In addition to its use of patented formulations, JER has also developed significant intellectual property around the actual manufacturing of its thermoplastic biocomposite products. JER's processing equipment is entirely customized to its unique JERtech® biocomposite technologies. The equipment has been designed from the ground up and continually refined specifically for the production of high quality thermoplastic biocomposites. There are very few manufacturers worldwide that can make this claim.

Using purpose-built equipment offers a number of significant advantages for JER, primarily in terms of the output quality of the Company's JERtech® biocomposites as well as the long-term performance and reliability of the equipment itself under full commercial production.

What does "purpose-built" mean? There were a number of factors taken into consideration during the design/manufacture of JER's equipment that separate it from typical composite production lines, including:

• Rheology

  Rheology is the study of material flow characteristics. JER's production lines were manufactured and enhanced after careful consideration of the rheology of thermoplastic biocomposites, which is entirely different from pure polymers.

  The flow characteristics play a vital role in how the fibre material, thermoplastic(s) and coupling agents interact during the production process and ultimately the quality of the biocomposite output - in terms of dryness and fiber encapsulation.

• Temperature Profiling

  Understanding temperature profiles during the extrusion process is key to ensuring the correct chemical reactions are occurring at the right point and that a consistent thermoplastic matrix fully encapsulates the organic fibers during amalgamation.

• Fibre Type & Characteristics

  JER is not a typical biocomposite manufacturer in that it has also directed research and development resources towards the use of certain organic inputs that can be difficult to work with, but offer significant performance advantages in the finished material.

  For example, rice hulls contain an unusually high amount of silicon dioxide (SiO2), or silica; in fact, concentrations of this compound can reach as high as 20%, depending on the growing conditions, type of soil, and rice variety. Silica is extremely hard and therefore very difficult to work with (in its crystalline form, it is one of the main components used in making commercial abrasives). When compounding biocomposites using rice hulls, the equipment used must be specially designed to endure the ongoing wear and tear from the silica component.

  JER has focused on the use of rice hulls, primarily for the production of biocomposite sheeting. With high silica content, rice hull-based sheets can be produced with an excellent thermoplastic matrix and high structural strength. In addition, rice hulls are attractive as a relatively low-cost input, particularly in regions of the world where rice is a major agricultural crop. JER's biocomposite processing equipment is customized to handle the long-term commercial production of rice hull-based sheeting.

  Based on JER's knowledge of using rice hull fiber, additional fiber feed stocks can be considered in the future (such as flax).

From the choice and combination of production equipment to the timing of the introduction of raw materials into the production process and the exact temperatures across multiple temperature zones during extrusion, JER has advanced, proprietary knowledge of thermoplastic biocomposite production that it has developed over many years.