How to Save 4.5 kg of CO2 per kg of Plastic | Tim Wagler, Braskem

Hi, Tim, and welcome to the podcast.

Hello, Lukas.

Thank you very much for having me here.

I think quite interesting setup.

Yes.

So, Tim, let's start with the basics.

Before we dive into what you're doing now with your new medical grade, Braskem is famous for one thing.

I mean, probably for multiple things, but what I know it best for is the I'm Green polyethylene.

which are bio-based polymers.

Can you explain what bio-based polyethylene is and how it differs from a fossil-based polyethylene?

So when we look at bio-based, I think the biggest differentiation versus a fossil plastic is the feedstock.

Meaning in our case, the plastic is in the end made from sugar cane rather than fossil fuels.

And the sugar cane, or when we look at the whole process, let's say like this one, the sugarcane is harvest this is crushed then at a mill this is producing bioethanol and we are buying then this bioethanol producing bioethylene out of this and then we use the same polymerization technology like we use for fossil polyethylene and producing a bio-based polyethylene and then that's also the reason why we have then like like an ld hd ladp polyethylene because it's a same process I think this is also the best part of iMGREEN BioBase because it's chemically identically traditional polyethylene that your customers are using already.

It delivers the exact same performance, existing manufacturing equipment can be recycled.

But let's talk about this.

So it's really a drop-in solution in this.

but with a much lower carbon footprint.

And perhaps also to say that it's a proven concept.

So we started with this already in 2010.

So quite an interesting journey.

So how I have this in mind is that I think Brazil has, I would say, a strategic advantage in that regard, since I think, and you can correct me if this is misinformation here, but I think during the oil crisis, Brazil wanted to be more independent from oil supply, and then they started the bioethanol.

industry, which is like sugar cane, and then you make sugar out of the sugar cane.

I don't know if they ferment it, how you get to the ethanol, but then you produce ethanol, alcohol from sugar, and that you can use for fuel, or you can use it to produce polyethylene.

And due to this existing bio... ethanol industry, you had the opportunity to have an abundant feedstock that is bio-based and that you can make biopolyethylene from.

Is that correct or is there like a correction in there?