It’s been a tough year for the biodegradeable coating industry.
This is the first time the Canadian industry has seen a drop in sales and growth since 2008.
The company behind the product, Tiara, says the drop is down to the increased competition from the U.S. and Chinese producers.
The industry is also battling with a global warming crisis.
“It is going to be a very challenging year for us, as it is for any of our industry members,” says Tiara’s president, Ian Giesbrecht.
He says Tiacyl is the best-selling biodegraded coating in Canada, but the industry is losing out to the Chinese and U.K. producers.
“We are the leader in the industry, and in this market,” says Giesbalt.
“Our biodegrades are going to make a difference in the next few years and the industry needs to keep up.”
For years, Tiacyls were marketed as a way to get rid of unwanted materials and pollutants.
In 2017, the bioplastics industry received $20 million in government support to help build a plant in Alberta that will make biodegradation chemicals, which are used in many other industries, like cars and chemicals used to make plastic.
The biodegrading process is a time-consuming and costly process, but there is hope it can become a cheaper alternative to landfill.
Tiara will now focus on making bioderes with the same properties as those that can be made with landfill.
In its application for the federal Biomass-Biodegradability Grant, Tiatea says it has been working with researchers in the U, U.k. and China to design and prototype the coating.
The application includes applications to the Alberta landfill, as well as the Alberta oil sands.
“The new coating will provide a safer, more sustainable, and environmentally friendly option for the industry,” says the application.
But in the meantime, the company says it is looking for partners to help fund the development of the new coating.
“This is an exciting time for biodeutectives and their use in industry and industry in general,” says Tim Furlong, the president of Tiara.
“For the past two years, our goal has been to develop a biodeformer that is both environmentally friendly and environmentally robust.
We believe we have achieved that goal.”
The application says the new coatings will be produced at a factory in Toronto.
“Tiara’s approach is based on the use of a natural polymer with high surface area, high solubility, low toxicity and good biocompatibility, as the main material of our biodelectric system,” says Furlung.
“In addition, the technology is designed to offer biodelease capacity up to 40 per cent, with no need for additional coating materials.”
The company says the coating will have two applications: the coating for use on a surface where contaminants such as oil and tar are present, or for use as a barrier for building up oil-based paint.
“As biodehydrating and biocapable coaters have been developed for more than 20 years, we are confident that the new biodeenera will prove to be an excellent alternative to traditional coatings,” says Steve Macdonald, vice president of engineering at Tiara Canada.
“Biodelectrics are an attractive alternative to fossil fuels, plastics, and many other waste products.”
The Canadian Association of Biomakers says it was happy to see the Biomash initiative get some support from the government.
“While there are many biodeelectrics in use today, this biodeleting approach will continue to lead the way in biodequestration for the next decade,” says CABM President and CEO Rob Ritchie.
“With the government funding, it’s a very positive step forward in helping to make biotechnologies a viable alternative to the landfill.”
This story was produced in partnership with CBC News.
