Kazushi Ohshima/*Yasunori Kanai
Biodegradable Plastics Society
Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0032, JAPAN
+81 (3) 5541-2731
Abstract：The Biodegradable Plastics Society (BPS) was organized in October 1989. The purpose of the BPS is to establish technology of biodegradable plastics (BDP) and to lead extensive, commercial use of BDP. Since June 2000, the BPS has run the Certification System of BDP and has already certified about 640 BDP products that are allowed to carry the “GreenPla” logo and mark. Applications are classified into various sectors, and key products of each sector are reviewed and forecasted. The impacts on the BDP industry of two national strategies concerning biotechnology and biomass utilization in the end of 2002 are discussed.
Keywords: biodegradable, biopolymer, sustainable, compostable.
Introduction
The BPS consists of about 204 members of resin producers, converters, and users including foreign subsidiaries in Japan of BASF, Cargill, Dow Chemical, Du Pont, Eastman Chemical, Ire Chemical, and Novamont. Since its establishment in 1989, the BPS has performed various activities to establish the test methods of biodegradability, to demonstrate the garbage recycling system using biodegradable compost bags and to test the biodegradability of BDP products in many kinds of soils around Japan. As well, its member companies have been engaged to develop resin producing technology, the fabrication technology, and the market.
In June 2000, the BPS started to run the certification system of BDP products called “GreenPla*[1] Identification and Labeling System”. The BPS permits its members to carry “GreenPla” logo and mark on products that satisfy the criteria for biodegradability and safety under the certification system.
The BPS, DIN CERTCO in Germany and the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) in the United States concluded a memorandum to harmonize their certification systems in December 2001. The harmonized system is now becoming a global de facto standard, because ICS-UNIDO, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Taiwan, China and Korea are expected to join the group of harmonized certification system.
As of August 1, 2004, 56 brands of “GreenPla” polymers are listed on the Class A (Resins) Positive List. Polylactide (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS) and starch-based BDPs share equally by 30% each the “GreenPla” market in Japan. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a water-soluble polymer and its biodegradability depends on its degree of polymerization and degree of saponification. Cellulose acetate (CA) shows biodegradability depending on its degree of acetylation by hydrolysis of cellulose triacetate.
It is characteristic that new brands of modified PLA have recently been added to the Positive List. Kanebo Gohsen has developed expandable beads of PLA that are chemical modification of Cargill Dow’s PLA resins. Dainippon Inks & Chemicals has developed a block copolymer of PLA- co-PBS as impact strength modifier of PLA. Toyobo has developed an amorphous random copolymer of L-lactic acid and D-lactic acid that is soluble in organic solvents and used for biodegradable binders. Further, Toyota Motor has constructed a semi-commercial plant with an annual capacity of 1,000 metric tons.
PBS group of polymers (PBSs) such as PBS, poly-(ε-caprolactone-butylene- succinate), polybutylenesuccinate-adipate (PBSA), polybutylenesuccinate-adipate/ lactate (PBSAL) and polyethyleneterephthalate-co-succinate (PETS) are currently derived from fossil fuels but succinic acid, their common monomer, will be produced by fermentation of sugars in near future. Mitsubishi Chemical has developed biomass-derived succinic acid in collaboration with Ajinomoto and will commercialize biomass-derived PBSAL in 2006. Showa Highpolymer is developing succinic acid from used papers in cooperation with the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE).
As of August 1, 2004, about 640 BDP products are allowed to carry the “GreenPla” logo and mark. Large numbers of commercial “GreenPla” products are used for agricultural and horticultural applications that can be plowed into the soil at their end of life. This is a reflection of the lack of composting facilities in Japan. Taking into account these circumstances, the original “GreenPla” certification system was set up only based on the standards of biodegradability and environmental safety. The current “GreenPla” certification system has incorporated compostability into the standards since June 2002 as the DIN CERTCO’s and BPI’s systems had done. We expect the number of composting facilities will increase with rising volume for food containers and packaging application under the Food Recycle Law.
Agricultural & horticultural products lead the BDP market. Among them, “GreenPla” mulch films are the most popular. The “GreenPla” mulch films offer the same convenience for holding soil temperature and soil moisture, preventing growth of weeds, and saving fertilizers and agricultural chemicals as conventional mulch films do. However, the “GreenPla” mulch films have an advantage over the conventional mulch films in collection and recycling work at the end of its use. It is hard work for the aged and female farmers to treat conventional mulch film waste with a 50% increase in weight due to adherent soil attachment. The price of “GreenPla” mulch film is 3 to 4 times higher than that of conventional mulch films, but the total cost for the use of “GreenPla” mulch films including expenses for collecting and recycling is almost the same as that of use for conventional types.
The above mulch films are used in fields of sweet corn, lettuce and tobacco. Recently, biodegradable mulch paper has been developed for rice fields or paddy fields. The mulch paper is coated with biodegradable black gravure ink that is made from the binder of starch-based resin and activated carbon of palm hull. The mulch paper can sink to the bottom of a paddy field and have the same effect on the fields as the mulch films.
The other agricultural “GreenPla” products are for raising seedling pots, vegetation nets, plant-covering sheets, plant-guiding ropes and strings, knotting tapes and horticultural clips. These “GreenPla” products can be plowed into soils or thrown into composting facilities together with the agricultural wastes.
Compost bags & shopping bags are second in popularity next to the mulch films in the “GreenPla” certified products. The shopping bags can be reused as compost bags where composting facilities exist. They can be used for collection of garbage and yard wastes for composting. They are being introduced for use in communities where composting facilities are operated.
Civil engineering & construction products are sandbags, vegetation nets, and curing sheets. The sandbags and vegetation sheets with seeds are placed on the slopes of dry riverbeds, banks and roads, and can prevent the soil and seeds from erosion until plants cover the ground, and finally degrade into the soil without any trace of them.
Fiber & textile products are registered as multi-filament yarns, monofilament, staple fibers, flat yarns, spun-bonded fabrics, spun yarns, slit yarns, jumpers, shopping bags and packaging bags. Such textile products are sold in the market as polo shirts, T-shirts, uniforms, blouses, underwear, body towels, sutures, sanitary products, baby products and medical products. PLA fibers are used for apparels like underwear, T-shirts and baby goods to make use of features that are kind to the skin, lightly acidic, antibacterial and soft.
Food containers & packaging products are the most important but commercial sales remain low in the market place, because BDP products lack high heat resistance and high vapor barrier property, as well as being highly priced and lack of publicity in food use. Besides, they are asked to pass the JHOSPA’s voluntary hygienic standards for food contact applications.*[2] This June, PLA cleared the JHOSPA standards and is listed as 28th resin on the positive list. Further, there exist a lot of regulatory barriers for food contact applications and waste management.
Nevertheless, many food containers and packaging products are being developed as candy wrapping, trays, cups, lunch boxes, knives, spoons, folks and bags. Recently, nano-composite technology has enabled PLA trays and lunch boxes to stand high temperatures in the microwave oven.
General packaging materials use mainly soft films for bags and packaging, but hard films and sheets are used for such applications where transparency is requested as packaging for Sony’s mini discs and NTT’s window envelopes. Recently, BDPs are being used for blister packages of Sony’s IC radios and Panasonic’s dry cell batteries by improving their heat resistance and impact strength.
Durable bioplastics products are developed and commercialized. Sony adopted durable PLA for housing of their headphone stereo “Walkman FX202” and for a front panel of their DVD player. Fujitsu and Fujitsu Laboratories have succeeded in attaining the V-2 grade of flame retardancy in the UL standard as well as strength and heat resistance equivalent to those of ABS resin. This technology has enabled Fujitsu to produce a front cover for liquid crystal display on notebook computers. NEC has developed a PLA-based bioplastics with the V-5 grade of flame retardancy in the UL standard and this technology has enabled a PC housing and a liquid crystal projector to use the PLA-based bioplastics.
Starch-derived succinic acid has been developed by Mitsubishi Chemical and Ajinomoto. Mitsubishi Chemical has launched into the biodegradable PBS plastics business. Succinic acid, a raw material of the resin, is currently derived from fossil fuels but the company will change its resource from fossil fuels to starch.
The Japanese “GreenPla” market started its run up for taking off in fiscal 2000 when Cargill Dow announced their construction plans for a PLA plant with an annual capacity of 140,000 tons. Since then, customers have made serious efforts to develop “GreenPla” products, because their concerns about constant supply and high cost of “GreenPla” resins were swept away. Through the 1990s, demand and supply for “GreenPla” resins were at a low level of a few thousand tons, because they were mainly consumed for R&D activities and not for actual demands.
The BPS’ estimation for Japanese “GreenPla” market (including starch-based loose-fills) is as follows:
Fiscal 2000: 3,500-4,000tons
Fiscal 2001: 6,000tons (PLA: 30%, PBS: 30%, Starch-based: 30%, Misc.: 10%)
Fiscal 2002: 10,000tons (PLA: 30%, PBS: 30%, Starch-based: 30%, Misc.: 10%)
Fiscal 2003: 15,000tons (PLA: 50%, PBS: 20%, Starch-based: 20%, Misc.: 10%)
Fiscal 2005: 50,000tons
Fiscal 2010: 200,000tons
The Japanese Government in December 2002 developed two important national strategies, the “Strategy for Bio-Technology” and the “Strategy for Biomass Nippon”. Many action programs for the creation of a new market for new concept polymers are incorporated into both national strategies. Currently, many modeling projects have been launched or planned. High heat resistant PLA dishes are being tested at the cafeterias of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry (METI). Fish boxes made of PLA foam are demonstrated for the first time worldwide at the Kyoto wholesale fish market, and the used PLA fish boxes are anaerobically fermented together with garbage to produce biogases.
Further, the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan will use various “GreenPla” products such as flags, banners, uniforms and dishes. “GreenPla” dishes will be used as disposable ones at food courts at the EXPO. The used dishes will be collected and composted together with the remains of a meal. The composts will be returned to agricultural fields and used to grow vegetables and flowers. The flowers and vegetables will be given out to those who visit the EXPO grounds. The garbage from kitchens in the restaurants will be collected with “GreenPla” compost bags, and then anaerobically fermented to methane from which hydrogen is extracted. Hydrogen is fed to fuel cells to generate electric power. “GreenPla” bottles and cups will be also used within the EXPO site. It is estimated that fifteen million visitors, more than 10% of Japanese population, will learn about and know how to use “GreenPla” products during the EXPO period. We expect that the EXPO 2005 will become a trigger for popularization of “GreenPla” products.
日本生物降解塑料发展现状
摘要：日本可生物降解塑料协会（BPS）成立于1989年10月。BPS的目的在于建立起可生物降解塑料的工艺技术（BDP）以及扩大其在商业上的应用。从2000年6月份起，BPS开始实行BDP的认证标准, 目前已经认证了大约640件BDP产品, 并且允许这些产品使用“GreenPla”的标识和商标。申请划分到不同的部门，每一部门的主要产品都必须经过检查和评估。2002年底讨论了两项关于生物工艺学和生物利用量的国家政策对BDP工业造成的影响。
论文来源：1st International Conference on Technology and Application of Biodegradable Polymers and Plastics,October,2004
