Anellotech BioPET China Trade 17-01-2022 - Arhive
Anellotech BioPET China Trade
-Anellotech: Bio-TCat technology is for commercialization
One hundred percent biobased, polymer-grade p-Xylene produced in Anellotech’s TCat-8 pilot plant has been used by Suntory, a global consumer beverage company, to make 100 percent bio-PET resin and successfully produce prototype PET beverage bottles, as announced by the company on Dec. 3, 2021.
Production of bio-PET, starting with bio p-Xylene from the Bio-TCat technology of Anellotech through the subsequent downstream separation, purification, intermediate PTA (purified terephthalic acid) and final PET steps, was the last milestone to completely validate the Bio-TCat technology for the production of prototype 100 percent biobased bottles. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
This follows more than 5,000 hours of successful TCat-8 pilot plant operation using pine wood feedstock to produce metric tons of BTX aromatics. To date, enough of the produced bio paraxylene was separated to allow potential production of more than 5,000 100 percent biobased Plastic 500 ml bottles, while fully meeting polymer grade specifications.
This achievement by Anellotech and its joint process development alliance partners, IFPEN and Axens, affirms their commitment to innovative production of cost-competitive renewable chemicals. Anellotech also partnered with Johnson -Matthey for the Bio-TCat catalyst development. Anellotech’s TCat-8 pilot plant, built to develop the Bio-TCat technology, demonstrates the performance of this efficient thermal-catalytic process which converts non-food renewable biomass feedstocks into aromatics. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
The Bio-TCat process will enable aromatic chemical producers and brand owners to meet environmental, sustainability product goals, due to its low carbon footprint and its non-food renewable biomass feedstock. Bio-TCat benzene can be used to make a range of bio-styrenics, nylon, and polycarbonate, while Bio-TCat toluene can be used for production of polyurethanes.
Discussions are underway by Anellotech and its exclusive licensing partner Axens to commercialize the Bio-TCat Process, by identifying potential partners (including off-take) and a plant location for a first 500 tonne/day feed rate commercial plant. A “white paper” process design package has already been completed by Axens for adaptation to the actual plant site, once selected.
“The competitive advantage of Anellotech’s Bio-TCat generated paraxylene is its process efficiency (it uses a single-step thermal catalytic process by going directly from biomass to aromatics (benzene, toluene and xylene)), as well as the opportunity it creates for a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as compared to its identical fossil-derived paraxylene in the manufacture of PET, especially as it generates required process energy from the biomass feedstock itself,” said David Sudolsky, president and CEO of Anellotech
-Collaborative solution for processing recycled material into thin-walled containers
The Thin Wall Integra collaborative project offers a fully automated solution for the high-volume processing of recycled material into thin-walled containers with a material saving of up to 35% and HolyGrail 2.0 compatible labels.
Arburg’s subsidiary in France has collaborated with Collomb, a mould maker specialising in thin-walled containers, Pagès Group, a robotics expert for packaging, Verstraete, an IML label manufacturer, Koch-Technik, a material flow specialist, and Borealis, a raw materials supplier on the Thin Wall Integra project.
According to the group, the collaboration offers a new one-stop shop concept for the production of thin-walled five-litre buckets. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
The jointly-developed concept is based on a fully automated injection moulding cell around a hybrid Allrounder 720 H in packaging version with a 1-cavity mould, with a complete cycle reportedly taking approximately five seconds.
The concept also features a handling system with a telescopic arm that engages from the rear side of the machine, where it first loads the mould with the IML labels. The sequentially operating robotic system then removes the labelled buckets and stacks them on a deposit mat, which are automatically picked up by a robot for palletising.
The group says that the combined robot technologies make the system particularly compact, while the recyclate is continuously fed into the machine via an automatic conveyor system.
In addition, the group claims that the product has a proportion of 55% recycled material, with its design enabling material savings of up to 35%. The buckets also offer simplified stackability for savings on space.
The group notes that the buckets also use HolyGrail 2.0 labels, which makes it easier recycle the materials used by type. The HolyGrail 2.0 digital watermarking project began semi-industrial trials in 2021, while its first prototype detection sorting unit was also successfully validated last year. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
-Europe ACN buyers more regionalised in 2022, costs a concern
As Europe navigates the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the focus on regionalisation has become a trend for a segment of acrylonitrile (ACN) buyers, but increasing costs are a growing concern. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
Sources are trying to figure out what this will mean for their businesses and margins.
The soaring freight rates from Asia and supply chain disruptions have led many buyers over the past 18 months to challenge the status quo of business agreements.
While freights have come off their peak seen in December, they are still much higher than pre-pandemic levels.
The likelihood of this focus on regional business being a longer-term strategy is slim for some sources at least, but it could be the trend for a proportion of the market for the first half, and possibly all, of 2022.
Not just high freight rates have hampered movement of product from Asia to Europe, but some reduced output in Asia has too in Q4, some of which was a direct response to the ‘dual control’ policy in China.
The Lunar New Year celebrations in February, the ‘dual control’ policy and the winter Olympics due to be held in Beijing next month all continue to impact the flow of product. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
No real improvement is expected on logistic woes until at least H2 this year and some say 2023.
Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) buyers continue to struggle to secure material in Europe and stocks in the region remain low. There is one example of a backlog of ABS orders and that player is not expecting to see balance before mid-2022.
Sources would still prefer to spread the exposure across the regions, but the lack of ABS imports and more recently acrylamide and acrylic fibre (AF) has seen stronger-than-usual order books of these ACN buyers.
-BDI cautiously optimistic about German industry’s recovery
The Federation of German Industries (BDI) is cautiously optimistic about the economic recovery in industry. “Order books are full, but production is not keeping pace with demand. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
Pandemic-related restrictions and supply bottlenecks are affecting large parts of the economy,” BDI president Siegfried Russwurm said recently. The economy could face another stop-and-go year.
With the right framework conditions, however, there is also a chance that 2022 will be the year with the strongest economic momentum since 2010.
The BDI expects Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the order of 3.5 per cent this year–after 2.5 percent last year. German exports would probably increase by four per cent this year compared to last year—and thus by just half as much as last year.
According to the BDI, the German industry is facing massive disruptions to its global supply chains. Many companies in the automotive, electrical and mechanical engineering industries are suffering from supply bottlenecks.
“These bottlenecks will slow down industrial value creation by more than 50 billion euros in each of 2021 and 2022,” Russwurm said in a press release. “Despite full order books, a lack of microchips, components and raw materials will continue to affect production for some time.” Anellotech BioPET China Trade
In view of the risks, he said, the economy is all the more dependent on reliability and predictability – also in the SME sector: “The top political priority this year must be to strengthen industry, exports and innovation. After all, industry will continue to be the engine that drives our country’s economy and prosperity in 2022,” emphasised the BDI president.
-China’s Omicron Outbreak Is Even Worse News for Global Supply Chains
- China facing multiple outbreaks of delta and omicron variants
- Two cities are now locked down, more are facing restrictions
Supply Lines is a daily newsletter that tracks Covid-19’s impact on trade. Sign up here, and subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast for the latest news and analysis on the pandemic. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
An omicron outbreak in China is sending jitters through supply chains as manufacturers and shippers brace for disruption inside the world’s-biggest trading nation if it can’t contain the fast-spreading variant.
In 2020 and 2021, China’s ‘covid-zero’ strategy meant factories could stay open throughout the pandemic to produce everything from health equipment to laptops that global consumers hoovered up at a record pace. But there’s been confirmed cases of local infection everyday since mid-October and it’s likely even tougher restrictions will be needed to curb omicron’s spread, with knock-on consequences for ports and factories as more cities lock down.
So far China’s not facing the problems seen elsewhere like shortages of some foods in Australia or Japan, or an estimated 5 million workers staying home sick in the U.S. last week. But with an end to ‘covid-zero’ unlikely as China prepares to host the Winter Olympics next month and a series of political events later in the year, policy makers have to decide how much to increase restrictions, and consider how that will hit an already slowing economy and global trade. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
“The reality is that China remains the center of global manufacturing,”said Thomas O’Connor, a supply chain expert at Gartner Inc. in Sydney. “If there was significant manufacturing or logistic shutdowns in China associated with covid-related challenges, that would have a massive impact on the global economic environment.”
-China’s State Council announces guidelines to stabilise trade
China’s State Council recently called for efforts to ensure domestic supplies of commodities as part of guidelines to stabilise exports and imports as a counter-cyclical buffer against uncertainty clouding the trade landscape. The cabinet released measures to prop up micro, small and medium enterprises and revised the list of retail imports via e-commerce. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
The guidelines proposed an acceleration of export tax rebates and the improvement of export credit insurance services to better protect smaller trade firms against the cancellation of orders before shipments.
Presently, the country’s exports and imports are facing increased uncertainty, instability and imbalance, and the fundamentals of its trade operations remain unsound, the State Council said in an announcement.
Among the measures that are intended to secure orders, stabilise expectations and foster stable trade are efforts to coordinate and ensure stable commodity imports and broaden the import categories to better meet diversified consumption needs, state-controlled media outlets reported.
International consumption promotional activities are also being eyed to boost imports of consumer goods. In addition, overseas storage facilities got a mention in the guidelines, with financial institutions that offer cross-border financial services being encouraged to beef up financial support for traditional trade firms, cross-border e-commerce businesses and logistics firms so that they can build and utilise overseas warehouses. Anellotech BioPET China Trade
Anellotech BioPET China Trade