Plastic chemicals circular economy bioplastic 26-11-2018 - Arhive
-China – Polyethylene Terephthalate PET and its chain are very weak.
PET Bottle grade export 1,010/1,050 $/ton – PET Bottle grade domestic market 8,050/8,150 yuan/ton – PET Filament grade SD domestic market 7,650/7,800 yuan/ton – PET Filament grade BR domestic market 7,700/7,850 yuan/ton
PTA Taiwan 820/835 $/ton – PTA domestic market 6,100/6,250 yuan/ton – MEG $ 665/675 $/ton – MEG domestic market 5,700/5,800 yuan/ton – PX Korea 985/1,000 $/ton
POY 150D/48F domestic market 8,250/8,350 yuan/ton – DTY 150D/48F domestic market 10,150/10,250 yuan/ton – PSF domestic market 8,850/8,950 yuan/ton
-How circular is the circular economy – resilience
The circular economy – the newest magical word in the sustainable development vocabulary – promises economic growth without destruction or waste.
However, the concept only focuses on a small part of total resource use and does not take into account the laws of thermodynamics
-Crude Oil Prices Trend
-Polymers PET Nylon Petrochemicals Prices
-LLDPE faces unique challenge in plastic waste debate
The technical people, those with PhDs in polymer science who have also spent years in application development work, will tell you it is simply impossible to find other materials that perform as well as linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE).
Multilayer LLDPE films are vital in applications such as wrapping food, they argue, thanks to excellent barrier properties.
We are told this makes replacing these films impossible, as the end-result would be more food going to waste.
It can be argued this makes getting rid of LLDPE morally indefensible in a world where hundreds of millions of people still lack adequate nutrition.
-Quality meets design: Turkish Fashion Fabrics showcased to the world in textile capital Bursa
Turkey’s city of textile, Bursa, last week hosted prominent names from the fashion world as well as businessmen from around the globe in an event where talented designers showcased Turkish high-quality fabrics
World-renowned Turkish designers like Atıl Kutoğlu, Selma Çelik and the creators of the brand Dice Kayek, Ayşe and Ece Ege, joined their fashion forces to showcase Turkish textiles to the world with their unique designs in the first event of its kind in Turkey last week.
Spot domestic prices of polyethylene (PE) in China this week fell from the level of October of this year and may continue the downward trend against the background of oversupply of material on the market and sluggish demand, ICIS reported.
Thus, on November 20, prices for high-pressure polyethylene (LDPE) in East China dropped to their lowest level in more than the last two years – to the level of 9,250 yuan (CNY) or USD1,333 per ton, EXWH (ex-warehouse)
-Policy planned to force bottle makers to join recycling scheme
Bottle manufacturing companies will not be allowed to operate if they are not part of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.
An EPR scheme offers initiatives and infrastructure to separate waste collection and recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.
-German chancellor asks coal commission to postpone final report
Main points
According to media reports, the German government will likely extend the timeframe for the coal commission to deliver its final report until January 2019, compared to the previous deadline end of this year
During her speech in Parliament on 21 November, Merkel stated that “it is not about making decisions on phase-out dates first, but about […] preparing people for structural change”
-NREL researchers produce carbon fibre from biomass
Corn stover is being used to make renewable acrylonitrile.
In plotting a course for the future, U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers followed a road map from 1916.
Their guide – a journal article penned by two chemistry professors from Johns Hopkins University – illuminated a path toward a groundbreaking new method to make the compound acrylonitrile from renewable sources.
Ongoing research by chemical engineer Eric Karp and others at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) could lead to a cleaner method of transforming acrylonitrile (ACN) into carbon fibre, replacing petrochemicals with biomass as the starting point.
-Plastic bottle recycling needs deposit incentive
Two years ago, the World Economic Forum made a frightening prediction: By 2050, there could be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish.
Staggeringly, these projected rates of consumption are calculated by weight. One of the reasons plastic packaging is so popular is its lightness. Yet each year, on average, eight million tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean.
-Europe TiO2 ample supply, slower demand weigh on sentiment
The European titanium dioxide (TiO2) market’s sentiment may continue weakening in the first quarter if current ample supply and lower demand persist.
Underlying demand is soft on the back of seasonal patterns, although some sources, more pessimistic, argued demand has fallen below expectations.
Downstream sectors slow down at this time of the year, while de-stocking activity on the back of year-end working capital considerations also come to the fore.
On top of this, there is some expectation that prices could come off further in the first quarter of 2019, which is also likely to be limiting buying activity this quarter.
-Chinese Petrochina and Sinopec lowered prices of PE and PP on the background of high stocks
MOSCOW – The largest Chinese manufacturers, PetroChina and Sinopec, lowered their prices for polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) to get rid of a large amount of material, ICIS reported.
Thus, the total reserves of PE and PP PetroChina and Sinopec in the second half of November rose to 800 thousand tons, which is much higher than the usual level.
-No higher limit for PBDEs in recycled plastics
EU Parliament adopts POPs Regulation Recast but rejects amendment to increase maximum concentration limit for persistent organic pollutants such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers in recycled plastics
In an article published on November 20, 2018, by regulatory news provider Chemical Watch, correspondent Clelia Oziel informed about the results of the European Parliament’s (EP) vote on the Recast of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) Regulation, that took place on November 15, 2018.
-Eurozone manufacturing growth slumps to 30-month low
Growth in the eurozone’s manufacturing sectors hit a 30-month low in November, according to a flash purchasing managers’ index (PMI) from IHS Markit on Friday.
According to a flash reading, based on 85% of usual monthly replies, the eurozone manufacturing PMI fell to 51.5 points in November, the lowest level seen since May 2016 and down from 52.0 points in October.
A reading above 50.0 signifies growth, while anything below that level points at a contraction.
-Oil dips as US crude stockpiles swell
A maze of crude oil pipe and equipment is seen at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Freeport, Texas, US.
Oil prices slipped on Thursday after US crude inventories swelled to their highest level since December 2017 amid concerns of an emerging global glut, although the potential for a supply cut by OPEC prevented further drops.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures, were at $54.47 per barrel at 0740 GMT, 16 cents, or 0.3 per cent below their last settlement.
-Microplastics more likely to affect terrestrial, freshwater environments than oceans – ECHA
Microplastics added to products are more likely to be released to, and accumulate in, terrestrial and freshwater environments rather than oceans, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) said on Thursday.
The European Commission – the EU’s executive body – has asked ECHA to investigate whether an EU-wide restriction for intentionally added microplastics is warranted.
-Total partners Voltic on recycling project« PrevNext »Comments (1)
Voltic Ghana Limited (Voltic) in collaboration with Total Petroleum Ghana Limited (Total) have launched a plastic collection project to help in the proper management of plastic waste from households in the streets of Accra and Tema Metropolis.
The initiative dubbed ‘Recycle’ is in line with Voltic’s waste segregation and disposal project which it has run since 2015.
-US shale will be hurt the most from low oil prices, say analysts
US President Donald Trump tweeted a congratulatory message to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for the recent slide in oil prices
US shale will likely hit a rough patch if oil prices continue their slide even as Opec and its allies look to slash production to bring inventory levels down and shore up prices, analysts said.
“We are at the point where lower oil prices will start to hurt the US shale industry,” said Ellen R Wald, president of Transversal Consulting and author of Saudi Inc. “Even if some firms can break even at the well head with $30 per barrel, transportation and other costs have risen.”
-US battery consortium pumps US$1.8 million into lithium-ion project
The US Advanced Battery Consortium has awarded US$1.8 million to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute to advance its research regarding lithium-ion battery recycling.
The AdvancedBattery Consortium, which is a collaborative organisation of Ford Motor Company, General Motors and FCA US LLC, is funding an innovative 24-month project battery recycling project conducted by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
This ‘phase 2 contract’ will enable researchers to demonstrate the ability of a new process to recycle spent lithium-ion batteries and produce new cathode materials to generate a premium nickel cathode powder.
-OPEC Impotent, Thanks to Saudi-orchestrated Killing
Coming out of the emergency meeting by OPEC in Abu Dhabi over the November 10 weekend, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih (shown) claimed that when the cartel meets officially on December 6 in Vienna, it will “do whatever it takes to balance the oil market.”
That was before evidence of Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in early October surfaced.
Now the Saudis are faced with trying to “balance” not only global oil market but also their now highly strained relationship with the United States.
-DNA Exclusive: In Norway, buses run on solid waste
Norway A total of 84 IVAR employees were responsible for a turnover of approximately NOK 280 million in 2003. IVAR works with other public and private organisations to ensure solid waste exploitation
India is not the only country facing the problem of solid waste management. However, countries like Norway have sought advanced technological insights to seek sustainable and long-lasting solutions.
Eleven municipalities in the Stavanger region of Norway have floated a company called ‘Ivar’ that converts solid waste into fuel.
-Trawling for trash: the brands turning
Stella McCartney, Gucci and Adidas among companies inspired by ‘Blue Planet effect’Fishing nets and discarded plastic are finding their way into wardrobes around the world thanks to a rise in the number of fashion designers using materials made from recycled ocean waste.
Brands including Gucci, Stella McCartney and Adidas are increasingly partnering with organisations such as Parley for the Oceans – which raises awareness of the destructive effect of ocean plastics – and sourcing materials regenerated from companies such as Aquafil, the textile manufacturer that transforms ocean waste into sustainable materials such as Econyl.
-PlasticsEurope aims for Constante progress
Sustainable packaging objectives are pivotal to Javier Constante’s plans
Javier Constante will become new president of PlasticsEurope after being nominated as acting president of the association today He succeeds Daniele Ferrari, chief executive of Versalis (Eni), who was elected president of the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) in October.
Constante, the commercial vice president for Packaging and Specialty Plastics Business EMEA of Dow Europe, said he is happy to take the role in challenging times for the plastics sector.
He said: “I am looking forward to boosting our strong engagement in ensuring the highest possible rates for re-use, recycling and/or recovery of all plastics packaging.
-Australian Plastics Manufacturer to Build Its First U.S. Plant
Pictured: Extra low-free monomer TDI prepolymers for the cast elastomer industry.
Era Polymers Corporation, an Australian manufacturer specializing in polyurethane chemistry, will open its first industrial facility in the United States, creating 20 new jobs in Gaston County, North Carolina.
The company plans to create 20 new jobs in the town of Stanley, investing $9.2 million.
The company, with headquarters in Sydney, Australia, produces a diverse line of polyurethane products and has a worldwide distribution network.
