Displaying items by tag: plastic

Japan: Austria-based Untha has awarded an exclusive distribution agreement in Japan to Axia. The distributor has taken delivery of a mobile Untha XR shredder for use as a demonstration unit at its customer sites and ordered six more models.

Axia CEO Kazunori Kawata said “China’s ban on waste plastic imports means Japan has sharpened up on its domestic recycling capabilities. The introduction of Untha’s engineering experience will really disrupt the market. Operators are starting to think differently about machine reliability, throughputs and lifecycle costs. As a nation, we must increase our productivity and capacity, and we need a different class of machine to be able to do this – one that is highly configurable, versatile and built to last. Output precision is also crucial.” He added “If Japan is to enhance its commitment to the environment, it is important that we seek to use energy efficient technologies within our waste and recycling facilities. Renowned globally for using 75% less energy than competitors’ diesel-hydraulic machines, the Untha XR shredder doesn’t just improve the net carbon impact of the process – it keeps fuel costs low, too. Some customers have been known to save US$135,000/yr in fuel costs alone.”

China: E-cigarette producer RLX Technology has announced a planned investment of US$3.10m in a used vape pod recycling scheme. The company will supply the plastic waste for use as an alternative fuel (AF) in cement production. It has partnered with the China Siyuan Foundation for Poverty Alleviation to supply the cement produced to infrastructure projects in rural areas.

CEO Kate Wang said “As one of the most essential materials for infrastructure, cement is key to the rural economy. Thus, RLX Technology plans to donate the cement to build roads, bridges and clean lavatories to improve the life of rural citizens.”

RLX Technology will launch vape pod collection in Beijing in September 2021, followed by 10 other cities before February 2022.

Philippines: Aboitiz Equity Ventures and CRH subsidiary Republic Cement says that it is seeking partners to supply it with plastic waste, which it can co-process as refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The Business World newspaper has reported that the company has set a target of 10m plastic bags/day by 2021.

President and chief executive officer Nabil Francis said, “We would like to commit to a very ambitious target next year, and this target is to co-process not less than 10m equivalent of plastic bags/day, starting from the very beginning of next year.” Angela Edralin-Valencia, the resource recovery director of Republic Cement’s Ecoloop division, said, "It's going to be double what we are currently doing, and it's just the beginning.”

Philippines: Cemex Holdings Philippines has announced the signing of a partnership agreement for the supply of post-consumer plastic waste by foods producer Nestlé Philippines as fuel for co-processing in Cemex Holdings Philippines’ cement plants. The Manila Bulletin has reported that the deal is part of Nestlé’s efforts towards achieving zero packaging waste globally by 2025.

Cemex Holdings Philippines president and CEO Ignacio Mijares Elizondo said, “We recognise and gladly support Nestlé’s commitment to tackling plastic waste. Cemex and Nestlé have a shared vision to make a significant difference and contribute to the economic, social and environmental growth of the Philippines. A green environment will always be at the centre of Cemex Holdings Philippines’ ‘Build A Nation Together’ corporate social responsibility efforts. Our advocacies are dedicated to uplift lives and communities and to protect the environment.”

India: Geocycle India has launched a “transparent and auditable waste management service” in the form of plastic waste collection with support of Cleanhub. Following a successful pilot in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, Geocycle will now collect used plastic packaging from its customers. The company said that the material will be co-processed by Ambuja Cement at its integrated Bhatapara plant in Chhattisgarh. Between 1 April 2019 and 30 March 2020 Geocycle supplied 21,700t of plastic for use as fuel to cement producers. The company said, “This has created a co-dependent business model which is a win-win for all the stakeholders.”

India: Dalmia Cement and Topcem have signed a deal with the state government of Meghalaya to buy plastic litter from clean-up operations at a cost of US$422/t. The companies, whose combined integrated cement capacity in the state is 2.5Mt/yr, will burn the refuse-derived fuel (RDF) as a partial substitute for coal at three plants. News18 has reported that the deal is part of a concerted campaign by government, NGOs and the general population to bring about a cleaner and plastic-free Meghalaya in time for the National Games, which the state will host in 2022.

Philippines: Republic Cement has signed a co-processing agreement with Century Pacific Group to burn post-consumer plastic waste as an alternative fuel. The deal is part of a move by the group to become ‘plastic neutral’ by 2020, according to the Philippine Star newspaper. Century Pacific Group includes brands such as Century canned tuna and the Shakey’s Pizza chain. Republic Cement is licensed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to use and dispose of waste streams through cement kiln co-processing.

Germany: Lindner plans to release its new Micromat HP series of plastic and universal shredders at the Fakuma plastics processing trade fair in October 2017. The new models in the High Performance (HP) range follow the existing Micromat 2000 and 2500 single shaft shredders but the manufacturer says that the new machines offer up to a 30% increase in output. This has been achieved by re-designing the rotor geometry to allow the knives to be used more efficiently per rotation. An optimised Siemens control unit has also been included. The shredders come with a 132kW or 160kW motor driving the rotor with a speed of 105RPM depending on customer requirements.

The upgraded line has been created in response to increasing European environmental targets and expected rises in the recycling rate of plastic packaging. Following these changes the shredder producer anticipates that recycling companies and producers of secondary raw materials will require more output while using the same space.

India: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has proposed a roadmap for implementing new plastic waste management rules that recommends the disposal of such waste in cement kilns. It also wants to make manufacturers responsible for collecting waste generated from their products, according to the Mint newspaper. The environment ministry introduced the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules 2016 in March 2016 and the draft guidelines were released in September 2016. The new regulations are expected to replace the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2011.

"The preferred option for disposal of non-recyclable plastic waste is co-processing in cement plants due to its high temperature. The producers of non-recyclable plastic, major uses like food packaging, pharmaceuticals, multilayer film manufacturing industries in consultation with local authority, cement plants shall work out modalities for co-processing of such waste in cement kilns," the draft says.

15,000t of plastic waste are believed to be generated daily in the country but only 9000t of this is collected and processed. State Pollution Control Boards may consider incentives such as reduction of water cess/consent fee for cement plants, according to the draft guidelines.

Hungary: Lafarge Cement Magyarorszag has inaugurated a Euro2.28m alternative fuel warehouse at its cement plant in Kiralyegyhaza in the south-west of Hungary. The warehouse will store waste rubber and plastic, as well as industrial and farm waste.