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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SAPTOS (SuperAbsorbent Polymers Through Oxidized Starch)

Teaser

Summary

Rodenburg has initiated a project to modify side stream starches into a product which can be used as a super absorber ingredient in the diaper industry. This super absorber is bio-based on side streams from the food industry and has a very low environmental footprint compared to current petrochemical based superabsorbers. The superabsorbers have been the bottleneck in creating complete biodegradable diapers, but with Rodenburgs superabsorbers and biopolymers currently on the market, creating a fully biodegradable diaper is possible. At this point Rodenburg has the intention to scale-up the project to start commercial scale production of this particular component of a diaper. The objectives of the project are to explore a promising business case for the biobased superabsorbent polymers and discover which route to market to take.

Work performed

Within the project for which the SME Phase 1 has been awarded Rodenburg has done a study of the diaper market, through desk top research and interviews. Through analysis of the market Rodenburg has come to a conclusion on how and in what (niche) market to enter the market with this product and the technical requirements of the products. Based on these conclusions Rodenburg has written a business plan including a financial model to assess the viability of the project.

Final results

The conclusion of the project is that the market is waiting for a solution to replace the oil based super absorbers. Once a solution is at hand the market will switch to the Rodenburg product as no significant technical changes need to be made to diaper production facilities. This switch will reduce non-biodegradable waste significantly, currently being incinerated or going to landfill. The diaper market is however consolidated and difficult to enter, yet a good alternative road to market has been found. This road to market has more than enough scale to ensuring a TAM market 10s of times the size of anticipated production capacity and entry into this market will demonstrate the capabilities of the Rodenburg superabsorber. An added benefit to this road to market is that it also solves some social problems in several (developing) countries. Now it is time for Rodenburg to take the next step and to produce and commercialize the product on a large scale.