Sustainable Converting
signed a technological cooperation agreement to develop a route to produce monoethylene glycol (MEG) from sugar. The agreement calls for the construction of a demonstration plant in Denmark, with operation to begin in 2019. MEG is a key component of PET resin, the main man-made raw material used by the textile and packaging industries that is also widely used to make bottles. The project is based on a two-step process developed at Topsoe’s labs along with its own catalysts, and focuses on the conversion of sugar into MEG at a single industrial unit, which will reduce initial investment in the production and boost the competitiveness of the process. “This novel bio-based initiative allies a cutting-
edge technology with deep expertise in process design, scale-up and industrial operation, which will allow us to push the renewable chemistry to a whole new level. After the Green Polyethylene, this is another major step forward in our vision of using renewable polymers as a carbon capture tool and keep contributing to a more sustainable
Partnership signed to develop biobased MEG B
raskem, a producer of thermoplastic resins, and Danish-based Haldor Topsoe, one of the leaders in catalysts and surface science, have
future,” says Mateus Lopes, head of innovation in renewable chemicals at Braskem. With the agreement, Braskem wants to expand
its portfolio of renewable products to offer new solutions that complement its bio-based polyethylene marketed with the ‘I’m greenTM seal’. “With this new partnership, we strengthen our position as protagonists in the development of innovative solutions that will leverage the competitiveness of different biomasses and complement the traditional solutions offered by the petrochemical industry,” says Gustavo Sergi, director of renewable chemicals at Braskem. Kim Knudsen, executive vice president at Haldor
Topsoe, adds, “Catalysis will play an extremely important role in the development of sustainable solutions that produce important chemicals from renewable sources such as sugars. We are proud to deliver the ground-breaking technology for the project with Braskem, and we look forward to applying our competencies within catalysis and process engineering in the further commercialisation of this important technology.” The demonstration plant will conduct tests to validate the technology and confirm its technical
and economic feasibility, which is a critical step before launching production on an industrial scale and commercial operations. The unit will be flexible to validate the technology in different raw materials such as sucrose, dextrose and second-generation sugars.
www.braskem.com
An environmentally-friendly replacement for polycoated and waxed papers
prone to rust and corrosion. Greases and oils are sometimes used as lubricants or rust preventatives on metal components, but add another problem by threatening to leak through packaging and contaminate surrounding areas. Waxed or polycoated papers are traditional moisture-resistant packaging options for problems like these. However, this poses an environmental problem because they are not recyclable and repulpable. Even if recycled back into the pulp and paper stream, they would first have to go through a costly process of separating the paper base from the coating. To avoid this environmental problem, Cortec
M
Corporation has developed an environmentally acceptable replacement to unrecyclable polycoated and waxed papers. Cortec’s new high gloss EcoShield Super Barrier Paper and Linerboard relies on a water-based moisture
24 December/January 2018
oisture is a major threat to raw materials and finished goods of all kinds, particularly those made of metal and
barrier coating for moisture resistance. The technology makes the paper fully recyclable and repulpable without requiring costly processes to remove the coating from the paper. In addition to recyclability, Cortec’s EcoShield Super Barrier Paper and Linerboard demonstrated better water vapour barrier properties than polycoated paper and waxed paper during testing. To evaluate the moisture resistance of EcoShield Super Barrier and Linerboard, the barrier paper was tested against a comparable polyethylene coated paper and a commercial waxed paper according to ASTM E-96, at 73°F (23°C) and 50 per cent relative humidity. The EcoShield Super Barrier Paper and Linerboard showed a water vapour transfer rate of 0.32-0.37 grams per hour on a square meter of paper. A polycoated paper in the same test allowed slightly more water vapour to pass through in the same time frame, at the higher rate of 0.47-0.71 grams per hour. The waxed paper was much less resistant to water vapour, allowing it to transfer at a rate of 6.5-6.9 grams per hour on the same size of
paper. Though it is not intended for applications involving constant water contact, the shiny side of EcoShield Super Barrier Paper and Linerboard also has the ability to repel liquid water. Its TAPPI T-441 Cobb Water Absorption rate is less than 0.3 grams of water per square meter in two minutes. EcoShield Super Barrier Paper and Linerboard also has excellent oil and grease resistance. It registers a high kit test value of 12, representing the highest amount of an aggressive liquid solution to remain on the paper surface without causing the paper to fail. The versatility of EcoShield Super Barrier Paper and Linerboard as a flexible, moisture barrier material allows it to be used for a variety of packaging applications. Whether moisture threatens from the inside or the outside of a package, EcoShield Super Barrier Paper and Linerboard is a more environmentally friendly way to protect against damage from moisture, grease and oil.
www.cortecpackaging.com
www.convertermag.co.uk
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