NEWS Hexpol buys into recycler Almaak


Sweden’s Hexpol is to pay €70m to acquire 70% of the shares of Almaak, a German specialist in production of recycled engineered polymer compounds. Hexpol CEO Georg Brunstam said that the deal was in line with its strategy of growing its presence in production of thermoplastic compounds and speciality polymer compounds with high levels of recycled content. He said it also


strengthens the group’s presence in Europe. Almaak employs some 190 people and posted sales of around €75m last year. Its production plants at Krefeld and Doberlug-Kirchain house 16 compounding lines and provide a capacity of around 60,000 tonnes/yr. It handles PP, PA, PC, PBT and a variety of PC blends. Previous owners Olaf Eichstädt and Thomas Schmeinta will stay with the company.


Almaak has made significant investments in equipment and technology to secure growth in its market, which is focused largely on the European automotive industry. “Almaak is very well positioned in a growing market with a high level of specialty expertise. Together with Hexpol’s knowledge and resources, we see many opportunities for accelerated growth,” said Jan Wikström, President of


Amazon researches ‘net-zero carbon’ plastics packaging


Online retail giant Amazon has joined the BOTTLE consortium set up by the US Department of Energy to develop bio-based technolo- gies for plastics packaging.


The company said its


growing team of materials scientists will participate with consortium partners in the development of technologies and materials


that “will enable the full life cycle of plastics to be net-zero carbon”.


Amazon said the aim is to


create new energy-efficient technology that can break down different kinds of plastics and turn them into new materials that can be used to make the same types of plastics or new plastics. In cases where the materials do not enter the recycling stream, the molecular structure of the new materials will be designed to biodegrade in natural environments. � www.aboutamazon.com


Polystyrene venture goes bust


Polystyrene Loop BV in the Netherlands entered bankruptcy on 8 March. The company was the vehicle for a project to build a demonstration plant to recycle polystyrene foam waste using the CreaSolv dissolution process to separate PS from HBCD flame retardant.


4 Start-up was delayed by unexpected


issues, plus Covid-related problems and soaring energy prices, which contributed to severely impact liquidity. Attempts to restructure finances by the management and supervisory board proved unsuccessful. � https://polystyreneloop.eu


PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | March/April 2022


Hexpol Thermoplastic Compounding. The deal is expected to complete in Q2 2022, subject to customary closing conditions, and includes an option for Hexpol to buy the remaining shares. Sweden-headquartered


Hexpol has production operations in 14 countries and generated sales in 2021 of SEK16bn (€1.55bn). � www.hexpol.com � www.almaak.de


PSC


buys US recycler


US-based bulk product handling and logistics specialist PSC Group has acquired recycling and compounding company Thermoplastics Services (TSI), based in Dequincy, Louisiana. The move follows on from PSC’s acquisition of Akrotex Extrusion and Recycling in Orange, Texas, in December 2021. Joel Dickerson, CEO of


PSC Group, said: “Today’s leading petrochemical producers are increasingly committed to environmen- tal stewardship and sustainability, and the acquisition of TSI provides the capabilities and scale needed to further establish PSC as the comprehensive sustainability solutions provider across the industry.” TSI produces recycled compounds for customers. � www.pscgroup.com


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


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