Policy / Systems / Technology

December 24, 2011

 

Fuji Xerox Develops Bioplastic with More than 50% Plant-Derived Material

Keywords: Environmental Technology Manufacturing industry 


Fuji Xerox Co., a major Japanese office equipment maker, announced on September 20, 2011, that its newly developed bioplastic made from corn for animal feed has obtained the "BiomassPla 50" certification from the Japan BioPlastics Association. The certification is for bioplastics that contain 50 percent or more plant-derived materials by weight.

Since 2007, the company has been using another bioplastic for some components of its products. This current product, which contains more than 30 percent plant-derived material, is a composite resin consisting of plant-based polylactic acid and petroleum-based material. The newly developed bioplastic, however, contains only polylactic acid as the base ingredient, resulting in about a 41 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, as compared to currently used bioplastic.

Generally, increasing the amount of plant-derived materials in bioplastics gives poorer flame resistance and flexibility, and can lead to moisture-induced degradation. However, by using a range of additives, Fuji Xerox has successfully increased the flame retardancy of the new bioplastic, making it higher than that of the currently used product, and suppressed degradation, while maintaining current levels of the material strength. The company plans to gradually replace the existing bioplastic with this new product.

Fuji Xerox received technical assistance from the group company Fujifilm Corp. in the development of the bioplastic, and received cooperation from Unitika Ltd., a manufacturer of polymers and advanced fiber materials, in establishing the mass production system. These companies will continue to work together in developing environmentally friendly materials.

Fuji Xerox Develops Enhanced Biomass Plastic (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/026861.html

Posted: 2011/12/24 06:00:15 AM

Japanese  

Reference

Fuji Xerox Develops Biomass Plastic With a Plant-Derived Content of More Than 50 Weight Percent Reducing CO2Emissions by Approximately 41 Percent
http://www.fujixerox.co.jp/eng/company/headline/2011/0920_bio_plastic.html


 

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