Chinaplas 2024 – Scientists Have Found A Way To Turn Plastic Waste Into High-Quality Materials For New Plastic 26-04-2024
Chinaplas 2024
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Neste is set to introduce its Neste RE™ feedstock at Chinaplas 2024 in Shanghai, showcasing the potential of bio-based and chemically recycled materials in the plastics industry
Neste RE™ helps replace traditional fossil resources, enabling the production of plastics with a significantly reduced carbon footprint and promoting the utilization of hard-to-recycle plastic waste.
This innovative material will be featured at the exhibition booths of Neste’s partners from April 22 to 26. As the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, and renewable polymers and chemicals, Neste aims to drive the industry’s shift toward sustainability. “We are excited about our debut at Chinaplas, the world’s largest plastics market, to catalyze a shift towards more sustainable solutions,” stated Carrie Song, Senior Vice President Commercial, Renewable Products at Neste.
Neste RE™ is derived from waste and residue oils, fats, and chemically recycled plastic waste. Chinaplas 2024
It boasts an over 85% lower lifecycle carbon footprint than conventional fossil feedstocks and supports a circular economy. Chemically akin to fossil raw materials, Neste RE™ seamlessly integrates into existing manufacturing setups without needing extra investments, covering a broad spectrum of polymer and chemical products used in packaging, automotive, electronics, medical, construction, and personal care industries. Products made from Neste RE™ include diapers, medical catheters, beverage cups, coffee capsules, various food packaging, pacifiers, and baby strollers. Chinaplas 2024
CHINAPLAS 2024, a landmark event in the plastics and rubber industries, has launched at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Hongqiao, Shanghai, PR China, running from April 23-26
This edition showcases an unprecedented scale with 4,420 exhibitors from around the globe—an increase of 12% from its 2018 edition. The exhibition spans 380,000 sqm and features over 3,800 machinery displays, more than 1,500 raw material suppliers, and 200 projects making their debut on the world or Asian stage.
Ada Leung, General Manager of Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., remarked on the exhibition’s return to Shanghai after six years, highlighting a renewed vision and high expectations for the industry. This year’s theme, “A Brighter and Shared Future, Powered by Innovation,” aims to propel high-quality industry development and advance manufacturing transformations through innovative technologies. Chinaplas 2024
The focus on new productivity trends is reflected in the wide international attendance, drawn by the latest in new energy vehicles, hydrogen energy, innovative materials and medicines, biomanufacturing, commercial aerospace, and other emerging sectors. These fields are experiencing explosive growth and innovation, significantly impacting global markets.
TRUECYCLED is revolutionizing textile recycling with their state-of-the-art installations, tailored by Trützschler experts to meet specific client needs
This innovation was highlighted with the launch of the new TRUECYCLED line, developed in collaboration with Balkan Textile Machinery INC.CO., a top machinery maker in Türkiye, at ITMA 2023 in Milan. This move positions Trützschler as the first company to offer a comprehensive solution for textile waste processing, from mechanical recycling to spinning preparation of secondary fibers. Chinaplas 2024
The TRUECYCLED system efficiently handles the entire recycling process—cutting, tearing, carding, and drawing of textile waste. This holistic approach ensures optimal fiber length and quality, giving manufacturers a significant competitive edge by minimizing fiber damage.
Technological challenges persist in recycling, as torn fibers are typically shorter than virgin fibers, and unopened yarn and fabric particles complicate processing. Dr. Georg Stegschuster, a leading researcher at the Recycling atelier in Augsburg, Germany, emphasizes the importance of expertly coordinated tearing and spinning processes to maximize fiber quality and length. Chinaplas 2024
European Adipic Acid Market Witness Stable Prices on Account of Sufficient Availability
The price of Adipic Acid in the German market has remained stable over the past week, attributed to the ample availability of the product in the market. In the previous month, manufacturers increased Adipic Acid prices due to rises in feedstock costs, which impacted the market. However, following this initial increase, prices have maintained a steady trend. This stability in prices can be attributed to the balanced demand-supply dynamics in the region, as well as efforts by Adipic Acid manufacturers to maintain competitive pricing amidst market uncertainties. Chinaplas 2024
Furthermore, upstream Benzene prices in the European market exhibited a continuous decline, falling by 4% on a week-on-week basis in the previous week. This decline has contributed to stabilizing the downstream sectors, including the Adipic Acid market. For the week ending April 19th, the price of Adipic Acid LAB grade was fixed at USD 3405 per metric ton on a FOB Hamburg basis.
On the supply side, the situation remains relatively stable, with moderate availability of Adipic Acid in Europe. However, recent supply disruptions in the Red Sea region have impacted trading activities, leading to some uncertainties in the market. The Red Sea region, a critical hub for the transportation of various commodities, including Adipic Acid, has faced disruptions due to geopolitical tensions, affecting the supply chain and trading dynamics in Europe. Chinaplas 2024
Scientists Have Found A Way To Turn Plastic Waste Into High-Quality Materials For New Plastic
Plastic waste is definitely one of the biggest issues our planet is facing today.
According to Statista, humans currently produce more than 350 million metric tons of plastic waste per year and if no radical changes are made, global plastic waste generation is projected to triple by 2060. Yet advanced recycling might bring the long-awaited solution. Chinaplas 2024
Advanced recycling provides a solution for plastic waste to be recycled over and over again
Since the 1950s, humans have produced over 10 billion tons of plastics and more than 8 billion tons of that has ended up as waste. Sadly, only less than 10 percent of the plastic we use is recycled, and there’s currently an estimated 100 million tons of plastic in our oceans around the world that sometimes end up as huge floating plastic islands like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
“We all knew there was a rapid and extreme increase in plastic production from 1950 until now, but actually quantifying the cumulative number for all plastic ever made was quite shocking,” says Jenna Jambeck, environmental engineer from the University of Georgia, who’s studying plastic waste in the oceans. Chinaplas 2024
South Korea’s LOTTE Chemical Corp. is considering shutting down a Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) production line at its Yeosu Plant 2 to streamline operations amidst an oversupply largely driven by Chinese competitors
This potential halt could significantly reduce LOTTE’s PET output, which currently stands at 260,000 tons annually, down from a previous capacity of 400,000 tons. Concurrently, LOTTE plans workforce reductions at its Ulsan plant, which surpasses Yeosu in PET production. The company’s restructuring strategy includes relocating some of the 486 employees from Ulsan to other positions within LOTTE Fine Chemical Co., LOTTE INEOS Chemicals Co., or at the Yeosu and Daesan plants, aiming to decrease the workforce to 400. Chinaplas 2024
Amid aggressive competition from low-priced Chinese PET products, LOTTE has seen a sharp drop in its PET production operating rate, falling 22.7 percentage points from 92.4% in 2022 to 69.7% a year later. In response, LOTTE Chemical plans to reduce its focus on basic petrochemicals like PET. CEO Lee Hun-ki outlined a strategy at the 2024 shareholders’ meeting to aggressively refine the company’s business portfolio and decrease reliance on general-purpose petrochemicals. The cessation of the Yeosu PET line is part of these restructuring efforts, although decisions on the suspension and its timing remain pending. Chinaplas 2024
BASF now offers RCS-certified polyamides for the textile industry, featuring their sustainable Ultramid® Ccycled® range, comprising PA6 and PA6.6
This certification from the Recycled Claim Standard allows the marketing of textiles made with recycled raw materials. Ultramid Ccycled is produced through the chemical recycling of hard-to-recycle plastic waste, such as used tires, integrated into BASF’s production via a mass balance approach. This range also holds certifications from ISCC PLUS and REDcert2, demonstrating BASF’s commitment to promoting chemical recycling in textiles.
Since 2020, BASF has collaborated with Textile Exchange, a leading organization in recycled materials certification, to facilitate the adoption of RCS standards.
“We are proud to expand our textile portfolio with RCS-certified Ultramid Ccycled,” commented Dr. Dominik Winter, Head of Business Management Polyamides Europe at BASF. Chinaplas 2024
The company’s portfolio further includes the “choose to reduce” option, allowing customers to select products that reduce carbon footprints by utilizing recycled materials without compromising quality or performance.
Chinaplas 2024