American Process Inc. (API) (Atlanta, GA), Will & Co B.V. (Badhoevedorp, the Netherlands), and P.R.G. B.V. (Gemert, the Netherlands) recently signed a Joint Development Agreement to develop, produce and supply ready-to-use thermoplastic compounds reinforced with nanocellulose. While conventional cellulose-based fibers are currently used in plastic compounding for commercial products, high aspect ratio, crystalline nanocellulose can offer unique features including enhanced mechanical properties.

American Process Inc.’s CEO, Theodora Retsina, PhD, remarks “Nanocellulose is a novel, renewable performance material. Our trademarked Bioplus™ nanocellulose is a result of focused R&D efforts in those aspects that will enable competitive application development. Bioplus™ nanocellulose has low production cost, is thermally stable at high temperatures, and can be functionally dried as a powder that blends uniformly with hydrophobic polymers. We are delighted to join efforts with Will & Co B.V. and P.R.G. BV. to develop applications that will enable commercial production.”

According to Epco Blessing, Product Manager Plastics and Additives, Will & Co B.V., “Together with my colleagues Maarten Keijzer and Matthijs van Lint, we identified a growing demand within our European markets for conventional and biobased plastic compounds that have improved sustainability profiles along with high performance. With Will & Co we have strong focus on innovative technologies to support our customers on their sustainability efforts and to increase product/production performance. Therefore we are interested in expanding our product portfolio on high quality technical plastics and additives with API’s nanocellulose across a variety of applications and processing methods, including thermoforming, extrusion blow molding, and injection molding. Thus creating new and renewable thermoplastic compounds that are tailor-made for our customers”

Kim Nelson, PhD, API’s VP of Nanocellulose states, “Partnerships such as this one, which combines our expertise in nanocellulose production, customization, and handling, with Will & Co. and P.R.G.’s expertise in plastics formulation, compounding and market drivers, are critical for successful introduction of nanocellulose-enhanced products."

 

Source:prweb.com

 

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