In a move that significantly broadens its product portfolio, Rodenburg Biopolymers (Oosterhout / The Netherlands; www.biopolymers.nl) in mid-November 2011 announced that it had acquired fellow Dutch bioplastics producer Optimum (Oosterhout; www.optimumbioplastics.com). Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

The purchase allows Rodenburg to serve both the converter and the compounder markets with biopolymers, including its own “Solanyl” compound based on reclaimed side stream starch from the potato processing industry. This is now complemented by Optimum’s proprietary “FlourPlast” biopolymer, based on grain-derived products, which can be directly compounded with existing biopolyesters. In addition, “FlourPlast” allows processors to fine-tune bioplastic or polyolefin formulations to achieve desired properties and reduce costs. Both bioplastics were developed in cooperation with Wacker Chemie (Munich / Germany; www.wacker.com).

Rodenburg said both “FlourPlast” and “Solanyl” grades would be sold in the EU through its existing distributor, IMCD Group (Rotterdam / The Netherlands; www.imcdgroup.com) – see also Plasteurope.com of 19.05.2011.