TotalEnergies - Sorting of PLA bioplastic from municipal plastic waste again proven to be easy

With the aim of determining the sortability of PLA from municipal mixed plastic waste, TotalEnergies Corbion and TOMRA Recycling conducted a sorting test in August 2022, said the company.

The outcome confirmed, as has been confirmed many times before, that sorting PLA from other plastics waste is easy and straight-forward. Using a Near Infra-Red (NIR) sorting machine, PLA trays mixed with other post-consumer plastic items were fully recovered with a very high purity at the TOMRA center in Mulheim-Karlich, Germany. Also when the PET bottle fraction was sorted from the mixed plastics waste stream, no PLA trays ended up in the PET stream. This realistic and industrial test shows that PLA is sortable and will not contaminate other recycling streams.

“Plastic waste collectors and sorters know that using the infrared technology, PLA plastic products can easily be sorted from other municipal waste. In closed loop environments, where PLA bottles and PLA cups are exclusively used, the amount of PLA is sufficiently high to also make it economically feasible to collect, sort and clean the PLA”, says Jurgen Priesters, SVP TOMRA Feedstock.

TotalEnergies Corbion is actively collecting used PLA products from closed loop systems and pre consumer waste. The collected PLA waste is used as feedstock for making rPLA and will help divert PLA from ending up in landfill or incineration. It also further reduced the carbon footprint of PLA and rPLA reduces the need for biomass and land use. Luminy® rPLA, containing 20% post-industrial and post-consumer PLA waste is commercially available.

“In collaboration with Tomra, a leading supplier of waste sorting equipment, we confirmed (again!) that PLA can be effectively sorted from other municipal plastic waste using existing separation equipment. Claims that PLA contaminates PET recycle streams have again proven to be nonsense. Many other studies, as cited in our white paper about end of life options for PLA, have confirmed exactly the same." says Francois de Bie, Senior Marketing and Supply Chain Director at TotalEnergies Corbion. He continues, "In short no technical barrier exist that prevent an effective separation of PLA from other plastic waste."

We remind, the Flemish government recently awarded TotalEnergies the contract to install 1,500 electric vehicle charging points in Antwerp. In the heart of Europe and in Belgium's most populous city, the company is reinforcing its commitment to offering and developing sustainable mobility, with the aim of becoming Belgium's leading company in the public charging market by 2024.

TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible.
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Linde has strengthened its commitment to sustainability having become the latest signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, said Gasworld.

By signing up to the initiative, Linde aims to align its strategy and activities with the UNGC’s Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption. With 13,000 corporate participants and other stakeholders over 170 countries, the UNGC promotes two main objectives: ‘Mainstream the ten principles in business activities around the world’, and ‘Catalyse actions in support of broader UN goals.’

Broader goals include its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the latter of which Linde have pledged to help advance. Stating that sustainability is an ‘integral part’ of what the company does every day, Tamara Brown, Vice President Sustainability, Linde, added that it has helped build an inclusive culture that values its people and respects human rights.

“Linde is already aligned with the Principles at the heart of the Compact and is proud to join this initiative, which aims to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges,” she said.

As per MRC, Linde has completed their efforts as part of implementing the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) construction project. "Linde has completed its work within the AGCC project framework. We are dealing with its adaptation to new conditions together with partners from Sinopec," the Russian chemical giant said. Early in 2020, Linde made the contract for provision of pyrolysis services for AGCC. The Amur Gas Chemical Complex is the joint venture of Sibur (60%) and China’s Sinopec (40%) for polyethylene and polypropylene production. The capacity of the plant will be up to 2.7 mln tonnes of polymers annually.
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Arkema’s Virtucycle® program places the advanced materials designer at the center of a virtuous cycle to source, recycle, and recertify advanced polymers, said the company.

In addition to being the specialty recycler, Arkema plays the role of matchmaker among its customers while playing an optional key role in eco-designing the finished product produced from the recycled material.

By the end of this year, Arkema aims to offer several SCS* certified grades that meet critical performance standards while also offering a traceable supply chain. Detailed LCA data packages will be available upon request. The grades are produced at Arkema’s custom mechanical recycling center for advanced polymers in Italy using only renewable energy. In 2021, Arkema acquired Agiplast, a specialist in the recycling of high performance polymers.

More and more, our customers are interested in innovative recycled options in order to drive improved sustainability and circularity in the supply chain”

“With the recent acquisition of Agiplast, we were able to take a quantum step in the right direction by marrying our legacy polymer design expertise with the advanced recycling capabilities of Agiplast as well as our extensive global network of customers with ambitious commitments to sustainability. The ability to design certified recycled grades with high performance and lower carbon footprint is an exciting step in the sustainability journey of our customers and Arkema. Extending the life of these polymers, sometimes in applications quite unrelated to their original use is gratifying. The growth potential is significant."

We remind, Arkema S.A. (Colombes, France) is boosting its previously announced global Pebax elastomer capacity expansion at its Serquigny, France site from +25% to +40% in two separate phases, firstly in Q1 2023 by raising global capacity by 15%, the additional 25% starting in Q3 2023. The greater increase in Pebax elastomer capacity will support the strong demand from partner customers in the sports, consumer electronics, medical and industrial markets, who recognize the highly specialized Pebax grades’ lightweight, flexibility and exceptional energy return. Applications range from ultra-fast running shoes to catheters or flexible device screens.

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Phillips 66 announced the installation of FreeWire ultrafast electric-vehicle chargers at its flagship fuel station near its headquarters in Houston, marking the debut of ultrafast EV charging at a convenience fuel station in the city, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Phillips 66 and FreeWire unveiled plans earlier this year to deploy FreeWire’s ultrafast, battery-integrated technology to meet the growing demand from EV drivers for high-speed, on-the-go charging. Phillips 66 will leverage its network of approximately 7,000 Phillips 66, Conoco and 76 branded U.S. sites and other strategic locations. The chargers are the first commissioned FreeWire chargers in Texas.

The introduction of the EV chargers reflects Phillips 66's commitment to working to meet the world’s growing energy needs while reducing its environmental footprint. The company has focused its Emerging Energy and Sustainability business strategy on four pillars: renewable fuels, batteries, carbon capture and hydrogen.

“The installation of the first FreeWire EV chargers at our Phillips 66 flagship fuel station represents an important step in our EV charging journey as well as our commitment to pursue lower-carbon solutions,” said Rod Palmer, Vice President of U.S. Marketing at Phillips 66. “FreeWire’s charger offers consumers the fast-charging experience they’re looking for, and Phillips 66’s branded network of fueling locations places the chargers at existing, strategically located sites.”

FreeWire’s Boost Charger is a more convenient option for sites looking to enter the EV charging space. It connects to existing infrastructure without burdensome construction costs and permitting restraints. The battery charges at off-peak times when power is cheaper, reducing operational costs for the site, while still providing the needed capacity to give consumers a rapid charge.

“We are excited to mark this milestone with Phillips 66 and to make our fast-charging solution available to more EV drivers,” said Arcady Sosinov, FreeWire Founder and CEO. “As charging demand continues to surge, our battery-integrated chargers offer the streamlined, shovel-ready solution that many entering the EV charging space are looking for.”

As per MRC, Phillips 66 signed a letter of intent with FreeWire Technologies in support of its first electric-vehicle charging program in the United States. The announcement highlights Phillips 66’s commitment to pursue lower-carbon solutions and comes as an endorsement of FreeWire’s ultrafast, battery-integrated charging technology. The two companies will explore opportunities to deploy FreeWire’s technology within Phillips 66’s U.S. fueling stations and other strategic locations.
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In a move that will expand and accelerate the growth of its strategic bioenergy business, bp announced that it has agreed to acquire Archaea Energy Inc., a leading producer of renewable natural gas (RNG) in the US, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The agreed acquisition, which is subject to regulatory and Archaea shareholder approval, will be for USD3.3 B in cash, as well as around USD800 MM of net debt.

Bioenergy is one of five strategic transition growth engines that bp intends to grow rapidly through this decade. bp expects investment into its transition growth businesses to reach more than 40% of its total annual capital expenditure by 2025, aiming to grow this to around 50% by 2030.

Acquiring Archaea will expand bp’s presence in the US biogas industry, enhancing its ability to support customers’ decarbonization goals and also progressing its aim to reduce the average carbon intensity of the energy products it sells. bp aims to reduce that carbon intensity to net zero by 2050 or sooner.

Bernard Looney, bp chief executive, said: “Archaea is a fantastic fast-growing business, and bp will add distinctive value through our trading business and customer reach. It will accelerate our key bioenergy growth engine, creating a real leader in the biogas sector, and support our net zero ambition. And, importantly, we're doing this while remaining focused on the disciplined execution of our financial frame. Investing with discipline into the energy transition, creating further value through integration – this is exactly what bp’s transformation into an integrated energy company is all about."

Nick Stork, CEO of Archaea Energy, said:“Archaea has become one of the largest and fastest growing RNG platforms in the US and today’s announcement will further enable this business to realize its full potential. bp is a world-class partner with an operational history in the RNG value chain that is fully aligned with ours and our partners’, and I look forward to our hard-working team joining the bp organization to help achieve their bioenergy goals."

Jon Vander Ark, Republic Services president and chief executive officer, said:“The acquisition of Archaea by bp allows us to accelerate decarbonization through our innovative joint venture with Archaea. With our shared focus on sustainability, this joint venture provides additional opportunities to work together on other decarbonization and environmental services initiatives."

The acquisition of Archaea has a strong strategic fit with bp’s existing biogas business, enabling expansion of its position in the US and potentially also in key geographies globally, including the UK and Germany. Alongside growth in bp’s existing portfolio, the addition of Archaea’s production and pipeline has the potential to take bp’s biogas supply volumes to around 70,000 boepd globally by 2030.

We remind, bp laid off most contractors at the approximately 160,000 barrel-per-day Toledo, Ohio, refinery it owns with Cenovus Energy Inc, according to sources familiar with the matter, indicating that the plant will experience a prolonged shutdown following last week's explosion and fire. The explosion killed two United Steelworkers members, identified as brothers Max and Ben Morrissey. The more than 100-year-old refinery has been offline since the middle of last week following the explosion and could be shut for several months.

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