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Various topics related to sustainability in plastics, including bio-related, environmental issues, green, recycling, renewal, re-use and sustainability.
Holger Ruckdäschel , Jan Sandler , Roland Hingmann , Klaus Hahn , Eric Wassner, May 2009
In recent years, concerns over environmental issues have led to a number of new regulations which have had a significant impact on the foams business in general and, in particular, for foams used in thermal insulation applications. Concerns over the depletion of the ozone layer and greenhouse gas emissions have led to the Montreal Protocol and measures to reduce the CO2 emissions. These regulatory issues in combination with traditional performance vs. cost issues are still driving changes in the global foams market today ' changes that are reflected both in the predictions of market growth as well as the technical demands placed on foamed products. In this paper, the expandable polystyrene (EPS) foam market is used to demonstrate the complex interactions of market forces versus technical progress when implementing successful foam products and processes for a wide-spread utilisation.
David Grewell , Julius Vogel , Kyle Haubrich , Gowrishankar Srinivashan, May 2009
In this work the weldability of PLA (Polylactic acid), a biodegradable polymer derived from corn starch was examined. Samples of biaxial oriented PLA films of various thicknesses were impulse and ultrasonic welded at various processing parameters. The results showed that relatively high weld strengths could be achieved with impulse welding over a relatively wide range of parameters. In addition, ultrasonic welding produced samples of relatively high strength too. However, while this process can be used with faster cycle times, it was less robust. In detail, ultrasonic welded samples of a thickness of 254 'm that were welded with a cycle time of 0.25 s had a average strength of approximately 160 N, while the results showed a standard deviation up to 50 N. In impulse welding samples of 100 'm thickness welded at 2 and 3 s had a strength of approximately 75 N, while the deviation was approximately 3 or 4 N. It was also seen that sample thickness affected the optimized welding parameters as well as ultimate strength. Having a thickness of 305 'm the weld of the samples had a strength of 80 N while the strength was 25-30 N at a thickness of 200 and 254 'm and a weld time of 0.15 s.
This paper will show a new approach of venting high levels of volatiles on reclaim film.
The paper will discuss how a cascaded extrusion platform can be utilized to remove high
levels of volatile contaminates as material is extruded from a Ram Stuffer extruder and
cascaded into a melt fed two stage extruder.
Auxiliary equipment manufacturers, specifically those who manufacture polymer filtration
equipment, have learned through experience what designs and configurations work better than
previous ones. Filtration demands today are not what they used to be. Utilizing recycled resin in
extrusion is becoming more and more popular. In order to gain maximum efficiency utilizing
recycled resins in polymer extrusion, the filtration equipment alone is sometimes not enough.
Empirical data will be reviewed comparing several types of filtration media, along with scrap
percentages successfully filtered. This data will help illustrate the benefits of one recycling
system to another.
From the viewpoint of greenhouse gas reduction and resource security, bio-plastics are
attractive as carbon neutral polymer materials, but limitations currently exist for industrial
usage including automotive applications. Although some parts made of polylactic acid (PLA)
have been introduced to certain models in the past five years, in order to adopt bio-plastics
extensively in the future, further research and development to overcome their technical
issues is necessary. Bio-plastics are also facing non-technical challenges such as their
economical aspect and stability of their supply/procurement. We need to deal with the recent
situation of soaring prices of agricultural products and future uneasiness of cultivated land
and water shortages while bio-fuel attracts recent attention worldwide, and also need to
precisely prove the influence of bio-plastics on global environmental impact based on LCA
through to material production, parts molding and their disposal. Recent progress on
development of bio-plastic materials and automotive parts will be reported and our
expectations and demands toward innovation of bio plastic technology will be discussed from
the viewpoint of an OEM.
With more of the market of plastics scrap being sold into China and US users of recycled
plastics try to escape the high prices. There is search for new sources of secondary plastics
that are not yet under more or less “Chinese” control and high prices. One big source of raw
material is post consumer agricultural film. Since it is often highly contaminated it was not
considered being very much worth the effort of recycling. However this opinion is changing
based on the rising costs of virgin resin and other forms plastic scrap. The contamination
once removed, agricultural film is a very homogenous material that can be used after
washing, drying and compounding for many kinds of transformation, from blow film to
injection molding.
The lecture describes the Herbold size reduction, wash, separation and drying equipment
that ends with agglomerated PE-film, ready for compounding or direct transformation in an
extrusion or injection molding process.
The system comprises a primary shredder, a prewashing unit, a wet granulator, a friction
washer, a hydrocyclone separation step to remove foreign plastics and other contamination,
a centrifugal dryer, a thermal dryer, finally an agglomerator to produce densified film flakes,
easy to transport, easy to feed into its end use in pelletizing, direct extrusion or direct
injection molding. See www.herbold.com
The problems of agricultral film recycling are to cope with the wear in the machines caused
by the high amounts of earth and stones, to cope with the fact that the system produces up
to 50% of non plastic output (sand, earth, stones, contaminations) besides the plastics, to
cope with the fact that more and more very thin film is used in the business and more and
more stretch film, both very difficult to dry. These obstacles can be overcome with the proper
know how and equipment.
ASTM-D6866 has gained widespread use both domestically and abroad as a clear and concise
means to document the renewable carbon content (a.k.a. biobased carbon content) of plastics, liquids,
and gases. Composite carbon components of renewable and fossil origin within plastic or any of its
originating components are readily identified and conveyed with a single number result (e.g. 65%
biobased). Both state and Federal regulators have embraced the method as a solution to identifying
biobased carbon within manufactured products, raw materials, and even carbon neutral CO2 emissions
from stationary emission sources. The method is the foundation for identifying the biobased carbon
content of plastics and other materials listed in the USDA's BioPreferred Program, is cited in California’s
greenhouse gas reporting regulations (AB 32), and as of the writing of this abstract is referenced in the
EPA’s evolving guidelines for monitoring national greenhouse gas emissions.
Though Global Warming has garnered considerable attention in the political realm as a nondebatable
issue, the notion that scientists have been able to understand the global climate system
with such precision that they can confidently predict its evolution is not supported by the evidence.
Christy will demonstrate that published, observational datasets, many of which he and UAHuntsville
colleagues have constructed from scratch, do not support the hypothesis of rapid climate change
due to the human-enhanced greenhouse effect. The impacts of potential "do something about
global warming" initiatives will be shown to be ineffectual while at the same time threatening human
development, particularly of the poorest among us. This will include research Christy presented as
an expert witness in Federal Court, Burlington VT.
As the market for reprocessed resin increases from both post-industrial and
post-consumer plastic products, a unique set of problems is encountered. This paper
will explore analytical approaches for identifying and resolving these issues. In one case
study, reprocessing of post-consumer nylon fibers resulted in undesirable odors. Gas
chromatography with mass spectrometry was utilized to determine the sources of these
odors. In a second case study, incorporation of some percentages of post-industrial and
post-consumer polyethylene regrind into a molded product was accomplished without
sacrificing key properties. Several techniques were applied to compare the responses of
the virgin product with that containing 30% regrind. Finally, a consumer product was
found to be failing after some time in outdoor storage. Since it was suspected that the
presence of regrind was the cause, a battery of chromatographic, spectroscopic,
microscopic, and thermal tests were applied to verify the cause of the failures.
Over the past decade, the fastest growing segment of both the composites and the broader
plastics industries has been thermoplastic polyolefin-based systems owning to their excellent
cost / performance ratio and processing efficiency. These composites continue to help products
produced in many markets reduce human impact on the planet due to their lightweight stiffness
and strength, plus excellent design freedom. To achieve required performance, olefins – like
most other polymer matrices – require the addition of compatibilizers, process aids, stabilization
systems, and coupling agents to increase weatherability, thermal stability, efficient processing,
and to ensure a strong bond is achieved between matrix and reinforcements.
In the quest for ever more cost-effective but higher performing components, research has
focused on manipulating chemistry of both polymers and additive systems, improving and
broadening reinforcement offerings, and streamlining production methods. One area that has
proven to be especially useful at improving the performance of olefin composites while also
reducing residual VOCs has been the development of a new generation of coupling agents
based on maleic anhydride (MAH). With these systems, mechanical properties are improved
and levels of free MAH are reduced orders of magnitude, typically at lower additive levels than
was possible with earlier generation coupling agents.
This paper will describe the benefits of these new additives, and how they can assist users of
olefin composites in markets as diverse as automotive, ground transportation, construction,
appliance, and food preparation produce products that are “greener” and help reduce the
negative aspects of human impact on the planet.
Carbon—specifically, carbon dioxide (CO2)—has gone mainstream and it hasn’t exactly
landed in the limelight. Everyone from consumers to retailers to investors is now
intently focused on CO2, or more accurately, the elimination of it. A groundswell of
media attention, activist groups, new legislation, changing market dynamics, and a
link—real or perceived—to global warming have made carbon public enemy number
one. Yet, it remains one of the largest industrial manufacturing by-products emitted into
the atmosphere by volume.
Reducing levels of CO2 output is a complicated process that takes time—the one thing
nearly everyone is short on. But as the adage goes: “knowledge is power.” And in a
manufacturing industry that is scrambling to “green-ify” itself that knowledge comes in
the form of understanding carbon footprints—and putting the results to work.
The best way to generate a carbon footprint is through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
which systematically assesses the environmental burdens associated with a product,
process or activity over the whole of its lifecycle from the extraction and transportation
of raw materials through to manufacture, packaging, transport, distribution and finally,
disposal. A carbon footprint, which is a component and subset of the more detailed and
comprehensive LCA, is a complete analysis of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions
created by a particular product or service. Carbon footprinting measures the global
warming potential (GWP) of products or services. A carbon footprint should be
considered by any manufacturer that is serious about truly understanding and reducing
its environmental impact and improving public perception.
This presentation will address in detail how carbon footprints can be applied to complex
manufacturing systems. Such application presents significant challenges, including:
• Parameters and scope – Define the functional unit and decide what exactly can
be measured and how. This preparatory phase looks at the product systems and
system boundaries as well as what assumptions are being made. It also accounts
for what should be excluded.
• Data collection and quality – Consideration for how data will be collected and
how emissions will be quantified must be considered. Also, how reliable is the
data?
• Impact Assessment – This includes how the data should be benchmarked and
presented so it is meaningful to multiple audiences, internal and external.
• Drawing sound and objective conclusions – Finally, carbon footprints are only
useful if the data is presented in a meaningful and actionable way.
These challenges and appropriate avenues to success will be discussed for the benefit of
environmental compliance officers, plant managers and anyone involved in the
optimization of production processes.
This presentation will highlight in a general sense several actual case studies of carbon
footprints conducted for major consumer and industrial companies including: Procter &
Gamble, Kraft, Novartis and Pepsi and Coca-Cola, among others. The presentation will
cover the results in more detail of several carbon footprint exercises including:
* A comparison of traditional HDPE plastic shopping bags to new biopolymer
bags;
* A study comparing the carbon footprint of bottled water to that of tap water;
* A case study that looked at the relative carbon footprints of various types of
plastic packaging for flocculants.
This presentation will discuss how conducting your carbon footprint will quickly identify
the “80/20” rule for global warming potential, and how it can subsequently be applied
to reduce your environmental impact in an efficient and economical way. In most
carbon footprint scenarios, manufacturers will discover that the greatest component of
emissions generated comes from two sources, the primary being electrical consumption
and the other being transportation of goods.
Finally, the presentation will offer information for participants not only on how to
conduct a carbon footprint exercise for a particular product, but how to interpret and
present the results. This powerful information will allow manufacturers to understand
on a micro and macro level the impact that their operations have on the environment—
thus their business—and what, if any, action should be taken.
An eco-efficiency study was conducted to compare the environmental impacts
and total costs of three options for diversion of food waste in a food service setting; 1)
disposal in a compostable liner made from Ecoflex®, 2) disposal in a non-compostable
liner made from polyethylene and 3) disposal without the use of a liner. The interest and
growth of food waste collection and diversion away from landfills to alternative disposal
sites is well known to today’s waste managers. Organics collection is at an all time high,
and pre and post consumer food waste is a vital part of that stream, reported as 31 million
tons from the 2006 EPA report on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). With so much food
waste to collect and divert in the US, infrastructure questions abound. Along with each
piece of the infrastructure puzzle, more questions arise concerning the benefit of organics
diversion versus the cost of collection and the potential harmful environmental impacts of
hauling, sorting and composting of organics.
The BASF Eco-Efficiency Analysis (EEA) tool is a sophisticated life cycle
assessment tool that considers all of the environmental impacts of the production, use and
disposal of a product. The EEA also considers all cost associated with the product use,
which is not something typically included in a life cycle assessment. Furthermore, the
BASF EEA produces a portfolio that normalizes potential solutions into a grid to allow
for comparison on a performance basis. Thus, many potential solutions to a problem can
be compared, quickly and accurately, to determine the most environmentally and
economically attractive choice.
The United States produces 100 billion bottles per year. If the bottles are not returned to the original high
value item, another 100 billion will be produced each of the following years, putting the bottles into various
waste streams. Each bottle is high value because it represents lightweight packaging, energy input and
consumer confidence in the safety of the product.
Thus the question, “can we reuse the asset and is it worthwhile doing so, based on sustainability
guidelines”?
The presentation provides specifics on equipment that is both capital and operationally effective. It
addresses Rpet requiring only 10% of the energy of Virgin PET with a reduction of 30% in CO2 emissions.
While satisfying the previous, it can be designed to meet FDA guidelines for contaminate levels along with
the requirements of emissions for EPA.
We can recapture the asset value and recycling of PET bottles can be accomplished at high capacity with
reduced overall costs and also be environmentally friendly.
A cradle‐to‐grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is performed to compare the
environmental impact of using polymer‐coated paper, polystyrene foam, and
recycled PET foam in the hot liquid cup applications. The study identifies the
material, energy emissions, and waste flows of the products, processes, and services
he environmental impact in terms of
al warming potential for these alternative
utilized over the entire lifecycle. Finally, t
energy use, carbon footprint, and the glob
technologies is quantified and compared.
For some time, scientists, politicians, environmentalists, and even private citizens have been emphasizing the
protection of the environment. However, it is notable that often there is substantial disagreement between advocates
in all of these groups about how to best accomplish this worthy goal. Frequently, these differences of opinion occur
because the parties are not working from the same set of facts or even comparable concepts. This paper seeks to
identify a unified basis for understanding and comparing the critical economic and scientific details of such ideals as
sustainability, renewable materials, and alternative energy sources as applied within the plastics industry.
We hear a lot these days about plastic bags – but what’s wrong with plastic?
Plastic is very strong - it’s waterproof and its still very cheap. Without plastic it would
be impossible to transport food safely and hygienically to millions of homes all over
the world and to sell it at affordable prices.
The problem is that if ordinary or recycled plastic gets out into the environment it will
lie or float around for decades, and we have all heard of the massive patch of plastic
waste floating in the Pacific Ocean.
Technologies have now become available which can produce plastic products such
as shopping bags, garbage sacks, packaging etc. which are fit for purpose, but will
harmlessly degrade at the end of their useful life. These fall into two broad
categories, namely:
1. Oxo-biodegradable plastics, made from a by-product of oil-refining, which degrade
in the environment by a process of oxidation initiated by an additive, and then
biodegrade after their molecular weight has reduced to the point where naturallyoccurring
micro-organisms can access the material.
2. Hydro-biodegradable plastics, made wholly or partly from crops, which biodegrade
in a highly microbial environment, such as composting
In the age of heightened environmental awareness, many new concepts and materials
have been developed and discussed in an effort to either reduce our carbon footprint or
limit our use of fossil fuels for plastic materials. One material, often misunderstood, has
had a positive impact on the environment for years. Both rigid and flexible compounds
of Polyvinyl Chloride have been used in a myriad of applications ranging from outdoor
furniture, to medical applications, to compliance with NSF standards for potable water,
all while offering excellent recyclability characteristics as well as a smaller carbon foot
print than many conventional commodity thermoplastics.
This paper will provide a practical discussion of recycling flexible Vinyl and the potential
uses of the recyclate. From sourcing to processing, all aspects of a vinyl recycling
operation are covered, with a primary focus on the material characteristics of the
recyclate, and the ability to tailor the recycled compound to a given set of physical
properties. In addition, further discussions will include potential uses of the recyclate, as
well as ideas for infrastructure to promote the use of post consumer PVC.
The purpose of this work was to establish and optimize a process for the production of banana fiber reinforced composite materials with a thermoset suitable for automotive and transportation industry applications. Fiber surface chemical modifications and treatments were studied along with processing conditions for epoxy and eco-polyester banana fiber composites. Flexural tests show that banana fiber/eco-polyester composites have a higher flexural strength and modulus due to improved fiber/matrix interaction. Environmental tests were conducted and the compressive properties of the composites were evaluated before and after moisture absorption. The resulting banana fiber/epoxy composites were found to yield a flexural strength of 34.99 MPa and compressive strength of 122.11 MPa when alkaline pretreated with improved environmental exposure resistance. While the non alkaline pretreated banana fiber/polyester composites were found to yield a flexural strength of 40.16 MPa and compressive strength of 123.28 MPa with higher hygrothermal resistance than pretreated fiber composites with the same matrix.
Kim McLoughlin Senior Research Engineer, Global Materials Science Braskem
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Kim drives technology programs at Braskem to develop advanced polyolefins with improved recyclability and sustainability. As Principal Investigator on a REMADE-funded collaboration, Kim leads a diverse industry-academic team that is developing a process to recycle elastomers as secondary feedstock. Kim has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cornell. She is an inventor on more than 25 patents and applications for novel polyolefin technologies. Kim is on the Board of Directors of SPE’s Thermoplastic Materials & Foams Division, where she has served as Education Chair and Councilor.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Gamini has a BS and PhD from Purdue University in Materials Engineering and Sustainability. He joined Penn State as a Post Doctorate Scholar in 2020 prior to his professorship appointment. He works closely with PA plastics manufacturers to implement sustainability programs in their plants.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Tom Giovannetti holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tulsa and for the last 26 years has worked for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. Tom started his plastics career by designing various injection molded products for the chemical industry including explosion proof plugs and receptacles, panel boards and detonation arrestors for 24 inch pipelines. Tom also holds a patent for design of a polyphenylene sulfide sleeve in a nylon coolant cross-over of an air intake manifold and is a Certified Plastic Technologist through the Society of Plastic Engineers. Tom serves on the Oklahoma Section Board as Councilor, is also the past president of the local Oklahoma SPE Section, and as well serves on the SPE Injection Molding Division board.
Joseph Lawrence, Ph.D. Senior Director and Research Professor University of Toledo
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Dr. Joseph Lawrence is a Research Professor and Senior Director of the Polymer Institute and the Center for Materials and Sensor Characterization at the University of Toledo. He is a Chemical Engineer by training and after working in the process industry, he has been engaged in polymers and composites research for 18+ years. In the Polymer Institute he leads research on renewably sourced polymers, plastics recycling, and additive manufacturing. He is also the lead investigator of the Polyesters and Barrier Materials Research Consortium funded by industry. Dr. Lawrence has advised 20 graduate students, mentored 8 staff scientists and several undergraduate students. He is a peer reviewer in several journals, has authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications and serves on the board of the Injection Molding Division of SPE.
Matt Hammernik Northeast Account Manager Hasco America
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Matt Hammernik serves as Hasco America’s Northeast Area Account Manager covering the states Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. He started with Hasco America at the beginning of March 2022. Matt started in the Injection Mold Industry roughly 10 years ago as an estimator quoting injection mold base steel, components and machining. He advanced into outside sales and has been serving molders, mold builders and mold makers for about 7 years.
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Any article that is cited in another manuscript or other work is required to use the correct reference style. Below is an example of the reference style for SPE articles:
Brown, H. L. and Jones, D. H. 2016, May.
"Insert title of paper here in quotes,"
ANTEC 2016 - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA May 23-25, 2016. [On-line].
Society of Plastics Engineers, ISBN: 123-0-1234567-8-9, pp. 000-000.
Available: www.4spe.org.
Note: if there are more than three authors you may use the first author's name and et al. EG Brown, H. L. et al.
