Page 148 - CW E-Magazine (31-12-2024)
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News from Abroad                                                                                                                                                                  News from Abroad


       EXPANSION                                                                                                     scrap and waste is separated by type,                               of the art, the recycled MMA is expected
       Clariant building new production line for stabiliser                                                          passed through a multi-step sorting pro-                            to feature a carbon footprint reduction
                                                                                                                                                                                         of more than  90%, which means  an
                                                                                                                     cess and granulated in a defi ned geome-
       additives in Cangzhou, China                                                                                  try. This is done both for post-industrial                          avoidance of around 13-ktpa of green-
                                                                                                                                                                                         house gases at full capacity.
                                                                                                                     recyclable materials and post-consumer
                                                                                                                     plastic waste. As  the largest company
          Swiss  speciality  chemicals  fi rm,                                                                        in Europe specialised in PMMA recy-                                    The strategic partnership offers
       Clariant, is expanding its Cangzhou                                                                           cling,  Pekutherm  has a sorting capa-                              benefi ts for all partners. For Röhm and
       production site for the manufacture of                                                                        city of 10-ktpa. The recyclable materials                           Polyvantis, it increases the availability
       Nylostab S-EED, a multi-functional                                                                            collected by Pekutherm and processed                                of recycled PMMA, which can be used
       additive designed for use with nylons.                                                                        for mechanical recycling are then deli-  PMMA scrap material. Röhm will also  to manufacture products with a signi-
       The new, second production line in the                                                                        vered to its partners Röhm and Poly-  act as the offtaker of recycled methyl  fi cantly  reduced  carbon  footprint.
       Hebei Province of China, will be jointly                                                                      vantis, where they are reused as a raw  methacrylate (rMMA) monomer, to be  MyRemono can demonstrate its depoly-
       owned and operated by Clariant and its                                                                        material in production after just one  reused for  the manufacturing of  new  merisation technology by  processing a
       local partner Beijing Tiangang Auxiliary                                                                      additional processing step.       PMMA products in a fully circular  wide range of PMMA grades. With its
       Co. Ltd.                                                                                                                                        process.                          fl exible collection system, Pekutherm is
                                                                                                                        MyRemono, Nextchem’s subsidiary                                  creating the basis for an industry-wide
          “We are excited to take our partner-                                                                       specialising in  plastics recycling, will   MyRemono will manage the chemi-  recycling system for PMMA in Europe
       ship with Beijing Tiangang to the next                                                                        receive the remaining PMMA. This is  cal recycling of PMMA scrap material  and is the central point of contact for
       level by breaking ground on a second   “We feel privileged  to deepen  cycle time for injection moulding pro-  unsuitable for  mechanical  recycling  at  its  fi rst-of-its-kind  industrial-scale  this.X
       production line in Cangzhou. The conti-  our partnership with Clariant  further  cesses,” the company informed.  but can be chemically converted back  plant, currently  being  developed in
       nued investment from Clariant demon-  through the expansion of  this already                                  into pure MMA using  NXRe techno-  Italy, with the support of the EU Inno-  “We  invite all processors,  custo-
       strates our commitment to the Chinese  very  successful  production site,” said   “We  are  confi dent  that  our  new   logy, a molten metal depolymerisation  vation Fund. The plant is expected to  mers and consumers of PMMA in Europe
       market and reaffi rms our strong belief  Mr. Gang Liu, Executive  Director of  multifunctional  additive  Nylostab   process. MyRemono, has signed a  be completed in 2026 and will have an  to become part of our network,” said
       in the prospects of local industries such  Beijing Tiangang.       S-EED, produced at the new site, will      toll manufacturing agreement  with  initial processing capacity of 5-ktpa of  Mr.  Heiko  Pfi ster,  Managing  Director
       as  textiles  and  fi bres,  automotive  and                        have  a  good number  of application       Röhm under which Röhm will supply  PMMA. Compared to the current state  of Pekutherm.
       packaging,” said  Mr.  Zhigang Miao,   Clariant’s said its Nylostab S-EED  areas across the core nylon value chain,
       Clariant’s  Global Head of Polymer  additive is  highly compatible with  which is seeing a surge in capacity   PARTNERSHIP
       Solutions,  Additives Polymer Solu-  nylons  by  molecular recognition. “Its  expansion  and demand  particularly   Dow and Innventure to collaborate on waste-to-petchem
       tions. For three years, since the launch  excellent  process  stability at high  from the textile and engineering plastics
       of  the  fi rst  joint-venture  site  in  2021,  temperatures  results  in  less  fi lament  industry in China,” said Ms.  Sandra   feedstocks platform
       the production site has  achieved full  breakage during spinning processes  Schneider, Clariant’s Head of Opera-
       capacity.                         and enhances productivity by reducing  tions & Supply Chain Additives.
                                                                                                                        Dow and Innventure, a technology  ments for  existing fossil  fuel-based  plastic feedstock aggregation and up-
       CLOSING THE LOOP                                                                                              commercialisation  platform, are join-  feedstocks. Dow will provide technical  grading. “Dow is committed to trans-
       Röhm, Maire and partners set up European network                                                              ing hands to collaborate  to develop  resources to support the engineering  forming plastic waste into circular solu-
                                                                                                                     and commercialise new waste-to-value  development and  deployment of  new  tions that result in high-quality resins
       for PMMA recycling                                                                                            technologies. The collaboration aims to  waste-to-value processes and work  demanded by our customers while help-
                                                                                                                     enable globally scalable, cost-effective  with Refi nity to identify preferred sites  ing to accelerate a circular economy,”
                                                                                                                     conversion  of mixed  wastes to petro-  for future commercial plant operations.  said Mr. Dave Parrillo, vice president
          German methacrylates  specialist,   With this partnership, the four  in Worms  (Germany). The  greatest    chemical feedstocks.                                                for Research & Development, Dow
       Röhm, has announced the establish-  companies expect considerably more  challenges of the circular economy to                                      Via  Refi nity,  Innventure  licenses  Packaging & Specialty Plastics and
       ment of a Europe-wide alliance for the  PMMA materials to be processed  date have been the lack of  infrastruc-  Innventure has created a new sub-  novel, high yield thermochemical pro-  Hydrocarbons. “We are excited to work
       recycling of  polymethyl methacrylate  through both mechanical and chemical  ture, logistics and the availability  of   sidiary,  Refi nity,  to  commercialise  cesses;  for  example,  gasifi cation  to  with  Refi nity  on  waste-to-value  which
       (PMMA). The  participating  compa-  recycling and returned to the market as  economically  viable  and  suffi cient   cost-effective waste-to-value techno-  convert mixed plastic waste  to  light  can be combined with Dow’s efforts to
       nies besides Röhm are Nextchem, the  MMA and PMMA in virgin-like qua-  quantities of  recyclable PMMA. As  a   logies. Refi nity will work directly with  olefi ns.  Dow  anticipates  contributing  ‘Decarbonise & Grow’ and its ‘Path2Zero’
       sustainable technology division  of  lity.  This would be made  possible by  logistics partner in the new alliance,   Dow to scale and commercialise tech-  other technologies as part of the collabo-  journey.  We are also excited to work
       Italian engineering major, Maire Group  combining  Nextchem’s NXRe chemi-  Pekutherm  will  seek to address these   nologies aimed at converting mixed  ration in the future.     more broadly with Innventure, whose
       through its subsidiary MyRemono,  cal recycling  technology  with a puri-  issues and offer PMMA processing   waste, including hard-to-recycle plastic                            differentiated model for technology
       Pekutherm (a waste management  fi cation method developed and piloted  companies across  Europe with  custo-   waste, to petrochemical  feedstocks.   Refi nity and Dow may also collabo-  commercialisation and new company
       company) and  Polyvantis (the  acrylic  by Röhm researchers at the company’s  mised concepts for plastic waste disposal.   The  sustainable chemicals produced  rate to develop selected parts of the  creation can help Dow accelerate our
       products business spun out of Röhm).  largest production and innovation site  Pekutherm will ensure that the collected   by Refi nity will serve as direct replace-  waste supply chain, including waste  ‘Transform the Waste’ initiative.”


       148                                                                 Chemical Weekly  December 31, 2024        Chemical Weekly  December 31, 2024                                                              149


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