Henkel expanding use of regranulated resin in flexible packaging for its laundry detergents

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Consumer goods company Henkel is committed to creating more value for its consumers while reducing its environmental footprint at the same time. To reach its stated goal of becoming three times more efficient by 2030 - dubbed "Factor 3" - the company will have to improve its efficiency by an average of 5-6% per year, as per the company's press release.

That’s why Henkel turned to long-time partner Mondi to help find a solution for incorporating more of its scrap plastic into a highly functional, aesthetically pleasing, flexible laminate packaging material.

Henkel has begun selling its Megaperls washing powder in the resulting flexible package - called a "quadro seal bag" - that consists of an OPP/PE laminate. At present, 30% of the package’s PE layer consists of industrial waste reclaimed from Mondi’s factory in Halle, Germany. That means the overall package structure contains approximately 10% regrind material.

Given the technical challenges involved, both companies recognize this as an important initial step to helping ensure that such consumer packaging meets the environmental needs of a more circular economy. Considering the package requirements - a shiny white exterior, an easy-peel opening, and no compromise in overall functionality - this is already a significant achievement for a thin, flexible OPP/PE laminate. But the two partners have much more ambitious goals.

"Our aim is to achieve 50% level of regranulate in the full structure," says Timo Muller, Mondi’s Key Account Manager for Henkel. This project has been made possible by the advanced resin reclamation technology in place at Mondi’s Halle plant, which allows the firm to collect and separate not only transparent and white materials, but also those that do not contain a slip agent. This helps to enable the use of regrind in the laminate without negatively impacting its material specifications and product mechanical properties, according to Muller.

"We are working closely with our OPP film supplier," he adds, "to allow us to use oriented polypropylene with regranulated content, thereby enabling us to increase the percentage of reclaimed material in the entire structure."

The resulting end product offers clear environmental benefits: Virgin resins are replaced with regrind material and the product’s end-of-life recycling process is simplified as the OPP/PE laminate structure consists entirely of polyolefin materials, Muller notes.

"Our packaging developers work constantly to design smart packaging that uses the least amount of material possible, is recyclable and incorporates more recycled material," said Dr. Thorsten Leopold, Head of International Packaging Development Home Care, Henkel. "Mondi provides us with valuable technological expertise to implement a more sustainable solution for some of our laundry and home care product packaging."

The two partners look forward to significantly boosting the percentage of reclaimed content in more Henkel packaging to contribute further to Henkel’s ambitious Factor 3 sustainability goal.

As MRC informed earlier, in June 2015, Henkel Russia opened a new dry building mixes plant in the Novosibirsk region. The production site reportedly places the company closer to customers in the Siberian and Far East regions of Russia.

Henkel operates in three business units, including laundry and home care, beauty care and adhesive technologies.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Teknor Apex has announced that it has developed a series of flexible PVC injection moulding compounds that have been used successfully in automotive window encapsulation, as per GV.

The enhanced Apex 1523 compounds, named the Apex 1523-LG series, exhibits gloss levels similar to those of EPDM rubber beltline seals or glass run channels, enabling manufacturers of PVC-encapsulated windows to meet OEM demand for a closer match in the surface finish of these critical appearance parts. According to the company, the lowest gloss levels of standard PVC compounds for window encapsulation are in the 9 to 12 range as defined by SPI gloss finish standards, and they are achieved through etching or sandblasting of the tooling surface.

In contrast, Apex 1523-LG Series compounds achieve a gloss level in the 3 to 4 range without need for surface treatment of the tooling. This eliminates the costs associated with the tooling maintenance and repair required to keep a consistent surface appearance from part to part.

Like standard PVC, the new formulations are relatively low in cost, provide better scratch and mar resistance, good bonding to glass, and facilitate precise colour matching, said the company. The compounds have received several OEM material approvals, including the GMW-16084 specification for quarter windows from General Motors and the MSDC543 specification for quarter windows and sunroofs from Chrysler. Teknor Apex will introduce the new formulations at NPE2018, stand S22045. The company can manufacture these compounds in the USA, Europe, and China.

As MRC informed before, in late 2015, Teknor Apex expanded its "polymer-neutral" product by developing styrenic TPEs with alternative cost and performance profiles to those of TPVs in automotive exterior application.

Teknor Apex is one of the world's leading custom compounders headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA. The company produces PA compounds in the UK, the U.S.A., and Singapore. Teknor Apex is one of the world's leaders of specialty PVC compounds which are used in a wide range of applications from wire and cable to automotive, medical, consumer and industrial products. The company also produces thermoplastic elastomers, nylon, bioplastics, chemicals, specialty compounds.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Analysis of planned hydrocracker unit capacity of refineries shows that China has the highest planned hydrocracker capacity globally with 232.0 Mbpd during 2018 to 2022, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Nigeria and India follow with 188.5 mbd and 136.0 mbd, respectively, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

The Dayushan Island in China has the highest planned hydrocracker capacity globally with 232.0 Mbpd during 2018 to 2022. The refinery is expected to start operations in 2018 with a total capital expenditure (capex) of USD23.5bn. Zhejiang Petrochemical Co Ltd is the operator of the refinery.

The Lagos I refinery in Nigeria has the second highest planned hydrocracker capacity with 188.5 mbd and is expected to start operations in 2019, with a total capex of USD12.0bn. The operator of the refinery is Dangote Group.

The Ratnagiri refinery in India has the third highest planned hydrocracker capacity in 2022, with a capacity of 136.0 mbd and the refinery is expected to start operations in 2022. Western India Refineries and Petrochemicals is the operator for Ratnagiri refinery.

Dalian III and Manila refineries are jointly in fourth for planned hydrocracker capacity in 2022, each with a capacity 116.0 mbd. The refineries are expected to start operations in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Co., Ltd. is the operator for Dalian III refinery, while China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation is the operator for Manila refinery.

The Jieyang refinery in China has the fifth highest hydrocracker capacity with 104.0 mbd and is expected to start operations in 2020 with a total capex of USD9.5bn. Petrochina Pdvsa Guandong Petrochemical Co Ltd is the operator.

Caofeidian II and Caofeidian III refineries are jointly in sixth for planned hydrocracker capacity in 2022, each with a capacity 87.0 mbd. The refineries are expected to start operations in 2022. Xingtai Risun Coal Chemicals Ltd. is the operator forCaofeidian III refinery, while Saudi Arabian Oil Co is the operator for Caofeidian II refinery.

The remaining refineries with planned hydrocracker capacities are Pulau Muara Besar in Brunei and Duqm I in Oman, with capacities of 74.8 mbd and 74.0 mbd, respectively. These refineries are expected to start operations from 2019 and 2022, respectively.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Petronas has restarted its low density polyethylene (LDPE) unit following a maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Malaysia informed that the company has resumed operations at the plant on May 23, 2018. The unit was shut for maintenance in mid-May 2018.

Located at Kerteh in Terrenganu, Malaysia, LDPE plant has a production capacity of 255,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, in late March 2018, Petronas Chemicals secured a USD1-billion bridge loan from various local and international banks, fulfilling one of the conditions of its planned divestment of a 50% stake in PRPC Polymers to Aramco Overseas Holding Cooperatif (AOHC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco.

Petronas, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia. The Group is engaged in a wide spectrum of petroleum activities, including upstream exploration and production of oil and gas to downstream oil refining; marketing and distribution of petroleum products; trading; gas processing and liquefaction; gas transmission pipeline network operations; marketing of liquefied natural gas; petrochemical manufacturing and marketing; shipping; automotive engineering; and property investment.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dow Polyurethanes, a business unit of Dow Chemical, has announced the opening of a new PU systems house in the Maharashtra state in India, further expanding its network of more than 20 sites for production, development and technical service across the EMEAI region, according to GV.

Located in the Lote Parshuram industrial area in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra state, the new site adds production capacity and technical capabilities to deliver high-quality polyurethane materials and customised solutions to customers in the region, serving growing market segments such as consumer durables, infrastructure and automotive.

According to the company, the opening of the PU systems house in Lote further builds on its investments in the region, following the recently inaugurated Dow India Technology Center (DITC) in Navi Mumbai, housing a dedicated lab for polyurethane application development that will help accelerate innovation and collaboration with customers in the region.

"Dow’s innovation and growth strategy is driven by a strong focus on delivering competitive advantage for our customers and preparing them for tomorrow’s challenges", commented Jon Penrice, Vice President Dow Polyurethanes. "By expanding our network of Systems Houses, R&D and innovation centers we are strengthening our regional presence to reinforce our collaborative value chain approach. This we believe will accelerate both existing and new opportunities through customised and more sustainable solutions that are geared to local market needs."

As MRC reported earlier, in January 2018, as part of DowDuPont Materials Science Division’s ongoing commitment to provide customers with greater access to expertise and products, the company announced that the technologies of Dow Corning Polyurethane Additives (PUA) would be incorporated into the Dow Polyurethanes portfolio under the Vorasurf polyurethane additives brand name.

The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational chemical corporation. Dow is a large producer of plastics, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, and synthetic rubber.
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