Recycled – Plastic – H2 07-12-2022 - Arhive

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Recycled – Plastic – H2

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-Toray to sell recycled products made from fishing net

Toray Industries, Inc. announced that starting in March 2023, it will start selling yarns, fabrics, and other items made from nylon 6 chemically recycled fiber (N6CR) in Japan. These products will utilize Refineverse Group, Inc.’s recycled plastics and other materials, which are made from salvaged fishing nets, along with Toray’s depolymerization and repolymerization technology.

Toray anticipates that sales of N6CR products will increase from roughly 800 million yen on March 31, 2023, to 1.2 billion yen on March 31, 2025.

At its Nagoya Plant, Toray installed a new production system this year that can recognize virgin raw materials derived from fossil sources. This system includes a facility for recycling lactam storage tanks and resin made from recovered fishing nets. This setup will speed efforts to build a sophisticated fiber-to-fiber recycling business and contribute to a circular economy by recycling nylon 6 fiber products.

Environmental, social, and governance issues are of growing interest to people all around the world. Eco-friendly clothing products and materials are becoming more and more popular. Demand for moving away from petrochemical feedstocks and for resource conservation is growing rapidly in industrial applications.

With the help of its new N6CR plant, Toray will be able to overcome technological obstacles and expand its selection of nylon fibers for clothing that are high-performing and valuable.

The company aims to increase sales of eco-friendly, lightweight materials for legwear, innerwear, and sports and outdoor wear.

Automotive components, ropes, fishing nets, carpets, and other materials used in general industry are typical uses for industrial nylon fiber. Toray’s initiative will encourage the use of sustainable resources and reduce environmental impacts across a range of industrial industries.

By working with clients on projects to sell goods containing its N6CR materials, Toray will grow its advanced fiber to fiber recycling business. These initiatives will be in line with the business’s dedication to developing concepts, tools, and goods that provide value.

To assist the world manage resources sustainably by 2050 is one of the objectives of the Toray Group Sustainability Vision.

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-Circularise, partners complete ISCC test project 

Striding towards digitised certification

A pilot run by Circularise and ten partners, including Covestro, has been successfully completed, the companies have announced.  The project, which tested the feasibility of using a blockchain system to complement the ISCC Plus certification process, was the first time ten companies from the chemical industry and their various downstream sectors worked together to test whether such a digital system could bridge the inter-company gap in the sustainability certification process across value chains.
The idea behind the pilot was to examine whether Circularise’s blockchain-based digital system could make the auditing required for ISCC certification more efficient. As well the partners sought to strengthen the integrity of certified data.

“Certification will become more digital in the future. It will allow certification schemes to simplify the auditing process of supply chain actors and reduce the risk of mistakes. Companies will have an easier way to show compliance and adhere to auditing rules,” said Jan Henke from ISCC.

The participants used a public blockchain that enabled the authentication, accessibility, decentralisation, and encryption of data verifying material flows and related sustainability attributes.

ISCC certification of individual operators sites across the value chain guarantees the traceability and verification of data. This requires site-specific audits, certification, and company-specific mass balance calculations to provide reassurance about the sustainable content.
For the purpose of the pilot, the data was uploaded to the Circularise software system to improve mass balance bookkeeping and reporting along the value chain through several companies.

“We are excited to have tested Circularise’s traceability software on ISCC procedures,” said ISCC’s Henke. Using the software will also help to familiarise the value chain with ISCC and mass balance approach.
Mass balancing is an emerging concept, not yet fully understood on the consumer side. The delivery of digital certified information through a simple and compatible system can give downstream partners an easier and more recognised tool to communicate and share sustainability attributes externally, all the way down to the consumer.
Covestro joined the ISCC pilot to understand how they can more efficiently communicate their sustainability information to their downstream partners. The company is committed to becoming fully circular and is striving to become climate neutral by 2035 (scope 1 and 2).

“In the ISCC pilot we have shown now how we can easily attach certifications that can be digitally carried all the way through the value chain from Covestro to our downstream partners and finally to OEMs and beyond,” explained John Fox from the Digital R&D area at Covestro.

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-RadiciGroup, Save The Duck and Vibram – For a sustainable fashion, it takes “Anima”

RadiciGroup, Save The Duck and Vibram present the circular backpack that stands out for its style and high performance
The 3 major brands in the Italian textile/clothing and footwear supply chain have teamed up to create a new fashion accessory with recycled materials that can be recycled at the end of their life.
An eco-design pilot project born within the “Monitor for Circular Fashion” initiative of SDA Bocconi, which concretely demonstrates how the world of fashion can be sustainable

This innovative backpack is bi-material: it is in fact composed of fabric made of RENYCLE, a yarn produced by RadiciGroup and 100% derived from the mechanical recycling of polyamide (nylon), which allows significant savings in terms of energy use (-87.4% ), CO2 emissions (-89.3%) and water consumption (-90.4%) and which is GRS certified and compliant with Oeko-tex standard 100 for responsible production; the rubber parts, such as the bottom for example, are made from recycled industrial waste from the Vibram plant in Albizzate, certified according to ISO standards.

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RadiciGroup, Save The Duck and Vibram – Anima

Thanks to great teamwork between RadiciGroup, Save The Duck and Vibram, Anima can be easily disassembled and significantly simplifies the recycling of the accessory at the end of its life: the fabric part can be transformed into a new polymeric material that can be used in any sector that involves the use of high-performance polyamides; while the rubber part is easily transformed into a new accessory: a case.

The nylon composition, due to the nature of this material, also allows “Anima” to have a significantly lower weight than traditional backpacks and an extremely small footprint.

It is possible to create a backpack that is completely sustainable, innovative, resistant and at the same time a fashion item, and this has been demonstrated by three Italian excellences that have sustainability among their values: RadiciGroup, a company born in Bergamo, today a world leader in chemicals, technopolymers and advanced textile solutions, Save The Duck, an Italian brand specializing in 100% animal cruelty free outerwear, and Vibram, a leading brand in the production and marketing of high performance soles. The three companies met as part of the Community for a circular fashion of SDA Bocconi School of Management, and collaborated by pooling their skills, giving life to the “Anima” accessory.

This backpack was created to be used in your free time, but also for work or travel, thanks to a dynamic structure that adapts to the contents and to any occasion. The body of the backpack is in fact made of rip-stop, a nylon fabric produced with a woven technology, widely used in the fashion world, which, together with a linear and elegant design, and softness to the touch, gives this accessory a very strong fashion lapel. Furthermore, this fabric has the ability to resist tearing, foldability and comfort as its main characteristics, and for this reason it is also suitable for use outside the city. The backpack is completed by a removable laptop holder, making it an ideal accessory for professionals and students as well. The result is a durable and extremely versatile backpack.

The RadiciGroup, Save The Duck and Vibram backpack therefore represents a new concrete solution of circularity in the fashion world and is proof that it is feasible to create textile and clothing solutions in a sustainable way through collaboration between companies in the supply chain.

«RadiciGroup has made circularity the keyword of its business strategy, in all the sectors it addresses, in particular fashion and clothing, committing itself to creating durable, recyclable, high-performance and quality products.

We believe that achieving sustainability in the textile world is possible, starting upstream in the supply chain to select the right materials and designing in eco-design with other partners in the fashion industry to allow for the creation of products that can be recycled at the end of their life. For this reason, about two years ago, by making our know-how in materials and our experience in recovery available, we decided to become part of the “Monitor for Circular Fashion” initiative of SDA Bocconi, where we met Save The Duck and Vibram. “Anima” was born from the continuous and synergistic collaboration with these two excellent brands, a backpack that is an expression of circular fashion, but also of design and high performance», commented Chiara Ferraris, Head of Communication and External Relation Manager of RadiciGroup.

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RadiciGroup, Save The Duck and Vibram – Anima

-Meloni says Italy can lead in EU-Africa cooperation

Italy can lead the say in countering extremist radicalism and promoting collaboration and growth between the European Union and African nations, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in Rome over the weekend.

During the two-day (Med)iterranean Dialogues in Rome, Meloni presented her plan dubbed the ‘Mattei plan’ for Africa – named after late Eni founder Enrico Mattei who negotiated fairer and more cooperative partnerships with oil hosting countries that were seen as a direct challenge to arrangements usually negotiated by major oil companies.

Italy will adopt a “non-predatory but collaborative posture” with regard to the African market that mimics Mattei’s approach, Meloni said at the conference.

Before becoming prime minister, Meloni had fiercely attacked France for its predatory policies in Africa:

“Vile are those like France who continue to exploit Africa by printing money for 14 African nations on which they apply seigniorage, making children work in the mines, extracting raw materials as in Niger.

Africa is running away from you (…) and the solution is to free Africa from certain Europeans,” she said at the time.

The Mediterranean divides but also unites the EU and Africa, she said at the conference, adding that stability and security in this area is “the precondition for the economic and social development” of European and African nations.

The Italian government’s “most urgent” foreign policy and national and security priorities include “the full and lasting stabilisation of Libya” and taking a leading position in countering the spread of “extremist radicalism” in the sub-Saharan area.

“Italy is and can be much more a natural hinge and energy bridge between the Mediterranean and Europe”, Meloni concluded.

Faced with a migration crisis and increasing pressure to accommodate migrants, mostly coming from North Africa, it is likely Meloni is also keen to stem much of the flow at the source.

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Meloni says Italy can lead in EU-Africa cooperation

-What’s Happening with Chemical Recycling for Plastic Packaging?

New report identifies which technologies are likely to be best used moving forward, as sustainability in plastic packaging continues to be a hot-button issue with brands and environmentalists.

While still in its infancy, chemical recycling aka advanced recycling for plastics saw significant activity in 2022, with numerous announcements about strategic partnerships, projects, investments, and new products.

According to the new report “Chemical Recycling and Dissolution of Plastics 2023-2033” from IDTechEx, “There is a beneficial role for these processes, although perhaps overstated by many. The tailwinds are so great that significant mid-term growth is inevitable though still modest relative to the full scale of the annual plastic waste production.”

Announcements in 2022 include:

  • Eastman is spending up to US$1 billion on a polyester depolymerization plant;
  • Carbios has closed agreements with On, Patagonia, PUMA, and Salomon — and is reportedly working on its first industrial enzymatic depolymerization plant in partnership with Indorama;
  • Encina is investing US$1.1 billion in a new pyrolysis plant;
  • Plastic Energy is moving ahead to commercialize projects with TotalEnergies, INEOS, LyondellBasell, and Qenos;
  • Honeywell has a strategic agreement with TotalEnergies and a joint venture with Avangard.

The four chemical or advanced recycling technologies for plastics expected to see growth in the next six years are (in order of volume, according to the report):

  1. Pyrolysis.
  2. Depolymerization.
  3. Solvent extraction.
  4. Hydrothermal.

Regulations — which have “ramped up” in the US — may temper the rate of technology development and acceptance, though. According to the IDTechEx report, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has received more than 100 letters from lawmakers and environmental groups concerning how chemical recycling is regulated.

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What’s Happening with Chemical Recycling for Plastic Packaging?

-Valérius 360 & Trützschler develops high-quality recycled yarn

Portuguese textile supplier, Valérius 360 has partnered with German spinning technology company Trützschler to produce high-quality recycled yarn – opening up the massive potential to drive measurable progress toward a circular and sustainable textile industry.

In 2017, Valérius 360 was established in Portugal. It creates yarn by recycling byproducts of its own spinning and knitting operations, which keeps more material in the economic cycle for longer, reduces waste, and significantly improves sustainability. With the ambitious goal of improving the quality of yarn made from recovered waste fiber, its specialists recently started a new initiative. But there are a number of challenges in processing recycled fibers. For instance, the fiber quality decreases when fabrics are opened up to the tuft.

Trützschler supports spinners with applications involving recovered waste fibers thanks to its cutting-edge technologies and extensive knowledge. Their professionals are highly knowledgeable about the crucial impact that fiber and spinning preparatory steps have on the final yarn’s quality. We looked at ways to help Valérius 360’s project succeed in collaboration with them.

But there are a number of challenges in processing recycled fibers. For instance, the fiber quality decreases when fabrics are opened up to the tuft.

Trützschler supports spinners with applications involving recovered waste fibers thanks to its cutting-edge technologies and extensive knowledge. Their professionals are highly knowledgeable about the crucial impact that fiber and spinning preparatory steps have on the final yarn’s quality. They looked at ways to help Valérius 360’s project succeed in collaboration with them.

The Valérius 360 team was looking for ways to enhance the production of yarns that were 50% recycled and 50% virgin cotton. It was specifically looking for methods to lessen thick and thin patches, which interfere with the aesthetic of the textile surface.

The company conducted specialized tests at the Trützschler Technical Center in Mönchengladbach that demonstrated the superiority of a direct spinning process for this application over a procedure with a draw frame passage for rotor yarns.

In direct spinning, the card’s sliver is drawn straight into the draw frame that is built into the can stock. Compared to employing an autoleveller draw frame, this requires one fewer process step, saves space, and gives staff more time for other operations.

The ability of direct spinning to decrease the quantity of flaws in the yarn was evident. Thus, the yarn breaks were 30% less frequent and the Total IPI was 38% less frequent. Energy usage is also positively impacted by the direct spinning process: For a medium-sized plant, direct spinning provides a 5% potential savings advantage over the method with a draw frame passage. Savings of more than 5,000 euros per year are possible at an energy cost of 0.20 euros per kW.

Additionally, the Trützschler Customer Service division provided in-house training for the Valérius 360 team. Together, they looked at the process at the Valérius 360 production facility and made major improvements.

This makes it easier to reach the 50% Usterstatistics threshold for yarns derived from recycled raw materials.

This serves as the benchmark for yarns produced from virgin raw materials. Therefore, 50% of all yarn manufacturers who use raw cotton for rotor yarns and yarn counts that are comparable create yarn of worse quality.

Trützschler is steadfastly committed to assisting its clients in the transition to a textile industry that is more environmentally friendly. This case study demonstrates how customers can use preparation systems from Trützschler to enhance the processing of recycled materials. This includes fiber preparation plant innovations like T-Blend and the TC 19iR. Additionally, it covers spinning preparatory ideas such as direct spinning using Trützschler’s distinctive IDF. This includes fiber preparation plant innovations like T-Blend and the TC 19iR. Additionally, it covers spinning preparatory ideas such as direct spinning using Trützschler’s distinctive IDF. Because quality is determined at the preparation stage, these cutting-edge solutions assist customers in utilizing the maximum potential of the material they are processing.

Miklós Pál Nagy, Manager at Valérius 360, said that they feel that right now the fashion industry is in a position to actively play a pioneering role in healing the environment and so recovering humanity, and they want to make their contribution to that.

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Valérius 360 & Trützschler develops high-quality recycled yarn

-Cepsa to invest 3 billion Euros in Andalusia to build the largest green hydrogen hub in Europe

The project will be accompanied by an additional investment of 2 billion euros to develop a 3 GW portfolio of wind and solar power projects to generate renewable electricity

Cepsa will generate 10,000 jobs including direct, indirect, and induced to start up two new plants with total capacity of 2 GW producing up to 300,000 tons of green hydrogen at two new plants in Campo de Gibraltar (Cádiz) and Palos de la Frontera (Huelva)

The Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley will help decarbonize industry and heavy land, air, and maritime transport, reducing CO2 emissions by six million tons

The project, presented today at an event attended by Spanish government officials and Cepsa’s CEO, among other authorities, will strengthen Spain’s ambition to lead the energy transition and guarantee an independent energy supply for Europe

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “This investment will help Spain achieve its goal to become an energy exporting country, with the first European green hydrogen corridor between the Campo de Gibraltar and the Dutch Port of Rotterdam. Andalusia has everything it takes to become one of the most competitive regions in the world for hydrogen production.”

Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, President of the Regional Government of Andalusia said: “We are talking about the great energy source of the future, which can decarbonize industry, mobility and households.

Andalusia has the position and strength to lead in the generation and export of green hydrogen, and public-private collaboration can strengthen our position in the production of this clean energy vector. That is why we are setting up an Andalusian Green Hydrogen Alliance in which the Administration and all interested parties will participate.”

Cepsa CEO Maarten Wetselaar said: “The Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley is a groundbreaking project whose 2 GW capacity is 10 times bigger than the largest under construction in Europe today. The project produces green hydrogen at scale that can decarbonize industry, aviation, and heavy road and maritime transport in Europe for Europe.”

Cepsa has also signed an agreement with the Port of Rotterdam to create the first green hydrogen corridor between southern and northern Europe, allowing the export of green ammonia and methanol

This is the biggest milestone Cepsa has achieved thus far as part of the development of its Positive Motion strategy and represents 50% of the green hydrogen production planned by the Government for the whole of Spain by 2030

Cepsa, the leading company in Andalusia by sales volume, will invest more than 3 billion euros to establish the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley, creating the largest green hydrogen hub in Europe in southern Spain. The project, part of Cepsa’s 2030 strategy Positive Motion, will contribute to Europe’s energy security and independence, in line with the objectives of the European Union’s REPowerEU strategy. The investment is the biggest milestone to date of Cepsa’s Positive Motion energy transition plan to lead sustainable mobility and the production of green hydrogen and advanced biofuels in Spain and Portugal this decade.

The company will build two plants with a total capacity of 2 GW to produce green hydrogen. The plants, with 1 GW of capacity each, will be located in Palos de la Frontera (Huelva) next to Cepsa’s La Rábida Energy Park and at the company’s San Roque Energy Park in Cádiz. The Huelva plant will start up in 2026, reaching full capacity in 2028, while the Cádiz facility will be operational in 2027. Cepsa is already working on the engineering and administrative processing of the project.

To generate the renewable electricity needed to feed production of green hydrogen, Cepsa will develop a 3GW portfolio of wind and solar energy projects with an additional 2 billion euro investment.

The company will also collaborate with other renewable energy producers in Andalusia and the rest of Spain to promote the integration of these new plants into the electricity system.

During the presentation of this hub, held this morning at the San Roque Energy Park, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “This investment will help Spain achieve its goal to become an energy exporting country, with the first European green hydrogen corridor between the Campo de Gibraltar and the Dutch Port of Rotterdam. Andalusia has everything it takes to become one of the most competitive regions in the world for hydrogen production.”

Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, President of the Regional Government of Andalusia, noted that: “We are talking about the great energy source of the future, which can decarbonize industry, mobility, and households. Andalusia has the position and strength to lead in the generation and export of green hydrogen, and public-private collaboration can strengthen our position in the production of this clean energy vector. That is why we are setting up an Andalusian Green Hydrogen Alliance in which the Administration and all interested parties will participate.”

“The Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley is a groundbreaking project whose 2 GW capacity is 10 times bigger than the largest under construction in Europe today. This project produces green hydrogen at scale that can decarbonize industry, aviation, and heavy road and maritime transport in Europe, for Europe.”

Maarten Wetselaar – CEO of Cepsa

Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, mayor of San Roque, Roel Nieuwenkamp, ambassador of the Netherlands in Spain, Gerardo Landaluce and Pilar Miranda, presidents of the Ports of Algeciras and Huelva, and Nico Van Dooren, director of new business at the Port of Rotterdam, also participated in the event alongside other authorities and energy sector representatives.

The Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley will produce 300,000 tons of green hydrogen per year, driving the decarbonization of Cepsa’s Energy Parks where it will produce advanced biofuels for aviation (SAF), and maritime and heavy land transport. Hydrogen will be particularly important for the production of by-products such as green ammonia and methanol, which will ensure that green marine fuels will be available in the main Spanish ports, helping to decarbonize maritime sector customers.

Implementing this project will save six million tons of CO2 emissions per year. Aside from replacing grey hydrogen in industrial processes, green hydrogen will also have a multiplier effect when used in the production of renewable fuels that will replace traditional fossil fuels.

Andalusia, a world benchmark for green hydrogen

Through this initiative, Cepsa strengthens its commitment to Andalusia, a key region of its Positive Motion plan. The region, already a leader in renewable energy production, now has the potential to become a leader in the production of green molecules such as green hydrogen, advanced biofuels, and synthetic fuels from renewable sources, such as green ammonia and methanol.

The region has everything it takes to become one of the most competitive and efficient places in the world for green hydrogen production. Currently, 40% of the hydrogen produced in Spain is consumed in this autonomous community with a substantial industrial base, making San Roque and Palos de la Frontera privileged locations for the development of large-scale projects. It also has one of the highest wind and solar photovoltaic power generation and production capacity in Europe, and at the lowest cost.

Developing this project will guarantee the future of industrial employment in Andalusia, generating 10,000 jobs, including direct, indirect, and induced. Of these, 1,000 will be direct employment opportunities. The company will work on training new job skills through its own training centers at its Energy Parks, as well as through its partnerships with different universities in the area.

Andalusia has world-class port infrastructure, connected to the main ports of Europe and the world. The ports of Algeciras and Huelva are two key locations on the export and maritime traffic routes both to northern Europe and to Asia and Africa. Establishing the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley will position Andalusian ports as global leaders in international green hydrogen corridors and in the supply of new sustainable fuels for maritime transport.

In this regard, Cepsa has recently reached an agreement with the Port of Rotterdam to create the first green hydrogen corridor linking northern and southern Europe.

This project will also boost the economic activity of more than 400 SMEs in the area and act as a mobilizing project to attract new industry and investment from other links in the hydrogen value chain, such as electrolyzer factories, green fertilizer plants, or hydrogen transport technology. Cepsa’s objective is to promote partnerships and collaborations to improve the competitiveness of Andalusia’s important industrial centers through the supply of affordable, accessible, safe, and available energy.

Working towards SDGs

The Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley contributes to several of the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy), SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG 12 (Responsible production and consumption), and SDG 13 (Climate action).

Spain, a global leader in green hydrogen

Due to the abundance of sun and wind in the Iberian Peninsula, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that green hydrogen in Spain will be cheaper than grey hydrogen in 2026, second only to China, Brazil and India. It also expects Spain to become a net exporter of renewable hydrogen. Twenty percent of all projects worldwide are located in Spain.

The Hydrogen Roadmap, designed by the Spanish Government with a 8.9 billion euro investment, sets targets for 2030 of 4,000 MW of electrolyzer power, with 25% of industrial consumption, 5,000 to 7,000 light and heavy vehicles and two commercial train lines powered by renewable hydrogen, as well as 150 to 200 hydro generators for public use.

In addition, as part of the Recovery Plan’s transformational drive, the Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation of Renewable Energies, Renewable Hydrogen and Storage (PERTE ERHA) allocates 1.55 billion euros to green hydrogen.

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Cepsa to invest 3 billion Euros in Andalusia to build the largest green hydrogen hub in Europe

Recycled – Plastic – H2

Oil – Plastic – Economy 06-12-2022