Faith Davies’ Post

To achieve a circular plastics industry, no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution will do, but a combination of different approaches will be required. In 2022, 400.3 Mt of plastics were produced worldwide (Source: Plastics Europe). Unsurprisingly, consumers and legislative authorities are demanding change and more careful use of resources to achieve a plastics industry that is as climate-neutral as possible. The Institute for Materials Technology and Plastics Processing (IWK, part of OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences) is working on contributing to this goal. Daniel Schwendemann Professor - Institute for Materials Technology and Plastics Processing  OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences Read the full article from Daniel Schwendemann here: https://lnkd.in/ebJsyZGk #plastic #plasticwaste #plasticrecycling #circulareconomy

To achieve a circular plastics industry, no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution will do, but a combination of different approaches will be required. In 2022, 400.3 Mt of plastics were produced worldwide (Source: Plastics Europe). Unsurprisingly, consumers and legislative authorities are demanding change and more careful use of resources to achieve a plastics industry that is as climate-neutral as possible. The IWK Institut für Werkstofftechnik und Kunststoffverarbeitung (part of OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences) is working on contributing to this goal. #PlasticWaste #PlasticRecycling #CircularEconomy #NetZero Click the link below to discover more ⬇ https://bit.ly/44PYGpD

Synergy of recycling technologies for a circular plastics industry To achieve a circular plastics industry, no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution will do, but a combination of different approaches will be required. In 2022, 400.3 Mt of plastics were produced worldwide (Source: Plastics Europe). Unsurprisingly, consumers and legislative authorities are demanding change and more careful use of resources to achieve a plastics industry that is as climate-neutral as possible. The @Institute for Materials Technology and Plastics Processing (IWK, part of OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences) is working on contributing to this goal. Professor Daniel Schwendemann IWK Institute for Materials Technology and Plastics Processing, OST Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences Head of Compounding and Extrusion Phone: +41 58 257 49 16 https://lnkd.in/ebJsyZGk #plastic #plasticwaste #circulareconomoy #recycling #envrionment #plasticindustry #science #research #innovation

Congratulations Nicola Van Camp ! It was a pleasure to be involved in writing this paper. You've done incredible work understanding plastic recycling costs and optimizing lits operations. This gives a fairer Extended Producer Responsibility (#EPR) process and improve overall plastic recycling process Recycling post-household (flexible) plastics is not always economically sustainable, hence optimization of recycling configurations, including maximizing feedstock input and outputs is necessary. Using #businesseconomic approach, combined with #materialflowanalysis, we can optimise the recycling operation's cost and benefit (revenue) Open access link here: https://lnkd.in/euzYm6d6

How much does it cost to recycle post-household (flexible) plastics?   PhD student Nicola Van Camp had a look at both the MRF and the further recycling of the 310 and 323 bale as per the CEFLEX - A Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging QRP process, in which rPE Film Natural and rPP Film are the target fractions. He has worked out a detailed insight on how low-volume fractions or low yields (mass retention) can be a vicious source of cost, what seemingly neglible steps like baling/debaling really cost and what the impact is of single equipment throughput (kg/hr) in both cost and scaling. Based on the cost of recycling of the four output materials, he has also looked forward to "fair pricing" in either EPR schemes or government support for local plastics recycling rather than shipping it away.   Nicola is a double degree PhD student between Ghent University professor Sophie Hoozée ( management accounting and control) and myself here at Maastricht University - Faculty of Science and Engineering. We collaborated with Steven De Meester and Irdanto Saputra Lase for this work, building on the previous work published in https://lnkd.in/e6Tsbphm. Furthermore, we owe many thanks to Michael Langen at Institut cyclos-HTP GmbH for sharing his vast experience with us. As always, the paper is open access. https://lnkd.in/eswt5tdg

As you can imagine, plastics have changed drastically since their creation. Learn about their history and what the future may look like in this AIChE article: bit.ly/4ekFkNu

We sat down with Dr. Massimiliano Delferro of Argonne National Laboratory to talk about the future of plastic recycling, polymer science, and turning trash into synthetic oil. Read the full interview with Addy Smith below ⤵ #sustainability https://lnkd.in/gZuGxprv

SUSTAINABILITY: Covestro, Neste and Borealis collaborate to #recycle tires into #automotive parts #Covestro, #Neste and #Borealis have signed an agreement to recycle discarded tires into high-quality #plastics for the automotive industry. This collaboration aims to enhance #circularity in the plastics value chain and automotive applications. “This project can serve as a blueprint when it comes to establishing circularity in the field of plastics in cars,” explained Jeroen C. Verhoeven, VP of value chain development for #polymers and chemicals at Neste. “It shows how low-quality waste materials can be turned into very high-quality plastics. This is good news for the polymers and automotive industries as well as for the environment.” Dr. Guido Naberfeld, senior VP, head of sales and market development mobility, Covestro, said, “We are creating options to turn old tires into new car parts again. With that, we are supporting our automotive customers and addressing an increasingly prominent question discussed across the value chain: How to match high-performance materials with recycled content? Projects like this can be the answer.” “We are demonstrating the importance of value chain cooperation to give new value to waste,” said Thomas Van De Velde, senior VP of base chemicals at Borealis. “We are proud that Borealis, in collaboration with Neste, is able to play a role in this project, providing more sustainable solutions for polymer applications for Covestro and its customers.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ehMFdFe4 #Automotive #Interiors #AutomotiveInteriors #AutomotiveIndustry #AutomotiveDesign #AutomotiveInteriorsDesign #Design #Engineering #Manufacturing #Technology #Transportation #AutoIntExpo #AutoIntExpoNovi

🚨The last paper of my PhD has finally been published! 🎇 https://lnkd.in/dAeD7i85 (open access) We've compiled a database of over 3'500 substances measured in various plastics across 372 studies. The LitChemPlast database provides information on substance presence and concentration in individual plastic products and waste samples, along with sampling, sample preparation, and analytical methods. ♻️ The database shows recycled plastic can be contaminated with hazardous substances due to inadequate controls. 🔧 We hope it will support exposure modeling, substance flow analysis, and the identification of priority chemicals for regulation. ❔ LitChemPlast also reveals gaps, such as limited data from low- and middle-income regions, and a focus on regulated substances and products. What does this mean? 🪨 The compiled studies highlight the tremendous efforts of the scientific community to understand plastics' chemical makeup. However, with countless plastic products entering the market and a vast number of potential chemicals in each, it’s a Sisyphean task. ⚖️ Many studies focus only on whether plastics comply with current regulations, rather than whether they are actually safe. This is worrying because there are many chemicals in plastics that are not yet adequately regulated, meaning that potential risks could slip through the cracks. To protect future generations, we need cleaner production, full transparency on plastic ingredients, and comprehensive testing strategies to cover as many substances and products as possible. ------------------------------------- It was a significant effort, and I sincerely thank my co-authors for all the work and care they put into it! Anna Shalin, Xinmei Huang, Armin Siegrist, Nils Plinke, Stefanie Hellweg (Chair of Ecological Systems Design (ESD), ETH Zürich), and Zhanyun Wang

Fantastic study highlighting the diversity of substances that can be present in plastics, the cocktail of chemicals that can end up in recycled plastic - including chemicals that have been banned but are present in old materials used for recycling, and the very important distinction between chemicals that are banned and chemicals that are safe.