K’2022 Preview Lifocolor The Lifocolor Group (Lichtenfels, Germany), is bringing its mission, “We bring colour to the circular economy”, to life at the K 2022 trade fair. As fair highlight and reference of its Eternal colours concept, the Europe-wide masterbatch manufacturer will present its biodegradable, plant-based colour concentrates. Further new products to be unveiled at the Lifocolor stand include a new white concentrate for pharmaceutical and drug packaging as well as a new portfolio of high temperature resistant masterbatches. The group will also explain to partners how it is pursuing the proclaimed goal of net zero emissions by 2050. At K 2022, a special focus will be on the innovation for the Lifocolor organic range: 100 % natural, plantbased colour concentrates. The Lifocolor Group will present its first colour series of colours comprising of biodegradable, biobased plastics. Lifocolor will also present its extended LifoCycle product portfolio which is focused on the colouring and optimisation of recycled products. It incorporates high-quality, recyclable colour and additive batches as well as support in the sorting of plastics. Lifocolor offers twelve on-trend colours for 2023 which are on a 100 % recycled polypropylene basis and will explain to visitors how much variety is currently possible in the colouring of plastics within the closed-loop cycle. www.lifocolor.de 8a H31 Kompuestos Kompuestos (Palau Solità i Plegamans, Spain) will be presenting its broad portfolio of products specifically designed to comply with their customers’ needs whilst providing solutions toward a more sustainable economy. Kompuestos has been providing tailor-made solutions for the plastics industry for more than 35 years. Driven by innovation and sustainability, and committed to promoting the circular economy of plastics, the company offers duly certified compostable compounds and low-carbon footprint solutions as alternative materials to traditional fossil plastics. Particularly, the family of biobased, biodegradable and/or compostable resins developed by Kompuestos is fit-forpurpose for sensitive applications such as single-use bags and hard-to-recycle products and can be processed by conventional plastic manufacturing processes without added technological investments. www.kompuestos.com 7.1 A10 Covestro Covestro (Leverkusen, Germany) wants to align itself comprehensively with circularity and help make it the global guiding principle. To achieve this, the company develops innovative technologies to reuse plastics and return them to the value cycle – often in close cooperation with partners. The company’s focus to date has been on proven mechanical recycling, in which the plastic is chemically preserved, and more recent chemical recycling processes, in which the polymer molecules are broken down chemically. Other technologies of such raw material reprocessing – specifically enzymatic and pyrolytic – are under development. Polyurethanes (PU) and other thermoset products usually cannot be mechanically recycled. Chemical processes are the obvious choice here. Covestro has developed an innovative technology for recovering both core raw materials PU mattress foam. These are polyols and the isocyanate TDI, which are used in the production of mattress foam. The precursor is recovered from the TDI, and both raw materials can be reused for the production of new foam after reprocessing. The results achieved to date are being tested in a pilot plant at the Leverkusen site. Cooperating partners for this project are Interseroh (Cologne, Germany), an ALBA Group company, and the French environmental protection organization Eco-mobilier (Paris, France), which specializes in the collection and recycling of old furniture. A new collaboration with the Zurich-based bag company FREITAG (Switzerland) is the unlimited recycling of truck tarps, based on thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) from Covestro. At the end of their useful life, the tarps are to be recycled mainly chemically and used for new tarps or other products. It is important for the success of the project that the tarps are similarly robust, durable and water-repellent as the previous products. Freitag expects it to be a few years before bags made from the tarps are massproduced, but plans to put a first prototype on a truck as early as this year. Covestro is also coordinating the CIRCULAR FOAM research project with 22 industrial partners from nine countries, with the goal to use chemolysis or even pyrolysis to break down used PU rigid foams used in thermal insulation for buildings and refrigeration equipment. The aim is to recover both raw materials originally used – polyols and an amine used as a precursor for the isocyanate MDI. If the material cycle is successfully closed, up to one million metric tonnes of waste, 2.9 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions and EUR 150 million in incineration costs could be saved in Europe every year from 2040. https://www.covestro.com/ 1 F01 36 bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/22] Vol. 17
NaturePlast NaturePlast (Ifs, France) is specialized in bioplastics materials with more than 15 years of experience. The company is supporting manufacturers and contractors who wish to develop products from bioplastic materials (biobased and/or biodegradable). Their three areas of expertise comprise distribution of bioplastics, compound and biocomposite, service (training/technico-economical study/project engineering), and R&D (customized formulation/characterization). NaturePlast has the largest range of bioplastics in Europe, with almost all references available (PLA/PHA/ TPS/PBS/BioPP/BioPET/Bio PA...). Regardless for classic development based on plant fibres such as wood, miscanthus, hemp… NaturePlast develop a whole range of new biocomposite made from co-products (food and industrial). Therefore, for a few years, the company is developing new bioplastics based on fruit and vegetable pulp, kernel powder (olive), leather waste, algae from French coasts, seashell powder… This interest came, on one hand, from a wish of industrials to find new ways of valorization of their coproducts, and on the other hand, by their choice of nonnoble raw materials instead of agricultural resources competing with human food. www.natureplast.eu 5 D04-12 Palsgaard Palsgaard (Juelsminde, Denmark) has announced the introduction of an efficient new plant-based, foodgrade anti-fouling additive for the polypropylene and polyethylene polymerisation process. The new product, Einar 981, has been developed to remove severe concerns about the ethoxylated amine chemistry currently used. Einar 981 will officially be introduced to the market at K 2022. Einar 981 is supplied as a clear and easily pumpable liquid for use in existing dosing systems. It eliminates static build-up during polymerisation and prevents fouling of the reactor wall, thus helping PP and PE producers maintain the cooling efficiency of the reactor. Building on Palsgaard’s proven chemistry of renewable anti-static polymer additives, it provides high anti-fouling efficiency at low concentrations (100–300 ppm) without any negative effects on catalyst mileage, productivity, or final polymer performance. The active compound of Einar 981 is a polyglycerol ester (PGE) blend of fatty acids derived from RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil. As a non-toxic and food-contact approved anti-fouling additive, the product offers a dropin regulatory-compliant solution to replace incumbent ethoxylated amines and can also be used as a more efficient alternative to sorbitan monooleates. This makes it an ideal process additive in the polymerisation of PP and PE materials for sensitive applications, including, e.g. medical devices and baby food containers. Einar 981 is produced in CO-neutral facilities and will be commercially available worldwide. https://www.palsgaard.com/ 7.1 D20 Join us at the 17th European Bioplastics Conference – the leading business forum for the bioplastics industry. 6/7 December 2022 Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin, Germany REGISTER NOW! @EUBioplastics #eubpconf2022 www.european-bioplastics.org/events For more information email: conference@european-bioplastics.org bioplastics MAGAZINE [05/22] Vol. 17 37
