The document discusses bioplastics and their advantages over traditional petroleum-based plastics. It defines bioplastics as plastics derived from plant products like soybean oil, corn, or potato starch, as opposed to conventional plastics which are derived from petroleum. It highlights polylactic acid (PLA), which is synthesized from corn, as the most developed bioplastic currently. The document also discusses polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) which are polymers produced by bacteria and have biodegradable properties. It states that research into bioplastics is focused on developing materials that can replace non-renewable resource-based polymers while providing benefits like biodegradability and renewable sourcing.

1. BioplásticosAlberto Rossa Sierra / Francisco J. González Madariaga

2. Definición
Se denomina bioplástico a un tipo de plásticos derivados de productos
vegetales, tales como el aceite de soya, el maíz o la fécula de papa, a
diferencia de los plásticos convencionales, que son derivados del petróleo.
Los plásticos tradicionales (PE, PP, ABS, PET, entre otros) están sintetizados
a partir del petróleo por la industria petroquímica. La carestía de este
combustible fósil, su carácter de resistencia a la degradación natural y el
hecho de que es una fuente que, tarde o temprano, acabará por agotarse,
ha llevado a algunas partes de la industria a buscar alternativas. El ácido
poliláctico, sintetizado a partir del maíz, es hasta ahora el mas desarrollado.

5. Mas o menos la cuenta sale así...

10. 65% Diseño para reciclaje o utilización del material reciclado
57% Reducción del peso del producto
41% Materiales renovables o bio-materiales
25% Materiales compostables
Hacia donde se dirige la investigación

11. El ácido poliláctico o PLA es un polímero del ácido láctico que puede
reemplazar a los polímeros basados en recursos no renovables. Las ventajas
son su biodegradabilidad y su posible procedencia a partir de materias primas
renovables. La principal ruta seguida actualmente para la producción comercial
de ácido láctico está basada en el uso de sustratos azucarados o amiláceos
(normalmente de origen vegetal) por parte de bacterias fermentativas.
Entre los diferentes materiales plásticos biodegradables, el ácido poliláctico
(PLA) es el que mayor potencial posee como sustituto del plástico convencional,
porque además de sus excelentes propiedades mecánicas y físicas, puede ser
procesado por la maquinaria ya existente. El PLA es también un material muy
versátil ya que puede ser elaborado con varias formulaciones para alcanzar la
mayoría de especificaciones de los diferentes productos.
Ácido poliláctico PLA

12. plants
100% annually renewable sources
science
plant sugars
transformed
into Ingeo™
biopolymer
recovery
offers the potential
of more disposal
options*
environment
less fossil fuel used
in production
production
Ingeo™ fibers
and natural plastics
are created
climate
less greenhouse gas emissions
How it’s made.
We use sugars taken from plants
grown every year and transform this
into Ingeo™ biopolymer,
an ingenious material that’s used to
design Ingeo™ innovations for clothing,
personal care, the home, garden,
electronics, appliances and new
fresh food bio-packaging.

13. Ingeo™
plastics and fibers are transforming the everyday products found on retail shelves
and in consumers’ homes around the world. Here is a look at how we turn simple plant
sugar into this ingenious material made from plants, not oil.
Dextrose (sugar) Turning Sugar
Once we’ve made our Ingeo biopolymer, our
partners transform it into innovative products
including food serviceware, fresh food
packaging, electronics, flexible films, cards,
nonwovens, apparel and home textiles.
Since the Ingeo carbon footprint for Ingeo
is 60%2
lower than traditional materials like
PS or PET, our partners are able to offer
consumers a more responsible choice in
buying everyday items.
4 Innovating
with Ingeo
Water
is taken in
from the soil
by the roots
Carbon dioxide
from the air is
absorbed by the
leaves of a plant
Sunlight
provides the energy
needed to transform
carbon dioxide and
water into glucose
and oxygen - a
process called
photosynthesis.
Glucose (sugar)
is made by the plant
and used as fuel.
Any unused sugar is
stored as starch and
can be harvested to
use for making Ingeo
biopolymer
Oxygen
is released
back into the
atmosphere
++ + =
2 Photosynthesis:
Nature’s Way of Making Sugar
Ingeo Biopolymer
Starts with Plants
This revolutionary bioplastic is made up of long
molecular chains of the polymer polylactide. It is
derived from naturally-occurring plant sugar.
1
Feedstock Options
Ingeo is made from dextrose (sugar) that is derived from
field corn already grown for many industrial & functional
end-uses. In North America, corn has been used first
because it is the most economically feasible source of
plant starches.
We use less than 1/25th of 1% (0.04%) of the annual
global corn crop today, so there’s little to no impact on
food prices or supply1
.
Our process does not require corn; we only need a
sugar source. In the future this will include cellulosic
raw materials, agricultural wastes and non-food plants.

14. A chain of
polymer can
consist of tens
of thousands
of units linked
together.
Ring
Dextrose (sugar)
is created from the
harvested plant
starch (made during
photosynthesis) through a
process called hydrolysis.
Lactide
Ingeo
polylactide
polymer
(PLA)
A 2-step process transforms
the lactic acid molecules into
rings of lactide.
The lactide ring opens and
links together to form a long
chain of polylactide polymer.
This is the process of
polymerization.
The plastic is then formed
into Ingeo pellets and is
used by our partners to
make a wide-range of
products including food
serviceware, fresh food
packaging, consumer
electronics, flexible
films, cards, nonwovens,
apparel and more.
For more information about
NatureWorks and Ingeo, please visit
www.natureworksllc.com.
3
Turning Sugar
into Polymer
Once we’ve made our Ingeo biopolymer, our
partners transform it into innovative products
including food serviceware, fresh food
packaging, electronics, flexible films, cards,
nonwovens, apparel and home textiles.
Since the Ingeo carbon footprint for Ingeo
is 60%2
lower than traditional materials like
PS or PET, our partners are able to offer
consumers a more responsible choice in
buying everyday items.
5
Ingeo has more end-of-life options than
any traditional plastic. Products made with
Ingeo are compatible with existing recycling
systems, can be cleanly incinerated, and
are completely stable in landfill – still the
unfortunate fate for most of today’s plastics.
When thinking about environmental impact,
it’s important to recognize that true eco-
advantage starts at the beginning. By design, using Ingeo results in 60% less greenhouse gases than the oil-based PET or PS plastic it replaces,
even if both end up in a landfill.
More End-of-Life Options
Feedstock RecoveryComposting Recycling LandfillIncineration
Lactic acid
molecules BottlesDurables
Apparel Films
HomewareNonwovens
Folded CartonsCards
Containers Serviceware
Microorganisms
convert the sugar into
lactic acid through
fermentation.

15. Comparativa de
emisiones de Gas
Comparativa de
uso de energía
no renovable

16. Composting

18. Los polihidroxialcanoatos (PHAs), son polímeros producidos como material de
reserva por diversos grupos bacterianos que resultan de gran aplicación en
biotecnología y en la industria farmacéutica. Son sintetizados cuando el medio
de cultivo posee una fuente de carbono en exceso y un defecto de otro tipo de
nutriente, normalmente nitrógeno o fósforo. Se depositan en las bacterias como
cuerpos de inclusión, ocupando incluso más del 90% del peso, que serán
utilizados como fuente de carbono y energía en condiciones de escasez
nutricional.
El polihidroxialcanato más conocido y usado es el ácido poli-3-hidroxibutírico
(PHB). Las propiedades del polímero que forma son similares a las del
propileno, por lo que se define como un termoplástico. La diferencia principal
que posee con los polímeros derivados del petróleo es su biodegradabilidad
por microorganismos (bacterias, hongos y algas) que transforman el PHA en
sustancias inocuas tales como CO2 y agua.
Polihidroxialcanoatos PHA

19. Using a new Ingeo blend formulation,
Polenghi LAS developed Europe’s first
extrusionblow-molded bio-based
bottle.
The material is made from renewable
plant material, not oil. By switching
from polyolefin resin to Ingeo
bio-plastic for packaging 10 million
bottles of its new Bio organic lemon
juice, Polenghi will conserve 1,000
barrels of oil and reduce CO2
emissions by 126 tons.

34. HDPE con azúcar,
para 2020 el 25% de todos
sus envases serán reciclables

39. PLA
ácido poliláctico