Technology development for the production of biobased products from biorefinery carbohydrates—the US Department of Energy’s “Top 10” revisited

23 Stereocontrol of Lactide ROP 6164 231 Isotactic Polylactides 6164 232 Syndiotactic Polylactides 6166 233 Heterotactic Polylactides 6166 3 Anionic Polymerization 6166 4 Nucleophilic Polymerization 6168 41 Mechanistic Considerations 6168 42 Catalysts 6169 421 Enzymes 6169 422 Organocatalysts 6169 43 Stereocontrol of Lactide ROP 6170 44 Depolymerization 6170 5 Cationic Polymerization 6170 6 Conclusion and Perspectives 6171 7 Acknowledgments 6173 8 References and Notes 6173

Controlled ring-opening polymerization of lactide and glycolide.

An overview of the recent developments in polylactide (PLA) research.

Poly(lactic acid) modifications

Most of the carbon-based compounds currently manufactured by the chemical industry are derived from petroleum. The rising cost and dwindling supply of oil have been focusing attention on possible routes to making chemicals, fuels, and solvents from biomass instead. In this context, many recent studies have assessed the relative merits of applying different dedicated crops to chemical production. Here, we highlight the opportunities for diverting existing residual biomass--the by-products of present agricultural and food-processing streams--to this end.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/337/6095/695.full.pdf

Valorization of Biomass: Deriving More Value from Waste

https://www.natureworksllc.com/the-ingeo-journey/eco-profile-and-lca/~/media/the_ingeo_journey/ecoprofile_lca/ecoprofile/ntr_completelca_ecoprofile_1102_pdf

Applications of life cycle assessment to NatureWorks polylactide (PLA) production

Cargill Dow LLC produces a new packaging and fiber material – polylactide (PLA) – from annually renewable resources. The presence of the company and the PLA polymer on the industrial scene signals the emergence of a new model for industrial development in the twenty-first century. During the nineteenth century people relied predominantly on a wide range of natural materials, such as wood, hides, wool and starch, to provide the essentials of then-modern life. This picture changed significantly during the twentieth century, when people in developed countries experiencing the industrial revolution became almost totally dependent on fossil materials to produce the fuels, polymers and chemicals required for modern life. With exponential growth in the demand for fossil raw materials in both developing and developed countries today, the question increasingly posed is how we will derive the materials we will need in the twenty-first century. An increasingly broad range of experts and analysts have concluded that new – or in some very important ways, ‘‘old’’ – raw materials will become the foundation of packaging materials and fibers in a world challenged by the interrelated problems of depletion of fossil resources and of proliferation of global climate changing emissions, pollutants and solid wastes. A consensus remains that fossil resources will be required and used for quite some time, but it is also hardly doubted that maintaining and enhancing quality of life for a growing populationaround theglobe compels the developmentofnew technologies to produce packaging materials and fibers from new ‘‘old’’ resources like traditional agricultural crops (e.g., corn, wheat, sugar beets) and other grown biomass materials. It is in this new and renewed reality of renewable rawmaterials reliance that Cargill Dow LLC emerges. The objective of this paper is to answer the question: ‘‘What makes NatureWorks PLA a more sustainable polymer?’’ To answer this question the article addresses applications and marketing of PLA, costs, today’s and future renewable raw material resources, reduction of fossil fuels and the associated emissions of green house gases, waste management options, and manufacturing processes.

The sustainability of NatureWorks polylactide polymers and Ingeo polylactide fibers: an update of the future.

NatureWorks® polylactide (PLA) is a versatile polymer made entirely from annually renewable resources. Within the framework of sustainability, NatureWorks LLC is working to continuously improve the environmental performance of its product portfolio and is using life cycle assessment as a tool to identify and measure environmental performance-improvement objectives and to benchmark PLA against the petroleum-based polymers with which it competes in the marketplace. NatureWorks’ objectives include eliminating non-renewable energy use and the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), as well as minimizing non-valuable co-products and reducing water use. These objectives are accomplished through continual improvement of the PLA production technology and utilization of renewable energy for process energy as much as possible. NatureWorks is purchasing wind power-derived renewable energy certificates (RECs) in an amount equal to the electricity used in the PLA production system in a commitment to utilize renewable en...

ORIGINAL RESEARCH: The eco-profiles for current and near-future NatureWorks® polylactide (PLA) production

Ingeo® polylactides are biopolymers with varied applications made entirely from annually renewable resources and produced since 2001 by NatureWorks LLC at a 140 000 tonne/yr facility in Blair, Nebraska, USA. NatureWorks’ objectives include eliminating nonrenewable energy use and the emissions of greenhouse gases, as well as minimizing nonvaluable co-products and reducing water use. These objectives are being accomplished through continual improvement of the Ingeo production technology.

The eco-profile for current Ingeo ® polylactide production

http://www.natureworksllc.com/~/media/The_Ingeo_Journey/EndofLife_Options/landfill/Assessment-of-anaerobic-degradation-of-Ingeo-polylactides-under-accelerated-landfill-conditions_pdf.pdf?la=en

Erwin T.H. Vink

Papers

Applications of life cycle assessment to NatureWorks polylactide (PLA) production

The sustainability of NatureWorks polylactide polymers and Ingeo polylactide fibers: an update of the future.

ORIGINAL RESEARCH: The eco-profiles for current and near-future NatureWorks® polylactide (PLA) production

The eco-profile for current Ingeo ® polylactide production

Assessment of anaerobic degradation of Ingeo™ polylactides under accelerated landfill conditions