Everything flows, but only the macromolecules are worth the time.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Natureworks
Plastics Today has a quick article based on an interview with Natureworks VP Marc Verbruggen. It's worth the read. Any large scale polymer that is growing at 30%/year commands attention.
Thanks for the point-out to the PLA article. Quite interesting - especially Mr. Verbruggen's vision that sees biopolymers as a sidestream of a larger biorefining system. He could be right, but I'd hope that progress in biopolymers isn't tied irrevocably to biofuels.
Biofuels are also in a boutique, pre-scale-up stage. (You might find THIS interesting.) The next decade should be fun to watch.
Regards,
Frank
PS: Thanks for your comment of yesterday - agree with all.
Energy production is an 800 lb gorilla when it comes to tech development. If biofuel plants spit out a byproduct that can be used as a biopolymer, the scale and cost advantages are enormous. I'm also not a fan of corn as the feedstock though... while it is technically renewable, I think the fertilizer, pesticide, fuel, and water use, along with farmland degradation and food price instability are all not so good.
3 comments:
John,
Thanks for the point-out to the PLA article. Quite interesting - especially Mr. Verbruggen's vision that sees biopolymers as a sidestream of a larger biorefining system. He could be right, but I'd hope that progress in biopolymers isn't tied irrevocably to biofuels.
Biofuels are also in a boutique, pre-scale-up stage. (You might find THIS interesting.) The next decade should be fun to watch.
Regards,
Frank
PS: Thanks for your comment of yesterday - agree with all.
"...I'd hope that progress in biopolymers isn't tied irrevocably to biofuels."
Especially since it's already that case with existing polymers being tied to petroleum fuels.
What most concerns me is that the feedstock is corn. Do we really have so much food that we can afford to run chemical plants off it?
Energy production is an 800 lb gorilla when it comes to tech development. If biofuel plants spit out a byproduct that can be used as a biopolymer, the scale and cost advantages are enormous.
I'm also not a fan of corn as the feedstock though... while it is technically renewable, I think the fertilizer, pesticide, fuel, and water use, along with farmland degradation and food price instability are all not so good.
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