"At Corbion we use bacteria to create useful products such as lactic acid out of plant sugars. We are the global market leader in lactic acid and lactic acid derivatives, and a leading company in emulsifiers, functional enzyme blends, minerals and vitamins. We develop sustainable solutions to improve the quality of life for people today and generations to come."
"For over 100 years, we have been uncompromising in our commitment to safety, quality and performance. Drawing on our deep application and product knowledge, we work side-by-side with customers to make our cutting edge technologies work for them. Our solutions help differentiate products in markets such as food, home & personal care, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and bioplastics.
We are proud to be part of Micropia and excited to show how microbes play a central role in Corbin’s sustainable production processes to a broad audience. The ‘ Bioplastic fantastic ’ exhibit underlines how microbes contribute to the circular economy with their pivotal role in reducing the carbon footprint of plastic production and use.
The production of the company’s innovative PLA, a biobased and biodegradable plastic that is produced in a JV with Total, is shown in different phases ‘from plant to plastic’. It shows how plants use CO2 to form sugars. These sugars, that can also be won from residues like plant leaves and stems, are then transformed into lactic acid. Microbes are driving this process. Different types of microbes produce different types of lactic acid and will result in different types of the intermediate building block lactide and PLA. Combing different sorts of lactides will allow the creation of products with unique characteristics. The exhibit highlights some specific characteristics of bioplastics, ranging from heat resistance which is key when producing coffee cups, to degradability that will make a medical sutures used in surgery disappear by itself over time."
