In China, starch
sugar is the main and almost the only raw material for the production of
bio-based materials. When the price of starch sugar maintains a high level for
a long time, producing bio-based materials with cheap and abundant straw
becomes a potential choice. In terms of the purchasing and storage of straw,
its economic benefits are not optimistic. Therefore, using straw instead of
starch sugar as raw material would still restrict the scale economic benefits
generated from the industrialization of bio-based materials, according to Bio-based
Materials China News 1410 on
October by CCM.
Raw material is a significant
part of production. Starch sugar is the raw material for many bio-based
materials, such as PHA, PBS and PLA. The high price of starch sugar is one of
the main reasons for the constant high cost of industrialization of producing
bio-based materials through fermentation. As the production capacity of some
bio-based materials expands and the release of production capacity maintains in
China, the problem of high cost would become severer and severer. Specifically,
Zhejiang Hisun Group Co., Ltd. launched a project in Oct. 2014 to expand the
production capacity by 10,000 t/a; Guangzhou Kingfa Sci & Tech Co., Ltd.
gradually increased its PBS production capacity from 120,000 t/a which was
established in 2011 and 2012 (progressively to 200,000 t/a in 2015 as planned);
Nanyang Zhongju Tianguan Low Carbon Technology Co., Ltd. expanded its
production capacity of polypropylene carbonate (PPC) to 100,000 t/a in June
2014.
Using high-priced
starch sugar as raw material in the large-scale production of bio-based materials
can not effectively reduce the cost of bio-based materials. Therefore,
substituting the high-priced starch sugar with low-priced straw is a new choice
for bio-based material manufacturers. As the technology of producing bio-based
monomer or bio-based materials with biomass like straw improves (for example,
producing bio-based ethyl alcohol and lactic acid through the fermentation of
straw), bio-based material manufacturers are competing to exploit straw.
Besides, severe weather like haze happens frequently. So the government
strictly forbids burning straw. In this way, using straw as the raw material
for bio-based materials may usher into an unprecedented development.
In fact, using
straw as raw material for bio-based materials may restrict the scale economic
benefits generated from the industrialization of bio-based materials. The
lightweight straw occupies a large area and costs a lot for transportation.
These features hinder the recycling, purchasing and storage of straw.
Statistics has it that the annual output of straw in China exceeds 600 million
tonnes, but the straw is distributed in dispersed areas, covering eight areas
such as Northeast China and the middle and low reaches of Yangtze River. What's
more, in recent years, it was more difficult to recycle straw due to the
insufficient labor force in rural areas (a lot of farmers take jobs in the
cities), which brought about high recycling costs to enterprises. Hence, low
economic benefits can be gained from using straw as raw material for bio-based
materials. Besides, domestic enterprises can hardly make technological
breakthroughs in the production of bio-based monomer and bio-based materials
with the fermentation of straw. It seems that it is not the right time for
straw to develop as raw material for bio-based materials.
With the high price
of starch sugar, low economic benefits of straw and stagnant technology of raw
material transformation, at present, the scale economic benefits generated from
the industrialization of bio-based materials in China is still restricted by
the raw materials
Table
of Content: Bio-based Materials China News 1410
Biodegradable
packaging plastics to continue to lead development of bio-based materials
Investment in
bio-based PE worth attention
Bio-based PU has
great application potential in automobile field
RMB appreciation
may speed up development of bio-based resin
Perspective on
development of bio-based materials based on launched corn starch futures
Raw material
restricting scale economic benefits from industrialization of bio-based
materials
3D printing
advances application of bio-based materials in medical field
Market promotion of
bioplastics gradually becomes effective
Chinese rubber
enterprises pay attention to bio-based materials
Large bio-based
monomer project to be built in Anhui's Fuyang City
China Textile
Academic Conference closely follows bio-based fibers
COFCO to launch
mass production of cellulose ethanol
Taiwan-based Green
Miracle proactively building PLA plant
Yun You Into to
apply PLA in high-end electronic field
Musashino Chemical
establishes company in Jiangxi Province for production of lactic acid and its
derivatives.
International
Conference of Young Researchers on Advanced Materials held in Hainan Province's
Haikou.
Fraunhofer UMSICHT
produces 100% degradable water-filter with PLA
China's cassava
starch market to stay depressed despite temporary price rises in Q3 2014
Declining imports
and increasing exports of PLA to continue in China in Q4 2014
Biomaterials,
referring to products using renewable raw materials, have developed rapidly in
China in recent years and are expected to have a promising market in the
future, though this industry is emerging. Biomaterials are mainly divided into
four types in the news: natural bio-based materials, microbial synthetic
materials, chemical synthesis of bio-based materials and bio-nylon.
Undoubtedly, the application of biomaterials is the trend in the future, thanks
to environmental protection, excellent properties, etc. Biomaterials China News
includes12 to 14 topics per monthly issue andwill bring you the latest
information on the market and company dynamics, new biomaterials products, new
biomaterials technology development, new legislations and policies and raw
material supply dynamics that are shaping the market.
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