NaturalPlastics1

The partnership will conduct research on sugarcane bagasse, coconut husks, specific varieties of colored cotton, sisal and curaua fibers and agricultural waste to identify new raw material sources

Embrapa and Braskem are forming a scientific and technological cooperation agreement to identify cellulose nanofibers for industrial use from among various different vegetable sources, targeting those that offer the highest yields and best performance and are also biodegradable. The project, which will be officially launched on November 25 at the inauguration ceremony for the General Head of Embrapa Instrumentação, Luiz Henrique Capparelli Mattoso, will receive support from the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp) and the Foundation for Industrial Research and Advancement (Fipai).
With an execution period of three years and R$500,000 in funding, the project is part of the Program to Support Research in Partnership with Technological Innovation (PITE) of Fapesp, which will contribute R$252,000 in funds, while the remaining R$248,000 will be provided by Braskem. The program will provide financial support for cooperative research projects to be executed in partnership with both public and private university and research institutions in the state of São Paulo. 
The first step was taken when Braskem and Fapesp signed an agreement for scientific and technological cooperation under the scope of the PITE Program, which means that Braskem can now select an institution to conduct research on vegetal sources. The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), through Embrapa Instrumentação, one of its units located in São Carlos, São Paulo, is the partner institution for this research and has a long history of working together with industry.
According to General Head Luiz Henrique Capparelli Mattoso, the agreement is an important opportunity to strengthen relations with industry and will pose a challenge for science to develop technologies that can effectively be adopted, based on the market's needs for new materials derived from agricultural resources.
"This integration brings important benefits for both parties, since it provides the ideal environment for the development of scientific research and applied innovation," said Edmundo Aires, Braskem’s Vice-President of Technology and Innovation.
Three researchers and five fellows from Embrapa Instrumentação will be involved in the study to develop nanofibers from bagasse, coconut husk, specific varieties of colored cotton, sisal, curaua and agricultural waste. All the materials will be classified in accordance with the various techniques adopted by Embrapa Instrumentação, which has been studying the extraction of nanofibers for years. 
Braskem
Braskem is the largest petrochemical producer in the Americas and the first company in the world to produce certified green polyethylene. Its strategy is based on competitiveness and technological autonomy in line with its commitment to foster sustainable development.
At the start of the year, Braskem also entered into a partnership with Laboratório Nacional de Biociências (LNBio), a laboratory located in Campinas, São Paulo, for the installation of a laboratory to be used by the company’s research team. In addition to its own facilities, Braskem will also have access to LNBio’s state-of-the-art equipment. The objective is to conduct research in the field of biotechnology, seeking to develop products that are sustainable and competitive economically, always using raw materials derived from renewable resources.
Braskem has the largest and most modern research complex in the Latin America, the Braskem Technology and Innovation Center, which has units at the Triunfo Complex in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as in the state of São Paulo and in the United States. The Center works to develop products, processes, applications and new markets in partnership with Braskem's clients, i.e., the plastic manufacturers that form the third generation of the production chain. In this way, Braskem adds value to and increases the competitiveness of the entire petrochemicals and plastics production chain. Today Braskem produces over 15 million tons of thermoplastic resins and other petrochemical products per year.

Source: www.braskem.com.br

Last september 24, in the Triunfo Petrochemical Complex, Braskem inaugurated, the world’s largest ethylene-from-ethanol plant, permitting the production of 200,000 tons of green polyethylene per year. As a result, the company will be providing the world with resin made from renewable sources, and taking another step towards its goal of becoming the world leader in sustainable chemistry with diversified and competitive raw material sources. The project, which absorbed investments of almost R$500 million, was based on the company’s own technology.
"The completion of this project is a landmark for Braskem, the realization of a dream shared with our clients, who can now acquire an even more sustainable product," declared the company’s CEO, Bernardo Gradin. Green plastics are exceptionally eco-friendly, since the process used to produce each ton of polyethylene from the primary raw material removes 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. "Braskem’s green plastics are made from CO2 sequestered from the atmosphere through sugarcane photosynthesis. It is also the most competitive of all plastics made from renewable sources. And this has been widely acknowledged by the market, which recorded demand three times greater than the plant’s capacity," added Gradin.
Since last year, Braskem has established several partnerships to supply green polyethylene to domestic and international clients who have adopted sustainable development as a pillar of their market strategy. This pioneering group of companies includes Tetra Pak, Toyota Tsusho, Shiseido, Natura, Acinplas, Johnson&Johnson, Procter&Gamble and Petropack. The most common applications of plastics from renewable sources are personal care and cleaning products, food packaging, toys and home appliances.
The deadline for the construction of the green ethylene plant was reduced to 16 months, under budget and with no accidents resulting in workers having to take time off. Due to its extreme importance, Braskem challenged its team to complete the project as rapidly as possible and with the highest safety standards. "The decision to bring the purchase of critical equipment forward, the efforts of the logistics area to speed up its delivery, and the perfect harmony between the technology, basic engineering, detailing and production teams played a crucial role in achieving this goal," explained Manoel Carnaúba, VP of the Basic Petrochemicals Unit.

Construction and assembly were handled by Construtora Norberto Odebrecht. Genpro, the same firm that worked on the Paulínia polypropylene plant, contributed its engineering expertise, OPI was responsible for international supply and Braskem supplied the technology and the basic and conceptual project, in addition to managing the alliance.
More than 2,200 workers were involved in the construction, more than 700 of whom living in Triunfo and the vicinity. Of this total, 174 had completed the Programa Acreditar (Believing Program), which had provided almost 250 Triunfo residents with eight months of training in electrics, structural assembly, plumbing, carpentry and welding.
The green polyethylene project will consume around 462 million liters of ethanol per year, which will initially come from the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Paraná. With the start-up of the green ethylene plant, Braskem will be consuming 570 million liters of ethanol in its Rio Grande do Sul units, almost as much as the entire state (600 million liters). Of this total, the ETBE plant will absorb 150 million liters.
Ethanol will be supplied though contracts with major Brazilian producers. Relations with these suppliers will be governed by a Code of Conduct that establishes sustainability criteria through compliance with environmental guidelines, especially those related to the São Paulo State Environmental Protocol, labor legislation and regulations on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Most of the ethanol will be transported by rail and waterway, with only a small portion arriving by road.
Pursuing its goal of becoming the world leader in sustainable chemistry, Braskem has stepped up its research into the development of other polymers, especially green polypropylene. The company has recently established a partnership with Laboratório Nacional de Biociências (LNBio), in Campinas, upstate São Paulo, for the installation of a laboratory to be used by the company’s biotechnology research team.
Braskem is also considering implementing a new green ethylene unit, due to market interest. "Investments in polymers have underlined Braskem’s confidence in the country’s growth and its potential for leading the development of products made from renewable sources, thanks to its competitive advantages," Gradin concluded.

Source :http://www.braskem.com.br