Bioplastics continue their growth - opportunity for the future

Bioplastics have been around for a while now, but recently there has been significant developments and more small to medium sized enterprises moving into the market.  The opportunity is to use sustainable, biodegradable raw materials to make products which compete effectively with the hydrocarbon based synthetic plastics.  There have often been performance and cost issues but the volatility of the oil price, the 'green agenda' and the injection of money into biopolymer research, has driven the development of what can be described as 'eco-effective' alternatives to traditional plastics.

A recent study from Ceresana Research shows that bioplastics are flourishing.  During the last eight years, it is reported that consumption of biodegradable plastics based on starch, sugar and cellulose, has grown by 600%, albeit from a small base.  Starch-derived plastics dominate in Europe and polylactic acid is considered to offer significant promise.

This is an opportunity for companies back integrated into natural raw materials (eg suppliers of starch to the paper industry), but it is an opportunity for all synthetic chemical companies to look across their entire range and consider where natural raw materials could subsitute those derived from oil.

Cellulases in bio-refining

Doug Yoder of Buckman makes some comments on the commercial use cellulases in bio-refining, especially in mills which are 'refiner limited'.

Cargill and Novozymes join forces to generate acrylic acid from readily-available sugars

It was announced today that Cargill and Novozymes will jointly develop technology to produce acrylic acid using the fermentation of a renewable resource (glucose or other readily-available carbohydrate sources). The project is supported by $1.5 mio matching funds from the US Department of Energy.

The work involves the fermentation of sugar in the presence of a bio-engineered micro-organism to produce 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HPA). The 3-HPA can then be converted into a range of valuable chemicals including acrylic acid, which is a valuable, high volume chemical used in plastics, fiber, coatings, paints, inks and super-absorbent diapers (disposable nappies). In paper chemicals it finds use in water soluble polymers, flocculants, retention aids, coating binders etc

Currently, most acrylic acid is produced in the petrochemical industry by oxidation of propylene, a C-3 fraction from the refining of crude oil. More than half of the produced acrylic acid is used to make glacial acrylic acid for superabsorbents used in products such as diapers. This new approach from Cargill and Novozymes will not rely on crude oil but will move into the hotly debated area of using what is potentially a food source to generate chemicals (using food materials to generate bio-fuels is where most of the current debate exists as although it is an option to move away from the reliance on non-renewable crude oil, there has been an impact on world food prices).

Genencor launch commercial enzyme for cellulose ethanol

Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, today announced a new product, Accellerase™ 1000, which is claimed to be the first ever commercially available biomass enzyme developed specifically for second generation biorefineries.

The product contains complex of enzymes that reduces lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars -- a key step for the production of cellulosic ethanol.

Genencor state that, 'Commercial interest in second generation biorefineries, driven in part by government policies to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and increase energy independence, has accelerated over the past two years in the USA and around the world. Accellerase™ 1000 will fill a large unmet need for reliable biomass enzyme supply to pilot and demonstration plant developers who are actively working on process development, scale up and integration.'

It is worth reading the Big Biofuels blog of Simon Robinson (ICIS) for additional comments and perspectives on the announcement.

Using biotechnology to develop new uses for sugar-cane bagasse

Interested in biotechnology or the use of alternative fibres? An article published in TAPPSA reports on a non-polluting process, using a filamentous fungus, Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, which produces a delignifying enzyme, laccase, that effectively recycles the sugar-cane bagasse. The enzyme breaks down the lignin in the bagasse fibres and, after mechanical refining, into paper pulp, the lignin starts to disappear and the pulp becomes 'bleached'. This pulp can be used as it is to make cardboard, but it must undergo additional treatment using hydrogen peroxide in order to yield paper for printed and writing papers.

P. cinnabarinus naturally synthesizes only small amounts of laccase when it grows on bagasse and it is necessary to add a volatile agent such as ethanol, to increase production of the enzyme. Ethanol was chosen as a laccase-inducer because of its abundance, its low toxicity and low production cost.

Early days but another step on the road to using laccases. There may be fears of using volatile solvents in pulp mills because of some disastrous experiences in the past, but it should be possible to handle ethanol on an industrial scale.

The work was reported by Marie Guillaume-Signoret – Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement (IRD).

Novozymes buys Indian Biocon for USD 102 mio

The Danish enzymes maker Novozymes AS has agreed to buy the enzymes business of India’s Biocon Limited for the rupee equivalent of USD 102 million (DKK 551 million).

Biocon is one of India's leading biotechnology companies, specialising in biopharmaceuticals, contract research, clinical research and enzymes. The company also has interests in the application of enzymes in the pulp and paper industry, although this is not the prime business reason for Novozymes making the acquisition.

As stated in the Novozymes press release, "India is an attractive market for Novozymes. There has been strong growth in the Indian enzyme market in the past years driven by macro economic developments. Enzyme use is still in its infancy, but growing awareness of enzyme potential and benefits make for attractive growth perspectives. The expected growth in the Indian enzyme market is more than 15% p.a. over the next 10 years."

Biocon and Novozymes´ current Indian business units are based in Bangalore, India and it is expected that 150 employees are expected to join Novozymes from Biocon. The transaction is expected to be completed by October 2007.

Novozymes reach agreement with Kenya to exploit biodiversity

There is an ongoing search for novel biochemicals and a report by ABC Money indicates that Novozymes has reached agreement with the government of Kenya to exploit their microbial diversity in developing new enzymes for application in industries which include pulp and paper.

The agreement covers an R&D programme and the rights for Novozymes to exploit the microbial diversity in Kenya's protected areas. This has been a controvertial topic, as Kenya is currently seeking compensation from Danisco's Genencor for supposedly profiting from enzymes originating from two Rift Valley lakes without official permission.