Tag: crude oil

Biopolymer – Recycled content 

-Chinaplas 2023: first-time use of all 18 exhibition halls of the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center

Chinaplas 2023, to be held at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, PR China (SWECC), on April 17-20, 2023, will be the first world-class plastics and rubber industry event held in China after the relaxation of pandemic controls, providing a stage for the entire industry to exchange high-tech technologies and explore business cooperation.

“Over the past year, the uncertain and unpredictable environment has increased the difficulty of organising the exhibition. However, this year the exhibition can still set a new record in terms of scale, with a total area of 380,000m2, an increase of 8.6% from the 2021 exhibition. It is the first time for us to use all 18 exhibition halls of SWECC. It is encouraging and reflects the high confidence and expectations of the industry. Together with more than 3,900 prominent renowned exhibitors from all over the world, the show shall follow the themes of high-quality development and vigorous development of advanced manufacturing, join hands together with the industry towards high-end manufacturing, smart manufacturing, and green manufacturing,” said Ms. Ada Leung, General Manager of organiser Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. at a press conference held in Shenzhen on March 29.  Biopolymer – Recycled content 

Over 3,900 exhibitors from China and abroad are showcasing a full array of solutions, including over 200 world / Asian debut technologies. It is expected that more than 1,400 materials suppliers and 3,000 sets of machinery exhibits will be on the same stage, supporting smart, efficient, cost-effective, and low-carbon manufacturing.

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-Neste is ‘walking the talk on chemical recycling’

Finland-based oil refining company Neste has announced that it has now concluded its second series of industrial-scale processing runs with liquefied waste plastic at its refinery in Porvoo, Finland. The process produces Nest Re, a feedstock that can be used on its own or in a blend. As a drop-in alternative, Neste Re is subsequently turned into new plastics by Neste’s partners.

To date, aiming to establish how different types of waste plastics behave during chemical recycling in the refinery processes, the company has processed close to 3,000 tons of liquefied waste plastic in six different runs. The runs have been conducted on existing refinery equipment built for crude oil refining, as Neste is still in the process of creating facilities specifically for processing liquefied waste plastic. Biopolymer – Recycled content 

The liquefied waste plastic for the runs has been sourced from multiple suppliers that are part of a supply network Neste has continuously expanded. These include US-based Alterra Energy, in which Neste holds a minority stake, as well as Finland-based Wastewise, with which Neste recently cooperated to chemically recycle cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) waste from pipe production into new PEX pipes. The ccompany targets “hard-to-recycle” waste plastic which would otherwise have ended up in incineration or landfill.

Neste is ‘walking the talk on chemical recycling, said Heikki Färkkilä, vice president of Chemical Recycling at Neste. “Our processing runs provide us not only with valuable knowledge on the technologies, but also serve as a proof of concept: chemical recycling can be done on an industrial scale. Our focus continues to be getting from individual processing runs to continuous operation.” Biopolymer – Recycled content 

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-Ecohelix to construct biopolymer production project in Sweden

Swedish biotechnology company Ecohelix intends to construct a biopolymer production facility using only wood. The facility, built in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, is anticipated to produce 15,000t of renewable wood-based polymeric products annually. The firm collaborated with Sweco, Eurocon, and AFRY to build the new plant.

It is suggested that the biopolymer plant be incorporated into the pulp mill run by Domsjö Fabriker in  Örnsköldsvik.  Biopolymers are sustainable components in paper chemicals, cosmetics, and packaging products.

Oskar Schmidt, chief technology officer at Ecohelix, stated: “We are using the same natural material in the construction as we use as a raw material in our production. Thus, the Ecohelix production unit in Domsjö will be entirely made of wood.”

“We tie Ecohelix production to the Domsjö pulp mill’s “heart.” Thus, the first rule is that we cannot compromise Domsjö’s core operations. They have incredibly high standards for the design of the production facility.”  Biopolymer – Recycled content 

The Ecohelix biopolymer production project to help achieve a sustainable future

The director of Sweco Industrial Structural Engineers, Merve Olsson Sarr, stated: “Ecohelix is a company that works with sustainable materials. Thus, when we were assigned to the planning work of Ecohelix production site, we wanted to think creatively and innovatively with climate-smart materials. We decided to construct the entire frame and supporting structures of an industrial building out of wood, in addition to the walls and roof.

The Ecohelix biopolymer production project shows how wood can promote circularity and sustainability in industrial production. Thus, it is anticipated to help the pulp and paper industry achieve a more sustainable future.  Biopolymer – Recycled content 

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-AvtoVAZ importplaced compounds for its cars

AvtoVAZ has been able to pick up imported polymer replacements for its car parts in Russia during 2022, Rupec reports.

The materials were developed and implemented by Russian manufacturers at the request of AvtoVAZ. This was told by Anna Shamparova, Head of Strategic Development of Polymer Suppliers of AvtoVAZ during the webinar “Import Substitution: Opportunities, Problems, Prospects”, held by NPP Polyplastic.

As examples of import substitution, Shamparova cited polyolefin compounds (previously supplied by Lyondellbasell, ExxonMobil, Borealis), PC / ABS of different colors and for painting, high-density polyethylene (PVP) for fuel tanks, polycarbonate (PC) for headlight diffusers, specific materials for interior parts. Biopolymer – Recycled content 

The PVP brand for tanks was developed by SIBUR. Shamparova did not disclose other manufacturers of polymers for AvtoVAZ.

Those materials that the company could not quickly replace imports with the participation of Russian manufacturers, AvtoVAZ purchased from suppliers from the Asia-Pacific region, in particular from China. The company could follow this path when purchasing paint and varnish materials.

Anna Shamparova also said that international sanctions were extremely sensitive for AvtoVAZ. Prior to their introduction, the company adhered to the general strategy of the Renault Group for polymers. At various production facilities of the group around the world, common specifications for materials were used, a single system of accredited laboratories operated, European materials were purchased in large volumes under contracts with the group. After February 2022, AvtoVAZ lost not only European polymers, but also access to accredited laboratories. After the departure of the Renault Group from the Russian Federation, the price of polymeric materials for AvtoVAZ increased due to a decrease in the volume of purchases to the scale of one manufacturer. Biopolymer – Recycled content 

-Solvay completes sale of 50% stake in joint venture with SIBUR

Solvay Group has completed the sale of its 50% stake in Rusvinyl to SIBUR for EUR 433 million, the Belgian company said in a statement.

“Solvay announces the completion of the sale of its 50% stake in the Rusvinyl joint venture to its joint venture partner SIBUR. At the time of closing, Solvay received cash receipts in the amount of EUR 433 million in Belgium,” it was informed.

In the report on the results of 2022, Solvay estimated the fair value of its stake in Rusvinyl at EUR 431 million – almost at this amount in the end, the transaction was carried out.

Rusvinyl is an enterprise for the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the Kstovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The share of Rusvinyl in the volume of both production and sales of PVC in Russia is about 35%. The design capacity of the enterprise is 300 thousand tons of suspension PVC, 30 thousand tons of emulsion PVC and 225 thousand tons of caustic soda. The company is the largest producer of PVC in the Russian Federation, and in the segment of emulsion PVC Rusvinyl in principle is the only domestic manufacturer. Biopolymer – Recycled content 

In early February, SIBUR was allowed to buy out a 50% stake in the Belgian group Solvay in the Rusvinil joint venture in the Kstovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Solvay owns a stake in Rusvinyl through Solvin Holding Nederland B.V.Solvay

has consistently abandoned its PVC business in Europe, Asia and Latin America in recent years, having sold several of its assets in this direction since 2014. Discussions between the companies about SIBUR’s buyout of this stake lasted for three years.

-Plastics supply chain in Europe continues to push for greater legal certainty for recycled content

Earlier this week, organisations from across the value chain called on the EU to adopt mass balance as a means of developing EU-harmonised calculating rules for recycled content in plastics applications in order to meet revised environmental targets.

In this article, Nigel Davis, Insight Editor at ICIS, discusses why tracking of recycled content is a major issue, especially with the industry pressing for the legal acknowledgement of a mass balance approach that excludes fuel use.

There is obvious urgency behind the recent meeting of 31 trade associations for the EU to be clear on how it legally views chemical recycling and how recycled content is tracked in plastic products. Biopolymer – Recycled content 

It is the tracking of recycled content that is a major issue with industry pressing for the legal acknowledgement of a mass balance approach that excludes fuel use.

“Mass balance is a transparent and auditable method to trace a defined material characteristic along the value-chain from material suppliers to consumers,” the trade associations, which represent chemical producers, plastics converters, recyclers and end-use industries, claim.

“A mass balance chain of custody is already used and accepted in other domains such as sustainable forestry products and fair-trade cocoa and chocolate,” they said.

Essentially, this is push for policy support from the European Commission and EU member states for chemical recycling that could help speed investment and add more overall plastic recycling capability. Biopolymer – Recycled content 

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-Husky returns to Plástico Brasil

Husky Technologies announced its return to exhibit at Plástico Brasil 2023 (March 27-31, São Paulo, Brazil). At the show, Husky is featuring how its versatile range of technologies, solutions and services enable Brazil’s food, beverage, consumer goods packaging, automotive and medical device producers to effectively meet regional market and consumer trends.

Local support, global expertise

Husky first established a presence in Brazil in 1993, having opened its regional Technical Center in Jundiai and selling the first local system into the market that same year. Now having served the region for 30 years, the company has established a strong local presence that is complemented by years of global expertise.

The Technical Center focuses on up-time and keeping customers running with advanced support and parts capabilities, including optimised hot runner and controller refurbishment services. Biopolymer – Recycled content 

This is supported by Advantage+Elite, which remotely monitors systems within customers’ production facilities 24-hours a day in real-time, while proactively engaging to recognize and rectify potential issues before productivity or part quality is impacted.

“Husky works closely with our customers in Brazil and neighboring regions to gain a true understanding of the unique challenges they encounter,” said Sean Hoy, Husky’s Vice President of Sales and Service, Hot Runners and Controllers for the Americas.

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Cellulose films – Chemical recycling  31-03-2023

Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-VTT investing €1.5 million in cellulose films

The new films could replace conventional blast in 5 years

Espoo-based VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is investing €1.5 million into its CelluloseFilms pilot facility, where it produces renewable cellulose films designed to replace conventional plastic ones in packaging.

The investment will enable the institute to test and develop methods to scale up the production of these films, with the aim of making ‘sustainable materials more mainstream in an industry heavily reliant on packaging materials’,  said Ali Harlin, who is a research professor at VTT.

“Polypropylene film is one of the world’s most used polymers and the market is expected to grow by €15 billion by 2035. It’s so useful in keeping food fresh that the world can’t do without it,” harlin added. Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

These transparent plastic films have been used in packaging for decades to protect food and minimise waste. The problem is that they are difficult to recycle because of the multi-layer, multi-material structure from which they derive their protective properties. These layers are unable to be separated, which means that, at the end of life, such packaging usually ends up in landfills. Yet, to date, no other viable, sustainable alternative is available on the market.

At VTT’s pilot facility, researchers are therefore working to develop easily recyclable cellulose-based film-like materials for food packaging and bio-based barrier materials for films, paper and cardboard.

Plastic wraps have been absolutely essential to the packaging industry since the 1940s, but the world is well overdue for a better alternative, Harlin pointed out.

“So far, we have received feedback from our customers that they can’t tell the difference between our cellulose-based films and traditional plastic wraps.” Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

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-Factorial’s solid-state battery arrives in Europe

The American company opens an office in Germany: in this way it supports European customers and exploits the excellence of the continent
Factorial Energy, a US company operating in the field of solid-state batteries, has decided to open an office in Europe. The new headquarters in the Old Continent will be located in Germany and more precisely in Munich.
The choice is not accidental, given that among the partners with which Factorial works most closely there are, in addition to Stellantis, also Mercedes and Hyundai-Kia Europe. However, they let it be known from the American company that the new headquarters will not be a real branch, but only an office with a team of dedicated people who will be able to work more closely with European companies. Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 
A profitable exchange
Factorial’s landing on this side of the Atlantic has two objectives. If, on the one hand, the company wants to expand and consolidate its presence in Europe as well, on the other, it wants to exploit the skills that are found in Europe in terms of engineers, technicians and research institutes, in order to accelerate the development of own products and offer the market batteries with the best features.
In an official note, Factorial is well aware “of the advanced automotive skills of the region and the presence of prestigious universities and has every intention of establishing fruitful relationships to develop and test its products jointly”.
Siyu Huang, CEO of Factorial, adds: “Our presence in this region is strategic. The European Commission is considering new rules on battery sustainability and is promoting initiatives such as the Battery Passport and the Green Deal to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. Being here will allow us to better adapt to new situations and be able to respond faster to the needs of the market and our partners”.  Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

A global presence

Factorial’s arrival in Europe follows that in South Korea and Japan last year. Also in 2022, the American company started the construction of a new Gigafactory based in Methuen, in the suburbs of Boston, financed with a fundraising round that brought a good 200 million dollars into the company’s coffers.
Factorial has attracted so much capital because since 2021 it has been working on a solid electrolyte battery of its own design that promises great energy density, greater safety and also lower costs than equivalent products because it can be built on existing lines of normal batteries lithium ion.

-Benefits from circularity way more than just environmental

Circular model will improve the performance of the plastic industry’s supply chain

Plastics have become ubiquitous in our daily lives, and their production has been on the rise for several decades. However, the negative impacts of waste from the plastic industry on the environment and human health are becoming increasingly apparent. Growing awareness of the environmental toll linked to the plastics industry has driven increased calls for the adoption of more circular systems in the plastics industry.

The aim of a circular economy is to keep resources in use for as long as possible by minimising waste, promoting recycling and reuse, and eliminating waste and pollution. In the context of the plastics industry, circularity would mean reducing plastic waste and pollution by keeping plastic materials in use for as long as possible while also re-evaluating our methods for sourcing plastic raw materials. Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

Moving to more circular economic and operational models will require a fundamental shift in the way plastics are designed, produced, used, and disposed of. The shift will require collaboration among stakeholders across the supply chain, including producers, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. This will involve the development and implementation of technologies and processes for designing and producing more sustainable plastic products, promoting the recycling and reuse of plastic materials, and implementing new business models to profit from a circular economy.

The benefits of a circular economy

What’s the incentive for the plastic industry to adopt circular practices? Let’s take a closer look at how the adoption of circularity can benefit businesses, particularly in the specific area of supply chain management.

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-Kvadrat, Avantium sign PEF offtake agreement

PEF yarn hold promise for a fossil-free future

Renewable chemistry company Avantium N.V., has signed an offtake agreement with Denmark’s textile specialist Kvadrat A/S. Kvadrat will purchase polymer PEF, short for polyethylene furanoate, from Avantium’s FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) Flagship Plant, which is currently under construction in Delfzijl, the Netherlands.  Commercial production of the 100% plant-based and fully recyclable material is set to start in 2024.

The collaboration ‘highlights the further potential of PEF across different application areas, including textiles, enabling the commercial launch of PEF and introducing it to everyday life’, said Tom van Aken, CEO at Avantium.

The offtake agreement will give Kvadrat a head start in creating PEF-based textiles for both commercial and residential interiors. Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

The Danish textile expert committed last June to transitioning towards a fossil-free future in the textile industry and, among other things, joined the PEF Textile Community to explore the possibilities of the use of PEF yarns in high-quality textiles. Several successful trials later, it decided to secure a supply of PEF by entering into the present offtake agreement, which will now allow Kvadrat continue its efforts to create sustainable and high-performance PEF-based textiles.

Anders Byriel, CEO at Kvadrat said that as part of Kvadrat’s  ‘Regenerate Together through Transparency’ sustainability strategy ,the company is focused on the use of renewable materials as the basis for all its products. “Our ambition is to lead the sustainability agenda in the textile industry,“ he noted.

Kvadrat was established in Denmark in 1968 and has deep roots in Scandinavia’s world-famous design tradition. Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

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-Fast chemistry takes on fast food

The University of Birmingham and engineering firm Stopford announce new funding for novel plastics recycling technology

The technology is a chemical recycling process that utilises hot compressed water as green solvent to selectively depolymerise waste plastics into commodity compounds which can be processed to produce virgin materials.

A research consortium comprising technologists from the University of Birmingham and engineering firm Stopford has been awarded a further £300k of funding from Innovate UK to develop a novel plastic recycling technology.

The technology is a chemical recycling process that utilises hot compressed water as green solvent to selectively depolymerise waste plastics into commodity compounds which can be processed to produce virgin materials – supplanting fossil fuel feedstocks and injecting much-needed circularity in plastic wastes management. Importantly, it is capable of recycling contaminated and degraded plastics, and requires reduced downstream processing. Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

To accomplish this, the process exploits the unique behaviour of water in its supercritical state (above a certain temperature and pressure) where it exhibits reduced polarity, high solvating power for complex polymers (like plastics). By virtue of combined intermediate heat and high pressure, it decomposes polymers at ‘selective spots’, thus producing target products at high proportions.

“Supercritical water technology is exciting, intriguing, and challenging. We are dedicated to remain on the road of alleviating the upcoming challenges with science, engineering, and with working as one team of complementing skills.

Professor Bushra Al-Duri from the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, and inventor of the platform technology”

The new tranche of funding has been awarded by UK Research and Innovation’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge to adapt our platform technology to PET-based plastic waste such as pots, salad trays, and tubs. It complements the team’s on-going work, also funded by Innovate UK, to establish a demonstrator facility at Birmingham’s Tyseley Energy Park for the recycling of polyolefin-based plastics, such as polyethylene and polypropylene which are used in packaging. Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

Dr Ben Herbert, Technology & Innovation Director at Stopford, said: “I am delighted that our technology has once again been recognised by UKRI’s SSPP Challenge as a ground-breaking recycling technology for the management of waste plastics, and I very much look forward to working with our project partners to expand its application to enable a circular approach to the management of PET-based plastics waste.”

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-PP contracts poised for another price increase

March PP contracts are set for another sizable increase, which will add to the $0.18/lb cost-push hike already implemented in January and February, minus some margin contraction that has varied by producer.

Spot PGP prices have retreated sharply from peak levels seen earlier this month, reining in early estimates for the pending increase. Late in the week, one index suggested that PGP would still see a $0.13/lb increase, but with April monomer well-discounted to prompt, leaving next month vulnerable, even a dime increase for March would be plenty, according to the PlasticsExchange. Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

Market participation was heavy in ethylene, and propylene dealings were relatively light, with overall volume solid as prices diverged. The trading week began very quietly but gained steam with news of the unplanned outage at Nova, which has annual production of 1.8 billion pounds of ethylene. On Tuesday, ethylene for prompt delivery changed hands in Louisiana at $0.1825/L.

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-Azoty Police signs deal for USNC micro nuclear reactor

Poland’s Grupa Azoty Police said on Wednesday that it has signed a deal for the development and construction of a nuclear power research facility equipped with a micro modular reactor (MMR) with Seattle-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) and the Polish West Pomeranian University of Technology, said the company.

USNC said the 30MWt MMR would be a fourth-generation high-temperature, gas-cooled “nuclear battery”. State-controlled chemical and fertilizer producer Azoty Police, a member of largest Polish chemical group Grupa Azoty, said: “The reactor will serve as a training, research and testing facility. Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

It will be connected to the energy infrastructure of Grupa Azoty Police, which will provide a unique opportunity to study, test, optimize and integrate the MMR zero-emission energy source with an industrial facility.

“Cooperation in this area will allow the development of a plan for the full-scale implementation of the use of nuclear energy for chemical processes and the generation of steam and hydrogen at the facilities of Grupa Azoty Police. “This will be another significant step towards the decarbonisation of the Grupa Azoty Group’s technological processes.”

The agreement for the micro reactor was concluded in relation to a US-Polish cooperation in MMR development, formally established by an intergovernmental agreement in February 2021. Cellulose films – Chemical recycling 

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Chemical recycling – Waste sorting 30-03-2023

Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

-Ineos Styrolution partners with Agilyx on development of TruStyrenyx plant

Chemical recycler Agilyx ASA and styrenics producer Ineos Styrolution America LLC have joined forces on the development of a 100-ton-per-day TruStyrenyx chemical recycling facility in Channahon, Illinois, the companies have announced.

TruStyrenyx is a partnership between Agilyx and Technip Energie. Following on from a collaboration announced in June 2021, the companies have since cooperated on the development of the TruStyrenyx brand. TruStyrenix is a comprehensive solution for the chemical recycling of polystyrene. The technology combines Agilyx’s pyrolysis process and Technip Energies’ purification technology. The process yields a recycled styrene monomer with exceptionally high purity, suitable for food-grade plastic products or packaging applications. With the support of Ineos Styrolution, the companies will now forge ahead on the further realisation of the technology at scale. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

“I’m delighted that we are partnering with Ineos Styrolution to continue development of the first large-scale TruStyrenyx plant, utilising some of the private placement funds Agilyx raised in September,” said Tim Stedman, CEO of Agilyx.

Together, the three companies will develop the design and engineering that will serve as the basis for constructing the chemical recycling facility. The completion of the engineering in 2023 will form the basis for a financial investment decision.

The new facility will boost polystyrene recycling rates in the greater Chicago area and across the United States, said Greg Fordyce, president of Ineos Styrolution. “The TruStyrenyx facility will allow us to provide our customers with recycled content that is incredibly high purity for producing environmentally conscious products using innovative and sustainable solutions,” he noted. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

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-S-OIL selects tech for PE project in South Korea

S-OIL Corporation has selected Univation’s UNIPOLPE Technology for three world-scale production lines to be located at S-OIL’s site at Ulsan, the Republic of Korea, said the company.

Each line is designed to achieve a nameplate capacity of 400,000 tons per annum for a combined polyethylene (PE) production capacity of 1,200,000 tons per annum.

The design basis for these three lines enables S-OIL to access the full-density flexibility of the UNIPOL PE Process platform. This flexibility enables S-OIL with production capabilities to satisfy a wide range of demand for essential HDPE and LLDPE applications for both domestic consumption as well as global export market needs.

S-OIL has further elected to access Univation’s advanced product portfolio covering both HDPE and LLDPE applications. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

S-OIL will also use Univation’s PREMIER APC+ 3.0 platform which delivers advance process control capabilities further enhancing the overall operating performance of all three UNIPOL PE Process lines. Univation developed the APC+ 3.0 platform specifically for the UNIPOL™ PE Process to enable superior operational control that allows the optimizing of raw material utilization, maximization of production rates, and provides for seamless product grade transitions. Additionally, S-OIL has elected to utilize the UNIPOL PE Process Virtual Plant Simulator software. The UVPS training platform is designed to deliver realistic operation training experiences allowing S-OIL to train its entire staff on all essential unit operations related to the UNIPOL PE Process including both routine and non-routine operating conditions. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

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-LyondellBasell and EEW sign LOI for potential advanced waste sorting

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands and HELMSTEDT, Germany, March 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — LyondellBasell, a global leader in the chemical industry, and EEW Energy from Waste, a leading company in thermal waste treatment in Europe recently signed a letter of intent (LOI). The LOI includes exploring a potential long-term strategic partnership to extract and recycle plastics out of incineration waste streams. This proposed collaboration would potentially include construction of waste pre-sorting facilities at or near EEW incineration plants to remove plastics from waste streams bound for incineration, and investment in advanced sorting facilities to further sort and refine the plastic that has been removed. This collaboration supports the new LyondellBasell strategy to invest in advanced sorting infrastructure to produce plastic waste-based feedstocks, grow its Circular and Low Carbon Solutions business, and deliver on its value creation ambitions. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

“Collaborations across the value chain are part of our strategy and are increasingly necessary to free up plastic waste from sources that today do not end up in recycling,” says Yvonne van der Laan, LyondellBasell executive vice president, Circular and Low Carbon Solutions. “The materials from these sorting facilities would not only support our existing mechanical recycling facilities in the Netherlands and a potential advanced recycling unit in Germany, but also allows us to optimize waste streams and drive additional value.”

This collaboration would close the loop on plastics that are today sent for incineration, by sorting them out for use as feedstock in mechanical and advance recycling processes. By removing these materials from the incineration waste stream, the fossil CO2 emissions associated with combusting the materials are also avoided. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

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-Recticel : Successful completion of the PUReSmart project

Successful completion of the PUReSmart project

On the way to a closed loop for PUR mattresses

• Chemical recycling of both flexible foam raw materials is now proven
• Recticel coordinated four-years EU-funded research project
• Covestro drives further development through to industrial use
• Evocycle® CQ Mattress is Covestro’s first chemical recycling initiative

Now that the Europe-wide research project “PUReSmart” has come to an end, Recticel and the leading company Covestro are pleased with the positive outcome. They were able to demonstrate that the two main raw materials originally used in flexible polyurethane (PU) foam from mattresses can be recovered by chemical means to a high level of quality and purity. For the first time, a flexible foam sample has now been produced from fully recycled polyol and toluene diisocyanate (TDI), respectively. Both raw materials were obtained in Covestro’s pilot plant in Leverkusen. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

“With this we have fully achieved the goal of developing a technology to chemically recycle these products and convert polyurethane into a high-quality recycled material,” says Bart Haelterman, R&D Director at Recticel. “For the first time in history polyurethane is truly fitting into a circular economy.” The European Union funded the PUReSmart project with six million euros over a four-year period under its Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (agreement No. 814543).

Building on the PUReSmart project, Covestro is working with partners from the waste management industry to drive the further development of flexible foam recycling through to industrial use. “Our goal is to turn waste into valuable raw materials and to anchor the principle of the circular economy in our company and along the value chain with our partners to achieve this,” says Christine Mendoza-Frohn, EVP Head of Performance Materials Sales EMEA & LATAM of Covestro. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

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-Plastics supply chain in Europe continues to push for greater legal certainty for recycled content

There is obvious urgency behind the recent meeting of 31 trade associations for the EU to be clear on how it legally views chemical recycling and how recycled content is tracked in plastic products.

It is the tracking of recycled content that is a major issue, with industry pressing for the legal acknowledgement of a mass balance approach that excludes fuel use.

“Mass balance is a transparent and auditable method to trace a defined material characteristic along the value-chain from material suppliers to consumers,” the trade associations, which represent chemical producers, plastics converters, recyclers and end-use industries, claim. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

“A mass balance chain of custody is already used and accepted in other domains such as sustainable forestry products and fair-trade cocoa and chocolate,” they said.

Essentially, this is a push for policy support from the European Commission and EU member states for chemical recycling that could help speed investment and add more overall plastic recycling capability.

“The rules currently being developed for the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) implementing act will have a key impact on both mechanical and chemical recycling investments in Europe,” the associations said.

The timelines for targets set out in frameworks such as the proposed Packaging and Packaging Waste directive, which set out goals for chemical recycling capacity by 2030 and 2040, will require the sector to begin work on commercial-scale production facilities immediately, according to the associations.

“It is therefore key that policymakers set a precedent as to when and how a mass balance chain of custody in recycled plastics will be applied in the EU sooner rather than later,” the trade groups said  Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

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-Innovia presents sustainable label films at Interpack

Featured products include polypropylene films for mono-material solutions, linerless applications, and recycling-friendly shrink films.

Innovia Films, a producer of BOPP films, is going to be present at Interpack 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany from May 4 to 10 to showcase innovations for the label and packaging industries.

“The sustainable packaging innovations of tomorrow start with the basics – packaging materials that are compatible with the recycling systems and also offer different functionalities to protect food and beverages,” says Simon Huber, managing director, Innovia Films Europe. “We are ensuring that our Research and Development Team are all working to a common goal to ensure that recyclability is at the forefront of our design criteria for products we launch into the marketplace so that they can remain within the circular economy – this is what we want to show our visitors at the trade show”.

Polypropylene Films for mono-material solutions for easier recycling of flexible packaging

Innovia Films will be showcasing several films for mono material laminates. Propafilm CHS is a thermally stable BOPP used to replace PET in a variety of applications including retort pouches.  Chemical recycling – Waste sorting

If barrier laminates are required the Strata range of BOPP EVOH coextrusions laminated to a low temperature seal Cast PP, Propacast KF, will ensure low OTR and excellent seal integrity whilst maintaining excellent clarity and gloss.

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-In Germany, recycled PET in bottles is increasing

In 2021, it rose to 44.8%. The recycling rate also improves, which thanks to the deposit on deposit is close to 95% of what is released for consumption.
pet bottles The percentage of recycled PET in plastic bottles produced in Germany rose by ten percentage points between 2019 and 2021, from 34.4% to 44.8%, with an upward trend.
The data, contained in a study prepared by the GVM packaging market research company, was released by the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen association, which brings together German manufacturers of plastic material packaging.
The same study shows that the recycling rate of PET beverage bottles stood at 94.8% two years ago, including the deposit guarantee scheme (DRS). The latter, alone, recorded a rate of 97%. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting
“The high rPET in bottles and recycling rates are proof of the efficiency of the German deposit system – explains Isabell Schmidt, director of IK -. We see great potential across Europe and hope that other countries set up deposit systems similar, future-oriented”. “Given the great success of the DRS system – he adds -, it is foreseeable that it will soon be made mandatory throughout the European Union”.
alpla bottle recoveryOf the recycled PET in Germany, after removing the 2-5% that is lost in the process, 44.7% goes back to the original application, i.e. PET bottles (+7% compared to 2019); 26.8% is extruded into packaging films and other packaging, 11.3% ends up in the yarn and fabric sector, while the remaining 17.2% is lost in a trickle of different applications.
The study also attests to the trend towards making the bottles lighter, which in the period considered resulted in an estimated material saving of around 4.5%. This phenomenon, combined with the replacement of plastic with glass, has led to a reduction in the consumption of PET in bottles by 5%, equal to 446 thousand tons, again between 2019 and 2021. Chemical recycling – Waste sorting
“Consumers in Germany can use PET bottles with a clear conscience – comments Isabell Schmidt -. They are transported and recycled in an energy efficient way and do not end up in the environment due to storage.”
The director of IK also points out the strong demand for recycled material, which is reflected in prices, with the result that for some years now rPET has been more expensive than virgin. The offer should increase in the coming months: after the extension this year of the deposit on deposit to PET bottles for fruit juices, in 2024 it will also be the turn of those for milk, thus closing the circle.

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Antimicrobial -PET Sustainability 29-03-2023

Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Here is the oxygen ion battery that has “infinite” life

It works by exploiting the characteristics of ceramic materials. It has low density, but never degrades. Perfect for storage systems
Not a day goes by without some new battery technology being announced. Until recently there were lithium-ion ones and little else. Today there is lithium metal, lithium iron phosphate, lithium sulphur, sodium ions and so on and so forth.
But the oxygen ion battery, however, had not yet been heard of. Not widely, at least. However, thanks to the study of the engineering faculty of the University of Vienna, perhaps in some time even this type of accumulator will find some applications. Indeed, the advantages it offers are obvious.
It comes from fuel cells
But how does an oxygen ion battery work? The key element is represented by a particular ceramic material which is able to absorb and release its own oxygen ions when an electric voltage is applied. Ions can move in both directions generating electric current.
“To create the oxygen ion battery, we took advantage of the experience gained with the ceramic materials used for fuel cells – explained Alexander Schmid, one of the Austrian researchers who took part in the initiative – . it was by analyzing those that we wondered if they could also be used to make a battery”.  Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex
Low density, high durability
Professor Jurgen Fleig, who coordinated the research team, added: ‘The basic principle is very similar to that of a lithium-ion battery. Sure, we have a lower energy density, but our materials offer some important benefits. Ceramic, for example, is non-flammable. Furthermore, production costs are very low because the necessary materials are cheap and easily available”.
The prototype used for the study still adopts some expensive elements. For example, in the first oxygen ion battery, a lanthanum component is still used. “However – wanted to underline the prof. Fleig – in our batteries we can take individual elements and replace them with cheaper ones. Research in this direction is already underway and we are sure that we will develop a battery without precious materials”.
It marries with renewables
Perhaps, however, the main feature of oxygen ion batteries concerns their very long life. They can be used for thousands of cycles without losing performance and, even once “worn out”, they can be easily regenerated. As? Just replace the oxygen that was contained inside with another simply recovered from the air we breathe.
Currently, oxygen-ion batteries have a density of only one-third that of lithium-ion. This does not make it suitable for electric cars or electronic devices.

But it is ideal for storage systems. Also because it works correctly at temperatures between 200 and 400 degrees Celsius. Therefore, it fits perfectly with stationary plants that receive electricity from renewable sources.  Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

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-Hyosung Links with Origin Materials for Carbon-Neutral Spandex Inputs

Both inside and outside of the fashion industry, carbon neutrality is an increasingly common sustainability target. As South Korea-based Hyosung Advanced Materials works toward its own carbon-zero goal, its textile division has been expanding its portfolio of sustainable synthetic offerings, which today includes recycled polyester, nylon and spandex as well as bio-based spandex .

To expand on these sustainable material manufacturing efforts, Hyosung is partnering with carbon-negative material firm Origin Materials . Hyosung has inked a multi-year capacity reservation deal with Origin to source carbon-negative inputs for the production of spandex, as well as tire cords and battery components. Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

Headquartered in California, Origin Materials has developed processes that turn carbon from non-food biomass—such as wood—into carbon-negative materials including plastics. Origin’s technology replaces fossil fuel-based resources with renewable plant feedstocks. The plants used captured carbon from the atmosphere while they grew, and the production process sequesters carbon, creating a carbon-negative outcome.

A life cycle assessment from Deloitte that studied Origin’s 5-chloromethylfurfural (CMF), furfural, levulinic acid and hydrothermal carbon (HTC) found that for all four of the materials, the biomass’ carbon storage offset any greenhouse gas emissions stemming from the processes used to create the materials. As a result, Deloitte said they all showed an “environmental benefit.” Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

For its spandex production, Hyosung will be procuring furanic derivatives from Origin Materials. Hyosung will also purchase PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and PET/F—a hybrid of PET and FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid)—for tire production and HTC for making batteries.

“Partnering with Hyosung Advanced Materials is a significant milestone in our mission to transition the world to sustainable materials,” said Rich Riley, co-CEO of Origin Materials, in a statement. “The opportunity for working together is remarkably broad, and we are excited to develop high-value products for use in a wide range of end markets and applications including batteries, automotive and apparel. Together, we can expand the adoption of Origin’s technology and help drive the ‘once in a planet’ shift to sustainable materials taking place around the world.” Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

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-India’s RIL hikes PTA & MELT prices following rise in China

Reliance Industries Limited, India’s largest player in the polyester value chain, has sharply increased the prices of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and MELT for the current week. However, the rate of monoethylene glycol (MEG) remained unchanged. It is said that the steep rise in the prices of polyester raw materials in the Chinese market supported a similar move by Reliance.

According to market sources, RIL fixed prices as PTA at ₹84.90 per kg (an increase of ₹3.70), MEG at ₹56.50 per kg (unchanged), and MELT at ₹89.04 per kg (an increase of ₹3.18). The pricing of polyester raw materials will come into effect from the coming Saturday. Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

At the beginning of this fortnight, the company kept the price of polyester staple fibre (PSF) unchanged at ₹106 per kg. But it can also be revised upward by ₹2 per kg for the next fortnight, as per the sources.

The company sets prices for polyester raw materials based on the price trends in China and fluctuations in crude oil. The Indian market follows the price trend of Reliance as it is the dominating player in the country.

Sources said that cheaper crude oil prices should guide polyester raw materials’ prices downwards. However, PTA and MELT have noticed a steep increase in the Chinese market, which encouraged Reliance to follow the same trend. Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

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-A Sustainable Plastics Economy Is Feasible, Say Researchers

A dramatic increase in recycling and the use of carbon capture and alternative feedstocks in plastics production could result in “absolute sustainability,” according to a group of researchers from Switzerland, Germany, and the United States.

A new study exploring the sustainability of plastics is bound to make some heads explode. The headline of an article summarizing the research on the website of Zürich’s technical university, ETH, forthrightly sets the tone: “A wholly sustainable plastics economy is feasible.” I have to say it’s a nice change of pace to report on a positive development in our “Dispatches from the War on Plastics” section, instead of pushing back on dubious scientific claims and overwrought calls to almost entirely eliminate plastics. Folks on the other side of the barricades will disagree, of course, once they piece themselves back together.

The researchers from ETH Zürich, RWTH Aachen University in Germany, and UC Santa Barbara in California posit that a vast increase in recycling, targeted use of carbon capture and biomass in the production process, and enlightened product stewardship by the plastics industry could lead the way to “absolute sustainability.” They readily acknowledge that getting there will require a good deal of heavy lifting.

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-Recycled PET producer Evergreen joins Cyclyx consortium

Cyclyx says Evergreen’s access to recyclable materials that have been sorted and readied for other uses falls in line with its “10 to 90” initiative.

Cyclyx International, a consortium-based postuse plastic innovation company based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with a goal to increase the recyclability of plastic from 10 percent to 90 percent, has announced the addition of plastics recycling and manufacturing company Evergreen to the Cyclyx consortium.

Evergreen, which produces recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), is a Clyde, Ohio-based supplier of food- and nonfood-grade rPET for global brands looking to change the amount of recycled material used to generate new products and help companies meet their sustainability goals. According to Cyclyx, Evergreen’s partnerships with municipalities and private recycling enterprises give it access to recyclable materials which have been sorted and made ready for other uses—a practice that falls in line with Cyclyx’ “10 to 90” initiative, which creates collaborations along the value chain to increase the recycling rate of plastics from 10 percent to 90 percent. Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

“Evergreen is extremely excited to join the Cyclyx consortium,” Evergreen ESG and Marketing Director Jason Wiff says. “It’s increasingly apparent that recycling, particularly in North America, needs to change in order to be successful. Only by working hard together can we get closer to a 100 percent recyclability rate of plastics, and further meet sustainability goals for ourselves, for our customers and for Earth’s entire ecosystem.”

Cyclyx Vice President of Member Engagement Ron Sherga says, “Cyclyx and Evergreen share a mutual goal of diverting postuse plastics away from landfills and into recycling streams, which makes them a valuable addition to the consortium. Evergreen’s expertise in all grades of the rPET space will help to support our future collaborations and takeback programs as we progress on our mission to increase the recycling rate of plastics from 10 percent to 90 percent.” Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

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-Yes, a 100% sustainable plastics industry is possible

“Recycling efforts should be intensified wherever possible,” says André Bardow. “As a good rule of thumb: More recycling of plastic always leads to more sustainability.”

Lots of recycling, combined with the use of CO2 from the air and biomass, could make a completely sustainable plastics industry a reality, according to a new study.

Plastic is everywhere. Our society can’t do without it: plastics have numerous advantages, are extremely versatile, and are also cost effective.

Today, plastics are mainly produced from crude oil. When the products reach the end of their life, they often end up in a waste incineration plant.Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

The energy-intensive production of plastics and their incineration release large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, making plastic products a major contributor to climate change.

One way out would be to rely on sustainable production methods, such as the circular economy, in which as much plastic as possible is recycled. Then the main raw material for plastic products would no longer be crude oil but shredded plastic waste.

But is it even possible to tweak the plastics economy to absolute sustainability? The researchers say, yes, it is. Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

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-Fujian Billion to launch new PET plant in Vietnam in April

China’s Fujian Billion Petrochemicals plans to commission a new polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in The city of Go Dau in southern Tai Ninh Province, Vietnam’s southeastern region, ICIS was told by a source close to the company.

The capacity of the new plant will be 300 thousand tons of PET per year.

The company already operates one PET production facility at this site with a capacity of 250 thousand tons per year, which was launched in April 2020.

Earlier it was reported that Fujian Billion Petrochemicals at the end of October 2022 resumed the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in the city of Go Du (Go Dau, in the south of Tay Ninh Province, southeastern region of Vietnam) after scheduled repairs. This plant with a capacity of 250 thousand tons of PET per year was closed for repairs in early October. .Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

According to the ScanPlast survey, the estimated consumption of PET in December 2022 increased by 24% compared to last year. In the reporting month, the estimated consumption of PET amounted to 86.15 thousand tons. In total, by the end of 2022, the total estimated consumption in Russia increased by 2% and amounted to 844.84 thousand tons of PET (830.43 thousand tons in 2021).

.Sustainable plastics – Bio-spandex

Oxo-degradable plastics ban  27-03-2023

Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

Petrochemicals – R-Polyester – PET

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Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Domo Breaks Ground on Polyamide Compounding Plant in China

Located in a future “Hydrogen Valley” near Shanghai, the new facility will serve the electronics, automotive, and new energy industries, among others.

Domo Chemicals, a leading manufacturer of engineering plastics, has broken ground for its new polyamide (PA) compounding plant in Haiyan, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China. The new plant will produce Technyl PA grades and is expected to be in full operation by the end of the first quarter of 2024. It represents a significant investment of around $15 million by Domo Chemicals and covers a total site area of 40,000 square meters.

The ceremony took place on March 15. Key company officials taking part in the groundbreaking included Domo CEO Yves Bonte, General Manager Asia Fabrizio Cochi, Secretary of Party Working Committee of Haiyan Economic Development Zone Zhang Jian Feng, Deputy Magistrate of Haiyan County People’s Government Zhuang Jia Yu, as well as other government officials and the General Consul of Belgium in Shanghai, Bruno Jans.

Domo Chemicals has been active in China since 2016 with a PA compounding plant in Jiaxing, based on virgin and sustainable solutions. Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

The new plant will gradually be expanded to reach a total capacity of 50,000 tonnes/year and will be equipped with the latest technology and equipment to meet customer needs, while also contributing to Domo’s innovation and sustainability ambitions. It will play a key role in Domo Chemicals’ strategy to expand its presence in the Asian market.

The new plant is strategically located in the economic development zone of Haiyan in Zhejiang Province, south of Shanghai. Along with Domo Chemicals, the development zone will be home to leading manufacturing industries covering electronics, new energy, new materials, and high-end equipment.

In addition, the sub-district will intensify efforts to become a high-level manufacturing base and future “Hydrogen Valley.” Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

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-Solvay introduces new polymer for high-heat EV battery module insulation

Solvay, a global market leader in specialty materials, has announced the introduction of a new high-heat and flame retardant grade in the company’s Xydar® liquid crystal polymers (LCP) portfolio, which is designed to meet critical safety demands in EV battery components. The new Xydar® LCP G-330 HH material addresses challenging thermal and insulation requirements and is targeted particularly at battery module plates of EV models operating with higher voltage systems.

“As automakers are moving from 400V to 800V on next-generation electric vehicles, new regulations in Europe, China, the United States and other countries are increasing the demand on battery components to withstand temperatures from 300°C to 1000°C for an extended window of up to 15 minutes,” states Brian Baleno, Head of Marketing, Transportation at Solvay Materials. Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

“Appropriate materials are expected to retain a level of electrical insulation protection that will provide sufficient time for passengers to exit the vehicle in a thermal runaway event. Our new Xydar® LCP grade combines this high safety potential with exceptional processability.”

Xydar® LCP G-330 HH is a glass-filled LCP for injection molding capable of retaining its electrical insulation upon exposure to 400°C for 30 minutes.  Xydar® LCP is an inherently flame retardant polymer, without the use of halogen or bromine additives. In addition, it offers exceptional flowability and helps battery designers achieve thinner parts than possible with incumbent battery module insulation materials, such as polycarbonates or aerogels. It has been successfully tested with plates molded in typical dimensions of 100 x 150 x 0.5 mm.

Xydar® LCP has a proven fit in many electrical and electronic as well as coating applications. Besides automotive lighting components, sensors, solenoids and connectors, advanced examples in e-mobility include thin-wall slot liners used in the rotor design of an electric drive traction motor.  Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

Xydar® LCP G-330 HH extends the portfolio of Solvay’s battery solutions, which also includes Solef® PVDF for binders and separators, Ryton® PPS for coolant line connectors and vents, and Amodel® PPA for connectors and busbars.

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-Northwest Europe ammonia-to-hydrogen production costs drop below €5/kg

The ICIS Northwest Europe ammonia-to-hydrogen assessment fell back below the €5/kg mark for the first time in almost two years during week 12 as ammonia pricing slid further down in value.

The ammonia-to-hydrogen northwest Europe assessment fell by another €0.23/kg week-on-week to €4.80/kg on 23 March, the first time the assessment has been below €5/kg since the latter part of June 2021.

Natural gas-based hydrogen production methods also posted losses in their value. However, with the key TTF hub largely steady during the week, losses were limited and not as pronounced as those on the ammonia-to-hydrogen assessment.

Both front-month based unabated steam methane reforming (SMR) and low carbon autothermal reforming (ATR) hydrogen production held discounts of €1.09-€1.40/kg below imported ammonia-for-hydrogen. Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

AMMONIA MARKET

Global demand for ammonia has remained subdued, with no shortage of the product in northwest Europe and weak demand for finished products.

Weaker gas hub prices have seen ammonia production continue to increase after dropping during the high hub price, limiting requirements for imports and lending itself to a loose market.

However, demand expectations could potentially return in Turkey, where enquiries for product have been heard as a result of the low prices. Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

GAS MARKET

The ICIS Dutch TTF April ’23 contract was largely rangebound during the week, hovering around the €43/MWh mark with prompt prices on the NBP finding support at 100p/therm.

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-DOE and Stellantis launch Battery Workforce Challenge

The US Department of Energy (DOE) and Stellantis launched of the Battery Workforce Challenge, which includes a three-year collegiate engineering competition; vocational training; youth education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); and career and technical education.

Managed by Argonne National Laboratory for DOE and co-sponsored by Stellantis, this government and industry partnership will build the next generation of engineers, technicians and workers to address the demand for a domestic electric-vehicle/battery workforce.  Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

Kicking off in fall 2023, the Battery Workforce Challenge includes an advanced battery design and development student competition series that invites universities and vocational schools from across North America to design, build, test and integrate an advanced electric-vehicle battery into a future Stellantis vehicle.

Teams will follow real-world industry milestones focused on battery design, simulation, controls development, testing, and vehicle integration and demonstration. Participants will also learn valuable project management, communications, teamwork and problem-solving skills that will provide unparalleled educational experience and ready them for future careers throughout the battery industry.

Additional workforce and education initiatives will complement the challenge, including a national Career-Connected Learning Management System to provide flexible, accessible, and equitable training for learners across the education pipeline, as well as high school graduates and transitional workers, to connect participants to top jobs from the nation’s leading automotive and battery employers. Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

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-The PVC spot market in Asia is under pressure from high supply

In Southeast Asia’s PVC spot market, market players continued to replenish inventories this week, but the market is under pressure from high supply, ACCORDING TO ICIS.

Supply remains stable, with producers individually lowering their prices to encourage purchases. Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

Prices of ethylene-based PVC were USD795-800 per ton, FOB China this week, which is lower compared to the price range on March 17.

Prices of acetylene-based PVC were USD790 per tonne of FOB China, which was also lower compared to the price range on March 17.

Earlier it was reported that the Indian Adani Group is suspending work on its project to build a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production facility worth 349 billion Indian rupees (USD4.2 billion) in Mundra in the western state of Gujarat.

The Group has requested its sellers and suppliers to suspend all activities and the fulfilment of all obligations under the 2 million tonnes of PVC production project per year until further notice. Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

Article 5 of the Directive, enacted in 2019, directs member states to prohibit products made from oxo-degradable plastic. Polyamide-Compounding -EV Battery

Lawyers representing Symphony, which manufactures an oxo-biodegradable plastic product called d2w, said Article 5 was error-ridden and “unlawfully breaches the principle of proportionality”.

Symphony said a claim for compensation could reach £82m from loss of profits, reputational damage and loss of company value.

The case was heard on 20 March, with Symphony represented by Josh Holmes KC and Jack Williams from EU law specialist Monckton Chambers.

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Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars 25-03-2023

Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

-SK Chemicals Invests $98.4 Million in Recycled PET Market

SK Chemicals to acquire assets to produce chemically recycled BHET to make chemically recycled PET with plans to expand into Europe and North America.

SK Chemicals, based in South Korea, has signed a $98.4 million agreement to acquire a chemical recycling plant and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production facility from China-based  Shuye Environmental Technology.

With capacity of 70,000 metric tons/77,162 tons, the acquired recycling plant uses depolymerization technology to chemically break down plastic waste into monomers and produce recycled bis-hydroxyethyl terephthalate (BHET).

SK Chemicals’ newly acquired facility for producing chemically recycled PET, with capacity of 50,000 metric tons (55,116 tons), uses that recycled BHET in manufacturing rPET.

The deal has enabled the company to create a recycled-plastic value chain encompassing chemically recycled BHET, chemically recycled PET, and chemically recycled copolyester. Copolyester is SK Chemicals’ core business. Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

Through the acquisition, the company has gained a one- to two-year jump on domestic competitors in commercial production of chemically recycled BHET and products that use depolymerization technology.

“We will strive to become a leading company in the global recycled plastic market by pursuing global expansion and advanced recycling business models,” Ahn Jae-hyun, CEO of SK Chemicals, said in a prepared statement.

SK Chemicals plans production operations in Europe, North America, and elsewhere.

Going forward, the company plans to work with new partners to expand its depolymerization capabilities domestically and to build global production infrastructure in Europe, North America, and other areas.

SK Chemicals also plans to ramp up development of depolymerization technology with recycled terephthalic acid (rTPA), an innovation in the recycled plastic industry.

rTPA is a chemically recycled raw material that enables easy removal of impurities from waste PET and production of high-quality recycled plastic without additional production equipment. Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

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-Getting to net zero in Norway

New report offers a roadmap for transition to circularity

A new study analysing the Norwegian plastics system says a major portion of the country’s circularity and net zero emissions goals are achievable by 2040, but that this will require ‘ambitious policies, innovation, capital investment, cross value-chain collaboration, consumer engagement and labour force reskilling’.

The study, entitled ‘Achieving Circularity’, is the most comprehensive undertaken to date of a national plastics system.

Conducted by Systemiq, in partnership with Handelens Miljøfond (Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund) and consultancy Mepex, with input from 16 international experts, the report is a synthesis of the two previous studies: “Achieving Circularity for Single-Use Plastics” and “Achieving Circularity for Durable Plastics”. The former focuses on consumable applications of plastics in packaging and household goods of a single-use nature with lifetimes of less than a year. The latter looks at durable plastics in five different sectors. Together, these studies address the seven sectors that currently cover some 80% of Norwegian plastic consumption. Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

The present report explores what levels of circularity and greenhouse gas emissions abatement could realistically be reached by the Norwegian plastic system by 2040 and how these can be achieved. Its main findings were the following:

Only 22% of plastic across these seven sectors is reused or recycled. Right now, the plastics system relies for 90% on fossil-based plastic manufacturing processes; 70% of plastic is incinerated. It represents some 7% of Norway’s GHG emissions.

Norway’s current policy and industry commitments are inadequate for transforming the Norwegian plastic system in a way that aligns with the goals of the European Green Deal, or the Paris and Glasgow climate agreements.

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-Call for fast lane to recycled PET rejected

The European Commission (EC) has rejected calls from the bottled water industry to prioritise recovered PET bottles for recycling into new food-grade plastics – and preferably for bottle-to-bottle circular supply chains – according to media analyst EuroActiv.

The EC’s view is that any such restriction to open trade would risk distorting the current market for secondary materials.

As a form of polyester frequently used in the beverage industry, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is strong, lightweight and completely safe for use in food-contact applications but PET from recycled bottles is also used extensively as a raw material for both textiles and nonwovens.

Freudenberg, for example, pioneered PET recycling for nonwovens in the early 1990s and today uses an estimated seven million PET bottles in its manufacturing processes annually.

While 60% of used PET bottles are successfully collected, new bottles placed on the EU market contain on average only 17% of recycled PET, while the rest is going predominantly going into textiles and nonwovens. Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

Bottle manufacturers have argued that this is downcycling, rather than contributing to circular systems and petitioned EC legislators to address the issue by granting them priority access to the recycled material they put on the market. They have suggested doing this by introducing a ‘right of first refusal’ for manufacturers in the EU’s packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR), which was tabled by the EC last November.

Speaking at a Euractiv event in February, Klára Hálová of Mattoni 1873, a Czech Republic-headquartered leader in the non-alcoholic beverage market in Central Europe, suggested other industries were “free-riding” on PET bottle manufacturers, EuroActiv’s Valentina Romano reports. As a consequence, competition for the recycled PET was causing the prices to skyrocket.

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-Magnet race will be sparked by Tesla’s vision of EVs without rare earths

As Tesla Inc. plans to remove rare earths from future models, the industry is reeling, but the move should also encourage others to develop alternative materials for electric car motors currently reliant on rare earths Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

Colin Campbell, vice president of powertrain engineering, said during the company’s investor day earlier this month that the Model 3 and Model Y powertrains have already reduced heavy rare earths consumption by a quarter, and Tesla’s next drive unit includes a permanent magnet motor that uses none of the materials.

The automaker wants to reduce dependence on commodities that are more prone to extreme price swings, avoid processes with environmental and health hazards, and maintain prices as low as possible.

Due to volatile costs and China’s tight control over the supply chain, rare earths, which are used in magnets in everything from phones to wind turbines and fighter aircraft, have long been a problem for automakers and the clean-energy industry. Over two-thirds of mining and 85% of material refinement are done in China.

The risks of relying on Beijing were brought to light in 2010 when prices rocketed following China’s decision to cut exports, and again in 2019 and 2020 amid fears that shipments may be restricted once again due to trade concerns with the US.

Several automakers have also tried to lessen their reliance on rare earths, including BMW AG, Toyota Motor Corp., and General Motors Co. Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

Following Campbell’s remarks, shares of other companies, notably JL Mag Rare-Earth Co. and Jiangsu Huahong Technology Stock Co., fell sharply, and Lynas Rare Earths Ltd., the largest producer of the materials outside of China, has had its shares fall by almost a quarter this month.

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-Lummus and NER announce partnership to deploy waste plastic recycling technology at scale

Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced that its Green Circle business entered into a strategic partnership with New Energy Risk (NER), a wholly-owned division of Paragon Insurance Group, in which NER will serve as the preferred insurance supplier for Green Circle’s advanced waste plastic recycling technology, said the company.

Upon completing a thorough due diligence process, NER is prepared to provide technology performance insurance solutions to plant owners and operators who license Green Circle’s advanced waste plastic recycling technology. Since 2013, NER’s performance insurance has enabled the financing of over USD3 billion for development of new and renewable clean energy technologies and other circular economy projects.Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

“NER provides an extremely valuable service to project owners looking to deploy early-stage technologies at scale through project finance,” said Greg Shumake, Managing Director of Green Circle. “They thoroughly evaluated our advanced waste plastic pyrolysis technology and are confident in its commercial viability. And as a result, it will be easier for our clients to develop bankable projects to drive a more circular economy.”

The waste plastic pyrolysis technology uses a thermochemical process for turning end-of-life plastics into a high-quality product that can be used to reduce the carbon intensity in the production of both transportation fuels and circular plastics. Green Circle is working across the sector, from Fortune 500 companies to independent project developers, to deploy technologies that close the loop of the plastic product lifecycle.

“Green Circle’s advanced waste plastic pyrolysis technology has been developed with a level of expertise and discipline that is rare,” said Brad Price, Managing Director of Technical Due Diligence at New Energy Risk. “We are proud to help accelerate the adoption of this technology by providing assurance to owners and investors that this technology will perform.”Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

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-Envicco gains approval to sell R-PET for domestic use

PTT and ALPLA under the entity Envicco received approval from Thailand’s FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to sell recycled polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET) for local use, said the company.

Envicco is the first recycler in Thailand to gain the seal after the government announced in June 2022 that R-PET pellets will be allowed for local food packaging. Thailand’s decision is a key development across Asia’s R-PET industry which could potentially impact trade flows of the materials. Recycled PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

The approval opens substantial demand potential for R-PET materials as currently only virgin PET plastics are allowed for use in applications such as bottled beverages in domestic markets. Other major recyclers in Thailand which include Indorama and EcoBlue have also applied for the permits since last year and are waiting for approval.

Envicco produces up to 30,000 tonnes/year of bottle-grade R-PET pellets and exports to customers both within Asia and to long-haul clients. The opening of the local market bolsters demand for the food-grade pellets and could potentially divert overseas-bound cargoes to local consumers.

Most recyclers expect production rates at respective plants to remain sufficient to meet both local and overseas demand. The move is in line with Thailand’s steady push towards increasing its recycling rates for more sustainable plastic packaging solutions in the future.

Thailand has announced earlier this year that by 2025, it will completely ban imports of mixed plastic waste bales.

The ban could severely tighten available feedstock when R-PET pellets demand is robust due to higher sustainability targets from major brands in the coming years.

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-Batteries – This is the secret to extending battery life

In Germany discovered how the passivation layer is formed between the electrolyte and the electrode which guarantees high performance over time
The world of lithium-ion batteries is now a little less mysterious. Although knowledge in the field of this type of accumulator has made great strides, in fact there remain many obscure sides on certain processes and certain operating logics.
But researchers from the German Institute of Nanotechnology in Karlsruhe KIT managed to solve the mystery of the formation of the passivation layer. What is it about? Let’s do some clarity.Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars
In the vast majority of cases, lithium-ion batteries have liquid electrolyte. But an essential component that ensures its correct functioning is the so-called solid electrolyte interface (SEI). This is a layer that forms in the contact area between the liquid electrolyte and the electrode when a battery is put into operation for the first time. Due to its physical characteristics and behavior it can be considered a separate element.
Long live the SEI
SEI can be up to 100 nanometers thick and is also called a passivation layer. It plays a fundamental role due to its electrochemical capabilities and has a decisive impact on the performance and life of the battery: it is heavily stressed at each charge cycle and when it degrades, the electrolyte decomposes as a result.
A layer that starts “from afar”
So let’s go back to the current situation. Researchers from the Karlsruhe institute have succeeded in characterizing the formation of the EIB with a “multiscale” approach. “This work solves one of the great mysteries concerning an essential part of all wet batteries, in particular the lithium-ion batteries that we use every day,” says Professor Wolfgang Wenzel, head of the research team. Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars
To examine the formation and composition of the passivation layer, the KIT researchers performed over 50,000 simulations, representing a wide variety of scenarios in the laboratory. Thus, they discovered that the growth of SEI follows a precise path that starts in the area furthest from the anode and then expands to create a porous surface that completely covers it. But why is this discovery important?
“We have identified the formation parameters of SEI – said Dr. Saibal Jana, research fellow at KIT and one of the authors of the study – this discovery will allow us in the future to develop electrolytes and additives suitable for modifying the structure and thickness of SEI optimizing performance and battery life based on the use for which they are created”.

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Recycled-PET – Battery life – EV-Cars

Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting 24-03-2023

Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Radici EcoMaterials is born

It is the new name of the italian company Zeta Polimeri, acquired by RadiciGroup in 2020 to boost its plastic and fiber recycling activities.

Three years after the acquisition, RadiciGroup has fully integrated the synthetic fiber and thermoplastic fiber recycler Zeta Polimeri, now renamed Radici EcoMaterials, into the group.

Based in Buronzo, in the province of Vercelli, the company takes care of all the preliminary phases of recovery, selection, processing and pre-treatment of post-consumer materials.

Its know-how joins that of RadiciGroup to give life to a virtuous production system, which procures the basic elements from sources that are now exhausted (fabrics, yarns, granules) or no longer usable in other fields, transforming them into raw materials available for other production cycles in a logic of industrial synergy.

Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting

“It is a real circular economy activity – underlines Angelo Radici, President of RadiciGroup – which allows us to collect all the group’s waste and also those found in external companies by choosing the most appropriate destination for their recycling”.

RadiciGroup boasts forty years of experience in the recovery of post-industrial waste from its processes to give them a second life in the world of technopolymers.”With the contribution of Radici EcoMaterials’ expertise, we are now also able to guarantee extremely high quality recovery products, almost equal to virgin, at the service of our spinning mills for a textile market ready for a sustainable and low-emission offer”, he adds.

-Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials

President Joe Biden’s administration is setting a goal of replacing 90 percent of fossil-fuel based plastics with bio-based alternatives over the next two decades.

In a report released March 22, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) outlined what it called bold goals for helping the U.S. to be a leader in bioeconomy technology, produce low carbon-intensity chemicals to fight climate change and shore up domestic supply chains.

“In 20 years, [the U.S. should] demonstrate and deploy cost-effective and sustainable routes to convert bio-based feedstocks into recyclable-by-design polymers that can displace more than 90 percent of today’s plastics and other commercial polymers at scale,” the report said.

According to the report, plastics are a target because they are major greenhouse gas emitters — the size of the global aviation industry today — and are projected to grow rapidly, accounting for more than 20 percent of annual global fossil fuel consumption by 2050. Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting

“Accordingly, an urgent global need exists to rapidly enable a more circular economy for today’s fossil carbon-based polymers production and to source chemical building blocks for tomorrow’s recyclable-by-design plastics from bio-based and waste sources,” the report said. “Additionally, waste plastics accumulating in landfills and the broader environment is well recognized as a planetary-scale pollution crisis.”

The report also set a goal of meeting 30 percent of U.S. chemicals demand from biomanufacturing over 20 years, and called for public-private partnerships to work toward the goals.

It pointed to the Department of Energy’s Strategy for Plastics Innovation program, and outlined several areas for research, including scaling up work to recycle or upcycle plastic waste, with an emphasis on multicomponent plastic waste that’s not recycled today.

It also called for redesigning plastics to improve end-of-life properties like recyclability and compostability, developing pilot processes for new polymer processing technologies and researching converting lignin and hemicellulose biomass into plastics.

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-Nova Chemicals’ Vision for the Plastics Circular Economy

The company will invest $2 to $4 billion by 2030 to expand its sustainable product offerings, decarbonize assets, and build a modern mechanical recycling business.

Nova Chemicals Corp. today revealed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ambitions to drive the circular economy for plastics. The strategy aligns with its vision to become the leading sustainable polyethylene producer in North America. In summary and by 2030, the company aims to:

• Set new industry standards for driving the transition to the plastics circular economy and solidifying the market for recycled polyethylene, with 30% of polyethylene sales from recycled content;
• Be at the forefront of decarbonization by reducing its Scope 1 and 2 absolute CO2 emissions by 30%; and
• Become a Top 30 company in Canada.Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting

“Nova’s Roadmap to Sustainability Leadership details a strong plan forward for the company to become the leader in sustainable polyethylene production while building on our commitments to developing innovative solutions for our customers, enabling the circular economy, and being a responsible steward of our environment,” says Danny Dweik, CEO. “Plastic products play an essential role in our daily lives. With our renewed purpose of reshaping plastics for a better, more sustainable world, we have developed a clear pathway to become a catalyst for a low carbon, zero-plastic-waste future.”

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-Automated sorting enhances accuracy, reduces contamination

Teaching a machine to recognise compostable plastic waste

Compostable plastic can offer a sustainable alternative for conventional plastics, especially in single use packaging, bags and bio-waste bags – but only if it is disposed of in the correct manner, so that it lands in the right waste stream.

This, however, does not always happen, which means that not only are the compostability benefits lost, these materials also end up contaminating the recycling stream of other plastics – the reason many recyclers remain utterly opposed to their use.

Now, researchers at University College London have developed technology to improve the accuracy of the sorting systems used today in order to eliminate these and other contaminants from the plastics waste stream. Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting

In a paper published in Frontiers in Sustainability they describe how they used machine learning to automatically sort different types of compostable and biodegradable plastics and differentiate them from conventional plastics.

Following their evaluation of a number of different sorting technologies, the researchers identified hyperspectral imaging (HSI), which combines imaging technology and spectroscopy into one approach, as the most effective, non-destructive technique to use.

By applying shortwave infrared (SWIR) in the range 950–1,730 nm they could identify not just different types of conventional plastics (PP, PET, and LDPE) and compostable plastic (PLA, PBAT) packaging but also compostable materials (palm leaf and sugarcane-based materials) with various sizes from 50 x 50 mm to 5 x 5 mm.

However, the amount of spectral information collected by HSI from the sample surfaces that must be processed in order to make sorting decisions in real time is huge, which led to the decision to  try a novel approach using machine learning methods to differentiate and classify the different materials.

A training dataset and a testing dataset were compiled. The training dataset was the dataset used to build the classification model. It was an input into the machine learning algorithms to allow the model to associate spectral imaging data with known material classifications. The testing dataset was the dataset that contains unseen data to test the model accuracy in determining material classifications. It was used to evaluate the performance of the model. Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting

The researchers worked with different types of plastics including PP and PET, as well as LDPE. Compostable plastic samples included PLA and PBAT, Results showed that ‘the accuracy is very high and allows the technique to be feasibly used in industrial recycling and composting facilities in the future,’ said Mark Miodownik, corresponding author of the study.

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-Resin Price Report: $0.06/lb Price Hike Sought for High-Density PE

High-density polyethylene (PE), used to make milk jugs among numerous other products, is in tight supply because of force majeure declarations at three resin production plants.

Economic uncertainty fed by bank failures kept resin buyers on the sidelines last week. With the price of crude oil at its lowest level since December 2021, Prime polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) prices trended lower for the second consecutive week across the PlasticsExchange marketplace. The weaker prices were based more on waning sentiment and lack of demand than an overabundance of supply, noted the Chicago-based resin clearinghouse in its weekly Market Update. Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting

Railcar offers remained relatively thin, and Prime was again seen for some select grades. Force majeures remain in place for PE and PP, but converters — many operating at reduced capacity — have not had any difficulty sourcing material. Export interest was also off as Asian traders lowered their bids and made competitive offers into Latin America. Undeterred by soft domestic demand, producers continue to push for March contract increases to preserve and expand margins, writes the PlasticsExchange.

Economic uncertainty fed by bank failures kept resin buyers on the sidelines last week. With the price of crude oil at its lowest level since December 2021, Prime polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) prices trended lower for the second consecutive week across the PlasticsExchange marketplace. The weaker prices were based more on waning sentiment and lack of demand than an overabundance of supply, noted the Chicago-based resin clearinghouse in its weekly Market Update. Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting

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-Avantium: Strong progress on delivering on strategic goals and the commercialisation of proprietary technologies

Key Business Progress in 2022:

• For Avantium Renewable Polymers, 2022 was a breakthrough year:
• The conditions for Financial Close were achieved, including a €90 million Debt Facilities Agreement, which allowed Avantium to begin construction of the FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) Flagship Plant;
• Construction of the FDCA Flagship Plant in Delfzijl is progressing well, with commercial production set to start in 2024;
• Eight new offtake agreements for FDCA and PEF (polyethylene furanoate) were secured in 2022 and early 2023 with well-known brand owners and industry leaders including Carlsberg, LVMH, AmBev and Henkel. In addition, Avantium announced this morning that it has signed an offtake agreements with Kvadrat. In total 14 offtake agreements for a wide range of applications have been signed;
• The first industrial technology license agreement for YXY® Technology was signed with the US-based company Origin Materials ahead of original expectations; Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting
• In Avantium Renewable Chemistries, operations of Ray Technology™ are back on track after a temporary pause in 2021 and preparations to scale-up to a commercial facility for plantMEG™ (mono-ethylene glycol) and plantMPG™ (mono-propylene glycol) have begun;
• For Volta Technology, two demonstration units have been successfully trialled at industrial sites in Germany and Greece;
• Avantium R&D Solutions (formerly known as Avantium Catalysis) has adopted a new growth strategy focusing on R&D solutions for sustainable chemistry, in addition to its existing offering; total revenues for Avantium R&D Solutions improved by 13%, compared with 2021, to €11.3 million.

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-Berry to supply post-consumer recycled plastics for de-icing containers

Berry Global is aiming to support the sustainability strategy of a Scandinavian de-icing brands with the supply of containers made with post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR).

Berry says IS-FRITT is a range of  effective de-icing products which do not contain any additives that can harm animals or nature.

Recently its manufacturer Everbrand decided that it was time to take a closer look at the packaging solution for the brand, as the company’s CEO Alexander Axelsson explained:“An obvious next step in our sustainability strategy was to change the material composition of the containers we use for IS-FRITT. Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting

Our goal was to reduce the use of virgin plastic for packaging and to use recycled material instead while also ensuring that our containers can be recycled again after they have been used.”

The solution from the company’s long-term packaging partner Berry was to retain the existing SuperLift container but to now include 50% PCR in its manufacture.

In addition, the colour of the container has been changed from white to a shade of grey in hopes that it will strengthen its distinctiveness.SuperLift is part of the Berry PCR range, featuring an assortment of containers with up to 50% PCR material as standard, the company says that this is while  retaining their benefits such as light weight, easy handling and consumer convenience. Circular Economy – HDPE – Sorting

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Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA 23-03-2023

Plastics Circular Economy

-Nova Chemicals’ Vision for the Plastics Circular Economy

The company will invest $2 to $4 billion by 2030 to expand its sustainable product offerings, decarbonize assets, and build a modern mechanical recycling business.

Nova Chemicals Corp. today revealed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ambitions to drive the circular economy for plastics. The strategy aligns with its vision to become the leading sustainable polyethylene producer in North America. In summary and by 2030, the company aims to:

• Set new industry standards for driving the transition to the plastics circular economy and solidifying the market for recycled polyethylene, with 30% of polyethylene sales from recycled content;
• Be at the forefront of decarbonization by reducing its Scope 1 and 2 absolute CO2 emissions by 30%; and
• Become a Top 30 company in Canada. Plastics Circular Economy

“Nova’s Roadmap to Sustainability Leadership details a strong plan forward for the company to become the leader in sustainable polyethylene production while building on our commitments to developing innovative solutions for our customers, enabling the circular economy, and being a responsible steward of our environment,” says Danny Dweik, CEO. “Plastic products play an essential role in our daily lives. With our renewed purpose of reshaping plastics for a better, more sustainable world, we have developed a clear pathway to become a catalyst for a low carbon, zero-plastic-waste future.”

Nova Chemicals Corp. today revealed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ambitions to drive the circular economy for plastics. The strategy aligns with its vision to become the leading sustainable polyethylene producer in North America. In summary and by 2030, the company aims to:

Set new industry standards for driving the transition to the plastics circular economy and solidifying the market for recycled polyethylene, with 30% of polyethylene sales from recycled content;  Plastics Circular Economy

Be at the forefront of decarbonization by reducing its Scope 1 and 2 absolute CO2 emissions by 30%; and

Become a Top 30 company in Canada.

“Nova’s Roadmap to Sustainability Leadership details a strong plan forward for the company to become the leader in sustainable polyethylene production while building on our commitments to developing innovative solutions for our customers, enabling the circular economy, and being a responsible steward of our environment,” says Danny Dweik, CEO. “Plastic products play an essential role in our daily lives. With our renewed purpose of reshaping plastics for a better, more sustainable world, we have developed a clear pathway to become a catalyst for a low carbon, zero-plastic-waste future.”

Nova Chemicals has previously reported its aspiration to reach net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050.  Plastics Circular Economy

Plans include a state-of-the-art mechanical recycling business and new advanced recycling technologies.

Nova Chemicals anticipates investing $2 to $4 billion by 2030 to expand its sustainable product offerings, decarbonize assets, and build a state-of-the-art mechanical recycling business while exploring new advanced recycling technologies to create high-quality, high- performance recyclable and low carbon plastics.

Building on its proprietary, Advanced SclairTech technology (AST), the company will explore expanding the product portfolio to include the development of innovative, advanced materials. These new product offerings, which will include the company’s first Astute polyolefin plastomers line, would better serve existing customers and provide more options for sustainability-focused end markets such as electric vehicles and renewables.

Nova Chemicals has already begun growing its portfolio of recycled and recyclable polyethylene resins through its recently announced launch of Syndigo recycled polyethylene (rPE) shown below, a new portfolio of products made from circular polymers to encourage both waste and emissions reductions.  Plastics Circular Economy

Nova Chemicals Corp. today revealed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ambitions to drive the circular economy for plastics. The strategy aligns with its vision to become the leading sustainable polyethylene producer in North America. In summary and by 2030, the company aims to:

Set new industry standards for driving the transition to the plastics circular economy and solidifying the market for recycled polyethylene, with 30% of polyethylene sales from recycled content;

Be at the forefront of decarbonization by reducing its Scope 1 and 2 absolute CO2 emissions by 30%; and

Become a Top 30 company in Canada.

“Nova’s Roadmap to Sustainability Leadership details a strong plan forward for the company to become the leader in sustainable polyethylene production while building on our commitments to developing innovative solutions for our customers, enabling the circular economy, and being a responsible steward of our environment,” says Danny Dweik, CEO. Plastics Circular Economy

“Plastic products play an essential role in our daily lives. With our renewed purpose of reshaping plastics for a better, more sustainable world, we have developed a clear pathway to become a catalyst for a low carbon, zero-plastic-waste future.”

Nova Chemicals has previously reported its aspiration to reach net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050.

Plans include a state-of-the-art mechanical recycling business and new advanced recycling technologies.

Nova Chemicals anticipates investing $2 to $4 billion by 2030 to expand its sustainable product offerings, decarbonize assets, and build a state-of-the-art mechanical recycling business while exploring new advanced recycling technologies to create high-quality, high- performance recyclable and low carbon plastics.

Building on its proprietary, Advanced SclairTech technology (AST), the company will explore expanding the product portfolio to include the development of innovative, advanced materials. These new product offerings, which will include the company’s first Astute polyolefin plastomers line, would better serve existing customers and provide more options for sustainability-focused end markets such as electric vehicles and renewables.

Nova Chemicals has already begun growing its portfolio of recycled and recyclable polyethylene resins through its recently announced launch of Syndigo recycled polyethylene (rPE) shown below, a new portfolio of products made from circular polymers to encourage both waste and emissions reductions. Plastics Circular Economy

One of the first products announced two weeks ago is Syndigo rPE-0860, a lower-emission, mechanically rPE resin for converters and brand owners to use in food packaging. It is sourced from natural high-density PE (HDPE) milk jugs and is ideal for various types of flexible and rigid food packaging. It’s claimed as the first FDA-compliant, mechanically recycled HDPE.

Nova Chemicals has developed a technical solutions-focused roadmap for decarbonizing its asset base by improving energy efficiencies, electrifying, and acquiring renewable power, and exploring clean hydrogen as a low carbon fuel source and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS). The company will also continue to pursue new technologies to abate and eliminate emissions from its production processes, such as the development of its proprietary Low Emissions Ethylene Process (LEEP) technology.

The company has also announced a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Shell Energy for renewable power, marking the first of many opportunities to increase low carbon, renewable energy in its power portfolio. Plastics Circular Economy

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Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA 23-03-2023

Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

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-Emissions from waste textiles could be cut with chemical sorting process

A process that separates polyester from other textiles known as “chemical sorting” could help to cut the huge carbon emissions associated with the clothes industry, researchers have said.

The sector currently accounts for around 10 per cent of global carbon emissions and almost 90 per cent of post-consumer fibre waste is disposed of through incineration or in landfills.

Among these forms of waste, synthetic fibre has become a major threat to the environment and human health because, like other plastics, it is not biodegradable in nature.  Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

Owing to its low cost and durability, polyester is the most widely used synthetic fibre on the planet, accounting for more than half of all fabrics annually produced.

Now, a research team from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) has developed a “chemical sorting” process that separates polyester from waste textiles that are disposed of in a mixed and contaminated form.

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-Equate announces April contract price for MEG shipments to India

Kuwait’s Equate Petrochemical Co., one of the world’s largest companies producing polymers and other petrochemical products, has announced the contract price of monoethylene glycol (MEG) for shipments to India at USD2023 per tonne, a company source told ICIS.

Thus, the April bid price was USD515 per ton lower than the March bid.

On March 23, spot prices for MEGs were at USD20-495 per ton, CFR China Main Ports (CMP).

Earlier it was reported that Equate Petrochemical Co., one of the world’s largest companies for the production of polymers and other petrochemical products, announced the contract price of monoethylene glycol (MEG) for March 505 for supplies to India at the level of USD2023 per ton. Thus, the March bid price was USD538 per ton lower than the February bid. Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

MEG, along with terephthalic acid (TPA), is one of the main raw materials for the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

-Bluepha launches commercial PHA portfolio

After six years of development and research work, China-based biotech company Bluepha, a China-based biotech company, celebrated the launch of its first portfolio of marine degradable biopolymers at a festive 1 March event. At the event, the company presented its Bluepha PHA, together with information about its properties and applications. As well, the company discussed the production processes developed, the facilities constructed and its innovative ‘Biohybrid’ technology. Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

PHA is a natural polymer occurring in the cells of a wide range of microorganisms, where it serves as a storage of carbon and energy. Microorganisms produce PHA using biomass as fermentation feedstock. Bluepha has developed an industrial process for its mass production. The company markets its PHA under the Bluepha name, or 蓝晶™ in Chinese.

Bluepha built and commissioned its first industrial-scale production facility, called BioFAB1, in 2022 in Yancheng. With this first 5000 tonne/year unit, which is staffed by a team with international experience in biomanufacturing, a solid basis could be laid for the stable supply of PHA.

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-Overview of a Fully Continuous Tire Pyrolysis Plant

Exactly what is pyrolysis? This term describes the simultaneous chemical and physical reactions that exist in organic substances when they’re in contact with very high temperatures.

Exactly what is pyrolysis? This term describes the simultaneous chemical and physical reactions that exist in organic substances when they’re in contact with very high temperatures. Generally, a completely continuous tire pyrolysis plant is a specially made tire recycling equipment that implements the pyrolysis technology to recycle waste tires into various products including fuel oil and carbon black.

With these machines, you may create fuel oil from all kinds of waste plastics. Remember, this can be all performed in an eco-friendly way. That also means these are essential in handling the waste plastic disposal issue.  Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

Typically, a completely continuous pyrolysis machine implements an entirely automatic procedure that might be remotely controlled using a Programmable Logic Controller system or even a computer. As a result of continuous or automated feeding and discharge system, this machine can constantly retain the optimum performance of your pyrolysis system.

Please read on and learn about the working process of this continuous pyrolysis machine, and a few of the benefits it offers.

The Working Process

– The method begins by shredding the available plastic materials into fine plastic granules by using a plastic crusher. Afterward, these granules are fed into this fully continuous tire pyrolysis machine through the machine’s feeding door.  Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

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-New Energy Security Scenarios explore how the world could evolve

Shell plc has today published its latest scenarios: the Energy Security Scenarios. The two new scenarios explore how the world could evolve following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Specifically, they look into the possible energy and climate outcomes that could result from a world that has security as its dominant concern.

Shell Scenarios are not predictions or expectations of what will happen, or what will probably happen. They are not expressions of Shell’s strategy, and they are not Shell’s business plan; they are one of the many inputs used by Shell to stretch thinking whilst making decisions. Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

The first scenario, called Archipelagos, follows how today’s pressures could play out to the end of the century. National interest remains key and renewables are mainly seen as a way to improve energy security. By 2100, net-zero emissions is within sight, but the world has failed to meet the goal of the Paris Agreement. This scenario is “exploratory”: it seeks to plot a course from where the world stood in 2022.

The second scenario, called Sky 2050, shows just how fast the world must move to meet the goal of the Paris Agreement. Global climate security becomes the primary concern. Nations race to switch to cleaner energy and a competitive landscape emerges for technology, minerals and manufacturing capacity. Competition drives rapid change and the world reaches net-zero emissions in 2050. This scenario is “normative” and extremely challenging: it set goals of net-zero emissions by 2050 and warming restricted to below 1.5°C by 2100, and then worked back to the realities of 2022 to explore how these end points could be reached. Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

Key points from the Energy Security Scenarios include:

• Fossil fuels lose market share. The energy system is decarbonising, the questions is: how fast?
• There is no realistic path to an instant and steep drop in emissions.
• The average temperature rise is highly likely to breach 1.5°C.
• The future of energy is electricity, although hydrogen and bioenergy have significant roles to play.
• Bringing the temperature rise back down below 1.5°C will require large-scale carbon removal and storage.

Scenarios are informed by data, constructed using models and contain insights from leading experts in the relevant fields. Ultimately, for all readers, scenarios are intended as an aid to making better decisions. They stretch minds, broaden horizons and explore assumptions.

Explore the Energy Security Scenarios, including a summary, at  www.shell.com/scenarios to find out more. Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

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-Smart surface supports the next-gen automotive user interfaces

To support the next generation of automotive user interfaces and experiences, TouchNetix now provides its aXiom technology which helps smart surfaces.

This unique user interface chip technology seamlessly and cost-efficiently integrates underneath materials and fabrics. The market-leading SNR assists features including touch, force-sensing, haptic feedback, 3D proximity and hover sensing, even when an air gap separates the sensor and the user area. This technology can be implemented through all kinds of plastic, wood, glass, fabric, and even in combination.

Car manufacturers increasingly want to redefine automotive user experiences by offering intuitive, safer, and more modern user interfaces at smaller costs.

Backlit icons directly behind the dashboard fabric may be activated upon power-up or by using the aXiom 3D proximity-sensing gesture technology. Together with its patented touch and force-sensing technology allows for a modern and low-cost implementation of key functions directly on the dashboard. The single-chip technology supports curved shapes, finger guides, sliders, and buttons, directly on the dashboard fabric or on a touch display or pad.  Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

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-The Rise of Biodegradable Plastics & New Recycling Technology

Biodegradable plastics have emerged as a potential solution to the severe environmental problem caused by the production and disposal of traditional plastic. These plastics can be made from natural sources like plant-based materials and micro-organisms such as bacteria that can be used in a variety of industries such as packaging, construction, and healthcare. While plastic pollution remains a significant issue, biodegradable plastics and enzymatic plastic recycling offer promising alternatives.

For every human on this planet, there are 21 000 pieces of plastic in the ocean. If a legally binding global plastic treaty doesn’t come to fruition, plastic in the oceans will almost triple by 2040. And most of those pieces are tiny, and can’t be recycled. Humans produce over 300 million tons of plastic waste every year, with only 9% of it being recycled and about 19% incinerated to generate energy, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development.

Traditional plastics are non-biodegradable, meaning they do not decompose naturally in the environment. Instead, they break down into microplastics that pollute our ecosystems and pose a risk to human health. Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

As a result, plastic waste has found its way into our oceans, forming massive garbage gyres and causing harm to marine life. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest accumulation of ocean plastic, is estimated to be twice the size of Texas. Fortunately, scientists, entrepreneurs, and companies are developing biodegradable plastics and recycling technology (using pyrolysis and enzymes) to help mitigate the plastic pollution problem.

The Promise of Plant-Based Plastics

Biodegradable plastics, also known as bioplastics, are made from renewable resources such as plant-based materials, and they can break down naturally in an industrial composting facility. They offer a more sustainable alternative to traditional plastics, reducing the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills or pollutes our oceans.

There are different types of bioplastics, each with its unique properties and applications. For instance, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are produced by microorganisms such as bacteria and can be used for packaging, agriculture, and medical devices.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is another common bioplastic made from renewable sources like corn starch, which can be used for food packaging, 3D printing, and textiles.

Waste textiles – Tire-Pyrolysis – PHA

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Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG 22-03-2023

Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-85% of plastic is not recycled because costs exceed new material

Despite the recycling campaign, especially bottles, in the US only 5% of more than 50 thousand tons will be recycled in 2021.

Around 85% of plastic packaging worldwide ends up in landfills and is not recycled. In the United States, the world’s biggest plastic polluter, only about 5% of the more than 50 million tons of plastic waste produced in 2021 will be recycled, according to Greenpeace. Plastic originates from petroleum or natural gas. Contrary to the image that many people might have, recycling is intense and growing, in fact costs are high, and recycling plastic is more expensive than buying new.

Global plastic production will triple by 2060 and plastic materials will multiply as a source of pollution in the oceans, where they severely affect marine life. And eventually they return to humans, in the form of microplastics that contaminate fish and shellfish and are ingested with them. Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

Pledges from major plastic producers such as food companies Nestle and Danone to promote recycling and include more recycled plastic in their bins have largely disappeared. No data for Argentina. Several beverage brands run campaigns claiming that their bottles are made from recycled plastic.

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-Bio-based alternatives for the AHP sector

Speciality viscose manufacturer Kelheim Fibres will demonstrate how its innovative bio-based fibres offer a environmentally friendly solution for a wide range of applications across the AHP sector at the upcoming INDEX exhibition.

Absorbent hygiene products such as diapers, sanitary pads, and incontinence products are an integral part of daily lives. Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

However, most of these products contain synthetic components and contribute to the global plastic waste problem. The search for alternatives is becoming increasingly urgent. The catch, says Kelheim, is that only innovations that offer the same performance and reliability as conventional products can be successful in the market. After all, no one wants to compromise in such a sensitive area as personal hygiene.

Kelheim Fibres is currently working on various development projects to design fully biobased AHP (absorbent hygiene product) concepts that do not compromise on performance. In this area, the company continues to focus on its wood-based specialty fibres, which the tampon industry has trusted for decades. However, the requirements for AHP products differ, as each layer must fulfill a specific function. For example, the topsheet comes into direct contact with the skin, while the ADL layer needs to quickly distribute the liquid, and the absorbent core must be particularly absorbent to achieve an optimal storage of the liquid. Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

To meet these requirements, Kelheim Fibres has developed a range of functionalized specialty fibres, including hydrophobic Olea, trilobal Galaxy, and the hollow fibre Bramante. These specialty fibres ensure optimal results in every layer of the AHP product.

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-Evonik Invests in Interface Polymer’s Additives for Sustainable Plastics

Interface Polymers’ Polarfin additives shown to simplify to the processing of plastics such as mixtures of PE and PP.

Evonik has invested in the British company Interface Polymers Ltd., whose Polarfin additives reportedly simplify the processing of plastics such as mixtures with PE or PP. At the same time, Interface Polymers’ technology has been shown to make it possible to recycle such plastics. Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

As a specialty chemicals company, Evonik is working on solutions for the circular economy at many levels. Polyethylene and polypropylene are versatile and widely used plastics because of their low weight and durability. However, their poor compatibility with other materials is a drawback. So far, costly and time-consuming surface preparation was the only solution. The unique Polarfin additive technology developed by Interface Polymers is said to make such preparation unnecessary. Moreover, it greatly reduces the amount of additives needed. As a result, mixed plastics are easier to recycle.

Interface Polymers was established in 2016 to commercialize inventions made in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick in Coventry (UK). A core competency of this company is the use of its Polarfin technology to make the surface of polyolefins compatible with other materials. Diblock copolymers combine PE and PP with polar materials to improve their compatibility with metals, ceramics, and other plastics. This offers advantages in recycling of mixed plastics, adhesion of paints inks and glues to plastic surfaces, and dispersion of materials within molded plastics.

Said Evonik’s head of venture capital Bernhard Mohr, “Many modern applications would be unthinkable without plastics, but recycling them is still a big challenge.

Interface Polymers’ additive technology offers a solution and is an excellent fit with Evonik’s Circular Plastics Program.”

The Sustainability Tech Fund launched by Evonik in 2022 is adding Interface Polymers to its investment portfolio. In this way, the Evonik Group is strengthening its technological expertise to realize its sustainability goals. Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

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-Hi Fabrique Group acquires Tessitura Monti Spa’s India business

Bengaluru-based cotton fabric manufacturer Hi Fabrique Group on Monday announced the acquisition of the India business of Tessitura Monti Spa, an Italian company engaged in the spinning, weaving and processing of textiles, for an undisclosed amount.

Tessitura Monti India Pvt Ltd (TMIPL), is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tessitura Monti Spa, Italy, which is globally one of the finest manufacturers of processed luxury and high-value cotton fabric, said a statement.

The deal will help the domestic firm Hi Fabrique (HF) Group, which has a “significant market share” in India’s high-value yarn-dyed shirting fabrics market.

According to industry sources, the deal is estimated to be around Rs 205 crore. International brands like Hugo Boss, Charles Tyrwhitt, Polo Ralph Lauren, Hackett, Prada, Gucci, Thomas Pink, Tailor man and Café Coton etc. are customers of TMIPL. Besides, TMIPL has a facility at Kolhapur, Maharashtra, which was mainly set up for exports, but it also supplies locally.  Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

“The Kolhapur unit supplies 20 per cent of its production to domestic markets which, in turn, is being used by brands like Blackberry, Zodiac, Raymond’s, Louis Phillipe, Van Heusen, Nautica, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger etc,” it said. Started in 1993 by Jodhraj to cater to garment exporters in Bengaluru, HF Group is India’s largest stockist of premium cotton shirting-ready fabric.

It caters to over 500 brands like Louis Phillipe, Van Heusen, Blackberry, Park Avenue, Siyaram, Peter England, US Polo, Arrow, Basics, Pan America, Turtle, French Crown, Hamer cop, Amazon, Myntra, Lifestyle etc. Jodhraj has been appointed as Chairman of Tessitura Monti India.

He said: “With this acquisition, we will be able to leverage the strengths of both companies to create a more robust and diversified product portfolio. By combining our expertise, resources, and talent, we will be better positioned to meet the evolving needs of our customers and deliver innovative solutions that exceed their expectations.”

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-Starlinger recycling technology shortlisted for Plastics Recycling Awards Europe

Starlinger recycling technology has been shortlisted for the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2023 for their new RecoStar PET art recycling line in the category “Product Technology Innovation of the Year”.

In technical development, Starlinger says, the focus of recycling technology has always been on achieving high production efficiency and keeping energy consumption and maintenance time as low as possible: The newly conceived PET bottle-to-bottle recycling system RecoStar PET art does not only consume 25 % less energy compared to the previous model, it also requires 46 % less maintenance time, has a 21 % smaller machine footprint, and a production output increase of 15 %. In total, bottle-to-bottle recyclers can save about 21 % in production costs with the new system, according to the company.

In addition to supplying FDA, Efsa and brand owner-approved PET recycling technology, Starlinger also offers recycling solutions for a variety of other post-consumer plastic scrap and industrial plastic waste.  Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

The specially developed odour reduction process ensures smell-reduced regranulate from post-consumer olefins such as PP and PE which are a widely used material for e.g. milk or detergent bottles. The company’s scope of supply also includes recycling solutions for agro- and geo-textiles, nonwovens, heavily printed and hygroscopic plastic films, or waste from textile production.

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-Plastic packaging firms to see softer demand

The demand for plastic packaging will likely be weaker this year, weighed down by the anticipated slowdown in the global economy.

Nevertheless, plastic packaging players will likely see some relief, as sustainable margins and easing cost pressures could help their bottom lines.

Given the muted outlook, Kenanga Research reiterated its “neutral” view on the sector.

“The demand outlook for plastic packaging sector in 2023 is not favourable in the first half of the year due to slower global economic growth and lingering supply chain disruptions affecting end-users’ operation and hence the demand of plastic packaging,” the brokerage said in a recent report. Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

“We foresee a moderate utilisation rate of 50%-65% across the board in the first half despite the labour shortage issue being partially resolved,” it added.

According to Kenanga Research, despite the soft patch in the first half of this year, plastic packaging players would likely maintain their margins as a result of the companies’ ongoing positioning towards higher-margin products, and the declining cost of input resin.

On the recent hike in electricity tariff, the impact would likely be manageable, as electricity only made up 4%-6% of the total production cost of plastic packaging players, it noted.“

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-February meg contract price in Europe increased by EUR40 per tonne

The February contract price of monoethylene glycol (MEG) in Europe has been agreed at EUR830 per tonne, which is EUR40 per tonne higher than in January, ICIS reports.

The price was agreed on the terms of free shipping (FD) in Northwest Europe (NWE).

Negotiations between buyers and sellers were delayed due to disagreements over pricing.

The first price reconciliation for March appeared along with the full approval for February, but it has not yet been fully confirmed. Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

Buyers pay attention to the reduction of spot prices; meanwhile, raw material costs for February and March rose.

The contract price of ethylene in Europe for March was set at EUR1,290 per tonne, which is EUR30 per tonne more than in February. The contract price of ethylene in Europe for February increased by EUR85 per ton compared to January.

In order for agreements to be considered fully confirmed, a minimum configuration of 2 + 2 producer-consumer is required.

Earlier it was reported that MEGlobal, the world leader in the production of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and diethylene glycol (DH), nominated the March contract price of MEG for Asia at USD860 per ton, which is USD20 per ton higher than in February.

MEG, along with terephthalic acid (TPA), is one of the main raw materials for the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Plastic packaging – Recycling – MEG

Green tech – Ammonia cracking 21-03-2023

Green tech – Ammonia cracking

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Xi’s Russia visit to strengthen global stability

President Xi Jinping is scheduled to kick off a three-day visit to Russia on Monday that is expected to guide the high-level China-Russia relationship further forward and inject more stability into the complicated international situation. It is the second time that Xi has chosen Russia as the destination of his first overseas trip after being elected Chinese president, following his visit to the country in 2013.

“This fully demonstrates the profound personal friendship between Xi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as well as the high attention he attaches to bilateral ties in the new era,” Zhang Hanhui, the Chinese ambassador to Russia, said in a recent joint interview with Chinese media. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

During Xi’s stay in Russia, he will meet with Putin and have discussions on China-Russia practical cooperation as well as international and regional issues of common concern.

The past decade has witnessed bilateral meetings between the two heads of state on 40 occasions, with strategic consensuses reached in areas including upgrading bilateral ties, safeguarding regional security and stability and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

During Xi’s last visit to Russia in 2019, the two countries decided to elevate the China-Russia relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination in the New Era.

“The two heads of state have maintained close contacts and exchanged views on bilateral cooperation and major international issues, which serve as the compass and anchor in developing China-Russia relations,” ambassador Zhang said, calling the trip a milestone for bilateral ties in the new era. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

Vasily Kashin, director at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow, said the head-of-state diplomacy provides guidance for the two countries’ governments at all levels to overcome difficulties and push forward cooperation in all fields.

He noted that bilateral trade has witnessed growth despite the global economic recession in recent years, and Chinese companies have become a dominant player in some sectors of the Russian market. “Take the automobile industry, for instance. Chinese car manufacturers are occupying more market share than ever. You see more Chinese-brand cars driving in the streets of Moscow, such as Haval, Cherry, Dongfeng and others,” Kashin said.

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-Pregis Appearing at AMI Chemical Recycling Show

Pregis Appearing at AMI Chemical Recycling Show Panel to Discuss Advanced Recycling Technology and How it Can Help End Users Meet Recycled Content Targets

Participate in thought-provoking discussions about the current state of chemical recycling, its potential impact, and the progress made in integrating the technology into the North American recycling industry at the AMI Chemical Recycling conference taking place in Houston, March 20-22, 2023. Attendees can expect to explore various chemical or advanced recycling technologies and the measures required to bring them to scale. The event presents an opportunity to fully understand advanced recycling and network with industry leaders. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

Pregis’ Director of Market Development and Sustainability for Performance Flexibles, Jonathan Quinn, and Printpack’s Sustainable Innovations Manager, William J. Barlow Jr. will be participating on March 22nd in an end user panel discussion on advanced recycled materials and how they can help end users meet targets on recycled content. This panel discussion will also include Dr. Sathish Ranganathan, Director of R&D and Sustainability at Prysmian Group, Dan Healey, Sustainability Director at Sealed Air, and Chinmay Peshave, Subject Matter Expert at Apple Inc. and will be moderated by Silke Einschuetz, Senior Consultant Recycling and Sustainability, AMI, UK.

Presenting an expansive wealth of knowledge and experience, this group of executives will explore the challenges and opportunities surrounding advanced recycled materials and their potential to drive the circular economy forward. Pregis and Printpack are uniquely in tune with this issue after having recently partnered to produce the first all-polyethylene advanced recycled stand up pouch on the market.The companies recently announced a collaboration to create the Preserve™ PE Advanced Recycled Content Polyethylene Pouch featuring Pregis Performance Flexibles Renew™ Series sealant film made with ExxonMobil Exxtend™ advanced recycled resin technology. The Preserve™ PE Advanced Recycled Content Polyethylene Pouch is designed to support brand commitments to use packaging that contains recycled content. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

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-Zhejiang becomes top destination of Pakistan’s exports to China

BEIJING-Zhejiang Province has become the top destination of Pakistani exports to China in the past three years, said Ghulam Qadir, Commercial Counsellor at the Pakistani Embassy in China. In 2022, Zhejiang Province imported $954.59 million Pakistani products and exported $5.80 billion to Pakistan, adding that in 2021, Zhejiang Province imported $968.77 million Pakistani products, up from $436.47 million in 2020, he told CEN.

Zhejiang’s imports from Pakistan in 2022 are mainly refined copper products ($456.97 million), billets and copper unwrought ($127.13 million), copper anodes for electrolytic refining ($123.43 million), pine nuts ($20.29 million) and frozen shrimps and prawns ($11.14 million), he added. He further said that Beijing was the second destination in China to import Pakistan products (worth $603.55 million) and the top destination for Pakistani rice. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

Last year, Beijing imported $114.62 million semi or wholly-mulled Pakistani rice. “Pakistan would like to increase its export to China and the solution lies in producing higher value-added and therefore more expensive products so that even a small increase in exports can lead to a large increase in value.

This year we will focus on enhancing our value-added products in China, therefore we are organizing two big expos on textile and food in Pakistan in May 2023 to bring Chinese investors to build factories in Pakistan”, Ghulam Qadir said. It is to be noted that in 2022, Pakistan’s exports to China were $3.41 billion while China’s exports to Pakistan were $23.089 billion and overall trade between the two counties sustained at $26.50 billion in 2022.

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-Green tech revolution in the West has consequences for the rest, UN report warns

The advantages of lower-emission technology will be nearly unattainable for many poorer nations.

The majority of developing countries are doomed to miss out on the economic benefits of emerging green technology, according to a new United Nations report.

This would hinder their progress toward achieving their climate objectives and exacerbate the gap between rich and poor countries, warned the report published by the UN on Thursday. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

“We are at the beginning of a technological revolution based on green technologies,” said UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan.

“This new wave of technological change will have a formidable impact on the global economy.”

The advantages of lower-emission technology will be nearly unattainable for many poorer nations, particularly in Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa noted the report.

Unless the international community and national governments aggressively support green tech firms in developing countries.

By 2030, the market value of green hydrogen, solar and wind energy, and electric vehicles is expected to increase by four times to $2.1 trillion.

Nations are attempting to limit their emissions that contribute to global warming in order to keep it to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius (2.7 to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The research singled out a select few nations as growing nations with policies that will allow them to expand some of their green technology sectors in the future, including Mexico, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

It also cited the bioethanol sector in Brazil and the potential for green hydrogen in Chile as examples of clean energy industry booms.

The report lists more than a dozen technologies, largely being used or developed by industrialized countries, including gene editing, blockchain, nanotechnologies, and renewable energy.

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-Twenty-two US states facilitate chemical recycling

The latest is Utah, which recently enacted a change in solid waste management rules, opening the door to mass balance certification.
March 17, 2023 1:16 pm
state governor UtahAccording to the US chemical industry association American Chemistry Council (ACC), 22 states in the Union have introduced legislation that facilitates, to varying degrees, the chemical recycling of plastic waste, also to make up for a historic lack of infrastructure for mechanical recycling. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

The last to enter the list – and first in 2023 – is Utah, a western US state, which has just approved a law (HB 493, available HERE) which regulates chemical recycling activities in the context of a broader regulation on solid waste; by providing certainty and administrative transparency, it encourages companies interested in entering this sector.
ACC estimates that the potential investments could exceed 200 million dollars, with consequences both at an environmental level (only 50% of plastic waste is recovered in the state today), as well as fiscal and employment (600 potential new jobs).

Among the innovations introduced by the legislation, the recognition of third-party certification systems to track, measure and verify the recycled content from chemical recycling through the mass balance.
“With the approval of HB 493, the United States takes another step towards developing a circular economy for plastics,” comments Joshua Baca, vice president for plastics industry at ACC. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

-Saudi Aramco and Linde Engineering to develop new ammonia cracking technology

Saudi Arabia-based Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, and Linde Engineering, a global leader in the production and processing of gases, signed an agreement jointly to develop a new ammonia cracking technology. The collaboration between the two companies will combine Linde Engineering and Aramco’s experience and capabilities in industrial research and development, lower-carbon hydrogen, and ammonia cracking technology.

A potential differentiator of this new technology is the ammonia cracking catalyst, jointly developed by Aramco and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which will be evaluated against other catalysts. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

Through this agreement, Aramco and Linde Engineering plan to build a demonstration plant in northern Germany to showcase this new ammonia cracking technology. Linde Engineering intends to offer this ammonia cracking technology to current and new customers, creating new commercial opportunities within the global lower-carbon energy supply chain.

The emerging lower-carbon ammonia business may prove to be key in bridging the gap between a country’s domestic renewable energy production capacity and total energy demand.

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-Ministers demand more flexibility with EU packaging law

Environment ministers from the European Union’s 27 member states, led by Italy and Belgium, want more flexibility in implementing the bloc’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), tabled by the European Commission in November.

The regulation aims to boost waste prevention and recycling by introducing new targets on reuse and mandatory deposit return schemes for used packaging.

However, during a debate held in the Environment Council last week, ministers expressed concern the proposed law will undermine existing national recycling systems.

Italy is leading the charge against the proposal, which has one of the highest recycling rates in Europe when it comes to packaging, according to Eurostat.

“Prescribing methods and solutions that are one-size-fits-all for all member states without any kind of differentiation based on the conditions and circumstances when it comes to the sorting of waste and the recycling targets – we just don’t think it’s the best solution,” said Italian Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

According to him, it is essential to have ambitious shared targets while leaving EU countries sufficient “room for manoeuvre in achieving them”.

His views are widely shared among other ministers who participated in the Brussels meeting.

“What this regulation does is just interfere with national measures which are already up and running, and therefore remove legal certainty,” said Austrian environment minister Leonore Gewessler, who expressed worries for existing deposit return systems in place in EU member states. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

To achieve greater harmonisation across EU countries, the European Commission decided on a regulation rather than a directive. While EU directives set objectives that must be transposed into national law, regulations directly apply to national legislation.

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-Keeping pace with high-quality recycled resin

Production of recycled plastic content is far from meeting demand, posing major industry challenges. Embracing the latest technological advancement in flake sorting helps bridge the gap between supply and demand and gives recyclers a competitive edge in efficiency and profitability. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

The plastic industry is in transition and facing a set of challenges, the most prominent of which is delivering high-quality secondary feedstock in large enough volumes to meet the ever-growing demand. Over the last decades, plastic production rates shot up unprecedentedly. According to Plastics Europe, global plastic production reached 390.7* million metric tons in 2021, of which 352.3 MT is virgin-based (90.2%) and only 32.5 MT (8.3%) from post-consumer recycled plastics.

A closer look at the distribution of the total plastic production by type reveals that polyolefins make up the majority of it with manufacturing rates amounting to approximately 180.5 million MT.

Although there is an affluence of plastic on the market and further increase expected, recycling rates remain low and access to high-quality recyclates is limited. In times when legislation and recycled content targets become increasingly stringent and time-sensitive, it is crucial to unlock the potential of existing solutions. Green tech – Ammonia cracking

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EV-Car – PCR-Resins – rPET-Bottles 20-03-2023

Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

-Coca-Cola Introduces Plant-Based Bottles Made from Sugarcane and Paper

Coca-Cola has as of late declared the send-off of its most recent eco-accommodating drive, which includes the utilization of plant-based bottles produced using a mix of sugarcane and paper. This move is part of the beverage giant’s efforts to reduce its plastic waste and promote sustainable packaging.

As indicated by Coca-Cola, these plant-based bottles are intended to be 100 per cent recyclable and are supposed to diminish the organization’s carbon impression fundamentally.

This is because sugarcane, the primary component of the new bottles, is a renewable resource that absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while it grows. Moreover, the paper used in the production of the bottles comes from responsibly managed forests.

This isn’t the initial time Coca-Cola has wandered into eco-accommodating bundling. In 2009, the company introduced its “PlantBottle” technology, which was made from a combination of sugarcane and recycled plastic. However, the new plant-based bottles represent a significant improvement over the previous technology, as they are entirely free from fossil fuels. Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

This most recent drive is essential for Coca-Cola’s bigger supportability technique, which means making the organization’s activities all the more harmless to the ecosystem.

The company has set ambitious targets to reduce its carbon emissions, promote water stewardship, and improve its packaging sustainability. Coca-Cola has also pledged to collect and recycle one bottle or can for every one it sells by 2030.

-Program announced for World of Wipes

INDA has announced the program for the World of Wipes (WOW) International Conference, July 17-20, Atlanta, Georgia. Key topics include: Plastics policy: closing the ‘intention-action’ gap, sustainable manufacturing practices, what consumers think about sustainability and how they are driving cultural change, supply chain transparency, wipes advancements, flushability developments, and a special CEO panel sharing their organizations’ approach to inflation, supply chain challenges, and capacity/demand balance.

Among the leading organizations presenting at this year’s event are: Berry Global, Birla Cellulose, Bringabouts, Bureau Veritas, Diamond Wipes, Freudenberg Performance Materials, Glatfelter, Goodwipes, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, National Cotton Council, Mango Consulting, Plastics Industry Association, Rockline Industries, Sharon Laboratories, and Trützschler Nonwovens. Program and speaker details are available on the WOW website. Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

Two new features at WOW this year are Lightning Talks and Lunch Around. Lightning Talks are an opportunity for tabletop exhibitors to highlight their innovations in “supersized elevator speeches” to WOW participants. Lightning Talks will take place before the tabletop exhibits open Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. The Lunch Around opportunity connects participants and thought leaders from the wipes industry at select downtown Atlanta restaurants on Tuesday and Wednesday. Space is limited and is first-come, first-served.

WOW kicks off with the Wipes Academy, a comprehensive course including elements of market research, materials, chemistry, converting, and regulatory filing. This course has been redeveloped to include all aspects of wipes development from concept to commercialization.  Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

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-SK Chemicals signs a $100 million asset purchase agreement with China’s Shuye

The company is now a force to be reckoned with in the global rPET market

South Korean chemical giant SK chemicals has concluded an asset purchase agreement worth $ 100 million with Shantou, China headquartered Shuye Environmental Technologies, a company with PET depolymerisation technology facilities and expertise.

The agreement is evidence of the ongoing relationship between the two companies: in 2021, SK chemicals invested an amount of 23 billion won for a 10% stake in Shuye, and secured an off-take agreement for 20,000 tons of chemically recycled raw material production capacity. At the time, the decision represented a proactive response to the rapidly increasing demand for eco-friendly packaging market, the company explained. In 2022, the companies signed  a MOU for  the formation of a JV that would see the construction of a 100,000-ton chemical recycling plant for BHET (r-BHET) and a 200,000-ton (CR) copolyester and PET depolymerisation plant at Shantoe, next to Shuye’s first depolymerisation plant. Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

BHET, or bis(2-Hydroxyethyl) terephthalate, is an intermediate in the production of polyethylene terephthalate.

Under the present agreement, these assets have now been transferred to SK chemicals. As a result, SK chemicals owns the world’s first commercially available polyester chemically recycled raw materials and production facility, which can be sold separately. The acquisition has enabled SK chemical to pull well ahead of the other domestic companies in this space, making it a force to be reckoned with.

The company said that, next to expanding its copolyester business, it would therefore also be looking at the newly acquired, high-growth potentials as development drivers.  It added that once it had validated its production technology, it planned to build infrastructure in China and other countries  –  in Europe, North America, and beyond – to meet the rapidly increasing demand for recycled plastic waste around the world.

According to a report from Wood Mackenzie, the global recycled PET market in 2022 amounted to approximately 9.7 million tons, with the majority of the market currently consisting of mechanically recycled PET (MR-PET). Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

The development of the chemically recycled PET market – hampered in the past by raw material shortages – is expected to show rapid growth through 2030 and to reach as much as $7.6 billion in response to factors such as curbs on carbon emissions, regulations on plastic use and recycling, and changing consumer preferences.

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-‘Biofuels’ from discarded plastics pose health risks

In an effort to combat the climate crisis, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States had unveiled a biofuels program under the Toxic Substances Control Act that makes it easier to approve petroleum alternatives.

Apparently, the meaning of “biofuel” is as flexible as a plastic bag because the EPA has just permitted Chevron to use discarded plastics as a fuel source, alleging that reusing this waste is eco-friendly. The reality is far from that.

The U.N. Environment Programme estimates the plastics industry will account for 20% of global oil consumption by 2050. Although most plastic is made from natural gas, petroleum — also called crude oil — is still an extremely common raw material for producing it. Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

Burning plastic in any form releases harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Many studies suggest it is even worse for the environment than burning fossil fuels. The new plastic fuel production will contribute to atmospheric warming, directly contradicting the EPA’s decision to use alternative fuels to slow climate change.

A deadly byproduct

More immediately alarming is producing the plastic-based Chevron fuel will create toxic fumes, causing cancer in an estimated 25% of people exposed to them.

That number is so staggering that it feels less like a risk and more like a certainty.

For context, these fumes pose a higher cancer risk than a lifelong smoking habit, even though cigarette smoke contains 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.

An EPA spokesperson admitted 25% was a conservative estimate — the risk is likely higher. Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

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-Saipem and Garbo to collaborate on new technology for plastic recycling

The agreement also provides for the construction on an industrial scale of the first chemical plastic recycling plant in Italy

Saipem and Garbo, an Italian chemical company, have signed an agreement to support the industrialisation, development and international commercialisation on a global scale of a new technology for plastic recycling.

The technology, named ChemPET, is Garbo’s proprietary depolymerisation technology which converts polyethylene terephthalate plastic waste, commonly known as PET, into new, high-quality PET and, therefore, of high value for the chemical and food industries.

The agreement also provides for Saipem and Garbo to collaborate on the construction on an industrial scale of the first chemical plastic recycling plant in Italy, located in Cerano in the province of Novara.  Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

ChemPET is based on a chemical r ecycling technology that, unlike the mechanical process, enables the recycling of types of plastics for which no alternative solutions exist today (such as coloured plastics) and produces higher quality material that, in contrast to the mechanical process, does not lose its properties as it is recycled. ChemPET also allows for a simpler process and by-product management and does not involve the use of flammable or hazardous substances. It therefore represents a solution to the expected growth in demand for recycling of plastics and of PET in particular, also in light of increasingly stringent regulations. Today, PET is mainly used for the production of bottles and packaging.

Fabrizio Botta, Saipem’s Chief Commercial Officer, commented: “This agreement is in line with Saipem’s strategy in the low carbon industrial segments and it enables us to enrich our portfolio of technologies and solutions for the circular economy and the sustainable chemical industry”. Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

Guido Fragiacomo, CEO of Garbo, stated: “This agreement allows ChemPET to consolidate its technology leadership in crPET through the immediate industrialisation of the two 22.5 kTA units in Cerano and the licensing of the technology on a global scale”.

SAIPEM

Website: www.saipem.com

Switchboard: +39 0244231

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-Nanollose secures US patent for sustainable fibre technology

Australian textile innovator Nanollose, has been awarded a US patent —and the first specifically for its fibre technologies.

The patent application entitled Techniques for Creating a Viscose Dope from Microbial Cellulose received approval from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

According to NC6, the process of pulping microbial cellulose for use in the creation of viscose fibers is covered by the patent.

The US patent is a significant validation of the company’s aim to achieve a broader leading position in sustainable fibre technology, even if the company’s current main focus is on the development of its trade-marked, tree-free Nullarbor lyocell process.

The US patent also broadens NC6’s IP footprint throughout its product line and offers defense against future rivals in the biggest consumer market in the world.

The NC6’s successful application resulted in the grant of its third patent worldwide and first in the US.  Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

It is also the first to directly address the fiber technologies of the corporation, notwithstanding other jurisdictions’ continued review of this family of patents.

In January 2020, NC6 and Grasim Industries signed into long-term development cooperation for the advancement of the Nullarbor lyocell process.

Birla Cellulose’s main company, Grasim Industries, is a division of the multinational Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla Group. Moreover, NC6 and Birla Cellulose filed a combined patent application.

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-Incredible India: that’s why it will be the new Eldorado of the European car

The growth of tensions between the United States and China and the apparent support of the Asian giant for Russia is changing the geopolitical scenarios also in the automotive sector, cooling the relations of European manufacturers with China which, among other things, with the landing of its electric cars in Europe is becoming an increasingly formidable opponent. Hence the growing interest in India which, with a population that has exceeded that of China, with half of the inhabitants under the age of 30, appears to be the fastest growing world economy. Meanwhile, according to estimates by Standard & Poor’s, India already in 2022 with 3.8 million cars has become the third global car market, overtaking Japan.Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic
But the growth that most interests European manufacturers is that of electric vehicles, which currently represent only 1% of total car sales, but which the Indian government wants to bring to 30% by 2030. And it will do so by dint of incentives . However, European manufacturers are not looking at India only as a market, but also as a possible strategic base for producing low-cost electric cars for export abroad. Maybe even in Europe, to counter the danger of Chinese invasion. Many are thinking about it, from Stellantis, to Renault and Volkswagen.

And it is in this scenario, and in the wake of the recent relaunch of negotiations between India and the EU for a global free trade agreement, that Acea, the association that brings together European car manufacturers in Brussels, is asking India to to commit to liberalization also on the automotive front, ensuring the abatement of all customs duties for all EU industrial products, both vehicles and car components.

In a note, Acea underlines that ”exports of European vehicles to India have historically represented a negligible value due to prohibitive tariff and non-tariff barriers and oppressive national taxes, kept in force for decades to promote development of the Indian automotive industry and protect the domestic market from international competition”.

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Biofuels – Fibre-technology – Plastic

Indorama-IVL – Chemical recycling 17-03-2023

Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Unigel and thyssenkrupp nucera sign Memorandum of Understanding to increase production capacity of green hydrogen plant

Unigel and thyssenkrupp nucera sign Memorandum of Understanding to increase production capacity of green hydrogen plant

Thyssenkrupp nucera and Unigel have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase the capacity of the green hydrogen plant that Unigel is developing in Bahia, Brazil, from 60 MW to 240 MW of water electrolysis, said the company.

The signing ceremony was held in Belo Horizonte, during the visit of the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Dr. Robert Habeck. This is a key step for both companies continue their good collaboration to accelerate the green transformation through the development of the green hydrogen economy worldwide.

Unigel’s facility will be the first industrial-scale green hydrogen plant in Brazil. It is planned to be delivered at the end of the year. Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

In the first phase, the plant will have a total water electrolysis capacity of 60 MW with thyssenkrupp nucera standard electrolyzers and an initial production capacity of 10,000 tons/year of green hydrogen and 60,000 tons/year of green ammonia. Unigel is one of the largest chemical companies in Latin America and the largest producer of nitrogen fertilizers in Brazil. The new plant will be an important stimulus for the development of the entire region.

“Unigel’s green hydrogen plant will be the first on an industrial scale in Brazil. We continue to negotiate strategic partnerships to enable the new phases of the project”, said Roberto Noronha Santos, CEO of Unigel. The green hydrogen and green ammonia will be offered to customers seeking to decarbonize their production chains such as the steel industry, oil refineries and ammonia producers.

Green ammonia will also be used in Unigel’s value chain, as it is a raw material for the production of fertilizers and acrylics. Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

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-What are salt batteries

Salt batteries, also known as salt accumulators, are devices that store energy: the goal, so to speak, is the same as lithium batteries, but the internal chemical composition changes. This type of accumulator is called “salt” due to the very high presence of sodium chloride (32%): sodium is an element of the periodic table which, compared to the lithium of canonical batteries, is easier to find and is also recyclable, even if it has a
However, all that glitters is not gold: as we mentioned at the beginning, not only are salt batteries more expensive than lithium ones, but they also have a strong nickel component (20%), by far the element most present after sodium and followed to a lesser extent by ceramics, iron, copper and various elements. Salt batteries
Nickel, compared to sodium, is more difficult to find and requires special precautions in the context of disposal so as not to impact nature.  Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

Composition and operation

But how are salt batteries specifically made? Forgive us for the brief technical parenthesis, it is necessary to better understand this technology.
Each cell in the charged state sees a positive electrode of copper and nickel chloride (cathode) and a negative one of liquid sodium (anode): separating the two electrodes is a ceramic tube called beta-aluminate ceramic electrolyte. The contact between the latter and the positive electrode is ensured by a molten secondary electrolyte. We won’t go into too many details, however know that the operation is based on reaching high temperatures to melt a specific element, in this case sodium (97.8°C): essentially, salt batteries work with a range between 270°C and 350°C.

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-Newly Developed Transparent Bio Plastic as an Alternative to Aluminium for Aerosols

VELOX GmbH  and its long-term partner SK Chemicals Co. Ltd. are presenting an innovation for plastic packaging applications such as aerosol containers as well as cosmetic and hot fill bottles.

ECOZEN HF® is a newly developed bio-copolyester range that is perfectly suitable for aluminum, glass and PET replacement wherever heat and pressure resistance combined with transparency is required. First customers have already started sampling the grades.

“ECOZEN HF® has similar processing requirements to PET and can be used in the same injection-stretch blow moulding (ISBM) process. However, the new grades by SK Chemicals perform perfectly in areas where PET can sometimes fail, such as in high temperature and high pressure applications”, explains François Minec, General Manager at VELOX. “For example, PET is sometimes used to produce aerosol bottles. These bottles can often fail due to high residual stress and the low temperature resistance of PET, especially in the summer months when possible leakage is the result. ECOZEN HF® offers an ideal alternative here.”  Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

Besides remarkable resistance to pressure, stress-cracking and high temperatures, ECOZEN HF® is characterised by excellent transparency and easy processing. As a glass replacement, e.g. for food packaging, it not only helps to reduce weight and transportation costs but can also be used to produce hot-fill containers without the need for an expensive PET heat-setting process or the need for crystallising the bottle or jar neck. Similarly, as an aluminum substitute in the cosmetics packaging industry, ECOZEN HF® combines high pressure-resistance with design flexibility and transparency. In addition, Ecozen HF® is totally miscible with PET in the recycling stream.

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-Safripol announces bottle-to-bottle product

The annual Safripol Sustainability Conference is being held at the Sandown Hilton from 15-16 March 2023. Thought leaders, captains of industry, and EEHs (Everyday Environmental Heroes) will discuss ‘circularity’ and climate impact within the theme ‘Let’s plastic responsibly’.

It seems that Safripol has already put some words into action. Safripol CEO, Nico Van Niekerk says “To support a local plastic circular economy, we have launched our recycled polymer portfolio, and are excited to bring to market our first rPET product Aspirer, with post-consumer resin in FY 2023”.  Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

The new product is a gamechanger for South African recycling, bringing Safripol closer to achieving the sustainability goals they set themselves to reach by 2025. It is a giant leap forward in the creation of a true local plastic circular economy.

The product offers between 15% and 25% rPET polymer resin for the manufacture of plastic packaging, especially plastic bottles, as a one-bag solution for Safripol customers. The South African Waste Act stipulates that 12% must be used, so this solution helps Safripol and manufacturers go beyond compliance.

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-Quectel showcases industrial smart color sorter solution with edge intelligence at Embedded World 2023

Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global IoT solutions provider, today announces how its latest smart module with machine compute and edge intelligence capabilities is revolutionizing the color sorter industry with higher efficiency and accuracy. Employing Quectel’s high performance SG560D smart module, the solution improves the color sorting of industrial materials that can be transformed via a visual identification system, through a combination of machine vision and edge intelligence capabilities, and automatically sort objects based on color and shapes accordingly. Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

The advanced color sorter application, aimed at the industrial materials management industry, utilizes the Quectel SG560D smart module based on the Qualcomm QCS6490 chipset, and additional integrated hardware including cameras, lamps, and air guns. The solution is able to detect, recognize, and sort a broad array of textures, colors and materials including food materials such as rice, wheat, corn, soybean, seeds, nuts, salt, plastic objects such as plastic pieces, plastic granules, plastic bottle cap flake as well as minerals like quartz stone, quartz sand, pearls, marble, and others.

“As a global leader, Quectel is committed to serving our customers across all industries with the latest innovative technologies. We are proud to drive innovations in large industrial verticals such as color sorting where machine vision, edge computing and next-generation robotics applications can transform entire industries with faster time-to-market, increase productivity and produce significant cost-savings,” said Norbert Muhrer, President and CSO, Quectel Wireless Solutions. Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

With advanced visual identification system, the smart color sorter solution can manage color sorting of high-volume objects with four cameras working simultaneously to stream video, with an accuracy of less than 1/200000 error rate. Additionally, it can help reduce operating and labor expense significantly.

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-FIMIC develops filtration technology for PET recycling

FIMIC has installed two units (RAS-type filters) on PET recycling lines to work with more contaminated PET waste streams, i.e., not coming from hot-washed bottle flakes only, such as for example PET lumps from petrochemical waste or from strapping production, waste fibers as well as PET straps. In these cases, the contamination of the input material was higher than the typical “ppm” contaminations used for food grade applications, reaching levels as high as 5%. The benefits and the advantages of a continuous scraping filtration are ‘significant’, according to FIMIC.  Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

Dedicated to different end applications, these filter units are working with performance and great quality results in both cases: as a pre-filter in the first project (applied filtration is 150 or 120 micron on laser screen) and as the only filtration step in the second one (applied filtration is 80 micron on laser screen). The respective output performances are 2.000 kg/h and 700 kg/h, at very different and sometimes inconsistent iV levels.

At the same time, FIMIC says it has increased the amount of units installed for the recycling of soft PVC Most recently, FIMIC has been testing an alternative solution to be applied to hard PVC.

According to the company, PolyEthyleneTerephthalate (PET) is one of the most recyclable plastics, widely used world-wide in many different applications. Light, strong, durable and safe, PET offers a number of advantages being almost uniquely among plastics. Because of PET’s incredible performance and recyclability it is one of the most sustainable packaging materials. It is in fact approved as safe for use in direct food contact all over EU, as well as many other Countries, both in virgin or recycled form. Its uses vary from food, beverage, pharmaceutical and medical sectors, clothing, automotives, outperforming other plastic packaging. 70% of carbonated soft drinks, fruit juices, dilutable drinks and bottled water are made of PET. Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

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-Green Claims: clarity is needed to empower consumers and industry to make sustainable choices

Suntory Beverage & Food Europe (SBFE) believes in the power of clear and accurate communications to consumers to drive more sustainable purchasing behaviours and better-informed choices. For over a century, Suntory has focused on driving positive impacts in communities worldwide, and SBFE continues this heritage in the EU. Our iconic brands, including Schweppes, Orangina and Oasis, offer a range of refreshment choices that bring joy and satisfaction to Europeans across the continent.

Michelle Norman is the Director of Sustainability and External Affairs at Suntory Beverage & Food Europe. Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

It is in SBFE’s interests to provide meaningful and accurate information to consumers and investors on the environmental performance of our products and our production. EU legislation on substantiating environmental claims should outline a clear regulatory framework that supports industry in delivering on objectives while avoiding unnecessary restrictions on our ability to market sustainable solutions to consumers.

Our commitment to sustainability is long-lasting and drives our commercial strategy

SBFE makes continuous investments in the transition to more sustainable products. Our Growing for Good[1] company values support a global strategy with local impact that empowers our business to act for positive change. SBFE is committed to delivering on the objectives of the European Green Deal and on the UN Sustainable Development Goals[2]. This is evidenced in our robust voluntary commitments to achieve:

100% recyclable packaging by designing for circularity, and a minimum of 50% recycled plastic in our bottles by 2025; Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

100% sustainable plastic bottles by 2030;

A 50% reduction in scope 1 and 2, and 30% reduction in scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030;

A 50% reduction in food waste from production by 2030;

A 20% reduction in water use by 2030, and;

Net-zero emissions across our business by 2050 or sooner.

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Green hydrogen – Bio Plastic

Plastic waste – Chinese yuan 15-03-2023

Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Challenges ahead for US$1b meltblown sector

The meltblown nonwovens industry is facing a period of readjustment in 2023 and beyond while also needing to identify new sales channels for output on its existing lines, according to a new report.

Demand for N95 face masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) has led to a surge in the consumption of meltblown nonwovens with the world market more than doubling in 2019-2020, from $808.9 million to $1.6 billion.

These latest figures can be found in the latest exclusive analysis from industry analysts Smithers which noted that the consumption of disposable nonwovens almost quadrupled from $372.7 million in 2019 to $1.2 billion in 2020. Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

However, the report notes that this consumption spike has not been sustained; it has dropped as the threat of the pandemic has receded. The latest exclusive data from Smithers – available to purchase now in The Future of Meltblown Nonwovens Markets to 2028 – shows how in 2023 global value will fall back to $1 billion at constant prices. Total volume will reach 253,500 tonnes, down from a peak of 367,800 tonnes in 2020.

While some of the boom in demand for face mask media and medical PPE was managed by short-term repurposing of existing nonwoven assets, multiple new meltblown lines were commissioned.

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-Tesla Confirms The Switch To 48 Volt System

Tesla moves forward with applying improvements to the low-voltage system of its electric vehicles, which so far was operating at roughly 12 volts just like in the vast majority of other cars.

During the recent 2023 Investor Day, Tesla’s representatives confirmed the intention to introduce a 48V system, which despite many years, is still a rare solution in the automotive industry.

The first step for Tesla was the switch from 12V lead-acid auxiliary batteries to 12V lithium-ion auxiliary batteries, announced in February 2021, and initially launched in the refreshed Tesla Model S/Model X (starting with the Plaid) – see an in-depth teardown here – and later used also in the Model 3/Model Y (in late 2021). Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

According to Tesla, the old lead-acid batteries were a major source of failures in Tesla cars, and they needed a replacement about every four years or so. The new lithium-ion batteries are expected to withstand the lifetime of the car (just like the main traction battery), so there should be no replacement needed at all.

That’s the obvious improvement, on top of which comes a smaller size and lower weight (87 percent reduction).

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-Indaver’s Plastics2Chemicals plant built around Sulzer technology

Belgium-headquartered waste management company Indaver has selected technology developed by Swiss fluid engineering company Sulzer Chemtech for its new Plastics2Chemicals (P2C). The demo-scale plant, currently under construction in Antwerp, will use Sulzer’s separation technology to reclaim and purify 30,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year.

This demo plant is the first of a number of sustainable P2C facilities that Indaver plans to build in strategic locations across Europe. The company aims to realise a total annual recycling capacity of one million tonnes of used plastic.  Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

At the new facility, the plastic waste will undergo a depolymerisation process, during which the long plastic macromolecules -polymers- are broken down into simple monomers. Sulzer Chemtech is supplying the equipment to subsequently recover and purify the monomers, which can then be further processed back into virgin-like resin suitable for use in numerous applications, including packaging materials and electronic devices.

Indaver decided to opt for Sulzer’s technology following a visit to Sulzer Chemtech’s in-house pilot plant at Allschwil, Switzerland, where extensive testing was also carried out.

Sulzer is delivering four units that will run proprietary processes aimed at enhancing the quality of the recovered styrene or oil fractions following depolymerisation, to yield a purer chemical feedstock. Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

-India to discourage foreign trade settlement in Chinese yuan – sources

India has asked banks and traders to avoid using Chinese yuan to pay for Russian imports, three government officials involved in policy making and two banking sources said, because of long-running political differences with its neighbor.

India, which has emerged as a top buyer of Russian oil as well as discounted coal, would prefer the use of United Arab Emirates dirhams to settle trade, three government officials said. Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

One of the government officials directly involved in the matter said New Delhi is “not comfortable” with foreign trade settled in yuan but said settlement in “dirham is okay.”

The second official said that India cannot allow settlement in yuan till the relations between the two countries improve.

Thousands of Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a standoff along their disputed Himalayan border since 2021, casting a shadow over the whole relationship.

The five officials did not say whether there were also economic reasons behind India’s reluctance to accept yuan settlement.

Last year India’s biggest cement producer UltraTech Cement used Chinese yuan for a cargo of Russian coal, which raised some concerns among officials as relationship between India and China has deteriorated after deadly border clashes in 2020 in the remote Galwan Valley of Ladakh.

The government reviewed the situation with officials of the central bank and bank executives, following the UltraTech deal, the second official said.

Two banking officials, aware of the matter, said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is not keen on foreign trade settlement in yuan, and confirmed that the government has discouraged them from using the currency. Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

They also said Russia was keen on yuan settlement as it helps them in purchases of goods from China.

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-Carbios joins Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s circular economy network and aims to “make plastic waste and pollution a thing of the past”

Carbios’ innovations in biorecycling and biodegradability match the Foundation’s three actions for a circular economy for plastic: eliminate, innovate, circulate

Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s work in fashion will support Carbios’ contribution in making the textile industry more circular Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

Carbios announces its membership of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Network.  Carbios shares the Foundation’s commitment to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, especially in the areas of plastics and fashion.  By joining the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Network, Carbios will connect with other leaders within the Foundation’s leading circular economy network of businesses, policymakers, academia, innovators, and thought leaders worldwide.

“Becoming a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Network is an important step for Carbios’ development, and an obvious one given our shared commitment to a circular economy,” said Emmanuel Ladent, Chief Executive Officer of Carbios. “With access to ideas, thought leaders and new collaborators, we’re excited to leverage the Foundation’s network of experts to support market access for our innovative solutions for reducing plastic pollution.”

“Carbios is a highly respected organization with the ability to deliver impact and a high level of organizational buy-in. We welcome Carbios as a Network Member and look forward to supporting the company on its circular economy journey,” said Katie Attrill, Network Manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

-LyondellBasell announces decision to acquire Mepol Group

Facilities in Poland and Italy will produce recycled and polymer compounds for diverse markets

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands and FERRARA, Italy, March 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) and Mepol Group today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for LyondellBasell to acquire Mepol Group, a manufacturer of recycled, high-performing technical compounds located in Italy and Poland, consisting of Mepol S.r.l. and its subsidiaries Polar S.r.l. and Industrial Technology Investments Poland Sp.z.o.o. Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

“This acquisition demonstrates LyondellBasell’s commitment to move the circular economy forward,” said Torkel Rhenman, executive vice president of Advanced Polymer Solutions. “With Mepol Group’s expertise in sustainable compounds and LyondellBasell’s scale, we will enhance our CirculenRecover and other sustainable solutions for our customers.”

Mirco Melato, CEO of Mepol commented, “We are delighted to join forces with LyondellBasell, an industry leader we have admired for many years. LyondellBasell shares our commitment towards sustainability and with its scale and resources, the combined business will be better positioned to address customer needs.”

LyondellBasell continues to pioneer circular and low carbon solutions for its customers. The company began engineering work for a new advanced recycling plant at its Wesseling, Germany site in November last year. LyondellBasell has existing mechanical recycling facilities in the Netherlands and Belgium and is developing new plastic waste sorting and recycling plants in Houston, Germany, China and India, which was announced during the fourth quarter of 2022. Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

The transaction closing is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. During this period, Mepol Group will continue to operate on a standalone basis. Jones Day and Wardynski & Partners served as LyondellBasell’s legal advisor on the transaction. Special Affairs S.r.l. served as Mepol Group’s financial advisor and Gitti & Partners is acting as its legal advisor.

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-Three companies nominated an increase in April PVC prices in the US

Westlake Chemical and Formosa Plastics have told customers they plan to push for a 4 cent per pound (USD88 per tonne) increase in the negotiated price of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in April, ICIS reported.

Notifications about this were sent earlier in March. Shintech also said it would seek a 4 cent-pound increase, the same amount that Westlake and Formosa are requesting.

U.S. manufacturers announced price increases of 10 cents per pound for January and February, but changed the initiatives separately to include March proposals after the initiatives did not receive approval for January and then February.

The three companies have now raised prices by 1 cent per pound for January and February and 4 cents per pound for March and April. Plastic waste – Chinese yuan

The proposed combined increase would raise contract prices by USD220 per tonne in the U.S., roughly equivalent to a jump in spot export prices since late November.

At the same time, contracts were at record levels from mid-2021 to mid-2022 and still significantly exceed their historical norms, even in the face of declining domestic demand.

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Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries 14-03-2023

Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Bio-on to get a second chance

Maip Group’s proposal accepted by Bologna court

Having languished in limbo since 2019, the assets of the bankrupt Italian PHA manufacturer Bio-on are now in the process of being acquired by the Turin, Italy headquartered Maip Group.

The Group has submitted a proposal for a bankruptcy arrangement that has been approved by the Court of Bologna.

Maip Group has created a new company called Haruki specifically for this purpose, the company said, although it has not ruled out that in the future it will revert to the name Bio-On.

Haruki, in which MAIP Compounding holds a 75% stake and Plastotecnica a 25% share, will receive starting assets of about € 20.000.000 to guarantee the execution of the composition proposal and to allow the full restart of operations of the Castel San Pietro facility.

Both MAIP Compounding and Plastotecnica are MAIP Group member companies.

Maip Group has formulated a five-year plan aimed at a swift relaunch of Bio-on’s PHA production, based on the proprietary technology developed by Bio-on that uses agricultural waste or agro-industrial by-products, such as sugar cane, beet, glycerol from biodiesel as feedstock.

The Group sees considerable synergies resulting from the deal. It has been researching the potential of PHA for 12 years, and already produces its own IamNature PHA-based compounds. which the company customises for individual customers. Over the years, these have included ABB – the company won the Bioplastics Award in 2018 for its Mylos Ethic recyclable wiring accessories cover frame made from an IamNature compound – as well as seating and table designers Andreu World. Maip is also working with SIS and Flexgrass, the world’s leading company for top quality sports pitches, on the development of the first football pitches made with IamNature biofiber.

The present deal and relaunch of Bio-on will give it access to its own supply of PHA resin for the production of these compounds.

Bio materials, said the company, are expected to show very robust growth in the next 30 years , with the market for PHA, in particular, to show significant development globally in the next 5 years.

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-UAE: Single-use plastic waste upcycled using new non-toxic process

Bags, masks turned into ‘carbon dots’ nanomaterial that has several uses in medical field

A team of researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) has developed a process to upcycle single-use plastic bags and disposable masks into “carbon dots”, a carbon-based nanomaterial. The single-step hydrothermal process is non-toxic because it does not require any organic solvents, and it converts polyethylene-based plastic bags and polypropylene-based surgical masks into carbon dots. These can then be used for purposes of environmental monitoring, disease diagnosis, and treatment.

An estimated 26,000 tonnes of pandemic-related plastic waste – from medical waste to online shopping packaging – have been released into the world’s oceans, making it even more urgent to find efficient methods to upcycle this non-degradable material.

One solution is to convert the single-use plastic into so-called carbon dots, which are carbon nanomaterials that are biocompatible, and are highly favoured for applications in the fields of biological imaging, environmental monitoring, chemical analysis, targeted drug delivery, disease diagnosis and therapy, and anti-counterfeiting.

Existing methods to upcycle plastic into carbon dots involve multiple, time-consuming steps, and require the use of toxic chemicals. Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries

Study findings

In the NYUAD study titled ‘High-yield, One-pot Upcycling of Polyethylene and Polypropylene Waste into Blue-Emissive Carbon Dots’, which was published in the journal Green Chemistry, the Abu Dhabi-based researchers presented the development of a new synthesis method. The process presents a “simple, cost-effective, and scalable” approach to upcycling plastic waste. This oxidative degradation method can also upcycle plastics contaminated with organic waste such as food scraps, which poses a significant challenge to traditional recycling technologies.

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-Nissan developing solid-state batteries for electric vehicles

–         Plans to introduce cheaper solid-state batteries before 2028

–         Aims to bring the cost down by 50 per cent

Nissan is developing next-gen battery technology which will make use of solid-state batteries instead of conventional lithium-ion units. The next-gen Leaf is most likely to receive these solid-state batteries as the development is already underway and mass production is expected as early as 2028. Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries

With these solid-state batteries, the Japanese carmaker aims to bring down the cost by 50 per cent, while doubling the energy density and increasing the charging speed to three times. Under current development in Japan, the small button cells of the new battery technology are 10cm in size. But in the final development stage, these cells will increase to the size of a laptop.

Nissan is working with scientists from the University of Oxford to develop solid-state batteries.

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-Plastics Recycling Conference 2023: Analyzing trends in plastic recycling

Analysts comment on the trends influencing plastic recycling and pricing.

Analysts from ICIS, Wood Mackenzie and PetroChem Wire spoke to the trends influencing plastic recycling during a session at the 2023 Plastics Recycling Conference, hosted by Resource Recycling in partnership with its parent company, the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR). Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries

“Everyone wants recycled material,” said Andrew Brown of Wood Mackenzie, headquartered in London. “It’s a good problem to have.”

That demand is driven by decarbonization efforts by companies throughout the plastics value chain, he said, adding that recycling is an economically viable and immediate means for doing so.

Roughly 25 million tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are used annually in packaging applications, with recyclate demand growing in Western countries, Brown said. Led by the U.K.-based Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme, consumer packaged goods companies that are signatories to the Global Commitment have targeted including 26 percent recycled content in their packaging by 2025. Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries

Apparel accounts for 36 million tons of polyester demand, he said, with demand for recycled content primarily centered in Asia. Textile Exchange, Lamesa, Texas, has set a target of 45 percent recycled content in textiles by 2025, with companies such as Adidas, Banana Republic, H&M Group and Madewell among the brands that have signed on to this goal.

Brown said that while 3 million tons of rPET capacity are forecasted to be added by 2025, nearly five times that amount will be needed to meet the Ellen MacArthur and Textile Exchange targets.

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-Microwave heating for more sustainable carbon fiber

Skeptics say it won’t work — Osaka-based Microwave Chemical Co. says it already has — and continues to advance its simulation-based technology to slash energy use and emissions in manufacturing.

Microwave Chemical Co. has applied its microwave heating technology to carbon fiber production, reportedly cutting energy use by 50% and CO2 emissions by 90%. Photo Credit: MWCC  Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries

Microwave Chemical Co. (MWCC, Osaka, Japan) was founded in 2007. It currently has 60 employees, and its mission is to innovate the chemical industry and revolutionize manufacturing using its microwave technology to “create a world we have never seen.”

Microwave Chemical Co. (MWCC) has demonstrated and commercialized its microwave technology with the world’s top chemical companies — e.g., BASF (#1), Mitsubishi Chemical (#11), Sumitomo Chemical (#19), Mitsui Chemicals (#29) — as well as companies pioneering sustainable materials (e.g., Taiyo Kagaku Co., Futamura Chemical) and PeptiStar, which produces peptide-pharmaceuticals used to treat cancer, diabetes, HIV and other immune diseases. Photo Credit: Microwave Chemical Co

Over the past 15 years, MWCC has worked with the world’s top chemical companies and pioneers in sustainable materials and processes to prove that its microwave technology reduces energy use by up to 70%, heating time by up to 90% and equipment footprint by up to 80% compared to current fossil fuel-based industrial systems.

Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries

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-Out of thin air. This enzyme can turn hydrogen in the atmosphere to energy

It could be used to power small electronics someday, the researchers said

A group of microbiologists in Australia have discovered an enzyme that converts hydrogen into electricity, which could one day be used to create a source of energy literally out of thin air. The enzyme, which they named Huc, is used by a bacterium to take energy from atmospheric hydrogen, allowing it to tackle harsh environments.

Bacteria remove over 70 million tons of hydrogen every year from the atmosphere, a process that shapes the composition of the air we breathe. The researchers estimate that 60% to 80% of these bacteria could have enzymes like Huc, which means there’s a significant amount of electricity that could one day be taken from biological sources

“We’ve known for some time that bacteria can use the trace hydrogen in the air as a source of energy to help them grow and survive, including in Antarctic soils, volcanic craters, and the deep ocean,” Chris Greening, microbiologist and a contributor to the new study, said in a statement. Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries

“But we didn’t know how they did this until now.

A potential new source of power

Huc was found inside the bacteria Mycobacterium smegmatis, which often used in the laboratory by researchers to study the cell wall structure of its relative, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. M. smegmatis uses Huc to grow in extreme environments, such as volcanic craters or the deep ocean. But how it does this has been a pervading mystery — until now.

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-Packaging sector leads plastics recycling surge

The global plastics recycling market is expected to reach US$ 56.8 billion (EUR 53.2 billion) by 2029, up from around US$ 25.5 billion in 2022, a compound annual growth rate of 9.3% over the forecast period. Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries

The North American market currently has the biggest market share (43%) in the global plastics recycling arena. This is mostly due to its fast-growing packaging sector, which has launched various recycling schemes.

Exactitude Consultancy Market Research says other growth factors for waste generation as well as recycling potential are the booming numbers regarding food to-go and online shopping.

The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that around 15 million tonnes of plastic containers and packaging are generated every year, which represents less than 1% of America’s municipal solid waste. The recycling rate of polyethylene (PET) bottles is at the top in the plastics segment, at almost 30%.

Meanwhile, Canada’s beverage container recycling programmes collect and recycle more than 5.7 billion containers annually. However, glass bottles have a far higher recycling rate of 75% compared to roughly 12% for PET bottles.  Plastic waste – Solid-state batteries

The main themes in the new report from Exactitude Consultancy Market Research include: automotive plastics, plastics used in the construction industry, non-food packaging plastics, and niche recycling markets.

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Biodegradable-PLA – Russia sanctions 13-03-2023

Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

-STF America announces the sale of what will be the first PET bottle washing plant in the Dominican Republic

STF Group of Germany and Zimmer America Corp. announce the sale of an STF PET bottle washing plant in the Dominican Republic, the first of its kind in the country. The line will be installed at Cilpen Global Business s.r.l., a major waste and plastic recycler on the island.

The line has a capacity of 2.5 metric tons/hour (5,500 lbs/hr) output of PET flakes and features STF machinery manufactured in Germany, such as the screening trommel, label scraper, star screen, grinder, washing, drying, and flake separation machinery, as well as a complete water re-circulation system.

Installation of the line will begin in the first quarter of 2024.

STF Group is a leading manufacturer for plastic recycling and washing machinery, with more than 150 turnkey plants and many single recycling machines delivered worldwide. Furthermore, STF is the largest PET-recycler in Europe with more than 180,000 metric tons per year of in-house PET recycling.

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-The hard work of balancing growth, sustainability

Plastics and chemicals firms are looking for ways to be sustainable while growing their businesses.

“Everyone wants to achieve sustainability goals and lower emissions,” David Yankovitz said March 1 at the Plastics News Executive Forum in Clearwater Beach. “They’re trying to figure out what part of the ecosystem they can control and what they can do to act on it.”

Yankovitz is a principal and U.S. chemicals market leader with consulting firm Deloitte Consulting LLP. He was joined at the event by Deloitte specialist executive Robert Kumpf.

“Chemicals are on the pathway to decarbonize and reduce dependence on fossil fuels,” Yankovitz said. “They’re critical to build a sustainable economy and reduce carbon while fueling growth.”  Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

Kumpf cited market data that showed that consumer goods were the biggest end market for sustainable chemical solutions, with 31 percent of the market. Transportation was the second largest end market for those products at 21 percent, followed by construction at 15 percent.

“Suppliers need sustainable products and solutions in their portfolio,” said Kumpf, whose industry experience includes more than 20 years with Bayer MaterialScience, now Covestro. “Sustainability is already affecting material selection.”

He added that customers are looking at total emissions, recycling rates and how materials fit into the entire ecosystem. For example, in comparing polypropylene vs. polyurethane for rigid construction and insulation, PU performs better but under-performs in sustainability. As a result, suppliers have introduced new lower carbon PU grades and circular PP grades. Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

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-Big gap exists between recycled plastic demand and supply – Dow CEO

An enormous gap exists between the amount of post-consumer recycled plastic that companies want to incorporate into their products and the amount that can be supplied by the market, the CEO of Dow said on Tuesday.

The owners of many valuable consumer brands want to incorporate 30% of post-consumer recycled plastic into their products by 2030, said Jim Fitterling, Dow CEO. He made his comments during the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference.

The market can provide 2-5% of that demand, he said.

That gap between demand and supply is causing an influx of money into waste management, municipal recycling centres, curbside collection and technology for sorting waste, Fitterling said. Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

Dow itself could build a chemical recycling plant with Mura in Bohlen, Germany, that will rely on hydrolysis to break down plastic into monomers, which can then be re-polymerised. They could make a final investment decision in 2023.

The demand for products made of recycled and renewable plastic has caused them to command high premiums over their petroleum-derived equivalents, Fitterling said. In some cases, these premiums could be $1,000/tonne.

Customers are willing to pay such premiums on a smaller scale but not in the broader market, Fitterling said. For example, most consumers will not pay a 100% premium to own a net-zero automobile, he said.

If policy makers want to speed up the transition towards more sustainable products, then Fitterling said they should consider establishing a price on carbon. This would allow companies to recover the operating costs and capital costs involved in developing sustainable products while the markets for such materials develop and while demand grows. Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

Given how much companies are willing to pay and how much is at stake, Fitterling stressed the need for third-party certification and verification. Companies that own valuable consumer brands do not want to face accusations of greenwashing if they end up with materials that were not made from recycled or renewable plastics or chemicals.

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-Carbon Nanotubes, Polyimide Combine in High-Modulus Carbon-Fiber Reinforcement

Korean researchers have developed a low-cost fabrication technology for carbon-nanotube-based composite carbon fibers with high modulus and tensile strength.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are novel materials boasting 100-times the strength of steel at 75% less weight. Further, conductivity can be as high as that of copper. If fibers could be made using these CNTs, they theoretically could exceed the performance of existing carbon fibers, making carbon-nanotube-based fibers a novel material of interest for the aerospace, military, and mobility sectors. However, maintaining the outstanding properties of CNTs in fibers is very challenging and commercialization would be difficult because of the extremely high cost of carbon nanotubes. That may change thanks to research coming out of Korea. Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

A low-cost fabrication technology for CNT-based composite carbon fibers with high tensile strength and modulus has been developed by a research team led by Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Jeonbuk Institute of Advanced Composite Materials in collaboration with researchers led by Professor Han Gi Chae from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). The study was published in the journal Composites Part B: Engineering.

Carbon fibers are conventionally carbonized from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer or pitch derived from pyrolyzed fuel oil. The researchers developed a technology that greatly improved the modulus while maintaining high strength by utilizing carbon nanotubes in conjunction with polyimide (PI) resin.

The Korean team successfully fabricated fibers with high modulus (528 GPa) and high strength (6.2 GPa) by initially creating a CNT-PI composite fiber using a continuous wet spinning process. Chlorosulfonic acid (CSA) is used as a solvent, and high-temperature heat treatment is applied during the process.

The modulus obtained was 1.65-times greater than that of commercially available fibers, which normally rate at around 320 GPa. Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

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-BASF announces 2,600 jobs losses as it cuts costs in Europe

BASF has announced that it is taking additional cost cutting measures in Europe, primarily at its Ludwigshafen integrated chemical complex, which will lead to a net loss of 2,600 jobs.

This comes on top of previous plans BASF outlined in October to “permanently” cut costs in Europe to protect the company from weakening chemical market conditions in the region.

The company expects high levels of uncertainty that arose last year to continue due to factors including high raw materials and energy prices and the conflict in Ukraine. It also expects that the impacts of Covid-19 will continue to have an effect. To counteract the resulting negative impact on global demand it said it must make “concrete cost savings measures”. Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

Cost-cutting programme

Overall, the company plans to save €500m/y (US$528.8m/y) through a cost-saving programme in Europe – particularly in Germany – that it will implement from 2023 to 2024. In 2022 the continent accounted for 84% of a €3.2bn increase in energy costs, most of which was due to the vast integrated Ludwigshafen chemicals site. Higher natural gas costs accounted for 69% of the overall increase in energy costs, again primarily due to Europe and Ludwigshafen.

Changes include bundling services into hubs to simplify structures in divisional management, reducing business services, and increasing efficiency of research and development. The expected net loss of 2,600 jobs includes the creation of new positions in “particular hubs”, BASF said. Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

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-NextChem further expands technological portfolio with strategic acquisitions

Buys majority stakes in Conser, Biorenova

Through its subsidiary NextChem Holding, Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. has acquired a majority interest in Conser, a technology licensor and process engineering design company based in Rome, Italy.

Upon closing, NextChem Holding will hold 83.5% of the shares in Conser and, under the terms of the agreement, also has an option to retain the remaining 16.5% within the next 3 years.

The closing, which is subject to customary conditions, is expected to take place by April 15, 2023. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The transaction is a strategic one, enabling Maire Tecnimont to expand into the market for bio-based technologies and products. Conser has a portfolio of patented technologies for maleic anhydride, butanediol and dimethyl succinate, the building blocks for producing biodegradable plastics such as polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polybutylene adipate co-terephthalate (PBAT). Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

PBS and PBAT have excellent biodegradation properties, and their relevant consolidated markets show very promising outlooks driven by a growing demand, especially in Asia, where Conser has licensed more than half of the plants in the region in the last year for several leading global players.

Conser’s portfolio also includes technologies for liquid organic hydrogen carriers, specialties for lithium-based batteries production and bio-based (vegetable glycerine) derivatives.

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-RECOUP launches LCA service and unveils new lab to test materials

Plastics resource efficiency and recycling charity RECOUP is to introduce a lifecycle assessment (LCA) service and its own state-of-the-art laboratory.

The move is designed to complement its RecyClass certification service and facilities. RECOUP said that the use of LCA can offer evidence-based decisions on product development. The aim is to improve environmental outcomes and challenge greenwash.

Katherine Fleet, head of sustainability and circularity said: “RECOUP has been working on building LCA capability to assist members and the wider industry to better inform decision making related to product design in order that decisions are based on environmentally sound evidence rather than emotion.” Sustainability – Carbon Nanotubes

The addition of the lab will allow RECOUP to further enhance its testing of plastic samples and material identification. In addition, the lab uses near-infrared and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to identify the constituent components of a pack and help determine recyclability.

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Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN 10-03-2023

Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Sulzer technology at heart of Indaver’s Plastics2Chemicals plant recycling 30’000 tonnes of plastic waste each year

Sulzer advanced separation technology will enable end-of-life plastics recycling at Indaver’s first plastic depolymerization plant currently under construction in Antwerp, Belgium.

The new Plastics2Chemicals (P2C) plant will drive polymer circularity by using Sulzer separation technology to reclaim and purify 30,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year. The resulting pure chemical feedstock can then be reused in manufacturing.

As a leading European sustainable waste management company based in Belgium, Indaver is leveraging Sulzer’s advanced separation technology to develop safe recycling methods for typically non-recyclable post-consumer plastic.

This demo-plant is the first of a number of sustainable P2C facilities that Indaver plans to build in strategic locations across Europe, together which will upcycle one million tonnes of used plastic. Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

Plastic waste becomes chocolate foils and yoghurt pots 

After breaking long plastic macromolecules (polymers) down to simple monomers through depolymerization, the new P2C facility will use Sulzer Chemtech equipment to recover and purify the monomers to be used in the production of packaging materials, such as butter dishes, chocolate foils, cups and yoghurt pots amongst others.

Indaver elected to partner with Sulzer in this project due to its extensive research and pilot testing at Sulzer Chemtech’s in-house pilot plant in Allschwil, Switzerland. Sulzer is delivering four units that will run proprietary processes to enhance the quality of the recovered styrene or oil fractions. The Sulzer Chemtech equipment is critical to purification of chemical feedstock, enabling the polymer circularity. Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

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-Automotive Trends: Electric Vehicles Drive Greater Use of Plastics

On average, plastics make up less than 10% of a vehicle’s weight yet account for approximately 50% of its volume, according to a new ACC report.

Around 2003, the average automobile weight in North America exceeded that of the previous peak in 1976. Since then, albeit with some volatility, vehicle weight has trended upward, reaching around 4,300 lb. (1,950 kg) in 2021, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data. This mass increase is despite the growing use of lightweighting plastics in vehicles and can be attributed to two trends: Passenger cars and light trucks are getting larger, and they are being crammed with more and more features. Light-duty trucks accounted for 55% of vehicle sales in the United States in 2021, up from 36% in 2012. Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

Further, today’s vehicles are being outfitted with all manner of sensors and infotainment systems, meaning even smaller vehicles are tending to bulk up.

The latest report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC), “Chemistry and Automobiles,” details some interesting factoids and trends that highlight the role of plastics in automobiles. The report found that from 2012 to 2021 the average mass plastics in an automobile sold in the United States increased by 16%, to 411 lb. (186 kg). Calculations show those 411 pounds make up less than 10% of an average vehicle’s weight yet account for approximately 50% of its volume, greatly improving fuel efficiency and, in turn, reducing costs for drivers and carbon emissions from transportation.

Plastics a solid substitute for steel

The report also concludes that as electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular, plastics are more important than ever to the auto industry, not just in the vehicles themselves but also in charging infrastructure. Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

EV batteries are significantly heavier than internal combustion engines, driving automakers to incorporate more plastic into more components of vehicles, like the chassis and battery casings, to offset that additional battery weight. Furthermore, certain high-performance plastics can absorb four times the crush energy of steel, greatly improving safety for passengers in collisions.

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-Environmental impact of PET bottles lower than glass bottles and aluminum cans, study says

The life cycle assessment issued by NAPCOR claims PET plastic bottles produce less greenhouse gas emissions and are better for the planet.

The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has released a life cycle assessment (LCA) comparing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, glass and aluminum carbonated soft drink (CSD) and still water beverage container systems, and says the assessment found PET bottles, when compared with aluminum cans and glass bottles, are significantly better for the environment.

The assessment, an update on a similar 2009 study, was completed by Franklin Associates, an Overland Park, Kansas-based LCA consulting firm, and went through an extensive peer review and verification process. NAPCOR claims the findings unequivocally show that when it comes to the best beverage packaging for the environment, the answer is PET. Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

Per the study, plastic packaging made from PET is used in over 70 percent of beverage containers because it is lightweight, clear and 100-percent-recyclable, and compared with glass and aluminum beverage containers creates less solid waste, uses less water during production and generates fewer emissions that contribute to acid rain and smog.

In addition, the study shows that if U.S. consumers selected PET bottles instead of glass bottles for their soda beverages over the course of one year, it would be the same as:

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-17% growth in EU plastic recycling capacity

Installed plastic recycling capacity has grown by 17% in 2021 in EU27+3, boosted by an estimated €1.75 billion investment. Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

Despite the recent challenges that the industry has faced, the commitment of recyclers to drive the transition toward a circular plastic future remains strong.

“In recent years, European plastics recyclers have experienced many challenges. However, with the increased advancements in legislation, stemming from the implementation of the Plastics Strategy and the Single-Use Plastics Directive, the recycling industry has weathered the crisis showing its resiliency to external factors”, says Ton Emans, PRE President. “The positive growth we can observe today will shape and further strengthen the market for recycled plastics towards meeting the EU targets”, he adds.

With more than 730 recycling sites, the total capacity in EU27+3 now stands at 11.3 million tonnes. This proves that the plastic recycling sector is an important employment generator with more than 30,000 persons across Europe, and with €8.7 billion in turnover it contributes substantially to the socio-economic welfare in the region.

In terms of the polymers split, more than 3/4 of the total share is covered by flexible PE & PP, PET and rigid PE & PP. These streams showed the highest increase, compared to 2020. When it comes to rigid polyolefins, nearly half of the recycling capacity is dedicated to the household stream. Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

For flexible PE & PP, half of the capacity is for commercial waste.

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-Recon Technology to expand into chemical recycling

‘Now is a strategic time’

China-based oil and gas field service company Recon Technology, has announced plans to move into the plastics chemical recycling business. According to the company, relevant data has shown that the market space for chemical recycling of waste plastics is huge, with an annual new market potential estimated at tens of billions of dollars and a market potential of hundreds of billion dollars. The industry is expected to become a new growth area. It has already attracted the attention and participation of many consumer industry giants, who view the technology as a way to meet their commitments on increasing the use of recycled plastics., as well as  investments, planned expansions and real-world product launches.  Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

Against the backdrop of rising petroleum prices, increasing difficulties in exploration and the fast-expanding problem of plastic pollution, Recon has decided to enter the field to catch up with the opportunities it presents. The company attended China Plastics Recycling Conference and Exhibition held on 28 February to explore the various technologies currently available. Achieving stable production at low cost is a goal the global chemical industry continues to pursue. In that context, the chemical recycling business is one where Recon Technology can put its industry and technical know-how and advantages to good use, by making full use of its skillset to contribute to the creation of a greener and circular economy.

Shenping Yin, founder and CEO of Recon called the new business initiative a ‘natural extension of our existing business lines in the field of chemical recycling’ as well as a way to ‘enhance our corporate value’, as demand for recycled polymers – fueled by brands and consumers – continues to soar across many markets.  Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

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-Teijin impacted by fire at Dutch aramid fibres plant

Japanese group expects incident to take a toll on sales volumes and capacity utilisation this year

Arnhem, The Netherlands – Synthetic fibre manufacturer Teijin Aramid expects lower sales volumes in the coming months due to a fire at its production facility in Delfzijl, The Netherlands.

In a financial statement for 2022, Teijin said the fire occurred at a raw materials plant of Teijin Aramid BV on 3 Dec, but did not provide further details.

As a result of the fire, Teijin expects lower sales volumes and capacity utilisation to decline, affecting the performance of the group’s material business for the current fiscal year. Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

The fire resulted in an extraordinary loss of Yen195 million (€1.3 million) though insurance coverage is expected to cover the damages, added the 8 Feb statement.

An investigation into the impact of the incident is still in progress, Teijin adding that neither the amount of insurance pay-out nor the timing of payment have been determined yet.

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-Bio-based acrylonitrile for carbon fiber manufacture

The quest for a sustainable source of acrylonitrile for carbon fiber manufacture has made the leap from the lab to the market.  Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

Carbon fiber composite materials, for all of their virtues — light weight, high strength, durability — have a couple of significant downsides that do not play well in a world that is pivoting quickly to emphasize CO2 footprint, sustainability and decarbonization. One downside is the great deal of energy required which, depending on its source, can produce up to 30 tons of CO2 per ton of carbon fiber manufactured. The second is acrylonitrile, the primary feedstock used to produce the carbon fiber precursor polyacrylonitrile (PAN), which has been traditionally sourced from petroleum-based chemistries.

A vast majority of the energy used in carbon fiber manufacturing is consumed by a series of furnaces and ovens through which the PAN fibers pass as they are oxidized and carbonized to become carbon fibers. (Click here for more on how carbon fiber is made.)

Reducing energy consumption,  audited by Bureau Veritas (BV, Paris, France) in 2019, revolves around sourcing energy from renewable resources, including hydro, solar and wind. This is the relatively low-hanging fruit of carbon fiber decarbonization. There are also technologies aimed at reducing the process time, such as rapid oxidation developed by Deakin University (Geelong, Australia), licensed by LeMond Carbon (Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.) and audited by Bureau Veritas (BV, Paris, France) in 2019, that have demonstrated a 70% reduction in energy required per kilogram of output fiber. However, such technologies have yet to be commercialized.  Automotive Trends – Bio-based ACN

Reducing the carbon footprint of the precursor is much more challenging and generally follows one of two paths. The first path is to develop a new class of precursor from a non-PAN, bio-based source. Lignin, a cellulose byproduct of papermaking, has been the primary focus of this effort, but to date has not been able to produce carbon fibers with mechanical properties on par with those derived from PAN.

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Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling 09-03-2023

Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-NOVA Chemicals Commercializes First SYNDIGO™ FDA-Compliant Mechanically Recycled Polyethylene

• First NOVA Chemicals mechanically recycled food-contact resin in SYNDIGO portfolio
• Low-emission recycled solution allows converters and brand owners to incorporate recycled polyethylene into food packaging

NOVA Chemicals Corporation (“NOVA Chemicals”), a leading supplier of polyethylene (PE) for food packaging, announced today that it delivered a commercialized FDA-compliant high-density recycled polyethylene (rPE) resin to market. The new grade is its first mechanically recycled food-contact resin and is part of the Company’s recently announced SYNDIGO rPE portfolio. Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

The resin, SYNDIGO rPE-0860-FC, is a lower-emission option compared to virgin polyethylene and enables converters and brand owners to incorporate rPE into food packaging products. It is sourced from natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) milk jugs and is ideal for various types of flexible and rigid food packaging.

“Adding the first food-contact rPE to the SYNDIGO portfolio increases rPE usage and underscores our commitment to eliminating plastic waste and reducing the carbon footprint of plastic packaging,” said Alan Schrob, NOVA Chemicals director of mechanical recycling. “Achieving the high level of performance needed for use in food contact puts this recycled resin in a field with few others and allows our customers to target the most demanding applications.” Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

SYNDIGO rPE-0860-FC resin is an ideal option for converters and brand owners who are transitioning towards more sustainable products and packaging. Three additional resins are commercially available in the SYNDIGO portfolio, which can be used in a variety of non-food contact applications from e-commerce mailers to shrink to industrial films.

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-Irish green hydrogen could be Europe’s cheapest in 2030, Aurora finds

Irish green hydrogen could be Europe’s cheapest in 2030, Aurora finds Hydrogen molecule. Source: Mainspring Energy.

Ireland could produce the cheapest green hydrogen in Europe by 2030, achieving a levelised cost of EUR 3.50 (USD 3.73) per kg under optimal conditions, Aurora Energy Research said on Tuesday.

This would be 8% below optimal production costs in Spain and 35% below those in Germany, with Ireland’s cost advantage driven by the country’s high wind speeds and rising grid congestion.  Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

In the research firm’s modeling, Ireland’s optimal conditions refer to a 100-MW electrolyser connected to 150 MW of onshore wind and 20 MW of solar photovoltaic generation, not connected to the all-island electricity system and located in Connacht in the western part of the country.

Aurora also sees potential for exports as it estimates the optimal levelised cost of green hydrogen shipments from Cork to Germany in 2030 to be 13% lower than Germany’s optimal domestic production costs.

In addition, Ireland has the ambition to install 2 GW of offshore wind connected to electrolysers by 2030, implying a green hydrogen production of up to 138 kt a year, well above its hydrogen demand, which is projected to reach 33 kt that year.

Aurora however says that the market could fail to develop without action to reduce the premium to gas prices. Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

It estimates that the optimal green hydrogen cost in Ireland in 2030 is equivalent to EUR 89 per MWh(th), which is 82% more than its forecast gas price.

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-ALBA and VietCycle to develop plastic recycling plant in Vietnam

The facility will be capable of producing up to 48,000t of PET/HDPE resin a year.

The Asian branch of waste management and recycling company ALBA Group has partnered with VietCycle to develop a plastic recycling facility in Vietnam.

The plant will be able to process food-grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic.

It will use advanced technology to produce up to 48,000t of PET/HDPE resin a year.

The first phase of the plant is scheduled to be operational in 2024-2025.

ALBA Group Asia and VietCycle expect the facility to have an estimated capital expenditure of up to $50m. Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

The partnership aims to allow VietCycle to expand its network by increasing the number of informal waste collectors across Vietnam.

ALBA Group Asia chairman and shareholder Dr Axel Schweitzer said: “With this project and the collaboration with our partners from VietCycle, we make a huge step in this direction.

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-Sustainable action soars as apparel industry focuses on sustainable processes

More apparel today is being made from recycled fabric and brands are increasingly moving towards ‘revolutionary fibres’ due to the focus on sustainability by apparel brands and retailers. Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

There have been a slew of brand announcements recently regarding sustainability with declarations of using ‘recycled fabrics’ or using ‘revolutionary fibres’ that can be upcycled into fashion collections.  The industry is rising to the challenge of sustainability and the fact that the environmental footprints of the industry have come under increased scrutiny.

Europe is particularly affected by this since discarded textiles which include used clothing and footwear, are becoming an increasingly big problem of waste and export. This comes based on a recent briefing by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which also states that management of used textiles is a huge challenge in Europe and they are to be collected separately in the EU by 2025.

However, brands are still being pointed in the direction of circularity. The EU’s recent ECOSYSTEX (European Community of Practice for a Sustainable Textile Ecosystem) sustainability initiative, was launched to accelerate collaboration in textile sustainability.

The important feature of ECOSYSTEX is the collaboration between academic and applied researchers, technology developers, textile industry experts and other stakeholders from across Europe. Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

In the US, California launched Bill SB 707 which introduces the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2023 which would promote circularity by responsibly tackling textile and clothing waste. The act would make producers establish a stewardship programme for the collection and recycling of textile and apparel articles that are unsuitable for further use.

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-PureCycle and iSustain agree feedstock deal

PureCycle Technologies and iSustain Recycling have announced an agreement to source and divert up to ten million pounds of polypropylene plastic waste from landfills and waterways.

PureCycle says it will work with iSustain, a sustainability strategist that provides comprehensive recycling solutions, to target post-use polypropylene and packaging materials that are not typically recycled.  Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

Announcing the partnership, PureCycle CEO Dustin Olson said that the agreement was evidence of a great partnership that continues to flourish. “In 2022, we teamed up with iSustain to bring sustainable recycling practices to the Plastics Recycling Conference,” he said. “This deal, however, will have a lasting impact far beyond a single week event. With iSustain’s expansive network, we can use our patented recycling technology to grow beyond curbside materials and also achieve circularity with other polypropylene waste materials.”

iSustain Recycling vice president of Business Development Mark Huber added: “PureCycle is a game-changing solution for polypropylene plastic waste. Their technology is creating new recycling markets for previously unrecyclable plastic waste. All our customers want to divert more of their plastic from landfills and meet their sustainability goals. PureCycle offers our customers the opportunity to meet their goals and achieve true circularity while doing so.”  Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

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-STADLER: The secret to accurate commissioning and timely project deliveries

Environmental service providers and waste management companies need sorting facilities that can efficiently handle the high volumes required, while producing the high-quality output needed for recycling. Selecting the company for designing and building it is a critical business decision.  Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

The pursuit of a circular economy to address the global waste problem is driving the growth of the recycling industry and the increasing complexity of its requirements. Environmental service providers and waste management companies need sorting facilities that can efficiently handle the high volumes required, while producing the high quality output needed for recycling. When planning to build a new facility or upgrade an existing one to meet these requirements, selecting the company to design and build it is a critical business decision.

The importance of timely commissioning

A key factor in the selection process is the company’s ability to work to the agreed schedule and complete commissioning on time. “The material sorted at our facility is connected to contracts with fixed starting points,” explains Tristan Merk, project manager at environmental services provider PreZero Recycling. “Due to this fact, it is very important that the scheduled milestones will be reached. Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

If the construction or the commissioning period isn’t on time, we risk problems with our customer or losing the contract”. David Aguado Teruel, Technical Director of the GRIÑO Group in Spain, agrees: a delay in the project would have ” a very negative effect, because the delay has a direct impact on the viability of our business plan and commitments, and our ability to deliver our services to our customers and public administrations “.

STADLER is well aware of the critical importance of timely commissioning, as Carlos Manchado Atienza, International Sales Director at STADLER, explains: “The implications of a delay for our customer are serious: we are talking about losses in the thousands of Euros for non-recovered material and fixed costs already contracted – and this is without taking into consideration landfill costs”. Ventura Montes, Catalonia Waste Treatment Plant Manager at PreZero Spain, adds: “For a packaging plant, we could be looking at a monthly cost of around €350,000 for alternative waste treatment and around €400,000 in lost opportunities.  Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

For a larger facility, such as a municipal waste treatment centre, it could be around €350,000 per month in fixed costs and around €2 million in lost sales.”

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-Greater stability with less material: KHS develops PET bottle with glued-in handle

In this edition of the Spotlight, KHS Group presents the addition of glued-in handles for its rPET containers – said to enable the reduction of carbon emissions, energy, and material usage in the pursuit of full circularity for plastic packaging.

KHS has further developed its rPET containers for the home care and food sectors. In addition to bottle handles that are slotted into place mechanically, the Dortmund-based company now offers a glued-in process that gives users plenty of benefits; stretch blow molded using the preferential heating method, the KHS PET bottle is more stable than the extrusion-blow-molded polyolefin alternatives1 currently available on the market. Both the bottle body and handle are fully recyclable and made of rPET. Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

The development of the 2.3-liter PET bottle with a glued-in handle is the result of a one-and-a-half-year cooperation between KHS and Logoplaste Innovation Lab. The aim was to design a bottle specifically for home care products with the smallest possible carbon footprint. With its ready-for-market system, KHS and Logoplaste Group wish to support the industry’s striving for greater sustainability.

Reduced consumption of energy and resources

“Our adhesive technology enables us to cut down on the amount of energy and material used in production and manufacture a container that’s both more stable and visually more appealing than the standard products currently available on the market,” says Sebastian Wenderdel, PET sales business development manager at KHS in Hamburg, Germany. Direct comparison reveals that up to 30% fewer resources are used in the manufacturing process, with 10% in material saved over a clip-in handle. Instead of producing the bottle on an extrusion blow molder, as is common, stretch blow molding it is particularly energy-efficient – a considerable advantage in light of the rising prices for energy and raw materials. Green hydrogen – Plastic recycling

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Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives 08-03-2023

Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Recon² marker technology attracts two new sponsors

New partners to trial the technology on an industrially relevant scale

A young start-up that has developed a methodology to determine the recycled content of a plastic product is working with On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL) Ltd and a consortium of sponsors across the plastics sector to further develop the technology for, among others, packaging applications.

Recon² – the name is derived from Recycled Content Reconnaissance – is a University of Manchester not-for-profit spin-out company that uses tracking marker technology to quantify recycled content in plastic products and packaging. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

The method is low cost, simple, and reliable. It works by incorporating minute quantities of fluorescent “tracer” molecules into a plastic recyclate stream during compounding.

These molecules enable the direct quantification of recycled content in plastics with a quick scan directly on the surface, preventing any wasteful additional processing steps and keeping costs low and speed high. Within minutes, the recycled content of any plastic product – thus far proven at lab scale for HDPE, LDPE, PP and PET – can be assessed reliably, independent of processing steps, additives, and product type. The tracer molecule is also FDA and REACH approved, and is invisible under ambient lighting.

Together with OPRL and a group of sponsors, Recon² Ltd is now working to take the technology further to ensure ‘it is fit-for-purpose’, as Dr. Thomas Bennett, Director at Recon² and Research Fellow at Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub at the University of Manchester said. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

“We believe our technology is an important step towards achieving a circular economy for plastics use in the UK and beyond.”

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-Andritz to show comprehensive line-up at INDEX

International technology group Andritz will be presenting its latest nonwovens production and textile solutions at INDEX 23 in Geneva, Switzerland, from April 18 to21 (booth 2114).

The broad Andritz product portfolio covers state-of-the-art nonwovens and textile production technologies such as air-through bonding, needlepunch, spunlace, spunbond, wetlaid/Wetlace, converting, textile finishing, airlay, textile recycling, and natural fiber processing.

Sustainability

Andritz’s We Care sustainability program combines all ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) initiatives, goals and achievements under one roof.

It takes a multi-dimensional, comprehensive, and practically oriented approach towards sustainability. At INDEX, Andritz will highlight its sustainable products and solutions to produce nonwovens and will present them at the EDANA Sustainability panel on April 19, 2023. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

For many years now, Andritz has offered different nonwoven processes for biodegradable wipes, like spunlace, Wetlace and Wetlace CP, with one goal in mind: reduction and elimination of plastic components, while maintaining the high quality of the desired product properties.

The latest development in this field is the Andritz neXline wetlace CP line. This is a fully engineered production line combining the benefits of drylaid and of wetlaid technologies to produce a new generation of biodegradable wipes. To reduce the energy consumption of these lines, Andritz has developed the neXecodry drying technology.

It is a combination of dewatering and drying processes that significantly reduces energy consumption and achieves better fabric quality with higher bulk and no pattern degradation. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

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-Emirates recycles more than 500,000 kilograms of plastic and glass in one year

Emirates has recycled more than 500,000 kilograms of plastic and glass over the course of 2022, by collecting discarded bottles onboard for repurposing. 500,000 kilograms is almost the same weight as a fully loaded Emirates flagship A380 aircraft.

Onboard every flight that lands in Dubai, Emirates Cabin Crew work hard to quickly separate glass and plastic bottles, before they are sent to a recycling plant in Dubai. The glass is separated by colour and crushed. This ‘cullet’ or recycled glass that is ready to be re-melted, is then sent to glass manufacturers in the UAE to include in their batch mix for new bottles. The plastic bottles are cleaned, chopped into flakes, melted into pellets, and sent to manufacturers to make other plastic products. As a result, Emirates and Emirates Flight Catering divert thousands of kilograms of glass and plastic away from landfill each year. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

The glass and plastic recycling initiative onboard was suggested by environmentally conscious Emirates Cabin Crew in 2019, as part of regular webinars and events where they are given a platform to share feedback and encouraged to share innovative ideas to key departments.

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-GoneShells is an edible juice bottle peeled like fruit

Design studio Tomorrow Machine has created a biodegradable juice bottle made from a potato starch-based material that can be peeled away like fruit skin and then eaten, composted or dissolved.

Called GoneShells, the bottle is currently a prototype that is still being developed by the studio in collaboration with global company Eckes Granini for its juice brand Brämhults.

“We wanted a name that symbolised a natural way to protect food, similar to fruit peel or eggshells,” Tomorrow Machine founder Anna Glansén told Dezeen. “‘Gone’ connects to the unique invention behind the material with its multiple ways to make the packaging disappear after usage.”  Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

Curved in shape, the bottle is made from a potato starch-based material and coated in a bio-based, water-resistant barrier on both its insides and outsides to preserve the juice it holds.

Once the juice is finished, the bottle can be peeled into a spiral formation a similar way to fruit, which breaks its barrier and immediately begins the material’s decomposition process.

After this, the “peel” can be eaten or dissolved in water.

Although Tomorrow Machine can’t currently disclose more details about the material, the studio said that it is biodegradable and compostable and does not contain any synthetic components. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

“As long as you don’t activate the degradation process by peeling the bottle or tearing it apart in another way it works similarly to a traditional plastic bottle,” explained Glansén.

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-February PP contract prices in the US rose

Contract prices for U.S. polypropylene (PP) rose in February amid rising propylene contract prices, ICIS reported.

In some cases, manufacturers have successfully implemented an increase of 3 cents per pound (USD66 per tonne), although this increase has not been realized throughout the market.

PP contract prices in the USA are usually based on a formula basis and take into account the propylene price and surcharges (adder).

Demand for polypropylene remains weak, although sales rose slightly from levels seen in the fourth quarter. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

Inventory levels rose in January, even with industry averages of 76%. Since July 2022, U.S. polypropylene production utilization has averaged less than 80%.

February contract prices for polypropylene were 64-79 cents per pound for polypropylene injection mopolymer and 65-80 cents per pound for injection molded polypropylene block copolymer grades, on the terms of delivery del USA.

Earlier it was reported that Invista Propylene has not yet resumed propylene production at the propane dehydrogenation unit in Houston (Houston, Texas, USA) after repair work. The production capacity is 635 thousand tons of propylene per year. The plant was closed for repairs on December 16, 2022. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

-Avoiding resistance: Alternatives in antimicrobial additives

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted just how easily pathogens can be transmitted from surfaces and has made it necessary to use chemical agents for continuous, thorough disinfection. Besides the use of many different products, this practise also depends on operator performance and quality. The need to develop surfaces capable of killing or repelling pathogens is therefore a key part of infection control, especially for plastics.

In terms of promoting products that can form part of the circular economy, one approach involves using carbon-based nanomaterials and bio-based antimicrobial products, whereas considerable interest has also been shown in different application sectors in the shift away from common additives such as metal ions and oxides of silver, copper and titanium, which are under scrutiny due to their possible toxicity and disposal issues.

Carbon-based nanomaterials are known for having several properties, including electrical conductivity, mechanical strength and thermal conductivity. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

Recently, however, they have been found to possess strong bactericidal properties. Their antibacterial mechanism is complex and depends on factors such as composition and surface concentration, but they appear to be able to act on cell membranes and destroy them and/or cause oxidative stress, as in the case of silver-based nanomaterials. Because these materials can act on contact without releasing substances, they are suitable for medical applications such as prostheses and implants in constant contact with the body.

Natural antibacterial agents derived from extracts of animals, plants and microorganisms are generally considered safe, healthy and environmentally friendly. Natural antimicrobial peptides such as nisin, natamycin, leucocin, enterocin and pediocin are recognized biopreservatives that are used to inhibit and kill pathogens and bacteria that can cause food spoilage. Because they are composed of proteins, they are sensitive to high temperatures, making them difficult to use in thermoplastic compounds.

However, they can be encapsulated in porous inorganic or heterostructure (inorganic/organic hybrid) matrices to make them more resistant to high-temperature processes.  Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

Chitosan is one of the most intensively researched and used biopolymers for food coating and packaging and has excellent antimicrobial properties. It is the most abundant polysaccharide in the world and is also biodegradable and biocompatible. Chitosan is becoming increasingly important as an antimicrobial additive in plastic applications and its derivatives are widely used as natural alternatives to antibacterial and antioxidant agents, especially in food contact applications.

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-SK Innovation’s petrochemical wing makes equity investment into pyrolysis startup

SK Incheon Petrochem, a petrochemical wing of South Korean conglomerate SK Group’s intermediate holding company SK Innovation, made an equity investment into LD Carbon, a domestic startup specializing in pyrolysis that uses discarded car tires to extract oil.

The pyrolysis technique uses extreme heat and pressure to break down plastics or polymers such as rubber to extract oil, carbon black, and combustible gases.

Carbon black is a solid carbon material that can be used in other applications such as the production of carbon fiber. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

Pyrolysis can also be used to process biomass-based wastes like livestock manure to produce biochar, which can capture carbon.

During the past few years, major South Korean petrochemical companies have kicked into high gear to commercialize the pyrolysis oil production technique. GS Caltex, a major refiner, kick-started a demonstration for the utilization of recycled oil made from plastic waste in December 2021.

In January 2022, South Korean chemical giant LG Chem revealed its plan to build a supercritical pyrolysis plant with an annual capacity of 20,000 tons by 2024 to recycle up to 80 percent of waste resources. Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

SK Incheon Petroleum said in a statement that, without disclosing details, the company made an equity investment into LD Carbon. The two companies will cooperate to recycle used car tires to extract oil through pyrolysis processes. Collected oil will be used to manufacture some 20,000 tons of eco-friendly products including upcycle products that use recycled materials as their main material.

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Edible-bottle – antimicrobial additives

Battery recycling – Pastics sorting 07-03-2023

Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

Petrochemicals – Bottle-PET – Ny66

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Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Russia’s oil/gas revenues fall 40% in January

Russia’s revenues from oil and gas exports dropped by nearly 40% in January as price caps and Western sanctions squeezed the proceeds from Moscow’s most lucrative export, said Hydrocarbonprocessing. Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

Russia’s oil and gas export revenues were USD18.5 billion in January, 38% lower than the USD30 billion Moscow received in January 2022, a month before its invasion of Ukraine, according to IEA numbers shared with Reuters. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said Western measures targeting Russian energy exports had achieved their aims of stabilizing oil markets and reducing Moscow’s revenues from oil and gas exports.

“Our expectation is that this oil and gas revenue decline will be steeper in the next months to come. And even more steep in the mid-term, as a result of the lack of access to technology and investment,” Birol told Reuters. International restrictions imposed on Russia in response to the Ukraine war, including a USD60 a barrel crude price cap imposed by Group of Seven countries, have left Russia’s Urals blend being sold at a heavy discount to Brent. Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

The 27-country European Union also banned Russian seaborne oil imports from December, and has placed sanctions on exports to Russia of technologies needed for oil refining. The United States and Britain have also imposed restrictions on Russian oil imports.

Moscow relies on income from oil and gas – last year around 11.6 trillion roubles (USD154.68 billion) – to fund its budget spending, and has been forced to start selling international reserves to cover a deficit widened by the cost of its invasion of Ukraine.

Europe is meanwhile racing to wean itself off Russian gas, after Moscow cut pipeline deliveries to the EU following its Feb. 2022 invasion of Ukraine. That pushed European gas prices to record highs and left countries struggling to find alternative supplies and launch energy-saving measures. Birol said EU countries made progress in improving energy security last year, including a rapid expansion of renewable energy and heat pumps to reduce the need for fossil fuels. Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

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-Remarkable Mushroom Could Replace Plastics In Everyday Products

Researchers have found that a certain mushroom could replace plastic as a raw material for a myriad of everyday products. A Feb. 22 study published in Science Advances expounded on the capability of the Fomes fomentarius mushroom to yield a wide range of materials with different properties. Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

1. fomentarius becomes hoof-shaped as it ages, gaining it the nickname “hoof fungus.” The mushroom has been branded the “tinder fungus” as it is easily combustible and has been used to start fires for thousands of years.

The researchers scrutinized F. fomentarius using advanced imaging techniques and mechanical strength tests to study each layer and assess their potential uses. They found that it possesses different material properties ranging from soft and sponge-like to tough and woody.

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-Mercedes-Benz begins building battery recycling factory in southern Germany

MERCEDES-BENZ laid the foundation stone for a sustainable battery recycling factory in Kuppenheim, southern Germany on Friday (Mar 3).

The pilot plant will have an annual capacity of 2500 tonnes and will contribute to the production of more than 50,000 battery modules for new electric Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

Recycled batteries will come from test vehicles and start-up batteries. Based on the pilot’s success, production volumes could be scaled up in the medium to long term.

Commissioning for the first stage of the plant – mechanical dismantling – is scheduled to begin in December this year. Subject to talks with the public sector, the pilot factory will be completed a few months later. Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

The Kuppenheim plant already runs a CO2-neutral operation with solar and green electricity. Its construction is being funded as part of a scientific research project by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.

“We are sending an important signal of innovative strength in Baden-Württemberg and Germany for sustainable electromobility,” said Jörg Burzer, management board member of Mercedes-Benz in production and supply chain management.

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-It’s Time to ‘Rethink Nonwovens’ – Meet Henkel at INDEX

Düsseldorf – Under the motto “Rethink Nonwovens”, Henkel will present breakthrough solutions to enhance the sustainability and efficiency in Nonwovens manufacturing at INDEX 2023, held from April 18 to 21 at Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland. At stand 2255, Henkel will showcase Technomelt DM ECO, a new sustainability-focused adhesives grade for the Nonwovens market. For high performance, high efficiency bonding applications, Henkel will present its state-of-the-art Easyflow® hot melt adhesive solution, which employs an auto-feed system for safe and efficient delivery to set new standards in process performance. Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

At INDEX, visitors can also learn more about Smart Adult Care, an innovative solution from Henkel Qhesive Solutions that combines Nonwovens with printable electronics to revolutionize adult incontinence management.

“INDEX brings together the global Nonwovens key value chain players to meet, collaborate and discover the latest innovations and best practices. As a leading partner to this dynamic industry, we are excited to presenting solutions that allow our customers to design and manufacture safer, more sustainable, and more cost-effective products and materials,” said Eilyn Meneses Villabona, Senior Market Strategy Manager Personal Hygiene Adhesives EIMEA at Henkel.

Unlocking a new era of sustainability

With Technomelt DM ECO, Henkel is launching a sustainability-focused grade for the first time to the European Nonwovens market?. The new range of direct bio-based adhesives for hygiene products construction, enables elastics and positioning applications to be carried out with more than 50% bio-based, non-fossil sources.

In this way, Technomelt DM ECO makes more sustainable product designs possible, while helping hygiene manufacturers reduce their CO2 footprint. The adhesives range is compatible with renewable and standard substrates without compromising on process efficiency. Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

Optimizing Operational Efficiency with Easyflow®

Henkel will also present its Easyflow® hot melt adhesive system at INDEX 2023. This cutting-edge adhesive is based on a new pressure-sensitive, patented product form that enables safe and efficient delivery, and increases production line´s efficiency. Supplied in small, non-sticky micro chubs, the adhesive’s unique form melts on demand, and enables the auto-feeding of Technomelt DM adhesives into hot melt tanks to enhance safety and operations while avoiding interruptions to production. The auto-feeding process minimizes the time the adhesive is molten inside the tank, reducing the risk of the build-up of VOCs while also reducing energy consumption by up to 20%. Easyflow®´s closed system integration reduces the risk of adhesives contamination from foreign materials entering the hotmelt tanks. Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

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-Colorado city plans development of pyrolysis plant, plastics sorting facility

The city of Greeley, Colorado, is discussing the development of a plastic sorting facility and pyrolysis plant.  Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

The city of Greeley, Colorado, is in talks with an unidentified company to develop a pyrolysis plant and an associated plastics sorting facility in the city.

The proposed pyrolysis plant would be next to Andersen’s Sales & Salvage on 8th Street in Greeley, according to a memo from Benjamin Snow, Greeley’s director of Economic Health and Housing, and J.R. Salas, manager of the Greeley Urban Renewal Authority (GURA), sent Jan. 30 to GURA’s board of commissioners. The memo states that Andersen purchased that property from GURA in 2022 and holds the title to this property under the name ASR Energy LLC. Andersen intends to convey plastic scrap from its auto recycling operations to the adjacent site for processing, according to the report.

To make the plant economically viable, GURA reports that the unidentified company it is working with will collect household waste and sort it into plastics destined for the pyrolysis plant. The report states that the unidentified company has secured commitments from household waste haulers operating in Greeley to use their proposed local sorting facility site as the delivery point.

Snow tells Recycling Today Media Group that Greeley City Council still needs to approve plans for the facility, and, until that happens, he and GURA wish to keep the name of the company unidentified. Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL

According to GURA, the unidentified company owns real estate in Greeley but is actively looking for an alternative location closer to the proposed pyrolysis plant.

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Enzymatic technologies – Indorama IVL 06-03-2023

Battery Film – Bio-based thermoplastic

-Entek, Brückner USA Ink Agreement for Battery Separator Film Production Lines

Agreement is in addition to a previously announced project, which was selected for a Department of Energy grant award.

Entek has signed an agreement with Brückner Group USA to add 18 lithium-ion battery separator film production lines at its facility. Headquartered in Lebanon, OR, Entek is the only US-owned and US-based producer of “wet-process” lithium-ion-battery separator materials. Brückner Group USA, based in Dover, NH, sells, services, and supports the plastics and fiber machinery of Germany-based Brückner Group GmbH in North America.

This agreement is in addition to a project announced earlier that will expand separator production by approximately 1.4 billion square meters annually by 2027.

The project received a $200 million grant from the US Department of Energy through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocated $2.8 billion to support the domestic production of electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems.

The global lithium-ion battery market was valued at $41.97 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 18.1% through 2030, according to a business report distributed by Grand View Research. Battery Film – Bio-based thermoplastic

The adoption of electric vehicles worldwide will drive demand for lithium-ion batteries.

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-DAK Americas to shut down Cooper River site

DAK has announced that it will be shutting down its Cooper River, South Carolina, PET site, said the company.

The PET resins operations at the Cooper River site have shut down indefinitely as of 1 March. PET can be compounded with glass fibre for the production of engineering plastics.

We remind, DAK has announced a 10 cent/lb price increase for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) citing an increase in paraxylene (PX) prices effective 1 June 2022. Increases in blendstock values as well as an increase in demand for gasoline in the summer months has put upward pressure on PX prices. Battery Film – Bio-based thermoplastic

This increase in demand for gasoline has resulted in refiners limiting operating rates at their toluene disproportionation process (TDP) units due to higher blendstock and gasoline prices, making it uneconomical to transform toluene into xylenes, including PX.

DAK Americas, Indorama, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation and Far Eastern New Century (FENC) are PET producers in the US.

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-German inflation unexpectedly accelerates in February

German consumer prices, harmonized to compare with other European Union countries, rose more than anticipated in February, data showed on Wednesday, pointing to no let-up in stubborn price pressures and pushing up European Central Bank rate hike expectations.

EU-harmonized prices rose by 9.3% compared with the same month a year before, preliminary data from the federal statistics office showed, beating analyst expectations of a rise of 9.0% and slightly higher than January’s 9.2% increase.

Compared to January, prices increased by 1.0%, the office added, also beating forecasts of a 0.7% month-on-month rise. Battery Film – Bio-based thermoplastic

The surprise inflation figures from Europe’s largest economy come a day after two of the euro zone’s biggest economies – Spain and France – also posted unexpected rises.

The ECB has raised interest rates by 300 basis points since July and promised another over-sized move in March, but some policymakers have called for more measured action after March as inflation is now off the highs it hit in October.

Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel pushed back on those calls earlier on Wednesday, saying recent energy price falls may help bring down inflation in the near term, but they do not impact the medium term and price growth was at risk of getting stuck above the ECB’s 2% target. Battery Film – Bio-based thermoplastic

“The interest rate step announced for March will not be the last,” Nagel said in a speech. “Further significant interest rate steps might even be necessary afterwards.”

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-Maire Tecnimont looks ahead to 2032

The new strategic plan has been presented, with a ten-year horizon. Technologies for bioplastics and recycling in the new Sustainable Technology Solutions division.

The Italian group Maire Tecnimont presented this morning the new far-reaching strategic plan, which targets 2032, a ten-year period – against the usual five-year period – motivated by the time required for engineering technologies to be validated and implemented at an industrial level.

Presenting the plan, the management led by the CEO Alessandro Bernini and the President and founder Fabrizio Di Amato announced the reorganization of the group into two major divisions: Sustainable Technology Solutions (STS), where technologies that are not based on fossil resources will be conferred, such as mechanical, chemical and bioplastics recycling and Integrated E&C Solutions (IE&CS), where executive skills will be concentrated, as general contractor. Battery Film – Bio-based thermoplastic

The first division, STS, will include NexteChem, Myrechemical, Stamicarbon, Myreplast, Conser and the newco CatC, the last two resulting from recent acquisitions; in other words circular economy and energy transition, activities characterized by low volumes – compared to the group’s overall turnover – but for which high margins are expected, accompanied by a low level of risk. Tecnimont, KT and MST will remain in IE&CS. The two segments will be served by a corporate unit dedicated to design and development, MET Development.

In order to create Sustainable Technology Solutions, Maire Tecnimont’s Board of Directors approved the contribution to the newly established NextChem Holding of the entire stake in Stamicarbon and 56.67% of NextChem. Maire Investments, which owns the remainder of NextChem, will subsequently contribute its stake in NextChem Holding. Once some operations have been completed, including a capital increase, Maire Tecnimont will hold 78.37% of NextChem Holding, which in turn will control 100% of both NextChem and Stamicarbon. Battery Film – Bio-based thermoplastic

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-DSM Engineering Materials has announced its partnership with sustainability-focused startup DiFOLD, to develop foldable reusable products.

The startup has chosen DSM Engineering Materials’ Arnitel® Eco – a bio-based thermoplastic copolyester – to manufacture its ‘flagship’ Origami foldable water bottle. The company says Adopting Arnitel ECO marks a major step forward in DiFOLD’s mission to reduce the environmental impact of packaging waste.

According to the company the bottle has been inspired by the Japanese art of paper folding, the patented design of DiFOLD’s Origami Bottle means it can fold down to less than 10% of its original volume – DSM claims this greatly improves user convenience and reduces the carbon footprint of shipping. DSM also points to the fact that the Origami Bottle provides a reusable, and recyclable alternative to single-use water bottles – helping to avoid plastic packaging waste. Battery Film – Bio-based thermoplastic

And because the bottles are made from DSM Engineering Materials’ Arnitel Eco, the environmental benefits are even greater.

Arnitel  Eco is a bio-based thermoplastic copolyester, partially derived from renewable rapeseed oil. This significantly reduces the material’s cradle-to-gate CO2 emissions – the company claims this helps deliver a carbon footprint reduction of up to 50% compared to traditional copolyesters. This measurement is based on an in-depth life cycle assessment (LCA), which includes every stage of the material’s production, from the growing of the feedstock crops to the finished product that leaves the factory.

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-Tire Wear a Major Source of Microplastics, Say Researchers

Imperial College London experts warn that even though EVs remove the problem of fuel emissions, society will continue to grapple with particulate matter caused by tire wear.

Imperial College London experts are calling for more to be done to limit the potentially harmful impact of toxic tire particles on health and the environment. The researchers from Imperial College London’s Transition to Zero Pollution initiative warn that even though electric vehicles remove the problem of fuel emissions, particulate matter caused by tire wear will continue to be a concern. Battery Film – Bio-based thermoplastic

Six million tonnes of tire wear particles are released globally each year. Particulate matter from tire wear is a significant source of microplastics in rivers and oceans, and tire wear in cities could pose up to a four-fold greater risk to the environment than other microplastics, according to the researchers. Technically speaking, though, it could be argued that identifying thermoset rubber as a type of microplastic could confuse the general public, which tends to associate microplastics with particles derived from discarded items molded from thermoplastic resins that gradually degrade, as well as pellets that escape into the environment before they are molded. The same is true for polyester, nylon, and acrylic lint, which is shed from clothing during each washing cycle and is also a major source of microparticle contamination in waterways.

Despite its prominent presence as a source of microparticulate pollution in the environment, research on the environmental and health impacts of tire wear has been neglected in comparison to fuel emissions.

Imperial College researchers say that the effect of new technologies on the generation and impact of tire wear should be a priority.

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Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics 03-03-2023

Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Viridor launches formal cash offer for Quantafuel

The UK-based recycling and waste management company Viridor today announced a formal offer to acquire all of Norway-based Quantafuel’s outstanding shares for NOK 1.058million, or NOK 6.38 per share.

The offer follows from a strategic review announced by Quantafuel in October 2022, undertaken by the company ‘to assess the best options for the next stage of growth’, said Ann-Christin Andersen, chair of the board of Quantafuel. This included searching for potential strategic or financial partners in order to secure a short and long-term financing solution for the company. Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

According to Quantafuel’s operational and financial update published today, the company is curently facing a short-term liquidity shortfall. To continue operations, it needed to secure additional funds before mid Q2 2023.

The present offer from Viridor is unanimously recommended by Quantafuel’s Board of Directors and management group unanimously supports and has agreed to recommend the offer. An offer document setting out the terms of the offer will be made available for shareholders by Viridor prior to the start of the offer period.

Viridor is one of the UK’s leading resource recovery and waste management companies. It operates the largest fleet of Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facilities and the largest multi-line polymers reprocessing plant in the UK.  Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

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-bp launches plans for low-carbon green hydrogen cluster in Spain’s Valencia region

• Aims to make Valencia region a leader in green hydrogen production.
• Cluster to include world-scale green hydrogen production at bp’s Castellón     refinery of up to 2GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030

• Supports transformation and decarbonisation of the refinery, together with         tripling biofuel production.

• Transformation of Castellón could see bp invest up to 2 billion Euros.

bp today launched the green hydrogen cluster of the Valencia region (HyVal) at its Castellón refinery.  Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

Led by bp, this public-private collaborative initiative is intended to be based around the phased  development of up to 2GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030 for producing green hydrogen at bp’s refinery.

HyVal is expected to play an instrumental role in decarbonizing the operations of bp’s Castellón refinery. Its transformation – including green hydrogen, biofuels and renewable energy – could see bp invest a total of up to 2 billion Euro in Castellon by 2030.

Green hydrogen – generated by the electrolysis of water using renewable power – will support decarbonization of the refinery’s operations, replacing its current use of ‘grey’ hydrogen generated from natural gas.

Its production of biofuels is expected to increase three-fold, to 650,000 tonnes a year 2030. Green hydrogen will also be used as a feedstock in biofuel production, specifically of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).  Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

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-A new industrial revolution: the European Green Deal for a decarbonised industry

On 1 February the European Commission published the Communication outlining the European Green Deal Industrial Plan for the zero net emissions era (Com(2023)62 final) (the “Green Industrial Plan”), whose objectives are decarbonisation by 2050 and its tools (i) a predictable and simplified regulatory framework; (ii) accelerated access to finance; (iii) improved skills; and (iv) open trade for resilient supply chains.

The European Commission is presenting this Green Industrial Plan as the “new industrial revolution”, which aims to become the great opportunity of this decade to invest in the clean energy economy and in the industry of the zero net emissions era.

A predictable and simplified regulatory framework

In order to establish the conditions for the development of the Green Industrial Plan, the European Commission’s proposal calls for the adoption of the following regulations:

1. A Net Zero Industry Act, aiming to strengthen industrial manufacturing of key technologies within the EU, and simplifying the regulatory framework in order to:

• Set industrial capacity targets up to 2030:
• Determine the production capacity of key products to achieve climate neutrality; Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics
• Reduce the length of permitting procedures for different industrial processes;
• Streamlining procedures by establishing “one-stop-shop” type measures (i.e., a sole point of contact for investors and industrial stakeholders during the entire administrative process);
• Enable the Commission to call for European standards that promote rapid deployment of key technologies;
• Create regulatory sandboxes that allow for rapid experimentation and disruptive innovation to assess new technologies;
• Influence public action through the mechanisms of public procurement, concessions, or incentives for companies and end-users to use zero net emissions technology based on circularity and sustainability. Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

-EY advises Combineering (DK) on its sale to Reconomy Group (UK)

Reconomy Group expands circular capabilities in Europe with strategic acquisition of Combineering.

Leading global circular economy business, Reconomy Group has acquired green tech development company, Combineering, a well-established and rapidly-growing provider of unique, science based recycling solutions with the aim of turning waste into an infinite resource. Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

The deal has been completed on Tuesday, 28 February 2023.

Based in Birkerød, Denmark, Combineering has been developing specialised recycling solutions for four decades, with the aim of maximising recycling rates, minimising waste, reducing CO2 emissions, and closing the loop for its customers.

Their large scale, scientific and proprietary circular methods have been standardised and implemented across various industry sectors, providing full legal compliance and driving the best value for customers.

-The promise of pressolysis

B&M Longworth has succeeded in passing the first stage of acceptance in having its pressolysis process defined as a new recycling methodology by the British Standards Institute (BSI). Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

The company’s multi-patented Deecom and Deecom Lite pressolysis systems have been used to successfully turn everything from carbon composites to baby diapers and PPE back into constituent polymers and the process is now being viewed as an extremely useful route to recovering valuable materials from waste streams.

“Deecom specifically uses ‘thermo-cyclic pressolysis’, in that we add heat and swings of pressure to interact with the polymers in question and achieve the desired result, without engaging the original component or fibre, thus reclaiming near-virgin quality materials,” explains company director Jen Hill.  Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

“We’ve spent decades developing and understanding Deecom and its capabilities and we’re now sure of what it is not – hydrolysis, solvolysis or pyrolysis.”

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-German plastics, more turnover, less volumes

Converters fear the effect of higher costs on profitability, even as business appears to be keeping pace with inflation.
Last year, German plastics converters saw their turnover grow by +12.6% to almost 79 billion euros, but this increase was only determined by prices, with volumes of processed material decreasing by -3% to 13.6 million tons; with cost inflation having a negative impact on the profitability of companies in the sector.

The only positive note is the increase in the processing of recycled materials, increased by +9% to 2.4 million tons.  Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics
The numbers were provided, as usual, by the German association of processors Gesamtverband Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie e.V. (GKV).

Its president, Elena Furst (in the photo), has expressed strong concerns about the low profitability – due to the difficulty of transferring the higher costs downstream – and the high electricity and gas charges.
“If the cost situation does not improve this year – stated Furst – the consequences are inevitable: job cuts, reduced working hours and the transfer of production abroad”.

The sector is also suffering from the shortage of skilled labor and the uncertainty about the future conditions of the regulatory framework, both nationally and internationally.
Despite the difficulties, last year the number of processing companies recorded a slight increase (+1.3%) exceeding 3,000 units. The same evolution has affected employment, which now has 326,608 employees (+1.3% on 2021).  Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics
The export share has also grown slightly and now represents 41.4% of total turnover, +2.6% more than the previous year. Sales abroad last year increased by almost 20% to 32.7 billion euros.

-SABS warns about unverified biodegradable plastics claims

National verification and standards organisation the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) has warned against vague claims that plastics are environment-friendly or nonpolluting. Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

It says manufacturers that wish to claim their plastic packaging is degradable need to subject the packaging to the relevant testing and certification requirements of the newly published South African National Standard (SANS) 1728.

The SANS 1728 sets out the requirements for the marking and identification of degradable plastics. Degradable plastics include, but are not limited to, biodegradable, compostable, oxo-biodegradable and water-soluble plastics.

Green H2 -Biodegradable plastics

Recycling Bacteria EV battery 02-03-2023

Recycling Bacteria EV battery

Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Neste and ILLIG to showcase more sustainable solutions for thermoformed plastic packaging through demonstration cases

• Neste and ILLIG to build demonstration cases to showcase the benefits and feasibility of more sustainable solutions for thermoformed plastic packaging
• The cooperation targets an acceleration in the shift away from fossil resources and to renewable and recycled materials

Neste and ILLIG have entered into a strategic partnership to advance the use of more sustainable solutions in the production of thermoformed plastic packaging through demonstration cases. Such cases aim to verify the drop-in nature of renewable and recycled materials for demanding applications – by recreating value chains on a small scale for demonstration purposes.  Recycling Bacteria EV battery

The partners combine Neste’s expertise in providing renewable and recycled materials for polymers production and ILLIG’s expertise in manufacturing thermoforming systems to create practical showcases.

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-Recycling through bacteria

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Marburg, Germany, have developed an efficient and carbon dioxide-saving pathway for the bacterial conversion of ethylene glycol, a component of the plastic PET. They equipped the bacterium Pseudomonas putida with a new metabolic pathway discovered in marine microbes, which led to improved growth. Their findings offer new opportunities for the microbial degradation of PET, as well as the development of sustainable material cycles.

Since the discovery of the “PET-eating” bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis in 2016, many studies have focused on PET. The basic building block of PET, the C2 molecule ethylene glycol, is also used as antifreeze or solvent. Recycling Bacteria EV battery

Additionally, it can be electrochemically produced from syngas, making it a key component of future carbon-neutral biotechnologies. Therefore, the development of bacterial strains with improved ethylene glycol conversion is important not only for the upcycling of PET but also in the larger context of creating sustainable industrial material cycles for this ubiquitous chemical.

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-CATL flexes scale, power with EV battery ‘price war’

CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, has offered to cut costs for Chinese automakers, a move that demonstrates market power and could also widen China’s cost advantage in electric vehicles. Recycling Bacteria EV battery

China’s CATL has offered smaller domestic electric-vehicle makers discounted prices on batteries, according to four people with knowledge of the terms.

The discount offers included a clause that shocked the auto industry after a year of rising prices: a built-in assumption that prices of lithium carbonate, a key component in auto batteries, would more than halve, three of the people said.

The move shows CATL’s cost advantage from investments in lithium mining and refining, and its determination to knock back the challenge from smaller Chinese rivals such as CALB and EVE Energy which have factories ramping up this year, analysts said.

“It’s very much a market share game,” said Caspar Rawles, chief data officer at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Recycling Bacteria EV battery

“This is, I think, in part, a price war.”

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-Lukoil plans to launch a PE compounding line in Stavrolen in the first quarter

Lukoil plans to launch a new polyethylene compounding line at the Stavrolen enterprise in the first quarter, it has already been installed, Rupec reports, citing Oksana Borisova, senior manager of lukoil’s Petrochemical Technology Department.

1. Borisova noted that this year the company also plans to switch to packaging the entire volume of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) produced in stretch-thin film, as well as to expand storage capacity. Recycling Bacteria EV battery

“In order to improve interaction with consumers, the Competence Center for Polymers of the Stavrolen plant has expanded the quality control of raw materials to 47 indicators and is working on an in-depth analysis of the brands produced,” said Oksana Borisova.

Lukoil is also implementing a project to create a production facility for the production of LDPE and PP at the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez site with a capacity of 500 thousand tons per year, for which the development of project documentation (FEED) is being completed, as well as the expansion of the brand range for the production of PP and HDPE at the Stavrolen plant.

Earlier it was reported that Stavropol, part of Lukoil, postponed the start of construction of a gas chemical complex in the Stavropol Territory to 2023. The company announced plans to create production in the city of Budyonnovsk in 2015. In 2022, construction was supposed to begin, but due to changes in the economic and political situation, the timing had to be changed. Recycling Bacteria EV battery

-Europe’s used textiles an increasing waste and export problem

Discarded textiles in Europe, including used clothing and footwear, are an increasing waste and export problem.

Rapidly increasing EU exports of used textiles — some of which is reused and some of which ends up in landfills — show that Europe faces a challenge in how to handle its own used textiles, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing published today.

The amount of used textiles exported from the European Union (EU) has tripled over the past two decades, and the amounts may increase further, according to the EEA briefing ‘EU exports of used textiles in Europe’s circular economy’. The briefing is based on a more detailed analysis by the EEA’s European Topic Centre of Circular Economy and Resource Use. Recycling Bacteria EV battery

Europe faces major challenges in the management of used textiles, which are to be collected separately in the EU by 2025. As reuse and recycling capacities in Europe are limited, a large share of discarded and donated clothing and other textile products are exported to Africa and Asia. Common public perceptions that used clothing donations are always of use in those regions do not reflect the reality. Once exported, the fate of used textiles is often uncertain, according to the EEA briefing, which looks at the patterns of and trends in EU exports of used textiles from 2000 to 2019.

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-A shoe recycling programme that wasn’t

Shoes donated for recycling sold on Indonesian markets, says Reuters

A 26 Feb. report published by Reuters has cast serious doubts on the integrity of a shoe recycling programme led by government agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) and US petrochemicals giant Dow.

Initially launched as a three-year project in 2020, it was subsequently reshaped into a permanent programme. Recycling Bacteria EV battery

In operation since 2021, the programme aims to grind the rubberised soles and midsoles of donated shoes into rubber granules that are bound together using a water-based and solvent-free binder.

This material is used to build new playgrounds, jogging tracks and fitness corners in Singapore, partially replacing hazardous recycled tires. The public can drop their used sports shoes at collection points all over Singapore.

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-Extra-EU imports down, the deficit with Russia almost eliminated

The news is in the rightmost column, the one you usually look after, the data on imports. Because that marginal minus sign, a drop of just one point, actually signals the first trend reversal of our non-EU purchases after almost two years of double-digit racing.

The Istat data for January offer a partially new picture, with the drop in energy prices finally creating a situation in which the annual comparison is no longer so dramatic.

The last negative sign in the import trend actually occurred for Italy in February 2021. Since then, almost always double-digit growth, first due to the rush of raw materials and electronics, then due to the energy, with prices multiplied n times in a few months.

Situation of declining purchases which in the seasonally adjusted monthly figure for imports had already been visible for a few months (we are now in the fifth consecutive month of slowdown, the latest figure is a robust -9.7%) but which in the annual comparison was not still disclosed. Recycling Bacteria EV battery

A couple of phenomena can be observed in the data for individual countries. First of all, the distance from Russia continues, whose sales to Italy are reduced by 67%, almost eliminating the monthly deficit, just under 600 million, from the 2-3 billion per month of the most difficult periods last year . Purchases from the Middle East, another major energy supplier, are still growing but in a less tense way than in the past, an increase of 18.9%.

The other obvious aspect, however, is the slowdown in China, with our purchases from Beijing falling by more than 10%, perhaps the first result of the supply “gap” generated by the latest wave of Covid which at the beginning of the year had still put internal logistics and ports in difficulty.

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Recycling Bacteria EV battery

Chemical recycling – Technopolymers 01-03-2023

Shoe recycling programme

-A shoe recycling programme that wasn’t

Shoes donated for recycling sold on Indonesian markets, says Reuters

A 26 Feb. report published by Reuters has cast serious doubts on the integrity of a shoe recycling programme led by government agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) and US petrochemicals giant Dow.

Initially launched as a three-year project in 2020, it was subsequently reshaped into a permanent programme.

In operation since 2021, the programme aims to grind the rubberised soles and midsoles of donated shoes into rubber granules that are bound together using a water-based and solvent-free binder. Shoe recycling programme

This material is used to build new playgrounds, jogging tracks and fitness corners in Singapore, partially replacing hazardous recycled tires. The public can drop their used sports shoes at collection points all over Singapore.

In 2022, journalists from Reuters news agency also donated a number of pairs of shoes to the programme – but they first inserted GPS trackers in the soles of the shoes before depositing them in the bins in Singapore over a period of six months.

According to the Reuters report, none of the donated 11 pairs of shoes were recycled into playgrounds or running tracks Singapore. Shoe recycling programme

Instead, nearly all the tagged shoes ended up in the hands of Yok Impex, a Singapore company that deals with recyclables and second-hand goods hired by a waste management company involved in the recycling programme to retrieve shoes from donation bins for delivery to the company’s local warehouse.

The trackers in the shoes showed that they had then been shipped across the Singapore Strait to Batam Island, then on to Indonesia. Here, the journalists ultimately ended up being able to track down and buy back several pairs at second-hand markets.

Reuters presented its findings to Dow in January. Dow, together with Sport SG and the other programme sponsors, issued a joint statement declaring  that “The project partners do not condone any unauthorised removal or export of shoes collected through this programme and remain committed to safeguarding the integrity of the collection and recycle process.” Shoe recycling programme

They also opened an investigation, led by waste management company Alba-WH, which, according to an emailed statement to Reuters from Dow on Feb 22, had been concluded and resulted in the removal of Yok Impex from the project, effective 1 March. It did not explain why a used-clothing exporter had been involved in retrieving footwear from the donation bins, but said the programme’s partners were now searching for another company to collect the shoes.

In a recent development, just hours ago, Rachel Chan of CNA reported that the programme’s partners apologised for the “lapse” that resulted in donated footwear being exported overseas for sale. They also thanked Reuters for flagging the matter and said they hoped ‘the public will continue to support the shoe recycling programme’.

“We wish to assure the public that we remain strongly committed to initiatives that protect our planet.” Shoe recycling programme

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Chemical recycling – Technopolymers 01-03-2023

Chemical recycling – Technopolymers

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-Peak plastics: bending the consumption curve

Only bold and sweeping reforms will bend the plastic consumption curve. Achieving a reduction in plastic pollution will require all stakeholders–from the petrochemical companies to the consumers–to control the crisis. A piecemeal approach won’t work.

Executive Summary

The world will continue to drown in plastic waste unless a bold and comprehensive set of policy changes are agreed by the UN. To bring about peak plastic consumption, these policies would need to be at the most ambitious end of the spectrum being debated by UN treaty negotiators, which include governments, the petrochemical and consumer goods industries, and environmental groups. This is according to research by Back to Blue, an initiative of Economist Impact and the Nippon Foundation, which models the impact of a selection of policies being considered by world leaders as they draft a legally binding treaty to stem plastic pollution.  Chemical recycling – Technopolymers

We model the impact of: a phased ban on problematic, unnecessary single-use plastic products (SUPPs); a mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR) regime imposed on brands and retailers that introduce packaging to the market; and a tax on the production of virgin resin designed to redistribute the cost of negative environmental externalities. Our model tests whether any of these, alone or together, can achieve peak plastic consumption before 2050. The analysis is focused on the 19 countries of the G20.

Combined, the policies slow plastic consumption growth, but will not be enough to bring about a peak in plastic consumption by 2050, illustrating the scale of the challenge that lies ahead.  Chemical recycling – Technopolymers

If the negotiators fail to agree on any policy interventions, we project that plastic consumption in the studied G20 countries will nearly double by mid-century.

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-Catalytic Techniques for Upcycling Plastic Waste

Current plastic recycling is limited, typically involving mechanical processes that often result in “downcycled” products with inferior properties relative to plastics in their unprocessed, virgin forms. Furthermore, the plastics that do end up recycled comprise less than 20% of the total plastic produced to date—most of our plastic waste ends up in a landfill or dumped in the natural environment, leading to ever-increasing pollution and a persistent and disruptive impact on ecosystems.

Given the urgent need to improve upon existing plastic recycling methods, more researchers are turning toward chemical routes for plastic reclamation.1 Closed-loop chemical recycling depolymerizes plastics into their constituent monomers or oligomers, which can be used to resynthesize the same plastics with virgin-like material properties. However, this is commercially unattractive when virgin monomers from fossil resources are so cheap.  Chemical recycling – Technopolymers

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-SK Materials and ExxonMobil team up for blue ammonia

SK Holdings Materials, a South Korea-based company specialising in material technology, has signed an agreement with ExxonMobil, a US energy and petrochemical company, with the main aim of introducing blue ammonia to SK Materials in Korea, said Offshore-energy.

The company noted that ExxonMobil plans to build a facility to produce blue ammonia in Baytown, Texas, USA, and SK Materials plans to support the transition to clean energy in the domestic coal power generation market by introducing blue ammonia and supplying it as a power generation fuel in time for co-fired power generation in Korea.

SK Materials said it also plans to expand cooperation with ExxonMobil to develop a carbon reduction solution business. Chemical recycling – Technopolymers

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-Taro Plast crosses the Atlantic

Agreement signed to acquire Delta Polymers, a US company active in the compounding and distribution of engineering plastics.
Taro Plast continues its growth plan through acquisitions, this time overseas. After taking over the Celanese activities in Ferrara last year in hotmelt polyesters and thermoplastic co-polyesters , the Parma-based company has signed an agreement to acquire the US Delta Polymers, together with the Amplas Compounding division, specialized in the formulation of compounding and distribution of technopolymers.
The acquisition of 100% of the two companies, in the intention of the parties – the Squeri and Beaupre families – should be concluded in the month of March. No financial details of the deal have been provided.  Chemical recycling – Technopolymers
“The acquisition is in line with our strategy of establishing an active presence in the US market, to better serve our global customers at a local level – comments Andrea Squeri (pictured), CEO of Taro Plast -. The request from US market share for our recently enhanced product portfolio, including the TPC Pibiflex and Riteflex brands, has increased and we are delighted to benefit from the experience of the Delta Polymer team to bring our expertise and know-how to the North American market.” .
Founded in 1978, with headquarters in Soragna, in the province of Parma, Taro Plast operates with four plants in Italy in the production of polypropylene-based compounds, thermoplastic elastomers (SBS, SEBS, TPV and TPC) and technopolymers, destined for application sectors such as automotive, home appliances, power tools and housewares, E/E, construction and furniture. It employs almost 190 people for a turnover of 170 million euros in the 2022 financial year.  Chemical recycling – Technopolymers

-New Pyrum plant to expand ties with Michelin, BASF

The 20ktpa facility in Homburg to free up capacity in existing plant for ELTs from Luxembourg

Dillingen, Germany – Waste tire pyrolysis company Pyrum Innovations AG has selected the city of Homburg in the German state of Saarland for its next end-of-life tire (ELT) recycling plant.  Chemical recycling – Technopolymers

In a statement 16 Feb, the company said Homburg City Council had unanimously voted in favour of the sale of a city-owned property to Pyrum and thus for the construction of a new pyrolysis plant.

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-Danone to invest US$65M to establish new bottle production line in Florida

Food and beverage company Danone North America has announced that it will invest up to US$65 million over the next two years to create a new bottle production line in Jacksonville, Florida.

The investment will support Danone North America’s long-term growth strategy and will deliver key benefits across the U.S. business, including advancing operational excellence, enabling flexibility in bottle design, accelerating the company’s sustainability goals, and driving cost efficiencies.  Chemical recycling – Technopolymers

Shane Grant, Group Deputy CEO, CEO Americas said: “We are delighted to announce this investment in our North American business, which will allow us to capitalize on consumer demand in key beverage categories including coffee creamers, plant-based creamers, and ready-to-drink coffee, while also supporting our long-term growth agenda.

“This investment will help us keep our products on our customers’ shelves and give more American consumers the Danone products they love.”

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-Curbing our insatiable appetite for plastics – yes, but how?

New study: ’Bold and comprehensive set of policies’ alone can stem plastic waste crisis

According to the findings of a new study from Back to Blue, an initiative of Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation, the efforts currently being explored by the UN to halt the growth in plastic consumption and to ‘bend the curve’, will not achieve their goal by 2050.  Chemical recycling – Technopolymers

Entitled Peak Plastics: Bending the consumption curve, the report confirms that an ‘urgent, global effort is needed to stop the flood of plastic pollution at its source’, as David Azoulay, of the Center for International Environmental Law, pointed out.

The entire lifecycle of plastics […] must be addressed by the future, legally binding UN treaty to end plastic pollution, he said.

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Chemical recycling – Technopolymers

 

Plasticisers – Energy storage – H2 28-02-2023