r-PET Bottles – RadiciGroup’s innovative intake manifold, made entirely from 100% recycled polyamide, has garnered recognition for sustainable innovation in the Power Train Auto segment 04-07-2024
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RadiciGroup’s innovative intake manifold, made entirely from 100% recycled polyamide, has garnered recognition for sustainable innovation in the Power Train Auto segment
This accolade was awarded by the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) on June 28 during the 22nd SPE Automotive Award ceremony.
Branded as Renycle, this intake manifold signifies a major advancement in the automotive sector where glass-fibre filled nylon has largely replaced metals. r-PET Bottles
RadiciGroup’s challenge was to create a component from 100% mechanically recycled polyamide, ensuring high-quality consistency through a meticulous process of selection, cleaning, and control.
The intake manifold, designed and manufactured by Marelli, meets stringent performance standards, including high burst pressure, resistance to pulsating pressure cycles, and prolonged vibration tests under thermal conditions. r-PET Bottles
Emphasis was placed on NVH (Noise Vibration Harshness) analysis to ensure acoustic performance comparable to existing materials. RadiciGroup optimized Renycle for this application, balancing mechanical and thermal performance while maximizing environmental benefits. Notably, this innovation achieved a more than 70% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to fossil-based materials, as measured by the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology.
Among fifty evaluated projects aimed at enhancing the sustainability of cars and motorcycles, RadiciGroup’s focus on recycling and renewable raw materials aligns with their broader ESG principles. r-PET Bottles
“We are proud to be recognized by the Society of Plastics Engineers,” stated Erico Spini, Global Marketing Director of RadiciGroup High Performance Polymers. He emphasized the importance of quality, reliability, and durability in their collaboration with Marelli and expressed hope that this project would inspire further sustainable mobility initiatives.
Sidel has enhanced its StarLITE-R Nitro range, a series of bottle bases crafted specifically for 100% recycled PET (rPET) bottles
These upgrades cater to still beverages and nitrogen-dosed food products, where nitrogen dosing involves adding a small amount of liquid nitrogen to increase internal pressure, enhancing the bottle’s durability throughout the supply chain.
The StarLITE-R Nitro features an innovative “wave” bottle base design, offering a unique alternative to the conventional petaloid shapes typically seen.
This design is versatile, supporting a variety of bottle shapes and sizes ranging from 0.2 to 2.5 litres. r-PET Bottles
A key aspect of the StarLITE-R Nitro bottle base is its optimized mould base geometry, which includes a sophisticated venting system for precise shaping. Leveraging Sidel’s patented mould technology, this design incorporates 8 to 10 waves, providing superior resistance to internal pressures between 0.5 to 0.8 bar, even in lightweight bottles.
The StarLITE-R Nitro range represents a significant step forward in the development of eco-friendly packaging solutions, balancing functionality with sustainability. r-PET Bottles
A new €65 million TriPlast sorting plant has officially opened in Ennshafen, Austria
This joint venture between ARA, Bernegger, and Der Grüne Punkt significantly enhances Austria’s recycling capacity. The country aims to double its plastic packaging recycling rate by 2025, and TriPlast plays a crucial role by sorting 100,000 tonnes of plastic and metal packaging annually. These materials are transformed into valuable secondary raw materials for further recycling, used in products ranging from shampoo bottles to automotive parts. r-PET Bottles
The TriPlast plant boasts an impressive sorting capacity of 20 tonnes per hour—three times greater than existing Austrian plants—thanks to advanced technology, including 2.5 kilometers of conveyor belts and near-infrared sorting systems. Its strategic location in Ennshafen provides trimodal connectivity via truck, rail, and ship, while its self-sufficient, sustainable energy supply minimizes environmental impact.
Beyond environmental benefits, TriPlast contributes to the local economy by creating green jobs and reinforcing Upper Austria’s position as a European leader in sustainable practices. Its arrival marks a significant step toward a more sustainable future for Austria’s recycling infrastructure. r-PET Bottles
Another chemical recycling plant closure offers ‘flashing red light’ to nascent industry
For the second time this year, a chemical recycling plant built to turn waste into usable products has closed, casting further doubt on the viability of an upstart industry that has been plagued by financial and technical challenges in its effort to scale up.
Fulcrum BioFuels launched its Sierra plant outside Reno, Nevada, in 2022 with the goal of converting municipal solid waste into “sustainable aviation fuel.” But in May of this year the company suddenly laid off its roughly 100 employees and shuttered its website, as Bloomberg first reported. r-PET Bottles
The decision came just as the plant was ready to reopen after a series of technical challenges had forced it offline, continuing a trend of delays and setbacks for a facility that had initially been slated to open in 2010.
Fulcrum representatives did not respond to emails and phone calls and little is yet clear about the company’s future, while its plans to build a larger plant in Gary, Indiana, appear to be hanging on by a thread following bond defaults. r-PET Bottles
Carolyn McCrady, a co-founder of Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, which formed in 2021 to oppose Fulcrum’s plans, said her organization is still challenging Fulcrum’s air permit to build a plant in the city as it waits to learn more about the company’s next steps.
etween virgin PSF and recycled PSF significantly weakens
In the past, when virgin PSF prices rose by 200-300yuan/mt, recycled PSF prices normally followed up to rise by 100yuan/mt, and when virgin PSF prices declined, recycled PSF prices would go downward. However, nowadays, the markets for virgin and recycled fibers are becoming increasingly independent. Often, when virgin PSF prices rise, recycled PSF prices do not move; and when virgin PSF prices drop, recycled PSF prices do not necessarily follow suit. r-PET Bottles
The reasons for this are twofold. On one hand, after substantial capacity expansion of virgin and recycled PSF, the market is oversupplied, leading to intense competition and narrower price fluctuations. For instance, the fluctuation range for HC re-PSF last year was only 500yuan/mt. The price difference between virgin and recycled PSF has been significantly compressed, frequently resulting in minimal price difference of 500yuan/mt or even recycled PSF prices higher than virgin PSF.
On the other hand, the supply of quality recycled feedstock market is tight and prices are hard to decline. r-PET Bottles
The support from cost side to recycled PSF is strong. Without significant external forces causing sharp increases or decreases, recycled PSF prices tend to fluctuate mildly based on their own fundamentals.
European Trio Targets Tires-to-Polymer Recycling
Borealis, Covestro, and Neste have launched an initiative to recycle discarded tires into high-quality plastics for the automotive industry. This collaboration focuses on enhancing circularity within the plastics value chains and automotive sector.
Previously, Covestro introduced Makrolon RP polycarbonate, the company’s first product derived from chemically recycled feedstock, though details of the feedstock’s source materials were undisclosed. r-PET Bottles
In this process, tires are chemically recycled, liquefied, and transformed into base chemicals, which are then refined into high-purity polycarbonates (PCs). These PCs are suitable for various automotive applications, including headlamp parts and radiator grilles.
“This cooperation with Neste and Borealis exemplifies our potential to recycle old tires into new car parts, supporting our automotive customers and addressing the critical issue of combining high-performance materials with recycled content.”
Neste plays a key role by converting liquefied discarded tires into high-quality raw materials for polymers and chemicals. r-PET Bottles
Borealis processes this raw material into base chemicals phenol and acetone, which Covestro then uses to produce polycarbonates. The recycled content is tracked via mass balancing using ISCC Plus certification.
Thomas Van De Velde, senior vice president of Base Chemicals at Borealis, stressed the importance of value-chain cooperation in adding value to waste. Jeroen Verhoeven, vice president of Value Chain Development at Neste, added that this project could serve as a model for establishing circularity in automotive plastics, demonstrating the potential to transform low-quality waste into high-quality plastics, benefiting both industries and the environment. r-PET Bottles
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