TAGS: Sustainability / Natural Solutions Additives for Packaging
The "Renewable Materials Conference 2022", in Cologne (Germany), attracted over 400 participants who came to see the latest developments in bio- and CO2-based chemicals, plastics and other materials as well as advanced recycling technologies in search of non-fossil solutions.
Electrochemical transformation of CO2, a natural polymer for paper and cardboard coating and material-to-material molecular recycling of plastic waste were the winners of the innovation award “Renewable Material of the Year 2022”.
Presentation of Innovative Products & Strategies
60 speakers and 25 exhibitors from leading companies presented their innovative products and strategies. Over 400 questions were posted by the participants for 14 panel discussions, which were ranked by 1600 likes.
One participant summed up the motto of the event as “
it was a bull's eye that set the course for the gradual phase-out of fossil resources for chemicals and polymers. The decision to expand the profile of the conference to the entire spectrum of renewable materials has proven to be perfect.”
The cross-sector concept brought many new insights. And all these different strategies aim to achieve the same goal, replacing fossil carbon with renewable carbon to protect the climate, create sustainable carbon cycles and end dependence on fossil imports with valid new business options.
The market for fine chemicals is also gaining momentum. Products and processes based on renewable carbon are getting closer to the market. Successful innovative solutions meet the increasing consumer demand for sustainability as well as cost-performance.
Besides drop-in solutions, completely new products with novel functionalities are entering the market. The presented examples covered a wide range of feedstocks, process technologies and target markets, such as surfactants, dyes, food preservatives and perfumes.
Investments in Advanced Recycling Projects
Large investments are also being made in "
advanced recycling", above all a planned investment of 1 billion euro in a methanolysis-based project in France for 160,000 tonnes/year of hard-to-recycle plastic waste. Even if the political framework lacks suitable regulations for advanced recycling, the companies assume that the ambitious plans for recycling quotas (e.g. for packaging of 55 %) cannot be achieved without chemical recycling.
Renewable material solutions are now available for practically all applications, such as packaging, textiles, consumer goods, toys, automotive and many other technical applications. The latest market data show an impressive increase in all renewable materials.
The production capacities for bio-based polymers, today already over 5 million tons, are predicted to grow at an annual rate of 12 % until 2026, reaching over 9 million tons in 2026 – this growth will mainly take place in Asia. By 2026, their share of the total global polymer production will be 2-3 %.
The production capacity of partially CO
2-based polymers has already reached the volume of 1 million tonnes, but the CO
2-based carbon content is only 5 to 11 % so far. Currently, considerable investments are being made in CO
2-based ethanol and methanol, which can be used for both fuels and chemicals, especially in Europe.
Source: Nova