Carbios, Novozymes collaborate on recycling of PET

Carbios, Novozymes collaborate on recycling of PET

France-based green biotech company Carbios and Denmark-based biological solutions provider Novozymes have announced an exclusive long-term global strategic partnership, said Recyclingtoday.

The companies say the agreement ensures the long-term production and supply of Carbios’ proprietary polyethylene terephthalate- (PET-) degrading enzymes at an industrial scale for a biological PET recycling plant that is due to start production in 2025 in Longlaville, France, as well as Carbios’ future licensee customers.

The two companies have had a partnership since 2019 to develop enzyme-based solutions and address the sustainability challenge of plastic pollution, both within PET recycling and PLA biodegradation. Under the new agreement, the companies say they will extend their collaboration to develop, optimize and produce enzymes that will subsequently be supplied by Novozymes to all licensees of Carbios’ technology.

According to the companies, the partnership supports the large-scale industrial deployment of Carbios’ patented PET recycling technology, starting with Carbios’future industrial unit in Longlaville, which they claim will be the first biological PET recycling plant. Construction will begin later this year, with production set to start in 2025, and the processing capacity will be 50,000 tons of scrap per year.

“We are delighted to expand our partnership with Novozymes, the world leader in biological solutions, and to build on our strong existing relationship to provide a sustainable supply solution for our future customers,” Carbios CEO Emmanuel Ladent says. “Novozymes’ continued support is testament to our joint commitment to achieve a truly circular economy for plastics and textiles that will benefit the environment and be economically viable for all business partners.”

Novozymes Vice President of Marketing, Agricultural and Industrial Biosolutions, Hans Ole Klingenberg, says, “We are excited to advance our collaboration with Carbios by signing this exclusive agreement and to support the next phase of scaling this new business of biological plastic recycling. By providing biological solutions at a large scale, Novozymes is pleased to contribute in bringing Carbios’ biorecycling of PET plastics and fibers to market.”

We remind, Novozymes says that with the inauguration ceremony of the new biomass-based block at the Asn's Power Station, all energy to Novozymes in Kalundborg, Denmark, comes from sources other than oil and coal. This has become possible through an agreement among Novozymes, Novo Nordisk, Kalundborg Forsyning, and Orsted to phase out coal from Denmark's largest coal-fired power station unit, the Asn's Power Station, which is owned and operated by Orsted, and replace it with wood chips.

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BASF Monomers division announces sustainability roadmap and expands portfolio of climate-friendly products

BASF Monomers division announces sustainability roadmap and expands portfolio of climate-friendly products

BASF’s Monomers division has announced an ambitious sustainability roadmap: It will expand its portfolio of products with a lower CO2 footprint and is committed to providing a circular option in every major product line by 2025, said the company.

At the same time, the division will continue to prioritize technical optimization measures to cut CO2 emissions from operations. “As a commodity business at the heart of chemical production, we have the potential to significantly drive the sustainable transformation of both BASF and the various customer industries we serve,” said Dr. Ramkumar Dhruva, President, Monomers division at BASF. The Monomers division supplies key industries from food packaging, textiles, automotive or construction to wood binders and many others with base chemicals. The new divisional sustainability roadmap is an essential part of BASF’s journey towards climate neutrality and net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

“We understand sustainability as the decisive factor for future business success and are committed to providing our customers with the right solutions to help them reach their individual sustainability goals,” said Dhruva.

Net zero greenhouse gas emission targets demand a new level of carbon transparency. The product carbon footprint (PCF) is therefore becoming a differentiating factor, even for commoditized products. BASF’s Monomers division is pioneering a certified low-PCF option in all of its product lines by applying the company’s mass balance approach. Examples are Lupranat® ZERO, an MDI made from biobased raw materials that has a PCF of zero, and Ultramid® Ccycled™, an innovative material for the textile industry for which chemically recycled feedstock from end-of-life tires is used in production and attributed via a certified mass balance approach. The division has major sites and more than 200 products already RedCert2 or ISCC+ certified today. It aims to have additional sites certified in all regions by the end of 2023 and will continue to expand its portfolio of certified mass balanced products for its customers worldwide.

We remind, BASF has broken ground on the third and final phase of the methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) expansion project at its Verbund site in Geismar, Louisiana, announced in July 2022. The company will increase production capacity to approximately 600,000 metric tons per year by the middle of the decade to support the ongoing growth of its North American MDI customers.

BASF is a leading supplier, manufacturer, and innovation partner of plastic additives. Its comprehensive and innovative product portfolio includes additives that provide ease in processing, and heat and light resistance to a variety of polymers and applications including molded articles, films, fibers, sheets, and extruded profiles.

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Henkel signs agreement with Shell on renewable-based ingredients

Henkel signs agreement with Shell on renewable-based ingredients

Henkel and Shell Chemical LP have agreed to a five-year collaboration to replace up to 200,000 tonnes of fossil feedstocks used in the manufacture of surfactants with feedstocks that are based on renewable raw materials, said the company.

The renewable-based surfactants will be used in Henkel’s laundry product brands, including many varieties of Persil®, Purex® and all® brands. Surfactants are an ingredient in cleaning products that help lather and lift dirt.

“This landmark cooperation significantly advances Henkel’s share of renewable-based ingredients in leading consumer brands in North America,” said Ulrike Sapiro, Chief Sustainability Officer at Henkel. “This is an important, concrete step toward realizing our vision of a regenerative planet through a climate-friendly business model. Working together with partners like Shell will help get us there faster."

Shell estimates that replacing up to 200,000 tonnes of fossil feedstocks with renewable feedstocks has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 120,000 tonnes of CO2e over the length of the five-year agreement.

We remind, Uniper and Shell have awarded contracts for the design studies of the main hydrogen production and carbon capture plant for the proposed Humber H2ub project. The project aims to produce low-carbon hydrogen using gas reformation with carbon capture technology at Uniper’s Killingholme power station site on the South Humber bank in the UK.

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Toray develops eco-friendly PET film

Toray develops eco-friendly PET film

Toray Industries, Inc., announced that it has developed a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film that combines excellent applicability and adhesion for water-based and solvent-free coatings and can eliminate solvent-derived carbon-dioxide emissions, said the company.

The company looks to produce the film at a domestic plant by end-March 2024 to help popularize eco-friendly film products for which decarbonization during manufacturing is desirable. These items include release, adhesive, printing, packaging, and automotive films.

The environmental impacts of organic solvents in regular PET film processing have become problematic in view of global warming becoming a prime issue in recent years as a result of air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions.

This situation has driven the development of coatings free of such volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as toluene, xylene, and ethyl acetate. Such coatings eliminate carbon dioxide emissions derived from solvents. Advances include coatings in which water replaces these compounds in mold release agents, adhesives, and printing inks, as well as solvent-free versions employing monomers to dilute ingredients. Still, VOC-free coatings have downsides. They include appearance defects such as peeling when applied on PET films. Other issues are poor adhesion between coated layers and PET films after drying, resulting in lifting and peeling that reduces durability.

Toray’s new PET film has both good applicability for water-based paints and good adhesion to films after it is dried. This was achieved by forming an ultra-thin layer with nanosized dispersion of hydrophilic components with high affinity to water and hydrophobic components with high affinity to the resin on the surface of the film.

This film has demonstrated outstanding applicability and adhesion for an array of water-based offerings from paint manufacturers. Coating and adhesion is also excellent with solvent-free coatings, which are also VOC-free.

PET film processing generally emits carbon dioxide from coating and drying printing inks, release agents, and adhesives, as well as from consuming electricity in curing, releasing organic solvents into the atmosphere through incineration, and disposing of solvent effluents and waste. The film makes it possible to use VOC-free paints and thus eliminate the carbon dioxide emissions associated with organic solvents.

We remind, Toray Industries' offshoots Toray Advanced Materials Korea and Toray Textiles Central Europe have built new sites in the Czech Republic to boost the Airlite automotive interior sound acoustic insulation operation in the European region. It has a manufacturing capacity of 1200 tonnes/y. Another offshoot, Toray Carbon Fibers Europe, will spend EUR 100 M to install a new manufacturing line at its facility in South West France.

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INEOS acquires major concrete additives business from Sika

INEOS acquires major concrete additives business from Sika

INEOS Enterprises has today signed an agreement to acquire MBCC Group’s Admixture Business from Sika AG, said the company.

The admixture business is a leading producer of concrete additives essential for the construction industry, with well invested operations across 35 manufacturing sites and sales of around USD1 billion.

The business employs more than 1600 people, which produce and supply a broad chemicals portfolio for concrete manufacturing and underground construction, across the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

The deal which is part of a required remedy process for Sika to acquire the MBCC Group, is subject to regulatory approvals and is targeted to complete in the first half of this year.

The deal will maintain the level of innovation, services and quality in chemical admixtures available to concrete producers.

Thomas Hasler, CEO of Sika: “The agreement with INEOS Enterprises marks a key milestone in Sika’s acquisition of MBCC Group. I am convinced that we have found a long-term home for the MBCC Group’s Admixture business. The perfect new owner who will further develop the business together with a talented and driven MBCC Group team. At the same time, Sika has taken a tremendous leap forward on its path to joining forces with MBCC Group and together we will strengthen our growth platform further.”

We remind, INEOS and SINOPEC have completed two of the four significant petrochemical deals announced earlier this year. The two deals are: SECCO joint venture. INEOS has acquired 50% of Shanghai SECCO Petrochemical Company Limited. ABS joint venture. INEOS and SINOPEC have also established a 50:50 joint venture for ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), based on INEOS’ world leading proprietary ABS Technology.

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