PRA June 2021 Issue

PRINT/DIGITAL www.plasticsandrubberasia.com

A S l A ’ S L E A D l N G m aga z l ne f o r t h e p las t l c s and r u b b e r l nd u s t r y

In this issue

Volume 36, No 260

publlshed slnce 1985

A S l A’ S L E A D l N G m aga z l ne f o r the plastlcs and rubber lndustry

Features 10 Recycling

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

In this article, German extrusion machinery firm Coperion looks at the current state of the technology involved in recycling, including technical challenges in production, and offers new solutions to raise the quality of recyclate-based compounds across the entire manufacturing process by utilising twin-screw extruders instead of single-screw extruders

Arthur Schavemaker Tel: +31 547 275005 Email: arthur@kenter.nl Associate Publisher/Executive Editor Tej Fernandez Tel: +60 3 4260 4575

14 Additives

Email: tej@plasticsandrubberasia.com

Demand for improved shelf-life, safer, more convenient and environmental friendly qualities in products is setting in motion the development of new additive compounds

Senior Editor Angelica Buan Email: gel@plasticsandrubberasia.com

17 Building Sector

Chinese Editor

The building and construction industry is adopting new circular innovations utilising plastic waste for roads, pavements, roofs, shingles and other structural parts that are required by the sector

Koh Bee Ling Circulation

21 Packaging Sector

Permits

The packaging sector looks to the utilisation of post-consumer recycled plastics, bioplastics and degradable plastics to achieve its zero-waste target

ISSN 1360-1245

Stephanie Yuen Email: stephanie@taramedia.com.my

Printer United Mission Press Sdn Bhd (Co. No: 755329-X)

Regulars

25 & 27, Jalan PBS 14/14,

2 Industry News

43300 Selangor, Malaysia.

Taman Perindustrian Bukit Serdang,

6 Materials News

is published 4 (four) times a year in English by Kenter & Co Publishers’ Representatives BV.

Supplements Latest innovations in the EV segment utilise plastics and composites to tackle the fundamental requirements for fuel efficiency and energy economy Tyre makers are bridging the supply-demand gap in rubber with new sustainable ways: from employing digital tracing of NR supply chain to using recycled and biobased materials

PRINT/DIGITAL www.plasticsandrubberasia.com

Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this publication is correct, the publisher makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the nature or accuracy of such material to the extent permitted by applicable law. © 2021 Kenter & Co Publishers’ Representatives BV No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or used in any form, or by any means, without specific prior permission from the publisher.

PRA is circulated free to trade readers in the plastics and rubber industry. Airmail subscriptions are available at US$160 within Asia and US$250 to all other countries outside Asia.

On the Cover

A S l A’ S L E A D l N G m A G A z l N E f o r thE pLAStlcS AND rubbEr lNDuStry

New techniques and process breakthroughs are transforming recycled plastic waste into sustainable concrete for road construction

Connect @ facebook.com/PRA.Malaysia

twitter.com/PRA_Malaysia

is a member of ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation)

www.plasticsandrubberasia.com www.rubberjournalasia.com www.injectionmouldingasia.com www.plasticsandrubberasia.cn

JUNE 2021

1

Industry News

M&As/Tie-ups • US packaging firm Paccor, formerly known as Coveris Rigid, has acquired Miko Pac, the packaging division of Miko NV in Belgium.

Miko Pac’s plant in Indonesia extends Paccor’s international reach to the fast growing Asian market.

• German packaging firm Constantia Flexibles has acquired Turkish packaging producer Propak, said to be complementary to Constantia Flexibles’ existing site in Turkey, Constantia ASAS, adding flexo printing capabilities and access to an adjacent market segment.

• Walki Group is to acquire a majority stake in Plasbel Plásticos S.A.U, a Spanish sustainable packaging solutions provider. In 2020 Plasbel generated annual sales of EUR80 million and employed 290 people.

• US speciality chemical firm W. R. Grace & Co. has been acquired by Standard Industries Holdings Inc., the parent company of Standard Industries, a privately held global industrial company, for US$7 billion, including Grace’s pending pharma fine chemistry acquisition.

Standard Industries’ related investment 2

JUNE 2021

platform 40 North Management is a long-standing shareholder of Grace that manufactures polyolefin catalysts for the production of PP and PE resins, as well as surface modifiers for thin polymer films.

It also licenses the Unipol gas phase PP process technology for the production of PP resins. Grace acquired the Unipol PP technology from Dow for US$500 million in 2013.

• Swiss firm Oerlikon, a provider of surface engineering, polymer processing and additive manufacturing, is to acquire Italyheadquartered INglass S.p.A. and its hot runner systems technology operating under its HRSflow business.

• Chinese governmentowned State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), which regulates companies in China, has approved the merger of Sinochem Group and China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina Group), two companies that have long been the target of merger speculation.

The move will not only minimise competition between the companies but is also expected to create the world’s largest chemicals conglomerate with

around US$150 billion in revenues.

• South Korean additives maker Songwon Industrial Co. has set up a new business entity in China, Songwon InternationalQingdao. Songwon has also divested its shareholding in the joint venture: Qingdao Long Fortune Songwon Chemical.

• Russian petchem firms Sibur and TAIF are to combine their petrochemical businesses. Existing TAIF shareholders will receive a 15% stake in PJSC Sibur Holding in exchange for the transfer of a controlling interest in TAIF’s group of petrochemical and energy companies.

The remaining stake in JSC TAIF can be subsequently purchased by the combined company.

The merger is expected to create one of the world's top five producers of polyolefin and rubber products. TAIF, located in Tatarstan, accounts for 64% and 28% of Russia's total output of rubbers and plastics respectively.

New Plants/ Capacity Expansions

• Saudi Arabia’s oil/ petchem giant Aramco and materials maker Sabic intend to transfer the marketing and sales responsibility for a number of Aramco petrochemicals and polymers products to Sabic, and the offtake and resale responsibility of a number of Sabic products to Aramco Trading Company (ATC). This is a significant step in aligning the Aramco and Sabic strategies, following Aramco’s acquisition of a 70% stake in Sabic in 2020.

• German chemical firm BASF is strengthening its innovation capabilities in Asia by breaking ground for the third phase of its Innovation Campus Shanghai and by establishing an academic sounding board as part of the Network for Asian Open Research (NAO). Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2022; by then, the total investment of BASF in Shanghai will be EUR280 million.

• Automotive company Ford is setting up a US$185 million technical centre for the development and manufacture of battery cells.

Known as Ford Ion Park, it will be sited in Southeast Michigan and open in 2022.

• Toyo Engineering Corporation is to construct an ethylene pilot plant, using waste-derived ethanol as raw material, for Sumitomo Chemical at its Chiba Works, Japan, for completion by 2022. Sumitomo has tied up with Sekisui Chemical for the implementation of the waste technology to manufacture polyolefin and will begin pilot production of the ethylene, which is the raw material for polyolefin, using waste-derived ethanol to be produced by Sekisui from 2022.

• Laser machine manufacturer Evosys has expanded its premises in Suzhou, China, and moved into its new location in the US. The aim of both branches is to be able to support international customers directly in the region.

• Sabic and German machinery firm KraussMaffei have tied up to open a thinwall packaging application centre in Näfels, Switzerland. The latter is also the site of KraussMaffei's Swiss subsidiary and manufacturer of injection moulding machines, Netstal.

• Four companies: Finnfoam, Brightplus, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Nordic Soya, are building a bioplastic plant in Finland, to produce compostable bioplastics from food and feed production side streams.

• Materials firm Repsol will build at its Puertollano industrial complex Spain's first plant for chemical recycling of PU foam, to be completed by 2022. The EUR12 million plant will be capable of processing around 2,000 tonnes/year of PU foam.

• Performance additives firm SI Group is doubling tackifier resin capacity at its Bethune, France, manufacturing site. It is also increasing tackifier resin capacity at its Lote, India, manufacturing site by 75%, with the first phase to be completed by the end of 2021 and the second phase to commercialise in late 2022.

• Constantia Flexibles’s subsidiary Constantia Copenhagen has opened its new production site in Ishøj, Denmark. Constantia is the world’s third largest producer of flexible packaging.

Industry News

• Engineering firm Maire Tecnimont’s subsidiary NextChem has been awarded a contract by Total Corbion PLA, a 50/50 joint venture between Total and Corbion, to carry out a Feed design for their 100,000-tonne/year Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) plant in Grandpuits, France. The plant, due to be operational in 2024, will be the first of its kind in Europe.

• German materials firm Covestro has started up additional production lines for its specialty films in Dormagen, Germany.

The project is part of a global programme to expand film capacity with a total investment of more than EUR100 million and was completed as planned despite restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

• US chemical firm Celanese Corporation’s Texas integrated chemical manufacturing facility will begin utilising recycled carbon dioxide (CO2) as an alternative feedstock in the production of methanol. It will be operated as Fairway Methanol, a joint venture between Celanese and Mitsui & Co. Celanese is also investing in further investments in Nanjing, China, where it will expand its vinyl

4

JUNE 2021

acetate monomer (VAM) capacity by 50,000 kilotonnes/year to 60,000 kilotonnes/ year, with a phased approach of up to 90,000 kilotonnes/ year total of additional annual production capacity expected.

Celanese is also planning for a capital efficient 10 kilotonnes/ year expansion of acetic anhydride production at its Nanjing facility.

• Ineos Styrolution, Recycling Technologies and Trinseo are to build commercial PS recycling plants in Europe. Recycling Technologies has been selected as the technology partner.

Ineos Styrolution will build its full commercial scale recycling facility in Wingles, France.

Trinseo will build its own plant in Tessenderlo, Belgium, which is expected to be operational in 2023.

Each plant aims to convert 15 kilotonnes/ year of PS waste into recycled styrene.

has been awarded a US$653 million contract to build a propane dehydration (PDH) plant in Saudi Arabia for Advanced Global Investment Co (AGC), a subsidiary of Saudi-listed Advanced Petrochemical Co. Samsung will also build utilities and offsite facilities in a project slated for completion in 2024 in Jubail Industrial City. The PDH plant will have a capacity of 843,000 tonnes/year of propylene, making it the world's largest PDH plant.

• W. R. Grace & Co has licensed its Unipol technology and its Unipol Unippac Process Control Software to Sinochem Hongrun Petrochemical Chemical’s facility, located in Shandong, China. It will start up in 2022 and will include one reactor line with the capability to produce 450 kilotonnes of PP.

• US biodegradable materials maker Danimer Scientific plans to invest US$700 million to expand its Bainbridge manufacturing operations to 2 million sq ft and nearly quadruple its workforce in Decatur County.

• CNOOC Oil & Petrochemicals Co. (CNOOC) and Shell Nanhai have started up their 50:50 joint venture, CNOOC and Shell Petrochemicals Company (CSPC), to supply the Chinese market 630,000 tonnes/year of styrene monomer and 300,000 tonnes/year of propylene oxide.

• South Korea's Samsung Engineering

• China's statecontrolled Sinopec

Engineering has been awarded an engineering and construction project

by US chemical firm ExxonMobil for its planned Huizhou petrochemical complex in Guangdong province.

The project will include a 1.6 milliontonne/year flexible feed steam cracker and downstream PE and PP plants.

• Canadian petrochemical firm Nova Chemicals Corporation says that its second Advanced Sclairtech technology (AST) unit for PE, with a capacity of 450,000 tonnes/year, is on track for start up in 2022. It adds that together with the third phase of the Corunna Cracker Expansion Project, both have each safely surpassed 65% completion.

• US’s Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV), a subsidiary of Occidental, and bio-engineering startup Cemvita Factory plan to construct and operate a 1-tonne/ month bio-ethylene pilot plant, applying a jointly developed technology using human-made carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of hydrocarbonsourced feedstocks.

• Sabic has signed a MoU with Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), a wholly owned

INDUSTRY NEWS subsidiary of Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), to help SIRC set up its first chemical recycling project in Saudi Arabia.

• PEEK materials firm Victrex is investing US$1 million in an expansion of its AITC (Asia Innovation & Technology Centre) in Shanghai.

• Switzerland-based automation specialist Beck Automation is expanding its production capacity in Portugal.

• Materials firm RadiciGroup has pumped investments of over EUR35 million by increasing

production capacity by 20,000 tonnes/year at Radici Plastics USA and Radici Plastics Mexico. In China, work has begun on the construction of a new 25,000-sq m plant that will boost production capacity by 30,000 tonnes/year, with an investment of EUR20 million in Suzhou.

• Sumika Polymer, part of Japanese group Sumitomo Chemical, has set up a subsidiary in Poland, Sumika Polymer Compounds Poland, with a new production site of 5,500 sq m for compounded PP manufacturing. It will provide 30,000 tonnes of additional capacity

for the group and will increase European production capacity to 170,000 tonnes/year.

• South Korea’s LG Chem has completed its 1,200-tonne expansion of the Yeosu CNT Plant 2.

Combined with the existing 500 tonnes, LG Chem has a total capacity of 1,700 tonnes of CNT. • Chemical firm Merck is to invest EUR20 million to expand R&D and manufacturing capabilities at its site in Shizuoka, Japan.

• Italian blow moulding machinery maker ST BlowMoulding has opened a new

subsidiary in Suzhou, China, adding on to its the production facilities in Italy, Switzerland and the service technicians already present in the US. • Thailand-based Indorama Ventures’s subsidiary Indo Rama Synthetics (India) Limited (IRSL) will spend up to US$82 million upgrading equipment and adding capacity at its manufacturing site in Nagpur, India. The plan includes a new PET resin manufacturing facility, additional balancing equipment, and a large range of specialty yarns.

> extruders > feeders > components > pneumatic conveying > complete systems

COPERION PLASTICS RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY. EFFICIENT. SUSTAINABLE. RESPONSIBLE. Discover our first-class technology solutions: + for compounding, extrusion, feeding, conveying and bulk material handling + fulfilling highest quality standards and maximum reliability

Caprion Ad not yet

Join us on the responsible path to a successful future. Benefit from our comprehensive know-how and first-class technology solutions for various plastics recycling processes. www.coperion.com/recycling

PRA_May21_Coperion_Plastics-Recycling_210x130z5mm_en.indd 1

12.04.2021 11:46:02

Materials News

Eliminating microplastics with breakthrough innovations The growing global problem of microplastics is prompting industry experts and companies to develop novel ways to banish microplastics from the environment, says Angelica Buan in this report.

Health-hazard particles up in the air It is not a typical Hollywood film effect but microplastics falling from the sk y are real – and should be taken seriously. Recent studies have shown that microplastics are no longer concentrated only in the oceans.

M i s m a n a g e d wa s t e s t h a t a r e e i t h e r l a n d f i l l e d o r entering the oceans break down into tiny pieces, and are circulated in the atmosphere.

One recent study by researcher s at Cornell and Utah State Universities says that microplastics from the oceans, roads and agricultural soils are purged into the atmosphere via mechanical processes. The airborne 2.5 micron or less in size microplastic wafts from urban areas to remote areas. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), found this plastic cycle to be similar to the biogeochemical cycles of water or nitrogen.

Inhaling contaminants is certainly bad for health, adds a study done by researchers from the Florida State

University (FSU). Published in Chemical Research in Toxicology, the study says that exposure to microplastics, even only for a few days, may disrupt the lung’s cellular function. The team led by FSU Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Amy Sang, research specialist Joan Hare, doctoral students Kerestin Goodman and Timothy Hua, and former FSU graduate student Zahraa Khamis, exposed lung cells in a petri dish to small amounts of PS, used in common disposable items.

The experiment showed that microplastics can slow down the lung cells’ metabolism and growth; as well as alter the shapes. Declustering also occurred so that gaps existed in what is typically a solid sheet of cells.

Additionally, the rapid migration of the plastics towards the nucleus resulted in the microplastic particles forming a ring around the cell’s nucleus, raising concerns that will be a focus of succeeding studies.

The findings may be helpful to under stand the effect of microplastics, particularly for indi viduals

A new study says that mismanaged plastic wastes break down into fragments, and circulate in the atmosphere

6

JUNE 2021

Materials News with respiratory disorders like lung cancer, asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), they said.

The team also added that while the experiment exposed the lung cells to common environmental levels of microplastics, they were directly exposed to the cells in a liquid solution. “The process of breathing in and out could not be mimicked and could potentially affect the amount that an individual inhales and ingests,” the researchers said.

Eliminating microplastics with microbes Researchers have found various routes in removing microplastics from the environment, from deploying microbes to seize plastic particles to filtering microplastics at source, especially from wastewater that has been found to be highly loaded with microplastics .

Amid the growing ecological threat of microplastics, a team of researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University developed a solution to trap microplastics using biofilms engineered with the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, which has been found to colonise microplastics in the environment.The sticky exopolymeric substances (EPS) biofilms aggregate the microplastics in a bioreactor, thus facilitating microplastic collection and recycling. The findings demonstrate the biofilms’ potential for use in wastewater treatment plants to prevent microplastics leaking into the oceans. The researchers also observed that the engineered biofilm showed potential application in curbing microplastics pollution in seawater samples collected from sewage pipes.

Canada's INRS developed an electro-analytical system for identifying appropriate electrodes for anodic oxidation processes

Along the same vein, experts from the Canadian Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) have developed an electrolytic treatment of wastewater that degrades microplastics at source. The research is published in the Environmental Pollution journal.

Led by Professor Patrick Drogui, the study, which tested sample water that is artificially contaminated with PS using electrolytic oxidation, found that this process can have a degradation efficiency of 89%. Importantly, the technique does not require chemicals or involve physical isolation of contaminants.

The electrodes generate hydroxyl radicals that attack microplastics, they said, adding that the technique enables degrading the particles in CO2 and water molecules. The next step for the team is to test the process on real water, which according to them contains other materials such as carbons and phosphates that can impede oxidation and affect the degradation process.

HKPU developed a solution to trap microplastics using biofilms engineered with the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, which has been found to colonise microplastics in the environment

Breakthrough processes to improve plastics biodegradabilty Compostable and biodegradable plastics have been touted as plausible solutions to plastic waste pollution. But these eco-friendly materials differ in their degradation processes. Some biodegrade slowly, while others break down into plastic fragments, or not disintegrate at all.

There are also plastics under these categories that require industrial composting. According to experts, biodegradable plastics can still be improved so that they will not generate microplastics.

JUNE 2021

7

Materials News remelting plastic to recycle it into new plastic.

Additionally, programmed degradation could be the key to recycling many objects. For example, computer circuits or electronics held together with biodegradable glue can be dissolved so that the devices fall apart and all the pieces can be reused or repurposed.

Plastic components with longer lifespan to curb microplastics Almost 23% of global energy consumption can be attributed to friction losses.

Components with reduced friction therefore represent a n i m p o rt a n t c o n t r i b u t i o n to conserving resources and achieving climate protection targets.

In the case of plastics, UC Berkeley and the UM Amherst collaborated in an Army-funded project to develop reduced friction can also an enzyme-activated compostable plastic that can break down by up to 98%, with just reduce microplastics in the heat and water, and within a few weeks environment.

Scientists at the University of California (UC), With the development of microcapsules filled with Berkeley and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, liquid lubricants for plastics, the Potsdam Fraunhofer in a project funded by the Department of Defence’s Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP and the Army Research Office, developed an enzyme-activated Plastics Center SKZ in Würzburg are supporting these compostable plastic that can break down by up to 98%, goals. Their self-lubricating plastics achieve up to 85% with just heat and water and within a few weeks. The less wear. Since March 2021, the successful research novel process involves embedding polyester-eating project has been continued for two years. enzymes in the plastic during its production.

Whether it is sliding doors, laminate, plastic gears T i n g X u , U C B e r k e l e y Pr o f e s s o r o f M a t e r i a l s or other moving components – there is a variety of Science and Engineering and senior author of the applications where materials are subject to friction. study published in Nature journal, explains that these Plastics manufacturers are therefore sometimes enzymes are protected by a simple polymer wrapping incorporating solid lubricants into plastics to reduce consisting of molecules called random heteropolymers component wear. However, there are only a relatively or RHPs that prevent the enzyme from untangling and small number of solid lubricants suitable for plastics becoming useless. processing. In contrast, there is a much wider range of W h e n e x p o s e d t o h e a t a n d wa t e r, t h e e n z y m e liquid lubricants, some of which are more effective. In discards its polymer shroud and starts gnawing the a cooperative effort, the two research institutes have plastic polymer, reducing it to its building blocks. In succeeded in encapsulating liquid lubricants in such the case of renewable material-derived polylactic acid a way that they can be incorporated into polymers (PLA), it is reduced to lactic acid, which can feed the as functional substances and later develop all the soil microbes in compost. The polymer wrapping also advantages of a liquid lubricant in the component. degrades. The process, thus, eliminates microplastics.

"We managed to incorporate Fraunhofer IAP‘s The new technology should theoretically be applicable microcapsules filled with liquid lubricant into to other types of polyester plastics, potentially allowing t h e r m o p l a s t i c s u s i n g a t w i n - s c r e w e x t r u d e r. T h e the creation of compostable plastic containers, Xu said. challenging task was to mix the microcapsules with The team is developing RHP-wrapped enzymes that thermoplastics under high temperatures without can degrade other types of polyester plastic. Xu is damaging the capsules. Only when friction occurs in the also modifying the RHPs so that the degradation can final component the capsules should break and release be programmed to stop at a specified point and not the lubricant.This allows the component to lubricate itself completely destroy the material, a useful technique for automatically,” explains Moritz Grünewald, researcher

8

JUNE 2021

SM-

Materials News in the Materials Development Group at SKZ. "Our friction and wear tests showed a reduction in wear of up to 85% on plastic-steel pairings. Thus, components last significantly longer and generate less microplastic."

Based on these results, the material system is being optimised further for potential applications.

The development is now focusing o n i m p r o v e d m e ch a n i c a l a n d t h e r m a l p r o p e rt i e s o f t h e s e l f lubricating plastics.

The additional use of reinforcing materials such as fibres is intended to make the self-lubricating plastics more mechanically stable. In the project, the researchers investigate, which type of fibre is best suited for this purpose and how the microcapsules can be optimally bonded to the plastic matrix. In Self-lubricating plastics are expected to drastically reduce component wear in the addition, the capsules are also to future, and thus microplastics from the environment be incorporated into higher-melting for companies in this regard: the wide range of liquid plastics to further widen the technical application and advanced lubricants can now be used as internal possibilities. To this end, even more stable capsule wall lubricants with on-demand release properties. materials are being developed in close cooperation The project is accompanied by a committee between the project partners. that includes companies from all sectors of the T h e r e s e a r ch e r s s a y t h a t n u m e r o u s i n q u i r i e s p l a s t i c s i n d u s t r y, l u b r i c a n t m a n u f a c t u r e r s a n d from the industry highlight the need for novel m i c r o e n c a p s u l a t o r s a n d i s a l s o o p e n t o f u rt h e r plastics with optimised friction and wear properties. partners.

Microencapsulation technology has major advantages

each detail matters for unrivalled performance Only a company who has a constant focus on the productivity of its customers thinks ahead and creates extrusion solutions that leave the rest standing.

SML specialises in the development of extrusion lines for film, sheet, coating and lamination as well as multifilament spinning lines.

Extrusion lines – engineered to perform.

SM-125_Ins_SML_210x105mm.indd 1

www.sml.at 9 JUNE 2021 27.05.21 10:12

Recycling

Increasing recycled material used in compounds while maximising quality This white paper

by German firm Coperion looks at the current state of the technology involved, including technical challenges in production, and explains why better results can be achieved in many recycling applications by using twin-screw extruders instead of single-screw extruders.

T

he plastics industry has to produce more sustainably to match the needs of end users’ changing consumption behaviour and stringent environmental legislation worldwide.

Recycling plays a key role in achieving this goal. Many plastics processing operations are facing the question of how to implement recycling on an industrial scale at the highest quality.

There are solutions that will allow the plastics industry to efficiently recycle – from pneumatically conveying the receipt of raw materials to feeding, compounding, pelletising, and conveying end products – and can increase the quality of recyclate-based compounds across the entire manufacturing process.

The fact that packaging can be recycled is still far from guaranteed. Factors ranging from product design to collection, sorting and processing ensure plastic recyclability. Many companies that want to use recycled material in processing plastic lack the necessary technical knowledge and appropriate machinery to increase the proportion of recyclates used.

This white paper provides information about the necessary prerequisites and technical procedures to increase the percentage of recycled material in products and to improve the quality of compounds made from secondary raw materials in the process.

Recyclate and quality go hand in hand Plastic waste must be easy to recycle, and the final product must also meet customer requirements. That said, the areas of greatest importance are feeding, compounding, pelletising, and conveying.

Before recyclate processing, the waste plastic is broken down, cleaned, and then separated according to type. The generated regrind and ground product can be delivered via conveying lines and feeders, together with other recipe components, to the compounding process.

Meanwhile, differentiating between primary and secondary materials is important during feeding. Like any recycling material, waste plastics are heterogeneous in size, form and bulk density.

Single-screw extruders are operated primarily using volumetric feeders, which are only suited for feeding bulk materials with consistent density; whilst twin-screw extruders are usually operated with gravimetric feeders, which operate far more precisely and, thanks to the weight signal, can react better to fluctuations in bulk density and material flow.

Moreover, their feeding performance is precisely documented.

Application determines the technology Coperion K-Tron offers weigh belt, vibratory and screw feeders, and more to provide decision makers an appropriate feeding technology solution that is technically suitable, as well as time and economically efficient in terms of investment and operation.

Weigh belt feeders are reliable, gravimetric feeders Before recyclate can be processed, the waste plastic must first that offer high precision and efficient process control. They be broken down, cleaned, and then separated according to type. can feed large volumes of bulk material and materials with From this, regrind and ground product result which then can be varying flow properties, since they weigh the bulk material delivered via conveying lines and feeders, together with other prior to discharge and actively adapt belt speed. As such, the recipe components, to the compounding process

10

JUNE 2021

Recycling Coperion K-Tron Smart Weigh Belt feeders are suited for processing recyclates with fluctuating bulk density.

Vibratory feeders are suitable for feeding smaller recyclates or flakes, or adding glass fibre into compounding processes. These maintenance-free feeders are available in various sizes with a selection of tray configurations that are appropriate for the application, and for conveying a wide range of bulk materials.

Twin-screw feeders are implemented at a later point in time along the value chain, for example, in compounding. Here, the technology distinguishes itself through the precise feeding of finer bulk materials, which is primarily suitable for additives.

The new Coperion K-Tron The high precision of the vibratory feeder is especially corresponding weighing suited for gentle gravimetric technology and precise control feeding of friable products algorithms enable additional materials to be fed precisely into the process according to the recipe, and the end product’s quality is constantly optimised.

Complete feeding systems Coperion K-Tron offers other components alongside the feeder types, including bulk solid pumps, liquid feeders and mixing stations.

In compounding, the screw melts the raw materials and mixes them. The melt is devolatilised and conveyed toward the discharge. Usually, material is fed continuously to the screw via feeders and hoppers from above.

With the general trend towards rising throughputs, however, the fact that single-screw extruders are fed volumetrically limits their processing capacity. Moreover, a problem is encountered in processing waste plastics: single-screw extruders exhibit relatively low dispersion and devolatilisation output. Depending on the available raw material, this can lead to inadequate compound quality. If the secondary feedstock is too heterogeneous, then the recyclate percentage should be reduced or 100% primary feedstock should be used.

Coperion K-Tron gravimetric feeders ensure highly precise feeding of materials into the compounding process

Recycling Twin-screw extruders Increase compound quality Coperion offers two different twin-screw extruder series: the high-end ZSK type and the STS series. For both series, feeding of additives, filler and reinforcing materials into the process section takes place using feeders.

With the extruders’ high torque and optimally adjusted process parameters, high percentages of calcium carbonate, talc, glass or natural fibres can be processed.

Homogenisation and devolatilisation take place, with markedly higher intensity than with the single-screw extruder.

Odours that may be present in the secondary raw material are effectively removed. Using the twin-screw extruder, compounds with the precise characteristic profile specified by the customer can be manufactured at a constant high level of quality.

In the same token, solutions are available If devolatilisation or deodorisation of the end product is required for safety, odour reduction or increase in quality. Be it product cleaning, heating, or cooling, Coperion can offer users all process steps under one roof.

This technology can be implemented for various applications in the manufacture of recycled plastics: for regrinding of plastics such as HDPE, PP, ABS, PS and PVC, manufacturing films, PET recycling; and upcycling of various materials, which is highly demanded by compounders.To be profitable, generated pellets must be of consistent and high quality in accordance with the specifications and quantities required.

Direct compounding of PET In packaging, growing demand for single and multi-use bottles favours PET.The twin-screw extruder’s advantages are useful in processing PET, for example, in the form of bottle flakes.

Coperion’s specialised technology enables shredded PET to be compounded directly – predrying, crystallisation and agglomeration of the recyclate are necessary only to a limited extent. This direct processing into films, fibres, or bottles increases product quality as well, results in savings in operational costs, logistics costs and energy use. This procedure has proven its value especially at very high throughputs of 500-6,000 kg/hour.

Gentle product handling Twin-screw extruders enable consistently high and defined end product quality, great flexibility, rapid recipe and colour changes. Moreover, users can profit from the machines’ wear and corrosion protection, long uptimes and high reliability, even at high throughput rates. However, the gentle processing speaks above all for the use of twin-screw extruders in PET processing.

Despite short residence times in the extruder, dispersion is very high. The Coperion machines’ high torque enables processing at low temperatures and with almost no viscosity loss. The process’s optimised devolatilisation options remove volatile components, such as monomers, oligomers and water, thus contributing to high end product quality as well.

Using Coperion twin screw extruders can achieve markedly better results and significantly increase the quality and marketability of products The Coperion ZSK Mc18 twin screw extruder, with its high torque and gentle processing, is especially well-suited for manufacturing high-quality recycling compounds

As good as new For upcycling purposes, Coperion offers solutions that combine a single-screw extruder with a twin-screw extruder.

In an initial recycling step, plasticising and filtering takes place in a single-screw extruder with a cutter compactor.

Compounding takes place immediately thereafter in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder from Coperion without cooling the melt. It is here that the recyclate’s property profile is precisely optimised as needed. Recycling plastics processors thus acquire the ability to manufacture and market high-quality pellets with specific properties for demanding applications.

Extruder assembly at Coperion's Stuttgart site

12

JUNE 2021

Pelletising Depending on the level of preparation quality, processors can be faced with high contamination by different product qualities. This can also increase strand breaks and unstable behaviour. Under certain circumstances, products to be processed may be highly abrasive. These factors can be reduced using the process optimisations described previously.

Coperion offers strand pelletising process, from drying and pelletising to screening.The operating principle corresponds fundamentally to those of other systems: cooling using water, drying, evaporation into the atmosphere, and pelletising.

Coperion offers both fully and semi-automatic strand conveying system to the pelletiser, and with the water bath replaced by a combination of a water-flooded chute and a conveyor belt.

Compared to a conventional water bath, this technology adds a higher degree of automation to the process. Moreover, the semi or fully automatic process start-up function and the strand break monitoring reduce the manpower required and increase productivity, as the process can be started more easily and broken strands are automatically rethreaded into the pelletiser. Additionally, waste is decreased and product quality is increased. Like twin-screw extruders, pelletisers are equipped with effective wear protection.

Recycling Providing additional support to recycled plastics manufacturers, strand pelletisers are equipped with adjustable cooling length and quick-change conveyor belts, enabling processing of a broad spectrum of products on one line and, when needed, quick maintenance.

Conveying In the bulk handling of recycling products, such as ground products, flakes or fibres, and in conveying ready-to-sell recyclates, there are aspects that need to meet the required standard of end product quality.

Thus, the handling of recycling products presents a challenge, based on the differing and fluctuating qualities of the materials received, as well as the often difficult-to-handle particle shapes and properties. Moreover, the discharge from containers and silos is critical when conveying ground products, flakes or fibres. Because the material tends to form bridges, the selection of the appropriate discharge device is just as critical as use of appropriate systems for upstream process stages.

Well mixed When manufacturing recyclates, homogenisation of the incoming material is important. For this The step, a mechanical MIX-A-LOT mixer such as the bulk materials Coperion Mix-A-Lot mixer from Coperion mixes individual components can be provided for compounding cost-effectively, to transform quickly, and gently at the same time batch mixing to a continuous process. Coperion’s Combiflow mixer is recommended if homogenisation of the finished product is required to achieve uniform quality.

Conveying technology influences product quality Users have a choice of various conveying processes for pneumatic transport. Coperion builds systems using both dense phase and dilute phase conveying processes. Both versions are available as vacuum and pressure conveying.

Coperion can specify, which bulk material handling method is a precise match for the recyclate to be processed. Factors that are considered include the product’s tendency toward dust and fibre formation and pipeline wear. Moreover, product-specific customer requirements are important, for example, with regard to residual dust content, as this can significantly influence product quality and machine availability.

For the pneumatic transport of saleable recyclates, Coperion offers components, partial and complete systems that are tailor-made especially for their handling. As with bulk material handling, Coperion takes into account the precise conveying properties of the granules to maintain their high product quality.

Recycling on industrial scale Coperion can cover throughputs of up to 10 tonnes/hour using its own technology and depending on the processed material. End products are implemented, among others, in the automotive industry and by packaging manufacturers, especially for the food industry application where material purity is required.

Furthermore, Coperion’s comprehensive expertise across all process stages and components ensures a seamless interplay of raw material handling via conveying, feeding, compounding, pelletising, up to conveying the finished product. Using Coperion twin-screw extruders can achieve markedly better results and significantly increase the quality and marketability of products. Processors can thus manufacture ready-to-use quality pellets on their own for high-quality applications.

Additives

Remaking plastics with new additive developments Additive specialists are on a drive to develop and improve additive compounds to bring safety, convenience and environmental benefits to the marketplace, says Angelica Buan in this article.

Antimicrobials: armour against pathogens Sanitation has been added to our list of daily routine due to the pandemic.

Nonetheless, habitually cleaning surface is not quite enough. It is, thus, not surprising that materials that provide a layer of microbial protection are getting consumer attention.

Among the recent advances in this segment is Dutch biocompatible plastics and antibacterial polymers manufacturer Parx Materials’s Saniconcentrate, a patented additive technology that reduces Covid-19 virus on plastic surfaces by up to 99% in 24 hours.

Saniconcentrate is homogenously incorporated into plastics to create an ’immune system’ inherent to the material. In particular, it works without biocides, leaching or adverse side effects, contrary to other antimicrobial technologies that have always used biocides, such as silver or copper, to destroy microorganisms. While this method may effectively destroy bacteria and viruses, it can lead to toxic substances leaching out of the material, contaminating the products or surfaces it is trying to protect, as well as contaminating the environment and making recycling a more challenging task. Moreover, bacteria and viruses tend to become resistant to biocides over time, reducing the efficacy.

According to Parx Materials, Saniconcentrate Parx Materials’s uses a trace element abundantly found in the body to prevent bacteria and viruses Saniconcentrate is a patented additive from adhering to surfaces, technology that reduces causing them to run through Covid-19 virus on plastic their usual lifecycle and die surfaces by up to 99% in within hours. Because of this, 24 hours it is biocompatible, safe and its applications are limitless, adds Parx. It is currently in use in major supermarkets and has shown results in medical trials.

Similarly, US-domiciled resin manufacturing company Avient Corporation offers antimicrobial solutions demonstrating high efficacy against bacterial growth.

It recently launched three proprietary thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) formulations that contain antimicrobial additives, adding to its GLS TPE range. Tested in accordance with JIS Z2801 and ASTM G21-15 standards, these additives protect moulded plastic parts by inhibiting bacterial growth by 99.9% or more, and resisting fungal and mould growth. Additionally, GLS TPEs with antimicrobial additives can also help extend Avient has launched three proprietary TPE formulations that a product’s useful life, preserve its surface integrity, and contain antimicrobial additives increase its durability, adds Avient.

14

JUNE 2021

Additives Aside from causing odour issues, the microorganisms can cause detrimental aesthetic and mechanical property changes to a finished plastic part, Avient said. High-touch surfaces and applications are especially vulnerable.

The GLS TPEs with antimicrobial additives, available as Versaflex and OnFlex grades, have potential applications in consumer electronics, personal care item grips, and automotive parts such as cup holder mats and HVAC seals.

Advancing recycling efficiency for coloured plastics and PS The issue with plastics being environmental nuisance has been around for ages because plastics, by design, were not recyclable. The need to recycle plastics, however, has gained momentum in view of its role in climate change.

Recycling technologies have improved alongside the capability to sort materials in the recycling stream.

Infrared (IR) and near infrared (NIR) sorting technologies used in material recycling facilities (MRFs) have also gotten better to increase throughput rates.

Newer recycling systems are likewise addressing the challenge of recycling hard to recycled plastics like PVC, PP and LDPE; sorting through wastes mixed with contaminated plastics; or properly identify and accurately sorting black or dark coloured plastics.

For instance, carbon black absorbs the light emitted from the IR devices and also prevents the successful identification of the type of plastic. These unsorted black plastic products are rejected and, in most cases, end up in landfills.

US-headquartered additives masterbatch supplier Chroma Color offers a carbon black alternative that allows the MRF sorter to accurately and repeatedly identify and sort the plastic articles.

Chroma Color’s IR reflecting black technology, the NIR Black, is based upon a family of complex inorganic pigments (sometimes referred to as mixed metal oxides).

The NIR Black is inert, heat stable and non-migratory; and can be used in a variety of polymers. The FDA-approved technology is available in a variety of resins that include the most common packaging resins like PP, PE, PS, ABS and PET.

Chroma Color’s IR reflecting black technology, the NIR Black allows the MRF sorter to identify and sort plastic articles

Trinseo's dissolution technology preserves the molecular structure of the recyclate

In a related development, Trinseo, a manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, has recently commercialised its recycled polystyrene (PS) from dissolution technology and is offering a new material, namely, Styron CO2RE 687DI30. This is the first of a series of recycled PS products that Trinseo intends to launch under the Styron CO2RE brand in the coming years.

Dissolution of PS preserves the molecular structure of the recyclate.

PS is slow to biodegrade and often, if not totally, rejected by recyclers due to its density and, if used as food packaging, its contamination.

With Trinseo’s material/recycling method, postconsumer recycled (PCR) material is dissolved in a solvent followed by a series of purification steps to separate the polymer from additives and contaminants.

The material is fed into a polymerisation reactor train, resulting in a PS polymer with 30% PCR content for use in applications such as consumer electronics, packaging, and food contact materials if a functional barrier is present to ensure compliance.

Meanwhile, Trinseo also engages in depolymerisation with technology provided by UK-based mixed plastic recycling solution provider Recycling Technologies.

Trinseo’s planned dedicated plant at its Tessenderlo, Belgium, site will be one of two PS recycling plants in Europe estimated to add a total of 30,000 tonnes of PS feedstock into the European market.

Oxygen scavengers: value adding rPET Growing demand for longer and better shelf-life and improved safety in products in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, energy, oil and gas, chemical, and paper industries is boosting the market for functional oxygen scavenger additives.

The food and beverage segment accounts for the largest share in the oxygen scavenger market, especially since safety and quality of food products are predominant concerns of consumers. Oxygen scavengers in packaging for food and drinks help maintain the quality, efficacy and freshness of the products for an optimum period. The benefits derived, in a larger perspective, reduces food wastage, which is a global concern.

JUNE 2021

15

Additives Meanwhile, the call for reducing plastic use and increasing recycled content in packaging and products confront the issue of safety: are recycled materials safe enough for food-contact applications? Another latest additive offering from Avient tackles this important area.

The new ColorMatrix Amosorb 4020R, a non-nyloncontaining oxygen scavenger additive, is specifically formulated to enable the use of fully recycled PET (rPET) content. This new additive joins the Avient portfolio of ColorMatrix additives that enable improved recycling for plastic packaging.

According to Avient, the Amosorb 4020R delivers full, consistent oxygen scavenging performance with 25%, 50%, and 100% rPET content. This new solution also improves the aesthetics of recycled packaging in terms of haze and colour, including a reduction in the yellowing effect that may occur during recycling.

Additionally, during recycling, aesthetics and oxygen scavenging performance can be affected.

Amosorb 4020R has been formulated to address this performance issue, making for high-quality recycled packaging, says Avient.

Preventing scuffs and scratches in PET products PET bottles undergo a laborious quality check before reaching end users. Foremost, they must be safe for use and of high quality. Therefore, the plastics used for these bottles must possess the desired properties, including transparency, gloss, thickness, resistance to breakages and scratches, and more.

New York-based masterbatch producer Ampacet offers two additives, the latest addition to its ScratchShield line, to protect plastic products against scratch and abrasion without impacting gloss or mechanical properties of the resin.

The new additives are said to minimise the appearance of scuffs and scratches in preforms, bottles and a range of PET packaging without the need to apply a surface coating. They are also said to significantly improve the demoulding of preforms, while offering protection from guiderails and conveyor systems in the manufacturing process.

ScratchShield also helps converters to reduce scrap, the need to regrind scratched bottles and cleanup associated with lubricant sprays, Ampacet adds.

This additive can be applied to alcoholic beverages (low alcohol), automotive products, cleaning products, lotions, juices and soft drinks, pet care products and water cooler bottles Used to enhance PP, ABS, PET, PE, clear PS, and HDPE materials ScratchShield has been tested to reduce scuffs at load forces up to 100N; and at forces lower than 25N, scuffs were virtually eliminated in bottle-to-bottle scuff tests, claims Ampacet.

Halogen-free FRs with improvements Plastics, textiles, foams, coatings and virtually all commonly used materials are flammable or susceptible to fire. Non-halogenated flame retardants

16

JUNE 2021

(FRs) are additives added to these materials to retard fire and produce less heat and widely used in transportation, electrical, and construction industries and high-end applications.

A leading player in this arena, American chemicals company Teknor Apex offers four new Halguard lowsmoke FR jacketing compounds. The compounds include new-generation EVA-based products with an enhanced balance of properties, and flexible TPE-based products that exhibit oil and sunlight resistance.

The assessment of halogen content was conducted in accordance with UL 2885 standard for the presence of fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine at a maximum individual limit of 1,000 ppm.

The EVA-based compounds’ Halguard grades 58240 and 58242 provide flame retardance, resistance to heat shock and heat deformation, and ease of processing, the latter translating to increased throughput. The compounds enable cables to comply with UL 1685-FT4/IEEE 1202 standards for vertical tray cable and the UL 1666 standard for riser cable.

Other applications include fibre optic data cables and cables used in transit infrastructure, as in the case of tunnels.

Meanwhile, the TPE-based compounds, incorporating elastomers, comply with UL 62 and UL 758 standards for flexible cord and appliance wire, respectively. Halguard E 59001 exhibits 80% and 90% retention of tensile strength and elongation at break, respectively, upon immersion in IRM 902 oil for seven days at 60°C. Halguard E 59002 retains 90% and 95% of tensile strength and elongation at break upon exposure for 720 hours in a weatherometer.

With the four new grades, there are now 15 Halguard low-smoke, halogen-free (LS-HFFR) compounds with UL AATJ2 component recognition as halogen-free, adds Teknor Apex.

UL recently recognised Teknor Apex's four new Halguard low-smoke FR jacketing compounds as non-halogen

Building Sector

Building up an ecological balancing act New circular innovations are turning waste materials into new concrete material, roofing and other construction products, adds Angelica Buan in this article.

On the road to sustainability The building and construction industry is a major economic growth engine, and also among the largest consumers of energy, accounting for over a third of global energy consumption. It is also material-intensive, accounting for about half of the total use of raw materials. Plus, it accounts for almost 40% of total direct and indirect carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The growing global population, which a United Nations data predicts to breach 9.7 billion by 2050, is whetting the industry’s expansion.

Thus, reducing the environmental footprint of the industry is imperative – the sooner, the better.

With industries adopting the circular system whereby resources are retained and reused, the building and construction industry is also turning its attention to sustainability. Companies are beefing up their portfolios with products that are recycled or upcycled; and contain recycled, renewable, or sustainably-sourced materials.

Building blocks to sustainability Green concrete, made with recycled or waste materials, is gaining traction among builders and developers that follow sustainability trends and global environmental policies. The global green concrete market is projected to post a CAGR of 9.45% over seven years from 2020, according to a report by Market Research Future. It is driven by the demand for economically viable solutions and sustainable building materials in the construction sector and a compliance with green building laws.

Despite the perceived increased use of green concrete, is it on par with conventional concrete in terms of strength and durability?

This burning question is addressed in a study carried out by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan’s School of Engineering, using recycled and conventional concrete in a building foundation and municipal sidewalk – two common applications for concrete.

During the five-year study period, UBC researchers tested the compressive strength and durability of recycled concrete with the conventional form. It was found that the recycled concrete had a higher rate of compressive strength after 28 days of curing while maintaining a greater or equal strength.

Crushed concrete replaced natural aggregate in the study’s recycled material. Recycled concrete is not widely recognised by international standards owing to its high porosity, a lack of reliably consistent sources, and a lack of field studies. But as a result of this study, funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), OK Builders Supplies and KonKast Products, researchers said recycled concrete could be a 100% Researchers at UBC Okanagan, led by Shahria Alam, co-director substitute for non-structural applications, and could of UBC’s Green Construction Research used recycled and start being a substitute for structural applications with conventional concrete in a building foundation and municipal sidewalk improvements in the composition of recycled concrete.

JUNE 2021

17

Building Sector RMIT then worked with the industry to include Polyrok, a plastic aggregate made from soft plastics developed by Replas, in the concreting of the car park of a Coles’s supermarket and a footpath. RMIT teamed up with Replas, RED Group and SR Engineering to develop the mix methodology and material characteristics for the Polyrok material.

With the partnership, the group has diverted around 1 billion pieces of flexible plastic waste from landfills.

There is the potential for 105,000 tonnes/year of soft flexible plastics to be converted into the dense plastic aggregate in a local factory in Melbourne, RMIT said, adding that it is looking to explore 3D printing to produce sustainable concrete structures in the future.

Ayala Land has converted about 2.8 million plastic water bottles collected from its properties and communities into green construction products

Recycled concrete has found real world applications. In the Philippines, Manila-based real estate firm Ayala Land Inc (ALI) has converted plastic wastes into green construction products. As part of its circular waste management initiative, the company has recycled an estimated 28 tonnes of plastic waste from about 2.8 million plastic water bottles collected from its properties and communities and produced bricks to be used for pathways, sidewalks and fences for its estate developments.

ALI collaborated with Bulacan-based sustainable solutions provider Green Antz Builders, which upcycled the dry plastic waste into sustainable concrete or eco-bricks using its proprietary technology.

Green Antz’s system mixes the shredded plastic, usually non-recyclable laminates, with cement and additives to form bricks, pavers and casts. The ecobricks are said to be five times stronger than regular hollow blocks. Green Antz has collaborated with other major Philippine companies to provide eco-bricks for their construction requirements, which has led to converting thousands of waste plastic into eco-bricks.

Over in Australia, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) has conducted a research on converting flexible plastic into concrete. Partnering with Victoria-based recycling organisations, Replas, RED Group and SR Engineering, it developed a concrete material made from lightweight recycled plastic.

Melbourne-based consulting and recycling organisation RED Group is responsible for Australia’s REDcycle initiative to recover postconsumer soft plastic. According to RMIT, Australians turn over 1.3 million pieces/day of soft flexible plastic, like cling wraps and plastic bags that are difficult plastics to recycle, to REDCycle recycling bins.

18

JUNE 2021

RMIT worked with Replas, RED Group, and SR Engineering to develop a concrete material made from lightweight recycled plastic, and were able to divert 1 billion pieces of flexible plastic waste from landfills

Where plastics meet the road Recycled plastic wastes are viable alternative materials for road construction because of the cost saving advantages. Utilising recycled materials in construction applications, such as in asphalt, can conserve natural resources as well as create opportunities for innovative environmental friendly materials and technologies.

The asphalt industry, being a leader in recycling and sustainability, has been looking for ways to use these waste materials in roadways. As with any experimental material in roads, the proper testing needs to be done to ensure the process would result in long-lasting and high-performing roadways.

A project by US-headquartered Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) and the National Centre for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) affirm that recycled materials using waste plastics are viable in asphalt formulation. Its New End Market Opportunities (NEMO) for Film Asphalt Project focused on recycled polyethylene (rPE) film recovered from retail locations asserts that can provide the same benefits as that of traditional polymer-modified asphalt formulations.

Extensive testing shows that the benefits from rPE asphalt formulation include improved performance, decreased cost, and increased lifespan of asphalt.

Building Sector PLASTICS and NCAT embarked on the NEMO project that focused on rPE film recovered from retail locations. They found that the material had the same advantages as the traditional mix of polymer-modified asphalt

Research shows that even in small amounts, like Shiny Meadow to repurpose plastic milk bottles, rPE could improve properties such as stiffness and Dow presented a solution where such hard-to-recycle resistance, without cracking due to low temperature plastic is collected and used. By doing so, plastic waste or fatigue. With the right blend of rPE and a reactive is kept out of the environment, and the reduction in co-polymer additive, new asphalt formulations match the use of bitumen as well as the potential service life the effectiveness of traditional styrene-butadieneextension of the roads will in turn reduce greenhouse styrene block copolymer (SBS) at lower cost. gas emissions and energy consumption, adds Dow. PLASTICS has been advancing research on the Dow has already embarked on a few recycled plastic potential of consumer recycled PE films as polymer projects, previously tapped for recycled plastic roads additives in asphalt binder. Together with NCAT, the in Depok City, Indonesia, in 2017; and a collaboration team has conducted a battery of tests using federal with India’s KK Plastic Waste Management, Rudra and state transportation standards, a necessary step Environmental Solutions and two local governments before large-scale implementation across the US. to implement plastic-roads in the cities of Pune and Based on successful lab-scale research on the Bangalore. A recent project is a collaboration with latest rPE formula, PLASTICS says it is now working Thailand’s Siam Cement Group to improve asphalt with several companies to use it on privately-funded roads with plastic in Thailand. roadways and parking lots.

In the same token, a partnership between American chemical company Dow and China’s dairy brand Shiny Meadow is converting used milk bottles and recycled plastic into what is claimed as China’s firstever plastic road.

The “Milk Bottle Road” collaboration was launched in April this year at the East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) Xuhui Campus. The project utilised Dow’s Elvaloy RET asphalt modification technology, whereby more than 6,000 used milk bottles and other plastic wastes were used to pave the polymer-modified asphalt (PMA) road. Accordingly, PMA roads demonstrate excellent performance and durability as compared to conventional neat asphalt.

Although milk bottles are easily recycled, recyclers avoid taking in such waste due to Dow and Shiny Meadow partnered to convert used milk bottles and the high rate of contamination caused by recycled plastic into China’s first-ever plastic road, utilising Dow’s Elvaloy RET asphalt modification technology leftover milk residue. To help dairy brands JUNE 2021

19

Building Sector

Kraft Heinz’s pilot project demonstrates the use of roof board made from recycled flexible packaging

Raising the roof with recycled materials Not surprisingly, the advantages of plastics, such as durability, tensile strength, cost-effectiveness and flexibility, even in recycled form, are still inherent when applied to construction. So, recycled plastics as roof? Why not!

Kraft Heinz, a US-based multinational food company, has shown the viability of recycled plastic roofing with its new project.

The company’s pilot project demonstrates the use of roof board made from recycled flexible packaging, which Kraft Heinz uses across its product portfolio.

The test was made possible by the company’s participation in Materials Recovery For the Future (MRFF), a non-profit organisation that lays the groundwork for the future of recycling flexible plastic packaging. The project installed roofing material made from post-consumer flexible plastic in two Kraft Heinz manufacturing plants in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and in Holland, Michigan. The recycled roofing materials, which were installed in late 2020, comprised 4’ X 8’ boards. Each board has 94% postconsumer recycled plastic and fibre.

According to Kraft Heinz, the pilot project will be monitored and compared with standard building materials. It added that it will consider standardising use of this recycled material in the future, if the recycled materials will show to perform as well or better than standard building materials.

Similarly, GAF, North America’s largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, has unveiled a new patented shingle recycling process that has successfully produced the industry’s first asphalt roofing shingles containing recycled material from post-consumer and post-manufacture waste shingles.

GAF said that the new shingle recycling process reduces the amount of raw materials required to make new shingles without compromising product quality or performance. During its successful tests, over 90% of the waste shingle material, by weight,

20

JUNE 2021

was recovered and to be reused in the manufacture of new shingles. GAF also demonstrated its ability to manufacture new shingles containing up to 15% recycled material that were UL-certified for their safety and effectiveness. The new shingle recycling process is covered by three US patents.

GAF is investing more than US$100 million to bring the recycling process to commercial scale, including the development of a pilot operation in 2021 that will enable additional

R&D on the process.

According to GAF, the technology ushers in a future where homeowners are able to replace roofing with high-quality and affordable shingles made with recycled asphalt.

Further down the line, new technologies are being developed to increase the recovery and use of waste plastics and other scrap materials for sustainable applications in construction.

GAF’s new patented shingle recycling process has produced the industry’s first asphalt roofing shingles containing recycled material from waste shingles

Packaging Sector

A zero-waste future with sustainable packaging The food packaging sector is stacking up to growing market demand for sustainable solutions and the global carbon neutral goals, adds Angelica Buan in this report.

S

ustainable packaging answers three essential issues of our time: human health and safety, climate change and conservation of natural resources. Moreover, packaging innovation has shifted focus from mainly the product to both the product and the packaging. Packaging has to be safe, durable, visually appealing and environmental friendly.

On the other hand, plastic packaging has been vilified due to its purported contribution to waste pollution and carbon emissions, as highlighted in a 2019 report by the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL). It suggests that petroleum-based plastic lifecycle accounts for a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The methods of disposing common plastics, either by landfilling, incinerating, or recycling, also have carbon footprints. Carbon emissions from plastics in 2015 amounted to almost 1.8 billion tonnes of CO2. By 2050, it has projected the amount of GHG emissions from plastics to reach 56 gigatonnes.

By this context, packaging that make use of fewer plastics and more of recycled materials; is recyclable or degradable and makes use of renewable resources and low-impact processes to produce can have a significant impact to curbing GHG levels. Thus, the packaging industry’s pivot to sustainable packaging will help to accelerate achieving a global carbon-neutral economy by 2050.

Consumers are salient to green packaging growth The growing eco-awareness among consumers is also creating a profitable market for sustainable packaging. According to a 2020 green report by European metal packaging producer Trivium Packaging, undertaken by Boston Consulting Group, more than half of 15,620 consumers surveyed across the US, South America and Europe are taking packaging sustainability seriously. It is at the fore of their purchase decisions, the study revealed, adding that a majority of consumers are willing to pay extra for sustainable packaging.

In other words, sustainable packaging sells and the growing consumer demand for environmentalfriendly materials and products, especially ones that are recyclable, reusable, and degradable, are a main growth driver.

Thus, sustainable packaging is surging with research group Grand View Research expecting the value of the global green packaging market to reach nearly U$414 billion by 2027.

Compostable materials to meet sustainable packaging demand Against the back of the growth of sustainable packaging, consumer goods and food and beverage sectors are switching to compostable materials for their packaging.

US-headquartered bioplastics producer of Ingeo PLA biopolymers, NatureWorks, in a recent partnership with Italian coffee handling and packaging company IMA Coffee, is expanding the market for its K-Cup compostable single-serve coffee pods in North America. The coffee pods and their components, including the film lidding and non-woven filters, are made from NatureWorks’ s 100% compostable Ingeo PLA.

NatureWorks and IMA Coffee have jointly expanded the market for K-Cup compostable singleserve coffee pods in North America

NatureWorks intoned that single-serve coffee capsules are convenient, but consumers are put off by the packaging waste associated with a capsule.

Compostable capsules, therefore, not only address consumer concerns on packaging waste but also recover the used coffee grounds, enabling their processing at a compost facility where they deliver valuable nutrients to the final compost, it said.

JUNE 2021

21

Packaging Sector

TerraVerdae’s PHA biopolymer technology can be used in a wide range of applications in the agri-food, packaging, personal care, forestry, coatings, adhesives and associated markets

Similarly, Canadian performance bioplastics company TerraVerdae Bioworks has launched a new line of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based resins for customer evaluations. Available in three versions for blown/cast films, injection moulding and thermoforming, these new resin formulations are not just biobased and biodegradable, but also have the performance properties for customers.

TerraVerdae’s PHA biopolymer technology can be used in a wide range of applications in the agri-food, packaging, personal care, forestry, coatings, adhesives and associated markets.

Meanwhile, New York-sited chemistry technology company Novomer has developed what it calls the industry’s lowest-cost polymerisation process to make compostable plastics.

Rinnovo, a PHA polymer, is synthesised from lactone monomers through Novomer’s proprietary catalyst system in high yields and high selectivity from readily available, cheap, sustainable feedstocks.

The compostable material, proven at demonstration scale, is produced in sample quantities at Novomer’s Innovation Centre and Novomer says it will start the construction of an 80,000-tonne facility in 2022.

Brands cutting down on plastic with rPET Due to the growing demand for environmentallyfriendly packaging, manufacturers are adapting by using less plastics and developing thinner and lighter packaging. Brands, at their end, are reducing their plastic content in packaging.

22

JUNE 2021

For example, the PET widely used for food packaging and beverage bottles is now being replaced by recycled PET (rPET).

A 2017-published study by denkstatt GmbH for PET Recycling Team GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Austrian plastic packaging producer Alpla, calculated the footprint of rPET and found that it has 79% lower carbon emissions compared to virgin material. Alpla has recently launched a reusable PET bottle for mineral water, called Pearl Bottle, for German purchasing cooperative Genossenschaft Deutscher Brunnen (GDB).

Plus, in a life cycle assessment of PET and glass mineral water bottles in Germany in 2019, Alpla found that the higher the proportion of recyclates in PET bottles, the lower the environmental impact of the packaging; and the lower the packaging weight (as per its filling volume). Compared to reusable glass bottles, reusable PET bottles perform better, Alpla said.

Elsewhere, major soft drink brands Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are also increasing the use of recycled content in their PET bottles.

Coca-Cola has rolled out the latest full rPET bottles for some of its Coke brands in North America

Coca-Cola, which aims to make all its packaging recyclable by 2025, says it intends to use at least 50% recycled material in its packaging by 2030.

Recently, the company has rolled out 13.2oz fully rPET bottles for some of its Coke brands in certain American states. The company says it will also be launching its other beverage brands repackaged in 100% rPET bottles.

Similarly, PepsiCo has also pledged to transition to using rPET bottles with a forecast of saving up to 70,000 tonnes/year of virgin plastics, and reducing per bottle carbon emissions by 40%.

By 2022, it says it will package its beverage brands in 100% rPET bottles for nine markets in Europe.

Packaging Sector Opportunities for PCR in food containers The growing lack-lustre appeal of fuel-based, hardto-degrade plastic has augured well for the postconsumer recycled (PCR) plastic market, projected to reach US$18.8 billion by 2025, according to a Markets and Markets report.

However, the PCR market has had birthing pains considering that recycled materials raise the issue of safety, especially for food-contact materials.

Regulatory bodies are stepping in, like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to make sure that products using PCRs follow the strictest safety protocols. As well, Europe has a few food-contact safety standards in place.

Swiss multinational food and beverage company Nestlé has embarked on a 100% recyclable/reusable packaging goal by 2025 with sustainable packaging innovations. In 2020, the company announced investing up to CHF2 billion to transition to recycled plastics and sourcing up to 2 million tonnes of foodgrade recycled plastics. The company says it will be supporting start-up companies focusing on recycled food-grade plastic solutions with a CHF250 million fund.

Another recent development in this area is the recycled packaging solution born out of a collaboration between European packaging firm Coveris and UK-based stone fruit producer Berry Gardens.

Berry Gardens and Coveris launched a new printed lidding film containing over 30% post-consumer recyclate (PCR)

The partners launched the first-to-market, foodsafe printed lidding film that contains over 30% PCR. The film is sealed on the existing rPET punnets used for Berry Garden’s fresh fruit range. The film is said to eliminate up to 53,000 kg of virgin plastics/year from the supply chain.

Along the same vein, German sustainable packaging specialist Paccor has fused the benefits of paper and plastic in its DuoSmart packaging solution.

Paccor's new addition to its DuoSmart packaging solution features 50% less plastic compared to standard injectionmoulded packaging, with ease of recyclability

It boasts 50% less plastic compared to standard injection-moulded packaging, with ease of recyclability. For example the RecycleDuo, a new addition to DuoSmart, does not require glue and thus allows parts like the plastic inlet and the cardboard segment to be separated easily, improving recyclability.

Bioplastics: pro-environment or ecological risk?

Bioplastics have a wide range of applications in packaging and single-use containers and cutleries.

Here, two types of bioplastics: PLA and PHA are the current focus of research. Other new developments include utilising the most unlikely source of raw materials, such as wood, to make bioplastic.

Recently, the UK’s Yale School of Environment and Bath University have each come up with their own bioplastic innovations using sugar from wood byproducts.

A research team led by Yale Assistant Professor Yuan Yao and University of Maryland Professor Liangbing Hu created a bioplastic by processing wood residue, usually discarded from lumber mills, into a material that in the final result is said to present high mechanical strength, stability for containing liquids, and UV-light resistance. Furthermore, the material is recyclable, biodegradable, and has a lower life-cycle environmental impact than conventional plastics and other biodegradable plastics. The material can also be moulded into a film that can be applied to making plastic bags and packaging, they said.

Yale School of Environment and Bath University created a bioplastic from wood byproducts

JUNE 2021

23

Packaging Sector Similarly, scientists from UK’s University of Bath’s Centre for Sustainable and Circular Technologies created a plastic using xylose, a sugar derived from wood, for packaging.

Xylose, as they explained, occurs in two forms, the D and L. The D-xylose sugar is popularly used for sweeteners in food and beverage. The new polymer uses the D-xylose, and the researchers are combining it with the L-xylose to make a stronger polymer.

While natural feedstock is renewable, its use in bioplastics production elicited polemical response regarding its sustainability. The ecological impact of wood-derived plastics for example, is currently being threshed out by their proponents.

In the same manner, production of food-based bioplastics has raised questions about the source of the raw materials, including whether the crops are genetically modified, with some quizzing the ethicality of the process; or the competition with food crops available for human consumption.

Algae, a gamechanger in bioplastics development Other materials, on the other hand, are also being tapped as viable basis for bioplastics. Algae, given that it is abundant and inexpensive to cultivate is eyed as a promising feedstock.

India's National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) researchers have developed a biodegradable bioplastic film utilising the Kappaphycus alvarezii red algae and plasticiser polyethylene glycol (PEG)-3000 to achieve high

tensile strength. The films exhibit comparable physical and mechanical properties provided by conventional plastics used for packaging and shopping bags, yet can degrade in the environment within a short time span without toxic residues.

Meanwhile, another group of experts from India, in collaboration with Russian scientists, developed three films composed of seaweed biopolymer sodium alginate for food packaging.

The films are edible and recyclable and dissolve up to 90% in water and within 24 hours.

The study co-author, Professor Grigory Zyryanov from Russia’s Ural Federal University, said that adding natural antiviral ingredients such as garlic, turmeric, or ginger can improve the properties of the films.

Elsewhere, a group of Canadian researchers are developing biodegradable PU with waste fish parts. The team, led by Professor Francesca Kerton from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, extracted oil from the remains of Atlantic salmon. The idea to use fish waste stemmed from the fact that the team previously developed a polymer based on soybean oil. But the food security consideration of using crops that compete with food for human consumption made them look for other oil sources.

That being said, the food packaging industry is mindfully exploring sustainable solutions to reduce carbon emissions, without burdening the environment further.

India's NIOT developed a biodegradable bioplastic film utilising red algae and plasticiser PEG-3000

24

JUNE 2021

Injection Moulding Asia Automotive Industry

Plastics hit the ground running in the EV evolution In transportation, electric vehicles

increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. It is envisaged that by 2030, the adoption target of between 145 million and 230 million or more EVs (but excluding two/three-wheelers) will be achieved.

The drive to increase the adoption of EVs, made possible by fiscal incentives, has produced positive results. The year 2020 has witnessed 3 million new registrations of EVs – a 41% increase against 2019, led by Europe registering 1.4 million EVs, according to the 2021 IEA Global Electric Vehicle Outlook.

The report has indicated bright prospects ahead for the EV industry. During 2021, the report cited sales growth increasing by around 140% compared to the same period in 2020. The growth is represented by 500,000 sales in China and an estimated 450,000 vehicle sales in Europe. The US vehicle sales more than doubled during this year’s audit, compared to the first-quarter 2020 sales.

This growth trajectory is deemed to continue as advances in battery technologies and mass manufacturing are to lower the cost of EVs, the report said.

(EVs) are a key to countries around the world achieving climate goals. But the

heavyweight EVs are turning to plastics

and composites to reducing the weight and

meeting sustainability goals, says Angelica Buan in this article.

EV sales on a high Major industries are recovering from the cataclysmic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. But this is likely not the case with electric vehicles (EVs). Peddling to the concept of contributing to reductions in carbon emissions, sales have soared for EVs, even in the wake of the pandemic crisis.

To wit, global sales for EVs have increased since 2020 and are projected to grow further as governments double up their support to global sustainable development goals, moored to keeping the global average temperature to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and limiting the temperature

Plastics at the helm of under-the-hood applications Demand for EVs is increasing as eco-awareness grows. Nonetheless, EVs are a work in progress, from reducing the weight to scaling down size since a lighter vehicle consumes less energy, is more fuel efficient and runs longer.

For this reason, OEMs and their suppliers rely on plastics and composite materials to produce lighter weight cars and parts as well as provide properties that meet the performance requirement for EVs.

In this area, Belgian chemical company Solvay recently launched Amodel Supreme PPA, a new line of polyphthalamide compounds. The PPAs are said to exhibit stiffness and toughness to replace metal in traditional and structural applications such

Solvay recently launched Amodel Supreme PPA, a newhas line of Vonco increased polyphthalamide compounds. The PPAs are said toofexhibit stiffness capacity its biohazard and toughness to replace metal in traditional and structural bags applications

In 2021, IEA reported sales growth, increasing by around 140% compared to the same period in 2020. This is to continue as battery advances lower EV costs

1 JUNE 2021

www.injectionmouldingasia.com

Injection Moulding Asia Automotive Industry as clutch cylinders, shift forks and body in white.

Other applications range from high-temperature automotive components used in electric drive units including e-motors, power electronics, housings for high-temperature electrical connectors, electric/ electronic devices and telecommunication equipment components.

Solvay says the PPA features the industry’s highest glass transition temperature (Tg) of 165°C, which enables higher mechanical performance compared with traditional PA4T and PA6T-based materials at elevated temperatures. There is also a greater Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion (CLTE) match to metals that allows for ease in designing over-moulded components.

In addition to thermo-mechanical performance, Amodel Supreme PPA features improved electrical properties, including volume resistivity and dielectric strength above 150°C. These materials also maintain critical electrical properties, like comparative tracking index (CTI), after exposure to high temperatures over time. The compounds were designed to ensure hydrolytic stability against new EV cooling fluids.

Similarly offering new material solutions for heat-resistance, chemical manufacturer Sabic has introduced a 5-micron Elcres HTV150 dielectric film for high-temperature, high-voltage and professionalgrade capacitor applications, such as traction inverters for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery EVs.

high voltage stability at high temperatures, which an internal testing done showed it having a lifespan of 2,000 hours at 500V and 150°C; low dielectric loss at high frequency and ability to self-heal to avoid catastrophic failure.

Composites for lighter EV batteries Up to this day, electric cars still come at a hefty price tag, and the battery is one reason for that. The battery is the EV’s life line: it stores energy, powers the car and is responsible for its range. It also takes up space and accounts for the largest share in weight of an EV.

What to make of a bulky, pricey, heavy battery?

These are considerations being tackled by a consortium of companies comprising Evonik, Forward Engineering, Lion Smart, Lorenz Kunststofftechnik, and Vestaro. The group has developed a brandindependent, cost-effective battery concept for EVs that has a lightweight construction.

SABIC, in collaboration with Shin-Etsu Polymer, produced 5-micron Elcres HTV150 dielectric film that features high-heat performance up to 150°C for hightemperature, high-voltage and professionalgrade capacitor applications

A consortium consisting of Evonik, Lion Smart, Forward Engineering, Lorenz Kunststofftechnik, and Vestaro developed a brand-independent, cost-effective battery concept for EVs that has a lightweight construction

Accordingly, the battery concept’s weight has been reduced by 10% compared with other commonly used material combinations. Lion Smart, a Germanheadquartered service provider for OEMs and suppliers in the automotive sector, has assembled the batteries using the supercell concept developed in-house. The firm says the battery design is particularly safe, as the individual cells are enclosed in a non-flammable dielectric coolant. This also ensures a constantly low average temperature within the battery, which benefits cell aging.

For the battery housing, Lorenz developed a new glass-fibre-reinforced epoxy sheet moulding compound (SMC) using German speciality chemicals company Evonik’s Vestalite S epoxy hardener, with properties in terms of bending, impact, and fire resistance. Vestaro, an Evonik-Forward Engineering joint venture and composites solution provider for the automotive industry, developed the structure of the housing with a bottom plate made of aluminium

This new film, which is produced in collaboration with Japanese ultra-thin film extrusion specialist Shin-Etsu Polymer, features high-heat performance up to 150°C, which exceeds the temperature and voltage capabilities of currently available products in the market. It can help support the transition from conventional semiconductors based on silicon (Si) to next-generation, wide-bandgap technologies based on silicon carbide (SiC), improving the efficiency of inverter modules.

This dielectric film can support the design of high-voltage, high-temperature DC link power capacitors that can store large amounts of electrical energy for long periods without significant leakage of current or loss of charge. The film also offers other advantages for next-generation battery EVs, such as 2 JUNE 2021

www.injectionmouldingasia.com

Injection Moulding Asia Automotive Industry and the carrier plate for the battery management system attached to it. Transversal beams are used to attach the battery modules.

Lorenz also produced several complex hardware demonstrators to verify the suitability of the material and the manufacturing process for series production.

Meanwhile, Forward Engineering, a German company specialising in design and development of mixed material fibre-reinforced polymer and composite structures, has tested the battery concept for safety and suitability.

The battery concept is available in three energy configurations of 65 kWh at a total weight of 412.1 kg, 85 kWh at 527.3 kg, and 120kWh with 800V at 789.2 kg. The group attested that in terms of energy density, safety and cost, the three energy configurations are at least on a par with current battery models on the market and even surpass them in specific metrics.

Similarly, US-based composite solutions provider Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) and Japanese materials firm Teijin Group have teamed up to introduce an array of composite formulations said to meet the most stringent EV battery enclosure performance standards. These include flammability, thermal runaway and VOC emissions while offering the design flexibility of SMC. These new composites include a low VOC formulation, an ATH filled system, an intumescent system and a phenolic system.

The low VOC formulation addresses the stringent EU (European Union) VOC regulations. To address the regulatory and customer targets in Europe and Asia, CSP modified its TCA (Tough Class A) Ultra Lite material, eliminating benzene, a highly flammable compound, as a by-product. The material, first launched in 2014, is a lower 1.2 specific gravity (SPg) SMC formulation.

Modifying the formulation enabled the material to meet VOC requirements after standard prime and E-coat oven bake cycles. However, outside of the US most parts will not undergo high temperature paint bakes so further VOC reduction was required. CSP’s newest low VOC material releases significantly fewer VOCs as moulded.

For EV battery enclosures, where composites can be used to reduce weight, improve strength and stiffness, CSP says its composites can also improve vehicle safety. It is introducing three such formulations that can be adapted using different fibre types or formats, such as glass, carbon, blended, chopped and/or continuous. These include a traditional high-fill polyester/vinyl ester ATH system that uses conventional SMC chemistries and is easily adapted to existing tools and will give baseline flammability performance in the right design; an intumescent system utilising chemistry similar to traditional SMC, but with better flammability and thermal runaway performance, as well as increased mechanical properties over ATHfilled system; and a phenolic system which offers flame retardance, heat and chemical resistance, and electrical non-conductivity characteristics.

Clearly, lightweighting innovations are oiling the e-mobility evolution to address market demand for the next generation climate-friendly vehicles.

Energy-saving material solutions for a safe drive Along the same vein, German consultancy AMAC and Dutch specialist in composites products Pontis Engineering have joined forces to develop composites for e-mobility applications. These range from the development of lightweight over structural battery housings to complete EVs for road, industry, water and air transportation.

Pontis Engineering will utilise its expertise in engineering solutions for advanced composite applications to develop lightweight electrical passenger cars reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions. It also offers feasibility studies over industrial transportation to last-mile-delivery, as well as tailored cost-efficient solutions, based on a Design for Manufacturing approach.

CSP and Teijin introduced a range of composite formulations that include a low VOC formulation, an ATH-filled system, an intumescent system, and a phenolic system

3 A JU UN G EU S2 T 0 2210 2 0

www.injectionmouldingasia.com

Rubber Journal Asia Industry News • Japanese petroleum company Eneos Corporation is to acquire Japanese synthetic rubber manufacturer JSR Corporation’s elastomers business, which includes the manufacture of styrenebutadiene rubber (SSBR).

• Japanese chemical company Ube Industries will spin off its synthetic rubber business in a company split by establishing a wholly-owned subsidiary

by October 2021. Ube manufactures and supplies synthetic rubber products from four production bases in Thailand, China, and Malaysia in addition to Chiba, Japan, to a global customer base. The lower demand and greater supply of synthetic rubber in recent years have impacted profitability.

• Malaysia-based investment holding company LKL International Bhd is planning to diversify into the rubber gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE) sector.

The company is reportedly proposing a private placement of up to 355.05 million placement shares at an issue price to be determined later, of which proceeds will be utilised for the new businesses.

• Malaysia-based GIS Resources Sdn Bhd has entered into a threeyear US$200 million/year distribution agreement with Chicago-based PPE Advantage to distribute its Prince Premium+ gloves to the US and Latin American markets.

• Automotive parts maker Toyoda Gosei Co has

invested in Genial Light Co, a Japanese start-up that develops testing equipment and other devices for medical institutions. Toyoda Gosei East Japan Co is also establishing a new plant in Ohira, Kurokawa-gun, Miyagi, for the production of radiator grilles.

• Swedish polymers company Hexpol is acquiring 100% of rubber compounder Unión de Industrias CA (Unica) from Espiga Capital, a Spanish private equity firm, for EUR48 million.

Unica’s turnover in 2020 amounted to EUR40 million and it operates an advanced compounding facility in Navarra, Spain, with some 80 employees.

• German commercial vehicle manufacturer and Volkswagen subsidiary Traton, is investing EUR1.6 billion in R&D for e-mobility by 2025. It is also scaling back investments in conventional drives to make up less than one-fifth of its product development by 2025.

• Global investment firm Carlyle Group is selling Liberty Tire Recycling to ECP. Liberty has a network of more than 25 processing plants and flexible collection service offerings in North America.

• Swedish engineered polymer solutions firm Trelleborg has reduced its assets in the offshore oil & gas segment after divesting its offshore operation in Norway.

It had annual sales of approximately SEK310 million in 2020.

• Malaysian precision moulding manufacturer Sanichi Technology is diversifying into the rubber glove industry. To enable this, it has issued up to 1.42 billion renounceable rights issue, at an issue price of RM0.08 with up to 712.21 million free warrants. The free warrants will be on the basis of six rights shares together with three warrants for every existing Sanichi share held by shareholders.

• Malaysia’s Kedah Rubber City (KRC), the first dedicated Rubber Industrial Park in the stae, covering an area of 1,244 acres, has attracted over RM2.2 billion investments for advanced latex products development, production of feedstock, manufacturing, storage warehousing and logistics.

• Japanese tyre maker Bridgestone Corporation is investing JPY10.2 billion in installing equipment at its Shimonoseki plant, the company’s flagship production base for tyres for mining and construction vehicles (OR tyres), which started operations in 1970.

Bridgestone has also completed the sale of Firestone Building Products to Holcim Participations, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim. The transaction, valued at US$3.4 billion, will enable Bridgestone to focus on its core tyre business and expand its mobility solutions offering.

1 JUNE 2021

www.rubberjournalasia.com

Rubber Journal Asia Industry News • Japanese chemical company Asahi Kasei has relocated its Asahi Kasei Europe R&D Centre, originally sited at Chempark Dormagen, to Düsseldorf Harbour, Germany. The new R&D lab space will also house various materials, such as engineering plastics, synthetic rubber, as well as for battery and coating materials.

Meanwhile, its US-headquartered subsidiary Zoll Medical Corporation has acquired Respicardia, a US medical equipment company that manufactures the remed System, an implantable neurostimulator device for the treatment of central sleep apnea.

• Chinese tyremaker Guizhou Tyre (formerly Guizhou Tyre Factory) has produced its first tyre at its Vietnam plant recently.

It will also start product testing and certification processes. Located in the industrial park of Long Giang in the province of Tien Giang, the factory has a production capacity of 1.2 million/year tyres for trucks and buses.

• UK-based polymer firm Synthomer has launched its RM35 million Asia Innovation Centre (AIC) at iPark near Senai Airport, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, despite the pandemic. The 6,000 sq m flagship facility is now fully operational to offer R&D services for Performance Elastomers and Functional Solutions business units, which cover a wide range of industries including healthcare and protection,

foam, carpet, paper, automotive, coating, construction, adhesive and textile.

• Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) is investing US$96 million to nearly double its capacity in the US from the current 6,500 tyres/day to 12,000 tyres/day by the end of 2023. At the same time, in response to increasing sales of truck and bus tyres in North America, the company is investing US$26 million to increase production capacity in these categories at its US factory from the current 1,750 tyres/day to 2,300 tyres/day by the end of 2024.

• French tyre maker Michelin has opened a EUR3.5 million automated mask manufacturing workshop at ClermontFerrand. It will be producing 3 million/month standard type I or IIR single-use surgical masks.

Production will ramp up to include 1 million FFP2 masks per month from summer 2021.

• Thai state-owned oil and gas company PTT’s subsidiaries, IRPC and Innobic (Asia), have established a joint venture Innopolymed to produce non-woven fabric from the meltblown process, and which are raw materials for the filtration in medical masks, N95 respirators, and gowns.

IRPC is the sole company in Thailand that conducts R&D and produces this material.

• Finnish tyre maker Nokian Tyres has begun testing in the new test centre in Santa Cruz de la Zarza, Spain, which features a 7-km long oval track that circles the area, and with all ten tracks used to test the tyres in extreme conditions.

• A joint venture between Malaysia’s Perak State Development Corporation and Kamunting-based Professional Latex is building a RM800-million glove project in five phases over ten years on an 18.3-ha area in Sungai Terap, Batu Gajah. When fully completed it will have 80 production lines producing 24 billion gloves/year.

• Materials firm Trinseo and ETB Global, a Russian technology company producing butadiene, will be collaborating on the development of purified biobased 1,3-butadiene from ethanol using polyfunctional catalyst technology. The collaboration will initially focus on demonstrating the viability of sustainable ethanol-based synthetic rubber in support of green tyre production. They will also conduct a feasibility study to explore the construction of a dedicated biobased 1,3-butadiene pilot plant in Europe. Once operational, it is intended that the pilot plant will include a purification unit to achieve a purity target of 99.7%. The pilot plant evaluation study is expected to be completed by end of 2021, with a long-term goal of scaling up production globally.

2 JUNE 2021

www.rubberjournalasia.com

n

e

h

Rubber Journal Asia Tyre Sector

Tyre sector gears up on sustainable rubber The demand-supply disruption of rubber

presents opportunities for tyre makers to explore novel and sustainable sources of

rubber, according to Angelica Buan in this report.

Technology to stabilise NR supply Asia, which accounts for over 90% of global natural rubber (NR) supply, is witnessing a production slump in recent months that is likely to continue to remain languid in the short term. According to a recent forecast by the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) released for April, world supply of NR is likely to remain low during May due to wintering of rubber trees and off-season of NR supply, not to mention the surge in Covid-19 cases, labour shortage, and poor production.

All these factors in the region are disrupting supply from key rubber producing Asian countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka. While production is anticipated to start increasing from June, the weak supply from previous months is already putting pressure on the tyre sector to fill the rebounding global demand.

For this reason, major tyre makers are addressing rubber shortages with sustainable solutions via new technologies and material innovations.

With the impending rubber shortage, major tyre makers are coming up with sustainable solutions via new technologies and material innovations

Continental hones into Indonesia’s rubber traceability German automotive parts and tyre maker Continental, together with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), are embarking on a project that would benefit thousands of Indonesian small rubber farmers.

Indonesia is a major NR producer and an estimated 80% of its rubber output is produced by small farmers. The project can also realise Continental’s goal to achieve 100% sustainable supply chains by 2050.

Continental and BMZ developed a digital traceability system for Indonesia’s NR supply chain

The purpose of the project is to document the NR supply chain in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan in Borneo with digital traceability system. The Kapuas Hulu district, Continental and BMZ’s project site, has two national parks that have been designated as biosphere reserves by UNESCO. Continental and BMZ, who are both members of the rubber sustainability organisation Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), have already used a digital traceability system for NR in the project region in 2018.

The system works by documenting all steps of the NR supply chain, which can be evaluated in detail: from cultivation to further processing at Continental’s tyre plants.

The cultivation areas mapped by GPS, raw rubber delivery quantities and sales prices achieved are documented in the system for each transaction. For the further processing of the raw rubber produced in the project and in the implementation of the traceability, the partners have worked with NR suppliers that are also members of the GPSNR. These include Southland Global and Halcyon Agri Corporation, which has recently been cited in the second SPOTT (Sustainability Policy Transparency Toolkit) assessment, a sustainability framework by international

3 JUNE 2021

www.rubberjournalasia.com

Rubber Journal Asia Tyre Sector conservation charity, ZSL (Zoological Society of London), as the most transparent rubber-producing company, rising a notch from the previous assessment.

The digital traceability project will involve 4,000 small farmers in the NR sector by 2024. They are trained to grow high-quality raw materials in compliance with clearly defined sustainability criteria. Improving the quality of raw material will result in higher income for the small holders.

Additionally, a sustainable supply chain also minimises, if not eradicates, environmental, human-rights and social risks.

Bridgestone says it aims to increase the productivity of guayule farms and advance sustainable materials for tyres.

Bridgestone will field test the new technology on guayule seedlings grown at its 287-acre Agro Operations Research Farm in Eloy, Arizona. The new technology, according to Bridgestone, may also be used to support the guayule breeding process to more rapidly increase a desired genotype for testing and production, as well as to produce biobased rubber for other practical applications.

In addition to the farm, Bridgestone operates the Biorubber Process Research Centre in nearby Mesa, Arizona, where a team processes guayule-derived rubber for testing in tyre applications.

Meanwhile, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is also upping its commitment to responsible sourcing of raw materials with a new sustainable soybean oil procurement policy that applies to all soybean-based materials sourced by Goodyear operations worldwide.

Diversifying from the traditional source with guayule Due to the volatility of NR supply, manufacturers are compelled to source NR locally at a higher price compared to sourcing the commodity at a cheaper price overseas.

Another alternative to make up for the scarce polymer is to utilise plant-based or other renewable materials like grass, trees, wood chips, soybean, orange and coffee beans, to make “rubber” for tyres!

As a potential commercial rubber source, and sustainable alternative to the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis, guayule has shown huge potential for tyre applications. Guayule, a shrub that thrives in semi-arid regions in Mexico, Southern US, as well as in European Mediterranean countries, is found to yield high-quality rubber that has comparable molecular weight as the Hevea rubber.

Helming the guayule development is Tokyoheadquartered Bridgestone, which launched its guayule R&D efforts in 2013 and has recently collaborated with Kirin Holdings Company, a Japanese company engaged in the manufacture and sale of beverages and pharmaceutical products.

To create a new technology for improving guayulederived NR productivity, the project will combine the technologies of Kirin with the guayule cultivation expertise of Bridgestone to deliver large-scale propagation of guayule plants from high-quality seeds. With this innovation,

Goodyear has developed a soybean oil-based tread compound to replace some or all petroleum-derived oil in tyres

The tyre maker said that it aims to help guide processors, farmers, and all other members of the supply chain to establish practices and make sound environmental and social decisions related to the growing, harvesting, and processing of soybeans.

Relatedly, Goodyear, which is targeting to replace petroleum oil in its products by 2040, has increased its use of sustainable materials, including soybean oil, in its products.

In 2020, Goodyear increased soybean oil use by 73% against its 2018 usage.

Goodyear, with support from the United Soybean Board, has developed a soybean oil-based tread compound. The soybean oil, which is found to help keep a tyre’s rubber compound pliable in changing temperatures, is used to replace some or all petroleum-derived oil in the tyre.

Recycled materials to make green tyres The tyre industry’s quest to develop tyres that meet global sustainability standards does not end in producing fuel efficient, low rolling resistance (LRR) tyres. Companies also hone in sustainability across the tyre’s lifecycle, from raw materials used to end-of-life recycling, to achieve zero waste manufacturing.

Bridgestone collaborated with Kirin Holdings Company on technology to increase the productivity of guayule farms and advance sustainable materials for tyres

4 JUNE 2021

www.rubberjournalasia.com

Rubber Journal Asia Tyre Sector French tyre manufacturer Michelin is forging ahead with its target of achieving 100% sustainable tyres by 2050. To achieve this, Michelin is adopting the use of biosourced, renewable materials. Its latest venture is utilising biochemistry company Carbios’s enzymatic recycling process for PET plastic waste to create a high tenacity tyre fibre to develop fully sustainable tyres. PET is the raw material for one of the main textile fibres used in tyre reinforcements.

Producing butadiene from biomass is expected to fender occurrences of tight supply of the material and most importantly, reduce dependence on petroleum-based products, such as naptha-derived butadiene, to cut down the tyre industry’s carbon footprint.

Michelin has had its hand in producing butadiene from biobased materials such as waste wood, rice husks and corn stover. Its BioButterfly project, launched in 2012, has led to a collaboration with Axens and IFP Energies Nouvelles to produce bio-sourced butadiene, thus enabling the utilisation of about 4.2 million tonnes/year of wood chips for Michelin tyres. The project has also led to the construction of France’s first industrial demonstrator on Michelin’s site in Bassens, where the company is already using petroleum-butadiene to manufacture its synthetic rubbers for the European market. The French plant will produce butadiene from biomass-derived ethanol, and is intended to yield up to 30 tonnes/year of the bio-sourced feedstock.

Elsewhere, Japanese tyre maker Yokohama Rubber has developed what it claims to be the world’s first technology for producing butadiene from biomass. The technique of creating cells with butadiene-producing ability using new artificial pathways and enzymes was achieved by the Bio-monomer Production Laboratory, jointly established with Tokyo-based scientific research institute Riken and Japanese synthetic rubber producer Zeon Corporation.

Previously, in 2018, the lab pioneered in using a new artificial pathway and highly active enzymes to create cells with isoprene-synthesising capability. The technology has achieved an integrated process that uses a biomass (sugar) generated in the cells to trigger the production of the isoprene.

Today, the butadiene technology offers the possibility to go through cheaper intermediates than conventional metabolic pathways and, thus, enables to reduce the cost of butadiene fermentative production. Moreover, the team has produced polybutadiene (PBD) rubber from the butadiene produced from this new technology.

The collaborators, who have been working in a joint project since 2013, will be conducting research to establish more highly productive enzymes and an efficient purification technology by combining their expertise and technologies.

In a similar undertaking, US materials company Trinseo and Russia-headquartered ETB Global are joining forces on the development of purified biobased 1,3-butadiene.

The partners will be exploiting ETB’s unique singlestage process to produce the butadiene from ethanol using polyfunctional catalyst technology. The collaboration will initially focus on demonstrating the viability of sustainable ethanol-based synthetic rubber.

The two companies are also eyeing the construction of a dedicated biobased 1,3-butadiene pilot plant in Europe, which is intended to have a purification unit to achieve a purity target of 99.7%.

Trinseo explains that achieving close to 100% purity for ethanol-derived biobased butadiene can allow its customers to develop more sustainable products without compromising on performance. The pilot plant evaluation study is expected to be completed by the close of 2021.

Michelin applies Carbios’s enzymatic recycling process for PET plastic waste to create a high tenacity tyre fibre for its tyres

According to Carbios, its enzymatic recycling process uses an enzyme capable of depolymerising the PET contained in various plastics products such as bottles, trays, polyester clothing, and others. This innovation allows infinite recycling of all types of PET waste. It also allows the production of 100% recycled and 100% recyclable PET products, with the same quality produced with virgin PET. Likewise, the technical fibre obtained from this process also exhibits breakage resistance, toughness, and thermal stability, making it suitable for tyre applications.

Synthetic rubber butadiene from biomass The rush of demand for tyres has likewise pushed not only the prices for butadiene, a synthetic rubber used for car and truck tyre treads, to go up, but its supply to fluctuate.

Yokohama developed world’s first technology for producing butadiene from biomass

5 AU J UN G EU S2 T 0 2210 2 0

www.rubberjournalasia.com

Events 2021 15 - 17 JUNE Rosmould | Roplast Venue: IEC "Crocus Expo", Moscow Tel: +7 495 649 8775 ext.109 Email: dmitry.shelamov@russia.messefrankfurt.com Internet: www.rosmould.ru.messefrankfurt.com

13 - 16 SEPTEMBER KOPLAS Venue: Kintex, Korea Tel: +82 (2) 551-0102 Fax: +82 (2) 551-0103 Email: koplas@koplas.com Internet: www.koplas.com

23 - 25 JUNE Plastics Expo Osaka Venue: INTEX Osaka, Japan Tel: +81-3-3349-8568 Email: materialweek-e@reedexpo.co.jp Internet: www.plas.jp/en-gb.html

15 - 18 SEPTEMBER ProPak Asia Venue: BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand Tel: +65 6233 6688 Fax: +65 6233 6633 Email: jeffrey.au@informa.com Internet: www.propakasia.com

23 - 25 JUNE ProPak China Venue: NECC, Shanghai Tel: +81 3 3349 8568 Email: vivien.miao@imsinoexpo.com Internet: www.propakchina.com

22 - 23 SEPTEMBER 2nd PHA platform World Congress Venue: Cologne, Germany Tel: +49 2161 6884469 Email: mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com Internet: www.pha-world-congress.com

7 - 10 JULY MTA Vietnam Venue: District 7, HCMC, Vietnam Tel: +84 3622 2588/103 Email: dung.nguyen@informa.com Internet: www. mtavietnam.com

22 - 25 SEPTEMBER MTA | INTERMACH Venue: BITEC, Thailand Tel: +662 036 0500 Fax: +662 036 0588 Email: Intermach-th@informa.com Internet: www.intermachshow.com

15 - 18 JULY MIMF Venue: MITEC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: +603 9132 1922 Email: info@mimf.com.my Internet: www. mimf.com.my 28 - 30 JULY PU China | UTECH Asia Venue: Shanghai, China Tel: +1 330 869 0375 Email: erich@crain.com Internet: www.puchina.eu 28 - 30 JULY ProPak Vietnam Venue: Saigon Exhibition and Conference Center (SECC) Tel: +84 28 3622 2588 Fax: +84 28 3622 2527 Email: propakvietnam@informa.com Internet: www.propakvietnam.com 26 - 28 AUGUST PLASTECH Vietnam Venue: (SECC) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Tel: +84 28 3848 8561 Fax: +84 28 3848 8564 Email: info@veas.com.vn Internet: www.plastech-expo.com

28 SEPT - 2 OCT Taipeiplas Venue: Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre, Hall 1 Tel: +886 2 2725-5200 Email: plas@taitra.org.tw Internet: www.taipeiplas.com.tw 30 SEPT - 2 OCT ProPak India Venue: BEC, Mumbai Tel: +91 98670 04675 Email: Priya.datar@informa.com Internet: www.propakindia.com 6 - 8 OCTOBER 30th Vietnam International Industrial Fair (VIIF) Venue: ICE, Hanoi Tel: + 84 904211644 Fax: +84 24 3834 5655 Email: viif@vefac.vn Internet: www. viif.vn 13 - 16 OCTOBER INDOPLAS, INDOPACK and INDOPRINT Venue: Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran, Indonesia Tel: + (65) 6332 9644 Email: ailing@mda.com.sg Internet: www.indoprintpackplas.com

ADVERTISERS’ ENQUIRIES Check out the Advertisers' page on our website.

Information is categorised by the YEAR & DATE of publication for easy reference.

For further details, email us at: news@plasticsandrubberasia.com

PRA Digital issue is available ONLINE! www.plasticsandrubberasia.com

INTERNATIONAL OFFICES Publishing Office/Scandinavia, Benelux & France Postbus 130, 7470 AC Goor, The Netherlands Tel: +31 547 275005 Fax: +31 547 271831 Email: arthur@kenter.nl Contact: Arthur Schavemaker Regional Office SQ9, Block A, Menara Indah, Taman TAR, 68000 Ampang, Selangor, Malaysia Tel: +603 4260 4575 Email: tej@plasticsandrubberasia.com Contact: Tej Fernandez China & Hong Kong Room 803, No.2, Lane 3518, Road Bao'An, District Jiading, Shanghai Tel: +86 13341690552 Mobile: +86 17751702720 Email: henry.xiao@matchexpo.com Contact: Henry Xiao/Zhu Wei China Bridge Media 亚桥传媒 Room 206, #1, 569 Shilong Rd, Shanghai, China 200237 Tel: +86 21 3368 7053 Mobile: +86 138 1643 7421 Email: lagopoah.yang@bridgemedia.cn Contact: Lago Poah Yang 杨旋 凯 Southeast Germany, Switzerland & Austria Verlagsbüro G. Fahr e.K Breitenbergstrasse 17 D-87629 Füssen, Germany Tel: +49 8362 5054990 Fax: +49 8362 5054992 Email: info@verlagsbuero-fahr.de Contact: Simon Fahr North-West Germany JRM Medien+Verlag Minkelsches Feld 39 D-46499 Hamminkeln, Germany Tel: +49 2852 94180 Fax: +49 2852 94181 Email: info@jwmedien.de Contact: Jürgen Wickenhöfer Malaysia. India, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Korea & Philippines Tara Media & Communications SQ 9, Block A, Menara Indah Jalan 9, Taman TAR, 68000 Ampang, Selangor, Malaysia Tel: +603 4260 4575 Email: tej@plasticsandrubberasia.com Contact: Tej Fernandez Italy, Spain & Portugal MediaPoint & Communications Srl Corte Lambruschini, Corso Buenos Aires, 8, Vo Piano - Interno 9, 16129 Genova, Italy Tel: +39 010 570 4948 Fax: +39 010 553 0088 Email: info@mediapointsrl.it Contact: Fabio Potesta Taiwan 宗久實業有限公司 Worldwide Services 11F-B, No.540 Sec.1, Wen Hsin Rd., Taichung, Taiwan Tel: +886 4 23251784 Fax: +886 4 23252967 Email: global@acw.com.tw Contact: Robert Yu 游宗敏 USA & Canada Plastics Media International P. O. Box 44, Greenlawn, New York 117430, USA Tel/Fax: +1 631 673 0072 Email: mjm@4m-media.com Contact: Michael J Mitchell

www.plasticsandrubberasia.com www.rubberjournalasia.com www.injectionmouldingasia.com www.plasticsandrubberasia.cn