The Status of the Biodegradable Plastics Industry ... - ACS Publications

Chapter 22

The Status of the Biodegradable Plastics Industry in Japan Downloaded by UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO on February 2, 2016 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: February 15, 2001 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2001-0786.ch022

Hideo Sawada Biodegradable Plastics Society, 3-2534 Sayama, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-0005, Japan

Several dozens of companies in Japan seem to be either developing or selling biodegradable plastics. Although biodegradable plastics are rather expensive compared to commodity plastics, it is expected to be one of the fastest growing niches in the plastics industry in situation where recycling is difficult or expensive. Biodegradable plastics are new and still developing. If a cost reduction to 200-300 ¥/kg is realized with favorable market conditions, biodegradable plastics could replace commodity plastics in some applications.

Introduction Japan is the world's second largest plastics producer and produced more than 15 million tons of plastics in 1997 (Figure 1) (1). The disposal of 9 million tons of plastics per year in Japan has raised the question of biodegradable plastics as a means of reducing the environmental impact related to the waste management of plastics. Biodegradable plastics are considered one possible option to solve the plastics industry's solid waste problem. In 1995, Green-Pla, which refers to environmentally friendly plastics, was selected as a generic name for the biodegradable plastics in Japan after a public survey. Throughout this paper, biodegradable plastics are referred to as "Green-Pla". 376

© 2001 American Chemical Society

In Biopolymers from Polysaccharides and Agroproteins; Gross, Richard A, et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2001.


Figure 1.

Production of Plastics by Main Countries. (1997)

Downloaded by UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO on February 2, 2016 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: February 15, 2001 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2001-0786.ch022

378


Current Status of Green-PIa Currently, plastic waste is considered one of the most serious environmental problems. Plastic waste accounts for approximately 30-40 % of the total waste volume. At present, Japan is trying to reduce its amount of plastic waste, mainly by promoting recycling and providing as many disposal facilities as necessary. As far as solid waste is concerned, a combination of recycling, source reduction, landfill and waste-to-energy incineration is the reasonable route to take. Generally, plastics will tend to leak from a closed infrastructure into the natural environment. Examples of these cases can be found in the disposal of fishing tackle, such as fishing rods, lines, hooks or agricultural mulch films. These plastic wastes are difficult to recycle due to high cost and the difficulty of collecting and sorting them. Green-PIa are especially useful as a solution to such plastic waste, as well as post-consumer waste which is difficult or too expensive to recycle. Green-PIa are still rather expensive compared with commodity plastics and are not widely mass-produced at present. However, Green-PIa are expected to be one of the fastest growing niches of the plastics industry for applications where recycling is difficult or too expensive.

Japanese Plastics Industry and Plastic Waste Disposal The production of plastic products in 1997 was estimated to be 6,463,781 tons, a 4 % increase over the previous year. Containers and packaging materials such as films, sheets and containers accounted for 40 % of the entire plastics market as shown in Figure 2 (2). The amount of plastic waste in 1996 was estimated to be 9,088,000 tons: 4,553,000 tons (50%) of which was municipal solid waste and 4,535,000 tons (50%) of industrial waste (Figure 3). The percent of plastic waste accounted for by application in 1996 is shown in Figure 4 (3). As far as waste plastics are concerned, a combination of reuse, landfill and incineration is currently the reasonable route to take in Japan. Among the 9,088,000 tons of total plastic waste, nearly 1,030,000 tons (11%) was estimated to be reused, 2,500,000 tons (27%) was burned to produce combustion energy, and 2,140,000 tons (24%) was burned without energy recovery. The other 3,370,000 tons (37%) was disposed of in landfills (4). The incineration of plastics to recover energy is an effective process, however, there is always concern about possible air pollution and hazardous waste by-products such as dioxin from incinerated plastics, particularly polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Japan has fewer composting plants than found in the U S and Europe. The infrastructure and technology for composting is still not strong enough to significantly reduce the amount o f waste. Japanese electric equipment manufacturers (Hitachi, Sanyo Electric and Matsushita Electric Works) have recently begun to produce home composting equipment (5). In a batchwise



379

Figure 2.

Production of Plastic Products in Japan. (1997)



Figure 3.

Plastic Waste in Japan.


ο


Figure 4.

The Percentage of Plastic Waste in Japan. (1996)



382 operation, garbage is simply intermittently stirred with a cultivation media such as sawdust, porous wood and wood chips in a composting vessel. The surplus water formed is removed through an outlet. The temperature of the contents is kept constant at room temperature. Biodégradation occurs in the presence of aerobic thermophilic microorganisms and garbage from the kitchen is converted into water, carbon dioxide and a homogeneous humus-like substance within a week. Such a device disposes of 1 kg of garbage every day which, after processing, is reduced to 1/5 of a kg. The device is selling for about ¥ 5 0 , 0 0 0 60,000 in Japan.

Administrative Actions on Waste Disposal In April 1997, the Container and Packaging Recycling Law was introduced to promote solid waste reduction and the use of recycled packaging materials and containers. The outlines of this law are as follows: 1) Consumers should sort their waste. 2) Local governments should collect refuse according to type. The methods of collecting refuse are determined by the local governments. 3) Manufacturers (producers of containers and producers of the container contents) should try to reuse materials and may defray expenses. This law described the duties of entrepreneurs, consumers, national and regional public organizations, and the roles they should play in boosting the recycling of resources. However, at best, this law only stipulates that effort should be expended towards this end. Since the recovery rate of polyethylene terephtalate (PET) bottles is low, only PET bottles among plastic products are included in this law to promote their recovery. Due to a great deal of time and labor required to classify and collect wastes, the recycling of PET bottles is not as advanced as expected. The law will be applied to all plastics in April 2000. If Green-Pla wastes are recognized as organic wastes due to their biodegradability, the law could be applied to all plastics except Green-Pla. As previously mentioned, the infrastructure and technology for composting is still not good in Japan. The Japanese Government plans to provide low interest funds from the Japan Development Bank i f local governments and private companies form joint ventures to build composting facilities. In addition, the government plans to provide subsidies to such joint ventures.

Activities of Biodegradable Plastics Society (BPS) In 1989, B P S was established to promote the development of technology related to Green-Pla and their commercial use under the sponsorship of the Ministry of International Trade and Industries (MITI). BPS is a non-profit organization whose activities are supported by membership fees and voluntary contributions from member companies (6). The actual activities are conducted through three committees: the Planning, Research and Technical Committees. The Society has played an important role in the development of test methods of



383 Green-PIa. BPS has been involved in the activities of International Organization for Standardization (ISO), especially, the working group (WG22) on the biodegradability of plastics. Three drafts of International Standards on biodegradability are now available (7). Environmental labeling will make it very easy to recognize and identify compostable and biodegradable products. Since it is convenient for consumers to classify their wastes, environmental labeling will contribute to a reduction in environmental impact. In Japan, the ecology mark is authorized by the Environmental Agency. This agency advocates strict enforcement of the ecology mark on the basis of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Since the Japanese ecology mark presently covers a wide range, a special ecology mark for Green-PIa will be needed. The Japanese ecology mark on Green-PIa will be independent thirdparty certification. BPS is still studying the details.

Commercially Available Green-PIa Present commercially available Green-PIa are shown in Table 1. Several dozen companies in Japan seem to be either developing or selling Green-PIa. Chemosynthetic polymers are promising because these polymers can be produced in large volumes by conventional processes. For example, PCL (Daicel Chemical), PVA (Kuraray), PLA (Shimadzu, Mitsui Chemical and Cargill Dow Polymers) and polyalkylene succinate and related copolyesters (Showa Highpolymer), are all gaining acceptance. Among the microbial polymers, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHB/V) (Monsanto Japan) is one thermoplastic which can be processed using conventional techniques. If transgenic plants can be developed, which produce PHB/V agroplastic on a large-scale and a cost reduction to 200 ¥ / k g is realized, PHB/V has a bright future. Starch-based polymers (Nippon Synthetic Chemical and Chisso) are one of the most important Green-Plas in Japan. Its main applications will be packaging foams and compost bags. The prospects of cellulose acetatebased Green-PIa (Daicel Chemical and Nippon Shokubai) are promising because cellulose acetate is mass-produced, mainly for molding clear, tough and flexible sheets.

Market Forecast of Green-PIa More than one million tons a year of big-volume plastics (commodity plastics) such as PVC, polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) are produced in Japan. Prices of these plastics are 200 ¥ / k g or less. The production of plastics, such as PET and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) is nearly 500,000 tons. These plastics are sold at the price of 300 ¥ / k g . The production


384 Table 1. Commercially Available Green-Pla Type

Composition

Microbial

PHB/V

Trade name

Biopol


Bacteria cellulose Synthetic

Polycaprolactone (PCL)

Monsanto/Monsanto Japan Ajinomoto

CELGREEN P-H Tone

Natural

Company

Daicel Chemical Union Carbide/Nippon Unica

Modified P C L Poly(ethylene succinate) Poly(ethylene succinate/adipate) Poly(buthylene succinate/adipate) Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)

C E L G R E E N P-HB

Daicel Chemical

Bionelle#1000

Showa Highpolymer

Bionolle #3000

Showa Highpolymer

Polyvinylalcohol (PVA)

Poval CP

Modified Cellulose Acetate

C E L G R E E N P-CA

Daicel Chemical

Lunare Z T

NIPPON S H O K U B A I

Starch based

Eco-ware EverCorn

NISSEI Japan Corn Starch

Starch and modified P V A or PCL

Mater-Bi

Novamont/Nippon Synthetic Chemical Novon International/ Chisso

Chitosan/Cellulose/ Starch

Lunare SE Lacty Lacea EcoPLA

Novon

Dolon C C

NIPPON S H O K U B A I Shimadzu Mitsui Chemical Cargill Dow Polymer/ Cargill Japan Kuraray

AICELLO



385 of engineering plastics, such as polycarbonate (PC) and polymethyl methacrylate ( P M M A ) is nearly 200,000 tons. Sales prices of these plastics are around 500 ¥ /kg. The growth of every plastic has shown the same trend. Several years after its introduction, the production of plastics rapidly increased while plastic prices rapidly declined. Generally, the growth of knowledge in any discipline occurs over time in the shape of an " S " curve. At first, progress is painstakingly slow, followed by a period of rapid growth, and then a leveling off, as the field matures. We view the discovery and development of Green-PIa as the beginning of the " S " curve. Let's call this " S " curve the "foundations" period of Green-PIa. Green-PIa is still in its infancy. Table I . Type

Microbial polymers Synthetic polymers Natural polymers

The Prices of Green-PIa Prices

1,500-2,000 ¥ / k g 500-1,500 ¥ / k g 500-800 ¥/kg

The prices of Green-PIa are shown in Table 2. To compete with engineering plastics, the target price for Green-PIa is estimated at 500 ¥ / k g . Green-PIa occupies an important position among such polymers and seems to be one of the fastest growing niches in the Japanese plastics industry. A t present there are several plants producing various Green-Plas at annual production rates of 500-5,000 tons. Although the market for Green-PIa in Japan is roughly doubling every year, the sales of Green-PIa in 1997 was still only 1,500-1,600 tons (8). Due to the relatively low sales of Green-PIa, its fixed cost is a relatively high percent of the manufacturing cost. Therefore, the prices of Green-PIa are high due to high manufacturing costs, and producers hope to increase production volume. If the demand for Green-PIa increases with favorable market conditions, the annual production of Green-PIa will reach 100,000 tons, and resin prices will fall to an estimated 200-300 ¥ / k g . To compete with commodity plastics, the target price for Green-PIa is estimated at less than 300 ¥ / k g . If a cost reduction to 200-300 ¥ / k g is realized, Green-PIa could be applied to some fields where commodity plastics are used. Japanese producers will try to lower the cost of Green-PIa through technological innovations and by using low cost materials. The demand for Green-PIa is expected to be 3 million tons in Japan (9). The main application will be films, sheets, household items and containers as shown in Figure 2.


386


Conclusions Green-Pla is expected to be one of the fastest growing niches in the plastics industry in situations where recycling is difficult or expensive. Green-Pla is particularly applicable to high value-added products, such as higher profit margin, high performance specialty polymers. The target price for the expansion of Green-Pla is probably 200-300 ¥ / k g to compete with commodity plastics. If a cost reduction to 200-300 ¥ / k g is realized, Green-Pla could replace commodity plastics in some applications. Potential applications arefilms,sheets, household items and containers, and the maximum demand for Green-Pla is expected to be 3 million tons per year in Japan. In Japan, the composting infrastructure and technology are insufficient to recover organic wastes. If possible future government regulations require municipalities to establish collecting and composting systems for organic wastes, compost bags made of Green-Pla will be used for collecting and composting. At that time, the prospects of Green-Pla will be promising. Several dozens of companies in Japan seem to be either developing or selling Green-Pla. The Green-Pla industry is new and still developing. New industries always take a while, but the long-term prospects for the Green-Pla industry look bright.

References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

JPIF, Japan Plastics 1998, 49, 18. Asahi Shimbun Japan Almanac 1998, Asahi Shimbun: Tokyo, Japan, 1998: p.163. Plastic Waste, Plastic Waste Management Institute, Japan, June 2, 1998. Plastic Waste, Plastic Waste Management Institute, Japan, May 28, 1998. Asahi Shimbun, March 27, 1998. Sawada, H., BEDPS News 1994, 3, 6. Sawada, H., Polymer Degradation and Stability 1998, 59, 365-370. Sekiyukagaku Shimbun, January 30, 1998. The Age ofNew Plastics, BPS: Tokyo, Japan, 1995; p.28.


The Status of the Biodegradable Plastics Industry ... - ACS Publications

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