(Newswire.net — June 25, 2013) Anaheim, CA — Back in the 1960’s, most people were not yet familiar with plastic materials. In the 1967 movie, “The Graduate,” Mr. McGuire shares one word of advice for the future with star Benjamin Braddock (played by Dustin Hoffman), and that one word was ‘Plastic’.
Now, over 45 years later, plastics are utilized in almost every aspect of our life. Plastic is in products from packaging films to milk containers, car bumpers to medical devices, and almost every toy and electronic device manufactured throughout the world.
This growing trend to plastic materials has deepened our dependence on foreign oil. Two of the largest chemical companies in the world, DuPont and Bayer MaterialScience, have released plans to start production of plastic raw materials produced from renewable resources using plant based products like castor beans.
DuPont has said that nearly 50% of their plastic portfolio will be made from renewable resources within 15 years. “The company is exploring new technologies to make chemical monomers for basic plastics like nylon from carbon-based resources that can be rapidly regenerated,” said Lewis Manring, VP – Dupont Global. “Our first preference is to use non-food-crop resources.” While not disclosing specific sources of the renewable materials, DuPont did beef up its direction and capacity two years ago with the $6.3 billion acquisition of Daniscom, a company focused on industrial enzymes for bio-fuels.
Meanwhile, Bayer MaterialScience is also working on some unique sources for material production. The well known Aspirin manufacturer also produces polycarbonate sheet. Bayer has been working on several pilot plants to produce plastics from CO2. They have been successfully producing polyols (one of the building blocks in plastic production). Now, a full commercial scale plant is scheduled to be in operation by 2015 and the polyols they manufacture from the CO2 will be released the same year. The initial production will be for mattress production, and then may be used in the production of thermoplastic polyurethane, fibers and coatings.
A recent article in PlasticsToday, quotes Patrick Thomas, CEO of Bayer MaterialScience as saying, there are “a lot of sources of carbon out there, and it’s time to stop thinking about CO2 in terms of waste, but as a feedstock. Methane as well. Today, Bayer is using the greenhouse gas CO2 to support a safe supply of raw materials. But it’s also got to be a sustainable business model. We’ve got to deliver on result in a business sense. Of the three P’s: people, planet and profit – profit is just as important as the other two.”
Many other chemical manufacturers that are working towards renewable resources in their production. Among them are: Sabic Innovative Plastics, DSM, and Lanxess Specialty Chemical. A few maverick plastic sheet and rod suppliers are also working on bio-plastic materials. Gehr Plastics of Boothwyn, PA, have been producing a new line of PLA based plastics called EcoGehr PLA-L. This material is a blend of polylactic (polylactic acid), some lignine, fatty acid and wax. This biopolymer is new to industry, can be made into plastic sheet or plastic rod, and can be used for temperatures ranging from -22 °F to +140 °F.
While numerous companies are working on this ground breaking new technology to go green, the immediate materials will not be from food crops. In the future, the quantities of raw material needed and the growth of these industries may demand the need for additional crops to be grown by our local farmers. Perhaps this is one of many solutions to the dependence on foreign oil, and the diminishing American farm industry.
Someday, not so far off, the plastic bumper on your car may have a sticker stating,
“This Plastic Sheet Was Grown By American Farmers”.
Contact information:
Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc.
2240 S. Dupont Drive
Anaheim, CA 92806
Toll Free Phone: 866-832-9315
Author: Google+ –Hayden Hess G+