GreenMantra Technologies expands recycling agreement with Crayola

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Canadian recycling technology developer GreenMantra Technologies is expanding its relationship with art tools and toy supplier Crayola by now using Crayola’s discarded plastic feedstock for recycling into specialty polymers, said Canpastics.

“Mixed plastic marker streams present challenges for traditional mechanical recycling, but they are a natural fit for [our] advanced recycling technology,” officials with Brantford, Ont.-based GreenMantra said in a news release. “[We] will now recycle both pre- and post-consumer plastic markers from across all of North America, expanding our feedstock stream for producing our specialty polymer additives."

The discarded plastic markers can be turned into high-value polymers that can then be used in the production of industrial products to enhance critical infrastructure applications (things like asphalt roads, roofing products, and plastic drainage pipes), while also enabling increased use of recycled content in those applications, the company said.

Easton, Pa.-based Crayola recently implemented 100 per cent renewable energy for its U.S. manufacturing operations, and has partnered with GreenMantra since 2014 through its ColorCycle Program, which enhances product circularity for Crayola’s line of markers.

As per MRC, Ineos Styrolution is partnering with Recycling Technologies, a Swindon, UK-based specialist in plastic recycling technology, to advance the development of polystyrene (PS) recycling in Europe.

According to MRC's ScanPlast, the estimated consumption of PS and styrene plastics in Russia amounted to 187,320 tonnes in the first four months of this year, which is 20% more than last year's consumption for the same period. The estimated consumption of PS and styrene plastics in April amounted to 49,370 tonnes, which is 35% higher than in the same month of 2020 (36,620 tonnes).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Covestro is working towards innovative and more sustainable material solutions and recycling technologies to meet these requirements and build a Circular Economy, and will be showcasing them at the VDI PIAE 2021 international trade congress on September 8 and 9, said the company.

"Our aim is to introduce the world's first climate-neutral polycarbonate plastics this year," Jochen Hardt, Marketing Mobility Covestro, told media representatives. "This is an important step in achieving our vision of becoming fully circular. At the same time, we offer products and solutions that combine outstanding performance, cost efficiency and sustainability designed to help our customers in the mobility industry succeed in achieving their sustainability goals."

The polycarbonates are climate neutral "from the cradle to the factory gate1" thanks to the introduction of raw materials sourced from mass-balanced biowaste and residues2, as well as renewable energy accumulated during the production process. Covestro is already offering ISCC Plus-certified polycarbonates, which are attributed to renewable raw materials using the mass balance approach and enable a considerable reduction in the carbon footprint.

By incorporating renewable energy, Covestro will probably fully reduce CO? emissions from the cradle to the factory gate for these selected products. The products have the same high quality and performance as fossil-based polycarbonates and are a drop-in replacement without having to change existing processes or workflows.

Covestro has also collaborated with partners to develop polyurethane raw materials in which up to 20 percent of the petroleum-based raw materials previously used are replaced by the climate gas. Applications of such polyols, called cardyon®, are also currently being developed in the automotive sector. Partially bio-based precursors for automotive clear coatings from the Desmodur® N range also contribute to circularity as alternative raw materials.

Plastics recyclates are an important building block in significantly reducing a car's carbon footprint from raw material and component production through the use phase to recycling. In addition, Covestro is increasingly driving forward the development of chemical recycling technologies. A decisive factor in the success of such developments is that the products satisfy the high quality requirements and specifications of the automotive industry. Covestro supports the mechanical and chemical recycling of plastics through its role as a member in associations such as the Circularise Plastics project group. This group's goal is to establish a new standard for the traceability of plastics back to the raw material.

With 2020 sales of EUR 10.7 billion, Covestro is among the world’s leading polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative, sustainable solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. In doing so, Covestro is fully committed to the circular economy. The main industries served are the automotive and transportation industries, construction, furniture and wood processing, as well as electrical, electronics, and household appliances industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. At the end of 2020, Covestro has 33 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,500 people.

As MRC informed previously, earlier this month, DSM completed the sale of the resins & functional materials businesses to Covestro for EUR1.6 billion (USD1.9 billion), including EUR1.4 billion in cash.

We remind that Covestro closed the sale of its European polycarbonates (PC) sheets business to the Munich-based Serafin Group effective January 2, 2020. This includes key management and sales functions throughout Europe as well as production sites in Belgium and Italy.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated consumption of PC granules (excluding imports and exports to/from Belarus) totalled 34,000 tonnes in the first four months of 2021, up by 11% year on year (30,500 tonnes a year earlier).

Covestro (formerly Bayer MaterialScience) is an independent subgroup within Bayer. It was created as part of the restructuring of Bayer AG from the former business group Bayer Polymers, with certain of its activities being spun off to Lanxess AG. Covestro manufactures and develops materials such as coatings, adhesives and sealants, polycarbonates (CDs, DVDs), polyurethanes (automotive seating, insulation for refrigerating appliances) etc. With 2020 sales of EUR 10.7 billion, Covestro has 33 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,500 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- AkzoNobel is to further expand its long-term position in South and Central America after reaching an agreement to acquire Colombia-based paints and coatings company Grupo Orbis, as per the company's press release.

Completion is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected by end of this year, or in early 2022.

Financial details were not disclosed.

Present in ten countries in South America, Central America and the Antilles, Grupo Orbis has consolidated revenue of around COP USD1,200 billion (EUR260 million). The transaction includes the Pintuco paints and coatings business, Andercol and Poliquim (resins) and Mundial (distribution and services).

“This is an excellent intended acquisition which aligns perfectly with our Grow & Deliver strategy of creating leading global positions and driving growth in emerging markets,” explains AkzoNobel CEO, Thierry Vanlancker. “It will expand our long-term position across South America by establishing us as a frontrunner in the Andean region and in Central America, where several countries are high on the global growth rankings for the next decade.”

In addition to creating value from global and regional product and service innovation, the intended acquisition will enable AkzoNobel to better serve customers across more geographies, as well as accessing new markets.

Both companies also share a strong belief in the transformative power of color and a highly committed approach to sustainability. It’s therefore expected that joining AkzoNobel’s “Let’s Colour” program with the expertise of the Pintuco Foundation will provide fresh impetus for further improving the quality of life for people in local communities throughout the region.

The intended transaction follows on from a series of recent acquisitions by AkzoNobel across the paints and coatings industry over the last 18 months, which have included Titan Paints in Spain and New Nautical Coatings in the US.

We remind that Russia's output of chemical products rose in March 2021 by 5.4% year on year. Thus, production of basic chemicals increased year on year by 6.7% in the first moths months of 2021.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, AkzoNobel is active in over 150 countries and employ around 33,000 people who deliver the high-performance products and services customers expect.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DuPont is expanding its ion exchange resin production capacities, with a first phase of the expansion - at Chauny, north of Paris, France - already complete, said the company.

DuPont today announced the expansion of its ion exchange resin manufacturing production to address the high global demand for its pharmaceutical products such as excipients and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

DuPont Water Solutions is a leading producer of separation and filtration technologies, including reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration membranes, as well as ion exchange resins. While its technologies are critical to the purification of drinking water, many of those same technologies are critical to separations and concentrations across the life science industries to produce food, beverages, therapeutic drugs and diagnostics. Ion exchange resins also facilitate pharmaceutical formulations and advanced drug delivery when used as excipients or APIs.

To support their pharmaceutical customers’ growth and needs for cGMP qualified products, DuPont is expanding its ability to manufacture and supply these critical products. With the additions of a few key technologies to its production operations, these investments will enhance security of supply for improving present and future drug formulations.

The production expansion will be in phases. The first phase—to increase capacity of DuPont’s dedicated cGMP pharmaceutical production units in Chauny, France—is complete with qualifications underway. Future phases—which will focus on increased supply of highly demanded excipient and absorbent products—are expected in the coming years.

"When our customers select one of our products, they count on us to supply not just what they need today, but what they need for the lifetime of their products,” said Condylia Courtney, Global Product Line Manager for Ion Exchange Resins. “This investment demonstrates our commitment to growing with our customers and ensuring supply of their critical excipients."

Along with the production expansion, DuPont is also increasing regulatory resources. The expanded regulatory team will continue to work with technical experts to develop new applications, launch new products, and work to guarantee best product quality and performance across various markets.

It was erlier reported, DuPont is investing USD400 million in the production capacity of Tyvek nonwoven fabric made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) at its site in Luxembourg. A new building and a third work line at the production site will be constructed. The launch of new facilities is scheduled for 2021.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall HDPE production totalled 653,500 tonnes in the first four months of 2021, up by 9% year on year. At the same time, only one Russian producer increased its HDPE output.

DuPont is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, healthcare and worker safety.
MRC

1. Low demand for fuels to cap European crude refinery runs

MOSCOW (MRC) -- A recovery in European jet fuel demand to pre-pandemic levels is years away, forcing regional refiners to continue blending the aviation fuel into diesel, and keeping a lid on their crude runs, consultancy FGE Energy said, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing. FGE sees jet/kerosene demand in Europe at the end of 2022 reaching 75% of 2018-2019 levels only, meaning European refiners will continue to blend a large volume of jet into diesel to soak up the surplus. "Such blending tends to limit overall refinery crude throughput because maximum distillate hydrotreating capacity is reached at lower crude throughputs," FGE says.

MRC