Dutch Initiatives Help Accelerate Development of Biobased Materials
While the polymerization of biobased monomers is an important step in making plastics, resins and coatings from plant materials, which can compete with their fossil counterparts, there are currently no pilot facilities for this process available in the Dutch R&D ecosystem. Industry, regional bodies and research institutes all see a clear need to realize such facilities in the near future. Two new initiatives in the Netherlands are aimed at realizing an open access pilot plant for polymerization of biobased monomers.
The catalyst for both initiatives is the Biobased Performance Materials research program, coordinated by Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. The program facilitates fundamental and applied research into new biobased materials that can compete with their fossil counterparts and is sponsored by the Dutch Government’s top sector, Chemistry.