Renewable plastic

Nowadays large volumes of ethanol are made by the reverse reaction, namely acid catalysed hydration of ethylene. However, concern with carbon emissions from other processes and the fact that ethanol is made in very large volumes by fermentation processes, is leading to a new interest in the concept for the production of renewable ethylene and hence renewable plastic. The equilibrium of the reaction is shown in Figure 10.8. 

Barber, J. and O. Peoples, BP and Metabolix Agree to a Joint Development Program for Renewable Plastics, Metabolix press release, March 22, 2005. 

Maiti P, Batt CA, Giannelis EP (2003) Renewable plastics synthesis and properties of PHB nanocomposites. Polym Mater Sci Eng 88 58-59 Maiti P, Batt CA, Giannelis EP (2007) New biodegradable polyhydroxybutyrateAayered silicate nanocomposites. Biomacromolecules 8 3393-3400... 

In a subsequent study [61], castor oil was used in the synthesis of two monomers norbornenyl-functionalised castor oil (NCO), and norbornenyl-functionalised castor oil alcohol (NCA) (Scheme 5.16). These monomers were submitted to ROMP with 0.125 wt% of a second-generation Grubbs catalyst, and resulted in novel castor oil-based rubbery-to-rigid bio-renewable plastics with crosslink densities of 318-6,028 mol/m. ... 

Renewables plastics are key to solar and wind power generation. 

Chayot R. Direct fermentation for isobutene, butadiene and propylene production a highway to renewable plastics, synthetic rubber and fuels. In AIChE proceedings metabolic engineering X. 2014. http // www3.aiche.org/proceedings/Abstract.aspx PaperID=354187. 

Myriant. Succinate esters for renewable plasticizers, http //www.myriant.com/pdf/succinate-based-plasticizers.pdf... 

Polyesters are known to be produced by many bacteria as intracellular reserve materials for use as a food source during periods of environmental stress. They have received a great deal of attention since the 1970s because they are biodegradable, can be processed as plastic materials, are produced from renewable resources, and can be produced by many bacteria in a range of compositions. The thermoplastic polymers have properties that vary from soft elastomers to rigid brittie plastics in accordance with the stmcture of the pendent side-chain of the polyester. The general stmcture of this class of compounds is shown by (3), where R = CH3, n = >100, and m = 0-8. 

A rather impressive Hst of materials and products are made from renewable resources. For example, per capita consumption of wood is twice that of all metals combined. The ceUulosic fibers, rayon and cellulose acetate, are among the oldest and stiU relatively popular textile fibers and plastics. Soy and other oilseeds, including the cereals, are refined into important commodities such as starch, protein, oil, and their derivatives. The naval stores, turpentine, pine oil, and resin, are stiU important although their sources are changing from the traditional gum and pine stumps to tall oil recovered from pulping. 

In the late 1970s several developments occurred causing renewed interest in poly(ethylene terephthalate) as a plastics material. These included the development of a new mouldable grade by ICI (Melinar) and the development of a blow moulding technique to produce biaxially oriented PET bottles. In addition there appeared a glass-fibre filled, ionomer nucleated, dibenzoate plasticised material by Du Pont (Rynite) (see Chapter 26). 

Electret Another application for plastics which uses the intrinsic properties is in elec-trets (a dielectric body in which a permanent state of electric polarization has been set up). Some materials such as highly polar plastics can be cooled from the melt under an intense electrical field and develop a permanent electrical field that is constantly on or constantly renewable. 

Special mention must be made of poly(lactic acid), a biodegradable/bio-resorbable polyester, obtained from renewable resources through fermentation of com starch sugar. This polymer can compete with conventional thermoplastics such as PET for conventional textile fibers or engineering plastics applications. Hie first Dow-Cargill PLA manufacturing facility is scheduled to produce up to 140,000 tons of Nature Works PLA per year beginning in 200245 at an estimated price close to that of other thermoplastic resins U.S. l/kg.46 Other plants are planned to be built in the near future.45... 

Biodegradable films made from edible biopolymers from renewable sources could become an important factor in reducing the environmental impact of plastic waste. Proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides are the main biopolymers employed to make edible films and coatings. Which of these components are present in different proportions and determine the properties of the material, as a barrier to water vapor, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and lipid transfer in food systems (Gomez-Guillen et al. 2002 and 2009). 

Evans R Tatsumoto K Czemik S Chum H L US,National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Plastics Institute of America)... 

Hydroformylation is an important industrial process carried out using rhodium phosphine or cobalt carbonyl catalysts. The major industrial process using the rhodium catalyst is hydroformylation of propene with synthesis gas (potentially obtainable from a renewable resource, see Chapter 6). The product, butyraldehyde, is formed as a mixture of n- and iso- isomers the n-isomer is the most desired product, being used for conversion to butanol via hydrogenation) and 2-ethylhexanol via aldol condensation and hydrogenation). Butanol is a valuable solvent in many surface coating formulations whilst 2-ethylhexanol is widely used in the production of phthalate plasticizers. 

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