Guest Post by Dr. Robert Humphreys In the previous post, Dr. Gotro presented some amazing data on production of bio-ethylene (bio-E) and bio-polyethylene (bio-PE). It may come as a surprise to find that fermentation, the process that is used to make beer, wine, yogurt and cheese, is also the source of bio-ethylene that is polymerized to bio-PE. In this post, we will give a ... [Click to Continue...]

At a the recent Bioplastics: The Re-invention of Plastics conference, James Kahn of Braskem gave a good update on the current state of bio-based polyethylene.  Braskem is the world leading supplier of bio-PE.  In 2010 and the forecast for 2015, bio-PE is the largest bio-based polymer currently in production.  So let’s take a deeper look into bio-PE. Initially, the focus of ... [Click to Continue...]

Guest Blog by Dr. Robert Humphreys Crops that are high in starch are the principal source of food calories for people globally, although many affluent people tend to think of starch as a thickener for sauces and gravies or as “bad carbs” in a health conscious diet. On the other hand, even technologically savvy people might not mention starch as a potential raw material for ... [Click to Continue...]

By far some of our most popular posts have covered the exciting new field of biopolymers and bioplastics.  The image on the left shows a smartphone cover made from Ingeo polylactic acid (PLA) from NatureWorks.  In a fairly extensive set of posts, Dr. Bob Humphreys and I will cover a wide variety of biopolymers currently in the market.  We will look at the chemistry, end-use ... [Click to Continue...]

In our previous post we started to outline a process management approach to solving complex problems.  In the second in the series, we will discuss the very useful Six Sigma approach. Six Sigma is a systematic process management method for improving, building, and sustaining business performance. Six Sigma uses a structured approach and toolset focused on reducing variation ... [Click to Continue...]