Recycling Processes Petrochemicals – Petrochemicals rPET PA6 – Will petrochemicals rise with oil?  24-07-2023

6 Industries that Chemical Recycling is Poised to Disrupt

Chemical recycling is a process in which waste materials are broken down into their original chemical compounds and reused or repurposed. It’s an efficient and sustainable way to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. Using chemical recycling, valuable materials that have already been used can be recovered for reuse without producing any additional environmental damage. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

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Unlike mechanical recycling, which can be limited by material quality degradation, chemical recycling is a viable solution to convert waste into usable resources and address the problems caused by increasing waste production. This blog delves into six diverse industries where chemical recycling holds tremendous potential, creating new opportunities for waste management and promoting sustainable practic

How the waste can become sustainable packaging, recycled construction materials, and more Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

Packaging

According to Statista, in recent years, the use of plastics worldwide has increased significantly and is now estimated at 460m metric tons. Packaging is the largest plastics-consuming segment, which comprises approximately 31% of the total. Watch and learn about Plug and Play’s effort to end plastic wast

Chemical recycling has the potential to greatly reduce the amount of plastic waste generated by the packaging industry. The technology can break down single-use packaging materials into valuable monomers and polymers. They can be used to produce new, high-quality packaging materials, reducing the need for virgin plastic production and minimizing plastic waste leakage into the environment Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

Biofabrik is a company that develops technologies in green chemicals and waste to energy. One of its technologies, WASTX Plastic, can be applied to food packaging by processing multi-layer films and contaminants such as paper labels and food residues.

Besides food packaging, chemical recycling is gaining traction in beauty and personal care as leading brands are now incorporating recycled material into their packaging. For example, cosmetics companies like KAO, Shiseido, and Amorepacific are all focusing on increasing the use of recycled plastic in their packaging and creating high-quality post-consumer recycled materials through chemical recycling technology.

Automotive

Chemical recycling offers benefits to the automotive industry, particularly in managing end-of-life vehicle components. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

Many vehicle parts are made from materials that are challenging to recycle through traditional methods. These materials include valuable metals, rubber, and interior design materials like plastics, foam, carpeting, and upholstery. They can be broken down through chemical recycling into their original chemical constituents, which can be used to create new automotive materials.

Many mobility industry players have been embracing chemical recycling to reduce plastic waste. In 2022, Audi partnered with LyondellBasell, a chemical company, to use its plastics in the Audi Q8 e-tron’s seatbelt buckle covers. The plastic is made from feedstocks sourced from mixed automotive plastic waste. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz is working with BASF and startup Pyrum Innovations to increase the proportion of recycled materials in its car fleet to an average of 40% by 2030. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

The carmaker utilizes BASF’s chemical recycling technology and combines it with pyrolysis oil that Pyrum Innovations generates from used tires.

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Is biodegradable packaging really the answer to the world’s plastic addiction?

Many materials can be used to create biodegradable packaging, including crop waste

The modern world’s addiction to plastic shows no sign of ending, with forecasts indicating that demand for the material is likely to rise steeply in the coming decades.

As a result, efforts to design and produce less harmful alternatives have ramped up. Cutlery, bottles and plates can now be made out of plant material, and some even degrade into fish food. But can they replace the need for traditional plastic?

Is biodegradable the answer?

Given the problems created by conventional plastics, mostly generated from fossil fuels, is the answer to be found in biodegradable alternatives? Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

There’s a perception if it says biodegradable it will rot down. That’s not the case at all

Phil Purnell, University of Leeds

Starch, cellulose (plant fibres), biologically derived polymers and proteins are the starting points for various biodegradable plastics, including packaging materials. Some biodegradable plastics are compostable, meaning that they turn into a nutrient-rich substance.

“There are many types of compostable plastics,” said Dr Teresa Domenech, associate professor in industrial ecology and the circular economy at University College London.

“The most common ones are polylactic acid derived. The feedstock is starchy products such as sugar cane, corn starch … but they can be derived from a variety of biomaterials, including agricultural waste.” Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

Researchers are investigating potential new materials, as evidenced by a study published in June by scientists at the Dubai campus of the Indian university Bits Pilani.

The scientists found that a composite of starch, cellulose, chitin (which can be obtained from fungi, for example) and date seed extracts could be useful as a food packaging film.

Starch is widely available from plants including wheat, corn and potatoes but, on its own, tends not to prevent the growth of microorganisms that cause food to spoil.

With the date seeds extract included, the film was better able to protect the fruit from deteriorating. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

“Addition of extracts from dat e seeds to the prepared composite film imparted antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, which when used for fruit wrapping suggested that the freshness of the fruit was retained for a much longer period,” the researchers wrote in Food Bioscience.

When conditions are optimal, the film degraded in composting soil in five to seven weeks.

In another example, scientists in China recently found that a mix of cellulose nanofibres and part of the sweetcorn stalk called the corn straw core was a potential food packaging material because it resisted ultraviolet light and was not water vapour permeable.

The researchers’ paper in the journal Food Hydrocolloids described corn straw cores as “by far the most readily available” type of crop waste. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

Breaking down the truth

While such results may appear to suggest that biodegradable packaging could be the answer to society’s plastic problem, “there are all sorts of caveats”, according to Prof Phil Purnell, a professor of materials and structures at the University of Leeds in the UK.

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The Journey of Recycled Plastics: From Waste to New Products

Plastic waste has become one of the most significant environmental challenges that the world faces today. It is a pervasive pollutant that not only affects land but also water bodies and the creatures that call them home. The accumulation of plastic waste can be attributed to the surge in plastic production, inadequate disposal facilities, and consumer indifference. However, there is a solution to this problem, and that is plastic recycling. In this blog post, we will delve into how plastic recycling can transform waste into a sustainable future. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

1. Understanding Plastic Recycling: Plastic recycling involves the collection, sorting, cleaning, and processing of plastic waste to create new products. It can be achieved through various methods, such as mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and energy recovery. Mechanical recycling, the most common form, melts down the waste and remolds it into new products.
2. The Advantages of Plastic Recycling: Recycling plastic waste has numerous benefits. It reduces the volume of waste in landfills, conserves natural resources, saves energy, and decreases greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling one ton of plastic can save approximately six barrels of oil, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, and 30,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, recycled plastic products are cheaper than those made from virgin plastic, making them more accessible to consumers. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals
3. The Challenges of Plastic Recycling: Despite being an excellent solution for reducing plastic waste, several challenges hinder the full implementation of plastic recycling. One major challenge is the lack of infrastructure and facilities for recycling in many countries, leading to the accumulation of plastic waste. Additionally, the recycling process can be costly, especially for low-value plastics. Furthermore, efficiently sorting and separating different types of plastics, which require different recycling methods, can be difficult.
4. The Role of Consumers in Plastic Recycling: Consumers play a crucial role in plastic recycling by reducing their plastic waste and properly disposing of plastic products. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals
5. This can be achieved by adopting practices such as using reusable bags, bottles, and containers, avoiding single-use plastics, and depositing plastic waste in recycling bins. By doing so, consumers can help reduce the volume of plastic waste ending up in landfills and water bodies.
6. The Future of Plastic Recycling: The future of plastic recycling appears promising, as advancements in technology lead to new and innovative methods of recycling plastics. Chemical recycling, for instance, is gaining traction as it can transform hard-to-recycle plastics into raw materials for new plastic products. Moreover, governments and organizations are investing in recycling facilities and waste management systems to support plastic recycling efforts.

In Conclusion: Plastic recycling is a crucial step towards a sustainable future.

By recycling plastic waste, we can reduce our carbon footprint, conserve natural resources, and protect the environment. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

Although challenges remain, the benefits of plastic recycling outweigh the costs. As responsible consumers and businesses, we must embrace eco-friendly practices such as reducing plastic waste, proper disposal, and supporting initiatives that improve recycling infrastructure. Together, we can turn waste into a sustainable future.

African Exports to China Witness Significant Decline Amidst Economic Slowdown and Property Market Slump

In the first half of 2023, African exports to China experienced a sharp decline, plummeting by 12.4 per cent, despite Beijing’s efforts to boost trade with the continent. China’s General Administration of Customs reported that the total value of shipments from Africa to China stood at US$53 billion during this period. This news comes as a setback for China’s ambitious plan to strengthen its trade ties with African nations.

Contrastingly, Chinese exports to Africa displayed robust growth, rising by 15.4 per cent to reach US$87.88 billion during the same six-month period. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

The surge in Chinese exports was driven by a surge in demand for goods from China, following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions after three years of the pandemic’s impact. Consequently, the total two-way trade between China and Africa saw a modest increase of 3.1 per cent, amounting to US$140.9 billion.

Analysts and observers point to several factors that have contributed to this divergence in trade performance. One significant factor has been China’s economic slowdown, which has affected its overall import capacity. The sluggishness in China’s economy was further compounded by a slump in the country’s property market, along with lower commodity prices, particularly international crude oil. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

Resource-rich nations in Africa, such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Nigeria, and Ghana, heavily reliant on exporting industrial raw materials and crude oil, have experienced a notable drop in their trade with China. Angola, for instance, the second-largest oil producer in Africa, saw its trade with China decrease by 29.8 per cent to US$10.24 billion in the first half of the year. Shipments to China from Angola plummeted by 39.3 per cent, amounting to US$7.94 billion during the same period.

It is important to note that China had previously engaged in agreements with multiple African countries, offering tariff-free access to the Chinese market, and promising to import more goods from the continent. In 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping had announced Beijing’s ambition to import African products worth US$300 billion by 2025, with a specific focus on non-resource exports. However, despite these efforts, the trade balance remains skewed in favor of China, raising concerns about the effectiveness of these initiatives. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

Industry experts have attributed Africa’s declining exports to China to the impacts of China’s weakening property sector. The construction and infrastructure boom in China, which were heavily reliant on African raw materials like iron ore and fuel, has slowed down significantly. Chinese property investment declined by 7.9 per cent during the first six months of 2023 compared to the previous year, according to official Chinese data.

While African nations have made strides to diversify their trade ties, relying on other markets to reduce their dependence on China, the overall economic slowdown and property market slump in China continue to have far-reaching consequences. Nonetheless, some countries in Africa have fared better than others due to their diversified trade relationships and robust exports of metals to China. Recycling Processes Petrochemicals

In conclusion, despite China’s efforts to bolster trade with Africa, the first half of 2023 has seen a substantial decline in African exports to China. The ongoing economic slowdown and property market challenges in China, combined with lower commodity prices, have contributed to this decline. As Africa seeks to navigate these challenging times and diversify its trade partners, the sustainability of China’s push to promote imports from Africa remains uncertain. Both China and African nations may need to explore new strategies and avenues to foster mutually beneficial trade relationships moving forward.