Want to say goodbye to "white pollution"? Take a look at these patents on biodegradable plastics
27/06/2022
Discovery of bacteria to solve the problem of degrading materials
In 2003, in Aiding Lake, Xinjiang, the team of Chen Guoqiang, a professor at Tsinghua University and director of the Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, was pleasantly surprised to discover that two bacterial strains have the characteristics of high salt and alkali resistance and rapid growth, and are not easily infected by other microorganisms. This is the ideal industrial microbial strain that the team has been looking for, and the problem of microbial fermentation susceptible bacteria that has plagued them for many years has been solved. On this basis, Chen Guoqiang proposed and improved the concept of "next-generation industrial biotechnology", led the team to use synthetic biology and metabolic engineering methods to transform strains with stronger adaptability and faster growth, and submitted dozens of pieces patent application. The team manufactured the formed polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) products into 3D printing materials, medical non-woven fabrics, light-emitting materials, oil-absorbing materials and other related products and trial production, enabling the "next-generation industrial biotechnology" to achieve mass production and production. Preliminary formation of industrial chain.
Last year, Tsinghua University officially authorized several patents related to synthetic biology technology, including "a method for rapid detection of intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoate content", to Beijing Microstructure Factory Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Microstructure). workshop) to realize the industrialization of this series of achievements.
"Microstructure Factory has built a trial production base of high-end PHA materials with an annual output of 1,000 tons and a Sino-German synthetic biology R&D center in the Sino-German Industrial Park in Beijing, and has launched a production line plan with an annual output of 10,000 tons of PHA. In the next 5 years, we will establish a coverage There are 3 to 5 large production bases in the country." Lan Yuxuan, vice president of Microstructure Factory, said that the company will continue to promote the deep integration of synthetic biotechnology and biological manufacturing, explore the limits of life, create a green future, and promote biodegradable plastics, The comprehensive upgrade of the intelligent bio-manufacturing industry creates infinite possibilities for a healthy and low-carbon life.
"The country has a patent layout in the field of synthetic biology and green manufacturing basic research. The next 5 to 10 years will be the harvest time for my country's bio-economy." Chen Guoqiang said that he has led the team to deeply cultivate the field of PHA biomaterials for nearly 40 years. To the dawn of biodegradable plastics for the benefit of mankind.
Breakthrough technology to achieve plastic film biodegradation
In the agricultural field, non-degradable materials remain in the soil, which will hinder the development of crops, affect their absorption of water and nutrients, and lead to production reduction. Biodegradable plastics can solve these problems to a certain extent.
In 2016, the Ministry of Science and Technology specially set up a new agricultural film material project in the first batch of national key research and development plans - chemical and structure-driven development and industrialization demonstration of controllable performance agricultural film materials. Taking this as an opportunity, the Research Institute of the Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the Shanghai Institute) took the lead and formed a project team jointly participated by Tsinghua University and other units, declared and presided over the project.
"The national policy has pointed out the direction for the development of the bioeconomy, especially biodegradable plastics, as well as the high-end and functionalization of products, which will help the industry achieve sustainable development." Wang Hongxue, head of the innovation team of Sinopec Shanghai Institute, said that the implementation of the policy and the implementation of the project, It strengthened the team's confidence and determination to continue to develop biodegradable plastics in depth.
After 5 years of unremitting efforts, the team has developed 100% bio-based block PHA new materials and PHA-based mulch films, and has made technological innovations in new biodegradable mulch materials, processing properties, formulations and additives. 12 patents including "Thin, High Strength and High Toughness Biodegradable Plastic Film Materials and Films, Preparation Methods and Applications", have moved from laboratory research to industrial-scale production and field applications, realizing the "permanence" of the function of the shed film, and making the biodegradable plastic film lifespan. Controllable.
"We have built a 10,000-ton-level high-end shed film production line, completed sales of 11,900 tons, and conducted a thousand-ton production demonstration of biodegradable plastic film. At present, the team's biodegradable plastic film products are sold in 22 provinces and cities including North China, Southwest China, and Northeast China. The promotion area is nearly 100,000 mu, and it has been applied to cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries and other crops, and has played a role in increasing production." Wang Hongxue said.
Shandong Agricultural University has long been committed to the development of fully biodegradable plastic film, and has realized the industrial production of plastic film products with a thickness of 8 microns. "After the initial results of the research and development results, we continued to make persistent efforts to carry out comprehensive innovative research in material modification, equipment improvement and process optimization, etc., and achieved stable production and industrialization of 6-micron-thick fully biodegradable plastic film. The strength of the plastic film is superior to the national Standard." Xu Jing, head of biodegradable plastic film technology in the agricultural film team of Shandong Agricultural University, introduced.
At present, the team has 14 patents including "a special reinforced toughening and anti-reflection masterbatch for ultra-thin fully biodegradable film and its preparation method". "We created an ultra-thin fully biodegradable plastic film blowing grade material, and on this basis, developed a plastic film product that can be mechanically covered with a functional period of 30 days to 180 days. In the past three years, the team's achievements have been in Shandong, Hebei and other 10 days. The promotion area in several provinces is more than 200,000 mu, and the economic, social and ecological benefits are remarkable." Xu Jing said that the team will carry out further systematic research and develop more products, contributing to the construction of green agriculture and ecological civilization.
Crop Fermentation Helps Development of Green Fiber
In addition to a wide range of applications in the agricultural field, biodegradation technology is also required in the apparel field. The biodegradable material research and development team led by Professor Zhang Xiuqin of the School of Materials Design and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology cooperated with Hengtian Fiber Group and other companies to manufacture and design biodegradable polylactic acid fibers, in order to alleviate the problems caused by waste textiles. environmental pollution problems.
"The raw material of polylactic acid, lactic acid, can be fermented and extracted from corn, straw and other starch-containing crops, and polylactic acid is prepared by chemical synthesis. After melt spinning and molding, it becomes polylactic acid fiber. In the soil for a period of time, it can be naturally degraded into carbon dioxide and water, reducing the harm to the environment from the source." Zhang Xiuqin said that the team has concentrated on the common key issues of polylactic acid materials, and has "polylactic acid side-by-side composite fibers and their preparation methods", etc. A number of patents have achieved breakthroughs in the antibacterial, anti-ultraviolet, flame retardant and other properties of polylactic acid clothing fabrics.
Zhang Xiuqin introduced that the heat distortion temperature of polylactic acid is lower than that of polyester, and the temperature of ironing, dyeing, printing and other procedures needs to be strictly controlled, thus limiting its application field. In this regard, the team will continue to carry out technical research on improving the heat resistance of polylactic acid fibers, expand its application in the textile industry, and help it better serve the national "double carbon" goal.
With the deepening of my country's plastic pollution control policies, the biodegradable plastics industry is developing rapidly. According to the forecast of the research institute, the demand for degradable plastics in my country will reach 2.38 million tons by 2025, and the market size will reach 47.7 billion yuan; by 2030, it will reach 4.28 million tons, and the market size will reach 85.5 billion yuan.
