Extrusion International 1-2020

24 Extrusion International 1/2020 INDUSTRY NEWS Chinaplas 2020 postponed In order to control the novel coronavirus epidemic in China and in accordance with the instructions issued by the Shang- hai city government to stop all large-scale activities, please be informed that CHINAPLAS 2020, the 34th International Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. www.ChinaplasOnline.com Market Study: Bioplastics (5th edition) Polylactic acids, starch blends, cellulose, and other bioplas- tics achieve significantly higher growth rates than conven- tional standard plastics made of mineral oils or natural gases. „Bioplastics can be used in a growing number of application areas,“ explains Oliver Kutsch, CEO of market research insti- tute Ceresana. With its newest study, Ceresana has examined the world market for “green” polymers for the fifth time al- ready. Analysts predict their future development to remain dynamic: revenues generated with bioplastics are expected to reach approx. USD 4.4 billion by 2026. The study in brief: Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive analysis of the global market for bioplastics – including forecasts until 2026: the development of demand, revenues, and production is pre- sented for each region. Furthermore, individual application areas for bioplastics are examined. We differentiate between the categories rigid packaging, flexible packaging (bags and sacks), other flexible packaging, consumer goods, automo- tive and electronics, and other applications. Chapter 2 examines the eight most important countries for sales of bioplastics separately: Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, USA, China, and Japan. Demand and revenues, demand within individual application areas, de- mand per product type are presented. Chapter 3 provides useful company profiles of the most im- portant manufacturers of bioplastics, clearly arranged ac- cording to contact information, revenues, profits, product range, production sites, and profile summary. In-depth pro- files of 75 manufacturers are listed. Ceresana www.ceresana.com/en/market-studies/plastics/bioplastics/ Exhibition on Plastics and Rubber Industries, scheduled to be held on 21-24 April 2020 at National Exhibition and Conven- tion Center in Shanghai will be postponed. Pelletizing – Circular Economy APK AG has deployed a complete downstream melt pro- cessing system from Nordson Corporation for use with its in- novative Newcycling ® process, which carries out the dictates of the circular economy by transforming mixed and multi- layer waste into purified polymer with properties close to virgin resin. The first Newcycling ® plant, located in Merseburg, Germany, began commercial operation in June with an annual capac- ity of 8,000 tons and is used for separating polyethylene and polyamide from multi-layer packaging films (post-industrial source). The Newcycling ® process produces the polymers in purified form by shredding the waste, using solvents to selectively dissolve the plastics, separating liquid and solid components, purifying the polymer, and removing the sol- vent for reuse in the process. An extruder delivers polyamide to BKG melt delivery and pelletizing components for produc- tion of APK’s Mersamid ® polyamide resins. The BKG equipment includes a BlueFlow™ gear pump, Hi- Con™ screen changer, polymer diverter valve, underwater pelletizer and Master-Line™ process water / pellet dryer sys- tem. “Our Mersamid ® products are intended for demanding technical applications as alternatives to virgin plastics,” said Florian Riedl, Director of Business Development for APK. “Nordson’s BKG pelletizing and melt delivery equipment contributes to meeting our requirement for high-quality granulates with homogeneous properties. In addition, these systems help us achieve a level of production efficiency that is consistent with our sustainability approach.” Elsewhere in Europe, Florian Riedl noted, APK will build a second Newcycling ® plant, with a capacity of 20,000 tons, for processing of mixed film waste of post-consumer origin. APK www.apk-ag.de Nordson Corporation www.nordsonpolymerprocessing.com Newcycling ® plant at Merseburg, Germany