In the Dutch province of Friesland a test is being conducted in which discarded tomatoes and peppers and remains of plants are converted into biodegradable bio plastic. Last week the pilot plant was put into operation. This happened after the seminar 'From tomato to car door’.
Various (international) speakers explained how green waste from the greenhouse is turned into bio plastic. After the seminar commissioner Hans Konst, together with Terry Mah, Chief Operating Officer of the French Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies, signed a letter of intent. The collaboration involves creating a full production unit for the base material for bio plastics.
The constant removal of dicarded tomatoes and peppers, as well as remains of tomatoes and pepper plants involves high costs. The company KNN devised a plant in which this waste could be converted into raw material for biodegradable bioplastic. To realize a pilot plant, KNN received a grant of 197,000 euro this year. In March 2013 the operational part of the pilot project was launched.
Bio plastic is suitable for various high performance applications, ranging from components for the automotive industry to the medical industry. The advantage of bio plastic is that it’s rapidly and completely biodegradable. The technology and equipment for this project comes from the Swedish company AnoxKaldnes, part of the multinational Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies.
Source: A7 Westergo