Compounder Teknor Apex (Pawtucket, Rhode Island / USA; www.teknorapex.com) is entering the bioplastics market through a licensing agreement with thermoplastic starch (TPS) technology company Cerestech (Montreal / Canada; www.cerestech.ca). Under the agreement, Teknor Apex will gain exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture and market products based on Cerestech’s technology and sub-license the use of the blending process.

The technology involves the preparation of TPS from starch granules and combining it as a masterbatch with bioplastics such as PLA or PHA or with petrochemical-based polymers such as PE. The resulting blends have better performance properties than are typical for conventional starch-containing blends, according to John Andries, Teknor Apex’s senior vice president of technology.

“The Cerestech technology yields blends that, even at high starch loadings, retain a substantial portion of the mechanical properties of the bioplastic or synthetic base polymers,” he explains. “They exhibit lower levels of sensitivity to moisture than many other starch-containing plastics, are translucent, printable, and sealable, and can be formulated for biodegradable applications.”

Teknor Apex will use the technology to produce masterbatches and ready-to-process compounds, and is installing a pilot plant at Pawtucket. Commercial production is expected to begin at the site in 2009.