#92-BioEconomy 2.0 with Darrel Fry

Plastics in the ocean, plastics in the soil, non-renewable petrochemical products are found littered across the globe. These products are toxic to the environment and add to the already problematic human carbon footprint. What if we can make plastics from a sustainable and renewable resource? What if it could be cost-effective? What if those products could be carbon neutral, or even carbon negative? What is this miracle product? WOOD baby!! Wood PLASTICS and wood CARBON FIBER exist and are knocking on the door of opportunity. ResourcesAdvanced BioCarbon 3DSponsorsWest FraserGreenLink Forestry Inc.Damaged TimberQuotes31.18 - 31.21: “Don’t make it, keep it native.”TakeawaysBioplastics (05.16)Darrel’s work involves utilizing hybrid poplar trees to produce plastic, a tool for addressing environmental issues. The trees filter landfill leaching, remediating pollution and protecting the soil, while biomass is used for advanced materials such as plastic. Sourcing feedstock (10.20)Darrel explains that bioplastics have sugar as the base, which is quickly biodegradable, so is good for use in plastic bags. A high-performing plastic needs other plant materials as well added to it to mimic the rigidity or heat/moisture resistance seen in plants. Tree talk (12.49)Lignin and cellulose are important plant components which determine the quality of plastics produced from them. Wood makes a great source since it contains both and comes from a renewable resource. Materials and nature (19.48)Darrel‘s company makes many different products from wood - plastics and carbon fibre - replacing petrochemical legacy material with biomass material, so the applications are broad. A bioplastic world (24.11)Darrel highlights the difficulty of extracting plant materials and deconstructing biomass to utilize it to its full potential. His company’s vision is to create high-performing, high-value bioplastics to be used at an industrial level as well. Biodegradable = in harmony with life (28.32)Darrel reveals that the key to making something biodegradable is to ensure that earth microbes can recognize it and access it so they can break them down into compounds that enrich the soil. Carbon footprints (34.45)Darrel calls his products carbon-negative since they pre-break down the tree components for the microbes to later break down further in the soil. He sees many applications to bioplastics which will collectively help in lowering carbon emissions. Local economies (37.33)Darrel feels excited about the ability of technology to generate advanced materials in a local area using local resources. Localizing manufacturing and sequestering carbon is how he believes we can address climate change. The future of plastic (41.51)Darrel believes bioplastics have the potential to be much better performing than regular plastics, alongside being more sustainable. He looks at blockchain technologies as a way to create transparency in manufacturing, to check if a product is sustainably made. A sustainable economy (47.40)Darrel addresses the complexity of single-use products. Plastics either end up in a landfill or get burned. However, government policies, politicians and technology are all supporting the growth of the bioplastics industry, and every manufacturer can switch to bioplastics. Creating the future (53.56)Darrel sees bioplastics starting to become mainstream and public appetite for it increasing. He believes his company is at a point where they can demonstrate that at a level that the industry will respect.

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