NatureWorks

Poly(L-lactic acid) EcoPLA, NatureWorks Dow-Cargill Environmental, biomedical Lactic acid from corn starch fermentation... 

Carboxylic Acids Obtained by Fermentation of Carbohydrates Lactic (2-hydroxy-propionic) acid obtained by fermentation of glucose and polysaccharides is used by NatureWorks (Cargill/Dow LLC) to prepare polylactide (PLA), a biodegradable or recyclable polymer with a potential production of 140000 t a-1 (Scheme 3.4) [23], This and other potential useful reactions from lactic acid have been reviewed by Datta and Henry [24],... 

UK supermarket chains Co-op, Kwik Save and Somerfield use degradable carrier bags. In Italy, the large supermarket chain IPER is using Cargill Dow s NatureWorks-brand resin in film to wrap fresh food and pasta at its 21 locations. 

Since 1989, Cargill, has invested some 750 million to develop and commercialize polylactic acid (tradename NatureWorks). Its Nebraska plant, with an annual capacity of 140,000 metric tons, opened in 2002. Thus, polylactides, combining favorable economics with green sustainability, are poised to compete in large-volume markets that are now the domain of thermoplastic polymers derived from petrochemical sources. 

The shift from bio-based specialties to commodities is already visible in the marketplace with biopolymers made from corn. The first example is NatureWorks from Cargill, which is made from corn sugar-derived lactic acid. As in the biochemicals examples described above, the environmental benefits are eye-opening NatureWorks already requires 25 to 55 percent less fossil resources, and it is planned to replace fossil resources completely in the next four to six years (Euro-paBio and McKinsey Company, 2003). Other high-potential biomaterials are a polymer based on 1,3-propanediol from DuPont and Genencor (Sorona ) and... 

Much has been written about Cargill Dow LLC s polylactide (PLA) polymer, also known as NatureWorks PLA. PLA is a thermoplastic produced from biomass sugars by fermentation. The fermentation product, lactic acid, is converted into a lactide that is purified and polymerized using a special ring-opening process (18). 

In April 2002, Cargill Dow started up its first large-scale PLA plant in Blair, NE. The plant has a capacity of 140,000 metric t, and demand for NatureWorks PLA has been so strong that construction of a second plant is likely to begin within a few years (19). Cargill Dow projects a possible market of 3.6 million metric t by 2020 (20). 

Cargill Dow LLC (2003), "NatureWorks PLA Breaks Tradition in Packaging," press release, February 12, 2003, Website http //www.cargilldow.com. 

NatureWorks LLC has set up a 300 million plant at Blair, NE, which is capable of producing about 140,000-tons/year of poly-lactide polymers from com sugar. It employs a fermentation process to produce two chiral isomers of lactic acid from glucose, which are then cracked to form three lactide isomers. The isomers are subsequently polymerized to polylactide. 

M COMPANY St. Paul CARGILL INC Wayzata HAWKINS INC Minneapolis HB FULLER COMPANY St. Paul INTERPLASTIC CORPORATION St. Paul MOSAIC COMPANY (THE) Plymouth NATUREWORKS LLC Minnetonka VALSPAR CORPORATION (THE) Minneapolis... 

NANOPHASE TECHNOLOGIES CORP NATUREWORKS LLC NEWELL RUBBERMAID INC NEWMARKET CORPORATION NIPPON SODA CO LTD NITTO DENKO CORPORATION NL INDUSTRIES INC NORTH AMERICAN PIPE INC NOVA CHEMICALS CORPORATION NUFARM LIMITED NYPRO INC... 

Black River Asset Management LLC Cargill Trade and Structured Finance Natureworks LLC Cargill Sugar... 

There are around thirty suppliers actively involved in the world biodegradable polymers market in 2005. The synthetic biopolymers market is dominated by large, global and vertically integrated chemical companies such as BASF, DuPont, and Mitsubishi Gas Chemicals. The starch and PLA sectors contain mainly specialist biopolymer companies such as Novamont, NatureWorks LLC, Rodenburg Biopolymers and Biotec, which were specifically established purely to develop biodegradable polymers. 

The leading suppliers are Novamont, NatureWorks, BASF and Rodenburg Biopolymers, which together represent over 90% of the European market for biodegradable plastics. 

The main types of NatureWorks PLA that are available for packaging applications include general purpose film grades, extrusion coating, extrusion and thermoforming grades and injection stretch blow moulding. 

The general purpose film grade is biaxially oriented , a property that gives it stability at temperatures up to 130 °C. They also offer a biaxially oriented film for high temperature applications (150 °C). According to NatureWorks, these resins offer excellent optical properties, good machinability and excellent twist and dead fold characteristics. These polymers are offered in common pellet form, which should allow for rapid adoption with conventional extruders. 

Clear extrusion sheet grades are designed for extrusion and thermoforming applications, and like other NatureWorks PLA polymers, use conventional processing techniques and equipment. Potential uses include dairy containers, food service ware, transparent food containers, blister packs, and cold drink cups. 

NatureWorks LLC is also developing grades for microwavable packaging and bottles for packaging oxygen sensitive food and beverages using barrier-enhanced PLA. 

Nowadays, various aliphatic copolyesters based on succinate, adipate, ethylene glycol and 1,4-butanediol are being produced. Aliphatic polyesters based on natural feedstock such lactic acid are also being produced on a commercial scale by companies such as NatureWorks TLC. 

Crystallisation of a thermoplastic must occur within a few seconds for efficient film processing. NatureWorks has patented four methods to increase the rate of PLA crystallisation ... 

In 2005, there were very few biodegradable polymer production plants operating on a fully commercial scale. NatureWorks LLC, Novamont, Rodenburg Biopolymers and BASF are currently the only major operators with significant production capacity. Nevertheless, the world biopolymers market has shown significant growth during the last five years or so, albeit from a very small base. 

Similarly, PLA biodegradable polymer prices have fallen sharply over the last five years since the polymers were first commercialised. NatureWorks PLA is now available at prices between 1.37-2.75 per kg compared to a price range of 3.0-3.5 per kg three years ago. NatureWorks PLA has been price competitive with PET for example over the last twelve months as PLA manufacturing scale has increased and process improvements were made alongside the recent sustained higher levels of PET pricing. 

NatureWorks is developing a new generation of PLA that can be used for microwavable packaging. The company has also announced results of research that showed bottles could be used to package oxygen sensitive food and beverages using barrier-enhanced PLA in the future. 

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