Miscanthus

The six finalists of the Bio-based Material of the Year award, presented by the nova-Institute for Ecology and Innovation to those developing new applications and markets for bio-based products (those derived from living organisms), have been named.

The competition focuses on new developments in these areas, which have had (or will have) a market launch in 2014 or 2015.

Six candidates from companies in the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany have been chosen by a jury consisting of representatives of the nova-Institute, the advisory board, and sponsors and partners of the International Conference on Bio-based Materials (which will be held in Cologne between 13-15 April) from 24 submissions, and one winner and two runners up will go on to be awarded a certificate and receive a directory listing on the nova-Institute website.

The six nominated companies and products are:

Bayer MaterialScience ‘Desmodur eco N’

A bio-based polyurethane (made from polyisocyanate based on pentamethylene diisocyanate) cross-linker for high-performance automotive coatings. It enables the production of bio-based polyurethanes for the coating of cars, providing weather resistance, the ‘self-healing’ of superficial scratches and ‘great optical properties’.

EcoTechnilin ‘FibriRock’

A bio-sourced composite for aircraft applications. The lightweight, fast-curing composite is made from flax, basalt yarns, and sugar-based bioresin and is suitable for aircraft and rail applications and will go into production this year in a lightweight galley cart.

Evonik Industries

A bio-based polyamide 12 made from kernel oil 12 – This material can be used in high-performance products such as motor vehicles and large-volume pipes.

HIB Trip Part Solutions ‘Nature 50’

A hemp-based reinforced plastic. The granulate can be used in injection moulding for a range of applications, including those in the automotive sector.

Invista ‘Lycra T 162R Fibre’

A bio-derived spandex made using renewable butanediol. Approximately 70 per cent comes from the renewable resource meaning fabrics and garments can be made with reduced carbon and fossil fuel footprints.

twoBEars ‘bioFila’

A biodegradable polymer based on lignin. The biopolymer compound has optic and haptic properties and can be used for 3D printing.

Each of the six companies will now give a short presentation at the International Conference on Bio-based Materials, and the three winners will be decided by a vote of those attending the conference.

Source: resource.co

Southern Company’s 100 MW Nacogdoches Generating Facility – which the company calls the nation’s largest biomass plant – is now operational and putting electricity on the grid in Texas.

The plant, which occupies a 165-acre tract of land near Sacul in east Texas, is fueled by non-merchantable wood waste. This is a combination of wood-based biomass fuels consisting primarily of saw mill or other wood mill production waste, forest waste, precommercial thinnings of cultivated trees, and diseased and other non-commercial tree species. There is also the potential for the use of urban wood waste, tree limbs and branches produced by storms and other non-commercial logging-derived biomass, Southern says. (more…)