R&dleverage&39s creativity in mold manufacturing for pet tooling, ibm tooling and injection molds, as well as unit tool development, testing and validation, is making it possible for iowa state university isu scientists to develop sustainable horticulture containers ecofriendly flower pots in a massive, usdafunded, multiinstitutional research program targeting the 7.12 billion container specialty crop industry. The goal of the program is to develop a commercially feasible bioplastic container design, an alternative to petroleumplastic containers that can potentially save 706 million annually, according to the researchers. The industry encompasses bedding plants, fruits and vegetables and containerized shrubs and trees for residential gardening and landscaping. Today, use of rarely recycled petroleumbased containers is virtually universal. Called "bioplastic container cropping systems green technology for the green industry,"
The fiveyear research program is the largest of its type ever performed, according to dr. James schrader, coprincipal investigator for the project at isu. "bioplastic containers degrade harmlessly when installed with the plant in a garden or landscape," schrader said. "another key benefit of the newbreed green containers is the ability to shift from foreign feedstocks to domestic biorenewables." the isu team developed 14 formulations, each with a different mechanical property. Early on, however, it became clear that the mold making process was going to be a far greater challenge than with traditional petroleumbased containers. "ejection from the mold proved difficult for us," said dr. David grewell, associate professor, agriculture and biosystems engineering, and a coprincipal investigator of the project. "r&dleverage created a unique mold design that allowed complete release when the mold opened. We explained our need and they just ran with it," he said.
When the mold was engineered and built, the isu team brought their full complement of 14 different bioresins, ranging from a traditional pla polylactic acid to pha polyhydroxyalkanoates made by bacteria transforming sugars into polymers, to tree oil resin and soy bean protein materials. Others included organic fillers such as dry distilled grains and corn stover, a byproduct of corn harvesting. Testing of the mold and the various bioresins were completed in r&dleverage&39s validation labs at its missouri facility, with technical guidance from the iowa state university team. "we enjoy challenging the status quo and, in this case, we had been excited about working with bioresins," said jeff cooper, r&dleverage&39s engineering manager mold design and manufacture. "the key issue wasn&39t about dimensions and tolerances but had more to do with the materials being used and their moisture content," cooper said. "this was a project that got our creative juices flowing and one that will help us develop solutions for other customers seeking sustainable alternatives." added dr. Schrader,
"the efficiency and productivity of petroleumbased containers are rarely questioned. But petroleum material is nonrenewable and from nondomestic sourcing, and the price continues to rise, which impacts profitability. Add the environmental damage caused by nonbiodegradable containers, and you have a strong case for alternative sourcing. R&dleverage played a big role in helping us move these new bioplastic containers towards commercial reality," he said.
