Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled 21-04-2022 - Arhive

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Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

-Cellulose Nanofiber–Reinforced PP Homes in on Auto Exteriors, Interiors

Japanese auto parts maker Toyoda Gosei has developed a cellulose nanofiber (CNF)–reinforced polypropylene (PP) compound with the aim of reducing CO2 over the lifecycle of automotive components, from raw material procurement and production to recycling and disposal. The work is part of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment’s Nano Cellulose Promotion project, which promotes efforts for the early social implementation of CNF-reinforced plastics, which are the basis of various products, with the aim of reducing CO2.

The newly developed CNF-reinforced plastic combines 20% CNF in a general purpose plastic used in automobile interior and exterior components. For practical applications, reduced impact resistance from the inclusion of CNF was initially an issue. Toyoda Gosei overcame this with its material mix design and kneading expertise to raise impact resistance to a level suitable for automotive components. The company will continue to lower costs in cooperation with CNF material manufacturers.  Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

In moving toward decarbonization and a circular economy, Toyoda Gosei is developing materials that raise the environmental performance of its products by leveraging the following features of CNF:

CNF has one-fifth the weight and five times the strength of steel. When used as a reinforcing material in plastic or rubber, the product can be made thinner and foam molding becomes easier. This reduces weight and contributes to lower CO2 emissions when the vehicle is being driven.

When the material is reused after vehicles are scrapped, little strength is lost from heating and melting, making recycling of automotive components possible.

The material does not increase the total amount of CO2. Even when CNF is incinerated, the only CO2 emitted is that which was absorbed by the plant during its growth.

Japan is somewhat of a hotbed for development of cellulose-reinforced composites as well as the fibers themselves.  Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

Auto-Exteriors-Interiors - Bottles-Recycled

-SK ecoplant works with domestic firms to produce GFRP rebars using recycled PET bottles

SK ecoplant, affiliated with South Korea’s conglomerate SK Group, joined hands with two domestic companies to produce glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) rebars using recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. Their joint plant will secure price competitiveness through the automation of all processes.

GFRP was used as an alternative material to the reinforcement bar (rebar), a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used as a tension device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures. GFRP has characteristics of lightweight, no-corrosion, superior tensile strength, and high mechanical performance.

SK ecoplant said it would jointly invest in establishing a production line for  GFRP rebars brand-named “KEco-bar” with KCMT and Carbon Fiber & Young. The joint plant is to secure 40,000 tons of production capacity per year by 2024 and 200,000 tons by 2027. The size of investments was not disclosed. Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

About 300 million PET bottles can be recycled to produce 200,000 tons of GFRP rebars annually, SK ecoplant said. PET is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin used in the creation of fabrics and plastic bottles. Recycled PET bottles have been used to manufacture clothes, bags and shoes.

“KEco-bar is a breakthrough technology that can increase the resource circulation rate of PET bottles because it is not limited to colors due to the nature of construction materials,” Jo Jung-shik, head of SK ecolplant’s eco-solution business unit, said in a statement on April 20. Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

The production of high-quality GFRP rebars has not been easy in South Korea due to high prices, with imported products used in special processes. SK ecolplant and its partners have completed a joint patent application for a technology that uses recycled PET bottles and produces a key raw material for the production of GFRP rebars.

SK ecoplant works with domestic firms to produce GFRP rebars using recycled PET bottles

-BOPA Films Market to Reach $1.6 Billion by 2030

Food and pharmaceutical packaging applications, among others, will drive growth in the global market for biaxially oriented polyamide (BOPA) films between 2022 and 2030, according to recent research from Future Market Insights (FMI). Polyamide is better known as nylon.

FMI’s new “BOPA Films Market” report estimates the market for these nylon films will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3% to become a $1.6 billion market by the end of the decade. Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

The food industry is predicted to be the largest end user of these films, controlling two-thirds the global market by 2030. BOPA films can be used to package products such as frozen and cooked food, meat and poultry, cheese, ready-to-eat foods, liquid and viscous food, liquid bag-in-box products, and produce.

Technologically advanced pharmaceutical packaging made from BOPA films — including next-generation blister packaging and blood and parenteral nutrition bags that can be serialized — is also expected to play an important role in the market’s growth.

Increased production of products requiring packaging formats such as stand-up pouches and single-dose packs (creams and soaps, for example) will also drive revenue gains in the BOPA films market.

“The demand for BOPA films in packaging is expected to increase in the years to come, as the companies opt for flexible [and] functional solutions at affordable pricing,” said an FMI research analyst in a prepared statement. The “beauty and cosmetic industry and rising demand for improved packaging in the pharmaceutical industry are also projected to give the BOPA market a shot in the arm.”

Demand for transparent packaging, particularly for food, will also aid in market growth. Multilayer BOPA films offer superior transparency, for showcasing food products. As an added benefit for food processors, transparent packaging reduces printing/labeling costs by reducing the area of the package that needs to be decorated.  Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

The lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to influence the BOPA films market both positively and negatively. Consumer preference for packaged food products, for hygienic reasons, has had a short-term positive affect on the market. But at the same time, the pandemic has disrupted BOPA films production, raw material procurement, and supply to end users.

In terms of technical specifications, the preferred thickness in manufacturing BOPA films is 11 to 20 microns, and these thicknesses are expected to represent 60% of the global market by the end of 2030. Additionally, nylon 6 represents a substantial slice of market share among BOPA films; end users prefer this grade for its high-impact strength and easy orientation from both axes.

Auto-Exteriors-Interiors - Bottles-Recycled

-PepsiCo Germany launches sustainable shrink film pilot

  • Packaging films for beverage cans and bottles made from 50% rLDPE for the first time
  • Shrink film made with one-tenth recycled Yellow Bag packaging waste
  • PepsiCo starts pilot project with the green dot

In its consistent efforts to create a world in which plastics never become waste, the company PepsiCo has succeeded in taking a forward-looking step: For the first time, the packaging film for Pepsi bottles was tested in a test project with the Green Dot and cans made from 10% recycled plastic from the Yellow Bag, 40% recycled plastic from other sources, and only half virgin plastic. 0

If further quality tests are just as successful, the next goal is to convert regular production to film from film. Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

As early as October 2021, a full 100 days ahead of schedule, PepsiCo switched to 100% recycled plastic (rPET) for all carbonated beverage bottles and the Lipton Icetea range. Bottles and beverage cans are usually sold in so-called shrink film in packs of six, which in turn are on pallets. For safe transport, the six-packs are wrapped with meter-long pallet film. All new plastic. The high quality of the packaging film, which is customary in the industry, results from the need for stability and the desire to print on it. “It’s a charming way of attracting the attention of consumers and differentiating oneself, as well as an expression of our quality standards in design and therefore an important marketing tool,” saysKai Klicker-Brunner, Head of Corporate Affairs and part of the management of PepsiCo Germany . “But they end up in the garbage very quickly. That’s why we commissioned our film suppliers to develop a recycled version for us.”

The supplier turned to the Green Dot, which, among other things, has set up the separate collection of used sales packaging in Germany and is now one of the leading plastics recyclers. Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

Auto-Exteriors-Interiors - Bottles-Recycled

-Has the polyester polymerization rate touched bottom?

The production curtailment has been a hot topic on the market for long and polyester enterprises really started scaling down production in Apr.

Many downstream plants shut down for the Tomb-sweeping Festival (Apr 3-5) and did not resume operation after holiday due to more strict COVID restriction. The operating rate of fabric mills and DTY pants even decreased further. The logistics were blocked amid the pandemic restriction and exerted more effect on the market. As a result, polyester units also greatly slashed production.

Players wondered whether the polymerization rate would be lower than 90% in early-Apr, while it has reduced to 78.4% by Apr 18, lower than that during the Spring Festival holiday.  Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

Some players had questions in mind: Have the polyester polymerization rate touched bottom?  Will the polyester polymerization rate start increasing later?

The inventory and profit issue are one of the reasons for production curtailment.

PFY plants have faced inventory burden for several months. Inventory does show signals to reduce in Apr and even keep refreshing new high. As for profit, PFY producers have seen heavy losses in Apr.

Factories showed patience in waiting before but their mindset was apparently dragged down in Apr, which was supposed to be a peak season in textile industry, with ongoing weaker market atmosphere.  Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

Has the polyester polymerization rate touched bottom?

-IMF slashes global growth outlook amid Ukraine war

The negative economic effects from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will significantly hurt global growth, the IMF has said. Increasing food and fuel prices have raised the prospect of unrest in poorer countries.

The economic damage caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will lead to a significant slowdown in global growth in 2022, the International Monetary Fund said in its latest update of the World Economic Outlook report released on Tuesday.

The global economy is now expected to grow 3.6%, down 0.8% from the fund’s January forecast, due to the war and its impact.  Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

The Washington-based IMF expects both Russia and Ukraine to experience steep contractions this year, with spillover effects such as surging commodity prices affecting countries across the world. The report shows Ukraine suffering a 35% collapse of its economy, while Russia’s GDP will shrink 8.5%.

“The effects of the war will propagate far and wide, adding to price pressures and exacerbating significant policy challenges,” IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas wrote in a blog post on April 19.

The European Union, which has been rocked by the Ukraine crisis, is projected to take a big economic hit, with the bloc’s growth outlook for this year revised downward by 1.1 percentage points.

“The main channel through which the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia affect the euro area economy is rising global energy prices and energy security,” the fund said. “Because they are net energy importers, higher global prices represent a negative terms-of-trade shock for most European countries, translating to lower output and higher inflation.”  Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

Auto-Exteriors-Interiors - Bottles-Recycled

Auto-Exteriors-Interiors – Bottles-Recycled

Regenerated-nylon -Polymer-business 20-04-2022