Optical sorting – Dissolving the Plastic Waste Problem: Can New Technologies Meet the Challenges? 30-07-2024
Optical sorting
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LyondellBasell , a global leader in the chemical industry, has launched its new Schulamid ET100 product line, a groundbreaking polyamide-based compound designed for automotive interior structural solutions like door window frames
This innovative product highlights LYB’s capabilities in engineered polymers.
Caroline Cathelin, Global Innovation Director of Advanced Polymer Solutions at LYB, states, “We are committed to improving current technologies to shape the future of automotive interior applications. Our new solutions support customers in addressing industry challenges.” Optical sorting
The Schulamid ET100 line exemplifies this dedication by offering superior performance through unique solutions.
Key Benefits of Schulamid ET100:
- Enhanced Surface Aesthetics: Excellent melt flow characteristics facilitate easy injection molding and demolding of thin-wall complex parts, significantly reducing surface defects, stress marks, and floating fibers.
- Improved Durability: Enhanced toughness ensures excellent performance during both manufacturing and long-term use. Optical sorting
- Suitable Rigidity: Available with various glass fiber reinforcement, providing firm assembly and eliminating noise, even at high speeds.
- Customizable Style: Seamless integration into a wide range of colors and visual effects allows for visually appealing automotive designs.
- Sustainability Choice: Lower density compared to conventional materials enables lightweight vehicle construction and reduced carbon emissions. The solution also eliminates the need for painting, reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Optical sorting
The Schulamid ET100 GF15 grade has already been successfully implemented in window frames by renowned Chinese OEM brands. LYB plans to expand the product line’s development and promotion to more automakers and applications, enhancing the capability of automakers to develop sustainable, high-performance automotive interiors with excellent aesthetics.
Optical sorting solutions key to quality recycling
With over 50 years of experience, Denmark-based Cimbria, a supplier of turnkey solutions and optical sorting systems, is a major player in this space. Its products are well placed to contribute to the efforts currently ongoing around the world to address the problem of plastic pollution.
In 2023, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) published a roadmap outlining solutions to reduce global plastic pollution by 80 percent in 2040. Optical sorting
For this to be feasible, countries and companies must make deep policy and market shifts using existing technologies.
Dissolving the Plastic Waste Problem: Can New Technologies Meet the Challenges?
New report calls dissolution a technology ‘with promise’
The advanced recycling market predominantly focuses on technologies like pyrolysis and depolymerization (thermal, chemical, and enzymatic). To a lesser extent, methods such as gasification and hydrothermal liquefaction are also being explored. However, these technologies face increasing scrutiny and restrictions in some regions due to their environmental impact. Optical sorting
However, while mechanical recycling is the preferred recycling method due to its cost-effectiveness and efficiency, it still falls short in applications requiring high purity and mechanical properties. To address these challenges posed by both chemical recycling technologies and mechanical recycling, dissolution technologies (sometimes referred to as solvent extraction) offer a promising solution.
IDTechEx explores dissolution and the entire advanced plastic recycling market in the report “Chemical Recycling and Dissolution of Plastics 2024-2034: Technologies, Players, Markets, Forecasts”. Optical sorting
Understanding the dissolution process
Dissolution involves separating polymer waste using a solvent. The solvent selectively dissolves the polymer, separating it from contaminants and other non-target materials. Once dissolved, the solution is purified, and the solvent is removed, leaving behind a nearly pure plastic that can be processed back into granules for reuse in manufacturing.
Increase in Flexible Packaging Costs Continues
The prices of major packaging substrates have risen in the second quarter due to a recovery in demand and higher costs. Optical sorting
Several factors are driving this trend, including the increased demand for substrates and rising costs of raw materials and transportation.
For polymer substrates, LDPE increased by 6% during the quarter, remaining 56% above the level of the fourth quarter of 2020, while high-density polyethylene (HDPE) rose by 5%, placing it 42% above the reference value. Smaller increases were seen for 15-micron BOPA film (+3%) and 12-micron PET film (+2%), while the price of 20-micron BOPP film remained stable due to lower-than-expected demand along the polypropylene supply chain. Optical sorting
LDPE, HDPE, and 12-micron PET returned to levels seen at the beginning of 2023, while other materials remain well below prices observed during that period.
“Further price increases for some substrates are expected due to supply tensions,” notes Guido Aufdenkamp, FPE’s executive director. . Geopolitical tensions in Gaza and Ukraine persist, trade conflicts are growing, and some supply issues from the first quarter remain unresolved, continuing to drive up production costs. Overall, however, there are signs that the situation is stabilizing and even slightly improving for flexible packaging material suppliers.” Optical sorting
PET buyers see June price hike
This week, a price increase of 1 cent per pound for PET bottle resin, which was implemented in June
APR completes initial rollout of PDR program
The Preferred Design Recognition program enables brands, manufacturers and converters to receive formal APR design recognition for PET, HDPE or PP packaging components.
The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) has announced the culmination of the initial rollout of its Preferred Design Recognition (PDR) program, which it says now enables brands, manufacturers and converters to receive formal APR Design for Recyclability recognition for any complete polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene (PP) package or packaging component that meets the organization’s definition of “preferred,” according to the APR Design Guide for Plastics Recyclability. Optical sorting
Following the addition of HDPE packaging constructs to the list of products eligible for PDR, additional categories now will be added in parallel to future APR Design Guide updates.
APR says several paths are available to achieve APR design recognition, including PDR, but all paths confirm that a package or packaging component meets the highest criteria for recyclability according to the APR Design Guide.
Optical sorting