Polymers PET Petrochemicals carbon fibre 05-01-2019 - Arhive
Microban announces new European distributor
Microban International, a leader in antimicrobial and odour control and prevention solutions, has reached an agreement with Eigenmann & Veronelli for the distribution of Microban products in select European markets.
Eigenmann & Veronelli will now distribute Microban’s full portfolio of antimicrobial and odour control technologies, including Scentry, Scentry Revive, AEGIS, ZPTech and SilverShield to customers located in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Russia.
Microban’s portfolio provides solutions for apparel, furnishings, home textile and technical textiles. © Microban International
“Expanding our presence in Europe through world-class partnerships and strategic initiatives, has been a priority for Microban over the past year,” said Pablo Perella-Berdun, Vice President of Global Textiles for Microban. “Extending this partnership agreement with Eigenmann & Veronelli, one of Europe’s leading chemical distributors, is another positive step for our organisation. They’re an ideal partner to help us provide the best antimicrobial and odour control solutions for new markets in Europe.”
At a time when the world is struggling to bring down CO2 emissions, a yarns company of leading carpet group Beaulieu International Group is offering a new yarn that claims to bring down the usual emission from the manufacturing process to a mere 25 per cent, reports Jozef De Coster
Beaulieu Yarns, a company of the leading carpet group BIG (Beaulieu International Group, with a turnover in 2018 of $2.3 billion), claims to be the first yarn producer worldwide to offer a polyamide 6 yarn of which the CO2 emission is only 25 per cent of the usual emission.
New Mylar® Harvest Fresh Contains up to 50 Percent Post-Consumer rPET Content
DuPont Teijin Films combines the unique heat seal properties of the Mylar® Harvest Fresh range of films with base film made from food contact approved rPET polymer.
DuPont Teijin Films today announced the launch of its new Mylar® Harvest Fresh rPET range of heat sealable polyester films with up to 50 percent post-consumer recycled rPET content. DuPont Teijin Films rPET Films
As the world’s largest supplier of “top seal” polyester lidding films, DuPont Teijin Films combines the unique heat seal properties of the Mylar® Harvest Fresh range of films with base film made from food contact approved rPET polymer.
Advanced BioCarbon 3D develops high-performance 3D printable bioplastic from wood
The most popular material in 3D printing is PLA (polylactic acid). It’s a bioplastic made from renewable sources like corn starch and sugarcane, and it has excellent 3D printing characteristics (low melting temperature, consistent flow, minimal shrinkage, high rigidity). Bioplastics are on the rise due to the improved PR image associated with their renewable qualities, and Advanced BioCarbon 3D (ABC3D) out of British Columbia is expanding the bioplastic bandwagon to encourage more industrial users to jump on.
In an effort to prevent climate change, Hélène Bélanger and Ross Prestidge founded ABC3D to develop engineering-grade 3D printable bioplastics that have negative carbon footprints from the resins found in trees. Extracting resin from trees isn’t particularly new, but it’s the quality of the resin that distinguishes ABC3D other manufacturers.
Taghleef completes Biofilm acquisition
Taghleef Industries (Ti) has completed the acquisition of Biofilm, expanding its presence in Latin America.
Biofilm is regarded as one of Latin America’s leading manufacturers of BOPP films for flexible packaging, labels and industrial applications. Founded in 1988 in Cartagena, Colombia, Biofilm has focused on international sales to grow its business.
In 2004, the company opened its second manufacturing facility in Altamira, Mexico, which features multi-layer coextrusion technology to produce films with unique performance capabilities. Innovation at Biofilm is based on technological platforms that include clear barrier, ultra-high barrier and metallized films.
With eight state-of-the-art metallizing chambers at its production facilities, Biofilm is the largest supplier of metallized BOPP films in Latin America, as well as one of the largest suppliers of packaging grade BOPP films on the entire continent.
OUTLOOK ’19: Asia ethylene balance likely to lengthen in 2019
Asia ethylene is expected to be more ample in 2019, on the back of fewer cracker turnarounds in Japan, regional capacity expansions and possible downstream output cuts.
The outlook for deep-sea supply is mixed, with European exports likely to be curtailed by a slew of cracker maintenance shutdowns, while shipments from the US may be lifted by a new export facility in the fourth quarter.
Spot ethylene prices in northeast Asia ended 2018 on a weak note.
Deals were at below $1,000/tonne CFR (vost & freight) NE (northeast) Asia in the fourth quarter, lower compared with prices in the low $1,200s/tonne to low $1,400s/tonne CFR NE Asia during January-September.
The market was undermined by ample supply from the Middle East and southeast Asia, owing to strong cracker run-rates, weak polyethylene (PE) sales and planned and unplanned downstream outages.
Scientists study enzymes’ ability to reduce smells
AIMPLAS scientist working in the lab.Researchers in Spain are exploring the use of enzymes to deodorize recycled plastics from food packaging.
AIMPLAS, a plastics technology research center in Valencia, Spain, is conducting the ENZPLAST project. As part of the endeavor, scientists will look at using enzymes during the wash stage to remove odors. They’ll also assess how well they work to separate different materials in multi-layer items.
AIMPLAS will explore using different types of enzymes or groups of enzymes to deodorize plastic from industrial dairy, meat and fish containers, according to a press release.
Oil Rises On Hopes Of A U.S.-China Trade Deal
After starting the New Year in the red, crude oil stabilized higher today on reports that China plans to hold talks with the United States next week to settle their trade balance differences, Reuters reports.
The trade war between Washington and Beijing was one of the biggest reasons for heightened uncertainty around oil prices as China is one of the world’s top importers of the commodity and any sign that demand for it might waver immediately puts pressure on prices. Another cause for concern has been the ripple effect of the trade war on other economies.
When OPEC+ agreed to begin cutting crude oil production again in December, hardly anyone in the cartel thought the effect of the news on prices would be as lackluster as it turned out to be.
It took some time for the fact to sink in that this time too many traders were worried about the future of oil demand and were reluctant to speculate with oil.
Now OPEC is facing another tough year, perhaps even tougher than 2016, and it might just need to reduce production even more to make it work.
Turkish export group looks to grow U.S. business
Turkey is already doing about $300 million in business with the United States related to home textiles, but Pinar Tasdelen Engin, chairperson of the Uludag Textile Exporters’ Association (UTIB), would like to see that figure rise.
Engin, who is focused on overseeing the association’s activities, including organizing R&D projects and studies and coordinating trade fair activities worldwide, said the United States is currently the fifth largest export market, trailing Germany, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria and Romania. In 2017, UTIB’s total global exports had reached nearly $1.2 billion and Turkey’s total home textile exports were around $2.7 billion.
Retail giant invests in recycling technology providers
The parent of global retailer IKEA has invested in a pair of European companies developing cutting-edge plastics recycling technologies.
Ingka Group recently bought ownership stakes in Umincorp, a Dutch company pioneering a magnetic density separation technique for sorting mixed plastics, and Next Generation Group, a plastics recycling equipment provider that developed a liquid-state polycondensation PET recycling technology.
Float-suspended-sink separation
Umincorp announced the investment on Dec. 12. A spokesman told Plastics Recycling Update Ingka has become a minority shareholder in the Rotterdam company.
