Laurel BioComposite finished its continuous initial 30-day production run at its novel pilot facility producing 90,000 lbs. of Bio-Res for customer tests scheduled for December 2011 and January 2012. The material that is supplied for being pelletized into master batches comprises 20% binder and 80% Bio-Res.
Using injection molders it is possible to conveniently inject the pellets into injection molding machines in order to design components having 20 to 40% bio-material. Maurel BioComposite’s board president stated that the company has proved the Bio-Res material’s quality and the capability of the plant to maintain the production. Hence, the company will be breaking ground in spring to commence a master batch pellet plant having 48 Mlbs of capacity every year. The 30-day manufacturing run was used by Pilot plant engineers for fine-tuning mass flows and collecting operation data.
He also added that its expertise with the microwave dryer has enabled to design suitable drying methods for the full scale plant. Bio-Res PE is offered in an odorless pellet form, which mixes easily with polypropylene, polyethylene, PHA and polylactic acid. Bio-Res pellets comprise 60 to 80% bio-material and are marketed as a master batch.
Bio-Res can be used in a number of applications such as lawn and garden, shipping, automotive and agricultural applications.
Source: http://www.laurelbiocomposite.com