Bio-on S.p.A., the leader in eco-sustainable chemical technologies, and Pizzoli S.p.A., Italy's largest operator in the potato sector, have entered into a collaboration to build Italy's first bioplastic production plant for PHAs using waste product from the potato agro-industrial process.

The collaboration, signed by the two companies, arises from Bio-on's laboratory research and Pizzoli's experience in potato transformation. The aim is to build a plant with an initial capacity of 2,000 ton/year of PHAs, expanding up to 4,000 ton/year in the future. PHAs, or polyhydroxyalkanoates, are bioplastics that can replace a number of traditional plastics currently made with petrochemical processes using hydrocarbons. PHAs guarantee the same thermo-mechanical properties with the advantage of being completely naturally biodegradable.

"It's a big step forward in the world of bioplastics," explains Marco Astorri, Chairman of Bio-on S.p.A., "because it demonstrates how waste can be converted into raw material, teaming concepts such as biodegradability and eco-sustainability with technically advanced plastics. This collaboration represents an important factor in the affirmation of PHA in the latest-generation plastics market."

The project is part of an innovative industrial project aiming to improve and optimize potato processing technology, by transforming the by-products and waste into innovative products that will become new-generation plastics.

Following an initial study phase to optimize the integration with existing structures and check economic compatibility, the project is set to be completed within approximately two years. The new plants will start production in 2017.

"We will begin with a €220 thousand investment for the feasibility study," explains, Nicola Pizzoli, Chairman of Pizzoli S.p.A.,, "but the real challenge will lie with future investments in an integrated industrial facility, serving the food sector and with zero environmental impact."

"The collaboration between Bio-on and Pizzoli adds a new "ingredient" to the construction of the Italian green chemical industry," says Astorri, "and it also enables us to broaden the number of raw materials from which PHAs can be made using Bio-on technology. Our bioplastic can already be produced from sugar beet and sugar cane production waste." (KL)

http://www.bio-on.it

zie ook
http://foodnewsinternational.com/2015/03/18/europe-tetra-pak-charts-milestones-on-environmental-goals/