POLYMERS Communiqué Oct - Nov 2015

A CUSTAGE I N I T I A T I V E Oct-Nov 2015 l Issue 2.1 l ` 150

Bhavarlal Jain

Founder Chairman Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.

RAW FEED In conversation with

NICHE APPLICATIONS Application of Plastic Packaging for Nalen Gur

Applications of High Performance Polymeric Composites in Defence

Micro-cellular Polymeric Foams: A New Horizon

P. K. Gupta

Executive Director (Marketing – PC & Retail) GAIL (India) Limited

Wim Roels

CEO Borouge Pte Ltd

POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ l October - November 2015

1

CONTENTS

Oct-Nov 2015 l Issue 2.1

28

42

45

36

40

69

54

28

C OVE R S TORY

TEC H B ITS

Continuous customers, users and nature centric innovation are the key requirements for any plastic processor to succeed, says Bhavarlal Jain in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.

40

Bhavarlal Jain, Founder Chairman

Anup K. Ghosh talks about the efforts being taken to develop environmental friendly foam materials and processes which would also render the most efficient products and cost optimised manufacturing processes.

Anup K. Ghosh, Professor and Head

42

IN TER A C TIO N

Prafulla Kumar Gupta, Executive Director (Marketing - PC & Retail) GAIL (India) Limited, Noida

Success: A Grassroots Phenomenon

Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Jalgaon

33

F IR ST TI ME

Prof. (Dr.) N. C. Saha presents an interesting article on the various kinds of jaggery made during the winter season in West Bengal. He explains how IIP has contributed largely in creating innovative packaging for this much-loved delicacy - the liquid jaggery - that has enhanced its shelf-life.

Application of Plastic Packaging for Nalen Gur (Liquid Jaggery)

Prof. (Dr.) N. C. Saha, Director Indian Institute of Packaging, Mumbai

36

N E W DI MENS I ON

HPPCs opens many opportunities for manufacturing, collaborations and joint ventures in the defence sector, says Dr. Mayank Dwivedi.

2

33

Applications of High Performance Polymeric Composites in Defence

Dr. Mayank Dwivedi, Scientist

Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO), New Delhi

45

54

58

Micro-cellular Polymeric Foams: A New Horizon

Centre for Polymer Science and Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi

Petchem @ GAIL: Powered by Products, Technologies and More

It’s Destination India for Borouge

Wim Roels, Chief Executive Officer Borouge Pte Ltd., Singapore

The Onus is on Us: Use, Reuse or Abuse Plastics

K. K. Seksaria, President Plastindia Foundation, Mumbai

Pelletisation Solutions that are Market Based John Roberts, Market Manager Gala Industries Inc., USA

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

Printed and Published by Manish Chawla manish@polymerscommunique.com

Designed by Custage Marketing Solutions Pvt Ltd 401, Vikas Classic Building No 4 4th Floor, Near Basant Cinema Chembur, Mumbai 400 074, INDIA

Editorial Advisory Board

47

E U TR A DE

Rajesh Nath, Managing Director VDMA German Engineering Federation India Liaison Office, Kolkata

51

R E P OR T

Malini Hariharan, Head of South Asia Markets

56

Arvind Mehta Chairman and Managing Director Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt. Ltd.

Business Facts: Europe, India Machinery Trade and Beyond

Prof. (Dr.) N. C. Saha Director, Indian Institute of Packaging N. K. Balgi formerly President & Director at Ferromatik Milacron India Pvt. Ltd.

Polymer Markets: Ups and Downs ICIS, Mumbai

Transportation Industry Moves On With High-performance Plastics

Advertising Sales - National

Pushp Raj Singhvi formerly Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Borouge (India) Pvt. Ltd.

Mumbai Sanjana Chugh +91-99872 62726 sanjana@polymerscommunique.com

Rajesh Nath Managing Director VDMA German Engineering Federation India Liaison Office

Srinivas Venkatesan, Chemicals

60

P E R SON A

Prof. Arun K. Nandi, Polymer Science Unit

64

ME E TIN G POI NT

Ashok Jajodia, Chairman Indplas’15 Exhibition Organising Committee Kolkata

66

HAT S OFF

Dubai Pritam Bangera +971-5548-32330 pritam@polymerscommunique.com

GR E E N PAGES

Converting Waste Plastics to Automotive Fuels

Dr. M. O. Garg, CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum

USA Manisha Janjikhel +1-908-720-3510 manisha@polymerscommunique.com

Dehradhun

Subscriptions

69

Hyderabad Vani Sulakhe +91-93924 28927 vani@polymerscommunique.com

Materials and Foods Research Analyst Frost & Sullivan, Chennai

Prof. S. R. Palit: A Pioneer of Polymer Research in India Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science Kolkata

New Delhi Vijay Babbar +91-98100 15111 vijay@polymerscommunique.com Vadodara Devindra Bhumra +91-81289 90887 devindra@polymerscommunique.com

Indplas 2015: A Curtain Raiser

Rakesh Shah formerly Managing Director Windmöller and Hölscher India Pvt. Ltd. S. K. Ray Sr. Executive Vice President (Polymers) Reliance Industries Ltd.

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Advertising Sales - International

Bisleri Conducts India’s Largest Collection Drive of Used Plastic Bottles

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Bhavesh Brahamaniya +91-22-25204436 bhavesh@polymerscommunique.com Printed and Published by Manish Chawla, and printed at Silverpoint Press Pvt. Ltd., A-403, TTC Industrial Area, Near Anthony Motors, Mahape, Navi Mumbai - 400709, District - Thane and published from 401, Vikas Classic Building No 4, 4th Floor, Near Basant Cinema, Chembur, Mumbai 400 074, INDIA. Editor: Manish Chawla.

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NEWS

16

PRODUC TS

22

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

EVENTS

72

Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of POLYMERS Communiqué. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances and so POLYMERS Communiqué does not take any responsibility for any loss or damage incurred or suffered by any of its subscribers / readers / advertisers of this magazine. The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct but do not take any responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information. Subject to Mumbai Jurisdiction.

No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publisher in writing.

POLYMERS Communiqué reserves the right to use the information published herein in any manner whatsoever. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged.

3

Mind Speak Rakesh Shah

formerly Managing Director Windmöller and Hölscher India Pvt. Ltd.

plastics and properties of Due to uniqreuesearch leading to new neord mbi continuous processes co aterials and s are finding tic as improved m pl , ity til rent versa other with their inhe s where no in niche area reinforced re fib applications on rb be used. Ca in the materials can being used increasingly ment, in rta te en , plastics are otive iation, autom other av d e, ac an sp gy ro lo ae chno formation te and in , s cs re ni tu ro su ct l ele rgica egradable su are dy implants sectors. Bio-d bo r he ot y as man etics. Plastics th pins as well os pr d an hcare areas used in healt other niche plications in of are finding ap re, medicine and variety ultu e laundry bl lu so such as agric as aterials such human disposable m the need for itals obviating edible , ste wa bags in hosp xic d to infectious an umer of ns g co lin stnd po ha me n eliminate so plastics that ca waste etc. t their are high, bu their costs .

Sometimes disadvantage st co e th h tweig advantages ou

Prof. (Dr.) N. C. Saha

Director

Indian Institute of Pac

kaging

Today,

the application of plastics all is found to be present in almost in industries, however its application r packaging needs to be explored furthe that so areas niche the all ing cover by plastics becomes the most preferred materials by considering its functional to properties as well as its compliance environmental regulations.

Indian its birth, the

Arvind

Mehta

tor g Direc anagin and M . n td a L m t. ir v Cha ns P xtrusio Plast E Welset

After 70 yearstsryofis gearing up in niche

, plastics indu l transplants like medica iles, ob m applications to au missiles, c. aerospace, hardware et electronics, up g in ck agriculture, pi is gen-next The educated leadership.

Rajesh Nath

Managing Director

VDMA German Engineering Federation India Liaison Office

The global engine ering plastic growing, boos s market is ted by the in crea from the As ia-Pacific (APA sing demand C) region. Th market is estim e ated to attain the value as US 86.42 bn in 20 D 20.

The engineer ing plastics in dustry of Indi substantial gr a has owth potent ial in the co since untapp untry, ed opportuni tie s still exist fo metal replacem r ent in cars, tru appliances as cks, consumer well as in ot her applicatio India’s engi ns. neering plas tics market considerably has enhanced at a healthy CA 25% during GR of the period FY 09 - FY14. M revenues in arket the future are expected augment at a to CAGR of over 20% from FY FY19, reaching 14 revenue worth USD 5 bn in FY 19.

Pushp Raj Singhvi

formerly Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Borouge (India) Pvt. Ltd.

N. K. Balgi

formerly President & Director at Ferromatik Milacron India Pvt. Ltd.

tics ications in plas in applications e m g will beco th, our thinkin wi n gi be future. To ications in pl ap on d se should be focu r. and wind powe defence, solar

pl Today’s niche ap major

Today, markets are driven by attention to energy conservation, improving resource efficiency, generation of renewable energy, healthcare needs of growing / aging population. Use of polymers and composites in auto-structurals for light weighting, use of PC, PEI, polyesters and ABS for LED lighting system, use of PC for metal replacements in solar panels are applications with huge growth potential. Growing healthcare segment finds application for the whole family of polymers, but in special grades.

Increasing use of PET in packaging has created pollution challenge by post-consumer waste.

Industry has found application for this waste to produce trays and bins for storing merchandise in super-markets.

Feedback On b ehalf would of T eam like t ot IPLEX time would hank and 15, I POLY at th like e sam MERS t o e excell comp Com mun ent limen iqué t cove article rage for s / in the / f orma prese p u tion blish ntatio with ing n. world -class

I

like POLYMERS Com muniqué for its informative con tent. Also, the interview discussion format makes it an interesting read.

Nikhil Aggarwal

Prayag Polytech (Pvt.)

Ltd.

Harir

am T

in change freshing is a ed a re e re e d in th is It e where ot ded spac tent is n this crow ion. Con at rm fo well in f ly o al u e q g e lu de ed, but research only well ne. o d ll e d. W presente Sunil Jain mited e gin ers Li Rajoo En

I am very delighted to rea d the articles in the POLYMERS Communiqué Anniver sary Edition – Aug-Sept, 2015.

It was very informative.

Bipin M. Shah

Trend Plastpouchpack

Pvt. Ltd.

The technical contents and coverage of the anniversary special issue is really commendable and laudable. The entire gamut of plastics engineerin g and technology had been covered very nicely. Best wishes for all the future endeavours.

Prof. (Dr.) S. K. Nayak CIPET

Congrats on bri nging beautifu out su l polym ch a er mag are co azine. C ntemp ontents orary a reading nd vie . Keep ws wo it up. Ju rth - redu st a su ce pap ggestio er GSM pleasu n to hav re of fo e the lding a 1 hand n d . reading with The Su

Anoop

preme

Srivast

Industr

ies Lim

ava

ited

hakk

IPLEX

ar

2015

on formati with in y. d te m a o econ inund We are y’s always-on however, da s, , in to succes thentic usiness be au to s For b that ed e d n la g n atio le. I am inform tionab playing and ac iqué is n u precise m nues m o C o c S d nti ER stry an u POLYM d in at is r for ou dge th this role knowle ised, n te a a in rg o n sem r our u h to dis fo l fu I e r. wis lly us E secto especia tion. ing SM a w c li ro b g u t ep but fas ess to th hah ed succ Vipul S ited continu im L tries e Indus Relianc

POLYM estab ERS Com lishe m d itse as a lf in a uniqué ‘Mus very t Re has plast shor a d’ p ics fr t per ublic ate iod in m ation any o rnity; not by t only ther he The in Ind co them ia, bu es ch untries o ‘Inno t f the osen vate’, world for e ‘Auto are u a . c h mate issue niqu ’, ‘Vis e. Ea like cont ch is ion ent.

2020 sue is ve ’... ry ric h in De The O rgan epak L izatio awa Proc n of Plas le esso rs of tics India

Polybutene-1 grades Shaping what comes next in… seal peel and reclosable packaging LyondellBasell is a recognized leader in Easy Peel Technology and thanks to its ongoing research efforts has developed today a wide range of Polybutene-1 grades that are each offering different solutions to customers requirements: PB-1 Technology or the so called “dry blend” approach: used for PE film application Toppyl Technology or the “ready-to-use” approach: used for PE and PP film application Toppyl SP2400F for interlayer delamination: used for PE film application Toppyl SP2300F for non polyolefin substrates

www.lyb.com Toppyl is a trademark owned or used by the LyondellBasell family of companies. Toppyl is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

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News Alok Technology Incubation Centre Inaugurated

Digest

A

lok, formerly, Alok Masterbatches

25

September, 2015 at IPLEX 2015 in

inaugurated

Incubation

APS Elastomers Creates ‘Salt and Pepper’ Blend for Plaques used for automotive paint colour samples

th

Alok

Centre

Technology

(ATIC)

on

Bengaluru. ATIC is a new standard in

creating customised and need-based

world, needs of the customers are getting

of Alok’s R&D capability.

not fit all. This thought sowed the seeds

speciality masterbatches and is reflective

increasingly specific and one solution may

that has blossomed into ATIC today. It is a proud moment for the entire team at Alok.

IPLEX, with its eclectic mix of attendees BASF inaugurates engineering plastics compounding plant in Yesan, South Korea

The ATIC Lab, based in Delhi, will be accessible to all customers and suppliers of Alok and the academia – the guiding

philosophy behind setting ATIC is to co-create solutions that allow plastics

Borealis and OMV extend their production partnership for a further 11 years from 2018 until 2028

to be safer, sustainable and affordable.

It provides a state-of-the-art facility with a wide array of testing equipment

required to drive innovation in the masterbatch industry.

ATIC is an opportunity to create novel solutions that address real life needs of

our customers. The centre also welcomes Borouge Petrochemical receives ‘Best Responsible Care Project’ award from GPCA

academia and students focussing on

A-B

While ATIC is a significant investment,

polymer studies to use ATIC and challenge the status quo. Alok has committed its seasoned

workforce

and

laboratory

technicians to support these ideas.

monetary and otherwise, the team is

positive about creating breakthroughs

to launch ATIC. We have already received

many thought provoking queries and ideas’.

The Fourth Speciality Films & Flexible Packaging Global Conference – 2015, an Update

T

he fourth Speciality Films and Flexible

Packaging

Global

Conference – 2015 was held at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Mumbai between 15th and 16th September, 2015. The

Summit was organised by ElitePlus++ Business Services (EPBS) and Chemicals and

Petrochemicals

Manufacturers’

Association, India (CPMA), with over 800 delegates representing approximately 340 companies from over 25 countries.

ElitePlus

in polymer industry in the coming years.

ELITE PLUS BUSINESS SERVICES PVT.LTD

On the occasion of the launch of Alok

The conference provided a very high level

Puri, Director, International Sales and

both Indian and overseas, all leading

Technology Incubation Centre, Mr. Amit Marketing, Alok says, ‘Alok has always been

committed to creating masterbatches of superlative quality. In the ever evolving

16

has been the most opportune platform

platform to producers of raw materials, converting

machinery

manufactures

from India, EU, South East and Far East, all major converters covering blown films

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

Chairman and Managing Director, Uflex; Andreas Rutz, Managing Director, Business

Unit Speciality Machinery, Dornier; Ashok

Goel, Vice Chairman and Managing

Digest

Krishnamurthy, Procurement Director,

Clariant in India intends to acquire a part of Vivimed Labs Limited’s personal care portfolio

Director, Essel Propack and Ramesh South Asia, Hindustan Unilever Limited.

A very interactive panel discussion on ‘Meeting End Users Demands and Challenges of Converting Industry’ was (multilayers), cast and BOPP & BOPET,

one of the highlights of the conference.

finishing including automation in material

and the end users of the industry.

printing, lamination and post extrusion

The panelists were the leading convertors

handling and the major end users from

The dinner speech by G. N. Bajpai,

food, pharmaceutical, personal care and agri sectors.

Chairman Founder Chairman, SEBI and LIC

was a special highlight. He spoke on the

The conference addressed all key issues

volatile market and unstable environment

The opening session keynote speakers

This Fourth Speciality Films and Flexible

packaging industry - Wim Roels, CEO,

a resounding success. All look forward for

impacting the flexible packaging industry.

- how do we prepare?

were doyens of Indian and International

Packaging Global Conference – 2015 was

Borouge Pte.; Ashok Chaturvedi, Founder

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

the fifth edition in 2016.

Cosmo Films to increase BOPP production capacity by 42 per cent

C

17

Zhejiang Nanyang Cooperating with Brückner

commissioning specialists. Within only a very short time, the line was producing

C

first class optical film and thus, was

hinese Zhejiang Nanyang Technology

fully accepted.

Co. Ltd. is a producer of ultra-thin

BOPP capacitor films such as metallised,

Another BOPET thick film line will be

high-temperature, rough and smooth

installed next year. With an industry-wide line projects have been successfully accomplished together with Brückner.

film. Besides this, the company has been

The latest advanced BOPET thick film line

films for optical and industrial applications.

smooth cooperation between Zhejiang

producing other high quality speciality

Many of these important stretching

LyondellBasell Launches New Toppyl Resins for Easy Peel and Reclosable Applications

I

went on stream recently after an extremely Nanyang’s

team

Substrate

and

the

Brückner

unmatched annual output of over 30,000 tonnes, it will be one of the largest and most powerful in the world. Additionally,

the line layout convinces with a highly

flexible thickness range from 50 - 300 µm to produce back sheets for solar panels of various sizes.

Peel Force

Dispersed PB1 phase

Separation of the seal layer occurs where the two phases meet

n today’s busy world, everybody is rushing against time. The consumption

of is

ready-to-eat

increasing.

packaging

or

takeaway-food

Consumers

that

provides

look

for

Continuous (PE) phase

Substrate

Peel Force

adequate

shelf-life for the packed food and at the

same time is convenient to use – easy to open, with little force and without using sharp cutting instruments that could cause personal injury. As consumer convenience becomes the mantra of

packaging in this fast moving world, brand owners are trying to provide value to customers, even with marginally incremental cost.

LyondellBasell offers Polybutene-1 (PB-1) based solutions to meet unique consumer

needs of providing good seal integrity

The main application segments are

in

packaging

today

flexible (seal-

peel to themselves) or as lidding film for

rigid

trays

/

packs. Polybutene-1 based

solutions

can be used over

PB-1 is fully miscible with polypropylene

a range of temperatures from sub-zero

polyethylene, but can be easily dispersed.

range of pressures from vacuum to gas

and has a low compatibility with

This concept is used to provide easy peel by cohesive failure within the film structure. The seal integrity is therefore

maintained and the film breaks open within the sealant layer providing easy opening in a controlled manner. Minimal

difference in the initial and propagation force ensures smooth opening without

spilling the contents of the pack.

temperatures to retort conditions and

flush packs. Customers successfully use PB-1 based films for packaging of slice cheese and meat, fresh pasta, tofu, pizza,

ready-to-eat meals, yogurt cups, smoked

salmon, pet food, sandwich packs and hygiene packaging.

LyondellBasell offers a range of solutions to

address different customer requirements:

l

Dry blend approach: Mainly used for

during storage and transportation while

PE film applications. Polybutene-1

during opening of the packs. PB-1 is a

LDPE or LLDPE to achieve required

grades can be dry blended with

offering convenience of easy peeling polyolefin obtained by polymerisation of

Advantage of PB-1 based systems is that

catalyst. LyondellBasell manufactures PB-1

a broad seal peel temperature window

Butene-1 with Ziegler Natta or metallocene

at Moerdijk, Netherlands - the world’s largest PB-1 plant.

they offer consistent performance over which

could

accommodate

slight

fluctuations in the sealing temperatures.

seal strength and easy opening.

l

Ready-to-use approach: Used for PE

and PP film applications. Toppyl grades are fully formulated compounded products that are used in the sealant

layer of PE and PP films to achieve easy peel. Toppyl B range of products is designed for PE applications and

Toppyl C range of products is offered for PP applications.

18

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

Blend Colours Ups the Ante – Filler And White Masterbatch Capacity is Now 9000 Mtpa Out of the Total 24000 Mta

O

verall the company has clocked a

turnover of 140 crores in FY 14-15

with a growth rate of 20%.

masterbatches with a capacity of 9000

MTPA at its unit III. In totality, the total production capacity of Blend Colours has now touched 24000 MTPA. For Blend Colours, with business on the

The customers can now enjoy a whole

important to enhance offerings to its

– filler and white. ‘The first of its kind

rise and the road ahead vibrant, it was customers, both in terms of aggressive delivery timelines coupled with utmost

Blend Colours adds to the festivity to

the

season

by

announcing

capacity expansion.

its

batch to bath consistency. The company has

successfully

a new facility for filler and white

polyolefin substrates.

SP2300F/MR Laminated_PP SP2300F/MR Laminated_PS

12,000

Average load (N/15mm) l

launched

recently

to

offer

and PE. Customers reported

that

produced

4,000

film

with

Toppyl SP2300F offer

2,000

good 130

140

SP2400F

150

160

170

Temperature (° C)

for

interlayer

delamination for use in PE film applications where seal integrity is a prime requirement.

Toppyl SP2300F for Easy Peel Films to

180

on ASTM D882- 90 before film lamination):

APET: peel force ~ 5 – 6 N/15 mm

PS: peel force ~ 7 – 8 N/15 mm

PVC: peel force ~ 3 – 4 N/15 mm

l

Lidding film breaks at these interfaces

ToppyI RC 3000 LDPE or MDPE Food: cheese, meat, fish

PE laminated tray or PE tray

properties.

obtained with internal test method, based

LyondellBasell recently extended the

PP or (LDPE + mLLDPE

behaviour and optical

results in different peel forces (Results

l

Heat/pressure from top (via sealing bar)

200

substrate used, the use of Toppyl SP2300F

l

offering of easy peel solutions to non-

190

processing

Depending on the

APET, PS, PVC etc.

Sealed area

been

like APET, PS, PVC, PP

6,000

Toppyl

has

SP2300F

range of substrates

8,000

120

Toppyl

seal peel solution for

10,000

0,000

its

expansion plan and has commissioned

Graph Seal-peel SP2300F/MR (LYB standard conditions) SP2300F/MR Laminated_PET SP2300F/MR Laminated_PE SP2300F/MR Laminated_PVC

implemented

Sealed area

new range / grades of masterbatches automated feeding systems, will allow

us to set new quality and productivity standards and empower us to further our presence in the local and global markets,’ emphasises Sharad Rathi, Director, Blend Colours Pvt. Ltd.

Toppyl RC3000 for Reclosable Applications Consumers like to buy large food packs and use them multiple times rather than

buying single use packs. If the lidding film of the pack itself is re-sealable, it will save

consumers from hassles of transferring the contents to other containers.

Toppyl RC3000 enables production of lidding film for PE trays that could open

easily and reclose tightly without resealing.

Coextruded blown film can be produced on standard PE blown film equipment

using Toppyl RC3000 in the layer next to the sealant layer offering excellent sealing to the tray with PE sealant and when the consumer tries to open the

pack, it opens by interlayer delamination.

Customers report that the film produced

using Toppyl RC3000 is very transparent, which allows the consumer to view the packed content.

Initial peel force is in the range of 7

-

PP or (LDPE + mLLDPE

ToppyI RC 3000 LDPE or MDPE

8

N/15

mm

Food: cheese, meat, fish

PE laminated tray or PE tray

around

cycles of reclosing and opening.

Compared

to

hot melt based reclosable systems, Toppyl RC3000 offers

Sealed area

and

1 N/15 mm for further

much

better

organoleptic performance.

Customers report that this

concept could be exploited for solid food packaging such as cheese, meat and confectionary packaging.

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

19

With the state-of-the-art R&D and well drawn out processes for stringent quality

Digest Cosmo Films to increase BOPP production capacity by 42 per cent

control, the company continues to make

giant strides in the regulated markets of

food and pharmaceutical with its range of products that comply to US, European and domestic regulatory standards.

Overall the company has clocked a

turnover of Rs. 140 crores in FY 1415 with a growth rate of 20%. Exports

Dell partners with SABIC to expand its closed-loop recycled plastic supply chain

itself contribute a healthy 20% to the company turnover.

With the requisite R&D facilities, the

company has now made a foray into the PET fibre business. Further, Blend Colours

Dow launches INNATE, the precision packaging resin for packaging markets

inject 4.0, the Engel’s answer to support production optimisation towards the goals of the Industry 4.0 concept.

now strategies to embark on a vertical

penetration programme, wherein it would explore newer and niche applications within its current markets by offering value-added solutions.

The Gazi Group, Bangladesh chooses Rajoo Bausano Extrusion to be a Part of its Growth Strategy

A

veteran in uPVC pipe manufacturing and a user of 12 pipe extrusion

lines, the Gazi Group has more than a

reason to change. In a short period of Parx Plastics’s antimicrobial Sanipolymers provides protection against discolouration, funguses and bacteria for sunbeds, beach chairs and umbrellas

6 months of using the Rajoo-Bausano

line, the Gazi Group clearly realised the benefits that the line delivered; it not only lived up to its committed

performance, but also was miles ahead

of their existing lines in comparison.

One account of power alone, the savings were a staggering 40%.

Salient features such as,

Perstorp intends to acquires biofuel plant in Norway

C-P

Unique

Longer Screw L/D

l

l

System

Multi-drive

Transmission

Screw Thermocontrol Unit

Multi-stage Thrust Bearing System

High Volume Die Head

Special

l l l l

Design

and

Length Calibrator

Extended

take equipment performance to another level.

With

comparatively

reduced

consumption of raw materials, the

outputof the thin-walled pipe possessed excellent

mechanical

properties

complying with all quality tests.

The result was confidence... The Gazi Group reiterated this confidence in Rajoo Bausano by placing a repeat order of a staggering 6 machines in one go! Rajoo Bausano is now a strategic partner in the growth of the Gazi Group.

‘I would urge all pipe manufacturers to look outside for newer solutions in pipe extrusion. The newer technologies empower us to improve our top line as well as the bottom line, something so important in this crowded pipe market’, emphasises Md. Anwar Hossain, Executive Director at Gazi Pipes. ‘I am happy that we chose Rajoo Bausano’, he adds.

The unique design and engineering also ensure minimal operating costs. The post sales services continue to be an area of strength for Rajoo Bausano and is a differentiator in its offerings.

‘Taking

the

mandate

of

affordable

excellence forward, I am glad that solutions

from Rajoo continue to add immense value across industry segments. Access to the latest rich

technologies

and

innovative

from

Bausano’s

experience

of

7 decades in the PVC segment and a strong installation base of 6500+ PVC extruders worldwide, provides unparalleled benefits

to pipe manufacturers’, states Sandip

Bhuva, General Manager, Rajoo Bausano Extrusion Pvt. Ltd.

20

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

Products Corbion Purac Successfully Develops PLA Resin from Second Generation Feedstocks

C

orbion Purac has successfully made

characteristics of the biomass. In the

resin from second generation feedstocks.

have a high impact on the biochemical

future, these alternative feedstocks can

PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) bioplastic

Second

generation

feedstocks

and bioplastics industries.

are

those which are not suitable for human

In order to fully commercialise and

consumption, and include plant-based

bring PLA based on second generation

materials like bagasse, corn stover, wheat

feedstocks to the market in commercial

straw and wood chips.

quantities, significant R&D efforts are still

Following an intensive research project, Corbion Purac has succeeded in producing

have a high yield per hectare of land used.

feedstocks, from which PLA resin has been

will most likely remain - a good choice for

high grade lactic acid from alternative

Corbion, The Netherlands Web: www.corbion.com

fermentation process to fit the special

Songwon Extends its SONGNOX PQ Stabiliser Range

W

ith its new stabiliser, SONGNOX® PQ SB, Songwon is launching

a semi-bead that makes dosing and handling in the plant easier

for customers due to its dust free form. In addition, the new SONGNOX

1162 FF triple blend contains SONGNOX PQ making it ideally suited for biaxial oriented polypropylene (BOPP) applications, which have one of

the broadest approvals for indirect food contact applications globally.

The SONGNOX PQ stabiliser is suitable for many applications such as:

Thin wall injection moulding (TWIN) polypropylene (PP), BOPP, PP

Cast film linear low density polyethylene

Polyolefin elastomers (POE).

Polyolefin hot melt adhesives.

Polyamide, polycarbonate, polyester and

raffia and talc filled PP. (LLDPE) or mLLDPE.

New at Meusburger – The Easy to Maintain Slide Unit in the Smallest Design

A

new item in the Meusburger product range is the

E 3300 Slide Unit in the smallest design. Through the

DLC coated guiding, the wear is minimised and the maintainability of

the

slide

unit

increases.

Tightest manufacturing tolerances guarantee highest precision. The eccentric guiding and the mirrored mounting options ensure minimal space requirement

in

the

mould. Two different

slide paths allow the de-moulding of 3 mm and 6.1 mm

powder coating.

For further details please contact:

Songwon Industrial Co. Ltd., Switzerland Web: www.songwon.com

22

For further details please contact:

feedstocks, optimising the lactic acid

principles of sustainable agriculture and

l

feedstock bioplastics.

have made PLA from second generation

lactic acid. They are grown following

l

market introduction of second generation

Purac is the first company in the world to

corn and cassava are used for producing

l

consortium in order to accelerate the

lactic acid and PLA production. Corbion

such as industrial cane sugar, sugar beet,

l

brand owners and converters to join a

These highly efficient feedstocks are - and

made. Today, first generation feedstocks

l

needed. Corbion invites all interested

undercuts. If necessary, the slide preload can be easily

adjusted by means of a shim. The E 3300 Slide Unit from Meusburger is especially suitable for complex moulds.

For further details please contact:

Meusburger Georg GmbH & Co KG, Austria Web: www.meusburger.com

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

Drinking Water Series from KRAIBURG TPE for Hose Applications

K

requirements of the drinking water

new DW series has passed the KTW as well

drinking

RAIBURG TPE presents drinking water compliant TPEs developed especially

for hose applications. The material of the

as W270 approval; due to an optimised processing method it can be used for hoses in showers, dishwashers and similar applications.

In the development and manufacture

of drinking water compliant TPEs, KRAIBURG TPE focuses on the stringent

regulations from Great Britain, France and Germany as on its way from the

waterworks to the consumer’s tap the quality of the water must not

be impaired with respect to flavour, odour,

colour,

pathogens, etc.

The

concentration

market-oriented

portfolio

of

of

KRAIBURG TPE includes three series that are specially adapted to the

POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ l October - November 2015

market. secret

The of

water

compliant TPEs is

the

special

formulation

of

the compounds.

The growth of

micro-organisms is

prevented

without

addition

the of

b i o c i d e s .

However,

the

special materials not only fulfill the requirements

for

drinking

water

compatibility, but also feature the

special advantages of a high-quality TPE (due to a hardness spectrum between 50 and 90 Shore A and the capability for

precise colouring, which has no effect

on the drinking water certifications, they can be used in numerous applications).

For further details please contact: KRAIBURG TPE GmbH & Co. KG, Germany

Web: www.kraiburg-tpe.com

23

BOBST Developments in Gravure Technology for Coating Applications Presented During Symposium and Open House in Italy

A

latest generation aluminium coating

line at Bobst Italia’s production plant

in San Giorgio Monferrato provided the perfect opportunity for BOBST to hold this major two-day event.

BOBST specialists and guest speakers

from Taghleef Industries and Actega Rhenania

addressed

the

the Open House. This ROTOCOAT machine was

which included:

Wet

l

to meet the challenges faced by today’s converting industry.

of cigarette inner liners.

2-stage lacquering for products like

doctor blade and semi-flexo coating,

3-stage lacquering for products like

up to 350° C air temperature depending

foils for chocolate, and foil for cheese.

Detlef Merklinger, Head of Product guests, together with Michele Vitiello, Managing Director of BOBST Italia. He

then introduced BOBST Business Unit

Web-fed, the organisation and activities of the Coating Product Line he has been

Demonstration at the event in progress.

l

l

Line Coating for BOBST, welcomed the

lamination

for the production

technical

substrates and coating formulations offer

to

different applications

advances and opportunities that the

latest coating and drying technologies,

developed

handle a number of

The line has also been pre-prepared to

that can be run on the machine.

capabilities in processing a sensitive

order to expand the range of applications BOBST’s

presentations

were

Detlef Merklinger also introduced the

Taghleef Industries and Actega.

speeches given by representatives of The event also showcased the ROTOCOAT

laminating, web handling and automation.

impressive double-deck, 45 m long,

Gianni Zanatta, Product Manager, Product

featured three coating stations for direct

BOBST’s range of gravure coating systems,

from the traditional open doctor blade

system to the state-of-the-art pressurised

aluminium

lacquering

machine,

6 for electrical switches such

over 300° C. This innovative dryer for

proprietary

on

FN27. Compared to the

pecialty chemicals company LANXESS has developed a new halogen-

free flame-retardant polyamide

and a roller type dryer for temperatures

as circuit breakers under the

high temperatures was also showcased

Durethan

lacquering machine.

mineral-filled halogen-

ROTOCOAT

aluminium

Alexandre David, Sales Manager, Product Line Coating, Bobst Italia, concluded BOBST’s presentations by introducing the

aluminium lacquering machine shown at

24

reel at 400 m/min with perfect, defect-

free, rewinding. The performance of

BOBST gravure coating technology was CL 850D coating and laminating line in Bobst Italia’s Competence Centre.

For further details please contact: Bobst Italia S.p.A., Italy www.bobst.com

Halogen-free Flame-retardant Polyamide 6 for Circuit Breakers from LANXESS

the BOBST development of a floatation

the

20 micron, 1020 mm wide aluminium foil

gravure coating with closed chamber

Mirko Rinco, R&D Manager, Product Line Coating, Bobst Italia, spoke about

an

8 m high production line. The machine

S

enclosed chamber doctor blade system.

a dry run to exhibit the line’s web handling

then shown during a wet run on the

technologies that are most relevant for

Line Coating, Bobst Italia, presented

total dryer length of 45 m.

The demonstration on the ROTOCOAT was

complemented by insightful presentation

coating lines - winding, coating, drying,

on the application requirements, over a

include dry lamination in the future, in

managing within the Business Unit.

competences of BOBST in terms of

along with three dryers which can reach

BKV

name 25

free polyamide 6 grades often

used

in

the

manufacture of circuit breakers voltage

for

low-

applications,

the glass-reinforced material impresses through

its

high

mechanical

strength and thermal stability.

Components

made

from this effectively withstand

the

enormous mechanical stresses

and

temperature

high

peaks

that occur during a

short circuit.

For further details please contact:

LANXESS India Pvt. Ltd., Maharashtra Web: www.lanxess.in

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

Speciality Colour Masterbatches l

Endless Shade Possibilities

Next Generation Metallics

l

White Masterbatches ‘High Loading

l l

Path Breaking Colouring & Compounding Solutions

High Quality Packaging Film

High Performance Blacks l

High Strength Blacks

High Dispersability

l

Additive Masterbatches Exhaustive Range to Modify and Enhance Polymer Properties

GOI Recognised Export House

Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt Ltd Arvind Mehta Group Company

8, New Metalage Industrial Premises, Subhash Marg, Off Caves Road, Jogeshwari (E), Mumbai 400 060.

INDIA

info@custage.com

l

T : +91-22-2821 5734, 2838 7054 F : +91-22-2838 1088 E : info@welset.com W : www.welset.com

Palusol Fire-protection Panels with New Epoxy Resin Coating from BASF

B

ASF has developed a new epoxy resin which improves the properties

iNature, the Biodegradable Cover for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus made in APINAT BIO

I

n

2011,

the

company

Italian

BIOMOOD

Ltd. launched the first 100

of the Palusol® fire-protection panels. The

per cent biodegradable

production from 2016.

iNature

epoxy resin is set to be used in Palusol®

The new generation of Palusol fireprotection panels delivers a greater protective effect, thanks to improved barrier

properties. These include higher thermal

resilience and lower permeability to water vapour and carbon dioxide substances

which would change the chemical composition of the panels and prevent them from expanding and thus have an

adverse effect on their resistance to heat.

iPhone cover with the success of

brand.

is

the

This

collaboration

the

Italian

result

with

company

API SpA, manufacturer of

thermoplastic

compounds. Thanks to continuous

investment

and development in the

world of bioplastics, API created APINAT BIO, the material used for the production of the cover.

APINAT BIO is a bioplastic that was developed and

patented by API, and what The viscosity of the new epoxy resin coating is also lower, which means that

the coating that is applied in production is spread more evenly on the Palusol panel.

In addition, the new coating dries faster on the foam compared to the conventional type of coating. The primary aim of

complying with the requirements of the REACH European chemicals regulation

is met by the new generation of fireprotection panels.

makes it really special is that it will biodegrade in

an aerobic environment

in full accordance with

EN 13432, EN 14995 and ASTM D6400. This makes it

particularly

the iNature Project that

was entirely designed to

target zero environmental impact with every detail

designed and built to be totally

biodegradable.

Thanks to the physical and mechanical

need for a high degree of

flexibility and softness to protect the smartphone from bumps and falls,

as well as also having a The cover even comes

P

new iPhone covers for

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6

Plus have been launched in the market.

For further details please contact:

API SpA, ITALY

Web: www.inature.it

CE mark approval for their use in Europe,

and more dynamic therapeutic options.

implants are now widely recognised, as

between rigid all-metal spinal implants

Adopting

this

‘bridging’

approach,

customers using the product’, says Michael

implantable polyetherether-ketone (PEEK)

‘Tests prove that we have achieved these

Solutions (‘Invibio’), a

soon be able to begin series production’.

A notable feature is the

in the manufacturing process and for

new rods are made of PEEK-OPTIMA®, an

Kopietz, Head of Production for Palusol.

polymer available from Invibio Biomaterial

26

between

API and BIOMOOD Ltd.

olymeric spinal rods provide a bridge

rod system in its VEOS product line. The

Web: www.basf.com

with water-based dyes.

With Polymers from Invibio, Semi-rigid Spinal Rods Now Available to Bridge Treatment Gap

surgery, is offering a new PEEK-polymer

BASF Corporation, USA

material

made of recycled paper

practical, anti-slip surface.

deliver significant benefits both, for us

For further details please contact:

eco-

continues today and, the

this cover, in particular the

to develop an improved formulation to

in Frankenthal.

friendly

fully satisfied for creating

‘The aim of our development work was

course of 2016 at the production site

in

Collaboration

requirements could be

specialist in innovative solutions for spinal

Series production will commence in the

properties

packaged

of APINAT BIO, all basic

France-based Innov’spine, a leading

aims and we are delighted that we will

well

suited to the vision of

Victrex Plc company.

use of polyaxial screws – previously, systems

were only available with

monoaxial

screws. These new

rods, have gained

a further signal that PEEK-polymer spinal the therapeutic option of choice. Spinal

rods composed of metal have been used successfully for many years. They are, however, not a perfect solution. Breakage and loosened screws can occur and result

in accelerated degeneration at adjacent spinal segments. The high stiffness

inherent in all-metal implants is believed to contribute to these clinical challenges and their subsequent negative impact on

patient outcomes. In response, surgeons

have indicated that enhanced flexibility, within a range of rod stiffness, would be beneficial for patients.

For further details please contact:

Victrex Manufacturing Limited, UK Web: www.victrex.com

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

ventura series

Setting the BENCHMARK in PERFORMANCE Our New Ventura Series Reaffirms our Commitment If you are looking for cost effective plastic moulding machines that provide advance technology, look only to the leader... Electronica Plastic Machines.

One of the widest range of machines to suit your business and your customers’ requirements... domestic and overseas.

The new Ventura series is the most energy efficient performer that fulfills all your stringent demands.

New Launch

High Energy Efficiency High Productivity Consistent Performance

Registered Office & Factory:

ELECTRONICA PLASTIC MACHINES LTD.

Gat No. 399, Hissa No. 1 & 2, Bhare, Tal. Mulshi, Dist. Pune - 412115.

Tel.: +91-20-32533552 / 32533518 Email: epml@electronicapmd.com Website: www.elpml.com

ventura series ventura 100 ventura 150 ventura 200

COVER STORY

Success

A Grassroots Phenomenon Continuous customers, users and nature centric innovation are the key requirements for any plastic processor to succeed, says Bhavarlal Jain in dialogue with POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ.

Q. Can you please highlight the growth expected in micro irrigation in India? What will be the impact?

Growth still will be governed by the capital formation in

the hands of the farmers. It has to come more from the

Government sector, but the private sector will also have

to add its own might. The leading companies have to take the responsibility for R&D and invest in technologies which are futuristic.

Q. How pivotal has been the role of plastics in assisting the agri-sector in achieving its objectives?

Plastics contribute a lot in turning the agro sector from

a vocation ruled one and dependent on the vagaries of nature to empowering the farmer to control his future

to a much greater extent than was earlier possible. The applications are countless and there is an entire industry called plasticulture working on this.

The development and application of thermoplastic piping for water management and the refinement in techniques of micro irrigation for increasing efficiency of water usage are the greatest contributors to making farming sustainable

28

POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ l October - November 2015

and its outcome more predictable. PVC bore

hole casing, screen and column pipes are the

l

HDPE piping has proved to be unbeatable for

l

laterals and tapes are delivering water from the

l

smallest to the largest plants, both in tiny farms

A culture of transparency, openness and

Promoting people from within the company,

and giant farm holds in a dependable manner.

often fully recovered within the first three years of operation.

Q. The Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. (JISL) global story is inspiring. What aspects of your culture you think helped Jain in building this global empire?

l

All associates imbibing the culture of the company and taking it forward.

a family.

very loyal and committed associates who have spent many years, even decades

Due to their inherent properties, plastics are

long lasting and the cost of their installation is

matter what it could be, and to behave and act as if you are the owner.

materials of choice for ground water extraction. water transmission, distribution and LLDPE drip

Culture of being the owner of one’s job, no

with us.

l

Leading by example by the top management.

Q. As regards the JISL global story, did you encounter any setbacks? If yes, how were they surmounted?

l

Many setbacks ventured into non-core business lines and lost out. Got

Bhavarlal Jain

Founder Chairman

Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Jalgaon

POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ l October - November 2015

29

back on focus by liquidating all the non-core

businesses and focused on agriculture and related industries.

Cash flow crunch, due to Government

Change in the business model by creating

l

l

delaying payments to the company.

an NBFC which can provide loans to farmers,

Q. What are the challenges of selling when your customer is a farmer? How different is selling to a farmer in the west world as compared to a farmer in the eastern countries?

l

increase sharply.

company and thereby the debt does not

l

l

Putting up green field projects in uncharted countries with vastly different cultural

price increases and currency fluctuations lies

subsidised their losses with incomes and tax

l

with JISL.

l

Grassroots development certainly leads

to success when there is passion backed

an affordable price.

l

Effective

monitoring with weather stations and

use

centrally controlled automation. Most of these huge farms function with very

engagement of all stake holders as well

few people manning them and are fully

as the policy makers is vital.

are large farms, at times extending to for these farms include remote weather

of vernacular media and continuous

l

The farms in the western countries several thousand acres. Our solutions

with all the above in place and continuously plans.

maximum extent possible and also develop be offered to the farmer to save his crop at

discipline. Micro irrigation was launched action

We need to absorb any additional cost to the low cost systems simultaneously which can

by planning, strategy dedication and

evolving

holder farmer cannot be treated in the

the farmer from the vagaries of international

profit making companies and that way cross

Q. Does success originate from grassroots? What according to you are key requirements for a plastic processor to succeed in this era?

However, a farmer and especially a small same manner and the onus of insulating

environment. Got these projects merged into

savings of other profitable units.

about costing and the need for rate increases

when the raw material price / US dollar

while he pays full up front amount to the reside on the company balance sheet.

A corporate customer can be convinced

mechanised. The irrigation systems for

Continuous customers, users and nature

these farms are also so designed that they

for any plastic processor to succeed. Alternate

preparation and harvesting.

are not damaged during mechanised land

centric innovation are the key requirements designs and models need to be developed

in advance for dealing with unseen cost

Q. Business beyond policy makers. Your thoughts please.

unviable for the user. Each of our efforts

l

escalations which may make a product

Doing well by doing good is the moral

should be towards conserving nature and in

we have experienced ourselves. When I

gas based power plant is a perfect example:

aim was to alleviate the burden of the small

processing plants is converted into bio gas

the quantum of his farm yield as well as

for own consumption and feeding to the

too many uncontrolled variables and we

excellent organic manure. Similar examples

that when we ensure that the farmer gets

tune with the environment. Our 1.65 MW bio

ventured into business, my fundamental

The waste of our mango and vegetable

farmer, who toils without any control on

which feeds turbines generating power both,

on the price he will get. There were just

grid. The residue from the bio gas reactor is

set out to control some of them. We found

of zero discharge operations need to be

adequate returns for his toil and pain,

developed in every commercial operation to enhance value addition at every possible step.

Solar power generation should be adopted by all industries.

POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ l October - November 2015

To know more, please subscribe to

Polymers CommuniquĂŠ at subscriptions@ polymerscommunique.com

31

FIRST TIME

Application of Plastic Packaging for

Nalen Gur

(Liquid Jaggery)

Know the Winter Delicacy of West Bengal

The words ‘Nalen Gur’ or ‘Khejur Gur’ or ‘Notun

Gur’ carries the same meaning, but has special

significance for the Bengali community.

This date palm jaggery is an intrinsic part of

the Bengali culture and some of the food

is synonymous with winter. In general, the Bengali community waits for the entire year to

taste this seasonal delicacy which is available only during the winter. Bengalis feel that their

winter cannot be complete without eating

Prof. (Dr.) N. C. Saha presents an interesting article on the various kinds of jaggery made during the winter season in West Bengal. He explains how IIP has contributed largely in creating innovative packaging for this much-loved delicacy - the liquid jaggery that has enhanced its shelf-life.

Nalen Gur.

Nalen Gur (new jaggery) is a product typical of this eastern region of India. It is made from the juices secreted by the palm trees. It is made in

two forms - liquid and solid. The shelf-life of the solid form is 4 - 5 months and that of the

liquid variety is less than a week. The liquid

one is the real delicacy used in various kinds

of Bengali dishes. However, it is available only during the months between December and February (winter season).

This liquid jaggery is used for the preparation of famous Bengali sweets like Rasogolla

(cottage cheese balls simmered in light syrup), Prof. (Dr.) N. C. Saha Director Indian Institute of Packaging Mumbai

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

Sandesh (cottage cheese fudge), Kanchagolla

(softer version of Rasgulla), Jalbhara (Sandesh

with a juicy centre), Bhapa Sandesh (steamed

Sandesh) etc. The different varieties of Bengali

sweets are prepared with different colours and

33

Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee.

Extend the Winter Taste: Now With Plastics Packaging the

As a step towards offering its celebrated culinary

unique

heritage, the Department of MSME and Textiles is

smoky and one of its kind jaggery smells unbelievable

increase the shelf-life of the liquid variety of Nolen

flavour borrowed from Notun Gur. This slightly

when added to milk based desserts.

Back home, it is a ritual for most Bengalis to take those

early morning walk to the nearby villages to drink this juice collected in the earthen pot throughout the

night. In the villages of West Bengal, there are several date trees around the paddy fields and ponds, and the collection process starts in the evening. First the

working towards getting a commercial solution to

gur. For this, MSME have entrusted the responsibility

of R&D to the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP). IIP

has procured a sample of liquid Nolen gur from

Bengal and has conducted the shelf-life study in the

laboratory. While conducting the study, the Institute has also explored the possibility of selecting various

options which could provide the maximum shelf-life.

earthen pots are disinfected by warming them on

Considering the functional and barrier properties

a tapper. The sap from the date palm is collected in

transmission rate, the Institute has selected three

fire, and then the sap is extracted and collected by earthen pots and brought down from the tree-top where it is hung all night for the sap to get collected.

Some people like to drink this fresh sap. But the magic of this liquid is when the sun starts rising in

the sky, this liquid gets fermented. Typically the sap (Khajuraho Rosh) is collected from the cut flower of

the tree. A container is fastened to the flower stump to

like water vapour transmission rate and oxygen different options of plastics based packaging materials to determine the shelf-life of liquid jaggery To know more, please subscribe to

Polymers CommuniquĂŠ at subscriptions@ polymerscommunique.com

collect the sap and left there all night. The white liquid

that initially collects is very sweet. Every morning it

is customary to gather around the ghat (sitting area

around the steps leading to the pond) where the juice filled pots are carefully brought down. The juice is to be drunk fresh, early in the morning, otherwise as the

day progresses, it starts to ferment and by evening it turns black.

Apart from having the fresh juices, once or twice

every winter, additional juice is bought from local suppliers to prepare jaggery. The juice is boiled in

a huge flat metal pot called Shalti and is reduced till it thickens and takes a cake form called patali.

Sometimes the gur is cooked to form syrup called

Jhola gur.

Biswa Bangla is an umbrella brand of the Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles,

Government of West Bengal that has taken an initiative to bring all the heritage products of the land of West Bengal under this brand of Biswa Bangla.

Biswa Bangla showcases and promotes the beauty of the land, the sheer artistry of Benga’s craftsmen and

weavers through handicrafts, handlooms, paintings,

sweets etc. The Biswa Bangla brand is widely known to be conceptualised and designed by West Bengal

34

POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ l October - November 2015

NEW DIMENSION

Applications of High Performance

Polymeric Composites in Defence HPPCs opens many opportunities for manufacturing, collaborations and joint ventures in the defence sector, says Dr. Mayank Dwivedi.

A

dvanced

composites

have

revolutionalised

high

performance structural applications ranging from civil

construction and electrical appliances to automobiles

and aerospace. Their high specific properties and tailorability of properties make them the best choice amongst materials. Typically,

high performance polymeric composites (HPPCs) have high

mechanical (Tensile strength: >400 MPa and Young’s modulus: >40 GPa) and thermal (Service temperature: >150° C) performances.

HPPCs have augmented the possibilities for new designs and applications in the defence sector due to their versatile properties.

The growth of the defence industry greatly depends upon HPPCs

and their major application areas in the design and development of defence products are shown in Table 1.

A Flying Start Long range guided missiles, stealth aircrafts etc. could become a

reality due to HPPCs. HPPC such as PEEK matrix composite is used for light weight fuel ducts for fighter aircrafts due their resistance Dr. Mayank Dwivedi Scientist Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) New Delhi

to oil, grease and lubricants. Similarly, temperature at the nose tip of the reentry air vehicle is very high due to stagnation of air flow

as shown in the CFD analysis model in Figure 11. Carbon-carbon

composites, which have high ablative properties, are the materials for such applications.

High Performance Applications of Polymers and Composites in Defence Application Areas

Products

Airframe

Radome, fin, fuselage, rocket motor casing etc.

Transportation

Bridge, hull, track pin, track pad etc.

Stealth

Radar absorbing material/ coating, anti jamming

Ablation

Nose tip, rocket motor lining, reentry surface etc.

Armour

Body armour, vehicle armour, armoured

system etc.

shelter etc.

nanocomposites having super strong structures would enable the realisation of morphed wing aircrafts and hyperplanes2,3

(Refer Figure 3).

Exotic Applications HPPCs such as carbon fibre reinforced epoxy composites are the key to design

and development of rocket motor casings for missile systems; whereas rocket

motor lining is made out of ablative liners using silica / carbon reinforced

phenolic composites. Ablative composites

Table 1

are used for all reentry surfaces and aircraft industry. The use of light weight

and strong composites has improved the efficiency of B-2 Spirit stealth bomber,

F-22 Raptor stealth aircraft, light combat aircraft (LCA) - Tejas (Figure 2). Further,

ferrite based composites and coating

have improved the stealth performance

Figure1: Stagnation of air flow as shown in CFD analysis.

of fighter aircrafts.

rocket nozzles as shown in Figure 44.

No intercontinental or intermediate

range ballistic missile would have been possible without ablative composites

which are generally made out of hybrid HPPCs. HPPCs

find

exotic

applications

in

armament, combat engineering and

Nose cones of missiles and aircrafts need to

Hyperplanes and morphed wing aircrafts

naval systems. Composite hulls for the

it, therefore, E or R glass or Kevlar fibres

slated to be capable of flying at hypersonic

warships; composite barrel for tank gun;

transmit electromagnetic signals through reinforced PMRPI or phenol formaldehyde

or epoxies HPPCs are the most suitable

materials for such applications. Carbon fibre reinforced epoxy composites have added a new dimension in the fighter

are the futuristic aircrafts. Hyperplanes are

battle tanks and frigates; sonar domes for

velocities (>5 Mach). Morphed wing

composite sabot for armoured piercing

aircraft would be an ultimate solution for speed, efficiency and stealth. The morphed

wing aircraft mimics the flying of a bird with flapping of wings. High performance

To know more, please subscribe to Polymers Communiqué at

subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com

Your feedback matters…

Do let us know what you feel about this issue of POLYMERS Communiqué. Send us your thoughts at feedback@polymerscommunique.com Thank you, in advance.

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

37

TECH BITS

Micro-cellular Polymeric Foams

A New Horizon P

olymer foams are used in a wide variety of

applications such as disposable packaging,

Anup K. Ghosh talks about the efforts being taken to develop environmental friendly foam materials and processes which would also render the most efficient products and cost optimised manufacturing processes.

cushioning,

insulation,

automotive

and

biomedical. According to a report from SMITHERS RAPRA analysts, the worldwide polymer foams market is expected to consume 25.3 million tonnes by 2019.

Polymer Foams, an Attractive Material Polymer foam is polymer matrix with either air bubbles

or air tunnels incorporated into it, known as either

closed-cell or open-cell structure. Closed-cell foams are generally more rigid, while open-cell foams are usually

flexible. Foams are becoming attractive not only for reduced material consumption, which in turn lowers the

cost of production, weight reduction and fuel savings, but also for developing a spectrum of new properties, which are critical to qualities of specific applications.

Unique Properties, Myriad Applications Thermal and acoustic insulation, specific strength and fluid absorption capacity are some areas where foamed

materials are used extensively. However, the key to

production of foams which meet specific requirements Anup K. Ghosh Professor and Head Centre for Polymer Science and Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Delhi New Delhi

40

lies in the proper selection of raw material as well as

process parameters, the latter governing the volume To know more, please subscribe to

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POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ l October - November 2015

INTERACTION

Q. Can you please update the readers of POLYMERS Communiqué on the capacity expansion being undertaken at Pata?

Q. What role do you expect the petrochemical business to play in the GAIL growth plans?

GAIL has chalked out ambitions plans for

Presently, the polymer production capacity of

we have Mitsui and Nova technologies at

and with the commissioning of the Univation

expanding the capacity at Pata. Presently,

Pata. Under our expansion plan, we have got Univation technology which has the capability

of producing both, HDPE and LLDPE grades.

With the commissioning of the Univation plant

at Pata, we shall have access to niche grades from all three technologies which shall play a crucial role in reinforcing our presence in the PE market

segment. The volumes are also being doubled which will help us in strengthening our presence in the market place.

GAIL is 450 KTA comprising of HDPE and LLDPE plant at Pata, the polymer production at Pata will

be around 900 KTA. As the readers are aware, GAIL

has 70 per cent stake in M/s Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Ltd. (BCPL) and shall be marketing the entire production of 220 KTA of HDPE / LLDPE

and 60 KTA of polypropylene which is coming online very soon at the greenfield petrochemical

complex at Lepatkata, Assam. GAIL has equity stake in ONGC Petro additions Limited (OPaL)

for marketing 530 KTA of HDPE / LLDPE and PP

Petchem @ GAIL

Powered by Products, Technologies and More P. K. Gupta talks about the plans to expand the capacity at Pata and the role of the petrochemical business in the growth of GAIL, in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.

Prafulla Kumar Gupta Executive Director (Marketing - PC & Retail) GAIL (India) Limited, Noida

42

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

to be produced in their greenfield petrochemical project at Dahej, Gujarat.

The commissioning of these planned capacities shall multiply GAIL’s polymer portfolio both, in terms of volumes and the product basket. We

shall have a wide range of polymer grades from

some of the best technologies in the world to cater to the ever growing market needs in

the HDPE / LLDPE product category and shall also enlist our maiden entry and long-awaited presence in the PP market segment. GAIL’s overall marketing capacity shall increase to

about 1700 KTA, thereby making us a leading

our LLDPE production base and thereby cater to the packaging sector in the country, in general and in northern India, in particular. We shall be concentrating on high performance grades in

the packaging sector and provide value added import substitute grades in the near future. Our

additional capacity has been consciously lined up accordingly.

Q. Do you wish to highlight any specific technologies that have been incorporated in your plants? And to what end user benefit?

polymer supplier in the country. These additional

GAIL has commissioned a 410 KTA plant, licensed

and GAIL’s petrochemical product portfolio shall

which has the capability of producing both,

well as the bottom-line of GAIL.

this technology, GAIL will now be operating

Q. As regards the market verticals, what are the focus areas of GAIL?

processes with their unique advantages like,

capacities will become available 2016 onwards

by M/s Univation, USA with UNIPOL technology,

have substantial contribution in the top-line as

HDPE and LLDPE.

At present, we have limited LLDPE production capability; hence, under our expansion plan at

Pata, we have carved out a plan for expanding

With the introduction of

on three different types of polymerisation

To know more, please subscribe to

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lohiagroup.com

It’s reliable It’s produced on Lohia Machines Our machines not only extrude tapes and weave fabrics but also coat, print and convert to produce world class flexible packaging for a wide range of solid materials like food grains, fertilizers, cement, animal feed and minerals, including special applications like tarpaulins, geo-textile and big bags.

Our continuous innovation and updated technologies help customers save material, energy and efforts to optimise cost of production and quality.

Leadership through customer satisfaction is the passion we pursue at Lohia.

Lohia Corp Limited D-3/A Panki Industrial Estate Kanpur 208022, India T: +91 512 3045100 F: +91 512 3045299 sales@lohiagroup.com

Delivering Advantages

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

Tape Extrusion . Winding . Circular Weaving . Coating . Printing . Bag Conversion . Yarn Spinning

43

INTERACTION

It’s Destination India

for Borouge

Wim Roels Chief Executive Officer Borouge Pte Ltd., Singapore

Wim Roels talks about the changes

that are likely to occur over the next

few years in the Indian polymer industry and about the products that Borouge

plans to launch into the Indian market, in

dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.

Q. Especially in the Asian context, what do you see as the role of partnerships for the growth of the polymer industry?

All the players in the polymer value chain need to work together to ensure that the best solutions are brought

to the market. This requires true partnership between polymer producers, converters and major brand owners;

not just in delivering new innovations, but also in how

we work with other stakeholders to increase recycling and recovery. This is especially true in the flexible To know more, please subscribe to

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POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

45

EU TRADE

Business Facts

Europe, India Machinery Trade and Beyond Rajesh Nath, during his presentation at the General Assembly meeting of EUROMAP, highlighted that the export of EUROMAP members from the plastics and rubber machinery sector to India in 2014 was around € 180 million; out of which, the share of extrusion machinery was € 30 million, injection moulding machinery was € 10 million and blow moulding machines was € 15 million.

Rajesh Nath Managing Director VDMA German Engineering Federation India Liaison Office, Kolkata

T

he General Assembly meeting of the European Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association (EUROMAP) was held in Venice on 11th

September, 2015. Over 80 representatives of the member associations and firms of the European plastics and rubber machinery attended this event. At this event, Luciano Anceschi, Tria, Cologno Monzese was elected as President; Dr. Karlheinz Bourdon, Krauss Maffei Technologies, Munich

as

Vice

President

and

Thorsten

Kuhmann, VDMA Frankfurt as Secretary General.

The main subject of the discussion was the

development in China and India with regards to the

plastics and rubber industry. Papers were presented by

Dr. Peter Neumann, CEO, ENGEL Austria and Rajesh Nath, Managing Director, VDMA India.

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

47

Exports from India

Deliveries to India Worldexports Total Worldexports P&R

25000 mill. €

EUROMAP Total EUROMAP P&R

800 mill. € 700

20000

600

Plastics and Rubber Machinery

400 10000

150 5000 100

300 200

5000

2500

50

100 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14

0

0

’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14

0

Core Machinery

Core Machinery

Rajesh Nath spoke on the present political and

economic scenario in India highlighting the GDP growth of 7.4 per cent in 2014-15 and the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the hon’ble Prime Minister,

Narendra Modi which focuses on increase in

GDP in manufacturing from present 15 per cent

to 25 per cent by 2020. Also, under this initiative

EUROMAP Deliveries to India EUROMAP Total Extrusion Machines

400 mill. €

Injection Moulding Machines Blow Moulding Machines 60 mill. € 50

300

40

100 million new jobs are to be created and 500 million youths to be trained / skilled.

30

200

The export of EUROMAP members from the

plastics and rubber machinery sector to India in 2014 was around € 180 million; out of which, the

0

injection moulding machinery € 10 million and blow moulding machines was € 15 million.

Indian MSME and SME customers across the entire application sector still consider the price

as a leading factor while selecting a brand due to their low purchasing power. The key segment

for EUROMAP members is auto components, medical and pharmaceutical packaging where

highly sophisticated machines are required. The trend will be machinery and technology offering

high volume and precision with reduced energy

consumption and zero wastage in operations which will help to produce products with consistency and improve quality output.

Statistical Analysis The output of the nine members of EUROMAP –

20

100

share of extrusion machinery was € 30 million,

10 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14

0

Core Machinery

per cent. This accounted for 40 per cent of the global output.

During the same period, global exports

from EUROMAP countries rose by 1.6 per

cent to € 9.7 billion. EUROMAP represents almost

1,000

manufacturing

companies

with a combined workforce of more than 57,000 in Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland

and Turkey.

At a press briefing held at EUROMAP’s General

Assembly in Venice on 10 th September, 2015,

the European Association of Plastics and Rubber

To know more, please subscribe to

billion in 2014, a year-on-year increase of 1.9

polymerscommunique.com

Machinery Manufacturers – amounted to € 13.0

48

250 mill. € 200

7500

500

15000

0

Total Machine Exports

10000 mill. €

Polymers Communiqué at subscriptions@

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

REPORT

Polymer Markets Ups and Downs

The market for polymers this year has been volatile and prices across markets have declined. Yet, the global consumption remains consistent and the short-term market upheaval though, has not damaged growth prospects for the industry.

Malini Hariharan Head of South Asia Markets ICIS, Mumbai

Global consumption increased by 3.9 per

cent compared with

Current Trend Polymer markets have witnessed considerable volatility in 2015 and the trend appears likely to continue for the next quarter.

Asian markets started the year on a weak note following the collapse in crude oil price in H2

2014, but demand and prices started inching up from mid-Q1. Supported by the strength

in olefin markets, prices of polyethylene

The index shows that petrochemical prices

2013, with growth

than in the years since 2009 and the 2004 to

average trend for

thus far in 2015 have been on average lower 2008 period.

India in May to USD 1010/tonne cfr India at endOctober. Linear low density polyethylene prices

second quarter.

polymerscommunique.com

steadily

for

most

of

the

three years.

from this year’s high of USD 1,410/tonne cfr

To know more, please subscribe to

rose

the preceding

In India, polypropylene (PP) prices have fallen

(PE), polypropylene and other commodity polymers

in line with the

Polymers Communiqué at subscriptions@

However, the situation has changed considerably

since then and prices across markets have

Northwest Europe and the US.

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

15 20

13

11

20

20

07

09 20

20

05 20

03

20

three large consuming regions – Northeast Asia,

01

0.00

products continued to track downward in the

93

Petrochemical prices for most of the major

99

100.00

19

down 33 per cent year on year.

19

including the major olefins and polymers, was

200.00

97

for a basket of 12 petrochemical products

19

The global IPEX, which reflects price movements

September 2015: 214.16

95

olefins prices weakened.

400.00

300.00

19

down sharply as aromatics prices crashed and

IPEX Index (Jan 1993=100)

(IPEX) for September, at 214.16 was 7.0 per cent lower than the revised index for August moving

ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX)

500.00

20

declined. The global ICIS Petrochemical Index

Source: ICIS

51

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INTERACTION

K. K. Seksaria President Plastindia Foundation, Mumbai

The Onus is on Us

Use, Reuse or Abuse Plastics K. K. Seksaria has just assumed office as President of Plastindia Foundation, the apex body of Indian plastics industry. In this interview with POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ, K. K. Seksaria talks about where the industry is headed and its future.

54

POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ l October - November 2015

Q. In which direction do you think the plastics industry is headed?

40 - 45% exports is of raw materials.

the existing sectors also there are

India is a young Nation with the average

are now being commissioned. Earlier

processing industry has witnessed a

26 years; 64 per cent of the population

and so was the processing industry.

urbanisation,

of

good from West of India to the East

chains are selling products in packaged

cost of freight from China, Bangladesh,

as about 50 per cent of the growth is

threw up a huge challenge. Now, the

The Government of India’s programmes

in the Eastern region (Northern region

and Digital India offer a lot of scope for

There will be a supply-driven demand

Additional capacities of petrochemicals

age of the Indian population about

capacities were more in the West

is in the working group. With rapid

The cost of transporting finished

plastics is on the rise as most of the retail

of India was at times more than the

forms. We expect significant growth

Nepal to the Eastern part of India. This

happening in the packaging industry.

petrochemical plants are being set up

– Make in India, Skill India, Swachh Bharat

as well). The growth will be balanced.

growth in plastics.

for plastics in new regions where the

Consumption of plastics in India is for

is scope for increased processing

the

consumption

new plants are functioning. There

basic necessities and that too our per

and consumption.

capita consumption is very less, so there Indian exports constitute about 12 per

Q. What are the newer segments in the industry that will offer business opportunities?

of finished products is still less. About

While we have to look beyond, in

are significant opportunities for growth.

cent for all goods; the percentage in case

innovations

happening.

The

food

change and it is still changing. Readyto-eat food and packaged food were not

manufactured before, which today are a part of our lifestyle. Another example

being, galvanised pipes were used for

water supply and are now replaced by plastics. In housing, a lot of traditional items have been replaced by plastics.

Most of the components in furniture, automobile, white goods, computer hardware, mobile phones are now made

of plastics which makes them cheaper and lighter. There is a big requirement of plastics in the agricultural sector too.

In China, the per capita consumption in

agriculture alone is 6 to 7 kgs whereas To know more, please subscribe to Polymers Communiqué at

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55

REPORT

Transportation Industry Moves On

With High-performance Plastics Srinivas Venkatesan talks about the importance of high-performance plastics in Europe and North America.

Srinivas Venkatesan Chemicals, Materials and Foods Research Analyst Frost & Sullivan, Chennai

The Industry Stance

replace metals and alloys with high-performance

High-performance plastics encompassing resins

such as polyketones, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), sulfone polymers, thermoplastic polyimides, and polyphthalamide (PPA) are gaining traction in the

transportation industry. They offer light weighting, fuel efficiency and design freedom to original

equipment manufacturers, enabling them to replace metals and alloys without compromising on performance. Automotive and aviation industries

are witnessing high growth in adoption of highperformance plastics, while the market is still in

a nascent stage in the rail and marine segments

due to competition from alternative materials and the high material cost of these plastics. Commodity

thermoplastics and thermosets are the lower cost alternatives to high-performance plastics in the transportation industry.

With new regulations requiring automobile manufacturers

to

achieve

an

average

fuel

economy of 34.1 miles per gallon in the United States by 2016 and Euro-6 emission standards

taking effect in 2014, automotive OEMs plan to

56

plastics. Furthermore, miniaturisation of critical components

such

as

engines,

without

compromising on performance, requires polymers that can withstand extreme physical stress and temperature. This is a strong factor driving the market for high-performance plastics such as PPA. For instance, PPA is used in engine water jacket spacers as a result of its high temperature

performance and

superior mechanical

properties. High resin costs and

fabrication costs remain a major restraint

for high-performance plastics, restricting large volume applications to luxury cars To know more, please subscribe to

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POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ l October - November 2015

INTERACTION

John Roberts Market Manager Gala Industries Inc., USA

John Roberts talks about pelletisation solutions and the recent innovations Gala Industries has made in pellet design, in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.

Q. What kind of flexibility does the market demand as pelletisation solutions are concerned?

Q. As an equipment supplier, how do you balance between machine efficiency and flexibility?

The market demand for pelletising solutions

Every machine or pelletiser has its limitations just as

pelletising rates can be as low as 5 kg/hr or as high as

We, like our customers, are always striving to increase

is actually quite broad, as the requirement for 30,000 kg/hr, and yes even much higher. The types of end users are, as well, broad from what we call mom and pop shops and start-up companies, up to the

petrochemical refineries and high-end engineered

resigns to online crystallisation applications. Viscosity ranges of polymers and non-polymer applications are just as broad: Applications such as pressure sensitive hot melt adhesives to rigid PVC, you have medical

and food grade applications as well as post-consumer recycling applications. Quite honestly, that is what makes this market so exciting and challenging at the same time.

do the polymers and materials that are pelletised.

this range of capability ‘flexibility’ of our equipment while maintaining a standard design and competitive

pricing in the market. We also clearly understand that the pelletisers we design must provide our customers with reliable, consistent production and

minimal downtime for product change over and maintenance ‘efficiency’. With this being said, we

have developed and continue to develop additional

features and specific designs, which in most cases, can be additions to our standard equipment. However,

in some cases our equipment is application specific designed and built to provide our customer with the

specific needs and requirements that they

existing large pellet dryers, resulting in

some pellets are put in solvents and

and flexibility requires forward thinking

and making it a more efficient package.

normal, solid pellets. Hollow pellets also

demand. This balance between efficiency and proactive problem solving.

Q. What are the recent innovations at Gala which could have a significant impact on your customers?

For me, this is a very exciting question

to

answer.

As

increased capacities for a smaller dryer Our die plate designs continue to evolve with improved thermal designs and

materials as well as wear characteristics.

We have many more innovative designs and processes which are just as exciting and provide our customers with greater gains in efficiency and flexibility.

mentioned previously, I am

Q. What trends do you witness in India as regards pelletisation?

and forward thinking people

We have been active in the Indian

located in the United States,

past three years we have clearly seen

surrounded

by

innovative

at Gala who are not only

but also in Germany and in

Thailand. It is from this broad

base where our knowledge and

design innovations come. Some of

our most recent designs are not just

related to pelletising, but to processing

and pellet conditioning as well. For

example, we have introduced the Gala Tumbler, which can be utilised to

provide post coating of sticky products.

market for over 25 years, and over the the trend in India is growth with a focus on improved quality. Initial cost of equipment is a concern for everyone.

Reliable performance of your equipment

and quality of the material and pellets produced is what produces the profits for our customers. I strongly believe this is a trend our Indian customers are now focusing on.

It can be utilised to gently dry very brittle materials, and can be used for

Q. What is the market dynamics of non-standard pellet shapes?

classification of the product. We have also developed the rotary valve which

Cylindrical, spherical, disc, noodles,

provides our customers with the ability

twins,

clusters and more, are considered

to continuously direct pellets or other

granular materials to multiple outlets without disruption of production. We have also introduced multiple design

innovations on our tempered water

systems and centrifugal pellet dryer.

The

CBF

(continuous

band

filter)

provides a self-cleaning continuous

filter of the process water. We have introduced

newly

designed

water

tanks that provide a more compact

design and are easily cleaned. We have redesigned and further developed the self-cleaning dryer for small colour masterbatch

applications.

On

our

very large centrifugal dryers, we have produced a dryer capable of production rates that exceed 100 kg/hr.

Over the past year, we have installed

several new rotor and lifter designs into

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

doubles,

chains,

tadpoles,

standard pellet shapes. Over the years, we have also produced (intentionally I might add) the following non-standard

shapes: ‘hearts’, ‘stars’, ‘hollow’ or

‘doughnut’ shapes, certain letters of the alphabet and even ‘bone shaped’

in various sizes. So why produce nonstandard shapes?

Non-standard shapes can have more

surface area-to-volume ratio and reduce the distance from outside surface to

the ‘core’ in the case of hollow pellets as compared to normal, solid pellets, thereby providing the hollow pellets

with several benefits over solid pellets.

For example, use of hollow pellets

can increase productivity because the

hollow pellets not only melt faster, but also dry, crystallise and/or solid state polymerise faster. After formation,

the hollow pellets dissolve faster than have improved mixing and dispersion properties

in

pre-compounding

blends, thereby allowing for better

dry mixing with other materials before being extruded or otherwise used. In

some cases, less expensive pellets are needed to accomplish functionalities

such as absorbing impact energies or

reducing overall weight, and the hollow pellets can provide this. Additionally,

expanding agents such as pentane may

be

included

in

the

molten

material, and the resulting pellets

can be expanded into shapes such as ‘foam doughnuts’ and used directly in

packaging

applications.

Other

applications can include moulding

products which are porous for certain intended functionalities. Hollow pellets

are known to be useful for water treatment applications.

Q. In-line crystallisation for biopolymers – what market do you see for this in the next 3 - 5 years?

We have clearly

seen the trend in

India is growth

with a focus on

improved quality.

Indeed more focus is

being placed on gained efficiency as it relates to the production of biopolymers.

We have worked diligently for several years to develop our unique and patented

in-line crystallisation process, the CPT™ Process. We recently displayed the CPT™

Process at the 2015 Gala Symposium held at our facility in Germany, to show its effectiveness on the crystallisation of

PLA. For this display, we used Natureworks 2003D, and clearly showed we have a

viable process for in-line crystallisation of

all biopolymers that require crystallisation.

We indeed see growth potential in the

area and have invested resources; time and money to develop the CPT™ Process

to provide the market with the most cost efficient and effective method of on-line pellet crystallisation.

59

PERSONA

Prof. S. R. Palit

A Pioneer of Polymer Research in India

Prof. Arun K. Nandi Polymer Science Unit Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata

Freedom of Thought, 1948 Witnesses Dawn of a New Era Prof. Santi Ranjan Palit is the pioneer of polymer science research in India and he started his career in polymer science in 1947 after

joining the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata as a Professor. At the initial stage of research, he was mainly interested in the mechanistic aspects of vinyl polymerisation and

for this purpose; he polymerised styrene and methyl methacrylate monomers. The first paper published by Prof. Palit in 1948 was

on potassium persulphate initiated polymerisation of styrene in solution1.

K2S2O8, though highly used in emulsion polymerisation for its solubility in water, but due to its very low solubility in organic solvents, was not used in solution polymerisation earlier. Prof. Palit polymerised the diethylene glycol solution of styrene with K2S2O8 initiator and

comparing the initiator efficiency with that of benzoyl peroxide, he

observed that under identical conditions the polymerisation rate is ~100 times faster than that of benzoyl peroxide. Also, the molecular

weight of persulfate initiated polymerisation is ~6 times higher than that of benzoyl peroxide initiated polymerisation. It is not a usual

observation in free radical polymerisation as the faster initiation rate causes a lower molecular weight. So, he proposed an explanation based on the relative rates of termination processes indicating that

the rate of bio-molecular combination of chain radicals are slower

Prof. Santi Ranjan Palit

Prof. Arun K. Nandi talks about the origin of polymer research in India and the

pioneer, Prof. Santi Ranjan Palit behind it.

in the persulfate initiator system than that of the

property. He also observed a solvent dependency

The latter process is, however, much faster in the case

different metallic oleates.

termination of chain radicals with the catalyst radical. of the benzoyl peroxide initiator.

A detailed report on the chain termination by the

catalyst radical was presented in the subsequent paper2 wherein the theoretical analysis of the

of the above polymerisation processes in the presence of

Prof. Palit’s Thoughts Get Published Internationally – The 1st Initiative from India

polymerisation reaction was made with a special

Though it began with a thought of writing only about

concluded from the study that termination of chain

India, I became excited from the next year’s paper of

emphasis on the size distribution function. It was

radicals with the catalyst radicals occurs concurrently with the usual termination by combination of chain radicals and the peroxide radicals can readily terminate a growing chain from that by persulfate radicals.

During the same year, Prof. Palit published another paper on the effect of metals on polymerisation by

using oleates of different metals (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) on the peroxide catalysed homo-polymerisation

of styrene and methyl methacrylate3. He observed

that the metallic soaps tend to retard polymerisation

with an exception being iron which accelerates, though small, the polymerisation of styrene. Here,

Prof. Palit proposed that the metallic oleates are acting

as free radical scavenger by virtue of its co-ordination

the first research paper of polymer science from

Prof. Palit published in highly reputed international journals. In a seminal paper published in Nature4,

Prof. Palit showed that Ferric soaps e.g. Ferric oleate, Ferric laurate and Ferric stearate, alone are capable of

polymerisation of styrene and it is contrary to other metallic oleates. The rate of polymerisation showed

a significant hike with the catalyst concentration.

Also, the molecular weights of polymers are found to increase for polymerisation in the dilute solution than

that at the bulk, which is not a general phenomenon To know more, please subscribe to

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POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

61

MEETING POINT

Indplas 2015 A Curtain Raiser

Ashok Jajodia talks about the Indplas 2015 exhibition (27th to 30th November, 2015; Science City Ground Kolkata) and why it is held every three years as well as what exhibitors and visitors can expect in this edition, in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.

Q. What new can visitors to INDPLAS 2015 expect from this edition of the event?

The INDPLAS exhibition is getting better with each edition. This time INDPLAS’15 will

be different and better from the previous INDPLAS’12 in many aspects. For the first time in the history of INDPLAS, over 50 foreign exhibitors are participating from different

countries like China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, the Middle East etc. Many of them are coming with machines for live demonstrations. Most of the leading Indian machine manufacturers are also participating with live running machines.

We are preparing a theme pavilion which will showcase and highlight the positivity of plastics. Once a person will come out of the pavilion, he will leave with a question in

his mind: Can he imagine his life without plastics? The answer will be - ‘No’. It will also educate visitors to change their habits and dispose plastics properly and not litter; also

how to let plastics make our lives comfortable. We shall also have various seminars for the visitors. National Committee on Plasticulture Applications in Horticulture (NCPAH)

will be showcasing in their pavilion, the use of plastics in horticulture and plastic culture.

The area is also bigger than last time and total numbers of exhibitors are over 50 per cent.

Q. What specific initiatives have been taken in this event to substantiate your byline, ‘Turning Plastics into Wealth’?

We had a long brainstorming on the tagline for Indplas’15 and after several discussions, our tagline was selected as ‘Turning Plastics into Wealth’ and ‘Limitless Opportunities’.

We are doing our part for the development of the plastics industry in Eastern India,

so people are motivated into venturing into the plastics industry and thus make their Ashok Jajodia Chairman Indplas’15 Exhibition Organising Committee Kolkata

64

fortune and let plastics create wealth for them.

We shall have an entrepreneur development booth, which will provide people To know more, please subscribe to Polymers Communiqué at subscriptions@ polymerscommunique.com

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

HATS OFF

Bisleri Conducts India’s Largest Collection Drive of

Used Plastic Bottles

C

ontributing to India’s biggest

processes have been completed by the

change and through this initiative, we

leading bottle water company,

the bottles were sent for recycling for

and schools in Mumbai. Furthermore,

campaign, ‘Swachh Bharat’, the

Bisleri organised India’s largest collection

of used plastic bottles on Sunday, 4 October, 2015 at Kamgar Sports Ground, th

Elphinstone, Mumbai.

The event witnessed collection of 23,538.9

kgs of used plastic bottles in an attempt to enter the Limca Book of Records and Guinness World Record. The results will be announced after the statutory

record authorities. Post the collection,

making useful items like pillow fibre, caps, clothes and bags.

Speaking on the occasion, Ramesh

Chauhan, Chairman and Managing Director, Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd. says, ‘We

started this initiative to raise awareness about

PET

recycling

in

India

and

contribute towards the Swachh Bharat.

Educating children helps bring about

have reached out to hundreds of kids

the kids have helped us spread the word by raising awareness among families. We aim to extend this initiative

to other cities as well and involve more kids in creating a cleaner India’.

To know more, please subscribe to Polymers Communiqué at

subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com

It’s our country, let’s keep it clean!

66

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

B2B Marketing Communication Specialists RELATIONSHIPS

Key Services l

l

Corporate Communication Consultancy Content Development

Adeka India Pvt. Ltd.

All India Plastics Manufacturers Association

Asian Packaging Federation

AVI Global Plast Pvt. Ltd.

Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd.

Blend Colours Pvt. Ltd.

Brückner Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG

Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology

Chemicals & Petrochemicals Manufacturers’ Association of India

Ferromatik Milacron India Ltd.

Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment

Indian Institute of Packaging

Indplas Exhibition

IPLEX Exhibition

India Trade Promotion Organisation

J P Plaschem Ltd.

Kandui Industries Pvt. Ltd.

Mitsu Chem Pvt. Ltd.

Organization of Plastics Processors of India

Pennwell Publishing

Plastindia Foundation

Plastindia Foundation

Rajoo Engineers Ltd.

Sintex Industries Ltd.

Technical Training and Research Institute

The Economic Times Polymers

Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt. Ltd.

Windsor Machines Limited

World Packaging Organisation

Building Mailing Lists

l

Media Dissemination

l

Developing Customer Case Studies

l

Sales Lead Qualification

l

Reliance Industries Ltd.

And more...

l

CUSTAGE Marketing Solutions Pvt Ltd a

marcom

company

HO: 401, Vikas Classic, Building No.4, Near Basant Cinema, Dr. C. G. Road, Chembur, Mumbai 400 074 +91-22-2520 4436 l info@custage.com l www.custage.com Branches: Hyderabad l New Delhi l Vadodara

Vasantha Tool Crafts Pvt. Ltd.

and more...

GREEN PAGES

Converting Waste Plastics to

Automotive Fuels

‘Recycling waste plastics and converting them to high value liquid hydrocarbons such as gasoline, diesel or aromatics through a special process is an environment friendly option’, says Dr. M. O. Garg.

Dr. M. O. Garg CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum Dehradhun Gasoline (700 ml) + LPG

Diesel (850 ml) + LPG

About Waste Plastics The

amount

of

waste

plastics

being

generated everyday in our country is around

15,342 tonnes, out of which over 40 per cent remain uncollected and unutilised.

The major sources of waste plastics are

process industries, production industries and municipal solid wastes with the polyolefinic

(polyethylenes and polypropylenes) wastes

constituting the bulk. The present methods of disposal of waste plastics like land filling

Petrochemicals (500 ml)

(Benzene,Toluene, Xylenes) + LPG

1 Kg waste (PE+PP)

and incineration have inherent drawbacks

such as turning enormous amounts of land into a wasteland, risking the emission of toxic

gases etc. Hence, there is a strong need to

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015

Figure 1: Yield of gasoline, diesel and aromatics from waste plastics.

69

Emission g/km

Emission g/km 119

0.04

118

0.03

117

0.02

116

0.01

115 114

0 Particle Baseline diesel

CO2

Diesel from waste plastics

Figure 2: Emission and fuel economy of diesel obtained from waste plastics.

find a viable solution for utilisation of these waste

effective utilisation of this product, which as such

simple and suitable for small as well as large

are

plastics which would be environment friendly, scale units.

Plastics are high molecular weight compounds which can be depolymerised or degraded to

lower molecular weight hydrocarbons by chemical methods. The polyethylenes and polypropylenes cannot be unzipped to monomers and their

degradation in the absence of air proceeds via a chain reaction mechanism resulting in the formation of a mixture of predominantly olefinic and saturated hydrocarbons with the carbon

number ranging from C1 to above C40. For

has a low value, further chemical transformations needed

value product.

for

upgradation

to

a

high

The Transformation CSIR - Indian Institute of Petroleum, a National laboratory dedicated to research and development in

the

downstream

petroleum

sector

in

collaboration with GAIL (India) Ltd. has developed To know more, please subscribe to

Polymers CommuniquĂŠ at subscriptions@ polymerscommunique.com

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Educate Every Child...

70

POLYMERS CommuniquĂŠ l October - November 2015

Events Saudi Plastics & Petrochem 2016

PLASTIVISION ARABIA 2016

P4 Expo INDIA 2016

27th – 30th November, 2015 Science City Ground, Kolkata

18th – 21st January, 2016 Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Riyadh

22nd – 25th February, 2016 Expo Centre Sharjah, Sharjah

5th – 7th April, 2016 India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR

Plast Show 2015

INTERPLASTICA 2016

Plastics & Rubber Vietnam 2016

Chinaplas 2016

4th – 7th December, 2015 Vapi Industrial Association Ground, Vapi, Gujarat

26th - 29th January 2016 ZAO EXPOCENTR Exhibition Centre at Krasnaya Presnya, Moscow, Russia

1st - 3rd March 2016 Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC),Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

PLASTICS RECYCLING 2016

5th Plastasia 2016

1st – 3rd February, 2016 Hyatt Regency, New Orleans, Louisiana

3rd – 6th March, 2016 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

19th – 26th October, 2016 Düsseldorf, Germany

POLYURETHANEX 2016

PLASTIMAGEN MEXICO 2016

10th Plastivision India 2017

17th - 19th February 2016 IEC Crocus Expo, Moscow, Russia

8th – 11th March, 2016 Centro Banamex, Mexico City, Mexico

19th – 23rd January, 2017 Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai

Indplas’15

OMAN PLAST 2016 5th - 7th January 2016 Oman International Exhibition Centre, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Plexpo India 7th – 11th January, 2016 Gandhinagar, Gujarat

72

25th – 28th April, 2016 Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai

K 2016

POLYMERS Communiqué l October - November 2015