRAP uses a series of solvent washes to dissolve each layer of plastic, which is then recovered and processed into near-virgin plastic. These films also contain a variety of color bodies that are put in by brand owners to market their products.

In recent years, Huber’s team has refined STRAP. However, the researchers found that the final plastic films they produced often had a yellowish hue to them. That tinge makes the recycled end product much less appealing to manufacturers, reducing the value of the plastic by more than half.

“To consumers, yellow might be a sign of age or degradation,” says Granger. “In these recycled plastics, that’s not the case. It’s just from pigments. But either way, it looks gross.”

That’s why Granger and Yan set out to discover why recycled plastic film produced via STRAP looked yellow, and what they could do about it. They first tested dozens of pigments, adding them individually to polyethylene, the plastic most used in flexible packaging, running them through the STRAP process to see if they caused the yellowing. Soon, they narrowed the culprit down to Yellow 12, a common organic pigment used to print packaging.

Most other pigments break down during STRAP processing and are removed by solvents or filtering. But elements of Yellow 12 survive the process, remaining in the solvents used to dissolve the plastic. In the final processing step, in which the recycled plastic is dried, the researchers found that evaporating solvents left behind the pigment in the plastic, causing a yellow sheen in the final product.

Armed with that knowledge, the team was able to come up with a method to get rid of the color. “The yellow pigment has a higher solubility in STRAP solvents than other types of plastic pigments due to its chemical structure,” says Huber. “So the first thing was to pick a solvent that has a lower solubility of that pigment. Then there are a couple of extra steps that really make that plastic come out crystal clear.”

Working with Chemical and Biological Engineering Associate Professor Reid van Lehn and his students, who have developed a sophisticated database of solvent-polymer solubility called SolventNet, the team found a solvent that minimized the solubility of the yellow pigment. Then, Yan and Granger added activated charcoal to the process to bind the color bodies and remove even more of the yellow before using a press to squeeze as much solvent as possible out of the recycled plastic. All of this resulted in clear plastic with no yellow detectable to the naked eye.

While making recycled plastic clearer might seem like it’s just fixing a cosmetic problem, Huber says it is a critical step in making plastics recycling economically feasible. “One of the biggest challenges with plastics recycling is contaminants, and one of the biggest issues is dealing with color,” he says. “Clear plastic is worth two to 10 times more than colored plastic. That’s because every company wants to have their special color or logo on their packaging. With clear plastic you can add that color. But color also makes it harder to recycle.”

Yan and Granger say they would like to use their methodology to remove other contaminants found in recycled plastics, including other problematic pigments, dirt and debris, and chemical contaminants like bromine and PFAS.

George Huber is the Richard L. Antoine Professor in chemical and biological engineering at UW-Madison. Reid Van Lehn is the Hunt-Hougen Associate Professor in chemical and biological engineering. This work was partially supported by a gift from Ross Annable.

Other UW-Madison authors include Kevin L. Sánchez-Rivera, Panzheng Zhou, and Styliani Avraamidou. Other authors include Steven Grey and Kevin Nelson of Amcor in Neenah, Wisconsin, and Fei Long and Ezra Bar-Ziv of Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan.

This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office under Award Number DE-EE0009285 to G.W.H and DE-EE0010294.

Top image caption: Tianwei Yan (left) and Charles Granger have developed a method for removing yellow pigments from recycled plastic film, like the one Yan holds, greatly increasing their marketability.

source:University of Wisconsin-Madison