Synbra Technology and Styropack UK win a prestigious Frost & Sullivan Innovation Award
Synbra Technology a leading EPS producer based in The Netherlands, and its sister company, Styropack UK together with their partners Purac Biochem and Sulzer Chemtech have been awarded the 2008 Frost & Sullivan European Technology Innovation of the Year Award for Polylactic Polymer Production.
"We are very proud to receive this Innovation of the Year Award," together with our partners Sulzer Chemtech and Purac Chemtech said Synbra Group CEO Rik Dobbelaere.
"It acknowledges our break-through efforts in the creation of sustainable bioplastics solutions. This result has been possible only by combining the unique set of competences in bio-technology, polymerization and process know-how and expanded foam technology of each individual company."
On behalf of Styropack UK, Synbra Technology, has developed a new cost-effective polymerization process to produce high-quality polylactic acid polymer from a renewable source which can subsequently be converted into a variety of value added applications such as expanded PLA based BioFoam®.
"This award proves that we have the right expertise and partners to further develop the market for polylactic acid based bioplastics," says Jan Noordegraaf Managing Director of Synbra Technology.
"The acknowledgement of Frost & Sullivan's experts further strengthens our position as the leader in lactide based polymerisation for the production of BioFoam".
Each year, Frost &a,p; Sullivan presents the Technology Innovation of the Year Award to the company that has carried out new research which has resulted in innovations, which have or are expected to, make significant contributions to their industry.
The award recognizes the quality and depth of a company's research and development program as well as the vision and risk-taking that enables it to undertake such an endeavour.
"This proprietary process shared by PURAC, Sulzer Chemtech and Synbra Technology relies on polymerisation and devolatilisation technology to efficiently produce a range of PLA products from the specialty lactides supplied by PURAC" notes Aravind Chander, Frost & Sullivan's Research Analyst.
"This unique offering will significantly reduce the process and product development time enabling faster and more reliable market entry for PLA producers."
The process was recently awarded a subsidy of Senter Novem called EOS-KTO. "It confirms that the decision of Senter Novem to grant the subsidy was well founded and it is pleasing that it has lead to a visible success," says Dounia Ouchene, Energy Innovation advisor of Senter Novem in reaction to the news.
On behalf of Synbra the award was received by Gavin Birnie, Managing Director of Styropack UK, the user and launching customer of the BioFoam product and Jan Noordegraaf, the manufacturer of the BioFoam product.
The 2008 Technology Innovation of the year award
In the picture the joint winners:
Hans Keist (Sulzer Chemtech), Arno van der Ven (Purac Biochem), Fabrizio Rampinelli (Purac Biochem), Rolf Heusser (Sulzer Chemtech), Jan Noordegraaf (Synbra Technlogy) Gavin Birnie (Styropack UK)