Pallmann's PFV Plast-Agglomerator to recycle thermoplastic waste

(Plastemart) -- Thermoplastic waste can be recycled and reintroduced into the production stream with Pallmann's PFV Plast-Agglomerator. The equipment is characterized by its relatively low acquisition cost in comparison with other technologies, as well as the low thermal stress it puts on materials, allowing them to maintain as many of their original characteristics as possible. The PFV Plast-Agglomerator can handle waste coming from production of film, fibers, foam, carpets or other mixed materials, from PP, PE, PVC, ABS, and XPS as well as compounded materials.

The agglomerated material is transported pneumatically to a downstream hot melt granulator, creating free-flowing granules with a high bulk density and a minimum of thermal degradation. This valuable raw material can then be reintroduced into the production process or used in other applications, as a filler for example.

New technical characteristics make the Plast-Agglomerator even more attractive than before. Pallmann can now deliver complete systems, premounted on a base frame, including wiring and water hook-up, simplifying installation and decreasing assembly time. Even after assembly, the complete system can be quickly moved and so is easily adaptable to changing production conditions at the customer.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- BASF has signed a Memorandum of Agreement to expand its Yeosu facility for MDI (diphenylmethane diisocyanate). The Yeosu site was established in 1998 and currently has an annual production capacity of 190 KT MDI, 160 KT TDI (toulene di-isocyanate), and 20 KT of CCD (Carbonyl Chloride Derivatives).

BASF and other companies will collectively invest a total of KRW 80 billion (approx EUR 50 mln) in Yeosu Industrial Complex between 2011 and 2012, increasing the capacity of the MDI site from its current 190 KTa to 250 KTa.

"According to our Asia Pacific Strategy 2020, we will invest EUR 2.3 billion in the Asia Pacific region from 2011-2015. With this investment we are supporting the plans of Jeollanamdo Province for rapid and sustainable development. At the Yeosu site, we are producing products that help our customers increase energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions," said Albert Heuser, President, Market and Business Development Asia Pacific for BASF.

MRC

(Plastics Today) -- Leading automotive safety systems supplier Autoliv Inc. (Stockholm, Sweden) is investing USD 9 million at its production facility in Taubate near Sao Paulo in Brazil to double its steering wheel molding and assembly capacity to more than one million units annually. This will consolidate its position as leading supplier in the region.

This capacity increase positions Autoliv to take advantage of the expected 25% increase of light vehicle demand in Brazil over the next three years. In addition, a Brazilian law mandating 100% adoption of frontal airbags in light vehicles will be phased in through 2014.

Autoliv began steering wheel operations at the existing Taubate plant 12 years ago. The plant currently has 77 employees, and expects to increase to nearly 100 employees when the plant reaches full capacity.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- Jindal Synfuels limited (JSFL), a JSPL group company plans to set up a CTL (Coal to Liquid) plant with a capacity of 80.000 bpd, while Tata Steel in joint venture with South Africa based Sasol Synfuels (Pty) Ltd will set up a 3.6 mln tpa Coal to Liquid (CTL) plant in Orissa. An investment outlay of Rs 90.000 crore is expected towards these two plants, scheduled to come up by 2016. These projects will utilize the huge inferior coal deposits found in India to produce ultra clean liquid fuels like diesel and naphtha.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- Haldia Petrochemicals, a joint venture of The Chattterjee Group (TCG) and West Bengal government, has started talks with the state government on de-notifying HPL as an oil company, which has resulted in an annual loss of Rs 300 crore since 2006. The company is also lobbying with the Union government for zero duty on naphtha imports, while also waiting for the Supreme Court (SC) verdict on the ownership issue, as per Financial Express.

HPL Managing Director Partha S Bhattacharyya said HPL under the West Bengal incentive scheme of 1996 was supposed to get tax exemption accumulating up to R6.000 crore or for a period of 12 years, whichever was earlier. But the government in 2006 withdrew the sales tax exemption on motor spirit (MS) issuing a sales tax notification, that HPL was treated as an oil company since it was producing MS oil, which was a petroleum product and not petrochemical product. But HPL did not sell MS oil to the open market and supplied it only to oil companies, which were sales tax negative. Therefore, an additional burden of Rs 300 crore came on it. The Centre in 2008 imposed 5% duty on naphtha imports, while continuing with the 5% duty on the exports of naphtha products. This brought down the duty differentiation to zero ultimately squeezing HPL's margins.

MRC