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First Miscanthus-based bio-plastics produced

Jun. 28, 2013, Leamington, ON - The first commercial scale production facility for Miscanthus based bioplastic products has been successfully commissioned after three years of research and development.

This project is a collaboration between New Energy Farms (NEF) and Competitive Green Technologies in Leamington, Ontario. The project has been featured in the Game Changers in Agriculture series, which can be seen above.
 
The development of these products is based on the principle of fractionating the bale not the barrel, to extract fibers for multiple end uses including composite manufacture, fuel and animal bedding. The current site utilizes 30,000 tonnes of biomass per year for heating of 40 acres of glasshouse vegetables, with 2,000 acres of Miscanthus established. This has been the vision of NEF and its partners, from the development of genetics, establishing large scale production, and the downstream processing and marketing, NEF is invested and active in all parts of the supply chain.  
 
A range of consumer products has been developed - storage bins and plant containers made from a blend of recycled plastic and high levels of Miscanthus fiber. The process allows products with high levels of plant fiber to be manufactured at the same speed as for using virgin plastic, which is unique. This provides products with less plastic to the customer at competitive prices.

The first storage bins have been successfully test marketed at a national chain level and further expansion is planned in the US and EU.

For more information, please visit www.newenergyfarms.com.

June 28, 2013  By New Energy Farms