California debates 15% goal for bioplastic beverage bottles

As President Joe Biden's administration floats its plan to speed up the development of bioplastics, lawmakers in California are jumping in, saying they want to create state incentives to use more plant-based plastics in beverage bottles, said Sustainableplastics.

The state Assembly is considering a bill that would provide modest incentives to companies using plant-based plastics, as well as set a non-binding goal that plastic beverage bottles need to be made with 15 percent bio-based materials by 2030.

It's that voluntary 15 percent goal that's drawing concerns from some lawmakers and beverage companies, who fear it could become a mandate, following a 2020 law that California passed requiring recycled plastic in bottles. "A lot of these things start out as goals but it does appear there is a desire to move that beyond just a goal in the future," said Assemblymember Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, in an April 10 committee hearing. "That is certainly a red flag for me."

However, supporters of the bioplastic bill, including sponsor Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, said the legislation only calls for the biomaterial content as a goal, not a requirement. Irwin was one of the lead authors of the 2020 recycled content mandate, known as Assembly Bill 793, and spent several years pushing it in the Assembly before it finally passed.

That law, which is among the strictest in the world, requires 50 percent recycled plastic use by 2030, ramping up from 15 percent now. She framed the bioplastic measure as the next step.

"While those changes secured by AB-793 are a momentous step in the right direction, we must continue to reduce the carbon emissions that fossil fuel-based plastics create," Irwin said. "As we move toward a fully circular economy, many manufacturing processes still need virgin materials. That is what the bill focuses on."

Besides the 15 percent goal, the legislation also would give bottle makers 10 percent discounts on processing fees they pay under the state's bottle bill program, if they use plastic made from agricultural waste. The incentives would not apply to bioplastics made from food crops.

Supporters of the bill, which passed out of its first committee on an 8-3 vote, said it would be an important step toward setting up standards for bioplastics.

They want the state to encourage materials like bio-based PET that can be a drop-in resin replacement and function seamlessly in the state's recycling programs, and say they want to discourage alternatives like polylactic acid plastic containers, which they see as problematic for recycling.

As per MRC, the Coca?Cola Company’s sustainable packaging journey crosses a major milestone this week with the unveiling of its first-ever beverage bottle made from 100% plant-based plastic, excluding the cap and label, that has been made using technologies that are ready for commercial scale. The prototype bottle comes more than a decade after the company’s PlantBottle™ debuted as the world’s first recyclable PET plastic bottle made with up to 30% plant-based material.

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Gevo, Inc. and chemical giant LG Chem, Ltd., have entered into a joint development agreement to develop bio-propylene, a building block for renewable chemicals, using Gevo’s Ethanol-to-Olefins (ETO) technology said Sustainableplastics.

The ETO process developed and patented by Gevo uses ethanol as a feedstock for the production of carbon neutral or carbon negative drop-in replacements for olefins such as propylene, isobutylene and hydrogen for use as standalone molecules or as feedstock to produce other biochemicals or biofuels, including sustainable aviation fuel. Gevo uses low-carbon renewable resource-based carbohydrates - varying from corn, sugar beets, rice straw, even wood - as raw materials. The technology also enables certain plastics, such as polyester, to be made with more sustainable ingredients.

Under the terms of the present agreement, Gevo will provide the core enabling technology and together the parties will collaborate to accelerate the pilot research, technical scale-up, and commercialisation of bio-propylene.

“We believe Gevo’s ethanol to olefin’s process can be more capital and energy efficient than existing technologies to make the renewable olefin intermediates used in the production of chemicals or fuels,” said Gevo’s Chief Carbon and Innovation Officer, Dr. Paul Bloom.

Bio-propylene is a drop-in replacement for its conventionally produced fossil-based counterpart. It is projected to become a major player in the rapid growth of the bioplastic market and circular economy. Once commercialisation is achieved, bio-propylene could be used as a drop-in replacement for use in automobile interiors and exteriors, flooring, and diapers to replace petroleum products with bio-based materials with a low or negative carbon footprint.

“Our joint development agreement with Gevo helps LG Chem expand sustainable and eco-friendly future businesses by reinforcing our business portfolio centered on bio-based raw materials,” said Noh Kug-lae, President of LG Chem’s Petrochemical Business.

LG Chem is committed to reaching carbon-neutral growth by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050 by managing the impacts of climate change and making positive contributions to society through renewable energy and responsible supply chains. Headquartered in Seoul, Korea, LG Chem has multiple operation sites worldwide and generated consolidated revenue of KRW 51.9 trillion (USD 42.1 billion) in 2022.

We remind, LG Chem will team up with Innerbottle and CJ Logistics to accelerate the construction of an eco-platform that will include plastic production, collection after use, and recycling. LG Chem announced on the 30th at the Yeouido LG Twin Towers that it signed the ‘2022 Resource Cycle Platform Construction MOU’ together with the innovative domestic startup Innerbottle and CJ Logistics. Department Leader of Sustainability1 Min-jong(Joseph) Lee from LG Chem, CEO Steve Seil Oh of Innerbottle, and Management Leader Heo Shin Yeol of CJ Logistics attended this event.

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Chevron U.S.A. Inc., a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, kicked off a road trip today across the U.S. Gulf Coast to showcase an innovative new gasoline blend with more than 50 percent renewable content, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

People from Chevron and Toyota will be driving Toyota’s Tundra, RAV4 and Camry on this road trip with the objective of demonstrating the fuel, which is more than 40 percent less carbon intensive than traditional gasoline on a lifecycle basis.

The road trip will run from Mississippi through Louisiana before concluding in Texas. During the tour, Chevron representatives will talk with members of the public about the benefits of lower carbon fuels like biofuels and renewable gasoline blend. Renewable gasoline blend can notably reduce lifecycle emissions and be used in the existing automotive fleet and with the existing fueling network. People can follow the tour on Twitter and LinkedIn using the hashtag #futurefuelsshowcase.

Chevron believes the future of transportation is lower carbon and is growing its offering of biofuels solutions for customers. The company produces and markets biodiesel, renewable diesel, and renewable natural gas, and is currently building hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California. To complement these efforts, Chevron has developed, produced, and tested blends of renewable gasoline with the goal of such blends being manufactured using today’s infrastructure and used in almost any gasoline-powered vehicle to deliver an immediate carbon intensity reduction over traditional gasoline.

Renewable gasoline blends use a variety of feedstocks and technologies to achieve carbon intensity reductions. Along with innovation from engine manufacturers and public policy supporting lower carbon fuels, renewable gasoline blends are intended to reduce the carbon intensity of light and medium duty vehicles already on the road.

Chevron and Toyota are exploring new technologies for fueling light- and heavy-duty vehicles and are pursuing a strategic alliance to explore new hydrogen-fuel solutions in the transportation sector.

We remind, Chevron Lummus Global LLC (CLG) announced a recent contract award from Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) for a new 12,580 BPD hydroisodewaxing (HIDW) unit at the GasLub Hub, a lubricant plant in Itaborai, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Chevron Lummus Global's scope includes the technology license, basic design engineering, and research unit testing services.

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Origin Materials and SCGP Packaging are considering building a plant in southeastern Asia that would use Origin's process technology to convert woody biomass into feedstock that can make polyester and carbon black, the companies said.

Origin and SCGP have a strategic partnership that includes a joint development agreement. Under it, the two will explore licensing Origin's technology for a plant that could be built in one of the 10 countries that belong to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

SCGP would supply eucalyptus feedstock. Origin has successfully processed and tested SCGP's eucalyptus feedstock at its pilot plant in West Sacramento, California. It produced yields of chemicals similar to other biomass feedstock that Origin has evaluated.

Origin's technology uses woody biomass as a chemical feedstock to produce 5-chloromethyl-furfural (CMF), an intermediate that can be used to make paraxylene (PX), furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and a host of other chemicals.

PX is used to make polyethylene terephthalate (PET). FDCA is used to make polyethylene furanoate (PEF), another polyester that has superior gas-barrier properties to PET.

In addition to CMF, Origin's process also makes hydrothermal carbon (HTC), which can be converted into carbon black.

Origin and SCGP Packaging are evaluating the production of PET, PEF and carbon black from the output of the possible plant.

Origin has recently mechanically completed its first commercial-scale plant in Sarnia, Ontario province in Canada.

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Eni SpA's chemical subsidiary Versalis is in exclusive negotiations to finalise the acquisition of Italian bioplastics manufacturer Novamont, said Sustainableplastics.

Versalis currently holds a 36% stake in the bioplastics manufacturer, and is now seeking to acquire the remaining 64% of the shares in the company from Mater-Bi. Mater-Bi is controlled by the private equity funds NB Renaissance, Investitori Associati and other private investors. Financial details have not been disclosed.

Founded in Novara in 1989, Novamont is a leading player in the bioplastics sector and in the development of biochemicals. Comprising four production sites, four research centres, sales offices in Germany, France, Spain and the United States, and a representative office in Brussels, Belgium, Novamont currently boasts a portfolio of around 1,800 patents and patent applications.

In 2021, the company acquired BioBag International, a leading global group in the development, production and marketing of certified biodegradable and compostable applications, headquartered in Askim (Norway), with a production plant in Dago (Estonia) and a presence in 9 other countries worldwide. Novamont is a certified B Corp.

We remind, in Italy, Versalis, Eni’s chemical company, has acquired the technology to produce enzymes for second-generation ethanol from DSM. The agreement has a strategic value for Versalis as it integrates with proprietary Proesa® technology, applied at the Crescentino plant for the production of sustainable bioethanol and chemical products from lignocellulosic biomass, improving the competitiveness of technology and production.

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