The past few years have seen the rise of biomass materials and commercialized biopolymer materials. Rising oil prices, heightened consumer awareness, and falling production costs have all signaled that the commercialization of bioplastics is accelerating. Of course, the bioplastics industry is also constantly facing many challenges and will continue to be affected by many factors such as quality, economic viability and production scale. The following briefly introduces some of the more well-known bioplastic products to help us understand the current challenges facing the bioplastics industry. PET release film

green polyolefin

In the bio-based polymer portfolio, bio-based polyethylene (PE) is at the forefront of the commercialization process.

Brazilian producer Braskem is obtaining ethanol/ethylene from locally cultivated sugarcane as a raw material for the production of green PE, which has the same function as petroleum-based PE. As one of the largest bioplastic producers in the world, Braskem has an annual production capacity of 200,000t bio-based PE in its Triunfo plant. The plant was officially put into operation in September 2010, and the green PE produced by it can handle a premium fluctuation of about 15% to 20%, which is feasible for certain target markets that allow production costs to be higher than those of petrochemical plastics. PET release film

With the entry of more commercial bio-based PE producers and the further development of technology, the price of bio-based PE is expected to decline further. Dow Chemical Company and Japan's Mitsui Chemicals formed a joint venture company with 50% of the shares respectively to produce bio-based PE with sucrose as raw material in Brazil. After the production is put into operation, the annual output of DOWLEXPE will be 350,000t. As one of the largest biopolymer investment projects in the world, the project will be put into operation in 2015 and will meet the needs of flexible packaging, medical and healthcare markets. From the cultivation of sugarcane to the production of biopolymers, as the joint venture controls and operates the entire value chain, the DOWLEXPE resin produced by it will be more cost-competitive than petrochemical PE. PET release film

In addition, Braskem is building a bio-based polypropylene (PP) plant with an annual production capacity of 30,000 to 50,000t, which will be put into operation in 2013. Japan's Mazda Motor Corporation is using cellulose-based biomaterials to develop bio-based PP for use in 2013 cars.

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

PET faces some serious public pressure to use 100% renewable materials. That pressure has been intensified by the ambitious plans of beverage giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

PET, which is currently widely commercialized, is rich in 30% ethylene glycol (MEG), some of which is derived from ethylene obtained from sugar cane. Currently, two companies, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, are seeking a path to obtain the other 70% pure green terephthalic acid (PTA). In December 2011, The Coca-Cola Company signed two agreements. In the meantime, the agreement reached with the American technology company Avantium is to develop a commercialization path for the PEFYXY technology. As a different type of PET, PEF has higher heat resistance and barrier properties. The second agreement reached with Gevo and Virent is to obtain paraxylene (PX), the primary material of PTA, by using two different biological routes, and then complete the commercial production of 100% Plant Bottle technology. PET release film

The challenges faced by the current 100% green PET technology mainly focus on "how to make these technologies meet the needs of commercial production scale". Another US-based technology company, Anellotech, also offers a bio-based selection program for biomass-based PX. Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan is working on a research project to use PET with 30% green material in 80% of its car interior parts. However, unlike other bioplastics such as PE and PP, the commercialization of 100% bio-based PET is still a long way off, although research work has never stopped.

As a green alternative to polymers such as polystyrene (PS), PLA has been used to produce yogurt cups and other clear food containers. PLA is produced by the chemical polymerization of lactic acid, which is obtained by microorganisms in the catalytic fermentation of sugar or starch. Several companies claim to have developed the technology to produce PLA, including: NatureWorks (Ingeo), Thyssenkrup and Purac, as well as Japan's Teijin and Mazda Motors (Biofront technology). Although the commercialization is relatively strong and 100% green material, PLA does not have good heat resistance and impact resistance, which means that the material generally needs to be blended with petrochemical materials, or some additives may be required to obtain modified. In addition, PLA has poor barrier properties, which also restricts its application scale. PLA has a more competitive offer than many other bioplastics. Over the past 10 years, through continuous improvement in production technology, PLA's quotations have dropped significantly. With some large PLA production plants, such as NatureWorks' 140,000t/year Nebraska plant, and Purac's estimated 750,000t/year lactide capacity in Thailand's plant, its quotations will be closer to those of petroleum-based plastics.