Spanish energy and petrochemicals group Repsol (Madrid; www.repsol.com) has partnered with enzyme technology company PEP Licensing to develop biodegradable polyolefins. The companies said the alliance will allow the use of enzymatic technology for the development of two ranges of biodegradable polyolefins of fossil origin – one that biodegrades in soil conditions and the other that is compostable. This agreement builds on a previous alliance between the two companies, established in 2015, for the development of biodegradable PE films for agriculture, by extending it to all possible polyolefins applications, for both PE and PP.

The technology requires a long-term development plan for the different final applications. “Tests will be carried out throughout this year in different locations to offer evidence-based results to accompany the certifications achieved,” Repsol said. The new materials will retain all the mechanical properties and functionalities, allowing them to be processed with standard machinery. They will not affect the current separation and recycling value chain for plastic waste, the company added.

PEP Licensing’s enzyme technology (“Pepzyme”) involves the use of a range of mixtures of plant-based extracts, such as peptides, enzymes and proteins, to biologically break down polymers. It can be used for both pre- and post-production of materials. While polyolefins already infused with Pepzyme will biodegrade at end-of-life, for bio-remediation, the liquid solution can be used on non-degradable polymers with the same effect.