Laurel BioComposite (Laurel, Nebraska / USA; www.laurelbiocomposite.com) plans to build a plant in Laurel in the US State of Nebraska for its new development, "Bio-Res", a filler material based on waste from bioethanol production. Following the successful operation of a demonstration facility at Iowa State University, the plan is now to build a production plant with a capacity of around 20,000 t/y. Start-up is scheduled for 2012.

Bio-Res is filler or additive created from a bio-based feedstock. The initial feedstock is distillers grains, a by-product of the ethanol process. The feedstock undergoes a proprietary process to create a product which the company claims can be used, for example, in oil-based polyolefins, PHA and PLA. The filler content will be between 20 and 40%. In this way, says Laurel Biocomposite, the "green" content of conventional polymers can be significantly increased and costs reduced at the same time. Several compounders and converters have apparently begun tests with the material, which is available in the form of pellets or powder, but no results have yet been forthcoming.