Polymers Petrochemicals renewability Recycling 21-01-2019 - Arhive
Crude Oil Prices Trend
British Prime Minister Theresa May unveils her Brexit “Plan B” to parliament on Monday after MPs shredded her EU divorce deal, deepening the political gridlock 10 weeks from departure day.
Britain will leave the European Union on March 29 without a deal unless MPs can force a delay or get their act together in time and come up with an alternative plan that Brussels is also happy with.
The world’s fifth-biggest economy could lose preferential access to its largest export market overnight, affecting every sector, leading to rising costs and disruption at British ports.
London and Brussels have spent the best part of two years working on a divorce agreement but MPs in parliament’s lower House of Commons comprehensively rejected it on Tuesday.
May’s government then survived a confidence vote on Wednesday and set about talks with figures from rival parties.
But the main opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn stayed away, saying a “no-deal” departure must be ruled out first — something May says is impossible.
A second carpet recycling facility to open in Woodland, California, in 2019.
Trento, Italy-based Aquafil, a leading manufacturer of Nylon 6, opened its first U.S. carpet recycling facility in Phoenix, Arizona. More than 160 customers, suppliers and sustainability experts gathered at the grand opening of the 116,000-square-foot Aquafil Carpet Recycling (ACR) No. 1 facility in December. Aquafil USA carpet recycling plant
Aqaufil USA President Franco Rossi says 3.5 billion pounds of carpets are discarded each year in the U.S. Only two or three percent is recycled and the rest “goes to landfill or is incinerated.” The facility will have the capacity to collect and process 35 million pounds of carpet per year.
Biotech Partnership Raises €7.5M to Recycle Plastics With Enzymes
The French biotechs Carbios and Toulouse White Biotechnology have been awarded €7.5M to industrialize their plastic recycling programme, which uses enzymes to break down waste.
The funding comes from the public initiative Investments for the Future Program, which is aimed to foster innovation in French industries. The €7.5M is to be paid in installments over a period of 39 months. Carbios is the leader of the project, and will receive up to €4.1M of the total.
The funding will help to accelerate the industrialization of Carbios’ technology, which aims to recycle plastics containing the polymer polyethylene terephthalate (PET), commonly found in textiles and bottles.
Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate have been on a recovery path since start of year
Siddesh Suresh Mayenkar, Senior Reporter
Dubai: Oil prices are likely to look beyond the supply and demand dynamics that govern them — to factor in events such as the trade talks between the US and China and the behaviour of stock markets and bonds — and rise over the next few weeks, experts say.
Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate has been on a recovery path since the start of the year.
Brent crude has gained 16 per cent since the end of 2018, while the WTI has accumulated 18 per cent in gains since January 1. On Friday, the WTI rose 3.25 per cent at $53.76 (Dh197) a barrel, Brent crude was up 2.29 per cent at $62.58 per barrel.
Aquafil, Nofir recycle recovered nets into yarn for fashion, interior industries.
Last month, Norway-based Nofir collected 24 tons of discarded fishing nets from Antarctica’s oceans. After the nets are dismantled and cleaned, Nofir sends them off to Italy-based Aquafil to be processed into nylon yarn.
An estimated 640,000 tons of fishing gear gets discarded in the oceans each year. Dolphins, sea turtles and whales have been found entangled in the nets and many of them die. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, if the problem continues, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.
Paris: Saudi Arabia demonstrated its resolve to lift oil prices by slashing output ahead of the entry into force of new pact limiting production while Russia boosted output to a record level, the International Energy Agency said on Friday.
World oil markets have been on a rollercoaster ride in recent months, with OPEC and its partners including Russia, often called OPEC+, agreeing to cut back production again from January in order to reverse a slump in oil prices on abundant production and worries about slower global growth.
In its latest monthly report, the Paris-based International Energy Agency said the Saudis took the lead by cutting output in December as prices tumbled by more than a third in just two months.
Arvind to adopt sustainable dyeing technologies in its units across India
Textile major Arvind is keen on introducing DyeCoo’s CO2-dyeing technology at its manufacturing plants across India.
This eliminates the need for water and chemical dyes and is environmental free. DyeCoo, a Dutch company, is looking to partner leading textile firms in India. Arvind sustainable dyeing technologies India
If all goes well, Arvind will be the first company in India to introduce sustainable technology in the manufacturing of textiles in India.
Arvind is in the process of ramping up textile production across its manufacturing units as it plans to double its textile business in the next five years.
The company has earmarked an investment of Rs 500 crores every year for the next five years to expand its textile business.
BP Polymers Introduces Kortrax® Barrier Resin for HDPE Containers
BP Polymers, LLC proudly announces the launch of Kortrax® BR – the latest generation in barrier resins for HDPE containers.
A full year of research and development was invested by BP Polymers in developing the Kortrax® BR family of products, leveraging the mono-layer barrier technology originated and developed previously with Quoral® barrier resins.
Kortrax® utilizes the same platform as Quoral® – a polyamide base – with the addition of other polymers to improve both the chemical permeability performance profile and the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) of HDPE containers.
Kortrax® constructed containers, trade marked as Baritainers®, can safely transport solvent based products such as household chemicals, industrial chemicals, cleaning solvents, adhesives, wood preservatives, automotive additives and agricultural chemicals.
Huntersville, N.C. – Microban International is deepening its range of sustainable products.
The company, an antimicrobial and odor control and prevention technology source, has received bluesign approval for two technologies: Scentry Revive BC300A and BC300B; and Aegis AEM5772-5, AEM5700 and FU5700.
These additions bring the Microban bluesign-approved portfolio to a total of 10 antimicrobial and odor control solutions. Scentry Revive, a patent-pending odor capture platform, launched globally in April 2018. AEGIS has been a leading antimicrobial solution for more than 30 years.
Are we heading for a plastic-free world? – just-food FUTURES analysis
An increasing number of retailers and suppliers are pledging to go ‘plastic-free’, but will the industry ever do away with plastic completely? And what do food companies need to do to align themselves with this growing environmental concern? The third issue of FUTURES from just-food explores the possibility of a world without plastic.
More than a third of the food sold in the EU comes packaged in plastic, with estimates suggesting that, by 2020, Europe will consume more than 900 billion items of packaged food annually.
According to Greenpeace, this puts a truckload of plastic waste into our oceans every minute, where it becomes a hazard for marine wildlife and ends up in everything from seafood and drinking water to beer and sea salt.
US-based manufacturer of rigid packaging solutions IntraPac International has completed its merger with Technical Precision Plastics (TPP).
The transaction marks the second for IntraPac under Oncap’s ownership following the acquisition of Quality Plastics in September 2017.
Established in 1984, TPP offers injection moulding of special components for medical and premium consumer applications.
The company currently operates two manufacturing locations at Mebane in North Carolina, US, and Haina in the Dominican Republic offering medical clean room and multi-shot moulding and services.
Automotive Government/Legal Industry Manufacturing
Vehicle certification is among the functions halted by the nearly four-week partial shutdown of the federal government, meaning auto makers could face delays in launching new and updated models if the impasse in Washington drags on.
Under the Clean Air Act, new vehicles and engines can’t be sold legally in the U.S. without approval from the EPA. Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.’s president of global markets, noted this week that the automaker has a number of important products headed to dealerships this year, including the redesigned Explorer and Escape, as well as the new Lincoln Aviator.
“We’re all waiting in lines,” Farley said at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit. “Every new vehicle has to get certified through the government. If that gets backed up, so do the launches.”
Volatility in crude oil prices pinches synthetic textile manufacturers
Raw material buyers in the synthetic textile industry disappeared from the market amid expectations of a further fall in prices
Volatility in crude oil prices pinches synthetic textile manufacturers
Volatility in crude oil prices has hit synthetic textile manufacturers hard, with a frequent change in buying behaviour observed for both the raw material and finished products segments.
When crude prices hit their highest levels in 2018 at $86 a barrel (on October 3), raw material buyers placed massive orders steadily to build their pipeline inventory before any further rise.
However, the entire sentiment saw a reversal in two months, when crude oil prices slipped to trade at $49.73 a barrel (on December 24).
BOTTLES made out of eco-friendly material that replaces plastic have generated a lot of interest.
That is according to Ray de Vries, founder and chief executive of the Air Water company that produces them as part of its “zero plastic, zero harm” campaign.
Made from sugar cane, the 100% sustainable bottle can be used as many times as necessary and, once composted, decomposes within 120 days, said De Vries.
“The Eco Water Bottle will be on the shelves in months. We are talking to investors because we want to export the bottle. There has been a huge amount of interest in South Africa and beyond.”
De Vries said he had been so impressed with the bottle that he had marketed the product to other industries as well.
Additives: Special Effects Liquid Colors for Packaging and Consumer Products
New special effects liquid colors, including metallics, pearlescents, super-brights, transparent tints, plus colors with non-synthetic liquid colorants are now available from Riverdale Global, Ashton, Penn.
The new extensive product launch is said to enable manufacturers of packaging and consumer products to enhance shelf appeal and add value while using lower let-downs of colorant than with pellet masterbatch.
The increased coloring efficiency of liquid color is attributable to a higher pigment loading per pound of colorant and enhanced dispersion as a result of the liquid carrier.
Like other liquid colors and additives from Riverdale Global, the new special-effect colors are each supplied in a container that stays sealed from the moment it arrives at the processor’s loading dock, through storage, handling, and metering into the process, and during return to Riverdale Global for replenishment.
Sensient Imaging Technologies, a subsidiary of Sensient Technologies Corporation, has launched a new range of high performance digital dye sublimation inks for low-viscosity Epson printheads, ElvaJet Opal SB inks. Sensient Imaging Technologies is a leading supplier of inkjet inks for digital textile, industrial digital, and sublimation printing.
Following the extensive success of ElvaJet Opal SC inks for mid-viscosity printheads, ElvaJet Opal SB ink addresses the needs of low viscosity printheads, and allows customers of wide format printers to benefit from the revolutionary technology.
ElvaJet Opal SB ink fulfils the need for a plug and print solution in this market. ElvaJet Opal SB ink is also certified for Eco Passport for Oeko-Tex, epitomising Sensient’s commitment to sustainability and responsible use of chemicals in the supply chain, according to a media statement by the company.
The prospect of Nigeria’s economic projections on earnings from sales of crude oil for 2019 received a boost at the weekend as the price of the commodity rose above the $60 benchmark proposal used for the year’s budget.
The Federal Government had, late last month, presented a budget proposal based on the following assumptions of oil price benchmark of $60 per barrel and national oil production estimate of 2.3 million barrels per day, including condensates.
However, economic experts expressed worries as the price of the commodity nosedived in recent times posing a threat to achieving the earmarked target.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil futures are trading higher on Friday, putting both markets in a position to close higher for the week. The markets are also in a position to change the trend to up on the daily chart after posting a nearly month-long countertrend rally.
Prices Rise on Trade Deal Hopes
The catalysts behind the rally are hope for a trade deal between the United States and China and adherence to the OPEC-led plan to cut production, trim the excess global supply and stabilize prices.
Achieving a circular economy through packaging and packaging waste
2019 will be a crucial year for industries involved the packaging and waste management value chain. Introduced last year, the amended form of the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive sets a target for obliged industries of ensuring that 65% of packaging waste is recycled by the year 2025, and 70% by 2030.
Reaching these targets will be complicated by inconsistencies in the way that member states track, measure and report the proportion of recycled waste, as well as by questions over the efficacy of deposit return schemes and the apportioning of incentives.
Another challenge comes in the form of the Single-Use Plastics Ban, confirmed in December last year. With the date for compliance set at 2021, the European Union will be the first of the world’s major economic blocs to eliminate the distribution of single-use plastics.
Foreign investors to drive changes to green packaging: ReportBusiness
The reason plastic has become popular in such a short span of time for such FMCG and pharma players is the utility it offers and hence, alternatives will have to be found, he said.
Mumbai: Foreign investors pressure and the urge to outwit competition will drive Indian consumer goods and pharma companies to change product packing to more environmentally sustainable alternatives in two years, says a report.
The mandated changes in local laws like Maharashtra’s plastic ban have raised awareness in the few years and we can also look at a pressure from consumers in future, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a weekend report.
With roughly two-thirds of its population below 30, Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking toward entrepreneurship as a tool for youth empowerment and a key to generating employment.
The focus has turned to entrepreneurship because the GCC countries, which depend on oil income, currently face stiff challenges in the wake of crude price volatility.
Entrepreneurship triggers economic development and contributes to the diversification of economies, spurring growth and job creation.
Naturally, entrepreneurs strive for innovation that drives competitiveness and business success.
