20 innovative biobased products you should know about

Consumers are increasingly informed and concerned about the impact products have on the environment. Brands are recognising this en masse and are pivoting their value chain toward a more sustainable biobased approach. The resulting demand for biobased products has brought forth a slew of new and innovative biobased products, some direct replacements for their petrochemical equivalents, and some considerably stranger. To highlight some of these products a 2019 report was funded by the European Commission and written by the University of Bologna and Fraunhofer ISI. It covers 20 innovative biobased products that hold great promise for commercial deployment within 10 years. Here, we’re exploring three brilliant new biobased products from this report, namely guayule rubber, nanocellulose, and thermoplastic biopolymers reinforced with plant fibre.

Guayule rubber

Natural rubber is a high-performing polymer that is used in over 40,000 consumer products as well as more than 400 medical devices. Guayule rubber refers to natural rubber sourced from the guayule plant (Parthenium argentatum), setting it apart from classic natural rubber sourced from the Amazonian rubber tree (Hevea brasilensis). The guayule plant is indigenous to northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S., thriving in hot, dry climates rather than rainforests.

Rubber made from guayule can be used for all the same applications as natural rubber, but it’s hypoallergenic. The latex it produces doesn’t contain the allergy-causing proteins found in Hevea brasiliensis, making it especially attractive for medical usage. Currently, the production of guayule doesn’t yield enough rubber to compete with Hevea so its success depends on whether the yield can be improved. It also struggles to tolerate the low temperatures found in parts of Europe and the US so cultivation in the right location is paramount.

Biomass platform

Rubber can be sourced from multiple plant species, but commercial production is almost entirely from Hevea brasiliensis. There’s no cost-efficient synthetic alternative, and Europe is 100% dependent on imports for its supply of this vital material. Most of the world’s supply of rubber (almost 75%) comes from East and Southeast Asia, giving rise to concerns about supply risks, especially as climate change accelerates.

Production process

Liquid latex is extracted from the Parthenium argentatum shrub and processed to produce the final rubber product. Hard rubber for tyres is produced using a solvent-based process, while soft, stretch rubber is produced using a water-based process that separates and emulsifies the latex.

After the rubber polymer has been extracted, the residual plant material can be transformed into valuable products. This includes products in the flavour, fragrance, and cosmetics industries. Furthermore, the bagasse (dry pulpy fibrous remains) is high-energy and can be used to produce fuels such as jet fuel.

Market info

The price of guayule rubber is not available publicly, but it is estimated to be priced higher than Hevea ($1.92- $5 per kg). The consumption of natural rubber is expected to reach 17 million tonnes by 2025 (https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/tools-databases/eip-raw-materials/en/commitment-detail/361), with Europe currently importing 1 million tonnes. Demand for natural rubber is growing in applications like baby bath toys, where soft plastics filled with phthalates are increasingly viewed as unsafe. The commercialization of guayule is largely a response to the 100% dependency on the importation of rubber, but the aim is to complement the supply of Hevea rather than replace it.

Sustainability/ Environmental impact

Guayule produces its own natural pesticides in the form of terpene resins, so no pesticides are required. Little nitrogen is needed for fertilization, and it doesn’t contribute to air and water pollution as Hevea does. According to Business Wire (2017), compared to a conventional tyre, manufacturing a tyre based entirely on guayule rubber generated 6-30% lower emissions.

Outlook

The demand for automobiles is rising in China and India, which means an increased demand for rubber. The synthetic rubber market is growing rapidly and is estimated to be 37.82 billion USD by 2022 whilst the natural rubber market was valued at 24.87 billion USD in 2020. With demand for all sorts of rubber increasing, and supply shortages looming, the potential for guayule rubber is obvious. Cultivating guayule rubber in southern Europe and the Mediterranean could create a domestic source of natural rubber to meet European needs amid rising prices. If barriers in yield and crop location can be overcome, the market for guayule rubber could explode quickly.

Nanocellulose

Nanocellulose (NC) is a material made of microfibrils which are 1-2 micrometers long and 5-20 nanometers in diameter. At rest, it’s a transparent, viscous gel, but when put under stress it becomes less viscous (meaning it has thixotropic properties). The fibrils used to produce nanocellulose are isolated from sources that contain cellulose, which covers a wide range of renewable feedstocks, from wood to waste textiles.

Biomass platform

Nanocellulose is generally prepared from wood pulp, but any cellulosic source material can be used. When dried, about 40% of a land plant’s weight is made up of cellulose so it’s naturally abundant.

Production process

There are three main methods of preparation: mechanical treatment, chemical treatment, and combinations of the two. The essence of mechanical treatment is applying force (such as homogenisation and grinding) to cellulose fibres to reduce their size. In chemical treatment, a reactive agent interacts with hydroxyl groups on the surface of cellulose, forming a stable gel. Sulfuric acid is the most common choice, but recently, a more expensive oxidising agent called TEMPO is gaining popularity as it shortens the production process. Chemical and mechanical treatments can be used in combination to get different effects.

Preparing nanocellulose using different feedstocks gives different properties. Lignocellulose feedstocks give higher strength, more flexibility, and a higher surface area/ volume ratio. Agro-industrial soy waste feedstocks lead to higher surface area, optical transparency, and low chemical reactivity.

Market info

NC currently accounts for over 50% of the global cellulose additives market. From 2011 to 2017 the application areas increased in the electronics, medicine, and filtration sectors. The prices vary quite a lot. For example, a company called CelluloseLab is selling cellulose nanofibrils for around $2-6 per gram depending on whether it’s freeze-dried or spray-dried. Specialised varieties such as cationic and anionic NC cost between $20-25 per gram. Depending on the feedstock, the cost of manufacturing can be very low; for example, NC can be extracted from waste washed away in paper manufacturing.

Sustainability/ Environmental impact

The biomass source for NC is cellulose, which is the most abundant renewable organic compound on earth. Plants contain on average 33% cellulose, and cotton is 90% cellulose. The production process for NC is fairly benign, though strong oxidisers like sulfuric acid can be hard to handle safely, particularly when used at a large scale.  Underused waste materials could be used as a potential feedstock for nanocellulose and NC fibres dissolve quickly and completely, even in salt water, giving them excellent biodegradability.

Outlook

Nanocellulose has such a wide variety of applications, its market share is bound to rise. Market research suggests a compound annual growth rate of 10% and a market size of 333 USD million in 2030. Demand in the U.S, Canadian, and European markets is predicted to increase significantly, due to higher disposable incomes. Because of this forecast, companies are heavily invested in R&D for biobased NC products, meaning we can expect a burst of innovative technologies and applications for NC within the next few years.

Thermoplastic biopolymers reinforced with plant fibers

Biopolymers, or plastics made from renewable biomass, are seeing a surge of consumer interest as we move towards a bioeconomy. However, plastics made from plants can be dramatically different to those made from traditional petroleum feedstocks, making it challenging to find one that fits technical requirements for high-performance applications. Reinforcing biopolymers with plant fibres can improve the physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the plastic, opening up new applications, while keeping the 100% biobased label that makes them a greener choice.

Biomass platform

Plant fibres are renewable substitutes for artificial fibres, such as carbon fibre or Kevlar. They are used to reinforce plastic-based composites for packaging and automotive applications as well as for the sustainable fabric industry. There are three major advantages of plant fibres:

• They are biobased and renewable
• They are available in a variety of forms
• They are low cost

Production process

Standard plastic manufacturing techniques of compression molding, extrusion, thermoforming, pultrusion and resin transfer molding are used. This makes it easier to use these biopolymers as drop-in replacements in a conventional manufacturing process.

Market info

Plant fibres are generally cheaper than the synthetic alternatives, for example, they are priced at less than one-third the cost of glass fibres. However, bioplastics are quite expensive compared to fossil-based plastics, and they make up the bulk of the final product. The market is currently being driven by the increased use of plant fiber composites in the automotive industry.

Sustainability/ Environmental impact

Plant fibres are renewable and abundant in nature. The environmental impact of manufacture is lower when compared to conventional glass fibres. However, when looking at the whole picture, the use of fertilizers and the resources required to grow the feedstock crops for the fibres partially counterbalance the environmental advantages.

Outlook

Corporate interest in bioplastics is increasing, and plant fibre composites have already started to replace their synthetic competitors. Brands such as IKEA, Coca-Cola, and Samsung have introduced products into the market made of bioplastics. The bioplastics market achieved a value of 17.5 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach 35.5 billion in 2022, but low oil prices are making it hard for bioplastics to stay competitive.

The full report

This article only skims the surface of the information in the full EC report, which is available for free here. It includes the full breakdown of 20 innovative biobased products, technology readiness levels, details of the companies working on each product, and the specifics of their methodology.

At Green Rose Chemistry, our goal is to help innovative companies join the bioeconomy boom. We can help develop your product, green your manufacturing, and find new customers. We’d love to solve your sustainable chemistry problem, so please reach out for a free 30-minute consultation today.