SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry today announced that Orkla, a diversified Nordic brand owner in business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce with foods, snacks, food care for sport and food ingredients, has launched its first chips packaging using certified renewable polypropylene (PP) polymer from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio. The sustainable material is derived from tall oil, a residual product from the Nordic forestry industry, and is converted into a Biaxially Oriented PolyPropylene (BOPP) by IRPLAST, a major Italian vertically integrated manufacturer of specialty S-BOPP films and converter of printed shrinkable BOPP roll-fed labels and PSA tapes. In Orkla’s chips bags, the material solution helps lower the carbon footprint of the three partners’ value chain in half compared to the use of traditional non-renewable plastics.
“We want to make it easier for consumers to make environmentally conscious choices,” says Sara Malmström, Sustainability Manager at Orkla Confectionery & Snacks. “Packaging is an important part of all our products, and plastic packaging in particular can have a considerable impact on both the environment and climate. We are proud to be first in the Swedish market to put chips in bags made with plastics based on bio-renewable feedstock on the snack shelf,” she adds.

Orkla had been looking for an innovative and agile converter capable of meeting its sustainability targets and supplying a renewable film that would help them enhance the sustainability profile of their packaging. They identified IRPLAST, with whom SABIC had already been successfully collaborating in various projects for the development of film products in compliance with EU Packaging and Waste Packaging Directives. Next to Natural Oriented PolyPropylene (NOPP) films from certified renewable PP polymer, IRPLAST also offers an S-BOPP (Simultaneously oriented BOPP) film range branded as LOOPP that uses certified circular SABIC® PP material with feedstock from chemically recycled post-consumer plastics to deliver virgin-quality resins. IRPLAST’s NOPP and LOOPP products both have received independent third party International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS).
Naomi Lunadei, Sustainability Manager at IRPLAST, explains: “We firmly believe that sustainable growth must become a priority for businesses producing and converting plastic packaging materials. As a packaging producer, we are well aware of our responsibilities in making the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals a reality, and we are very committed to the challenge. Our two new BOPP lines demonstrate the determined route we have embarked on with SABIC. While our NOPP products help reduce the carbon footprint of flexible packaging, the innovative LOOPP range opens a door for customers to enter the circular plastics economy which is being progressively mandated by legislators worldwide.”
In contrast to comparable BOPP film from traditional fossil fuel, every kilogram of renewable NOPP packaging takes more than 2 kg of CO₂ emissions out of the environment. The first set of new Orkla packages in NOPP flexible film includes 275-gram bags of Grill, Sour Cream & Onion, Dill & Chive and Salted Chips, and prominently displays the 50 percent CO₂ reduction to consumers. Orkla Confectionery & Snacks Sweden has an ambition to gradually introduce similar bags for all their snacks packages.
“We are proud of successfully implementing our certified renewable PP polymer in IRPLAST’s flexible packaging for Orkla,” states Mark Vester, Circular Economy Leader at SABIC. “The ISCC PLUS accredited materials from our TRUCIRCLE portfolio offer drop-in solutions for replacing fossil-based plastics in the packaging industry with no compromise on food safety. With our certified circular and renewable polymers, we are aiming to create a sustainable value chain where we collaborate with downstream customers like IRPLAST and Orkla in the use of animal-free bio-based feedstock or in the reuse of post-consumer recycle, thereby seeking to capture the greatest value from sources that have traditionally been ignored or discarded.”
SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE offering spans from design for recyclability services and mechanically recycled materials to certified circular products from chemical recycling of used plastics and certified renewable polymers from bio-based feedstock. SABIC’s certified polymers are based on a mass balance approach. This widely recognized international sustainability certification scheme verifies that the mass balance accounting follows predefined and transparent rules. In addition, it provides traceability along the supply chain, from the feedstock to the final product.
www.sabic.com / www.orkla.com

Avoury, the new brand launched by Melitta Single Portions, is working with SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio of solutions and services to create its pioneering new premium organic tea capsules, made from certified circular polypropylene (PP) that uses feedstock made from used plastic. The launch represented an innovative use of recycled, transparent plastic tea capsules in the industry, representing an exciting step towards a more sustainable future with products which are easier to recycle and that help to create a circular economy for plastics.

Avoury was one of the first companies to adopt SABIC’s pioneering TRUCIRCLE solution for certified circular PP – SABIC QRYSTAL copolymer, which creates the capsules from post-consumer recycled material. The capsules are made specifically for the new Avoury One tea machine launched in late 2019, which enables the consumer to make a premium cup of tea with just the click of a button. The transparent tea capsules take the consumer experience one step further, allowing them to not only taste the high quality tea but also see it inside the capsule.

Holger Feldmann, CEO at Melitta Single Portions, said: “We naturally want to ensure an exceptional tea experience and we want to prove that it is possible for resources to be used responsibly. With Avoury tea capsules we can prove both.”

SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio and services is a considerable milestone on the journey towards closing the loop and creating a circular economy for plastics. It showcases SABIC’s circular innovations and can help manufacturers reduce plastic waste by using sustainable materials. The TRUCIRCLE portfolio spans design for recyclability, mechanically recycled products, certified circular products from feedstock recycling of used plastic and certified renewables products from bio-based feedstock.

Mark Vester, Circular Economy Leader at SABIC, said: “Avoury tea capsules are a great example of collaboration and innovation between SABIC and Melitta Single Portions to create the world’s first tea capsules made using our TRUCIRCLE circular solutions. At SABIC, we are committed to delivering sustainable solutions for our customers and are closer than ever to closing the loop on used plastic.”

SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE solution for certified circular SABIC QRYSTAL copolymer, used for this new packaging that can be recycled, contributes towards the development of a circular economy. It also helps to create a transparent, aesthetically pleasing, lightweight design which preserves the quality of the tea leaves while supporting to address food safety regulations required for food and beverage products. The packaging is heat resistant to protect the tea leaves, whilst enabling the tea to freely develop its flavors and nuances at the click of a button.
Since the launch in late 2019, SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio has received unprecedented demand from businesses from a wide range of industries looking for solutions that are commercially viable while also more considerate of our environment to work towards a circular, transparent and sustainable economy for plastics.
www.sabic.com

More sustainable and cleaner nickel alloy production

VDM Metals Group, a German manufacturer of nickel alloys and special stainless steels, has adopted Henkel´s next generation nitric acid (HNO) free Bonderite C-CP (“Cleanox”) pickling process for dedicated wire products. The Bonderite C-CP product range answers market requirements within the metals industry to significantly increase the sustainability value of their production processes.
The Cleanox technology has already been in use for decades in multiple industries globally, including wires, tubes, coils, bars, and components. It is suitable for all stainless steel grades, and can be used in multiple applications, including immersion, spray, continuous line, or batch solution processes. VDM Metals, based in Werdohl, is using Henkel’s Cleanox technology to pickle rolled wire of high-alloyed materials in order to ensure the compliance with NO_x limits.
Bjoern Lorenz, Sales Manager Metal Coil at Henkel for Western Europe, says: “Henkel is determined to play a decisive role in environmental protection, aligned with our company strategy, by offering our customers a reliable, flexible and sustainable pickling process for stainless steel in the metal coil industry. Customers such as VDM Metals have been benefiting from competitive production costs, whilst realizing a significant contribution to both ecological improvement and production safety. Together with our chemical and electric pickling, paired with our equipment to automatically control and dose chemicals, we are able to offer a systematic package to customers who are focused on increasing their sustainability.”
High-alloyed nickel chromium alloys are commonly used in multiple industries, including the automotive, petrochemical, aviation, power generation & electrical, chemical and appliances sectors. But there are challenges around common mixed acid pickling systems, due to the use of nitric acid. These cleaning techniques typically result in vast volumes of nitrate ions being discharged, during the intermediate and final rinsing stages. Nitrate and nitrite pollution is subject to legislative regulation and needs to be complied with via waste water treatment.
A further drawback for common mixed acid pickling processes is the need to treat nitrogen oxide (NO_x) fumes, in order to avoid air pollution. It is technically possible to clean nitrogen oxides by different procedures, but it requires investments in equipment, process control and maintenance.
Both factors also determine the productivity of the pickling process, the waste water treatment and waste disposal.
Henkel´s Bonderite C-CP overcomes these environmental and cost hurdles with the latest in its line of nitric acid-free cleaning technologies. The lower amount of sludge created by the new technology, when compared to the traditional process, is a further sustainability advantage. Furthermore, global process costs are equal or lower than traditional processes, when this fully automatic technology is used. The Bonderite C-CP process can be used in spraying or immersion lines. It is suitable for any stainless steel or special grades based on austenite, ferrite, martensite, duplex or superduplex, including high-chromium AISI/SAE 4XX qualities.
Olaf Kazmierski, SVP of Production at VDM Metals in Werdohl, is very positive about both the sustainability potential of the new technology, as well as the collaboration with Henkel. “Our adoption of Bonderite C-CP has allowed us to optimize the pickling process. Henkel´s advices on how to manage the process and optimize the consumption were the base of the flawless change from mixed acids to the Bonderite technology. The problem of nitrate loads has been clearly mitigated. Meanwhile the process works without any problem, the new pickling procedure is well established.”
The latest innovation in the Cleanox range is the deployment of acid recovery acid machines that make the technology even more cost effective and sustainable. This equipment is offered by Henkel to fulfill multiple purposes, but primarily to further reduce any sludge remaining in the production system, as well as for the recycling of used Bonderite C-CP products. Through employing these machines, customers can significantly save costs for product consumption and further reduce their ecological footprint.
Henkel began offering its range of Bonderite C-CP technologies in the 1990s, to address the growing market demand for nitric acid free pickling technologies for stainless steel. Since the initial introduction, legislation governing this space has tightened in the EU, in accordance with the European Community Directive (96/82/EC) (known as “Seveso”), which further restricts the usage and storage of hydrofluoric acid. Henkel’s latest generation of Bonderite C-CP is fully in line with these regulatory requirements. VDM Metals is one of the first manufacturers of high-alloyed non-iron metals to adopt the process in their production.
Aziz Mabrouki, Head of Metal Coil Europe at Henkel, concludes: “Cleanox technology has not only been rolled out across Europe, but all across the world. We are able to offer integrated solutions ranging from chemistry to expertise and equipment to support stainless steel makers and users to be compliant with new directives, such as the Chinese central government’s regulations around nitrite emissions.”
Bonderite is a registered trademark of Henkel and/or its affiliates in Germany and elsewhere.
www.henkel.com 

LANXESS offers new flame-retardant thermoplastic composite materials with a polyamide 6 matrix

• Top classification of V-0 in UL 94 flammability test
• High degree of strength and rigidity
• Focus on automotive, electrical/electronic and industrial applications

Tepex continuous-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites from LANXESS are characterized by their high inherent flame-retardant properties. One of the reasons for this is their high fiber content. They therefore already pass many of the flammability tests required for typical applications without flame protection. However, for some applications – such as housings for control cabinets or components of high-voltage batteries for electric vehicles – a V-0 classification in the UL 94 flammability test from the US testing institute Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is often mandatory. For such cases, LANXESS has developed three new halogen-free, flame-retardant Tepex variants with a polyamide 6 matrix. “These structural materials are the material of choice when a V-0 classification is required and the components need to have a very high degree of strength, rigidity and energy absorption at the same time,” explains Sabrina Anders, Project Manager at the LANXESS subsidiary Bond-Laminates in Brilon, Germany, where Tepex is developed and produced.
Three product variants available
Tepex dynalite 102fr-RG600(x)/47% is reinforced with roving glass fibers. These can also be arranged multiaxially and thus precisely matched to the load transfer points and load paths in the component. The composite is universally applicable and is suitable for high-voltage components of electric vehicle batteries, such as separator plates, cover plates and control unit housings. In contrast, Tepex dynalite 102fr-FG290 is targeted at applications in the electrical and electronics sector. With its reinforcement of fine glass fiber, it produces high-quality surfaces that are easy to paint. It is suitable, for example, for small housings that are required to comply with the DIN EN 45545-2 standard, “Railway applications – Fire protection on railway vehicles”. Tepex dynalite 202fr is reinforced with carbon fibers and is intended for components subjected to extreme mechanical stress, such as high-strength electronic housings. According to Anders, “It is an alternative to composites made of flame-retardant polycarbonate if their strength and rigidity are not sufficient, for example.”
Mechanical properties match those of standard products
All three structural materials are available in quantities for large-scale applications. They are also available in variants that are electromagnetically shielded by a carbon textile insert in the composite or a metallic surface coating. The UL 94 V-0 classification refers to specimen thicknesses of between 0.5 and 3.5 millimeters. “The flame-retardant additives are selected so that the mechanical properties of the composites are not negatively affected and are comparable to those of corresponding standard materials. For example, the flexural strength of Tepex dynalite 202fr is well over 600 megapascal,” explains Simon Rösen, materials developer at Bond-Laminates. All flame-retardant packages comply with the EU RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) Directive and the European REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006)).
In addition to the three new products, LANXESS also offers further halogen-free flame-retardant Tepex variants with polycarbonate-based matrices. Most of these are certified as UL 94 V-0.
www.tepex.com / www.lanxess.in

A new type of plastic made of reclaimed waste readily degrades in less than a year. The substance that will soon serve to manufacture and break down mainly disposable products in an ecofriendly way goes by the name of polyhydroxybutyrate. This innovative material can be produced on an industrial scale in a new process developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK and its partners.

Everyday life devoid of plastics – that would be hard to imagine. They figure prominently in packaging and consumer goods, and are indispensable to industry applications such as automotive and medical engineering. Reuse and recycling of plastics from fossil resources is hardly common practice. On top of that, they degrade at a glacial pace and pollute the environment for a long time to come. The great patches of plastic waste floating on our oceans attest to their power to pollute. Plastic bottles and bags despoil beaches and, in many places, entire stretches of land.
The Bioeconomy International research initiative
The need for global recycling strategies is urgent, given plastics’ heavy use all over the world. More and more governments are resorting to bans to curb the swelling tide of plastic waste. A viable option to replace fossil-based plastics on a large scale has yet to be found. This is why the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched the “Bioökonomie International” (Bioeconomy International) research initiative in close cooperation with Fraunhofer IPK, the Department of Bioprocess Technology of the Technical University of Berlin, regional industrial partners and international research partners from Malaysia, Columbia and the USA. These researchers are developing a method of manufacturing polymers without drawing on premium resources such as mineral, palm and rapeseed oils, the production of which is very detrimental to the environment.
A new plastic much like polypropylene
This new process turn industrial leftovers such as waste fats that contain a lot of mineral residue into polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). Microorganisms can metabolize these residues in special fermentation processes. They deposit the PHB in their cells to store energy. “Once the plastic has been dissolved from the cell, it is still not ready for industrial use, because the hardening process takes far too long,“ says Christoph Hein, head of the Microproduction Technology department at Fraunhofer IPK. The raw material has to be mixed with chemical additives downstream in post-production stages. For example, the research team adjusted the plasticizing and processing parameters to trim the recrystallization time to fit the timing of industrial processing. The resultung biopolymer’s properties resemble those of polypropylene. But unlike PP, this plastic degrades fully in six to twelve months.
In this method of producing plastic, microorganisms synthesize the entire polymer in a biotechnical process. “To this end, we convert biogenic residues such as waste fats into polyesters that can be put to technical use,” says Hein. The researcher and his team opted for microorganisms, genetically modified with molecular methods, to serve as biocatalysts. With the help of chemical purification processes and an extensively optimized material, they have been able to develop a novel family of materials that
satisfy the demands of technical plastics.
No petroleum-based synthetic components needed
The new process not only dispenses with petroleum-based synthetic components altogether; it also enables green plastic alternatives. Naturally occurring microorganisms can break down these newly developed plastics, so they need not be subjected to the special conditions that serve to degrade matter in industrial composting plants. They offer an ecofriendly alternative to making and degrading single-use products and other disposable items.
The process also lends itself to producing high-quality plastic parts for certain technical applications and periods of use. The specifications for this sort of product are more demanding. They may have to exhibit specific geometric tolerances and surface qualities or be reproducible with great precision. The researchers developed highly specialized replication processes to meet these requirements.
www.ipk.fraunhofer.de

Engineering thermoplastics from Mitsubishi for reliable electronics
Plastics distributor Ultrapolymers has added special NOVADURAN PBT blends from Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics (MEP) to its portfolio which outperform corresponding standard PBT grades in specific applications. The recently introduced NOVADURAN LX grades, for instance, set a benchmark in terms of low warpage. A new range of electrically insulating or electrically conductive grades offers thermal conductivity around 5 to 50 times higher than that of standard PBT. Applications for the new grades include enclosures and packages for sensitive sensors and other electronic components of the kind typically used for example in self-driving vehicles or automation and internet-of-things (IoT) settings.
Warpage minimized
The ultra-low-warpage NOVADURAN LX range currently comprises the UL-HB grade LX-530V with 30 wt.% glass fiber and the flame-retardant grades LX-515N (15 wt.% GF, V-0 at 1.6 mm), LX-530N (30 wt.% GF, V-0 at 1.6 mm) and LX-530N (30 wt.% GF, V-0 at 0.8 mm). All share PBT’s typical combination of excellent flow properties and surface characteristics, low outgassing and high heat, oil and chemical resistance. Testing of round specimens 100 mm in diameter and 1.6 mm in thickness revealed that the warpage (maximum deflection at the edge of the test specimen) measured on LX-530V after cooling was only 0.8 mm and thus a factor of 3.6 lower than in the case of the previous benchmark NOVADURAN 5810G30 and only around one tenth of the value measured on the standard grade 5010G30. The new grades are also marked out by comparatively low density.
Greater heat dissipation
When it comes to temperature management, an important issue for sensors, the new electrically conductive NOVADURAN TCV grades 515T2, 517H and 521H meet very stringent thermal conductivity requirements with values of around 20 W/mK (ISO 22007-2). When used to make sensor enclosures, they enable heat dissipation which is higher by a factor of 50 than standard PBT and so provide particularly good protection from overheating. Also new are the electrically insulating grades NOVADURAN TGN515U, TGN525T and TGV525T which, with a thermal conductivity of around 2 W/mK, achieve values a factor of 5 higher than the corresponding standard PBT grades.
As Sebastian Thomsen, MEP’s PBT business development manager in Europe, explains: “The electrical and electronics segment and in particular packages for high quality sensor systems are a target market for MEP.” And Marc Swatosch, product manager for engineering polymers at Ultrapolymers, adds: “These new NOVADURAN PBT blends expand our already extensive portfolio of engineering polymers which also includes DOMO’s Technyl One, Technyl Orange und Technyl Red polyamides. This widens the range of problems we can solve and extends our offer of individual solutions to European customers in the E&E industry.”

One of the most pressing recent issues in the mechanical processing and conversion of waste into solid recovered fuels (SRF) is the high fire risk. This is largely due to a constantly increasing number of lithium batteries in the general waste collection. If damaged, a chemical reaction is often initiated, which leads to incredibly high temperatures. This may cause severe damage to facilities and plants and, in the worst case, start a major fire. To minimise such fire hazards, Lindner‘s FPS (Fire Prevention System) detects overheated particles in the material stream, cools them to a safe temperature and makes sure that objects that cannot be cooled can be safely removed by hand.
 
Whether smartphones, cars or toothbrushes – in today’s digitalised, mobile society it’s hard to imagine life without batteries. Billions of them are used for countless applications. According to the Austrian Chamber of Commerce’s information website (Austrian Chamber of Commerce, 2019), about 4,700 metric tons of rechargeable batteries are sold annually in the Alpine Republic, 40% of which are lithium batteries. Only about 45% of all batteries are disposed of correctly and, according to the University of Leoben, an estimated 1.4 million of them end up in the general waste collection every year (VOEB, 2019). The University also estimates that this figure will double in the medium term to 2.8 million (VOEB, 2019). Consequently, the risk of fire increases exponentially during mechanical processing, when converting waste into alternative fuels. Due to the technology used, lithium batteries, along with other highly flammable materials such as tar-soaked textile waste, have therefore become one of the most common hazards for serious fires.

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY MECHANICAL BATTERY DAMAGE
Just like any other energy storage cell, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) consist of an anode and a cathode, separated by a Li-ion permeable membrane and a non-conductive electrolyte. Energy is released when the ions flow between the two electrodes or is stored in the anode when over-voltage is applied. Compared to other technologies, lithium-ion batteries have one of the highest energy densities thanks to the very high working voltage that can be generated between the anode and cathode. Ultimately, this is the problem when the battery is mechanically damaged and short circuits. If mechanical processing bends or severs the cell this could destroy the separator, producing a short circuit. This causes the voltage between the poles to drop to zero, releasing the stored energy as heat at different points. Even with apparently run-down, used batteries, the remaining energy is so high that temperatures of over 600 C may occur. Under certain circumstances this leads to an unstoppable chain reaction: the thermal runaway. The temperature spikes cause neighbouring cells in the battery to overheat and within milliseconds, to release their stored energy. This results in a fire or explosion that is almost impossible to extinguish. In this context it’s particularly problematic that the thermal runaway is delayed and cannot take place immediately after the mechanical damage. In SRF production this means a higher risk of fire throughout processing. The worst-case scenario is for the damaged battery to end up in the fuel storage bunker, where it could cause a devastating fire. Even if the battery burns by itself and doesn’t cause an explosion, the resulting temperatures are an enormous problem due to the fuel’s ignition point of 319 – 460 C (Lorber, 2010).

LINDNER’S FIRE PREVENTION SYSTEM (FPS) ACTIVELY PREVENTS FIRES
The continuous, process-related monitoring of surface temperature at several relevant points has proven to be highly successful in combatting potential fire hazards and actively improving safety in facilities that produce solid recovered fuels (SRF). Lindner’s Fire Prevention System (FPS) therefore sports optical sensors that constantly monitor the temperature on the conveyor belts and trigger a water sprinkling system to cool overheated particles in the material stream automatically. Thanks to the very early detection of these particles, most hazards are identified at the start of a thermal reaction keeping the required amount of water low.
Furthermore each unit has its own control sensor detecting objects that cannot be cooled, such as lithium-ion batteries where the thermal runaway has already been initiated. This triggers an alarm, stopping the conveyor belt under an active cooling nozzle so the hazard can be manually removed. Depending on the application the threshold value can be chosen freely. To counteract even a delayed reaction of the energy cells, it’s possible to install as many sensor pairs as needed depending on the size of the facility.
Lindner’s FPS is designed as a space-saving plug&go solution to facilitate the integration of the system in existing facilities. Its heated box version also makes it perfect for cold environments.
BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLE – MAYER RECYCLING GMBH
One of the first companies to try out this innovative solution was Mayer Recycling GmbH in Upper Styria, Austria. The data collected since mid-2019 clearly demonstrates the benefits of this sophisticated technology. Figure 2 shows the temperature on the conveyor belt during typical SRF production. On average, over 350 overheated particles in the material stream are detected per month. Of these, approximately 10% were still too hot for further processing, triggered the alarm and were manually removed. Of the removed materials, around 70% were batteries that were already undergoing a chemical reaction. The remaining system triggers were coolable materials such as metal particles that got too hot after shredding.
To summarise, the data collected clearly shows that Lindner’s FPS substantially reduces the fire risk in SRF production facilities.
www.lindner.com / lithium-info.at