COVER STORY
Pioneering Sustainability
Biopolymer applications are expanding, in fits and starts
By Jan H. Schut
“What Do You Have in the ‘Bio’ Range?”
Bio-based additives and fillers are answering the calls for sustainability
By Jennifer Markarian
2015: A Turning Point for Bioplastic Building-Block Investments
The fall in crude oil prices made last year a challenging one for renewable chemicals producers
By Doris de Guzman
RESIN MARKET FOCUS
Ready to Grow: The Biodegradable Polymers Market
By IHS Chemical
Multiple factors are demand-drivers for bioplastics
TECHNICAL PAPER
Undergraduate Modules for Bio-Based Plastics
By Carol Barry, Bridgette Budhlall, and Ramaswamy Nagarajan
ENERGY-SAVING PROCESSING
The Bottom Line of Energy Efficiency
By Jon Evans
Close the Loop to Save Water & Energy
By Al Fosco
An integrated closed-loop process cooling system helps processors achieve sustainability goals
CONSULTANT'S CORNER
Robust Simulation for Wood Fiber Composites
By Damien Even
Predicting the properties of new wood fiber-PP composites helps drive their development
GLOBAL LOOK
Chinaplas at Thirty
From China Plastic & Rubber Journal
Three concurrent events will enlighten attendees at the 30th edition of Chinaplas®
The Promise of Plastics-to-Fuel
By American Chemistry Council
There’s a lot of chemical energy in used plastics that’s too valuable to waste
INSIDE SPI
Building with Plastics—Now and Into the Future
News about the state of the plastics industry from SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association
DEPARTMENTS
Industry News
Industry Patents
By Dr. Roger Corneliussen
Energy-Saving Tip
By Dr. Robin Kent
Upcoming Industry Events
Market Place
Advertiser Index
About the cover:
A 100% bio-based PET PlantBottle™ shows there’s growth in bioplastics applications, even in a world of low oil prices (photo courtesy of Coca-Cola Co. and cover designed by SPE MarComm Team
