Polymers Petrochemicals Bioplastic Technology 17-07-2019

Polymers Petrochemicals Bioplastic Technology 

China – Polyethylene Terephthalate

PET and its chain assessed mixed.

Crude oil today  is weak.

Polyamide 6 and its chain are steady.

Acrylonitrile is weak.

PET Bottle grade export 920/970 $/ton – PET Bottle grade domestic market 7,650/7,750 yuan/ton – PET Filament grade SD domestic market 7,100/7,250 yuan/ton – PET Filament grade BR domestic market 7,200/7,350 yuan/ton

PTA Taiwan 785/795 $/ton – PTA domestic market 6,300/6,400 yuan/ton – MEG  530/540 $/ton – MEG domestic market 4,250/4,350 yuan/ton – PX Korea 815/830 $/ton  Polymers

Polyester POY 150D/48F  domestic market 8,100/8,200  yuan/ton – Polyester DTY 150D/48F  domestic market 9,500/9,600  yuan/ton – Polyester Staple PSF domestic market 8,000/8,100 yuan/ton

 

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-PET polymer producer NEO Group adds third production line

Twelve years ago, NEO Group purchased  BKG underwater pelletisers and related components for three PET polymerisation lines but installed only two, storing the unused BKG equipment in their original shipping boxes.

NEO Group

NEO Group Complex at Klaipeda, Lithuania

Today the company has a new, third PET line, making it the second-largest PET producer in Europe, and those 12-year-old BKG pelletisers are hard at work as if they were delivered yesterday.

NEO Group had purchased the PET production lines from Zimmer AG, including twelve BKG underwater pelletisers: four for each polymerisation line, plus polymer diverter valves, gear pumps, water systems, pellet dryers, and controls.

-Storage flaws cause PET issues

Proprietary research from PTI has revealed that PET bottle performance issues may have their root cause in how long preforms are stored and in what environment.

PTI’s plant support staff were frequently being asked what storage duration was acceptable for preforms, explained Sumit Makherjee, chief technology officer, so the company studied 2-litre and 20-ounce preforms that were more than a year old. These preforms were dried under vacuum at 40 deg C to get them back to a condition similar to when they were first moulded.

-Pretium Packaging invests in PET blow molding equipment for Alabama plant

Pretium Packaging (Chesterfield, MO), a manufacturer of plastic containers and closures, has made a $2 million-dollar investment in new reheat stretch polyethylene terephthalate (PET) blow molding equipment and infrastructure for its Troy, AL manufacturing plant.

The equipment can produce both cold- and hot-fill PET containers to support the growing demand from the condiment, sauce and dressing market, as well as increased supply requirements from the beverage category, including ready-to-drink teas, energy drinks, coffee and more. Polymers Petrochemicals Bioplastic Technology

-German economic sentiment continues to decline on ongoing trade tensions – ZEW

German investor sentiment continued to decline in July as ongoing trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainties weigh on expectations, research institute ZEW said on Tuesday.

Euro sculpture in Frankfurt. Source: Stefan Ziese/imageBROKER/Shutterstock

The institute’s indicator for economic sentiment fell to -24.5 points, dropping 3.4 points on the previous month, following a significant 19-point drop in June.

The assessment of the economic situation in Germany recorded the first negative reading since 2010 at -1.1 for July, falling by 8.9 points. The indicator’s long-term average is 21.8 points.

-Austrian project proves non-bottle PET credentials

Several Austrian companies are joining forces to prove that non-bottle PET waste can be successfully recycled into high-quality products.

Spearheaded by Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen (NGR), the RePETitio project started in June 2019 and takes household PET waste such as blister packaging, thermoformed trays and films, which have been collected and sorted into a total of six material types by Landes-Abfallunternehmen (LAVU) and Altstoff Recycling Austria (ARA). Kruschitz GmbH conducts the subsequent flake production, including washing and shredding.

-Stepped-up cooperation between Borealis and Erema tackles challenge of plastics recyclability

Resin supplier Borealis and recycling systems provider Erema have signed a letter of intent (LOI) for the purpose of deepening their cooperation in the field of mechanical recycling. The shared goal is to advance mechanical recycling technologies in order to accelerate the transition to a circular economy of plastics. The companies also aim to enhance recycling processes in order to satisfy increasing market demand for higher-quality recyclate used in high-end applications. Polymers Petrochemicals Bioplastic Technology

-Global stocks fall, U.S. yields rise on retail sales data

A gauge of global equities fell on Tuesday and U.S. Treasury yields climbed as a stronger-than-anticipated report on retail sales raised the possibility the Federal Reserve could move towards a less dovish stance.

U.S. retail sales rose 0.4% in June, as households stepped up purchases of motor vehicles and a variety of other goods. The solid number comes on the heels of recent data showing a strong labor market and a pickup in consumer prices.

While the Fed is still largely expected to cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point at its July 30-31 policy meeting, expectations for a more aggressive half a percentage point cut have been scaled back. Polymers Petrochemicals Bioplastic Technology

-Notes from the field: The state of plastics processing

I had the good fortune to visit four injection molding companies in the U.S. Midwest last week. I have a full notebook, so there will be plenty of coverage coming from the trip.

But since many readers don’t get an opportunity to visit a wide variety of molders in just a few days, I’m sharing my impressions of the state of plastics processing in the summer of 2019.

-Apparel Textile Industry Readies for Functional Fabric Fair New York Powered by PERFORMANCE DAYS®

Complimentary Industry Admission; 120+ Curated Exhibits, Educational & Networking Programs Offered

Functional Fabric Fair New York powered by PERFORMANCE DAYS® will present more than 120 regionally diverse and hand-selected textile manufacturers, suppliers and service providers, July 22-23, 2019, at the Javits Center in New York.

The event has doubled in size from its 2018 launch and is attracting more than 1,600 registered designers and product, purchasing and material managers to preview the latest trends, source high performance functional fabrics and accessories, attend educational workshops and network among peers. Polymers Petrochemicals Bioplastic Technology