HANDLER

Technology & solutions

news Technology & solutions

Unilever develops technology to prevent billions of plastic sachets from entering into oceans

Through a system called CreaSolv Process, the plastic from the sachets will be recovered and then used to create new ones for Unilever products – creating a full circular economy approach By Zlata Rodionova ▲ The company sells hundreds of billions of products in single-use sachets Unilever Unilever, the consumer goods giant behind brands such as Dove, Ben & Jerry’s and Marmite, is making a big push toward more sustainable packaging. The company sells billions of products in single-use sachets each year, including cosmetics and food products, particularly in developing and emerging markets. It says that it has now developed new technology to recycle them, which will prevent packaging from ending up in our oceans or in landfill. Through a system called CreaSolv Process, the plastic from the sachets will be recovered and then used to create new ones for Unilever products – creating a full circular economy approach. Unilever will open a pilot plant in Indonesia - a country which produces 64 million tonnes of waste every year of which 1.3 million tonnes end up in the ocean- to test the long-term commercial viability of the technology. The latest announcement is part of Unilever’s pledge to ensure all of its plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. “Billions of sachets are used once and just thrown away, all over the world, ending up in landfill or in our waterways and oceans. We intend to make this tech open source and would hope to scale the technology with industry partners, so others – including our competitors – can use it,” David Blanchard, chief research and development officer at Unilever, said. Dr. Andreas Mäurer, department head of plastic recycling at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, which has developed the technology with Unilever said: “By this innovative pilot-plant we can realise for the first time the recycling of high-valuable polymers from dirty post-consumer multilayer sachets.” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/unilever-plastic-sachets-recycle-stop-enter-ocean-creasolv-process-billions-cosmetics-food-products-a7728396.html

Ms. Kang 2017-06-12

Use of recycled resin in auto parts advances

by. Jerry Powell Getting recovered resins approved for use in automotive parts can be challenging, but succeeding can pay major dividends. That was a message that Susan Kozora of International Automotive Components (IAC) delivered at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries’ (ISRI) convention in April in New Orleans. Kozora, IAC’s director of advanced engineering, provided an instructive explanation about the use of recycled resin in auto parts. IAC currently uses about 50 million pounds of recycled plastics annually, out of more than 300 million pounds total. Kozora noted that “we’re a very demanding industry” for both virgin and recycled resin providers. She referred to the procurement process as involving “hazing.” But this can be beneficial to recovered plastics reclaimers, as “we can be a large, loyal buyer.” Kozora told attendees at the ISRI convention that “all the resin tests are exactly the same for virgin and recycled resin.” She did suggest, however, that the momentum toward recycled resin has internal barriers. “The difference comes with purchasing folks thinking recycled resin should be lower cost,” she said. In terms of the future for auto parts suppliers, Kozora said “we need to engineer for recycling but we also need to design to use recycled materials.” Recovered resins need to be considered throughout all supply chain, engineering and design steps. https://resource-recycling.com/plastics/2017/05/10/use-recycled-resin-auto-parts-advances/

Ms. Kang 2017-06-12

New Recycling Process Turns Waste Plastic Into Oil

Rather than dumping waste plastic into our oceans, Recycling Technologies created a machine that turns it into oil usable as fuel. By Matthew Humphries The world is facing a growing environmental problem with plastic, which is slowly filling up our oceans. Only a very small percentage of waste plastic gets recycled, and while a caterpillar may help in the long term, we really need a quick fix to responsibly deal with the material. That fix looks likely to come from a British company called Recycling Technologies (RT). As reported by Bloomberg, RT is located in Swindon in southwest England where it is run by CEO Adrian Griffiths. He and his 22-strong team have managed to create a refinery machine called the RT7000 for dealing with all types of waste plastic. You put plastic in one end and three types of oil can be produced out the other.The process is based on a similar technique to that used for thermal cracking. The plastic is first cleaned of any foreign objects such as dirt or food, then it is heated to 500 degrees Celsius (932 degrees Fahrenheit) using "hot sand-like particles." This breaks down the carbon bonds in the plastic and turns it into a vapor. The components that make up the plastic have different boiling points, allowing the three different products to be created. In the most simple terms, crude oil to plastic conversion creates very long hydrocarbons. The RT refinery makes those hydrocarbons short again. The oil produced is called Plaxx. In terms of production, for every 7,000 tons of plastic put in you get 5,000 tons of Plaxx, with one machine located in Scotland expected to achieve that output per year. The three types of fuel produced include a light yellow oil suitable for petrochemical companies, a candle wax-like oil ideal for use by ship engines, and a very thick brown wax oil that can be used for shoe polishing and cosmetics. An RT7000 machine is about the size of a tennis court and can be installed anywhere there is a need (transporting it required just five shipping containers). It costs roughly $3.8 million to install and then a further $647,000 a year to run. However, RT claims each machine generates revenue of $2.2 million, suggesting it pays for itself within three years. With the RT7000 proven to work and be cost effective, Griffiths wants to have 100 of the machines operational under lease by 2025. http://www.pcmag.com/news/353516/new-recycling-process-turns-waste-plastic-into-oil

Ms. Kang 2017-06-12

Turning Plastic Waste Into Asphalt(Video)

Best Thing On The Internet Today: Turning Plastic Waste Into Asphalt This startup has figured out how to pave roads with plastic waste destined for landfills… https://www.facebook.com/ATTNVideo/videos/1698337710471183/ http://altaz933.com/2017/05/04/best-thing-on-the-internet-today-turning-plastic-waste-into-asphalt/

Ms. Kang 2017-06-12

This House was Built in 5 Days Using Recycled Plastic Bricks

By Nicolás Valencia Ten years ago when Colombian Fernando Llanos tried to build his own house in Cundinamarca, he realized that moving the materials from Bogota was going to be very difficult. After mulling it over, he decided to build his house out of plastic, and after a series of trials and errors, he ended up meeting architect Óscar Méndez, who developed his thesis on the same subject, and together they founded the company Conceptos Plásticos (Plastic Concepts) in 2011. The innovative local company managed to patent its system of bricks and pillars made of recycled plastic, which is then put together like Lego pieces in a construction system that lets you build houses up to two stories high in five days. Instead of using brand new plastic, they decided to give plastic that has already been thrown away a second chance at life, keeping in mind that on average it takes 300 years for it to completely degrade. "Working with new plastic is simple," explained Óscar Méndez to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, "because there are defined parameters, but used (plastic) requires more experimentation.” The base material they work with is obtained from popular recyclers and factories that discard tons of plastic daily. Using an extrusion process, the plastic is melted and emptied into a final mold, creating a three-kilo brick (6.6 lbs), similar to clay ones with the same dimensions. When assembled under pressure, the bricks insulate heat and have additives that retard combustion. Additionally, they are thermoacoustic and earthquake-resistance is up to code for Colombia, taking into account the country’s high levels of seismic activity. With a final cost of 20 million Colombian pesos (about USD 6,800) per unit, the company had the help of four people to build a 40 square meter house with two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a bathroom and a kitchen in only five days. In their meteoric rise, a major milestone for this small company (with less than 15 employees) was the construction of a set of temporary shelters in Guapi (southwest of Colombia) for 42 families displaced by armed conflict. After winning the bid from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), they completed the project in 28 days thanks to the joint work of 15 people, while recycling more than 200 tons of plastic. According to the NRC, the shelters have "a design adapted to the need for mobility and climatic conditions," and the layout of the roof "improves both ventilation and lighting allowing for suitable conditions in such a hot climate." The community project also has electrical installations, toilets, and three communal kitchens for the housed families. The revolutionary initiative from Conceptos Plásticos has already set its eyes abroad and won $300,000 (USD) in the latest edition of The Chivas Venture, to step up its production on a global scale, after beating out 26 other international initiatives with social impact. http://www.archdaily.com/869926/this-house-was-built-in-5-days-using-recycled-plastic-bricks

Ms. Kang 2017-06-12

Recycled plastic to be used in gardens

By Jeremy Venosta Recycled plastic is being used instead of timber to provide a more environmentally friendly option for gardeners. Celebrity horticulturalist Stephen Ryan was in Delacombe to debut a e-wood on Sunday. Mr Ryan visited the The Soil Yard to talk about the product, made of recycled plastic, which can be used for decks, garden edges and boxes in the backyard. It is made from recycled computers, televisions, old printers, car dashboards and other plastic rubbish. The process to make them is also not carbon intensive. Mr Ryan said it was a quality product that provided a good alternative to wood. “It is the perfect timber alternative for garden beds,” he said. “It will do a great job that timber can do, it can be cut, it can be drilled and you can screw it together however you want.” Mr Ryan said it was not a cheaper product, but it has many lasting benefits. “You do pay as much as you do for timber, but it leaves trees standing in the forest, and it looks good.” http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4629508/recycled-plastic-to-be-used-in-gardens/

Ms. Kang 2017-06-12

Should we have plastic roads?

Could plastic that is thrown away as rubbish be used to build our roads?Usually, roads are made up mostly of rocks, limestone and sand. Then something called bitumen is added. Now an inventor says he has come up with a way of using recycled plastic to replace some of this bitumen. Watch Leah's report to find out how. http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/39720840

Ms. Kang 2017-06-12

Grow bags for babies: Scientists breed lambs in plastic 'wombs’

The wombs could soon be used for humansThe pioneering device incorporates a plastic bag filled with artificial nutrient-rich amniotic fluid By Andrew Gregory Scientists have developed an artificial womb to help keep premature babies alive. The state-of-the-art device, which incorporates a plastic bag filled with artificial nutrient-rich amniotic fluid, has successfully been tested on foetal lambs equivalent in age to 23-week-old human infants. Experts believe it could be ready for use by human babies by 2020. Unlike conventional incubators, the ‘extra-uterine support device’ reproduces conditions in a real womb. The infant’s own heart circulates blood through the umbilical cord into an external gas-exchange machine taking the place of the mother’s placenta. No mechanical pump is used because even gentle artificial pressure could fatally overload an underdeveloped heart. ▲ A lamb in a plastic bag incubator (Photo: Natural Communications) Synthetic amniotic fluid enriched with nutrients flows in and out of the temperature-controlled, near-sterile ‘biobag.’ The aim is to provide an environment in which tiny premature babies can safely develop their lungs and other organs during the critical period from 23 to 28 weeks after conception. ▲ The device incorporates a plastic bag filled with artificial nutrient-rich amniotic fluid (Photo: PA) Dr Alan Flake, director of the Center for Fetal Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, US, said: “Our system could prevent the severe morbidity (illness) suffered by extremely premature infants by potentially offering a medical technology that does not currently exist. These infants have an urgent need for a bridge between the mother’s womb and the outside world. If we can develop an extra-uterine system to support growth and organ maturation for only a few weeks, we can dramatically improve outcomes for extremely premature babies. This system is potentially far superior to what hospitals can currently do for a 23-week-old baby born at the cusp of viability. This could establish a new standard of care for this subset of extremely premature infants.” Six pre-term lambs were used in tests of the most recent version of the device, which evolved from a glass tank to the biobag design over a period of three years.Animals ‘breathed’ and swallowed normally, opened their eyes, grew wool and developed properly functioning nerves and organs, said the researchers writing in the journal Nature Communications. The lambs remained in the ‘womb’ for up to a month. While most were humanely killed to allow analysis of their brains, lungs and other organs, a few were allowed to survive and were bottle-fed. “They appear to have normal development in all respects,” said Dr Flake as one of the survivors reached a year old. Dr Flake said there was no technology ‘even on the horizon’ that could replace a mother’s womb at the earliest stages of foetal development. “There’s a lot of sensationalistic conversation about supporting humans artificially from embryo forward,” he said. “I would be very concerned if other parties wanted to use this device to try to extend the limits of viability.” An infant prematurely born at 23 weeks weighs less than 600 grams and has a 30% to 50% likelihood of survival. Those that do survive have a 90% probability of suffering chronic lung disease or other effects of being born with immature organs. There is a high likelihood of lifelong disability.A major technical hurdle still to be crossed is downsizing the system to make it suitable for human infants, which are a third of the size of the lambs used in the study. Scientists believe it could be ready for human trials in three years.British expert Prof Colin Duncan, of the University of Edinburgh, said: “This research isn’t about replacing the womb in the first half of pregnancy. It is about the development of new ways of treating extremely premature babies. The researchers supported the growth and development of extremely premature foetuses within a bag of fluid where the foetus pumps its own blood through an artificial placenta. This is a really attractive concept and this study is a very important step forward. There are still huge challenges to refine the technique, to make good results more consistent and eventually to compare outcomes with current neonatal intensive care strategies.”http://www.mirror.co.uk/science/artificial-womb-could-help-keep-10293800

Ms. Kang 2017-06-12