Topchim introduces new biopolymer as a wax substitute for packaging

Topchim (Antwerp, Belgium) has announced the introduction of an environmental friendly, patented, nano-dispersed biopolymer as a substitute for wax emulsions in producing super hydrophobic paper and cardboard packaging.

As Topchim state, 'The packaging industry is seeking easy recyclable and environmental friendly packaging solutions made of renewable resources. TopChim ........ has developed an innovative biopolymer as a competitive, ecological substitute for wax emulsions used in the coating production of hydrophobic paper and board packaging. This 2-year research program has resulted in a new coating technology for paper and cardboard that counters the disadvantages of using wax emulsions while maintaining the excellent water barrier performances.'

What is it? The new biopolymer is of vegetable origin, while most used wax emulsions are produced from petrochemicals; it is biopolymer with a monodisperse size-distribution of nano-particles with a regular shape; and, it is reported to show other important advantages for the surface treatment of paper and cardboard compared to the use of wax emulsions:

• requires no stabilizers even with a high solid content
• viscosity remains low (65% solids at +/- 300 cps with Brookfield 23°C 100 rpm spindle 5)
  
• coating machines can simply be rinsed with water
  
• has a higher temperature resistance and is less sticky, which improves the handling of the treated paper and cardboard in production.

Marketed as TopScreen DS13, it is approved for a wide variety of paper and board coating applications, both in-line and off-machine.

TopScreen DS13 will be introduced during the second half of 2008 in Europe and South America. TopChim has a total production capacity of 10,000 tons at 2 plants in Europe with plans to invest in additional production capacity in South America.

The announcement highlights the opportunity to replace wax but does not mention opportunities to replace fluorochemicals where paper and packaging companies continue to look for fluorine-free alternatives. See one of the earlier blogs, or look at all our related blogs by clicking on the drop-down menu on the right hand side --> 'blog topics', 'p fluorochemicals'.

PFOS, PFOA, bioaccumulation, Canda International

Hercules increase paper chemicals prices in North America

Hercules Paper Technologies and Ventures announce they will initiate price increases in North America on all their paper chemicals by up to 30%, effective June 16, 2008. The focus will be on chemicals such as sizing, wet-strength and retention/drainage aids. The justification is linked to oil, natural gas and agricultural commodities which has seen many of their raw material prices increase by over 100% since last year. Hercules also point out some concerns about the availability of several key raw materials.

In addition to the price of barrel of crude oil, raw material availability is becoming a significant factor in determining raw material and final product cost and pricing. This is the case for products based on crude oil and those based on natural oils (eg palm).

Kick the Habit - UN World Environment Day is Today! 5th June, 2008.

One of the main ways the United Nations tries to stimulate awareness of the environment is through its World Environment Day, which is held on the 5th June every year.


Thinking back over the last year - what have you implemented to meet the demands of today's market?


Looking forward, what will you do in 2008/2009? There is some activity by paper chemicals companies, but from the research of Canda International there is much to be done by companies to take a lead in meeting modern market demands. From product development, through the entire supply chain to the disposal or recycling of materials.

Do you?

• Understand the carbon footprint of your operations and processes
• Know what you can do to reduce emissions across the entire enterprise
• Have an approach to meeting the needs of your market

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).

Finnish forestry companies developing Biofuel production

Just an update blog that is of interest. A summary is:

• Neste Oil and Stora Enso are planning to co-operate in the development of Biofuel.
• UPM Kymmene is to look for its own technical and business solutions and continuing its R&D activity (increased R&D spend from 50 to 80 million euro).

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.

The future for paper chemicals ..... some views from suppliers, users and a consultant

Some leading suppliers, users and a consultant were asked for their views on the future of paper chemicals and an interesting summary is given in the Tappi Paper 360 article by Glen Ostle. Topics include:

• Investment in R&D - various figures are given for the percentage an total amounts that companies spend but in my experience there is not a common definition of R&D and companies like to bolster the figures by including all technically-related activities as R&D. R&D spending of 2.5-3% of sales is mentioned, but inreality the figure is probably closer to 2%.
  
• Market drivers - cost is always high on the list and with escalating energy, raw material, transport and regulatory costs, this is not surprising. Other drivers include, environmental issues such as sustainability, use of renewable resources and compliance with changing regulation. The increasing need for strength is mentioned, driven by fibre shortage (use of alternative fibres), recycling and the need to use less fibre (cost). Increased demand for water-treatment chemicals, especially in India and China. De-inking will increase and demand for innovation in this area will continue.
  
• Future product demands - new coating binders based on natural products/renewable resources (eg biopolymer latexes). Recyclable barrier coatings. Biotechnology will play an increasingly important role as will the environmental agenda.
  
• Industry consolidation - the paper chemical supply industry remains very fragmented and future consolidation is inevitable. The emergence of a few global leaders plus specialists in certain stand-alone segments is expected. Surprisingly, no mention is made of the rapid growth of quality manufacturers and suppliers from India and China, perhaps because there were no contributors with strong experience of the supply industry in these emerging markets (or they preferred to live in denial of the impact that not-traditional suppliers are having in the market).
  

The article is interesting and more a confirmation of grass-root thinking rather than offering any new ideas.

The views of people from the following companies are given: Nalco, Hercules Paper Technologies & Ventures, Minerals Technologies, Klass Associates, Kemira Pulp & Paper, Buckman Laboratories, Dow Chemicals, Omya and Cargill.

Incinerate, recycle, or wash and re-use? What case could you make for paper products?

What is the best way to minimise the environmental impact of using a product such as paper? Read Martin Hubbe's editorial in Bioresources for an interesting, and thought-provoking comment on the debate of NC State pupils when asked to explore this topic.

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).

Hercules win award for green chemistry

Hercules receives Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.

In cooperation with Professor Kaichang Li of Oregon State University and Columbia Forest Products, Hercules received a 2007 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for the Greener Synthetic Pathways category. Specifically, for its part in the, “Development and Commercial Application of Environmentally Friendly Adhesives for Wood Composites.” A formaldehyde-free adhesive made from soy flour and Hercules’ unique polymer chemistries was developed and commercialised.

Established in 1995 and administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the awards recognise chemical technologies that use the principles of green chemistry in their design, manufacture, and use. The American Chemical Society convenes the independent panel of technical experts who judge the award applications.

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.

Paper chemicals from sugar instead of oil - biorefining is here?

Seen today Biopact .............. an approach for replacing crude oil with a renewable raw material from plants.

Scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) reported in Science this week that they have developed an approach for 'efficient biorefining' in directly convert sugars into a primary building block for fuel and polyesters. "Using a novel non-acidic catalytic system containing metal chloride catalysts in a solvent capable of dissolving cellulose, the scientists succeeded in extracting HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural), obtaining 70% yields of glucose and almost 90% for fructose."

Early days but certainly a way forward for reducing reliance on petrochemicals.

Bioploymers from renewable resources .......

Using renewable resources has hit the top of the science agenda and now is the time for all the old paper chemical products developed from renewable resources to be put back on the table. There have always been projects based on renewable resources but most were before their time and rejected in favour of traditional, lower cost materials based on petrochemicals. In the early days of Biopol, a biodegradable 'plastic', there were many efforts to develop applications in papermaking (eg biodegradable barrier coatings) but the projects struggled to be commercially viable.

Paper chemicals suppliers had started to replace mineral oils (eg emulsion retention aids, defoamers) with plant oils; there have always been surfactants based on plant or animal-derived fatty acids; steric acid has been widely used in de-inking; and there are many other examples of the use of renewable resourced-based paper chemicals. With the increased cost of oil and the 'climate change' drive to using bio-rawmaterials there has never been a better opportunity to engineer new bioproducts. There are exciting advancements in engineering new biopolymers (see the DuPont announcement), and an opportunity to commercialise many new pulp and paper biochemicals in the future.

Just a word of caution - there is no guarantee that raw materials from plant origin will provide a cost-effective and 'green' source of raw materials. The biofuel story remains controvertial and there are questions regarding the environmental impact and sustainability of making more land available for producing biofuel - prices of raw materials from bio-sources have increased so the price balance between petrochemicals and renewable sources will determine the future competitiveness and viability of the two sources.