Research Development Roadmap BioBased Polymers Jochen Michels DECHEMA
Research & Development Roadmap Bio-Based Polymers Jochen Michels DECHEMA e. V. 17 March, 2015
Research & Development Roadmap Bio-based plastics are a heterogeneous group: § Biodegradable and/or compostable bio-based polymers (e. g. PLA and PHAs) Roadmap focus § Non-biodegradable bio-based polymers (e. g. bio-based PE, partially bio-based PET and PTT) § Non-biodegradable thermosets (e. g. partially bio-based polyurethanes and epoxies) 2
Research & Development Roadmap Bio-based plastics are a heterogeneous group: § Biodegradable and/or compostable bio-based polymers (e. g. PLA and PHAs) Roadmap focus § Non-biodegradable bio-based polymers (e. g. bio-based PE, partially bio-based PET and PTT) § Non-biodegradable thermosets (e. g. partially bio-based polyurethanes and epoxies) 3
Research & Development Roadmap Polylactic acid (PLA) § PLA is produced by chemical polymerisation of lactic acid, which is a anaerobic fermentation product § Fermentation leads to either optically pure L-(+)- or D-(-)-lactic acid, which are the desired sources for the polymerisation § Impurities by its counterpart enantiomer lead to more amorphic polymers with different properties, which are relevant for processing and use 4
Research & Development Roadmap Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) § PHAs are a group of biodegradable biobased linear polyesters which are produced directly by microbes in an aerobic fermentation process § PHA are intracellular storage substances (as granules) § The most common type of PHA is the homopolymer of 3 -hydroxybutyrate (PHB), which became available in the 1980 s 5
Research & Development Roadmap Systematic of Hurdles & Solutions General (horizontal) Specific for PLA Specific for PHA Feedstock supply Bioconversion Downstream processing 6
Research & Development Roadmap Systematic of Hurdles & Solutions General (horizontal) Specific for PLA Specific for PHA Feedstock supply Bioconversion Downstream processing 7
Research & Development Roadmap Main Hurdles and Solutions (general) Supply of sufficient amounts of feedstock* 1. Integrate feedstock production and bioconversion to minimize transportation costs and post-harvest losses 2. Certification of feedstock production against fluctuating feedstock quality (incl. waste) 3. New (non-food) feedstocks 4. Develop Biorefinery concepts to valorize the biomass as much as possible *that compete on price with fossil derived feedstocks 8
Research & Development Roadmap Main Hurdles and Solutions (specific for PLA & PAH) Supply of sufficient amounts of feedstock* 1. Waste streams & by-products like residues from agricultural materials or glycerol from biodiesel production 2. 2 nd generation lignocellulosic feedstocks like wood or straw (C 6 & C 5 conversion) 3. C 1 -compounds Syngas-fermentation (CO, CO 2, H 2) 4. Complex nitrogen sources like grass press juice *that compete on price with fossil derived feedstocks 9
Research & Development Roadmap Main Hurdles and Solutions (general) Poor performance and efficiency of bioconversion 1. Novel microbial production routes for • tolerance to cheap feedstocks and • resistance to by-products and target products • anaerobic fermentation 2. New enzymes for improved biocatalysis • more active and robust enzymes • engineered bioproduction systems for enzymes 3. New water management systems 10
Research & Development Roadmap Main Hurdles and Solutions (specific for PLA) Poor performance and efficiency of bioconversion 1. New production strains • higher yield • tolerance against by-products of hydrolysis of 2 nd generation feedstocks 2. Lactate solely fermentation from alt. C-sources without by-products (like acetate) 3. Optical pure L(+)- or D(-)-lactate fermentation by genetic engineering 4. Lower p. H-Optimum of fermentation minimizes salt and gypsum production 11
Research & Development Roadmap Main Hurdles and Solutions (specific for PAH) Poor performance and efficiency of bioconversion 1. Anaerobic fermentation process E. coli for anaerobic fermentation 2. Unsterile, anaerobic fermentation process S. cerevisiae for anaerobic fermentation 3. Mixed culture fermentation Multi phase biological synthesis of PHA 4. Transgenic plant cells 12
Research & Development Roadmap Main Hurdles and Solutions (general) 1. Modeling of the entire process for maximum product (and space-time) yield High level of impurities and low product conc. hampers downstream processing 2. New more efficient bio-catalytic systems (see: bioconversion) 3. Integrating Bioconversion with DSP also includes chemical conversion 4. New water management systems • Improved product recovery from water • Minimising water usage 5. Separation technologies to improve product recovery, contaminant removal and water re-use 13
Research & Development Roadmap Main Hurdles and Solutions (specific for PLA) High level of impurities and low product conc. hampers downstream processing (Reference to the presentation of Dr. Schulze, TKIS) 14
Research & Development Roadmap Main Hurdles and Solutions (specific for PAH) Expensive PHA extraction step* Environmentally friendly & cost-effective PHA granule recovery steps are needed e. g. sodium hypochlorite extraction * Not applicable are: • solvent based extraction (chloroform) • enzyme based biomass digestion • mechanical disruption 15
Non-technological Roadmap Bio-Based Polymers Dirk Carrez Clever Consult bvba 17 March, 2015
Non-technological Roadmap Main hurdles and bottlenecks (as identified by the stakeholders) Logistics: securing large quantities of biomass all year round Feedstock related barriers Feedstock at affordable prices Investment barriers and financial hurdles Capital requirements IB perceived as sector with high investment risk Public perception and communication Demand side policy barriers Poor public perception and awareness of IB and Biobased products Absence of incentives or efficient policies Seasonability of biomass cropping versus need of continuous feedstock supply Inefficient transport and distribution of biomass Inefficient recovery systems for (bio)waste Costs of feedstock produced in Europe are too high compared to other regions Varying feedstock prices (High) import costs for certain types of feedstock No commonly accepted “sustainability” certification system Limited availability of public R&D funding Limited public support for scale-up activities Limited access to finance for spin-offs and start-ups Limited access to finance for SMEs Limited financial support for new production facilities Too long “return of investment” time Lack of visible tangible products and blockbusters Lack of investors’ confidence Advantages of biobased products are not visible enough Negative messages in the media on GMO and biofuels influence perception of IB No framework to promote biobased products Lack of a “green public procurement” policy promoting biobased products Wide variety of ecolabels and no uniform standard present for sustainable and Biobased products 17
Non-technological Roadmap Main hurdles and solutions Biobased plastics (e. g. PLA, PHA) HURDLE SOLUTIONS Funding for innovations in order to reduce production costs (e. g. conversion technologies and down-stream processing) Explain better the benefits of bioplastics, so consumers accept to pay a (bio-)premium New biobased plastics are often more expensive than the conventional ones New value chains still have to be developed to obtain critical mass Develop infrastructure for effective composting or recycling Development of policy tools to stimulate demand Defining in a transparent way the characteristics: ‘green’, “bio-degradable”, “biobased”, “bioplastics”, etc Develop clear standards Improve communication and education Developing a good programme to stimulate market uptake in Europe (e. g. public procurement) Need for clear standards and a regulatory framework promoting market uptake Lack of financial incentives Implementing a tax and/or subsidies for certain applications to close the price gap between biobased and fossil based plastics 18
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