Already the first to develop bio-sourced LLDPE and HDPE, Brazil’s Braskem (U.S. office in Wilmington, Del.), has produced the first samples of polypropylene from 100% renewable raw material.
Already the first to develop bio-sourced LLDPE and HDPE, Brazil’s Braskem (U.S. office in Wilmington, Del.), has produced the first samples of polypropylene from 100% renewable raw material. Braskem makes bio-PE from sugarcane fermented to ethanol. Although the company has not revealed the renewable source of its bio-PP, Braskem has been working on making PP from biomass, such as the leftover sugarcane stalks and leaves.
Braskem has made bio-PP homopolymers and copolymers in a pilot plant. This “green” resin is said to have the same properties and characteristics as standard PP. While there is yet no date for commercializing bio-PP, Braskem has formed development partnerships with companies in food packaging, personal care, and automotive. Brakem’s bio-sourced LLDPE and HDPE are scheduled for commercial production (400 million lb/yr) in 2011.
(302) 633-6337 • www.braskem.com
Injection molders of small fuel tanks learned the hard way that a very small difference in density — 0.6% — could make a large difference in PE stress-crack resistance.
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