Companies all over the world are setting up factories to convert discarded, shredded plastic packaging into marketable products.

Investments around the world have shown that suppliers of plastic waste shredding equipment may have a wealth of opportunities in the decade of the 2020s.

The symbol of these efforts is a project announced in the first quarter of this year. UFlex Ltd., headquartered in Noida, India, said it intends to establish two washing and recycling lines in the Indian city to recycle polyethylene terephthalate ( PET) bottles and multilayer plastic bottles. Packaging waste.

The company calls the facility "India's first factory for washing and recycling post-consumer multilayer plastic and PET bottles" waste, which shows that the country currently lacks plastic waste shredding and pelletizing capabilities. More than 1.3 billion.

UFlex stated that the post-consumer resin (PCR) production line will clean and recycle multilayer packaging waste and convert it into pellets through a process of shredding, washing and drying. According to UFlex, these particles can be used to make more than 10,000 industrial and household products, such as flower pots, outdoor furniture, buckets, garbage bins, paving slabs, and road dividers.

The company stated that the project is in line with its global sustainability movement called "Project Plastic Fix", through which UFlex "will work hard to keep plastic in the economy and the environment and turn waste into wealth."

UFlex is far more than UFlex investing in plastic waste sorting, crushing, washing and reprocessing capabilities in 2020. Even in the midst of the pandemic and the resulting economic recession, the "Recycling Today" website saw a lot of news in 2020, announcing that new plastic recycling capabilities have been added to every continent. Almost all of these capacities require one or more stages of plastic size reduction process.

Just in September and early October this year, project announcements in Europe, the United States, Mexico, and the Middle East pointed out the processing and reprocessing of previously discarded plastic waste streams.

Austrian packaging manufacturer Alpla said it intends to build a factory in Toluca, Mexico to recycle high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic. The family business said that, as designed, the plant will be able to produce 15,000 metric tons of HDPE, a recyclable component made from post-consumer materials, each year.

A project involving Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) in Saudi Arabia involves a collaboration with Fibertex Personal Care, a nonwoven fabric manufacturer for the sanitary industry based in Denmark, to use what the two companies call high-purity recycled materials to produce a series of nonwovens from SABIC The TruCircle product portfolio and services of polypropylene (PP) plastics. SABIC stated that this effort will create the first non-woven product line based on recycled plastics in the sanitation industry.

Car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover’s UK operations will work with Italy’s Aquafil to use the company’s Econyl nylon to develop nylon interior components for its vehicles. Aquafil stated that it can recycle about 40,000 metric tons of waste annually when producing Econyl yarns, which can be processed into fibers for carpet floors and textiles.

Companies from North America are not idle in plastic recycling. Supporters of Ohio polypropylene recycling company PureCycle said they intend to raise $250 million to build a commercial-scale plant that can recycle more than 50,000 tons of PP waste each year.

Plastic film recycling in North America is attracting investment from composite construction product manufacturer Trex, which uses shredded and thin film in its products, and Germany’s PreZero, which said it is seeking low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and low-density poly Vinyl. -Density polyethylene (LLDPE) plastic film is recycled in the US through its PreZero US subsidiary.

The Azek Co., another construction product manufacturer in Chicago, has signed an agreement with Berry Global Group Inc., a recycling company in Evansville, Indiana. According to the agreement, Azek's building products business unit will use the mixed materials and post-industrial waste provided by Berry to manufacture residential and commercial building materials, such as laminate flooring.

Polystyrene (PS) recycling is the focus of an announced project that will enable Ineos Styrolution, headquartered in Germany, and AmSty, headquartered in Texas, to collaborate to build a 100-ton-per-day facility in Channahon, Illinois. The facility will use chemical recycling technology to convert and discard PS back into what the company calls "original equivalent styrene monomer."

The series of announcements seem to be the result of government mandates and corporate sustainability commitments that started in Europe but have gone far beyond Europe. The combination of government and corporate activities has led to investments in the transfer, crushing and reprocessing of plastic waste, which can be said to be unprecedented.

Sortera Alloys has developed technology for sorting non-ferrous metals.

Chrysalix Venture Capital, a global venture capital fund headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, stated that it has invested in Sortera Alloys, which it describes as "a developer of smart sorting systems for recycling non-ferrous scrap metals, including aluminum and copper , Zinc, and brass.” The Fort Wayne, Indiana system combines X-ray fluorescence and optical sensor fusion, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning image processing, and advanced scrap feeder design to achieve metal types and alloys The components are subjected to high-throughput sorting. Sortera is a derivative project of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) project, which aims to advance high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early to invest in the private sector.

"Chrysalix is ​​making metal recycling a major theme of our new fund," said Alfred Lam, a partner at Chrysalix Venture Capital. “Primary aluminum production accounts for 1% of global GHG (greenhouse gas). In order to achieve predicted global demand and climate change goals, the industry must achieve significant decarbonization. Sortera’s sorting system makes aluminum recyclable for high-value terminals. Products, therefore, can save up to 95% of energy and greenhouse gases compared to primary production."

"After successfully demonstrating our patented high-throughput AI sorting technology under the DOE (Department of Energy) ARPA-E metal project, the investment community has a strong interest in implementing this technology on a commercial scale," said Nalin, Chief Sortera Executive Officer Kumar. "We chose to cooperate with Chrysalix because of their long-term commitment to global sustainability work. In addition to Chrysalix injecting funds to develop and showcase the first industrial-scale metal recycling facility, their international partners will enable us to work globally Expand the influence of our technology within the scope."

“The ARPA-E metal project requires the team to find cost-effective and energy-efficient manufacturing techniques to process and recycle metal,” said David Tew, ARPA-E metal project director. "We are very pleased to see how Sortera's Metals team will continue to develop their innovative technology through this investment, and strive to improve the quality of recycled metal, making it more cost-competitive in a range of manufacturing applications."

During the research and development program, Sortera cooperated with OmniSource, headquartered in Fort Wayne, one of the largest automotive scrap and secondary metal processors and distributors in North America, and plans to deploy a fully integrated 100 million yuan per year in a facility The LB demonstration system is in Fort Wayne. In addition, Eriez, headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, will build equipment for the facility and provide low-cast metal alloys as raw materials for local industries around the world.

Chrysalix RoboValley Fund invests in intelligent systems supported by artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and sensor technologies to significantly increase productivity and key business processes. Investors in the fund include Fortune 500 companies, leading companies, financial institutions, family offices and universities, and clusters of well-known metal producers such as South32, Severstal and Mitsubishi.

The Brussels-based organization also welcomed seven steel manufacturers as new member companies.

The board of directors of the Brussels-based World Steel Association (Worldsteel) has re-elected its executive board for the period 2020/2021, while also welcoming seven new companies and a new affiliated association.

“The executive board usually serves a one-year term, but in this case, as the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with their duties at the postponed annual general meeting, the board voted to extend the term of the executive board last year (AGM) in this case. ) Members and other World Steel Association meetings," the association said.

Worldsteel also elected an executive committee composed of representatives from 15 different steel companies, including David Burritt of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel.

The board members also welcomed seven steelmaking companies as member companies: Brazil's Aço Verde do Brasil; Bangladesh's Bangladesh steel re-rolling plant; Turkey's Diler Iron and Steel Co. Inc.; Taiwan Fengxin Steel Co., Ltd.; headquartered in Mexico Grupo Acerero from Turkey; Kaptan Demir Çelik Endustrisi ve Ticaret A.Ş. from Turkey; and Kroman Çelik Sanayii A.Ş from Turkey.

A new affiliate member also joined the World Steel Association in the form of the Russian Steel Structure Development Association.

The prices paid by domestic steel mills are almost the same as in September, and Turkey's quiet purchasing period seems to have ended.

In early October, scrap prices in the US domestic market remained stable, and the domestic steel industry's output increased moderately. Export demand was still a factor.

Scrap processors’ comments on Recycling Today and the media in mid-October initially indicated that overseas and domestic scrap buyers may plan to reduce purchasing demand for the rest of 2020, but the rebound in Turkish demand may keep prices stable.

According to the pricing index surveyed by Fastmarkets AMM, the changes in the balance of supply and demand in late September and the first week of October were not enough to affect October prices.

The publication’s three Midwestern Index prices did not change more than US$3.50 per ton in October, and the No. 1 bushel and outdated No. 1 heavy melting scrap (HMS) grades did not even change by US$1 per ton. .

At the same time, the publication’s export-grade pricing has remained stable, although the lack of price fluctuations on the East Coast may be partly due to the lack of reservations that provide new metrics.

On the Pacific Coast, “demand through export sales is healthy,” the recyclers there told Recycling Today. "Overseas factories want and need products, so from our point of view, this interest has been continuous and strong."

West Coast recyclers added, “We talked to dozens of codes that directly contacted for export sales or local domestic sales, and mobile products were not a problem. There were shipments in October, and future sales were also interested, although these negotiations were a little bit Quiet."

On the supply side, the Pacific Coast processor said, “In general, considering our environment, the supply of scrap steel is quite healthy. The challenging part is that we see large competitors trying to pay more for scrap steel. Resulting in a decline in profit margins. Compared with the past few years, try to maintain the "normal" level of [transaction volume]."

When talking about supply, a recycler in the Midwest said: “Things seem a bit busy now, but it’s not crazy busy anyway. Our industrial customers are doing very well.”

Market participants once expressed concern about the decline in demand from Turkish steel mills because of the depreciation of the Turkish currency. There is also a vague sense of overall uncertainty in the minds of some Americans. Recyclers in the Midwest said: "I think that with the election approaching and COVID, there is a lot of uncertainty."

According to Fastmarkets AMM, during the purchase period in early October, only two bulk shipments were booked to Turkey. The publication pointed out that this is "a far cry from the two dozen cargoes ordered in June and July," which helped push up summer scrap prices.

The disappearance of Turkish buying has triggered some speculation that prices may fall back in the last two months of 2020. However, in the second week of October, Turkey received new orders and the expected price decline subsided.

At the same time, in the regional assessment of West Coast recyclers, "Currently, compared with the historical average, the number of companies this year has decreased by 15%, which is the lowest profit margin in decades. This is better than when we were at the beginning of the pandemic. The supply seen has been reduced by 30% [about] an improvement."

According to the Washington-based American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), US steel production is still down by more than 15% from its pre-COVID levels, but the gap is narrowing.

Domestic consumers may want to see lower prices and reduce scrap purchases in November and December, but the economic recovery and subsequent demand for steel may undermine such plans.

As of the week of October 3, US steel production exceeded 1.48 million tons, a decrease of 17.7% from the same period last year. The factory capacity rate for the week ending October 3, 2020 was 66.6%, compared with 77.7% for the same period in 2019.

On the broader economy, the construction industry reported some favorable statistics, but the industry’s trade association expressed concern about slowing growth and lobbying the government for more stimulus plans.

As of mid-October, Wall Street investors seemed not too worried, and the stock price rose during the week of October 6-9 and next Monday. An article in the Financial Times of London on October 12 quoted a JPMorgan Chase analyst as saying that he believes that presidential candidate Joe Biden leads incumbent Donald Trump by about 10 percentage points in national polls, “helping to alleviate Concerns about the possibility of the outcome of the dispute". The analyst said that there may not be a controversial election that is "a welcome to investors."

The leaders of BIR and BMRA in the UK stated that the association plays a vital role during the pandemic, including a plan to combat fraud.

The 2020 calendar year is notorious. With the spread of COVID-19, subsequent economic impact and additional trade restrictions, many recyclers struggle to make a profit.

At the meeting on Monday, October 12th, Tom Bird, Chairman of the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) World Recycling Conference Week, and Susie Brach, Chairman of the British Metal Recycling Association (BMRA) based in the United Kingdom (Susie Burrage) all pointed out that industry associations are an important lifeline in turbulent years.

Bird said that BIR tends to try to host face-to-face events rather than online events, but the situation is "not allowed at all." Bird added: "I hope we can participate in sports events in 2021, but our first priority must be to ensure the safety of our members."

At the same time, Bird said that BIR officials and staff have been busy dealing with many issues, including European recycling and waste-related regulations; scrap import and export restrictions imposed by various countries; trade disputes, especially between the United States and China; Part of the economic downturn caused by the “stop/start” nature of COVID-19-related shutdowns; and fraud issues are being brought to the attention of BIR.

“Some of our members contacted BIR and they have experienced some very unpleasant experiences in the past few months,” Bird said, noting that “various horror stories” are related to “being disappointed by customers” about fraud or failure. Payment. Bird pointed out that in some cases, transactions involve large amounts of U.S. dollars.

Bird said that in many of these cases, one “common point” is that BIR member companies do business with traders they met in the lobby of the previous BIR conference, and they think these traders are BIR member companies or have registered to participate. Events, but not actually. Bird said that if one of the companies involved is not a member of BIR, BIR cannot arbitrate the dispute.

Burrage, who is not only the president of BMRA, but also the managing director of Recycled Products Ltd. based in Chesham, UK, said that the lack of face-to-face interaction in a pandemic situation can be a problem, just like unregistered BIR attendees do business. "Why are you entrusting them with metals worth thousands of dollars?" She asked the person who refused to pay the registration fee.

Michael Lion of Hong Kong-based Everwell Resources Ltd. interviewed Bird and Burrage at the BIR meeting on Monday. He said that due to the cancellation of the meeting and travel restrictions, the long-standing “know your customer” rule has become more difficult.

In the United Kingdom, Burrage stated that despite some layoffs and reductions in processing capacity, BMRA member companies seem to be able to maintain vitality in 2020 to a large extent. She said that overall, the industry in the UK “seems to be quite active” and most of the 18 BMRA board members expressed optimism at the recent meeting.

Burrage supports the association’s involvement. He said that for business leaders in the current pandemic environment, “it can be very lonely.” She said that she found that the participation of BMRA and BIR Association provides tangible benefits and provides in terms of mentality. Intangible benefits. "We tend to encourage each other," she said.

In the UK, Brexit has brought additional uncertainty. She said that BRMA sent an email to its members on Monday, advising them to prepare for some form of agreement with the European Union and also prepare for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit for the United Kingdom.

Burrage said that in the long run, if the EU imposes restrictions on waste exports, UK recyclers may benefit from outside the EU. Burrage said that in 2019, the UK produced 12 million tons of scrap metal, of which 9 million tons were for export, so export capacity is crucial.

BIR World Recycling Conference Week is held online by the Brussels-based organization from October 12th to 16th, 2020.