AP Plastic Times Vol 5
Oct-Nov-Dec 2010
No.3
Editorial Dear Members This issue will be in your hands when all of us in the state of A P will be debating the hot topic of unity or division. Individually, we may be having our own independent opinion, but collectively as an industry we should emphasize for a peaceful atmosphere for the industrial sector.
EDITORIAL BOARD Chairman ARUN LAHOTI
Plastics industrial sector, even though on a growth path, is facing many an ups and downs. Plastics, even though the most widely used material in the world and also most useful material for the developing countries, has never found the admiration from the ruling powers. Thus leading to many erroneous orders which not only affect the industry but are curtailing the consumer's right to choose.
Members M. JAYADEV J. VENUGOPAL ANIL NAGDA A.RAVINDRA BABU Published by
ANDHRA PRADESH PLASTICS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION 304, Raghavaratna Towers, Chirag Ali Lane, HYDERABAD 500 001 Phone: 23203191 Fax: 040-23204211 Email: info@appma.org.in Web: www.appma.org.in
OFFICE BEARERS:
In it's over zealousness to introduce environment friendly measures, the powers are not only killing a legitimate industry but unknowingly (or knowingly) promoting alternate materials which are more damaging to the eco system. May wisdom prevail and things are set right. Till that time let us pray to almighty, seek his blessings and take the blessed prasadam in paper made out of the chopping of don't know how many trees. And watch lakhs of people enjoying their small cup of tea in paper cups albeit coated with plastics. What an eco friendly step. We will be failing in discharging our social responsibility, if truth is not represented to the decision makers and it is also our most important responsibility to adhere to the prescribed norms in manufacturing and not compromise on standards set by the Government for which the industry has agreed. Thicker micron Films and Bags are the need of the day and let us strive to earn our bread honestly, then only it will be sweet and nutritious. Happy New Year.
President M. JAYADEV Vice President - I SURESH SOMANI Vice President (Rural) DAYAKAR A.
Propagating for an environment which is plastic free, But at a cost of felling of don't know how many trees.
Hon. Secretary J. VENUGOPAL
Arun Lahoti Chairman-Website & Bulletin Committee editor@appma.org.in
Joint Secretary K. NARAYAN REDDY Joint Secratary (Rural) V. SRINIVAS Treasurer NARENDRA BALDWA
ADVERTISEMENT TARIFF Back Cover IInd & IIIrd Cover Full Page Half page Quarter Page Classified
8,000 6,000 4,000 2,500 1,500 300
All payments should be made by cheque/draft drawn favouring the A.P. Plastic Manufacturers Association, payable at Hyderabad. Service Tax will be charged extra as applicable. Cash will not be accepted.
DISCLAIMER All the information published in this issue has been collected/gathered from various sources. APPMA does not hold responsibility for any error or omission and is not liable for any legal consequences.
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Contents :
Editorial President writes Secretary's Report APPMA at Work - Report on Awareness on Plastics and Social Activity Report on K by Members New Members List APPMA at Work-Report on Awareness on Plastics and Social Activity. Government Notification. News Updates Classified Advertisements. Article-Indian Plastic Industry where Sun will never set.
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President Writes... Dear Members, Firstly, I would like to wish all the members A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2011. On behalf of Andhra Pradesh Plastics Manufacturers Association I would like to congratulate the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Sri.N.Kiran Kumar Reddy on taking charge as the new Chief Minister of the state. The 8th PLASTIVISION INDIA 2011 International Plastics Exhibition is being held at Goregaon ( E ) Mumbai from January 20th to 24th. This exhibition has an area covering 55,000 Sq Mtrs and is expected to have 1000 exhibitors including 180 overseas exhibitors covering 5000 Sq mtrs. Seventeen countries are participating in this exhibition. I request all members to avail of this golden opportunity by visiting and interacting with these international exhibitors and in the process gain knowledge about the latest international technologies and implement these technologies in improving their business. The Members Directory is in the completion stages and it is being compiled by dedicated members of the Member Directory Committee. I thank all the members who helped us in updating the details of members by sending in their change of address etc. on time. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the sponsors who came forward to support APPMA in bringing out the Directory. We have been receiving complaints of harassments from many of the members of Tenali, Guntur, Eluru, Kurnool, Mehboobnagar, Kakinada and Srikakulam regarding harassment and burning of plastic carry bags. I would like to assure all members that APPMA is taking all steps to help the members in which ever way possible. We have sent memorandums to Collectors and Municipal Commissioners not to harass the members and to follow the GOs passed by the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Our members have visited Vizianagaram and Bobbili and handed over memorandums personally to the collectors and Municipal commissioners. I request all members through this forum to adhere to rules laid by the government and do legal business so that the plastic industry does not suffer.
M. Jayadev President 44 4
Secretary Report ... Dear Friends, The year 2010 has come to an end and the year 2011 starts. At the outset I wish you all A Very Prosperous and Happy New Year 2011. Also there is a change in leadership in the state Govt. On behalf of APPMA we would like to congratulate Shri N.Kiran Kumar Reddy Garu on taking charge as the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Recession has ended and a new beginning for the economy seems to be on the cards. I wish you all the best for your businesses. We have successfully taken a delegation of 40 members to K2010 Exhibition at Duesseldorf, Germany. We have also submitted all the required documents to MSME, Delhi, for the reimbursement of a part of the airfares incurred by the delegates for visiting the exhibition. Plastivision Exhibition will be conducted in Mumbai from January 20 -24th. We had proposed to take a delegation from APPMA and sent letters to all members regarding the same. The delegation will be leaving on January 21, 2011 and after visiting the Exhibition will return on January 23rd, 2011. Of late, we have been continuously receiving complaints from many of our members from Tenali, Guntur, Eluru, Kurnool, Mehboobnagar, Kakinada and Srikakulam regarding harassment and burning of plastic carry bags. Steps have been taken by the Association to bring to the notice of the concerned authorities about the harassment. Representations and memorandums have been sent to all the municipal commissioners and collectors. We will be visiting the concerned district collectors and municipal commissioners to hand over memorandums personally and request them to follow the GOs laid by the AP Govt. and stop harassing our members. On our part we should all stick to the rules and do permitted business and not create problems for our brothers in the industry for the sake of traders demand. I hope all members will cooperate and see that the plastic industry survives. We are in the process of bringing out the Members Directory in the month of January 2011 with lots of new members. We have sent out letters requesting them to give us any change of addresses contact nos. etc. Hope by now every one must have informed about the same to the Association. Once again Wish You All A Very Happy And Prosperous New Year. Wishing you all the Best
J. Venugopal Hon.Secretary
Visit www.appma.org.in for latest development in website. For all archives of A.P. Plastic Times, kindly visit www.issuu.com/plastictimes 55 5
REPORT OF AWARENESS ON PLASTICS AND SOCIAL ACTIVITY Report of Awarenesss on Plastics and Social Activity held on 8th December, 2010 at Saraswati Vidya Mandir School, KARWAN, Hyderabad Mr.B.V.Srinivas Rao, Chairman-Campaign & Awareness Committee along with Mr.V.Suresh, Chairman-Social Welfare Committee and other WC Members Mr.Bhaskar Reddy, Md.Abdul Aleem along with the Hon.Secretary, APPMA Mr.J Venugopal, conducted an awareness program on plastics and a social activity on 8th December, 2010 at Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Karwan, Hyderabad. The representatives of APPMA spoke at length on the advantages of using plastics in the assembly of the school which consisted of 400 students to create awareness in the young minds. Essay writing competition was also conducted on the same day. 100 students participated in the competition. Prizes were given to all the 3 winners and 2 runners. In the Social Welfare activity conducted on the same premises at the same time, exam pads and pens were distributed to all the students along with snacks. Two Big Dust Bins and 40 small plastic chairs were donated to the school. The Chairman, Mr.B.V.Srinivas Rao, thanked the management of the school, The Hon.Secretary and the members who participated in the program and helped in making the event a grand success. 77 7
REPORT ON K BY MEMBERS Dear members, The 18th K exhibition 2010 of Plastic and Plastic products organised by messe duss eldorf gmbh from 27th oct to 3rd Nov 2010 was a great turning point in my life.according to me this was an opportunity which everyone should go for atleast once.
equipments, solid carbide tooling, milling cutters, mould components, turning lathes, cnc machines, laboratory test equipments. Plastic manufacturers and suppliers also showcased plastic processing machinery, blow moulding, injection moulding machines, chillers, converting equipments, extrution equipments, feeders, processing aids, recycling equipments, plastic pet, stretch blow single stage machines.
The amazing things in the fare were fully automatic machinery with very advanced technology that require less man power, less power consumption and tremendous out put.
The fare was very well organised for more than 3000 visitors. M.A.ALEEM Khandieworks@yahoo.com
The displayed machines and tools were polishing equipments for moulds and dies, machine vices, measuring
Congratulations
Meela Jayadev
V. Anil Reddy
Sudhakar Polymers Ltd.
Nayastrap Pvt. Ltd.
for being elected as managing committee members (South Zone) of All India Plastic Manufacturers Association 99 9
New Members List Sl.
Name of the Member
1.
Representative
Ph.No.
Line of Activity
SUDHAKAR IRRIGATION SYSTEMS PVT LTD Meela Jayadev (MD) Balaram Thanda Meela Ravishankar Near Industrial Estate, Suryapet – 508214, (Director) Nalgonda (Dist.);
9848053795 9848112944
Manufacturers of PVC Pipes & Fittings.
2.
PRAGATI POLYPLAST INDIA PVT LTD : Plot no 11/3, CIEEPg, Gandhinagar, Balanagar, Hyderabad – 500037;
Nitin Sanghi
9849302409
Mfrs of HDPE containers from 100ml to 210 Ltrs
3.
RAJESHWARI ENTERPRISES: 4-42-1012/A, Paparayudunagar, Kukatpally, Hyderabad – 500072
G Harinath
9866496533
Plastic Moulding components supply to various defence organizations.
4.
KRISHNA POLYMERS 5-81, Fathenagar, Hyderabad;
Girdhari Lal Singhal Vishnu Kumar Agarwal
984973415 9391059774
Plastics Articles/ House hold articles.
5.
SHALIMAR PLASTICS E-2, Industrial Estate, KAttedan, Hyderabad – 500 077
Ahmed Mohiuddin Zubari
9989502587
HM/ LLD Polythene Bags.
6.
MECKLA POLYMERS PVT LTD 9-1-66/3, S D Road, 3rd Floor, Opp. Oriental Bank of Commerce, Secunderabad 500003
M. Ravinder Reddy 9849866656 (Director) 9348113131 V Ramesh Reddy (Exec. Director) meckla.polymers@gmail.com
Pet Recycling.
7.
AMINA CONTAINERS Plot no. 15-B, Phase-II, IDA Patancheru – 502319
MD. Mustafa Hamed 9849032150 Dinesh Vishwakarma 9394012308 S Pavan Kumar 9346329260 aminacontainers@gmail.com
HDPE Containers & Carry bags
8.
PATEL & CO. 15-8-448/2, Feelkhana, Hyderabad -12
Deraram Patel
Plastics articles & components mfrs.
9.
NEHA POLY PACK 6-5-114/1, Babul Reddy Nagar, Kattedan, Hyderabad – 500 077
9.
CHANDRA PLASTIC INDUSTRIES 6-5-114/1, Babul Reddy Nagar, Kattedan, Hyderabad – 500 077
Shiv Kumar Gupta
10.
JAKHOTIA POLYSACKS PVT LTD : 3-5-864, Hyderguda, Hyderabad – 500 029
Balhisham Jakhotia Omprakash Jakhotia
040-64511857
Mfrs of Polythene plastic bags, tubes, sheets, rolls and carry bags etc.
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Mfr of HM, PP, LD,LLD plastic bags, tubes, and sheets. 040 – 23441969 Machinery of PP Woven sacks. 9849044377 9440022890
New Members List Sl.
Name of the Member
Representative
Ph.No.
Line of Activity
11.
JAKHOTIA POLYFIBRE PVT LTD 3-5-864, Hyderguda, Hyderabad – 500 029;
Omprakash Jakhotia Anup Jakhotia
040 – 23441969 P P Woven sacks. 9440022890 9440422400
12.
INNOVATIVE MOULDING SOLUTIONS Plot No. 72, Ushodaya Colony, Near UMCC, Hyderabad – 500055;
Suresh Nagadevera Proprietor
040- 23191034 9908123835
13
SIAME 2-2-1125 / 187 / A, New Nallakunta, Hyderabad – 500 044
G Sreenivas Business Manager
040 – 32935004 Traders in Machinery. 9892541264
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ASIAN PLASTICS Block No. A- 28/1, Plot No. 3, Road No. 15 / D, Industrial Park, Nacharam, Hyderabad – 500076
S. Srinivas S. Nagaraj Partners
040 – 65968427 Mfrs. Plastic Containers 9247216610 Jerry cans, etc. with printing. 9440563187
Traders in Machinery, Auxiliary, Moulds, Products.
APPMA at Work
Report of Awarenesss on Plastics Program held on 30th December, 2010 at Mahaboobiya Junior College for Girls, Abids, Hyderabad and Tagore School, Secunderabad
children. Four big size bins were handed over to the principal and explained about their usage. Another awareness program was conducted in Tagore School, Secunderabad at 12noon on the same day. The members met the principal and teachers and conducted an interactive meeting with 40 students and teachers. Mr.Vellore Suresh addressed the students and the members clarified their doubts regarding usage of plastics.
Mr.B.V.Srinivas Rao, Chairman-Campaign & Awareness Committee along with Mr.V.Suresh, Chairman-Social Welfare Committee and other WC Members Mr.Bhaskar Reddy, Md.Abdul Aleem along with the Hon.Secretary, APPMA Mr.J Venugopal, conducted an awareness program on plastics on 30th December, 2010 at Mahaboobiya Junior College for Girls, Abids, Hyderabad at 11 AM.
The principal expressed his happiness for conducting the interactive session. The members assured the principal that more programs would be conducted in the same lines. Four big bins were handed over to the principal of the school.
The representatives of APPMA spoke to the principal Mr.Satyanarayana Reddy and explained in detail the activities of APPMA. The chairman of Social Welfare Committee Mr.V.Suresh enquired about the school's requirement and proposed to give computers to the school as part of Social welfare Activity. On 7th January an awareness program will be conducted for the school
The Chairman, Mr.B.V.Srinivas Rao, thanked the management of the school, The Hon.Secretary and the members who participated in the program and helped in making the event a grand success. 11 11 11
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News Update INDUSTRIES WITH 10 EMPLOYEES UNDER EPF PURVIEW NOW
bag consumes 1 gallon of water (yep, per bag) equating to 50 times that of plastic bags. Yikes!
Vithlesh Yaduvanshi NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Trustees of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Saturday approved the reduction of threshold limit for establishments covered under the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act (EPF & MP Act), 1952. With this, establishments employing even 10 people will be covered under the Act and would have to contribute towards Employees Provident Fund accounts as against the existing 20, barring cooperative institutions functioning without power, where the limit has been reduced from 50 to 20 employees. This decision was approved at the first meeting of the newly constituted EPF Board. This is the first time in 48 years that the threshold limit has been changed. However, the Board meeting, chaired by Minister of State for Labour and Employment (independent charge) Oscar Fernandes, deferred a decision on fixing the rate of interest for the EPF for the current financial year. The second Labour Commission and the Standing Committee on Labour had also recommended reducing the threshold limit in order to reduce the gap between coverage under EPF & MP Act, 1952 and the total workforce of the country. The social security benefits provided under the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Act are already applicable to establishments with 10 or more employees. Therefore, this approval would bring parity with the ESI Act with regard to coverage and would help in unifying the social security efforts of the government. It will also help in channelling the registration of establishments and members of both the ESIC and the EPFO. Source : www.epfindia.com, www.epfindia.com
How does a paper bag get from forest to grocery store? Trees are found, marked and felled. Machinery is then used to remove the logs from the forest floor - whether by logging or, in more remote areas, helicopters. Machinery requires fossil fuels and roads (which destroy habitat) thereby creating stress on the forests' inhabitants (even logging a small area has a large impact on the entire ecological chain in surrounding areas). Mega-machinery comes in to remove the logs from what used to be forest, either by logging trucks or even helicopters in more remote areas. This machinery requires fossil fuel to operate and roads to drive on, and, when done unsustainably, logging even a small area has a large impact on the entire ecological chain in surrounding areas. Paper comes from trees -- lots and lots of trees. The logging industry, influenced by companies like Weyerhaeuser and Kimberly-Clark, is huge, and the process to get that paper bag to the grocery store is long, sordid and exacts a heavy toll on the planet. First, the trees are found, marked and felled in a process that all too often involves clear-cutting, resulting in massive habitat destruction and long-term ecological damage.
PLASTICS VS. PAPER/JUTE/TEXTILE BAGS THE ORIGIN OF PAPER BAGS: Paper comes from trees - and lots of them. The paper grocery bag is an American innovation and was designed in 1883. It's made from kraft paper - the word 'kraft' coming from the German language meaning 'strong'. Kraft paper is known for its strength and course texture. It's strength lends to its reusability. According to the American Forest & Paper Association, 2007 marked an all-time high of 56% for the recycling of paper consumed in the U.S. Curbside paper collection is easy and readily available in most parts of the country. While I applaud the consumer and the industry for reaching this goal and beyond (the industries goal is 60% by 2012) I'd like to point out that the manufacturing of paper products, like plastic, consumes natural resources and creates pollution. As a matter of fact, the production of a paper
Trees must dry at least three years before they can be used to make paper. Once aged, machinery is used to strip the bark, which is then chipped into 1 inch squares and cooked under tremendous heat and pressure. This wood stew is then 'digested' with a limestone and sulfurous acid for eight hours. The steam and moisture is vented to the outside atmosphere, and the original wood becomes pulp. It takes approximately three tons of wood chips to make one ton of pulp.
15 15 15
The pulp is then washed and bleached, both stages requiring thousands of gallons of clean water. Coloring is added to more water, and is then combined in a ratio of 1 part pulp to 400 parts water to make paper. The pulp/water mixture is dumped onto a web of bronze wires, the water showers
through, leaving the pulp to dry. This final product is then rolled into paper.
Air pollution SO2 9.9 28.1 NOx 6.8 10.8 CHx 3.8 1.5 CO 1 6.4 Dust 0.5 3.8 Waste water burden COD 0.5 107.8 BOD 0.02 43.1 (Source: Fabbri, A in Scott, G and Gilead , D., editors, Degradable Polymers, Principles and Application, Chapman & hall, 1995, Chapt.)
Whew! What a lot of resources to just make the paper. We must include all of the chemicals, electricity, and fossil fuels used in the shipment of this raw material and in the production and shipment of a finished paper bag. THE PLASTIC BAG - A BIT OF HISTORY These days, most plastic bags are made from a type of plastic called polyethylene. 80% of polyethylene is produced from natural gas - an abundant, yet non-renewable resource. Polyethylene, as a raw material, can be manipulated into any shape, size, form or color. It's watertight and can made UV resistant. It can be printed on and reused many, many times.
PLASTIC AND JUTE BAGS A comparison of Plastic Bags with Jute Bags in terms of Life Cycle Analysis reveals that " Energy Saving during manufacture of raw materials, production and transportation of plastic bags compared to jute bags is 81%. " Environmental Burden with respect to Air and Water pollution during Production of Raw Material and Bags for Plastic Bags and Jute bags are given below:
An argument can be made that plastic decreases landfill mass. Plastics, as a whole, make up 18% of waste by volume and 7% by weight (plastic bags themselves are light and take up very little space). If plastic were to be replaced by other materials, trash weight would increase by 150%, packaging would weigh 300% more and energy consumed by the industry would increase by 100%. Plastic not being recycled can be burned yielding roughly 10,000 to 20,000 btu per pound, most of which can be used to create electricity. This can help to reduce the overall sulphur emissions from coal.
Environmental Burden Air Emission CO CO2 SOx NOx CH4 HCl Dust Water Emission Suspended Solids Chlorides
According to Boustead Consulting & Assoc. Ltd who produced a recent report for the Progressive Bag Alliance, polyethylene uses less energy, oil and water (potable) than paper bags made with 30% recycled fibers. Their study also shows that plastic grocer y bags emit fewer greenhouse gases and less solid waste. PAPER OR PLASTIC: A LOOK AT THE FACTS AND NUMBERS Further insight into the implications of using and recycling each kind of bag can be gained from looking at overall energy, emissions, and other life cycle-related costs of production and recycling. According to a life cycle analysis by Franklin Associates, Ltd, plastic bags create fewer airborne emissions and require less energy during the life cycle of both types of bags per 10,000 equivalent uses -plastic creates 9.1 cubic pounds of solid waste vs. 45.8 cubic pounds for paper; plastic creates 17.9 pounds of atmospheric emissions vs. 64.2 pounds for paper; plastic creates 1.8 pounds of waterborne waste vs. 31.2 pounds for paper. A SCIENTIFIC COMPARISON BETWEEN PAPER AND POLYETHYLENE IS SHOWN BELOW: Environmental burden Polyethylene Paper Energy (GJ) for manufacture 29 67
kg kg kg kg kg kg kg
Jute Bag
Plastic Bag
54.3 6610.2 134.8 68.1 39.5 5.3 67.6
0.6 760.0 5.2 4.8 3.2 0.0 1.4
kg 352.3 kg 4535.5
0.2 0.1
The values are for packaging of one lac MTs of Atta. Source: Centre for Polymer, Science and Engineering, IIT - Delhi "CONSIDER THE ENORMOUS ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN GENERATED BY JUTE BAGS, WHICH ARE NOT VISIBLE TO NAKED EYES THOUGH, IN COMPARISON TO PLASTIC BAGS!" PLASTIC AND TEXTILE BAGS When plastics and textile are compared, following data is revealed: " Plastics manufacturing consumes 400 kwh/mt while composite textile mills consume 1310 kwh/mt. " Textile contributes 30% SOx (Second Highest by Any 16 16 16
Sector) and 23% NOx (Highest by Any Sector) (Source : Warmer Bulletin, July 01) Millions of KW of energy is saved and the atmosphere is less polluted when Plastic Carry bags are used in place of Textile bags.
Silt, Sanitary Diapers and Construction Debris etc. Hence Plastic Bags cannot be singled out as the sole reason for clogging of drains or deaths of live stocks. Discontinuation of Plastic bags is no solution and will rather multiply the problem many fold. This will add to the woes of common man as the so called alternatives are unviable, costly and place greater burden on the environment.
WHAT IS THE REAL ISSUE? MYTH: Plastic bags choke drains in monsoon resulting in floods TRUTH: " The root cause is dumping of all types of waste by public into open sewers & drains. " Plastic bags form a miniscule % of the dumped waste. Other objects like waste tyres & rubber products, discarded footwear, metal cans, bricks, mortar and garbage have been found dumped in drains & sewers leading to chokage. " Ultra-thin carry bags are exported from India to Germany / other countries but these are not found littered on streets due to good civic sense and supportive waste management systems. " Most countries have adopted two bin culture segregating dry and wet garbage. " Plastics industry in India has been pleading with local governments for proper segregation systems and provision of bins. " This will help avoid littering and ensure recycling of waste plastics. " Industry has already donated plastic bins in cities like Delhi, Calcutta & Tirupati. " ICPE along with government is committed to launch public education campaigns to enhance civic sense. "Infrastructure and system support is a must for proper waste management. Remember, plastic do not litter but people do. The solution lies in proper waste management & timely cleaning of sewers & drains before monsoons."
To discourage illogical use and to encourage the waste pickers for collection and recycling process, the regulatory bodies have already specified the minimum thickness and size of plastic carry bags. Therefore, the challenge facing us is to improve the solid waste management system and address littering habits of masses by educating them and creating awareness. The solution lies in Segregation of Waste at Source and arrangement for Recycling of all recyclable waste. Plastics Bags are 100% recyclable. (Source: Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment (ICPE)) Now the decision is yours! Happy Thinking! Thank You!
A LANDMARK ORDER BY HON'BLE DELHI HIGH COURT AFFECTING GOVT. PURCHASES FROM MSMES
MYTH: PLASTICS BAGS HAVE NO REUSE TRUTH: " The thick gauge bags are retained by consumers for multiple secondary usage over extended period of time. " Thereafter they are collected and recycled into very useful products like the barsati film, nursery bags, etc.
The Hon'ble High Court of Delhi has delivered a landmark judgment recently which will have far reaching implications for government purchases from MSMEs. The whole Govt. machinery has been directed to extend price preference to the extent of 15% over large suppliers in the matter of purchase of goods besides providing free tender document, not charging Earnest Money, waver from security deposit etc.
"FOR VERY THIN BAGS, INDUSTRY HAS ALREADY ACCEPTED INCREASING THE MINIMUM THICKNESS TO MAKE REUSE AND RECYCLING VIABLE."
You are aware the issue has been a bone of contention for years, with most Govt. departments and PSUs refusing to follow the circulars issued by the Ministry of MSMEs. The plea put forward was that the circular is at best discretionary and not binding. With the latest judgment this alibi has been smashed, hopefully for ever.
ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION Our poor littering habits coupled with insufficient infrastructure for waste management has created the disposal problem of solid waste, including the plastic waste in the urban areas. However, available data reveals that the MSW in major cities in India contains around 5% plastics waste, balance being Paper, Compostable Matters, Sand, 17 17 17
With PM Taskforce on MSMEs recommending a 20% set-aside
target in Govt. of India purchases, the judgment could not have been received at a more opportune time.
we register overwhelming customer interest in our buyer sectors. The innovations launched at K 2010 are stimulating a powerful thrust in orders taken. Companies are now benefiting from also having consolidated their strengths in hard times, developing innovations and decisively strengthening their competitive edge!"
We in FISME think it is now up to the affected product/ industry groups to take recourse to this judgment (which has disposed off the above oft repeated objection of Govt. purchasers of the provision being discretionary) and press for their legitimate rights.
Close to 60% of K visitors came from outside Germany. The experts came from far more than 100 nations and all continents - they even travelled to the Rhine from Ethiopia, Costa Rica, the Ivory Coast, the Falkland Islands, Mauritius, New Caledonia and Turkmenistan. It became clear that amongst the international experts attending a further shift towards overseas visitors has taken place. At K 2007 57% of all foreign guests still came from Europe; this year this percentage was down to 54%. This means the proportion of experts from overseas rose to 46% of all international guests. The biggest group here came from Asia - with approximately 30,000 experts. With about 11,000 guests the Indian subcontinent again accounted for the largest share of Asian visitors. A substantial increase was also registered in the number of trade visitors from Turkey and from Israel with 4,100 and 3,600 business people, respectively (compared to 2,800 and 2,300 at the previous event). Compared to K 2007 there were also more visitors from Egypt, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.
Let us share both cases of success stories and obstacles so as to gain from each others experiences.
REPORT ON K2010 Strong impulses for further growth of the plastics and rubber industries: exceptionally strong willingness to invest among the over 220,000 trade visitors. Trade fair clearly exceeds expectations / Exhibitors report of numerous contracts concluded. The positive market trend clearly felt in the immediate run-up to the world's biggest trade fairs for the plastics and rubber industries also characterised the course of K 2010 Düsseldorf and made for an excellent mood amongst the 3,102 exhibitors. Companies reported an overwhelming volume of contacts, a marked willingness amongst trade visitors to invest, promising new customer contacts and many, also sometimes quite, spontaneous business deals. The verdict from Ulrich Reifenhäuser, Chairman of the Exhibitor Council for K 2010, is therefore correspondingly positive: "K 2010 was held at the right point in time and has provided all areas of our industry with new impetus. The many and sometimes quite unexpectedly specific contract negotiations entered into at the trade fair speak for themselves!"
With 10,500 business people the number of guests from Latin America as a whole has remained unchanged; to the tune of 6,800 trade visitors came from the USA and Canada. Visitors from neighbouring European countries were dominated by France and the Netherlands (with approx. 7,000 visitors each) followed by Italy, Belgium and Austria.
Delighted by the good results Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, CEO & President of Messe Düsseldorf, said: "Registering more than 220,000 trade visitors K 2010 has clearly exceeded expectations in the sector given the crisis now finally drawing to an end! We are very satisfied that the trade fair succeeded in providing strong impetus for further growth and that our exhibitors were able to do business with numerous international customers of high decisionmaking competence."
For roughly two thirds of all the visitors polled machinery and equipment building ranked first in terms of interest in ranges. 48% - and hence 7% more visitors than at K 2007 stated their interest in raw materials and auxiliaries while for 26% semi-finished products and technical plastics and rubber components were the major reason for their attendance (multiple choices possible). 62% of all visitors represent top and middle management.
Compared to the previous event in 2007 visitor attendance was down by nine percent. But then the industry was in a boom phase, which came to a sudden end soon after as a result of the global economic and financial crisis.
K 2010 got full marks from visitors for the ranges on display in the 19 exhibition halls. 97% of all experts praised the event saying they fully achieved the aims of their visit.
It was especially the wealth of new technical developments presented by raw material producers, machinery manufacturers and producers of technical components that enthused the trade visitors travelling from over 100 countries to visit K 2010 in Düsseldorf. Commenting on this Ulrich Reifenhäuser said: "It can be clearly felt that an investment backlog formed during the global economic and financial crisis. Now demand is rising on a global scale and
Plastics can look forward to a bright future as a material for creative ideas, particularly in the field of energy efficiency and saving resources. This insight was not only reflected by numerous examples on show at the exhibitors' stands from 56 nations. The Special Show "Visions in Polymers" also picked up on this theme meeting with great interest among experts from throughout the world. Film sequences, selected exhibits and discussions with experts 18 18 18
from industry and science highlighted the development trends on the horizon and the novel applications the future can bring. The German plastics industry was responsible for the organisation of "Visions in Polymers" under the aegis of PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V. and Messe D端sseldorf. The next K D端sseldorf will be held from 16 to 23 October 2013.
"The technology centre will meet the increasing requirements of the trained technical manpower for the plastic industry. Establishing APPTC will not only result in fulfilling the requirement of additional skilled technical manpower in the area of plastics processing but also will facilitate in rendering the Technology Support Services (TSS)," said local MP and Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Srikant Jena.
PLASTIC TECHNOLOGY CENTRE TO COME UP IN ORISSA
"The raw materials availability for the plastic industries in Balasore can further be increased to ensure sustainable development as one petrochemical complex is also coming up at Paradeep to be developed by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)," he informed.
Hemant Kumar Rout TNN, Oct 29, 2010, BHUBANESWAR: Orissa will have the country's first Advanced Plastic Processing Technology Centre (APPTC) at Balasore soon. The Planning Commission has approved the establishment of APPTC at a total project cost of Rs 15 crore.
Source said, the centre may come up at Baliapal, nearly 30 km from Balasore, where government buildings built at the cost of Rs 4.5 crore during the late 80s are lying unutilised. Last year an experts' team from CIPET had visited the spot and submited a report to the government. The infrastructure has been built on around 150 acres of land under the rehabilitation package during the proposed National Test Range (NTR) which was stalled in 1992 due to vehement opposition.
Official sources said, Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) would be the apex body directing and controlling the project activities as per the directives of the department of chemicals and petrochemicals. "Around 70 percent of the plastics industries of Orissa are situated in and around Balasore. So the government of India has decided to set up the centre in the coastal district. The State government has also agreed to share 50 percent of its cost and provide land for setting up of the APPTC," said an official of CIPET.
However, during the first year of its establishment, the centre is expected to train and develop around 150 students in the field of plastic processing through long-term academic programmes and around 100 participants through short duration training programmes in the areas of plastic processing technology.
Due to globalization of trade and cost pressure, plastics industry in Indian context is looking forward to exploit the opportunities available in the export as well as domestic market. This would facilitate establishment of large-scale production facilities and processing plants to cater to the requirements.
Once the APPTC become full-fledged, the total intake of the students for long term courses will be 480 for three long term courses. In addition, the APPTC will also train 250 technical personnel from plastic industry every year through short term technology upgradation programmes.
"It is also envisioned that during the end of XI Five Year Plan, around 100 more plastics processing industries are expected to be established. Establishment of plastics park and the upcoming plastics processing industries in and around Balasore will boost the requirement of well trained technical manpower for the plastics industry," he said. APPTC will in fact fill up the demand and supply gap of skilled manpower of the processing industry in the eastern region of the country by conducting long-term and shortterm training programs in the areas of Plastics Processing Technologies (PPTs).
The centre will also play a catalytic role in providing technology support services to the plastic and allied industries in and around Balasore. Further, it is expected that more than 150 plastics processing/allied industries are likely to be started. This will boost the skilled manpower requirement in the area of plastics processing. Moreover, as Balasore is well connected with other parts of the State and also the neighbouring States, the industries located at these places will also utilize the services of the proposed Balasore plastics park. 19 19 19
DOW INTRODUCES ECOSMOOTH™ CONDITIONING POLYMERS AT INCOSMETICS ASIA
ethynylene repeat-unit structure," to kill antibioticresistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria - S. aureus is
Next-Generation Conditioning Polymer Technology for Hair BANGKOK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dow Personal Care, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, today introduced EcoSmoothTM - a new family of conditioning polymers that provide outstanding benefits without the use of silicone in shampoos. Unveiled at In-Cosmetics Asia 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand, EcoSmooth Silk Conditioning Polymers offer an excellent blend of cost and performance benefits in formulations. "EcoSmooth Conditioning Polymers are different - they represent a completely new approach to providing conditioning benefits in personal care products, and are a valuable tool in the formulator's toolbox. The polymers are not cationic, which is the predominant conditioning technology today," said Courtney Fretz, strategic marketing manager for hair care, Dow Personal Care.
responsible for about 19,000 deaths every year in the U.S. alone.
Especially effective with Asian and European virgin (nondyed) hair types, EcoSmooth Silk Conditioning Polymers have been proven externally to match silicone in wet and dry combing, as well as minimize hair breakage compared with silicone-containing shampoos. EcoSmooth Silk Conditioning Polymers do not use the traditional coacervation mechanisms associated with cationic conditioners. They bind hydrophobically to the hair shaft and replace fatty acids stripped from the cuticle.
Although CPE does have antibacterial qualities, the researchers found that some types of the polymer are inert towards bacteria in the dark, thus allowing for the possibility of CPE-coated countertops that could be sterilized simply by turning on regular fluorescent room lights. Although it was previously not known if CPEs were harmful to the cells of people or animals, in-vitro testing has so far indicated that they are safe.
In a series of comparative performance tests, formulations containing EcoSmoothTM Silk Conditioning Polymers were shown to prevent product build-up on the hair, resulting in no volume-down effects, as compared to silicone-containing shampoos. "Build-up on hair is a common consumer concern," said Fretz. "The performance benefits offered by EcoSmooth Silk Conditioning Polymers represent a distinct benefit to formulators looking to address the issue of build-up or foam stability as they develop new formulations."
A COATING THAT WON'T WEAR OFF Findings from the University of South Australia were also shared regarding research into getting antibacterial substances to adhere to medical devices. Antibacterials generally don't stick well to smooth surfaces on their own, but some polymers do. The solution? Develop a polymer that can be permanently applied as an ultrathin film to glass, metal and other plastics, that also acts as a scaffold that the antibacterial molecules can to bind to.
NEW POLYMERS COULD MAKE LIFE TOUGH FOR BACTERIA
The scientists have had success with several types of antibacterials, including antibiotic compounds, silver nanoparticles, and diterpene compounds derived from Australian traditional medicine.
Ben Coxworth New Mexico, researchers from two different research institutes presented new types of antibacterial materials. One could allow users to kill bacteria by simply flipping on the overhead lights, while another does so by combining modern technology with ancient medicine.
"We believe that no solution will be universal so we want to establish an array of approaches," said researcher Hans Griesser. "The new diterpene compounds that we are testing are structurally quite different from established antibacterial compounds, and they are effective against methicillin [antibiotic]-resistantStaphylococcus aureus. That is what got us excited about them."
LIGHT-ACTIVATED PLASTIC A representative from the University of New Mexico presented her teams' findings on using a new polymer, "conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE) with an arylene-
Cosmetics Asia or visit www.ecosmoothsilk.com. 20 20 20
TWO INDIAN PROJECTS GET $100,000 GRANT EACH FROM GATES FOUNDATION
Meanwhile, Aprem's project attempts to eliminate the sideeffects associated with copper T intrauterine devices (IUD) by coating the copper with biodegradable polymers. The polymers could prevent bulk shedding of copper ions that cause bleeding, cramping and pain, leading to increased acceptance of this highly effective contraceptive device.
Kounteya Sinha TNN, Nov 10, 2010 NEW DELHI: Two unique ideas from India -- one a nonsurgical and completely reversible alternative to tubectomy and another the development of a biodegradable polymer to coat copper T intrauterine devices -- have won the prestigious Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant for being "novel ideas to improve global health".
The IUD is a long-term birth control method. It is a small, T-shaped plastic device that is wrapped in copper or contains hormones. The IUD is inserted into the uterus but has risks. About 12% of women have the copper IUD removed because of increased menstrual bleeding or cramping. In 1 out of 1,000 women, the IUD will get stuck in or puncture (perforate) the uterus. About 2% to 10% of IUDs are pushed out (expelled) from the uterus into the vagina during the first year.
Both these projects, the first by Prof Sujoy Guha of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and the other by Abi Santosh Aprem of HLL Lifecare Ltd will each receive $100,000 in grant to help further their research work.
The Foundation announced 67 grants to support projects in 16 countries with ideas as diverse as a TB vaccine delivered in a traditional Asian bean dish, a mobile phone tool to identify complications for community health workers caring for pregnant women and newborns, and solar powered, therapeutic blankets of light for newborns suffering from jaundice.
Prof Guha has found a novel drug -- a magnetic polymer which, when inserted through the vagina and placed inside the fallopian tube of a woman with the help of radio frequency, kills or incapacitates both sperm and ovum passing through it. The procedure -- Transcervical Reversible Female Contraception -- has shown 100% efficacy in small animal trials like on rats and rabbits and will go into trials on large animals like goats in a few months before being tried on humans in a year.
VIBRANT GUJARAT TAKES SOLAR FLIGHT Prashant Rupera TNN, Sep 30, 201 VADODARA: When the world's first manned solar powered airplane took off from a Switzerland airfield recently, Gujarat had a role to play in its maiden flight. Some special polymers used in this airplane were manufactured at the Panoli plant of Solvay Specialities India Pvt Ltd in Bharuch. The company is the Indian arm of Belgium-based Solvay group, whose consolidated sales clocked 8.5 billion euros last year.
It has several benefits over tubectomy. While tubectomy is a surgical procedure and a permanent method of contraception where the fallopian tubes (FT) are blocked so that the ova or eggs are prevented from travelling to the uterus from the ovary, Prof Guha's procedure is nonsurgical and reversible. This means whenever a woman wants to conceive, the drug compound placed inside the tube is removed, restoring the woman's fertility.
A prototype of the plane will be showcased at the Vibrant Gujarat summit scheduled in January 2011 at Gandhinagar.
Prof Guha told TOI, "The FT is inside the peritoneal cavity (PC) which is very susceptible to infection. Tubectomy can only be done in an operation theatre by a trained gynecologist. It is also irreversible. In my procedure, there is no entry into the PC and no surgical incision is required. It is safe and the drug FerroCept can be removed whenever the woman wants to conceive."
India is set to contribute more towards Solar Impulse, a project to prove the business viability and profitability of renewable energy. As a technology partner of the project, Solvay plans to carry out further research on specialised polymers at it R&D centre in Savli near Vadodara. "One of the most sophisticated speciality polymers produced at our Panoli facility, (polyether ether ketone, or PEEK) was used for this project," said Roger Kearns, region general manager Asia Pacific and member of the executive committee of Solvay group.
So how long can the drug protect against pregnancy? "We just need to insert the drug through the vagina into the uterus. The novel compound is delivered to the fallopian tubes in liquid form, changed to a semi-solid form with an external application of radio frequency. The compound can stay inside the FT for the entire reproductive period of the woman," he added. 21 21 21
The high temperature metal replacement polymer is light yet tough and was used in throttle housing of the airplane, he said.
The solar plane, which is currently on display at World Expo at China, will leave Shanghai on November 1. "The goal is that this solar plane should take a world tour," said Kearns.
The latest area that has evoked a huge response from these environment lovers is BPA research. BPA is a component in some plastics and environmentalists are not very sure if the chemical is eco-friendly. Naturally, green lovers are up in arms about the harmful effects of BPA and are pointing out that although there has been constant research done on BPA for more than a decade now with millions of dollars being spent, there is really no consensus about the component's safety. With dialogues flowing thick and fast on the pros and cons of products, the general consensus by eco warriors is that big corporations are taking the ordinary man for granted.
The group plans to invest around Rs 650 crore in Gujarat, including Rs 120 crore for research and development in Savli and Rs 500 crore towards upgrading its existing units at Panoli plant.
MANGALORE DC WANTS TO SET UP RECYCLING CENTRE If Mangalore deputy commissioner V Ponnuraj has his way the city corporation could set up a recycling centre for plastics and glass discarded as rubbish. Mr Ponnuraj, who has come up with the idea, explains that recycling of such waste can help both the authorities and the people keep the city clean. Buying the recyclable scrap from Mangaloreans could make them more environment conscious in the process, in his view.
Another eco community that is making its impression felt on Facebook is the Ryerson University's community entitled Ryerson Environment Lovers. The community describes itself as the kids who pick up trash from the floor and "yell" at their friends who litter. Go green is the community's motto. Here individuals have come together to 'talk' vociferously about issues like toxic waste in Alberta. The community also informs about the formation of a green party on campus and its members are hopeful that the party will be able to bring environmental concerns to the public eye.
"The city corporation could set up the recycling centre and invite people to bring whatever plastic and glass products they want to throw away, and buy them as scrap," Mr Ponnuraj says. The staff at the recycling centre could buy the plastic and glass by weight and then sell them to scrap dealers, he points out.
Another vocal environmental group on Facebook is To be or not to Be that feels strongly about the fact that rich countries alone have access to resources. The desire to gain more and more profits - they feel - is the main reason behind the pollution of the environment.
"But this is only a suggestion, it is upto the corporation to implement," the DC adds. He is, however, obviously keen on the idea because he feels that if this practice is started it will help in solid waste management as people will then segregate their waste at home to sell the plastic and glass to the recyclable centre.
And if all these communities were not enough to whet your appetite to go green, there is the Environment Page which says that if you have a shared passion for the environment, you can become a member.
" We could start with glass and plastics and then depending on the response extend the scheme to other materials," he suggests.
However, the question that arises is - can environmental activism really change the face of the earth? Social activist and environmentalist Subhas Datta observes, "Such efforts are definitely commendable but it remains to be seen if such online activism really has any impact on the ground level or not." Definitely, such activities create awareness. However, unless translated to actual work on the ground, we may never be able to gauge the impact any of these online communities are making.
THE GREEN CONNECT Jaydip Majumde Green lovers have found a unique way to connect. At a time when people across the world prefer to stay connected through Facebook, environment lovers, too, are no different and are keeping in touch through innovative blogs on Facebook.
The author is an environmental enthusiast
If you Google 'environmental lovers' on Facebook, you get at least 20 different results of communities - all environment lovers who prefer to twitter on various issues. Take, for instance, Environmental Working Group (EWG) an online community for environmental lovers, which was founded in 1993 and has above 65,000 members. Members exchange information and wax eloquent on a variety of topics ranging from the toxins found in cosmetics to various species under threat.
BEER COULD BE DESTINED FOR PET Anthony Clark PLASTICS & RUBBER WEEKLY MANCHESTER, ENGLAND :PET could be the future of packaging in the brewing industry, delegates to the International Brewing Convention in Manchester were told this week. Geoff Giles, a fellow of the Institute of Packaging and a consultant with idiPac, gave a lecture to the 22 22 22
convention on innovations in packaging. The firm has benefited from this year's auto industry rebound, as U.S. car and light-truck builds are expected to increase to 11.5 million - 3 million more than were produced last year.
Among the trends and ideas he recommended delegates should monitor over the next few years is the development of PET packaging for beer.
"The third quarter was really good for us, and it shows no signs of slowing down," Morin added. Replenishing of inventories of recreational vehicles and other large vehicles also gave Alliance a boost in its first year of operation.
"You can do things with PET that you cannot do with other materials," he said. "The market for PET bottles has the potential to grow. If carbon foot-printing becomes more important and you have to publish environmental data on your packaging, this could give a competitive advantage to PET.
Alliance supplier Polymax also has been enjoying fast growth, to the point where the Nantong, China-based firm hoes to have its own production plant in North America within the next two or three years, co-owner Martin Lu said in Akron.
"Waste management may also be a key driver in the future and PET's recyclability will be important."
Although Polymax is not basic in SBC production, the 5year-old firm can produce up to 1,000 specialized grades of those materials, Lu said. Polymax employs 110 in Nantong.
During his presentation he specially mentioned the development of PET kegs for the bulk packaging of beer by specialist plastics packaging technology business Petainer Lidkรถping AB, which had a stand at the exhibition linked to the convention. Petainer has recently launched a family of PET kegs for beer and other beverages.
Alliance also is looking to add its own compounding capacity in the near future, either on its own or as part of a joint venture with Polymax. Alliance now employs 10 and hopes to add employees and sales representatives early next year. The firm occupies a 15,000-square-foot location.
Giles also mentioned the use of decoration on PET bottles as possible a boost to sales. He illustrated his theme with a bottle that Petainer developed for Galatea, one of the largest suppliers to Swedish state monopoly alcohol retailer Systembolaget.
Morin and co-owner Roger Huarng launched Alliance in late 2009 after lengthy careers with BASF.
USE OF RECYCLED PET RISES TO RECORD LEVEL
ALLIANCE POLYMERS HAS PLANS FOR ASIA
Mike Verespej PLASTICS NEWS STAFF WASHINGTON -- Despite the continuing sluggish economy, the use of recycled PET in food, beverage and non-food containers is rising dramatically, as retailers and consumer product companies continue to make more commitments to packaging that uses recycled resin.
Frank Esposito PLASTICS NEWS STAFF AKRON, OHIO -- As it celebrates its first birthday, resin distributor Alliance Polymers & Services LLC already has international aspirations. The Romulus, Mich.-based firm -- which distributes thermoplastic elastomers for BASF Corp. and Polymax Elastomer Technology Co. Ltd. -- hopes to open a sales office and warehouse in Asia during the first half of next year, officials said in a recent interview in Akron.
The amount of recycled PET used in food and beverage bottles jumped 44 percent in 2009 to 203 million pounds - the first significant increase in four years and its highest level ever, according to the PET recycling report issued jointly by the National Association for PET Container Resources, the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers and the PET Resin Association.
"Our business model has been very successful, and we'd like to see if it can work in Asia or Europe," principal Stephane Morin said. "But we want to remain only in TPE. We want to have inventory and be a great resource." Alliance can supply thermoplastic polyurethanes from BASF and styrenic block copolymers from Polymax in drums, boxes or 55-pound bags - in most cases, within 24 hours.
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Similarly, although it wasn't as large of an increase, the amount of recycled PET used in non-food packaging bottles rose 18 percent-from 55 million pounds to 65 million pounds in 2009, slightly more than its previous high-water market in 2004 and 2005.
What's more, a record 937 million pounds of recycled PET were used in manufacturing applications, up 2.4 percent from a year-ago, despite drops in recycled PET usage, related to the economy, in strapping and in fiber applications, which remains the largest end-market for recycled PET. "There is a concerted effort to use more recycled content in food and non-food containers," said Dennis Sabourin, executive director of NAPCOR, in a phone interview. "Demand is outstripping the supply of bottles, driven by sustainability initiatives from retail companies and consumer product goods, and public demand." In addition, the PET recycling rate, which had fallen as low as 19.6 percent in 2003, increased for the sixth straight year to 28 percent - its highest level since 1997. "The recycling rate is still trending upward," Sabourin said. Clearly, part of that increase in the recycling rate can be attributed to less resin used in PET bottles and containers for the second year, because of lower sales in a weaker economy and continued lightweighting initiatives. PET resin used in bottles and jars that was available for recycling dropped by 4 percent, or 217 million pounds, in 2009. That follows a drop of 5.6 percent, or 317 million pounds, in 2008. That dropped the amount of resin used to 5.149 billion pounds, the lowest level since 2005 when 5.075 billion pounds of PET were used to make PET containers and bottles. Despite the continued climb in the recycling rate the last two years from 24.6 percent to 28 percent, the amount of PET bottles recycled, in pounds, remained essentially flat at 1.444 billion pounds. That's down slightly from 2008, when 1.451 billion pounds were recycled and only slightly higher than the 1.396 billion pounds of PET bottles and containers recycled in 2007.
Canada purchased 53 million pounds of recycled U.S. PET in 2009. Still, the volume of PET purchased by U.S. recyclers, after dropping slightly in 2008, bounced back to 642 million pounds, the second-highest amount ever, exceeded only by the 681 million pounds purchased in 2005. But those purchases of domestic recycled PET remain well below what would be needed to run all the PET reclamation plants in the U.S. at full capacity. NAPCOR estimated that U.S. PET reclamation capacity was 1.029 billion pounds at the beginning of 2009 and 1.247 billion at the end of 2009. In addition, more than 200 million pounds of PET reclamation capacity came online in 2010, with more capacity scheduled to come on-stream in 2011. More than half of the industry's PET reclamation plant can produce food-grade PET, a dramatic change from just a few years back. As a result of the capacity and available supply imbalance, the industry still continues to need to buy recycled PET from Canada, Mexico and South and Central America, and to use alternative PET feedstock such as pre-consumer bottles, post-consumer strapping and other unprocessed industrial scrap, said the report. The amount of PET bottles collected and recycled in the U.S. could meet the demand levels and satisfy the capacity of PET reclamation plants in the U.S., but not as long as China continues to purchase more than 55 percent of the PET collected. "China is still continuing to use a significant percentage of the PET bottles collected and recycled and that is not likely to change anytime soon," Sabourin said. "There is nothing to show that they are backing away from the market."
Approximately 725.7 million pounds of that recycled PET was purchased "mostly by Chinese traders," along with approximately the 22.7 millions of recycled PET China purchased as part of mixed plastic bales, according to the As a result, the report said "the [PET] recycling rate will Oct. 20 report. That means 55.6 percent of all recycled need to increase to at least twice what it is this year" or to PET bottles and containers are exported, almost all of it to above 56 percent, "to provide the market with the China - which is similar to a year ago - and the fourth [recycled] PET it needs, at sustainable pricing - both now straight year that China has purchased more than half of and in the future," assuming China continues to buy at the the PET bottles collected in the United States. same levels. 24 24 24
That could create supply shortages or lead to market price increases for recycled PET in the future. "This combination of high demand and inadequate supply means higher pricing is likely to come - possibly in excess of" prices for virgin materials, said the report.
capacity "are a positive sign that this industry is robust and only capped by its ability to recycle more material from the waste streams." "Companies continued and are continuing to invest" in a sluggish economy and when much of the raw material they need is being exported, mostly to China, Sabourin said. "The use of recycled PET has a favorable carbon footprint and recycled PET has positioned itself as a sustainable package of choice."
However, Sabourin remains encouraged by PET recycling collection trends. According to the report, more than 46 new collection programs began in the U.S. in 2009. In addition, the report said there were six major programs expansions and 52 program expansions/conversions to single-stream recycling affecting more that 3.7 million households.
This is the fifth year that NAPCOR, APR and PETRA have partnered to produce the annual recycling report, and the 15th year that NAPCOR has issued the report in its current format. Data for the report came from data internally generated at NAPCOR, PETRA and the International Bottled Water Association, as well as from surveys conducted by Moore Recycling Associates and HDR Inc.
"Those 46 new collection programs will continue to generate new material," Sabourin said. "The industry is continuing to promote recycling activities as the supply of existing bottles continues to be outstripped by demand."
Recycling data for high density polyethylene and other containers are expected to be released shortly by the APR and the American Chemistry Council.
The report further notes that there is "renewed interest in recycling - driven both by the business sector's embracing of the sustainability ethic and by the public's concern about the environment."
NOBEL WINNERS IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH BASF
"[That has] led to the creation of more container recycling collection opportunities, both residential and away from home [and] helped offset the reduced volume of PET bottles and jars available for collection," said the report.
December 10, 2010 is a special day in the lives of Ei-ichi Negishi, Akira Suzuki and Richard Heck: on this date, the two Japanese and the American will receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for having pioneered Palladium-catalyzed cross coupling. The technology is used to synthesize complex organic molecules used as active ingredients in pharmaceutical and plant protection products.
The challenge, Sabourin said, is to bring into the recycling stream products such as thermoformed PET packages "that have not been part of the typical packaging recycling stream." Both NAPCOR and APR are working on initiatives to increase the recycling of thermoformed PET packages and eliminate technical barriers to processing and recycling such packages.
BASF is also delighted at the Nobel selection committee's decision: BASF is in close contact with Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki. In fact, both scientists are regulars at the BASF boron conferences to discuss the latest developments of boron and zinc chemistry.
The use of recycled PET in the U.S. rose 2.4 percent led by the gains in food and beverage bottles and non-food bottles. However, recycled PET used in fiber applications, declined 12 percent in 2009 and the use of recycling PET for strapping fell 16.7 percent.
For many years now BASF has been using the scientists' revolutionary discoveries for their own syntheses. Boscalid is a good example. In terms of volume, the production of this fungicidal is the single largest industrial application of Suzuki coupling. Boscalid protects fruit and vegetables from a variety of fungal strains and is now being used with great success to treat cereal and oilseed crops.
"As the economy improves, all end-user categories will come back," Sabourin said. Overall, fiber remains the biggest end market for recycled PET at 344 million pounds, accounting for 36.7 percent of all recycled PET used. But food and beverage has leaped into second place among end-use categories and now uses more than 21.66 percent of all recycled PET resin collected and recycled. Sheet and film remains the third-largest endmarket. Sabourin said the recent investments in PET reclamation 25 25 25
In addition, BASF creates numerous building blocks used for cross coupling reactions. The Inorganics division (CA) recently launched organozinc halides. These are used for Negishi couplings. Production of these compounds, as well as various boric acid esters for the Suzuki reaction, take place at the BASF site in Evans City near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition, BASF research scientists are looking into new applications and basic elements for this technology.
POLYMER AND RUBBER INNOVATION LIGHTEN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF AUTOMOBILES
Polymers' Amodel. Another significant innovation that has propelled the use of plastics in oil pans by the leading OEMs, is from German engineering group Mann+Hummel in 2008. These plastic pans weigh about 60% less than traditional materials and also lead to significant reductions in production costs. Germany-based BASF's Ultramid B3ZG7 OSI, used for oil pan modules, is also an innovation in this area. This impactgrade plastic matches the performance of cast aluminum.
22 October 2010 16:50 [Source: ICB] INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS ARE REDUCING THE WEIGHT AND CUTTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN OF AUTOMOBILES The automotive industry is driving toward lightweight materials because of an increasing focus on emissions reduction and increased fuel economy. This trend has opened up an array of opportunities for plastics, Gareth JJ Burgess including high-performance materials, in the automotive industry. Currently, plastics account for a share of around 20% by weight among the materials that are being used in passenger vehicles. However, the evolution of new-age models and the increasing focus on designing vehicles efficiently have compelled the material designers and the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to look beyond traditional plastics. This in turn has propelled plastics manufacturers to focus on product innovation and also to evaluate opportunities for high-performance plastics in a wider arena of automotive applications.
AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS ACCOUNT FOR ONLY 3% OF TOTAL VOLUME CONSUMPTION IN THE BIOPOLYMERS MARKET Sustainability is another mega trend that is driving innovations in the field of auto motive plastics, with biobased polymers gaining increased acceptance in the auto motive industry. EMERGENCE OF BIOPOLYMERS US automaker Ford Motor has decided to use soy-based urethane foam in the seats of its next-generation Explorer sport utility vehicles. The firm was the pioneer in using soy-based urethane in the Mustang in 2007. Currently, the polymer blend contains about 5% of soy bean oil and is used in seats, seat backs, headliners and other interior parts. The company also has plans to use corn-based polylactic acid (PLA) for its vehicles in the future.
In under-hood applications - one of the high-growth areas for automotive plastics - there is an increasing need for high temperature-resistance plastics because of downsizing and reduction of engine space. This has given rise to a few noteworthy innovations in the marketplace.
Japan has emerged as a pioneer for bio-based automotive plastics. Mazda Motor has launched a biofabric made out of PLA through a joint venture between Mazda and Japan's Teijin Fibers, for applications such as seat covers and door trims for its Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid. Toyota is also investigating the use of PLA in the interiors of its vehicles.
For example, Austria-headquartered Borealis has designed a glass-filled polypropylene (PP) for air intake manifolds to be used as a replacement for GF PA in VW models. PP is a highly versatile material, but it may lack some key properties such as high temperature and chemical resistance.
The need for superior performance has gradually increased the attention on biobased polymers, even in the space of high-performance plastics. For example, Arkema's Rilsan HT, a polyamide-based plastic, is a bio-based highperformance polymer that has up to 70% renewable content. It is the first one to replace metals in tubing for high-temperature applications.
However, Borealis's unique patented composition of PP with glass fiber reinforcements is offered as an alternative solution with an ideal balance of properties such as temperature resistance and dimensional stability. The use of the material in vehicles also leads to significant weight reduction. Another example of under-the-hood plastics innovation is US group DuPont's Zytel HTN. The semi-aromatic chemical structure of the polyamide offers a profile of balanced properties and can be used as an alternative for traditional plastics. Some other examples of high-performance polyamides in under-the-hood applications are Switzerlandheadquartered EMS Grivory'sGrilamid L, FrancebasedArkema's Rilsan HT andBelgian group Solvay Advanced
This flexibility and its ability to lower overall system costs by 50% makes it an attractive polymer. Arkema is working with Toyobo, a Japanese producer of specialty polyamides, for the launch of another bio-based polyamide grade suitable for automotive applications. Japanese industrial group Mitsubishi, in collaboration with Japan's Aichi Industrial Technology Institute, has developed a biopolymer based on polybutylene succinate (PBS) and bamboo fibers for use in automotive interior applications. Currently, automotive applications account for only 3% of 26 26 26
total volume consumption in the biopolymers market. Processing difficulties and the lack of high-performance properties have limited the use of biopolymers in autos. However, with expected breakthroughs in polymerization techniques and processing technology, biopolymers are set to gain significant opportunities in the market.
It is used with an adhesive. Goodyear developed an SIBR (styrene isoprene butadiene rubber) polymer with controlled composition and microstructure for highperformance tires. In the tire cord sector, US firm Honeywell has commercialized a high-tenacity/high-modulus polyethylene naphthalate cord under the trade name Pentex. This tire cord is developed as a substitute for the synthetic fiber Rayon.
Taking this as a cue, the plastics industry, including resin manufacturers, additive suppliers and compounders, is streamlining product development initiatives towards achieving high-performance grades of biopolymers.
Tire labeling and rolling resistance legislation governs the usage of certain types of raw materials, such as solution styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). Companies such as LANXESS, Goodyear and Firestone of the US have moved towards replacing emulsion SBR with solution SBR, as the latter shows high performance and lower rolling resistance. Manufacturing capacity has been boosted for solution SBR, which is projected to grow by 5-6%/year. Solution SBR for passenger car tire markets in North America is expected to grow at a rate of 3.8%/year between 2009 and 2016, generating revenues of around $2.3bn â‚Ź1.6bn) by the end of 2016.
INNOVATIVE TIRES The global tire industry is huge, with manufacturing projected to reach 1.7bn tires by the end of 2010, up from 1.4bn in 2005. Tires have lost their commodity image and major innovations in the rubbers and plastics used are now being seen. Some recent trends and legislation in the tire industry that have been fueling innovations in the polymer industry are: " Usage of lightweight and green materials " Tire durability and performance " Tire-labeling legislation and rolling resistance legislation " The "Go green" trend to bring eco-friendly materials to the forefront.
K Deepan Kannan is an industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan's global chemicals and materials practice in Chennai, India. He has three years of consulting experience in global chemicals
A major challenge faced by the rubber industry is the availability of petroleum-based raw materials such as butadiene (BD) and isoprene. To overcome this, manufacturers are seeking greener alternatives. One outcome is US-based Goodyear's bio-isoprene, made from biomass.
Shree Vidhyaa Karunanidhi is a research analyst for Frost & Sullivan Global in Chennai, India specializing in marketing and marketing research and with expertise in the chemical sector Author: K. Deepan Kannan Shree Vidhya Karunanidhi http://www.icis.com/Articles/2010/10/25/9403881/ polymer-and-rubber-innovation-lighten-environmentalimpact-of.html
In the tire cords segment, Korea's Hyosung has developed Lyocell filament yarn for increased tire cord strength, dimensional stability, adhesion, plus improved performance and driving stability of the vehicle.Lyocell is a cellulosebased fiber. Sustainablity has thus become the buzzword in manufacturing tire components.
'UK'S SMALL COS KEEN ON INDIA IMPORTS' Sudeshna Sen LONDON IN THE Midlands, home to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and the heart of Britain's manufacturing industry, small and medium businesses are as likely to have trade links with India as big companies - companies with a turnover of less than ÂŁ1 million are more likely to import from India than medium or larger firms. In a survey spanning exporting and importing behaviour patterns for over 2,000 British companies, a surprise Derby and Leicester top the charts for doing the maximum business with India - ahead of places like Birmingham.
TIRE DURABILITY AND PERFORMANCE Increasing durability has been a major issue for the rubber and plastics industry. Companies have been developing newer materials to cater to the durability needs of the end-users. Germany's LANXESS is producing polybutadiene rubbers using catalysts such as lithium, cobalt and neodymium, which provide reduced heat buildup, improved abrasion resistance and fatigue resistance. US major ExxonMobil has introduced Exxcore DVA resin for the inner liner. The resin has the low permeability of plastic and the flexibility and low temperature durability of rubber. 27 27 27
The survey, commissioned by the Indian High Commission in London, finds that while 4% of the companies currently
export products to India, around 8% actively import and 27% want to increase their exposure. Sectors with the maximum demand for imports from India are for dressing and dying of fur, textiles, electrical machinery, motor vehicles like trailers, and furniture. Raw materials, components, and equipment are likely to form the bulk of imports.
proper certification of the concerned authorities. At entry points also certification was needed. The bench also directed police and temple administration to levy charge from contractors for feeding donkeys.
MJ WAS ADDICTED TO FACE JOBS: MOM London: In a frank TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, Michel Jackson's mother Katherine has opened up for the first time about her son's obsession withplastic surgery, saying she had to plead the doctor to stop working on her son's face. Katherine said that she secretly met the surgeon out of desperation after a stern chat with her superstar son had no effect, Contactmusic reported.
On the export side, maximum exports are in other transport equipment, rubber, plastic products and basic metals, with parts, machinery, plastics and systems emerging as the main items. In order to tap into the latent demand among the SME sector in the Midlands, the Indian High Commission along with Indian industry associations are focusing on bringing together SMEs in both countries as an ongoing focus area, starting with an initiative to bring together Indian SMEs with their counterparts in Birmingham later this week. Indian SMEs, according to industry bodies, are keen on modern and cutting-edge technologies.
"I hear that people get addicted to plastic surgery and I think that's what happened to him. I had told him, 'That's enough. Why do you keep going?' I even talked to this plastic surgeon, saying, 'If he comes in and he wants you to work on his nose, just tell him you did it... and don't change it,'" the Jackson family matriarch said.
According to the survey, about half of the respondents are interested in selling technology to Indian firms, with the keenest sectors being in medical, precision and optical instruments, post and telecommunications, fabricated metal products and textiles.
Katherine also claimed that her son's admission that he had only two nose jobs was not true. "He had more than two, but he was just embarrassed (to admit it)... (His nose was) too small, like a toothpick at one time," she added. PTI
PLASTICS RESTRICTED IN SABARIMALA
CHINA'S SEPTEMBER PETCHEM IMPORTS SLOW AS ECONOMY COOLS DOWN
Nov. 3:The Kerala High Court has on Wednesday imposed restrictions on the use of plastic during the three-month long Sabarimala pilgrimage season, commencing this month.
Judith Wang SHANGHAI (ICIS)--China's imports of most petrochemical products in September registered annual declines due to the high base last year and a slight moderation in overall economic activities, analysts said on Monday.
A Division Bench comprising justice Thothathil B. Radhakrishanan and Justice P. Bhavadasan ordered that plastic waste should not be dumped in and around the temple area and also specified the minimum thickness for carry bags.
The country's GDP expanded at a decelerated pace of 9.6% in the third quarter from an 11.9% clip in the second quarter, as the government continued to rein in credit to cool down the property sector.
It directed the authorities to ensure that restrictions were enforced effectively at Sabarimala, Pamba, Nilackka, Erumeli, Chalakayyam and other pilgrim centres connected to the famous hill shrine. By another order, the bench directed police authorities to ensure that no donkeys are transported from Tamil Nadu and other states to these places, violating prevention of cruelty to animals and traffic of Animal rules.
Based on data from China Customs, China imported 8% less of ethylene at 74,924 tonnes compared to the same period last year, while imports of propylene and butadiene recorded significant declines of 33% to 81,455 tonnes and 61% to 7,587 tonnes, respectively.
Donkeys are used to transport goods, grocery and all other articles from Pamba to Sabarimala hills. The court clarified that no donkeys be used except with certificate of the District Animal Husbandry officer.
Massive new capacity additions from state-owned petrochemical giant Sinopec in Tianjin and Zhenhai had helped bring down China's olefins import requirements this year, said Wang Qiang, an analyst fromXiang Cai Securities.
No vehicles carrying donkeys should be permitted without
The crackers in these two locations that started up this 28 28 28
year have capacities of 1m tonnes/year each and were expected to boost supply of olefin derivatives such as polyethylene and polypropylene in the domestic market, Wang said.
trademarked product is called 'Plastisoil'. Khoury said that it takes 30,000 of the better quality recyclable bottles to make one tonne of porous Plastisoil. He hopes to be able to use different types of recyclable plastic bottles in the future, according to a Temple statement.
Meanwhile, the recent spike in chemical values, on the back of crude price gains, also deterred buyers from procuring materials through imports last month, analysts said. "Buyers were cautious about purchasing as most chemical prices were increasing in September," said an analyst from brokerage Guolian Securities in Jiangsu, who declined to be named.
Besides, Khoury said that an energy analysis shows that it uses less energy to produce one tonne of Plastisoil than one tonne of cement or asphalt. Khoury said that Plastisoil could ease environmental problems created by stormwater run-off because stormwater can filter through it into the ground below.
The case was different for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which was priced lower when imported given that the domestic market was in short supply, analysts said, citing power restrictions at selected provinces that cut production at a number of China's petrochemical plants.
The material could be used to form sidewalks, bike/jogging paths, driveways and parking lots. "We are currently testing the porous Plastisoil to see if we could also remove or reduce pollutants like motor oil from the water as it filters through," he said.
China's imports of PVC in September increased 35% year on year to 142,376 tonnes, based on official data. Its monoethylene glycol (MEG) and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) imports, on the other hand, were stable at 543,776 tonnes and 489,095 tonnes compared to the same period last year, according to China Customs.
NEW DEVELOPMENT IN RANDOM POLY PROPYLENE BY (HPL)
He added that preliminary results also show porous Plastisoil to be cheaper to manufacture than existing technologies/ products. Khoury first developed Plastisoil with a coinventors while at the University of Oklahoma, but he created the material after moving to Temple in 2008. IANS
Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd. has recently developed new PP Random Copolymer Grade PP M212S which is equivalent to RIL's PP SRM100NC and R120MK.
ULTRA-LOW MAINTENANCE WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITES SpecialChem Jennifer Markarian
HPL make PP M212S is of 12 MFI PP Random Copolymer material with high clarifier for Injection Moulding.Said material is ideal for making High Clarity Containers, Houseware, Syrings and ISBM products. Material is also available for trial purpose for processing. Source:HPL's agent's news letter
CEMENT FROM PLASTIC BOTTLES TO HELP BUILD A GREEN WORLD Washington: Researchers have converted discarded plastic bottles in combination with soil to form a porous cement like substance that could be the construction material of the future. It could also considerably ease ecological hazard caused by billions of plastic bottles discarded every year. Naji Khoury, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Temple University in US, says the
29 29 29
Wood plastic composites (WPCs) are used broadly in outdoor decking and railing as well as applications like fencing, siding, and outdoor furniture. WPCs have long been marketed as 'low maintenance', especially compared to pressure-treated wood, because they do not require routine staining or painting to protect the surface. However, WPC manufacturers have struggled with aesthetic issues such as color fade, poor scratch resistance in some formulations, and stains. Stain problems include oil or food soaking into the WPC as well as mold and mildew growth. Suppliers have used additives such as biocides, UV stabilizers, and improved colorants to attack these problems. In March, PolyOne Corporation announced development of a patentpending fiber treatment technology aimed at enhancing resistance to weathering, scratching, and staining. Additive solutions may have a place, but the current industry trend is to use either a coextruded capstock based on weatherable acrylic-type polymers to completely cover the woodcontaining core or to eliminate wood altogether by using
cellular PVC. These 'ultra-low maintenance' solutions still need periodic washing, but they eliminate the problems of scratching, staining, and color fade, said Steve Van Kouteren of Principia Partners, which recently hosted their annual executive conference on the Wood-Plastic and Natural Fiber Composite industry.
Ethylene and Propylene (RG/PG/CG) industry for the period 2005 to 2015. Included with each analysis is 12 months access to CMAI's online capacity and supply/demand databases with a midterm supply/demand update, incorporating CMAI's latest market outlook. The 2011 edition, for the first time, features CMAI's market sector forecasts on vehicle production and construction as well as projections of the middle class size in the BRIC countries. The analysis is a necessary resource for business managers and planning professionals who need to make strategic business decisions in a rapidly changing global economic and market environment.
Mike Haubert, Partner and Director - Technology at Mosaic Color and Additives, a compounder with a focus on the WPC industry, said that additives still play an important role. "Although capstock takes away some of the weathering problems, we continue to take wholistic approach in which we design from the inside out. Both the core and the cap materials needantioxidant and UV protection," he added and went on to say that using a capstock allows formulators to increase sustainability by putting more recycled material or more wood flour or natural fibers in the core, since the cap supplies physical properties found at the surface and protects any exposed wood.
CURRENT MARKET SITUATION The current market situation still reflects a mixed global demand growth environment - that is rapid expansion in developing regions and slow growth in developed regions following the severe global economic recession in late 2008 and the first half of 2009.
In addition to low maintenance, consumers look for high quality, aesthetically pleasing products. Haubert sees a trend towards specialty pigments including variegated surfaces and multichromatic colors that are seen as different colors from different viewing angles. Consumers continue to have a preference for darker colors and simulated woodgrains, say experts. Infrared (IR)-reflecting pigments, available for some darker colors, can be used to help reduce heat build-up. Simulated woodgrains, which began in vinyl siding and moved into WPC decking, are expected to continue to expand to other plastic applications where consumers prefer an appearance that mimics traditional wood. Products include PolyOne's OnColor™ line with streaker technology to simulate tropical hardwoods and Mosaic Color's Mojo™ natural wood grain effects. "Simulated woodgrains, in which you are aiming for a consistently inconsistent pattern, are a combination of art and science," said Chris Piazza, Business Director and GM Extrusion at Americhem. The company branded their nGrain™ simulated woodgrain effects in 2008, and has recently focused on the science of variegated pigmentation, going back to the lab to better understand how the pigment formulation, composite formulation, and composite processing conditions work together to control the endproduct appearance.
As has been anticipated for the past few years, massive amounts of new steam cracker capacity have come on-line in the Middle East and Asia in 2008-2010, resulting in nameplate operating rates below 85 percent during these years. However, the full impact of these new capacities has yet to be felt in the olefin markets, because Asian demand growth has been better than expected in 2009/ 2010 (due to the successful Chinese economic stimulus package) and because many of these new projects were delayed many months beyond their planned start-up dates and/or were slow to achieve high utilization rates. MARKET OUTLOOK The full impact of the current capacity wave is expected to be realized in the market in 2011, when global nameplate operating rates will remain below 85 percent and profit margins will move to cyclically low levels for marginal producers. Absorption of surplus capacity will proceed gradually aided by strong projected demand growth, a sharp decline in future capacity additions as well as closures of smaller, less efficient facilities. A recovery is expected to begin in 2012-2013 with peak operating rates and profit margins returning in 2014-2015.
CHINA AND INDIA ARE MAIN DRIVERS OF INCREASING ETHYLENE DERIVATIVE CONSUMPTION: CMAI
Growth in ethylene derivative consumption will be mainly driven by the rapid economic development of numerous transition countries; in particular China and increasingly also India. Per capita consumption in North America and West Europe already stagnated or barely grew during the last decade, and a recovery from the sharp declines during the global recession will likely be limited by imports of finished goods, mainly from Asia.
SpecialChem - Dec 1, 2010 HOUSTON, TX -- Chemical Market Associates, Inc. (CMAI) announced the completion of the 2011 World Light Olefins Analysis, an annual global study that covers historical trends and future projections for supply, demand, production, capacity, trade, pricing and profitability of the global
Propylene's higher future price valuations are expected to 30 30 30
reduce the cost advantage of its primary derivative, polypropylene, thus shifting its competitive advantage to its performance as a polymer. Consequently, longer term growth rates will remain below the fast pace of expansion typically associated with polypropylene in the past. Other propylene derivatives that are expected to register substantial demand growth over the next five years, include acrylic acid, cumene/phenol, and propylene oxide.
two years,” said Sunil Jaiswal, a hawker. “But a few have started playing truant. They broke away from the project a month ago. ”The BMC used to send their inspectors to fine people, who kept plastic bags. Since they are not coming now, the traders are openly defying the ban. When tell such traders that a complaint will be filed with the BMC, they tell us to go ahead as they are not scared any more.”
PARLE GOES PLASTIC FREE
FASHION STREET FOLLOWS SUIT Mumbai: Shoppers visiting Fashion Street will have to bring their own carry bags from now on. Following the example of their Linking Road counterparts, traders here have imposed a voluntarily ban on plastic bags.
VOLUNTEERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SUBURB Manthan K Mehta Mumbai: A major factor in the July 26, 2005 deluge was plastic bags clogging the city’s storm water drains. In the ensuing years, after a ban onplastic less than 50 microns thick, the BMC seized 1.05 lakh kg of the material. But now the municipality is at its wits’ end about disposing of the detritus.
Nearly 385 traders on Fashion Street, famous for trendy garments and footwear, took the decision after a BMC awareness drive. “We have decided that none of our members will supply goods to customers in plastic bags,” said Lalchand Gupta, president, Fashion Market Welfare Association (FMWA). “Any member flouting the directive will be penalized. The ban will work only if everybody cooperates.”
If only Mumbaikars were as environmentally conscious as the residents of Vile Parle, this situation would not have occurred. Owing to the residents’ organised effort and determination, the suburb has experienced a plastic-free existence for almost two years now.
Subhash Dalvi, officer on special duty, BMC, said: “Fashion Street is a popular shopping destination among both tourists and locals. We felt if the anti-plastic project becomes successful here, it will send a strong message against the use of plastic bags to people across Mumbai and beyond.”
”We had a dedicated group of volunteers, who went door to door with a message about the ill-effects of plastic,” said Subash Dalvi, officer on special duty, BMC, responsible for implementing the scheme. “We roped in schools, colleges and even cultural organizations—which are numerous—to ensure that our message was spread wide.”
Among BMC officials involved I the project are: Sunil Dhamne, asst municipal commissioner, A-ward; and Milin Sawant, dy municipal commissioner (Zone I).
There has been much enthusiasm for the project. People made donations, with which about 40,000 disposal bags were bought. “Plastic is extremely addictive. Just one person breaking ranks can derail the entire project,” Dalvi said. “The reason why it has been a success in Vile Parle is the fact that we undertake follow-up exercises. This motivates the stakeholders to carry forward the initiative.”
FMWA member Mohammed Jahangir Sheikh said: “On average, each trader hands over nearly 25 bags per day, costing a total of Rs 20. This means every year, one trader gives out about 9,000 plastic bags. Imagine these ending up in drains, clogging them.”
SC BANS PLASTIC GUTKA SACHETS FROM MARCH 1
A similar exercise was started on Linking Road 12 months ago by residents’ groups and 120 stall owners, but it failed to elicit the desired response in the shopping haunt. “It has been a partial success,” said Aftab Siddique, chairperson, 33rd road advanced locality management. “Those implementing the ban are convinced about the dreadful effects of plastic on the environment, but selfmotivation cannot be the sole basis of such a project. A carrot-and-stick policy too is required. The BMC needs to send nuisance detectors for random checks to penalize those flouting the norms.”
Dhananjay Mahapatra TNN New Delhi: The Supreme Court on TuesdayputtheRs30,000croregutka,panmasala and chewing tobacco industry, peddling its products in Re 1 pouches and sachets, in a crisis-like situation when it said the makers would have to shut shop if they did not stop using plastic as packaging material for their products by March1 next year.
In Worli’s BMC market, the anti-plastic carry bag movement has been more or less successful. “There are about 80 hawkers in this market and we have observed the ban for 31 31 31
Linking the order to the fight against cancer, the court said unlike the government, it could not remain a mute spectator to the public health menace. Castigating the government, a bench comprising Justices G S Singhvi and A
K Ganguly said its affidavit “supported” the gutka industry. “Why is the government allowing the manufacture of gutka and pan masala? Is it a health tonic? Worldwide, it is known to be hazardous to health,” it said, adding, “All gutka, tobacco and pan masala makers areres trained from using plastic in their sachets. This direction will come into force from March 1, 2011.”
Subramaniam took pains to clarify that he had brought into focus the health aspect before the government, the bench said he was an exception in the government, which had overlooked serious public health concerns for the sake of revenue. The bench directed the government to notify within eight weeks the rules framed o n p l a s t i c w a s t e management. Though the draftPlastic Management and Disposal Rules were framed last year, it said the government had kept it under wraps for more than a year.
The order will be hailed as a boost for the fight against cancer. Also, in what could expose the industry to more trouble, the SC ordered the Centre to name an independentagencytotestthecontentsof the sachets to evaluate the risk they pose. The panel must file its report by March 9.Current pics on puff packs to stay
The court was unsparing when it found that a matter of such public importance had been listed prior to Tuesday after the stay was granted in September 2007.
With tobacco firms halting production over the implementation of the new rule on gory pictures, the Union cabinet has decided to stick to the current pictures for another year. P 19 ‘India becoming cancer capital of the world’
“This is, of course, a reflection on the functioning of the SC Registry, for the matter was listed for hearing on September 20, 2007 and then on July 12 this year,” it said.
The Supreme Court expressed concern that till date the government had made no attempt to find out the composition of products inside the sachets and accepted the suggestion of solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam that these would be subjected to stringent scrutiny by an expert team from the National Institute of Public Health.
Quick Withdrawals Hurt EPFO’s Investment Earnings As 70% Of PF Contributions Are Withdrawn Within 3 Yrs
EPFO TO CURB EARLY PF WITHDRAWAL
WITHDRAWING your provident fund balance each time you change your job could soon become a thing of the past. The country’s apex retirement fund, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), has urged the government to bar workers from pulling out their PF balances easily.
It said that India was fast becoming the cancer capital of the world, with 70,000 diagnosed cases of mouth cancer in 2008. “The consumption of gutka and pan masala by school and college children is a matter of serious concern,” it observed.
“Every 6 months to a year, you change your job and withdraw your PF. That makes us more like a bank,” said Central PF Commissioner Samirendra Chatterjee.
The order came on an appeal filed by gutka and pan masala manufacturers challenging a Rajasthan high court order banning the use ofplastic sachets. The court had also directed all gutka, tobacco and pan masala manufacturers to strictly comply with the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, which came into force on February 11, 2007.
EPFO’s call for change has been spurred by an alarming internal study of this year’s PF settlements at the Karnal PF office. As many as 89% of the cases settled at the office, which covers a blend of old and new economy industries, were those of workers withdrawing PF balance after resigning from a job. Just 0.8% workers opted to transfer their PF account to their new job.
The Supreme Court had stayed the high court order on September 7, 2007. On Tuesday, it not only vacated the stay, except the part on the imposition of fine on violators, but also expanded the ban to manufacturers across the country. When 32 32 32
The settlement amount for 82% of the workers pulling out their PF was lower than Rs 30,000. Nearly 65% workers withdraw their retirement savings before the age of 35. Just 3% EPF members had continuous service of ten years – a prerequisite to be eligible for the pension benefits from
EPFO. The study inferred that 50% of claims are from people withdrawing their PF at the age of 31.33 after working for 2.7 years. They typically take home about Rs 10,000 it said. “Sure, people need money but they shouldn’t consume all their savings at every opportunity,” said Chatterjee. Existing PF rules specify that an employee can withdraw their entire EPF contributions two months after leaving a job. However, there is a condition that the employee shouldn’t start working elsewhere in that period. If another job is taken up within two months, the EPF balance must be transferred to the worker’s new PF account at her or his new workplace. But these rules are impossible to implement as EPFO has no systems in place to prevent workers from getting new PF accounts with every job change. Its accounting systems are archaic and operations are still being computerised incrementally. The PF commissioner has asked all field offices to do an analysis of their settlements over the past year, so that the government can be convinced about the need for change. Other provident funds like the Coal Miners’ Provident Fund and the Seamens’ Provident Fund restrict withdrawals to special circumstances, while the New Pension Scheme doesn’t allow any withdrawals before the age of 58. “The PF account should serve its purpose of social security — having a Rs 15,000 balance at retirement is ridiculous,” Chatterjee said. “It’s in the larger interest of workers to bar withdrawals,” he stressed. The EPFO was set up in
1952 to ensure that India’s workforce is assured of some income security in old age. The rising claims from young workers is detracting focus from more crucial regulatory functions of the EPFO like monitoring defaults from employers, conducting audits and scrutinizing returns. Quick withdrawals also hurt EPFO’s investment earnings as 70% of PF contributions are withdrawn within 3 years. For over a decade, the department has tried unsuccessfully to assign a unique account number for individuals to retain through their working lives. In the absence of such a system, even if one changes jobs within a single PF office’s jurisdiction, the department can’t block withdrawal claims on account of resignation. A few employees do opt for transfers so that their retirement savings accumulate instead of being frittered away. But the transfer process is too tedious, requiring one to co-ordinate between two employers and two PF offices. The result – most workers simply withdraw such piecemeal retirement savings each time they join a new firm. “Transfers used to take a long time as it’s additional work and low-priority even for the employers. For employers, you have already left them so they have no interest in forwarding your application to us,” Chatterjee said. An attempt is being made to streamline transfer of PF balances from past jobs into workers’ current accounts. Last week, testing began in Delhi and Karnal’s PF offices on new software that would transfer PF balances electronically, within a month.
Visit & Participate SOUTHERN MSME EXPO - 2011 18TH TO 20TH FEBRUARY, 2011 AT NSIC EXHIBITION CUM BUSINESS PARK ECIL CROSS ROADS, KUSHAIGUDA, HYD AIM: TO CREATE MARKETING PLATFORM FOR MSME UNITS PROGRAMMES: 1. Vendors Development Programme. 2. 3 Seminars on all 3 days. 3. Buyers - Sellers Meetings. PARTICIPANT INDUSTRIES: FROM Andhra Pradesh | Tamil Nadu | Karnataka | Coimbatore | Yanam Organised by: FAPSIA with the support of Govt. of A.P., MSME Dept, NSIC. 33 33 33
GLASS FIBER SURFACE TREATMENT FOR TAILORED PERFORMANCES SpecialChem Mark T. DeMeuse
significant successes. An example of one of these successes is a hinch system for furniture which was previously made from steel. In close cooperation with a development partner, 3B developed a 50% glass fiber-reinforced polyamide compound which has properties that exactly meet the mechanical requirements. Similar results can be obtained with a wide variety of other thermoplastic matrix materials, including polyolefins, polyesters, polystyrene and various high-temperature polymers. In all cases, the key to the successful development of a new product is to achieve adhesion between the polymer and the fiber through the sizing on the fiber. In order to obtain the optimum mechanical properties through this general approach, it is necessary to know the end use requirements for the composite material.
Interfaces are among the most important components of a composite material. It is certain that the adhesion between the fiber and matrix plays a predominant role in governing the characteristics of composites. Due to this fact, it is important to optimize the interfacial bonding since a direct linkage between fiber and matrix gives rise to a rigid, lowimpact resistance material. This is critical for emerging high technology applications such as airframe structures, for which other materials are not sufficiently stiff. The first article (1) in this series on interfaces in composite materials, is focused on the introduction of the features of the interfaces as well as characterization methods, which are commonly used to understand the features of the polymer matrix/reinforcing material interface. In this second article, discussion will be provided of glass fiberreinforced plastics from 3B. These materials provide an excellent example of composites in which the interface is specifically tailored for a particular application. Specific attention will be paid to surface modification of the glass fiber surface and the impact that modification has on the properties of the final composite.
The final area in which 3B is presently very active is specialty markets. Among several of the applications that use their materials are ballistic panels, radomes and ammunition boxes. Another very recent application that has taken advantage of glass fiber-reinforced composites is the replacement of metal in a CNG (compressed natural gas) tank. The replacement of metal in this use offers a significant weight reduction of 40% compared to traditional metal CNG tanks. Further, the composites based on glass fibers have allowed for an extended product lifetime due to excellent fatigue resistance of the composite tanks.
3B presently has three main areas of interest for its products. These three areas are wind energy, thermoplastics and specialty markets such as military and paramilitary uses. Within each of these areas, the glass reinforcement material is tailor-made to meet the process and end-use requirements.
In each of these areas, the 3B have taken advantage of the fact that it is possible to tailor the material properties through a control of the fiber/matrix interface. Dispersion of the reinforcing fiber is an important factor in that regard as well as the adhesion between the polymer and fiber. As already alluded to previously, the adhesion between the chemistry of the sizing on the glass fiber and the matrix polymer is critical to achieve compatibility and chemical interaction between the resin and fiber. That chemistry can be adjusted according to the nature of the matrix polymer and the end-use requirements of the product.
In the wind energy sector, 3B glass fibers are widely used to produce blades for wind turbines. Figure 1 shows a generic turbine blade cross section depicting where the fiber reinforcement material is used. Figure 1: Generic cross-section of turbine blade Due primarily to the performance which is provided by the glass fibers, stiffer and longer blades have become possible to manufacture. This increase in the characteristics of the turbine blades allows for turbines with increased power generation , allowing wind energy to be more competitive with other power generation systems. In 2006, the market for wind turbine blades was estimated at approximately $4 billion (2) and growing at an annual rate of 20-25 %. There continues to be a need for higher power generation capacity, which translates into even lighter and longer blades.
Another key feature of the materials from 3B is that the glass itself affects the properties of the composite. For example, durability is provided by the Advantex速 boronfree E-glass (3) that uses a coating which allows for interesting specific properties, including hydrolytic resistance. In one case, these fibers have been compounded with polypropylene and the resulting compound has been evaluated for automotive applications. In that work, it was found that the specific formulation used had a significant influence of the final compound properties. It was not possible to rely on either theoretical predictions or materials which had been formulated in the laboratory. Further developments with these glass fibers that provide hydrolytic resistance include applications in appliance components like washing machine structural parts.
Historically, 3B has primarily served the thermoset industry with their glass fiber-reinforced composites. However, now they are entering the thermoplastics market with some 34 34 34
and (b) direct rovings to improve the stiffness of the blades used in wind turbines.
Along with Advantex速, 3B also produces Hi Per-tex速 high performance fiber which is the result of a groundbreaking technology development in manufacturing that enables the high performance material to be produced at an attractive cost. Hi Per-tex速 was designed to meet the demands from industry for high mechanical strength, stiffness and impact resistance. At the same time, it offers significantly higher thermal and corrosion resistance properties compared to E-glass reinforcement materials.
One of the key features of all of the examples which have been cited is the tailoring of the polymer matrix/fiber interface in the composite through the sizing agent on the glass fiber. Manipulation of the chemistry of the sizing allows for compatibility and chemical interaction between the matrix and fiber. Such chemical interaction is extremely important for the optimization of the properties of the final composite material.
Another exciting area that 3B is presently working on is the use of carbon nanotubes (CNT) technology. On March 9, 2010 a partnership was announced with Nanocyl, a leading global manufacturer of specialty and industrial carbon nanotubes. In the agreement, glass fibers which have sizing integrating SIZICYL, Nanocyl's versatile CNTsizing agent will be produced. The new CNT glass fibers will provide both the electrical conductivity and the improved shear, impact and delamination properties required for developing the next generation of composite materials. Two main areas are currently envisioned: (a) chopped strands for thermoplastic injection molded parts,
In summary, then, the future looks bright for 3B. They are committed to technological innovation and excellence with an emphasis on environmental responsibility. Their products are currently used in a wide range of industrial applications such as automotive, defense, infrastructure, mass transit and renewable wind and marine energy generation. As they continue to develop methods to tailor the interface in composites, the application areas for which their materials can be used is certain to expand.
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WASTE NOT YOUR DRY GARBAGE FROM JAN BMC TO MAKE RECYCLING METAL, GLASS A MUST Sukhada Tatke TNN
grounds,” said a civic official.
Mumbai: The way you deal with your household garbage is about to change in a month. In a bid to streamline the city’s waste management system, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is making it mandatory for all citizens to separate their household waste according to its biodegradability.
Already, the civic body is scouting for space to set up collection centres. It will invite NGOs (mainly self-help groups with expertise in garbage collection and segregation) and begin awareness campaigns soon after the proposal has been cleared by the municipal commissioner. Segregation of waste was made mandatory in 2000 under Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules and again in 2006 under Cleanliness and Sanitation Bylaws, but officials admit the BMC was not able to implement the law. “There were no resources then and there wasn’t enough space for processing garbage. But now that Deonar, Kanjurmarg and Mulund landfills are in the process of being created, we will be in a position to implement these rules,” said the official.
Prepared by the civic body’s solid waste management department, the plan requires every household to segregate dry waste (plastic, glass, metal, wood, etc.) from the wet waste (of plant and animal origin). The latter will be collected by BMC garbage trucks, as is the current practice, every day. The dry waste, though, would have to be stored by the building society in its compound for a few days after which a BMCapproved NGO would gather it and deposit it in the ward’s BMC dry waste sorting centre. From there, it will be sold off for recycling. The proposal is awaiting the municipal commissioner’s approval. Officials claim the system is being implemented across the city’s 24 wards after it met with success in a contained trial. The practice was launched in parts of 10 wards—K/ East, K/West, H/ West, F/South, A, E, F/North, M/East, M/West, and T—in the last three years. Residents were asked to separate waste, and the BMC, for its part, provided vehicles for transporting dry garbage as well as space for collection centres.
Mumbai generates about 6,500 tonnes of garbage every day, of which 65% is biodegradable, 20% is recyclable dry waste and the remaining is construction material. Separation of dry waste, officials say, is the only way to reduce the burden on dumping grounds. Besides, the system will help generate employment. “Once the dry garbage comes to us, we separate it and make heaps of paper, cardboard, packages and so on. The garbage is then recycled,” said Jyoti Mapsekar of NGO Stree Mukti Sanghatna, which has been a part of the segregation drive for years.
“We will now extend the drive to all 24 wards. The NGOs working in these 10 areas are Stree Mukti Sanghatna, Aakar, Force, Triratna Prerana Mandal and Apnalay. The aim is to reduce the quantity of garbage making way to the dumping
TWO-WAY STREET The BMC is making it mandatory to segregate garbage according to biodegradability in the hope that it will streamline the city’s waste management system & generate employment
Wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2011 36 36 36
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GETTING INDIA ON THE MOVE INVEST IN MODERN VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES AS MUCH AS IN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE Today, there are roughly 100 million motorised vehicles plying the roads of India, including an estimated 40 million passenger cars. New cars are being registered at a rate of nearly two million per year. And the Indian auto industry has become the world’s seventh largest, now having overtaken every European country except for Germany. No one doubts that personal mobility will continue to expand rapidly in India, as demand increases in line with people’s incomes. By 2050, it is estimated that India will have more automobiles than any other country. But as the number of motorists increases, these gains must be accompanied by parallel investments in the efficiency and safety of the country’s vital transportation network. India’s environment minister Jairam Ramesh’s recent comments calling for a ban on sport utility vehicles, which are regarded as status symbols by many, have touched a raw nerve among some members of the Indian middleclass. Bans never work when they challenge people’s lifestyles, and such minor solutions do not nearly address the real issues. Only innovations in technology, engineering, and chemistry along with investment in transportation safety can provide workable solutions. These investments are essential to India’s moving forward successfully with the next stage of its overall economic development. Among today’s rising economic powers, China is leading the way in its development of an efficient and comprehensive transport network. In the last 10 years, China has built more than 50,000 kilometres of major expressways and 7,000 km of high-speed rail lines, recently connecting Lhasa to Beijing, for instance. In contrast, India so far has fewer than 1,000 km of grade-separated expressways and no high-speed railways. The urgent need for a highercapacity transportation network in India is much discussed. Less frequently considered are all the other crucial elements that go into the creation of a fully-functioning transportation system. These include safe and efficient passenger cars designed to make the best use of the modern roadways beginning to appear on India’s highway maps. Vehicles that are safe at high speeds, generate as little air pollution as possible, and do not demand a dramatic expansion of dependence on imported petroleum are high on the list of goods India needs to invest in. Premier Padmini and Ambassador taxicabs in India’s metropolises may be iconic expressions of the nation’s energy and style. But they are inevitably not going to be a part of its future.
Axel Claus Heitmann Consider the costs of running so much outmoded equipment on India’s roadways. One is traffic congestion. Obsolete vehicles are less reliable than modern ones, and not just because of their age. The average new passenger car in 1950 broke down substantially more frequently than is the case today. Stalled vehicles block traffic, and it has been estimated that, in New Delhi alone, at least three million man-hours are wasted in traffic every day. Modern cars are also vastly safer than their forebears. Road fatalities in Germany have declined from more than 20,000 per year in 1970 to less than 5,000 today, even as the number of cars on the road has increased. In India, these figures are currently moving in the wrong direction. In 2008, 34.5 per cent of all accidental deaths in India were due to road accidents. The US has roughly six times as many vehicles on the road as India. But in 2008, it saw less than one-third the number of traffic fatalities that occurred in India. Even China, number two in the world for traffic fatalities, registers far fewer road deaths. In India, the number of fatalities per 1,000 registered vehicles is among the highest in the world. Even non-lethal accidents represent a significant financial drag in terms of medical costs, vehicle repairs and road closures. Pollution represents yet another cost of maintaining a nationwide fleet of antique vehicles lacking fuel injection and catalytic converters. Air pollution is commonly classified by economists as a “negative externality,” an undesirable byproduct for which drivers are not charged, but which society pays for both in medical costs and negative impacts on the quality of life of millions of Indians. Lastly, outmoded technology poses another significant drag in terms of its sheer inefficiency. Modern vehicles provide better fuel efficiency in tandem with greater reliability and safety. They incorporate plastic body parts that weigh less than steel but perform better in accidents. They use highperformance tyres made with new grades of synthetic rubber that deliver lower rolling resistance even while gripping the road better under all conditions. It is estimated that such “green” tyres increase fuel efficiency by 6 to 8 per cent.
All this adds up to better fuel economy, a high priority. Building a modern transportation network is not solely about infrastructure or new roads. Those roads must be populated with the new vehicle technologies that already benefit most people in the developed world. These include efficient engines, safer designs, stable and durable tyres. India needs to continue to grow the industries that produce these That future demands disc brakes, fuel injection, airbags, products, and ensure that more and more people have three-point safety belts, composite body panels, and highaccess to them at a price point that makes sense. Without performance, fuel-efficient radial tyres. These are not modern vehicles, India will never realise the full benefit luxuries. They are intrinsic to realising the full economic that it hopes to achieve by expanding its highway and rail benefits of a modern transportation system. networks. 38 38 38
MEGA CORP ONGC AHMEDABAD CONDUCTS OFFSITE DMD MOCK DRILL An offsite disaster mock drill was recently organised at ONGC Ahmedabad‘s Wasna GGS to check and update the efficacy and adequacy of the offsite disaster management plan of ONGC Ahmedabad Asset. The mock drill, which witnessed participation from police authorities and senior executives of ONGC, was jointly overseen by H J Prajapati, Deputy Collector, Kheda District and coordinator of offsite Disaster Management Plan, and L C Jain, ED Officiating Asset Manager, and chief emergency controller of onsite DMP. Indian Railways initiates exhibition train The train - “Mother Express” - initiated by the Indian Railways to commemorate the birth centenary of Mother Teresa will arrive in Ahmedabad on 3rd December, and will be open for public viewing on 3rd & 4th December. With three airconditioned coaches, the train puts forth exhibits about the life, work and message of Mother Teresa, including photographs and write ups. The train will run through Rajkot on 4th & 6th December, and entry to it is free.
of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, the seminar aimed at updating the industries on the latest developments in plastics processing methodology and machineries / ancillary processing equipments in Gujarat. The seminar, which witnessed nearly two hundred participants from different Plastics Processing Industries, was inaugurated by Dr A K Aggarwal, Vice-Chancellor, Gujarat Technological University (GTU). Dr Subhas C Shit, Deputy Director, CIPET - Ahmedabad, Dr B Srinivasulu, Chief Manager (P/T), CIPET - Ahmedabad and R K Dwivedi, Chief Manager (TS), CIPET - Ahmedabad graced the occasion. Fire men are in action with their equipments near the crude storage facilities
CIPET ORGANISES SEMINAR ON DEVELOPMENTS IN PLASTICS PROCESSING METHODOLOGY Atwo day seminar on ”Plastics Processing - Advanced Techniques” was recently organised by CIPET at Vatva Industrial Association,Ahmedabad. Sponsored by the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals (DCPC), Ministry
A rally organised at DRM office, on the occasion of World AIDS Day on 1st December, was flagged off by A S Garud, DRM Ahmedabad. Nearly 150 health staff and members of Bharat Scouts & Guide participated in the event which ended at the Ahmedabad Railway station wherein an exhibition and video display awareness about HIV - AIDS was displayed. S K Yagnik ADRM, Dr Nigam CMS and District commissioner Bharat Scout and Guides, Ahmedabad division, and Dr Kishore Tiwari, Sr DMO health graced the occasion.
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PSU EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR NTPC Arup Roy Choudhury, Chairman & Managing Director, NTPC Limited and A K Singhal, Director (Finance) received the prestigious PSU Excellence Award 2010 at the Summit on
them for their specific problems as well as on maintaining general hygiene.
India Public Sector Agenda@2015 held in New Delhi. The award was presented by Vilasrao Deshmukh, Union Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises. POWERGRID INTER-REGIONAL CULTURAL FESTIVAL Powergrid Inter-regional Cultural Festival was organised at Pandit Deen Dayal Petroleum University Gandhinagar. Eleven teams from all over India participated in the cultural event and Handicraft Exhibition. The Cultural Program was inaugurated by chief guest S K Chaturvedy, while Handicraft was inaugurated by Smt Shoba Chaturvedy.
ONGC OFFICERS’ MAHILA SAMITI, MEHSANA ASSET, ORGANISES MEDICAL CAMP As a part of its CSR initiative under the CSR Project “Ashadeep - Shiksha ki Jyot”, ONGC Officers Mahila Samiti, Mehsana Asset recently organised a medical camp for the
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Ram Avtar, ED-Asset Manager and Smt Satish Sewra, President, ONGC Officers’ Mahila Samiti, along with K P Verma, DGM (HR) Head, HR/ER, the village Sarpanch and members of the Mahila Samiti inaugurated the camp. A total of 600 students of Standard I to XII, were examined under the scheme, which included analysis of skin-hairnail, eye, teeth, gum, ENT, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, etc. The consulting doctors advised
Cell : 9849022212 Classified Advertisements are being introduced for the benefit of members at very nominal cost & is only for the members Contact @ APPMA Office for details. Tel : 23203191 40 40 40
DEVELOPMENTS IN BIOPLASTICS USING NON-EDIBLE SOURCES
new biomass-based plastic (bioplastic) that is produced from non-edible plant resources. The bioplastic is created by bonding cellulose- a main component of plant stems, with cardanol, a primary component of cashew nut shells, which achieves a level of durability that is suitable for electronic equipment and boasts a high plant composition ratio of more than 70%. The new bioplastic characteristics are as follows.
SOURCE; PLASTEMART A method for producing a strong, highly ductile bioplastic using yeast and fatty acids of plant oils has been developed by a team of researchers at Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly). The researchers engineered C. tropicalis to transform fatty acids into omega-hydroxyfatty acids, a monomer that when polymerized provides a variety of options for developing new bio-based plastics with attractive physical properties. Usually, these acids are difficult and expensive to prepare using traditional methods. The key to getting the yeast to produce large amounts of omega-hydroxyfatty acids was eliminating certain enzymes that further oxidize these acids into unwanted diacids. The researchers identified and eliminated 16 genes and other oxidation pathways, which resulted in a 90% reduction in the activity that converts omega-hydroxyfatty acids to diacids. This new engineered strain of C. tropicalis provides a foundation for the development of low-cost methods of producing omegahydroxyfatty acids for conversion into plastics. Plastics produced by this method could have a variety of uses, as previous research has shown that plastics produced from a very similar omega-hydroxyfatty acid are strong, ductile materials. The plastics could have applications in lubricants, adhesives, cosmetics and anti-cancer therapies, and could also be recycled through a conversion process that results in a biofuel similar to biodiesels such as Soy Gold. In the future, the researchers plan to investigate ways to further modify the strain to allow for more direct conversion of various triglyceride feedstocks and introduce new pathways to increase the efficiency of omegahydroxyfatty acid production. The team is currently upscaling the fermentation, preparing polymers from omegahydroxyfatty acids and determining what unique properties these new biomaterials bring to currently available plastics. The team is sampling large chemical companies that are polyester producers so that they can assess the commercial potential of the bioplastics. These activities are being conducted by SyntheZyme, a company started in 2008 to commercialize new innovations developed. The company is currently seeking commercial partners to help enable future development and scale up work for microbial production of the monomer as well as the corresponding bioplastic materials. When polymerized, the new material may be a suitable substitute for petroleum derived plastics such as polyethylene for uses such as disposable gloves, multilayer food packaging films, and films for ice, trash, garments, produce bags and more. The versatile, 100% biodegradable plastic is highly resistant to moisture, which is an important improvement over currently sold bioplastics such as polylactic acid and starch-based plastics.
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Composed of non-edible plant resources: As an alternative to petroleum-based components, cellulose is the plastic’s major ingredient. The cellulose, which is produced in large amounts by plants, including grass stems, etc., is modified by cardanol, an oil-like material that is extracted from cashew nut shells. Most of these stems and nut shells are abundant resources, which are often discarded byproducts of the agricultural process. High plant component ratio: The use of cellulose and cardanol, both plant resources, as the plastic’s primary components produces a plastic that features a high plant component ratio of more than 70%. Current cellulose based plastics include large amounts of petroleum-based additives, which results in a low plant component ratio. High durability well suited for electronics: After enhancing its reactivity, cardanol is chemically bonded with cellulose, which produces a durable thermo-plastic that is strong, heat resistant, water resistant and non-crystalline (short molding time), due to the bonded cardanol’s unique molecular structure consisting of flexible and rigid parts.
Advantages of the new material include: € Durability (strength & malleability): Twice the strength of existing PLA. Comparable to conventional CA resin € Heat resistance (glass transition temperature): More than twice the resistance of PLA, approximately 1.3 times more than CA resin € Water resistance: Comparable to PLA, approximately 3 times more than CA resin € Molding time: Less than 50% of PLA, comparable to conventional cellulose-based and petroleum-based plastics
DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION NUMBER FOR INCOME-TAX I-T dept floats new number, DIN, for taxpayers New Delhi : - Taxpayers will now have to procure a ‘new number’ for filing returns and making any communication with the Income Tax department. The unique document identification number (DIN), on the lines of numbers like PAN and TAN, will be quoted on “every” income tax-related communication, including returns to be filed next year for
NEC Corporation has developed a first-of-its-kind durable 41 41 41
the financial year2010-11. According to the new guidelines brought out by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the DIN will be mandatory “in respect of every notice, order, letter or any correspondence” with the department, by the taxpayers. “The DIN will be generated by the I-T department and will be useful, essentially, for error-free filing of tax returns claiming refunds and other communication with the department by the assesses,” a senior finance ministry official said. The Aykar Sampark Kendras’ will hand out the DIN from this month.
Fees for providing information: Fee for providing information under Section 4(4), Section 7 (1) and Section 7 (5), as the case may be, shall be charged at the following rates: (a) Rupees two for each page in A-3 size or smaller size paper; (b) Actual cost or price of a copy in larger size paper; (c ) Actual cost or price for samples or models; (d) For inspection of records, no fee for the first hour; and fee of rupees five for each subsequent hour (or fraction thereof); (e) For information provided in diskette or floppy, rupees fifty per diskette or floppy; (f) For information provided in printed form, at the price fixed for such publication or rupees two per page of photocopy for extracts from the publication; (g) The actual amount spent by public authority on hiring a machine or any other equipment, if any, to supply information; (h) Postal charges, in excess of rupees ten, if any, involved in supply of information.
The related section under the Income-tax Act is reproduced herewith as below – Income-Tax Act, 1961 as amended by Finance Act 282B - Allotment of Document Identification Number 75 [Allotment of Document Identification Number. 282B. (1) Every income-tax authority shall 75a[, on or after the 1st day of July, 2011,] allot a computer generated Document Identification Number in respect of every notice, order, letter or any correspondence issued by him to any other income-tax authority or assessee or any other person and such number shall be quoted thereon.
Provided that no Fee shall be charged under this rule from the persons who are below poverty line as may be determined by respective State Governments.
(2) Where the notice, order, letter or any correspondence, issued by any income-tax authority, does not bear a Document Identification Number referred to in sub-section (1), such notice, order, letter or any correspondence shall be treated as invalid and shall be deemed never to have been issued.
Personal presence of the appellant before the Commission: (1) The appellant shall be informed of the date of hearing at least seven clear days before that date. (2) The appellant may, at his discretion, be present in person or through his duly authorized representative or, if permitted by the commission, through video conferencing, at the time of hearing of the appeal by the Commission. (3) Where the Commission is satisfied that the circumstances exist due to which the appellant is being prevented from attending the hearing of the Commission, then, the Commission may afford the appellant another opportunity of being heard before a final decision is taken or take any other appropriate action as it may deem fit.
(3) Every document, letter or any correspondence, received [, on or after the 1st day of July, 2011,] by an incometax authority or on behalf of such authority, shall be accepted only after allotting and quoting of a computer generated Document Identification Number. 75b
(4) Where the document, letter or any correspondence received by any income-tax authority or on behalf of such authority does not bear the Document Identification Number referred to in sub-section (3), such document, letter or any correspondence shall be treated as invalid and shall be deemed never to have been received.]
The full text of the Rules is available on www. rti.org.in. May I request you kindly to send your suggestions to COSIA on above subject on cosia.cosia@gmail.com upto 20 th December 2010.
RIGHT TO INFORMATION RULES 2010 The Government of India has invited comments on the above subject. Important Provisions of these rules are as below – Request for Information: A person who desires to obtain any information from a public authority under sub-section (1) of Section 6 of the Act, shall pay an application fee of Rs. 10/- to the public authority alongwith the application; Provided that the request for information shall relate only to one subject matter and shall be limited to two hundred and fifty words, excluding the address of the Central Public Information Officer and the address of the applicant.
WEEKLY GST NEWSLETTER GOVERNMENT IS LOOSING ITS MOMENTUM WEEKLY NEWS CLIPPINGS: (6TH DEC TO 12TH DEC ) Introduction of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) could be delayed further with the Centre and the states failing to reach common ground at the meeting of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers. 42 42 42
The meeting was attended by only eight state finance ministers. Finance ministers of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states were not present. The issue of a constitutional amendment was not discussed and there was no headway on the GST structure. The Empowered Committee will meet Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee after the Winter Session to discuss a Constitutional amendment. The states have not reached a consensus among themselves on this issue. On the GST structure, the states seemed to lack a clear picture on issues such as threshold, exemptions, GST on inter-state movement of goods, and rates. A broad consensus seemed to have emerged earlier this year. The issues will be discussed in subsequent meetings as well. Source: [Business Standard] Dated: 7th Dec, 2010. GOVERNMENT IS LOOSING ITS MOMENTUM The idea of dropping the most quarrelsome issue of Constitutional Amendment from the recently concluded meeting of the Empowered Committee of the State Finance Ministers didn’t work well for the Government as it also failed to provide any fruitful results. So, we have to wait more for the new tax regime which is expected to replace excise duty, service tax on the Centre’s end and VAT on the States front. In the last meeting of the Empowered Committee of the State Finance Ministers, the major area of the discussion was the GST structure but here also states seemed to lack a clear picture on issues such as Threshold level, GST on inter-state movement of goods, certain exemptions and rates. The Centre wants to have a uniform limit of threshold for GST. On the other hand, states want different threshold level for SGST and CGST. The states have been asking for a threshold of Rs 10,00,000 for SGST and Rs 1.5 crore for CGST Mr. Pranab Mukherjee efforts towards the implementation of the Goods and Service Tax also gets a fresh setback from this meeting as the interests of the States in the GST seems to be diminishing with the passage of time. Just about eight State Finance Ministers including West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya and Assam were turned up for giving their comments on the GST issues whereas this number was around twenty ministers in the earlier meetings of the Empowered Committee. However, those states which failed to attend the meeting sent their officials for the makeover of their absence.
compromised a lot to accommodate the concerns of the States. Now his statements are looking totally correct as Finance ministers of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states were not present in the recently concluded meeting of the Empowered Committee of the State Finance Ministers. In July, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee proposed a three-rate structure for the Goods and Services Tax — which will simplify the indirect tax regime — under which goods will attract 20 per cent levy, services 16 per cent and essential items a concessional 12 per cent. Most states seemed to have no issue with the rates. However, Mr. Dasgupta said the rate structure would be discussed further, as some states were asking for more time to consider that structure. Some states were asking for a band of two per cent over and above the proposed rates so that they could have some flexibility to increase rates in the future. This is a current position of Goods and Services Tax, when the two main pillars of the GST i.e. GST Council and the Dispute Settlement Body were not there in the agenda of the recently concluded meeting. All these ups and downs in the Goods and Service Tax are not only pinching the Finance Minister but also all those who have great interest in GST. Here we can take the example of those professionals who are doing practice in the indirect taxes as GST is expected to replace the Excise duty, Service tax on the Centre’s end and VAT on the States front. The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers will meet Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee after the Winter Session to discuss a Constitutional amendment. The dedications shown by the Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee towards the introduction of Goods and Service tax till now indicates that something is going to happen soon and that would also give the correct picture of the GST future. But, if the introduction of the GST get delayed further, then the Government will certainly looses all its momentum ... With the introduction of proposed GST all set to miss the timeframe of April 1, 2011, the government expressed desire to roll it out together with DTC from 2012-13. FM Pranab Mukherjee , however, admitted that there are some problems in the way of implementing the new indirect tax system. He said issues relating to constitution amendments required to roll out the new indirect tax system remain to be sorted out with the States.
Mukherjee said the Centre is willing to consider phased roll out of GST and hence suggested 3-year time frame to ultimately roll out one GST rate for all goods and services. GST, on the other hand, is expected to replace state-level Earlier, our Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee said that VAT and excise duty as well as services tax on the Centre’s the Politics seems to be creating a hurdle in the rollout of front, besides local taxes, cesses and surcharges. the Goods and Services tax as the Government have already Source: [Economic Times] 43 43 43
NO REDUCTION IN THE INTENSITY OF GST WORK As the future of the Goods and Services Tax is still uncertain in India but our efforts to elaborate the broader concept of “GST” will continue in the same manner. Even after facing such a huge setback on major issues such as GST structure, Constitutional Amendment Bill, Dispute Settlement Body etc., our Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee is leaving no efforts from his side for the successful implementation of the GST. He said that there will not be any reduction in the intensity in the ongoing work relating to GST. He also said that the Centre would continue to take into account the concerns of the States and work towards in developing a common ground for the implementation of the Goods and the Services Tax.
4. 5.
states. Prices of goods are expected to reduce in the long run as the benefits of less tax burden would be passed on to the consumer. By reducing the tax burden, the competitiveness of Indian products in international market is expected to increase and thereby the development of the nation.
Therefore, GST will have a significant impact on almost all aspects of businesses operating in the country, including the supply chain, sourcing and distribution decisions, inventory costs and cash flows, pricing policy, accounting and IT systems and transactions management. ANILREDDY
However, Mr. Mukherjee makes it clear that GST is unlikely to be implemented from the scheduled date of April 1, 2011. Now he is looking forward to roll out the Goods and Services tax simultaneously with the Direct Taxes Code (DTC) from April 1, 2012.
PF RATE HIKE TO IMPACT FORMS WITH OWN TRUSTS Move To Force 3,000 Firms to Dip Into Profits to Meet Shortfall.
GST would be one of the most significant fiscal reforms of independent India. It is expected to replace all indirect taxes, thus avoiding multiple layers of taxation that currently exist in India.
The government’s decision to raise the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) rate to 9.5% this fiscal could hit the bottom line of 3,000 firms running their own PF trusts. These trusts may find it difficult to bridge the gap between the actual income on their PF investments and the mandated rate, forcing them to dip into their company’s profits to make up for the deficit, according to study by The Economic Times.
The persons/assesses registered under GST (Manufacturers, Wholesalers and Retailers and Service Providers) are required to charge GST at the specified rate of tax on goods and services that they supply to customers. The GST payable is included in the consideration given by the recipient of the goods and services. The supplier must deposit this amount of GST with the Government. If the recipient of goods or services is a registered dealer, he will normally be able to claim a credit for the amount of GST he has paid , provided he holds a proper tax invoice. This “input tax credit” is set off against any GST( Output), which the assesse charges on goods and services, which he supplies , to his customers.
ET studied portfolios and income estimates of 63 PF trusts with assets of Rs.6,520 crore. While most trusts will earn 8.5% return on their investments, some will get returns of as low as 7.8%. Just one in nine trusts will earn over 9%, while none will be able to pay 9.5% from this year’s earnings. “The way things stand, this gap between PF trusts’ income and 9.5% would have to be funded by employers,” said Amit Gopal, Vice-President at India Life Capital, which advises several large corporate retirement funds.
The net effect is that dealers charge GST but do not keep it, and pay GST but get a credit for it. This means that they act essentially as collecting agents for the Government. The ultimate burden of the tax falls on the last and the final consumer of the goods and services , as this person gets no credit for the GST paid by him to his sellers or service providers.
Most trusts do not have any reserves left, as the PF rate has been set higher than investment earnings for most of the last seven years. The few firms that have the reserves, are barred from using them to pay interest to subscribers under new regulatory norms issued by the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) this year.
Possible Impacts of GST are: 1. Many indirect taxes in state and central level subsumed by GST, you need to pay a single GST instead of all. 2. GST provide comprehensive and wider coverage of input credit set off, you can use service tax credit for the payment of tax on sale of goods etc. 3. Uniformity of tax rates and legal rulings across the 44 44 44
So, the only alternative with the PF trusts is to seek funds from the parent company. At an EPFO board meet earlier this month, at least two trustees expressed concern over company-run PF trusts’ ability to match the 9.5% largesse from the EPFO. But the EPFO is not buying this argument. The retirement fund manager claims that these trusts have
ample reserves, which they could use to fund the shortfall. “Some of these PF trusts are very healthy,” Central PF Commissioner Samirendra Chatterjee told ET. “They et higher returns than us as EPFO’s internal norms are tighter than the investment pattern. They can dip into their reserves,” he said.
filler manufacturers announced many ways to reduce carbon footprint and other solutions to reduce energy consumption, other messages were clearly addressed. Based on major announcements made during the K Trade Fair, we analyze the main challenges addressed by the innovations announced. Apart from the greening trend, two major topics were almost systematically discussed and placed upfront on booths:·
The PF commissioner’s confidence stems from an internal survey commissioned by EPFO in October 2010. The EPFO studied 10 PF trusts, including those run by Tata Motors, NTPC, Dabur India, Gillette India, Cochin Shipyard and the recently-listed Manganese Ore India Ltd., IT found that all of them had enough reserves to spruce up their workers’ PF income by1%-9%.
Extend polymer performances and add functions to current additives and fillers· Ease the use of additives and fillers via incorporation improvements.
EXTEND POLYMER PERFORMANCES / ADD FUNCTIONS
K 2010 REVIEW: IMPROVING PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES EVEN FURTHER
Increasing polymer performances is one of the main goals of using fillers and additives. They reduce the effects of intrinsic weaknesses of polymers (UV ageing, deformation under load); increase intrinsic strength of polymers (increase even further impact resistance of selected polymers; reduce weight). One would say that this is a well-known reason for using additives and fillers - there is nothing really new in this! But when reviewing the major K2010 announcements from polymer additive and filler manufacturers, this message was more than ever placed ahead, demonstrating there are still many innovations to handle in extending polymer performances: achieve properties that were never achieved before, set new records and build the required manufacturing capacity to support these advances. Here are several examples detected at the K Trade Fair:
SpecialChem - Nov 17, 2010 With more than 220,000 visitors, the K2010 Trade Fair has been announced as a proof of a strong on-going recovery of the polymer industry. Among the 3,100 exhibitors, mood was qualified as “excellent” by the Messe Düsseldorf, the Exhibitor Council of K2010. During such a key industry event, exhibiting is for sure very exciting. This is the ideal moment for additive, pigment and filler suppliers to show what new products they have to offer and to what direction their innovation is taking place. But this “excellent” mood is not a firmed proof of a strong and immediate recovery. On the contrary, a depressed mood would for sure have been very worrying! And the total number of visitors was down 9% compared to K2007; which may not be as good as we all would like to believe. So we will still have to wait for other signs and data to be sure economy is up and strong again, and that too for many years.
WATER PIPES MADE OF CROSS-LINKED PE THANKS TO SILANES: The Momentive's new Silox 23 is "boosting chlorine resistance while minimally affecting the odor and taste of drinking water". Used in combination with the PEarlstab Y15760 stabilizers pellets this new masterbatch system brings PE-X pipe manufacturers with increased performances system vs. usual silane and peroxide combinations.
If this K2010 Trade Fair did not confirmed a strong and lasting economic recovery of the polymer industry, it confirmed however a trend with very clear and selfspeaking numbers: Asia and BRIC countries are significantly driving the polymer industry up! And Turkey should probably be added to this leading pool. Let’s review some data first: Following the K2010 Exhibitor Council, the share of visitors from Europe was down to 54% vs. last K2007 where this share was 57%; whereas visitors from the USA and Canada remained the same (roughly 7,000). The biggest overseas group of visitors came from Asia, totaling 30,000 people. Countries exhibiting significant increase in number of visitors were: India, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates. Growth is not as high as expected or wished in European countries and the USA, but it is taking place in Asia and BRIC countries for sure. Another firm statement we can build from the K Show is that while polymer additive and
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REINFORCING PP WITH OR WITHOUT TALC WITH MILLIKEN'S SYNTHETIC MINERAL BASED FIBERS, HYPERFORM® 803: These fibers are claimed to bring many advantages compared to talc (similar or increased performances of PP at much lower levels: the example of a 9% Hyperform® 803 filled compound vs. a 20% talc filled compound for a bumper support has been cited during the K Fair). Such performance retention at much lower levels brings significant weight reduction opportunities, especially in the automotive industry where weight savings are more than ever needed. Other performance increases lying in the Milliken's Hyperform® solution are its excellent aesthetics -- its white color is even whiter than talc;
allowing better color matching with lower pigment levels compared to talc filled compounds.
currently investing in its production sites for Weston® 705 and 800 series, which is confirming the need for such increased ease of use of additives and fillers.
FLAME-RETARDING POLYMERS Chemtura's Great Lake Solutions announced the launch of three new products from its Emerald™ flame retardants brand. These new FR are dedicated to the Electrical & Electronics industry as well as the Building & Construction market.
EASING THE INCORPORATION OF CARBON NANOTUBES: Nanocyl extended its Plasticyl™ thermoplastic concentrates product line. Aiming at solving the issue of CNT incorporation into polymers Nanocyl developed its Plasticyl™ product line. It eases the incorporation of CNT into polymer matrix via masterbatches. Nanocyl also unveiled its latest CNT masterbatches dedicated to elastomers, targeting the wire and cable market.
Improving surface & aesthetics performances of plastics with the new Genioplast® Pellet S from Wacker: This highly concentrated silicone additive, carried by a pyrogenic silica is bringing scratch and abrasion resistance. It also brings friction reduction when processing filled polymers, reducing the risk of polymer degradation due to excessive shear. Easing the dispersion of fillers into the polymer matrix the Genioplast® Pellet S additive allows a better homogeneity of properties of filled polymers. Already exhibited during the K2007 Fair Wacker confirmed the many advantages brought by its Genioplast® productline.
PROTECT AUTOMOTIVE POLYOLEFIN INTERIORS FROM THE UV BEAMS WITHOUT ADDING TO FOGGING LEVELS: Clariant Masterbatches unveiled its latest U V stabilizers dedicated to automotive polyolefin parts: Hostavin® N845PP. This new UV stabilizer is intimately linked to the polyolefin host matrix leading to limited or no migration. This property is key to avoid what is called "fogging" in the automotive interior segment, which is a deposit of chemical substances and dusts on the inner side of windscreen. Other consequences of such uncontrolled migration (that is enhanced by heat) are the unpleasant odours we all have witnessed when entering a car, especially when it was left closed for a while under the sunlight. Car manufacturers are more than ever tracking these odours and set very demanding requirements on the fogging level. Clariant claimed the superior performance of its Hostavin® N845PP thanks to a "non-traditional carrier" of the UV stabilizer, which exhibits a very good compatibility with polyolefins
Increasing RTP Capacity of the European Very Long Glass Fiber Engineered Compounds: RTP opened a new plant in Ladenburg, Germany. Because of the continuous increased uses of structural composites in diverse markets, the RTP group is adding an 11th plant to its global manufacturing asset.
EASE THE USE OF ADDITIVES & FILLERS
IMPACT MODIFIER FOR EPOXY RESINS: Ensuring an easy incorporation, improved dispersion and strong compatibility with the host resin is not only easing resin manufacturers and compounders' work… it is also allowing increased final product performances. Wacker introduced its Genioperl® P52 impact modifier for epoxy resins at the K2010. By detailing how this impact modifier is easily dispersed in uncured resin and tightly linked to the host resin Wacker showed that simplifying the incorporation of additives brings further advantages to the final parts. Its core shell impact modifier built on a soft elastic silicone core, covered by a hard polymeric shell allows good dispersion into the epoxy resin, strong compatibility with the host resin thanks to the polymeric shell. The fine dispersion obtained allows a tight fine-tuning of the final properties of the epoxy resins. This is merging "ease of incorporation" with "final performances"!
As for the first topic we just covered this message of easing additives and fillers uses is not new. But this was the second major axis of communication we have detected from the K Trade Fair. New products always have to bring something new, like increased performance or reduced costs; but they will remain useless if they are difficult to handle, incompatible with existing equipment, or impossible to incorporate into the polymer matrix! Testing and at the end using in serial production series, new products require reasonable challenges otherwise they will remain virtual products. Here are some of the examples showing improvements of using selected additives and fillers picked up from the K2010: SWITCHING FROM POWDER TO LIQUID ADDITIVES: The Chemturas's Liquid Productivity Platform is offering to resin manufacturers and compounders an increased ease of use ofantioxidants and UV stabilizers. Up to now these additives were handled and incorporated as a powder, with all its well-known inconveniences. Chemtura is pushing for what is called "powder-free additive solutions", leading to reduced cost on the handling steps, without sacrificing final polymer performances. The Chemtura Corporation is
While the recovery of the economy is not confirmed everywhere on the planet there are still good signs from the polymer industry. Additive and filler suppliers demonstrated and unveiled new products and technologies during the K Trade Fair, and addressed the major issues of this industry. "Extending the use of polymers by extending 46 46 46
their performances thanks to new additives and fillers" and "Easing the use of additives and fillers, thus reducing manufacturing costs" were two major messages addressed to the polymer community, on top of the always strongly present care of the environmental footprint.
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REINFORCING POLYMERS: LATEST ADVANCES OF SELECTED FILLERS
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SpecialChem - Dec 13, 2010 Michel Biron INTRODUCTION Fillers and fibres are added to plastics to reach various goals: " Reinforcement increasing mechanical properties, HDT, creep resistance… " Cost saving for cheap fillers and fibres, " Optimization of specific properties: Aesthetics, tribology, gas barrier effect, dimensional stability, scratch and mar resistance, flame retardancy, rheology, UV protection, dielectric behaviour, electrical conductivity, chemical resistance, thermal conductivity, X-ray opacity…
Fibres used for the reinforcement of plastics include: " Glass fibres, the most widespread with 95% of the fibre consumption " Aramid fibres and carbon fibres accounting for near the last other 5% Numerous other fibres have specific uses: " Steel fibres and steel cords for tyres, conveyor belts, ESD compounds " Mineral fibres as boron, quartz and whiskers " Natural fibres as jute, flax, wood flour and so on… " Textile fibres as nylon, polyesters… " Industrial fibres as polyethylene, PTFE, PBO…
The other side of the coin concerns: " The increase of the density leading to heavier compounds for heavy fillers and fibres, " The compatibility between fillers or fibres and matrices, " The possible anisotropy due to filler or fibre settling, " The possible orientation for anisotropic fillers, particularly for fibres and platelets.
Some high roads toward high reinforcement effects Main parameters for a better efficiency of fillers and fibres include: " Extended ranges of fillers and fibres " Smaller filler particle size: Nanometric fillers are generally far better than microscopic ones " Higher filler aspect ratio: Fibres and platelets are more efficient " Better filler/matrix linking: Chemical binding is a must " Higher filler or fibre level: a two-edged parameter because an excess of filler can lower the reinforcing effect
In addition to the general goals previously quoted for fillers, the specific goals of reinforcement with fibres are: " To reach higher reinforcements, " To reduce the tendency to creep under continuous loading, " To save costs in decreasing the material weight and cost used to obtain the same stiffening.
Most common fillers and reinforcements have a micrometric size and must be used at levels in the order of 10% and more. Beside them, nanoscale reinforcing fillers are developing with a 1000-times smaller size. From a strictly geometrical point of view, the size reduction of a particle, sphere or platelet with a constant shape factor, leads to an impressive growth of the ratio of surface area to volume (or weight) favouring linking and reaction with the surroundings.
The main issues are: " The risk of shortened length of the fibres broken during the processing, and " The anisotropy due to the fibre orientation and settling. Among mineral fillers natural or precipitated, more or less ground or micronized, treated or not, calcined or anhydrous, chemically structured, modified on surface… let us quote, for example: " Calcium carbonates, chalks, limestones, marbles, whitings of broadest use " Soft, hard and treated clays or kaolins " Silicas, often synthetic " Talcs (broadly used in polypropylene) " Precipitated silicates with high surface areas, high
reinforcing effect and interesting brightness Micas, specially the high aspect ratio (20-40) thinner ones Wollastonite or calcium metasilicate Barium sulphate used for the opacity to X-rays and the high density Lithopone, titanium dioxide used as white pigment ATH and other hydrated metal oxides used in flameretardant compounds
Obviously, the filler or fibre level is a critical parameter that can be beneficial or detrimental for the various compound properties. The following figures 'Surface-volume ratio' and 'Young's modulus vs. nanoclay-level' schematize some examples: 47 47 47
DRAGONITE-XRTM: A TUBULAR MINERAL NANOMATERIAL NATURALLY EXFOLIATED Applied Minerals introduces Dragonite-XRTM, a drop-in additive specifically suited for polymer reinforcement. The Dragonite™ line consists of different grades of Halloysite Clay products tailored to enhance the property performance of each target application, in a cost competitive manner. Dragonite-XRTM is naturally exfoliated due to its tubular shape and uniform surface charge. As a result, it disperses easily in various thermoplastic and thermoset resins at loading levels up to 40%. Tubular particles have average lengths of 1.75µm for outside diameters of about 50nm and inside diameters of 15nm. True specific gravity is 2.52 but, due to the hollow tubular form, the density within a polymer matrix is only 1.99g/ cc. Advantages claimed by Applied Minerals include: " Low density resulting in reduced weight of finished products " Naturally exfoliated morphology providing ease of dispersion at loadings up to 40% without a need for organo-treatment. This results in low raw material, mixing, and quality control costs " Increases the modulus and strength of composites with minimal changes in impact strength, weld line strength, and viscosity " Improves fatigue resistance and drop impact resistance compared to chopped glass fibres " Acts as a nucleating agent with 8°C increase in crystallization temperature, even at 1-3 wt% level, resulting in faster cooling and cycle times " Improves thermal stability: 20°C increase in the decomposition temperature by TGA " Increases time to ignite, reduces peak heat release rate, and improves char density when added at 510% w/w with other conventional flame retardants " Lower shrinkage than organoclay and lower warpage than chopped glass fibre and mica " Tubular morphology enabling the entrapment of active agents followed by their controlled-release " Non-toxic and biocompatible inorganic material " Lower cost than organo-clay The following figure 'Dragonite/PP properties % variation' displays the variation s of properties of a polypropylene compound reinforced with 0 up to 27% w/w of Dragonite. Obviously the density increases but remains inferior to 1.1 for the maximum level; the tensile modulus increases by more than 80% when the tensile strength slightly increases and the impact strength increases or decreases according to the trials.
or talc are expressed (see table 1) in engineering values and in specific values (engineering value divided by density) showing the competitiveness of Dragonite. Engineering values PP Dragonite steel Glass fibre aluminium Talc Density 0.905 0.961 0.978 0.973 Tensile Strength (MPa) 39 43 44 41 Flex Strength (MPa) 46 57 59 56 Flex Modulus (MPa) 1,498 2,213 2,239 2,302 Notched Izod Impact (J/m) 359 37 32 44 Specific values PP Dragonite steel Glass fibre aluminium Talc Density 0.905 0.961 0.978 0.973 Tensile Strength (MPa) 43 45 45 43 Flex Strength (MPa) 51 59 60 57 Flex Modulus (MPa) 1,655 2,303 2,289 2,366 Notched Izod Impact (J/m) 43 39 33 45 Table 1: Properties of reinforced polypropylene homopolymer with 10% filler engineering & specific values (engineering value/density) High aspect ratio micronized talcs: A first step toward nanotalcs Rio Tinto Minerals-Luzenac, has developed unique jetmilling technologies to produce ultrafine talcs of high aspect ratios (HAR) to meet the new demands of automotive industry. This special range of talcs outperforms in mechanical properties and perception effects like surface aspect, scratch resistance, and weight saving. Rio Tinto Minerals' HAR® talcs result from a proprietary delamination process dramatically increasing lamellarity and aspect ratio. Luzenac HAR® talcs enable manufacturers to downgauge parts, resulting in lighter automobiles with lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The HAR® range aims polypropylene bumpers, dashboards, door pillars and interior trim. All properties related to the aspect ration are improved with HAR talc: flexural modulus (up by 20%), shrinkage (down by 8%). Moreover, the stiffness/impact ratio remains excellent. HAR talcs provide the lowest coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) versus other conventional or ultrafine talcs (see figure 'CTLE vs. granulometry') making them an ideal material for zero gap parts such as bumpers completely integrated in the car body panel.
Other main properties are displayed by the following figure Results are of the same order for nylon, except for the 'Performance in polypropylene' (courtesy of Rio Tinto impact strength that clearly decreases. Properties of PP, Minerals-Luzenac): neat and reinforced with 10% w/w of Dragonite, glass fibre 48 48 48
NANOTALCS: THE ULTIMATE BUT HARD STEP Nanomat, Inc. claims it develops and produces NanoTalc™ for plastics applications. Specific surface area is about 270m2/g compared to 20 for typical commercial talc or 65m2/g for Dragonite.
on average, depending on where you are in the world," said Johnny Netzloff, Product Line Manager, Milliken Chemical. The Hyperform® HPR-803 agent is very suitable to go ahead in reducing the weight of polypropylene car parts by up to 15 percent versus traditional mineral-filled systems while delivering an outstanding balance of stiffness and impact strength (see Figure 'Hyperform 803 and talc impact strength vs. modulus').
NanoTalc™ could improve plastics through higher strength and stiffness, better thermal and creep resistance, lower water and gas permeability. The product aims a wide range of plastics including polyolefins, ABS, acetal, TPEs, SMC and PVC.
Further, the new Milliken agent offers comparable surface finish to talc-filled compounds that cannot be achieved with chopped glass fibre reinforcement. Milliken claims advantages including: " Replacing high loadings of heavy mineral fillers, such as talc, with lower loadings for comparable performance. This can reduce the weight of polyolefin parts by up to 15 percent " Offering improved stiffness at lower loadings vs. talc and other minerals " Offering improved colorability vs. talc filled systems " Improved scratch resistance vs. talc filled systems " Providing high heat deflection temperatures (HDT) exceeding high levels of talc " Offering an improved surface finish that surpasses chopped glass fibre
Prasath Balamurugan and S.N. Maiti ("Nanotalc improves properties of polyamide-6 binary and ternary nanocomposites", 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers or SPE) study the reinforcement of polyamides and alloys with a nanotalc. While silicate layers of MMT are held together by metal cations, in nanotalc they are held in place by weak van der Waals forces needing considerably lower shears for delamination. However, the delaminated silicate layers may not form a stable, exfoliated structure inside the matrix. As a result, composites may form a mixture of intercalated, exfoliated, and agglomerated morphologies limiting mechanical property enhancements. Prasath Balamurugan and S.N. Maiti achieve remarkable improvements in tensile strength and modulus at a very low level (1% by weight) of nanotalc. In the PA6/nanotalc composite, tensile strength is 33% higher and tensile modulus is 30% higher than that of unfilled PA6.
By utilizing Hyperform HPR-803 reinforcement as a replacement for chopped glass fiber, customers can expand applications for polypropylene and other polyolefins beyond current "hidden" structural automotive and appliance parts to encompass highly visible components such as bumpers and door panels.
At higher filler loadings (2 and 4% by weight), formation of agglomerated structures was favoured with detrimental effects on the reinforcement. Reinforcing additive Hyperform 803 by Milliken reduces part weight by up to 15%
CHEMICALLY COUPLED GLASS FIBRES: AN EFFICIENT LEVER ARM FOR THE PLASTICS REINFORCEMENT The adhesion between fibre and matrix plays a predominant role governing the characteristics of fibre reinforced plastics. The stress transfer at the interface requires an efficient coupling between fibre and matrix, a direct linkage between fibre and matrix leading to a rigid, low impact resistance material. Optimizing the interfacial bonding fibre/resin often needs the chemical modification of the interface. Three possible kinds of treatments can be applied: " Chemical surface modification of the fibre, " Sizing of fibres bringing beneficial physical or chemical properties, and " Polymer modification adding reactive chemical sites.
Milliken commercializes its innovative high performance reinforcing agent, Hyperform® HPR-803 for polyolefins based on synthetic fibres that enables the production of polypropylene (PP) compounds with mechanical performance similar to or better than mineral filled compounds, but at lower use-level and thus reduced weight. Added at levels typically one third of those for talc, Hyperform HPR-803 can lead to parts that are 15% lighter, helping automakers produce cars with reduced fuel consumption and lower vehicle emissions. The USA and the European Union will require automakers to drastically reduce CO2emissions in the coming years, with a target of 95g/km by 2020 for EU. According to the American Plastics Council, a 10-percent weight reduction equates to a seven percent improvement in gas mileage. "Plastics such as polyolefins are already playing an important role in reducing vehicle weight. Polypropylene is a versatile material that is increasingly selected for interior and exterior automotive parts -- in fact, about 50 to 70kg of PP are used per vehicle,
Each polymer producer chooses among several solutions according to the aimed applications, favouring the useful properties. Generally speaking, Melt Flow Rate, Linear Mould Shrinkage and Specific Gravity are unchanged. 49 49 49
For the mechanical properties and HDTs, the following table 2 and the figure 'Property gains vs. coupling' display the different strategies applied by several producers for chemical coupling of polypropylene reinforced with 30 and 40% glass fibre. For each property, gain percentages are expressed versus properties of non-coupled glass fibre reinforced PP of the same producer. Producer A B C D E Reinforcement content (%) 30 30 40 40 40 Tensile strength (MPa) (%) 7 38 6 30 45 Flexural modulus (MPa) (%) 5 0 5 14 8 Izod impact, notched (J/m) (%) 15 102 16 51 102 Heat deflection temperature at 66psi (°C) 3 3 2 2 3 Heat deflection temperature at 264psi (°C) 5 14 3 14 Table 2: Polypropylene property gains thanks to chemical coupling of glass fibres
combining superior retention of mechanical properties along with hydrolytic stability. In the following examples, 3B GF reinforced PP and PA66 show higher retention of tensile strength and impact strength vs. competitive grades after ageing 20 days at 95°C in water for polypropylene and ageing of 500h at 135°C in 50/50 long life coolant/ water mixture for 30% glass fibre reinforced polyamide 66. Results in the above table 3 are expressed in retention of properties. This challenge is vital in many applications including appliance components, automotive under-the-hood and, in some case, consumer goods. EASY-TO-USE CARBON NANOTUBES: PLASTICYL™ CNTS CONDUCTIVE MASTERBATCHES The main technical issue for CNTs is the compounding with plastics. To ease their application, some producers propose masterbatches or concentrates. For example, Nanocyl commercializes PLASTICYL™, a family of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) thermoplastic concentrates for applications requiring electrical conductivity or protection from electrostatic discharge (ESD). These concentrates typically contain 15 to 20% of CNTs in PC, PP, PA, PET, HDPE, POM and others.
According to the used coupling techniques and aimed property balances: " Notched Izod Impact is increased from some percent up to more than 100% according to the producer " Modulus is slightly increased " Tensile strength can be unchanged or improved up to 50% " HDT is slightly increased from some degrees. For example, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America Inc. has launched a new polypropylene technology, Thermylene® P8, and claims that it gives customers superior creep resistance at room temperature and comparable creep resistance at elevated temperatures when compared to long glass fibre reinforced PP.
Typical loadings for static dissipative applications are around 2 to 3% of CNTs in the final compound depending on the compounding conditions, the viscosity of the basic resin, and the dilution equipment. Table 4, after Nanocyl, shows electrical and mechanical properties of some plastics loaded with 2 to 3% of CNTs. Volume resistivities are as low as 10 to 103Ohm-cm and mechanical properties are more or less changed with beneficial or detrimental effects. Generally speaking, for a 3% loading: " Young modulus increases " Tensile and impact strengths decrease except for polypropylene " Strain at break decreases
Solve the humidity issues of glass fibre reinforced plastics thanks to 3B hydrolysis-resistant glass fibres PP
Competitive GF Retention of tensile strength (%) 82 Retention of impact strength (%) 39
3B glass fibre 94 71
Gain
PA
3B glass fibre 34 42
Gain
15 82
Units Competitive GF Retention of tensile strength (%) 30 Retention of impact strength (%) 38
13 11
Polyamide 66 Volume resistivity Ohm.cm Young's modulus MPa Tensile strength at break MPa Strain at break % Charpy notched impact strength kJ/m2 Polycarbonate - PC Volume resistivity Ohm.cm Young's modulus MPa Tensile strength at break MPa Charpy notched impact strength kJ/m2
Table 3: Retention of tensile strength (MPa) and impact strength (kJ/m2) after ageing Under humid conditions, glass fibre reinforced plastics typically suffer a decrease in performance because of a lack of adhesion between the glass fibre and the resin. Glass fibre manufacturers are looking after that and develop special fibres. For example 3B-Fibreglass commercializes grades 50 50 50
Neat Polymer Polymer polymer with with 2%wt of 3%wt of CNT CNT 1014 3375 82 18
7.108 3205 72 3
1.103 3466 69 2
3.3
5
2.8
1.1013 2141 46 31
1.103 2584 23 10
5.101 2683 16 6
Polypropylene - PP Volume resistivity Ohm.cm Young's modulus MPa Tensile strength at break MPa Strain at break % Charpy notched impact strength kJ/m2
1.1013 1280 28 520 2.4
4.106 1728 35 154 3.2
The adhesion between fibre and matrix plays a predominant role governing the characteristics of fibre reinforced plastics. The chemically coupled glass fibres optimize the interfacial bonding fibre/resin improving the mechanical properties and HDTs without significant changes in Melt Flow Rate, Linear Mould Shrinkage and Specific Gravity.
2.102 1795 37 64 3
Table 4: Property variation examples with 2 or 3% of CNT After Nanocyl, PLASTICYL™ is recommended for applications requiring a surface resistivity from 102 up to 1012 Ohms offering major advantages over other conductive solutions based on carbon black, carbon fibres or metals: " Decreased risk of chemical contamination " Homogeneous electrical conductivity at low loading " Processing benefits " Elimination of residual voltage--hot spots " Decreased weight of the final part " Retention of key mechanical properties
Under humid conditions, glass fibre reinforced plastics typically suffer a decrease in performance because of a lack of adhesion between the glass fibre and the resin. Glass fibre manufacturers are looking after that and, for example 3B-Fibreglass develops special fibre grades combining superior retention of mechanical properties along with hydrolytic stability. Masterbatches or concentrates of CNTs ease the compounding of CNTs and plastics. For example, Nanocyl commercializes PLASTICYL™, a family of CNTs thermoplastic concentrates for applications requiring electrical conductivity or protection from electrostatic discharge (ESD). These concentrates typically contain 15 to 20% of CNTs in PC, PP, PA, PET, HDPE, POM and others.
CONCLUSION The never-ending development of the plastics world includes the reinforcing additives magnifying the property range and the versatility of polymers and composites, which extend their application field. Main beneficial parameters for a better efficiency of fillers and fibres include: " Extended ranges of fillers and fibres, " Smaller sizes of fillers and fibres: Nanometric fillers are generally far better than microscopic ones, " Higher filler aspect ratio: Fibres and platelets are more efficient, " Better linking filler/matrix: Chemical binding is a must. Taking advantage of these ways, several fillers and fibres are proposed.
Beside these examples, many other new fillers and fibres are developed such as chemically coupled LFRT, polyamide nanocomposite concentrates with 20% nanoclay loading (Nanocor), carbon nanofibres (vapour grown carbon nanofibres - VGCNF), polymer nanotubes based on polystyrene, PMMA or PTFE developed by the Max-Planck Institute, polymer nanofibres such as cellulose nanofibres…
Dragonite-XRTM is a tubular mineral nanomaterial naturally exfoliated. As a result, it disperses easily in various thermoplastic and thermoset resins at loading levels up to 40%. Claimed advantages include low density, modulus and strength enhancement, improved thermal stability, lower shrinkage, lower cost than organo-clay. HAR® talcs (High aspect ratio talcs) enable manufacturers to downgauge parts, resulting in lighter automobiles with lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. HAR® talcs outperform in mechanical properties and perception effects like surface aspect, scratch resistance, and weight saving. Reinforcing additive Hyperform 803 by Milliken, based on synthetic fibres, reduces part weight by up to 15% thanks to a high reinforcement ratio. In addition it offers a fair surface finish, an improved colorability and a better scratch resistance versus talc. 51 51 51
INDIAN PLASTIC INDUSTRY WHERE SUN WILL NEVER SET‌! The demand potential in Commodity polymers to go up from 5.3 million tons in 2006-07 to 12.5 million tons with a Compounded Annual Rate of Growth (CARG) of 18% during the 11th Five Year Plan suggesting certain changes in policy environment to remove the structural constraints and lower demand growth to 7.8 million tons ANUP PATEL with a CARG of 9% with the Director prevailing policy environment. In DOLLPLAST synthetic fibres, demand potential MACHINERY INC from 2.4 million tons in 2006-07 to th 5.8 million tons by 11 Five Year Plan end with a growth rate of 8.5% CARG.
The Plastic Industry in India has made significant achievements ever since it made a modest but promising beginning by commencing production of polystyrene in 1957. The potential Indian market has motivated Indian entrepreneurs to acquire technical expertise, achieve high quality standards and build capacities in various facets of the booming plastic industry. Phenomenal developments in the plastic machinery sector coupled with matching developments in the petrochemical sectors, both of which support the plastic processing sector, have facilitated the plastic processors to build capacities to service both the domestic market and the markets in the overseas. The plastic industry got a boost with the onset of the liberalization policies of the 1990’s. Despite global competition generated through lower custom duty, the Indian industry rate of 3 to 4% with 15 major raw material manufacturers and 22,000 processing units, today turnover of the plastic industry reaches up to more than Rs 25,000 crores and similarly capital investment is also touching up to Rs. 35,000 crores. Raw materials production reaches up to 3.7 million tons and consumption is nearly 3.4 million tones.
The above mentioned project will result in an investment potential of USD 8 billion (Rs.40,000 crores) in upstream cracker complexes and polymer plants and about USD 6 billion (Rs. 30,000 crores) in downstream plastic processing sector. Investment potential in synthetic fibers and fiber intermediates is estimated as USD 4 billion (Rs. 20,000 crores).
The Indian Plastic Industry has enormous opportunities in satisfying consumer needs in virtually every sector. Indian ranks 8th in the world in total plastic consumption. However, Indian per capita plastic consumption of around 4.3 kg is well below the world average of 26 kgs. India is likely to be the 3rd largest consumer of plastics after USA and China by 2010. All this makes it obvious that plastics have a great future in India. The fundamentals in terms of low per capita plastic consumption base, coupled with lower prices, will accelerate he rate of growth of plastics in India. The Indian Petrochemical sector mainly comprises of polymers, synthetic fibres, fibre intermediates and plastic processing which offers a promising scope. The industry is growing at the rate 14% annually which is more than double the growth rate of GDP of India. With the liberalization process in the 90s, the petrochemical industry was thrown open to the private sector. In fact, during the 1980s and 1990s, production of hydrocarbon increased resulting in excess availability of naptha. Many petrochemicals like plastics were perceived as cost effective and superior alternatives to conventional material. Synthetic fiber, perceived as luxury became critical to supplement cotton. Lower prices of crude oil resulted in lower prices of imported petrochemicals. As a result demand fro petrochemicals increased significantly and new capacities were set up to meet growing domestic demand.
The Indian plastic industry has been growing at the rate of 15 % and has a tremendous growth potential. Per capita plastic consumption is set to double by 2012. Export growth @ 21 %. All leading companies import from India CONSISTENT QUALITY Capable management with young and savvy entrepreneurs India caters to a diverse range of consumer demands by producing quality products at competitive prices. Today, the industry competes with the besting the world. The industry is all set to double plastic processing capacity and consumption by 2010, which will make India the third largest consumer of polymers in the world. The world today recognizes the capacities of the Indian plastics industry and the inherent talent capital. In the present global economic scenario, the Indian plastics industry attracts the business entrepreneurs from across the world for the requirements. The growth story, progressive and entrepreneur-friendly Government initiatives are indicators of building India as a developed country by 2020. The impetus provided by the economic growth during the last five years has provided tremendous opportunities for the future. 53 53 53
THE ANDHRA PRADESH GAZETTE Part-II Extraordinary Published by Authority ---------------------------------------------------------------------No. 50, HYDERABAD TUESDAY, APRIL 13,2010 ---------------------------------------------------------------------NOTIFICATIONS BY HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS, ETC.. COMMISSIONER OF LABOUR DECLARATION OF STAGGERED WEEKLY HOLIDAYS IN LIEU OF SUNDAY FACILITATING OPENING SHOPS IN HYDERABAD TWIN CITIES - EXEMPTION ACCORDED. Proc.No.Q1 12355/2009.In exercise of the powers conferred under the provisions of Section 12(1) of A.P. Shops & Establishments Act,1988, and in super cession of the earlier orders issued under the provisions of section 12(1) of the Act for the areas as mentioned in the table by the Chief Inspector of Shops & Establishment and the Commissioner of Labour, A.P. Hyderabad from time to time, I, the Chief Inspector of Shops and Establishment and the Commissioner of Labour, A.P. Hyderabad do hereby exempt all the shops located in the Hyderabad (Twin Cities) being closed on all Sundays, subject to the condition that they should observe other day as weekly holiday in lieu of Sunday, as shown against the areas mentioned in the table below. Zone Name of the Area Weekly Holiday I 1. Life Style Junction towards Begumpet, 2. Prasanthnagar, 3. Begumpet, 4. Rasoolpura, 5. Ministers Road, 6. P.G.Road, 7. S.P.Road, 8. S.D.Road, 9. M.G.Road, 10. Mahankali Temple, 11. Monda Market, 12. Secunderabad Station Road, 13. Regimental Bazar, 14. East Marredpally, 15. West Maredpally, 16, YMCA, 17. Bowenpally, 18. Patny and Paradise MONDAY II
1. Koti Junction, 2. Bank Street, 3. Abids, 4. Nampally Station Road, 5. Public Gardens Road, 6. Lakdikapul, 7. Khairatabad, 8. Yerramanjil, 9. Anandnagar Colony, 10. Punjagutta, 11. Banjara Hills, 12. Srinagar Colony, 13. Krishnanagar, 14. Jubilee Hills, 15. Film Nagar, 16. Ameerpet, 17. Satyam Theatre Road, 18. Balkampet, 19. Sanathnagar, 20. Vengalraonagar, 21. Greenlands, 22. Somajiguda, 23. Raj Bhavan Road. TUESDAY
III.
1. Holyfanta Bridge, 2. Mettugutta, 3. Lalaguda, 4. Lalapet, 5. Tarnaka, 6. Osmania University, 7. Bagh Amberpet, 8. Sri Ramana Theatre Road, 9. Che Number, 10. Shivam Road, 11. Tilaknagar, 12. Nallakunta, 13. Sankermutt Road, 14. Seethaphalmundi, 15, Namalagundu, 16. Warasiguda, 17. Parsigutta, 18. Padmaraonagar, 19. Gandhi Hospital, 20. Kawadiguda, 21. Lower Tankbund, 22. Gandhinagar, 23. Ashoknagar, Indira Park Road, 25. RTC X Roads, 26. VST Road, 27. Musheerabad, 28. Ramnagar, 29. Ramnagargundu, 30. Jamai Osmania, 31. Jamai Osmania Stn.Road, 32. Adikmet, 33. Vidyanagar. WEDNESDAY
IV.
1. New Nallakunta, 2.Baghlingampally, 3.Chikkadpally, 4.Narayanaguda, 5.Himayathnagar, 6.Adarshnagar, 7.Secretariat Road, 8.Himax Theatre, 9.Necklace Road, 10.Mint Compound Road, 11.Saifabad Junction, 12.Telephone Bhavan Road, 13.CCS Road, 14.Basheerbagh, 15.Hyderguda, 16.King Koti, 17.Barkatpura, 18.Narayanaguda-YMCA THURSDAY
V
1.Kachiguda, 2.Chaderghat, 3.Nalgonda X-Road, 4.Malakpet, 5.Dilsukhnagar-upto-Busstand, 6.Saidabad, 7.Santoshnagar, 8.Chandrayangutta, 9.Barkas, 10.Esamia Bazar, 11.Badichowdi, 12.Sultanbazar, 13.Afzalgunj, 14.Gowliguda, 15.Puranapul, 16.Pathargatti, 17.Charminar, 18.Kalikabar, 19.Falaknama, 20.Begumbazar, 21.AbidsJunctions (Towards M.M. Market), 22.Exhibition-grounds-Roads, 23.Red Hills, 24.Vijayanagar Colony, 25.Masab Tank, 26.Mehdipatnam, 27.Tolichowki, 28.Shaikpet, 29.Taramati Baramati, 30.Gudimalkapur, 31.Langer House, 32.Mallepally, 33.Ekminar, 34.Maharajgunj, 35.Karwan, 36.Chatrinaka, 37.Shalibanda. FRIDAY D. SRINIVASULU Commissioner of Labour 55 55 55
RADICALLY SIMPLE TECHNIQUE DEVELOPED TO GROW CONDUCTING POLYMER THIN FILMS ScienceDaily (Nov. 2, 2010) - Oil and water don't mix, but add in some nanofibers and all bets are off.
container while nanofibers in water were being purified with chloroform.
A team of UCLA chemists and engineers has developed a new method for coating large surfaces with nanofiber thin films that are both transparent and electrically conductive. Their method involves the vigorous agitation of water, dense oil and polymer nanofibers. After this solution is sufficiently agitated it spreads over virtually any surface, creating a film.
"What drew me in immediately was the eerie phenomenon of what appeared to be self-propelled fluid flow," said Julio M. D'Arcy, lead author on the PNAS paper and a senior graduate student in the Kaner's UCLA lab.
"The beauty of this method lies in its simplicity and versatility," said California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) researcher Richard B. Kaner, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. "The materials used are inexpensive and recyclable, the process works on virtually any substrate, it produces a uniform thin film which grows in seconds and the entire thing can be done at room temperature." Conducting polymers combine the flexibility and toughness of plastics with electrical properties. They have been proposed for applications ranging from printed electronic circuits to supercapacitors but have failed to gain widespread use because of difficulties processing them into films. "Conducting polymers have enormous potential in electronics, and because this technique works with so many substrates, it can be used in a broad spectrum of applications, including organic solar cells, light-emitting diodes, smart glass and sensors," said Yang Yang, a professor of materials science and engineering at the Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and faculty director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at the CNSI. One of the potential applications is smart, or switchable, glass that can change between states when an electric current is applied -- for example, switching between seethrough and opaque states to let light in or block it. The UCLA research group is applying the technique to other nanomaterials in addition to polymer nanofibers in the hopes of expanding the number of available applications. The team's solution-based technique, published in the peerreviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was discovered serendipitously when a 57 transparent film of polymer spread up the walls of a 57 57
"Now I can tell people that I make films in L.A.," he joked. When water and oil are mixed, a blend of droplets is formed, creating a water-oil interface that serves as an entry point for trapping polymer nanofibers at liquid-liquid interfaces. As droplets unite, a change in the concentration of blended solids at the water-oil interface leads to a difference in surface tension. Spreading up a glass wall occurs as result of an attempt to reduce the surfacetension difference. Directional fluid flow leads to a continuously conductive thin film comprised of a single monolayer of polymer nanofibers. The uniformity of the film surface is due to the particles being drawn out of the water-oil interface, sandwiched between two fluids of opposing surface tensions. Development of the technology is occurring in collaboration with Fibron Technologies Inc., with support from the National Science Foundation through a Small Business Technology Transfer grant. Fibron is a small company that has licensed the technology from UCLA. It was founded by Kaner, who serves as chief scientific adviser, and two of his former Ph.D. students -- Christina Baker and Henry Tran, who have gone on to take leadership roles in the company. Fibron's CEO, Christian Behrenbruch, said "working with UCLA to develop this technology has been a win-win. It enables us to access incredibly innovative people, but also, the NSF has helped enable the establishment of a formal and transparent IP releationship with the university. The good news is that this technology is moving rapidly into commercial development." Other techniques exist for creating thin films of conducting polymers, but each technique tends to work only a limited number of applications, or they are not feasible for scaling up. A method has long been sought which would overcome the limitations of each of the previous methods. The water and oil technique, with a bit of nanotechnology thrown in, might provide just that -- a scalable universal method for creating large thin films of conducting polymers.
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF POLYMERS: HEAT IS ON! SpecialChem
very accurately the final thermal conductivity of a large window of a building depending on the location it will be built would for sure bring architects an efficient and innovative way to cope with future CO2 emission regulations.
When looking at the previous month Click'N Vote results on the question "What is the most needed base resin for future thermally conductive masterbatch developments?" several interesting remarks can be made. And because we often talk and hear about electrical conductivity of polymers it is more than ever the time to start talking about thermal conductivity.There are already numerous thermally conductive polymers in the market but as polymer consumption is still expanding new markets and applications are foreseen. But because polymers inherently have a rather low thermal conductivity (e.g: compared to metal or glass) developing new thermally conductive polymers is a way to extend even further the use of polymers by replacing traditional materials. One usually thinks that total volume of such thermally active polymers will always remain very low compared to other polymer compounds. Well, in fact this statement is probably becoming a big mistake! Why?
Another fast growing segment where thermal conductivity would open new fields of applications to polymers is the lighting segment with the latest Light Emitting Diode (LED) systems. Thanks to a new technology that really pushed back an older one (incandescent light bulb) new needs came up and some materials that were definitely not an option in the older technology can now play their role. Opportunities are now emerging for lamp housings and holders (and all polymers here can have a fit depending on the distance they are from the light {heat} source). And if you consider the automotive lighting market segment you have already touched a good piece of the cake‌ Of course there are still opportunities in the Electrical & Electronics (E&E) industries because electricity is generating heat (Joule effect), and because the E&E parts are more than ever miniaturized, leading to very high peak temperatures inside the electrical housings. This miniaturization trend which is not over yet has allowed reaching such tiny dimensions that even traditional polymer used might soon require systematic improved thermal conductivity. Just see how much polymer volumes are consumed in the E&E sectors, and you will see even in this long-preferred market for thermally active polymers there are still many innovations and growth ahead of us.
Simply because there many new needs that came up this past decade that could make thermally active compounds a very good material solution, not to say the only polymer solution. And these needs are related to very high volume applications‌ Let's start with the trend on CO2 emission reduction. Even putting that way it could be argued that this is not a trend anymore; but already a requirement in some cases. All industries are influenced by this new need. If you take the Building & Construction sector you will hear about electricity consumption reduction, which often leads to the need for a better thermal insulation. Well you may think thermal insulation is exactly the opposite of thermal conductivity‌ but better thermal insulation of buildings is only needed when it's cold outside! In summer times you would definitely need to dissipate heat out from the building. Therefore saying "increased thermal insulation of buildings is needed" is not accurate. It all deals with improved thermal management. And you can manage heat when you can both keep it or on the contrary lose it, while keeping control of this balance.
Last but not least, as it is (too) often said, the Packaging industry is also looking at increased thermal conductivity of polymeric compounds. Again, too often considered as a large volume low cost industry the packaging industry is more than ever in need of improved margins. A good way to cope with reduced value applications (that consume the biggest share of commodity polymer volumes) is to develop innovative, higher value products which can be sold at much higher prices, leaving more room for margins. These innovative and creative new products require welladvanced technologies and higher performing materials. E.g.: thermochromic pigments incorporated into plastics or elastomers have already penetrated our kitchens to bring increased safety through an easy identification of which food is well-cooled and which one is above required conservation temperature (or on the other side of the thermal scale: where you should pay attention to before handling a pan or other hot dishes if you do not want to get burned). There are no reasons why the big packaging market could not bring future opportunities for thermally active compounds too!
But where is the promised large-volume application then! Well, we are there already: building & construction + polycarbonate (which is ranked 3rd in the above Click'N Vote results) = glazing! Can you imagine how many tons of polycarbonate, or other transparent resins like PMMA would be needed to replace traditional glass?! Of course further material improvement are still needed to significantly compete with glass, and UV and weatherability are the most often cited performances in this case. But thermal conductivity is definitely a new need if you want to cope with the even more stringent CO2 emission reduction requirements, and address tomorrow's regulations on how much energy a building could use. Being able to fine-tune 58 58 58