Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling 03-06-2022 - Arhive

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Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

-Polyester market waiting for the dawn amid difficulties

Polyester market was in difficulty in May: macro market was volatile, demand remained meager and players held mildly recovering mindset, waiting for the dawn amid hardship.

In terms of macro, price of crude oil rose strongly again, supporting polyester industrial chain. On the other hand, the RMB exchange rate fluctuated greatly. Under such circumstance, players’ mindset was unsteady.

As for the market fundamentals, the spread of pandemic has been eased, while demand sustained mild. Downstream plants failed to follow the uptrend on feedstock market. Coupled with huge losses, the operating rate of downstream plants started falling from the second half of May. Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

Actually, polyester market witnessed improving performance compared with Apr. Polyester companies actively traced the uptrend on feedstock market after slashing production in Apr. Prices climbed up on the whole. Price of PSF dropped after supply recovered but overall trading price still moved up on the month.

However, the improvement was very limited. The polyester polymerization rate hit periodical low in mid-Apr at 78% while started ascending later but the increase was slow, which was above 83% in end-May.

The inventory of PFY was still as high as one month around and that of PSF was relatively low but may rise after supply recovered. In fact, downstream market of PFY and PSF was very weak now. Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

Polyester-yarn - PET-chemical-recycling

-US, Japanese Firms Partner to Provide Carbon-Negative PP Compounds

Newlight Technologies’ AirCarbon resins, based on polyhydroxybutyrate produced from methane by microorganisms, will be incorporated into the PP compounds by Sumitomo Chemical. Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical and California-based Newlight Technologies have begun joint development of polypropylene (PP) compounds for use in automobiles and textile applications using a carbon-negative biomaterial produced by microorganisms from methane called AirCarbon, which is based on polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB).

In this joint project, Newlight Technologies will develop new grades of AirCarbon suitable for use in automotive and textile applications, sourcing methane emissions captured and recovered from coal mining, agricultural, and industrial operations as the starting point for its production process.

Sumitomo Chemical will develop new compounds by blending resins from Newlight Technologies with PP. The materials will be used to manufacture automotive bumpers and interiors matching the quality of conventional PP compounds while lowering the environmental impact. The compounds also will be used in textiles that can be dyed.

Newlight Technologies has developed the world’s first commercialized biomaterial made from methane as a carbon source utilizing methanotrophs, microorganisms that exist in nature that metabolize methane. Third-party organizations have certified that the carbon footprint of AirCarbon is significantly negative when produced using renewable sources of energy for electric power. Newlight Technologies started operation of the world’s first commercial-scale manufacturing plant for AirCarbon in 2020, and has been supplying the biomaterial to a variety of customers.

Noriaki Takeshita, Representative Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer, Sumitomo Chemical, said: “Our PP compounding business is actively promoting the use of recycled PP to contribute to building a circular economy. By leveraging AirCarbon from Newlight Technologies, we will provide carbon-negative PP compounds to our customers.” Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

Polyester-yarn - PET-chemical-recycling

-Why sales of polyester filament yarn continue improving?

Sales of polyester filament yarn (PFY) continued improving since last Friday, with sales ratio at 370%, 130% and 160% on last Friday, this Monday and Tuesday by P.M.3:00 respectively. Why can sales of PFY keep rising amid sluggish downstream market?  Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

Prices of PFY rapidly climbed up in May, with increment at above 1,000yuan/mt by end-May. However, price of grey fabric was hard to advance. There was no orders after offers increased in some plants. In addition, sales were mainly under previous price when orders were placed. DTY market witnessed similar performance. Price of POY rose much more than that of DTY. Fabric mills and DTY producers saw apparently increasing losses in May. Under such circumstance, downstream buyers showed bigger resistance to rising raw material prices from the second half of May and presented stronger intention to cut production. The operating rate of downstream plants dropped again, with the run rate of fabric mills down by 12 percentage points from early-May to 52% last week and that of DTY plants falling by 15 percentage points to 63% compared with early-May.

With strong resentment and slipping operating rate, why can sales of PFY continue increasing? Downstream plants did not see obviously better orders and were under losses based spot raw material price, while sales of PFY were good, really hitting expectation. The root may be changing attitude toward feedstock price trend. Some downstream companies gradually accepted high-priced PFY.

Polyester-yarn - PET-chemical-recycling

-Axens and Toray Films Europe are announcing their collaboration on a PET chemical recycling facility in France

Axens, worldwide provider of technologies, products and services, and Toray Films Europe, a leading company in engineering plastics films, are announcing their collaboration to study a PET chemical recycling facility at Toray Films Europe production site in Saint-Maurice-de-Beynost (Ain, France).

New units based on Axens’ Rewind PET technology will be coupled with Toray Films Europe’s existing polymerisation plant in order to recycle annually 80,000 tons of difficult-to-recycle PET plastic waste. Joined efforts of both parties in their domain of expertise will allow the emergence of competencies for chemical recycling circularity.

Post consumers PET plastic waste that cannot be mechanically recycled and are currently down-cycled, incinerated or landfilled, are intended to be converted into high-quality Circular PET chips, closing the loop for this material with potentially infinite recycling. Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

Rewind PET process, developed by IFP Energies nouvelles, Axens and Jeplan, involves an optimised – glycolysis based – PET depolymerisation combined with specific purification steps aiming at removing all organic and inorganic compounds present in waste PET, including colourants and pigments. The product is a purified BHET (BHET: Bis(2-HydroxyEthyl) Terephthalate) monomer. BHET monomer will then be processed in Toray Films Europe existing continuous polymerisation plant to produce up to 100% recycled transparent food contact PET for films, fibre and bottles applications.

Polyester-yarn - PET-chemical-recycling

-Tomra calls on PET supply chain to close the loop

“We have an obligation to work with all stakeholders to reduce the mountains of waste and transform them into the valuable resources they are,” said Tomra CEO and President Tove Andersen speaking at that company’s press conference at the IFAT exhibition taking place this week in Munich, Germany.

Tomra, a company specialised in sophisticated sensor-based sorting systems for recycling, has long worked to promote and develop increasingly more accurate PET sorting processes with the help of advanced technology.

Tomra currently invests approximately 10% of its revenues in future-oriented activities to increase resource efficiency, advancing the market for circular solutions.

What’s needed, however, are a clear political framework, bold decisions and smart investments to improve circularity across all material streams and to overcome today’s supply chain bottlenecks. Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

As Andersen pointed out, first the pandemic and now the Ukraine war have thrown the need and urgency to decrease dependency on primary materials into sharp relief.

“We have the technology capable of maximising collection and recovery rates. We can act now, optimise waste management practices and fill existing gaps,” she concluded.

The European Green Deal, together with binding regulations and guidelines for producers and manufacturers, are propelling the transition to a circular economy forward. Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

Tomra urges all participants in the value chain to see these specifications as an opportunity and to support their implementation.

Tomra calls on PET supply chain to close the loop

-Ukraine’s GDP fell by 35%

Ukraine’s direct losses from the war with Russia exceed USD600 billion, Ukrinform reported, citing a statement by the head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak.

Speaking at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Irish Parliament, he said: “It is very difficult for us now. Because of the fighting, 5 million people left the country. As many more internally displaced people, tens of thousands of civilians have died as a result of the Russian invasion. The war took 35% of Ukraine’s GDP. We lost more than 200 factories. Our direct losses already exceed USD600 billion.”  Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

At the same time, he stressed that, despite everything, Ukraine continues to defend itself, fierce fighting continues in the east and south.

“We have to win. Otherwise, Ukraine will simply disappear as a nation and as a state. Our victory is closer the more assistance the international community provides. Any – military-technical, political, financial or humanitarian,” the head of the OP said.

Yermak added that an extremely great support for Ukraine in deterring aggression is the tightening of sanctions pressure on Russia.

The leaders of the European Union countries agreed on the sixth package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, providing for a partial embargo on the import of Russian oil and the disconnection of Sberbank from the SWIFT system.

The international rating agency Moody’s predicts that by the end of 2022, Ukraine’s gross domestic product will decrease by 35%. Moody’s estimates that regions where there is fighting or occupied by Russian troops accounted for about 20% of Ukraine’s GDP before the invasion, given the concentration of agricultural activities and industry.  Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

Ukraine's GDP fell by 35%

Polyester-yarn – PET-chemical-recycling

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