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PLASTICSMODERN

Weekly

Vol . 01 | Issue- 10 29 - December 2017 Page. No. 1Week - 10

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INSIDE NEWS

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Groupe Solmax, a Canadian-based company and an industry leader in the production of high-quality polyethylene geomembranes for industrial and environmental applications has acquired GSE Environmental based in Houston, Texas from Littlejohn & Co., LLC and certain funds and accounts managed by Strategic Value Partners, LLC, both Greenwich, Connecticut-based private investment rms. Both Solmax and GSE operate globally in the geosynthetic products sector, supplying large

industrial players with high-quality containment systems for domestic, hazardous or industrial waste burial sites, retention ponds, fracking and heap leaching pads. The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and the Fonds de solidarité FTQ are Solmax’s nancial partners for this transaction. Both will have equity positions in the company.

“This acquisition and the combination of Solmax and GSE creates a true global

industry leader. In a highly fragmented market of polyethylene geomembrane manufacturing , we will have the opportunity to lead and help reshape the industry, based on competitive drivers such as operational excellence and efciency, superior quality products and deep R&D capabilities,” explained Jean-Louis Vangeluwe, President of Solmax.

“Merging GSE with Solmax will also give

us a broader manufacturing footprint

a n d a n e x p a n d e d w o r l d w i d e

Groupe Solmax Shakes Up Global Geosynthetics Industry By Acquiring Leading Player, GSE Environmental

Turn to page 4

Hotels/Restaurants Can Sell ‘Packaged ...

MIT Students For�fy Concrete ...

Cheers DuPont! Malteurop Toasts a Be�er Approach...

Your Old Plas�c Bo�le Can Become a New Shirt ...

Blair Horner: Ring In The New Year – But ...

Tomra Sorting Recycling Awarded Large Scale Contract by SKM Recycling in Australia

Global leader in sensor-based sorting technology, TOMRA Sorting Recycling, aims to revolutionize the recycling industry and drastically reduce waste going to landll.

TOMRA Sorting Recycling (TOMRA) is proud to announce its newest partnership w i t h S K M R e c y c l i n g ( S K M ) , headquartered in Laverton North, Victoria, Australia. As an industry leader in processing recyclables from household and commercial streams, SKM has s e l e c t e d TO M R A t o s u p p l y 4 0 AUTOSORT units with the latest features and new 3D laser technology for three new sorting facilities. To meet the constantly changing demands in the market, SKM is building three new plants to process over 350,000 tonnes of kerbside collected material, also called single stream, per year. Primary focus of the SKM Recycling plants is to process paper, plastics, metals and glass, sorting

them into high quality products. The plants are expected to be operational in the beginning of 2018.

SKM’s Laverton plant aims to become the most technically advanced and automated recyclables processing plant on the continent or even worldwide by integrating multiple steps of TOMRA Sorting technology into the sorting of paper and other recyc lab les . Th i s wor ld ’ s -bes t technological capability will provide SKM with a unique and strong competitive advantage, and will position SKM well to meet increasingly s t r ingent end-product qua l i t y demands.

This improved sorting technology will also result in a greater percentage of recyclable product being extracted from the residential recycling stream, reduce materials unnecessarily ending up in landll, facilitate the development of new recyclable grades to meet the demands of a changing market and deliver greater environmental benets.

Renowned worldwide for its leading sensor-based sorting technology, TOMRA Sorting was also recognized in Australia for its expert knowledge and consulting. Robert Italiano, Business Manager of S K M , c o m m e n t e d o n t h e n e w

partnership: “We are convinced by TOMRA’s robust and dependable technology, but it’s their ability to support in creating the best plant concepts that made us choose to partner with TOMRA. Our condence in their technical knowledge and support is unwavering and is backed by TOMRA’s guarantee to

perform. We are proud to be developing the most advanced materials recovery facilities in Australia.”

Tom Jansen, Sales Manager at TOMRA Sorting Recycling, adds: “Winning such a big contract means SKM have placed a lot of trust in TOMRA and our newest technology. I’m looking forward to seeing the ultra-modern plants in operation.” ■■■

Belden appoints Dr. Oliver Kleineberg ....

Editor in Chief - Global Karl Jörg Löwer

European EditorPetra Löwer

Senior Editor Ginu Joseph

PublisherGinu Joseph

Marketing DirectorAnthony George

Creative DirectorPushpa She�y

Associate EditorsAnthony GeorgePushpa She�yRajesh VermaAmjad Ahmed

Advertising Sales Petra LöwerAnthony George

Consultancy ServicesGinu JosephPetra Löwer

Accounts ManagerBhumit Dhangada

Advertising Sales IndiaAnthony GeorgeGuruvinder Sacher

Account ExecutivesJeyabal AnthonyVikram SelvarajWalter Shekar

ProductionJayaram She�y

Administration ExecutiveGracy Lobo

Circulation ExecutiveSumit Kumar VaramaPrakash Kumar Jha

Tele-Marketing:Pank� Pathak

Designing & LayoutAnagha Salvi

Digital Media & SoftwareJob K KuruvillaPankaj Singh

Database ServiceShweta Wadwalkar

Karl Jörg LöwerEditor in Chief - Global

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PLASTICSMODERN

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Editor’s Note

Dear Readers;

Plastics have become a necessity today from its use in the form of a credit card — that

unlocks the vaults of banks — to the flimsy carry bags that we tote the groceries in, but

later end up in alleys, garbage dumps and even waterways to choke up and cause

floods. Plastics remain a buoyant and much-needed industry that touches upon virtually

every facet of modern day life in small and great ways from roller skates to rockets and

its fuel.

In spite of some recent economic headwinds, India's plastics industry believes it's on

track to more than double its polymer consumption by 2025, to 20 million metric tons.

India's economy has slowed the last two years, with GDP growth of 3.2 percent in 2012

and 4.4 percent last year, down from 9-10 percent in several of the previous years.

Some of the long-term drivers that include rural income that's expected to triple by 2025,

to a total of $1.8 trillion, and annual car production projected to grow from 1.7 million

vehicles last year to 10.1 million by 2025.

In addition, the Indian government plans to spend $1 trillion dollars on infrastructure by 2025, the market for electronics

goods will grow by 700 percent and country's manufacturing sector will likely jump from the world's 12th largest now to

number seven by 2025.

Plastics exporters are looking at tapping the Middle East and African countries alongside a 20 per cent growth in

shipment of plastic products and 22 per cent in machinery. There is a huge potential in African countries that are

witnessing much industrial growth, according to the Plastics Export Promotion Council (PEPC) sources. In 2011, India

exported about $7.1 billion plastic products and $150 million machinery – accounting for 2.3 per cent of total exports to

countries like the USA, China, European Union, Middle East and Africa. Besides strengthening its footprint in Africa, the

PEPC is looking at exploring opportunities in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, Romani and

Poland.

Underlying economic activity remains strong as use of plastic spreads to more sectors, opening new markets and

replacing traditional materials. "Previously in India plastics was limited only to household consumer durables and a little

in packaging," he said in an interview with Plastics News. "But now it is accepted in infrastructure, in health care, in

agriculture. Whatever sector you count, it is accepted."

"The economy is on the upturn just now" "No doubt in plastics there is some little slowdown like that, but fortunately for us,

the plastics industry has become a little mature and the government has accepted by and large plastics as a material of

choice." Plastics consumption continues to grow about twice the rate of India's overall economy. Consumption of most

polymers will grow at between 8-12 percent a year through 2025.

That growth is coming off a very low base, however, with India using about 8 kilograms of plastic per capita, compared

with more than 60 kg per person in developed economies like the United States.

India's Plastics industry still suffers competitively because it's much smaller than China's plastics sector. China has three

to 20 times more production of most types of polymers than India, even though their populations are relatively equal.

However, the amount of plastic consumed in India during the last 60 years is likely to reach the same consumption figure

in barely seven to ten years from now.

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commercial network which will in turn

enable us to work more closely and

cohesively with customers, including local

service companies and specialized installers

who require customized attention.

Furthermore, we believe our size and

industry leadership will help us work more

effectively with global corporations that seek

suppliers with manufacturing capabilities

around the world and nancial means.”

“La Caisse is pleased to take an equity stake

in Solmax as it acquires one of the largest

companies in its industry and creates the

undisputed global leader in geomembrane

manufacturing,” stated Christian Dubé,

Executive Vice-President, Québec at Caisse

de dépôt et placement du Québec. “In

addition to supporting a company from

Québec as it grows internationally, la Caisse

is investing in a company that is making a

difference for the environment.”

“Once again, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ is

investing in Solmax to support the growth of

this Québec-based agship company, and a

Fonds partner company since 1996. With

the leadership of its management team, as

well as dedicated employees and quality

products, Solmax will become a worldwide

leader in its eld.

This transaction will put the Varennes-based

company in a good position to lead the

global geomembrane market,” said

Normand Chouinard, Executive Vice-

President, Investments at the Fonds de

solidarité FTQ.

“On behalf of my management team, I

would like to thank the Caisse de dépôt et

placement du Québec and the Fonds de

solidarité FTQ who have been incredibly

supportive business partners through this

negotiation process.

We clearly saw their commitment to enable

Québec entrepreneurs who strive for

dening growth and value creation on a

world-wide scale,” added Jacques Côté,

Solmax Founder and Chairman.

Solmax drew on the guidance and services

of the following rms to complete this

strategic acquisition: McCarthy Tétrault LLP

acted as Canadian legal advisors and Jones

Day as international legal advisors;

Pr icewaterhouseCoopers Corporate

Finance inc. acted as nancial advisor.

National Bank of Canada and The Toronto-

Dominion Bank acted as joint underwriters

for the senior credit facilities. ■■■

Groupe Solmax Shakes Up Global Geosynthetics Industry By Acquiring Leading...

The Goa government has decided to ban plastic bags in the coastal state from May next year, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said today.

He said the government also aims to make the state free of garbage by December 19 next year, for which the required steps are being taken.

"From May 30 next year, there will be a complete ban on plastic in the state. We are making this announcement in advance so that all those who have made it as their economic activity should not complain at the last minute," he said.

The ban would include plastic bags and also some other items, Parrikar said.

He was speaking at a function to mark the Goa Liberation Day. The state was liberated on this day in 1961 from the Portuguese

rule. Parrikar said that 'Swachh Bharat' and 'Nitol Goem' (Clean Goa) are on top of the government's list of priorities. The initiative to make Goa free of garbage has already begun. The Solid Waste Management Corporation has been set up and a garbage treatment plant has been installed at Saligao, he said.

The laws required to make Goa free of garbage would be notied by January 26 next year, he said.

To empower the panchayats to take up work of garbage collection, the government has also approved to increase the grants for these grassroot-level bodies, the CM said.

Claiming that the state's economy is also dependent on cleanliness, Parrikar said, "If we keep our surroundings and beaches clean, more tourists will visiting the state.” ■■■

Goa to Ban Plastic Bags from May Next Year

Organization Provides Attendees with Practical Knowledge for Immediate Implementation, Adds New Focus on Embedded VisionRegistration for The Vision Show opened today. Hosted by AIA, the world’s largest trade association for advancing vision and imaging, The Vision Show educates current and potential vision users about the latest advancements in machine and embedded vision, while offering them real-world solutions to their manufacturing challenges. Taking place April 10–12, 2018, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, attendees typically span a wide range of companies and job titles, which makes for a lively show with interesting discussions among people who might not otherwise have the chance to connect. This year, AIA expects those at the show to include users of vision and imaging echnologies, system integrators, automation integrators, makers of collaborative robots, drones, augmented reality systems, and much, much more.

With six conference tracks and courses ranging from beginner to advanced, The Vision Show has something for everyone. This year’s tracks include:

• Vision Integration• Embedded Vision• IIOT, AI, Emerging technologies• Collaborative Robots• Certied Vision Professional Basic• Certied Vision Professional Advanced

To support AIA’s new embedded vision initiative, there will be a track on embedded vision and an embedded vision pavilion this year.

Vis ion and imaging systems enhance the qual i ty of our

everyday lives. They play an important role in everything from quality control of the things we use, eat, and drink to safety and security in the places we go to more accurate medical screening and faster drug discovery to high-tech entertainment to ying drones – whether for work or for pleasure. At The Vision Show, attendees will nd the right solution providers, the right technology, and the right expertise to implement the vision and imaging systems they need.

AIA recent ly co -hosted the C o l l a b o r a t i v e R o b o t s a n d Advanced Vision Conference (CRAV) in San Jose, California, with its sister association, the Robotic Industries Association (RIA). This educational conference brought together over 300 people to examine two of the most important topics in the automation industry – col laborative and vision. To c o n t i n u e b r i n g i n g t h e s e technologies together, The Vision Show will feature a collaborative pavi l ion on the show oor. Collaborative-focused conference p re sen ta t i on s i nc lude : the intersection of Industry 4.0 and Collaborative Robots; the Future of Co l l abo ra t i v e Robo t s ; and Collaborative vs. Industrial Robots.

“We’ve hosted The Vision Show since 1996, and every year we see greater in teres t due to the tremendous advancements being made in the eld,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of AIA. “Our attendees consistently turn to The Vision Show because they know it’s the one place they can learn about n e w a n d u p a n d c o m i n g technologies and trends, while at t h e s a m e t i m e h a v e t h e opportunity to interact directly with the vendors actually making those technologies.” ■■■

AIA’s The Vision Show, North America’s Largest Display of Vision and Imaging

Solutions, Opens for Registration

Cont...1

Winpak Ltd. Announces BOPA Film Capacity Expansion

Winpak Ltd. announces that American Biaxis Inc. (ABI) has started to work on an expansion to add annual production capacity of 11,000 to 14,000 metric tonnes of biaxially oriented polyamide (BOPA) lms for sale in North America. The subsidiary plans to invest over $40 million USD on the project including the facility and equipment. The additional BOPA lm production is expected to be available to customers in the second half of 2019.

ABI, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is a majority-owned subsidiary of Winpak Ltd. Sojitz Pla- Net Corporation of Japan is the minority shareholder and distributor of the BOPA lms in North America. ■■■

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PLASTICSMODERN

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Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, today announced its new dedicated 3D Printing business to meet the demand of the fast-changing Additive Manufacturing market for premium and customized 3D printer laments.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is growing at a rapid pace globally, with over 28% average annual growth for each of the last 7 years, and generating a total of $6.063 billion in sales in 2017 (Wohlers Report 20171). Additive Manufacturing has moved from a niche technology to an industry where unique products are produced, for example today over 90% of the plastic shells for in-the-ear hearing aids are manufactured using AM (Wohlers Report 2017). Products manufactured using AM are often complex end-use parts such as air ducts, drones, l ights, and parts for manufacturing equipment. These products can be enhanced with tailored high quality and ready-to-print materials that also withstand the wear and tear of prolonged usage.

The new Clariant 3D Printing business leverages the company’s numerous years of experience in tailoring polymers for a broad range of end market applications with pigments, additives and masterbatches, to provide high-grade, 3D printer laments and

specially made solutions. Clariant 3D prints and tests all of its materials to ensure printability and the required consistent high quality. Extensive material, application and production expertise allows Clariant to work closely with customers on polymer, additive and colorant selection to address typical end-use conditions such as weathering (sunlight, UV exposure), ame retardancy and electrical properties. In addition to tailored materials, a portfolio of high quality standard material will also be offered. The 3D printing materials are manufactured by Clariant and are available in exible lot sizes to meet the specic needs of customers.

“At Clariant we have all the capabilities to produce high-grade ready-to-print 3D printer laments,” said Richard Haldimann, Head of New Business Development of Clariant. “We are experienced in delivering specialized and tailored solutions to customers via our Plastics & Coatings businesses.

T h e e x i s t i n g C l a r i a n t p r o d u c t i o n infrastructure provides the 3D Printing business with a global footprint to offer desired 3D printer laments across the world.” ■■■

Clariant Launches 3D Printing Business to Provide Solutions for the Fast-changing

Additive Manufacturing Market

Clariant 3D Printer Filament

Clariant Logo printed with Clariant 3D Printer Filament.

Hotels and restaurants can continue to sell packaged mineral water bottles above ‘MRP’ rates as the Supreme Court has observed that no prevailing law prevents such a sale.

A bench of Justice RF Nariman and Justice Navin Sinha observed that neither the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976, read with the Standards of W e i g h t s a n d M e a s u r e s (Enforcement) Act, 1985, or the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, would apply so as to interdict the sale of mineral water in hotels and restaurants at prices which are above the MRP.

The Supreme Court upheld a Delhi High Court single bench judgment which had held that charging prices for mineral water in excess of MRP printed on the packaging during the service of c u s t o m e r s i n h o t e l s a n d restaurants does not violate any of the provisions of the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, as this does not constitute a sale or transfer of these commodities by the hotelier or restaurateur to its customers.

The single bench, allowing the wr i t pe t i t i on l ed by the Fe d e r a t i o n o f H o t e l a n d Restaurant Associations of India, had observed: “The customer does not enter a hotel or a restaurant to make a simple purchase of these commodities. It may well be that a client would order nothing beyond a bottle of water or a beverage, but his direct purpose in doing so would clearly travel to enjoying the ambience available therein and incidentally to the ordering of any article for consumption. Can there be any justiable reason for the Court or Commission to interdict the sale of bottled mineral water other than at a certain price, and ignore the relatively exorbitant charge for a cup of tea or coffee. The

response to this rhetorical query cannot but be in the negative.”

The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India had approached the Supreme Court against the division bench order which had disposed of the letter patent appeals by neither setting aside nor afrming the judgment of the Single Judge. The division bench had held that the single bench judgment would not come in the way of any de novo proceeding under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, which has since replaced the two Acts of 1976 and 1985, even if the concerned provisions of the old a n d t h e n e w l a w a r e identical/similar.

Referring to various provisions of both new and the old Act, the apex court observed that despite the constitutional amendment h a v i n g b e e n p a s s e d , t h e denition of “sale” in the new Act still says that composite indivisible agreements for supply of “sale” in the new Act st i l l says that composite indivisible agreements for supply of services and food and drinks would not come within

the purview of the Act. “On a reading of the said Act and the Rules made thereunder, it is clear that the position qua “sale” remains exactly the same as that contained in the 1976 Act, which now stands repealed. This being the case, we are of the view that the learned Single Judge was a b s o l u t e l y c o r r e c t i n h i s conclusion that despite the constitutional amendment having been passed, the denition of “sale” contained both in the 1976 Act and now in the 2009 Act would go to show that composite indivisible agreements for supply of services and food and drinks would not come within the purview of either enactment,” the bench observed. ■■■

Hotels/Restaurants Can Sell ‘Packaged Water Bottles’ Above MRP

Plastic bag manufacturers are secretly producing the banned carriers at night in a

bid to outsmart the authorities, the environment authority has said. The Nat ional Environment Management Authority (Nema) said it was conducting night raids to crack down on manufacturers who are still in business four months after the ban on plastic bags.

Manufacturers have adopted discreet methods such as operating behind shut

doors and under the cover of darkness. On Monday Nema impounded around two tonnes of the bags being packaged for the market. Nema Nairobi County Director of Environment Njoki Mukiri told The Standard that it was becoming trickier to identify the manufacturers since godowns and factories were not labelled. She added that some sly manufacturers had put up notices, saying they were no longer in business but their machines were still running.

She said Nema would change tack to step up the enforcement of the ban. "(The night raids will help) step up the effectiveness of the ban as some manufacturers are operating at night," she said. Nema raided Arihant Industries Limited in Industrial Area where they found 28 bales and one sack of the banned black carrier bags and at bags being “produced and packaged". Nema arrested the manager, Dilip Kansora. ■■■

How Plastic Bag Makers are Beating the System

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Angelina Arora was sitting in her local sh and chip shop looking at all the discarded sh waste. Piles of crab shells, prawn tails and sh heads. Kilos

and kilos of it, all destined for the bin.There had to be a better way, the 15-year-old budding young scientist thought. So she got a few kilograms of discarded shells, took them to her Sydney Girls High School science lab, a n d s t a r t e d e x p e r i m e n t i n g . Eventually, she managed to nd a way to turn them into a strong, light and biodegradable plastic. The year 10 schoolgirl hopes one day to see it used in plastic bags at supermarkets around Australia.

"The dream is to basically have every single plastic in the world made out of my plastic," she said. In 2016 Angelina won rst prize in chemistry for her age bracket at the NSW Young Scientist Awards for another plastic, this one made with cornstarch.

The cornstarch plastic broke down as soon as it was exposed to water – which made it very biodegradable, but also completely impractical.

Prawn shells contain a special hard but exible protein called chitin (pronounced ky-ten). With the scientists' guidance, and a litre of hydrochloric acid, Angelina managed to extract the chitin from the shells.

She then combined it with an extremely sticky protein she extracted from the silk of silkworms.

"It's the same protein that spiders use to make webs. It's very sticky. When you mix it with chitin it produces a fabric that is exible and strong and exhibits all the properties you want in plastic," she said.

The nal material has the strength of a prawn's shell and the exibility of a spider 's web. The plast ic also degrades completely with nothing harmful left behind.

Turning Prawns into Plastic: Schoolgirl Angelina Arora Fights Science Stereotypes

"The dream is to basically have every single plastic in the world made out of my plastic." - Angelina Arora

As the holiday shopping season hits its peak, not only are consumers buying lots of gifts, they are accumulating an incredible number of plastic bags. Combined with the ongoing plastic bag use, New Yorkers gets an incredible number of plastic bags – almost always for one, and only one-time, use. According to the Cuomo Administration, “residents use 23 billion plastic bags annually. A signicant number of these b a g s m a k e t h e i r w a y i n t o t h e environment causing litter and damaging wildlife, which can be seen within our waterways, along our streets and in our oceans and lakes. Moreover, these bags do not biodegrade – they persist for years.”

The problem is not unique to New York; it is a global problem. According to a recent report, experts estimate that over eight million tons of plastic waste ends up in the world’s oceans each year, and that amount is likely to increase dramatically over the next decade unless nations act. The amount of plastics waste found in the ocean is the equivalent of “ve plastic grocery bags lled with plastic for every foot of coastline in the world.” Experts estimate that by 2025, the amount of plastic waste entering the oceans would double, or the equivalent of 10 bags per foot of coastline. The plastic that ends up in the ocean isn’t just unsightly and harmful to aquatic life, it ends up in the food chain, including shellsh, sh and even sea salt.

While the United States is not the world’s worst offender – that distinction goes to China – the U.S. generates an estimated 110,000 metric tons of marine debris a year.

The average American throws out 185 pounds of plastic every year. Cutting plastic bag use can dramatically reduce waste.

In addition to the benets to reducing the amount of garbage in the oceans, plastic bags aren’t biodegradable, and less than one percent of plastic bags are recycled. Even when they are, it costs more to recycle a plastic bag than the cost of producing a new one. One staff member from San Francisco’s Department of the Environment, commented, “There’s harsh economics behind bag recycling: It costs $4,000 to process and recycle one ton of plastic bags, which can then be sold on the commodities market for $32.”

Earlier this year, Governor Cuomo approved legislation that retroactively overturned New York City ’s then recently passed local law to address the proliferation of plastic bags as litter, ecological damage and as part of the City’s solid waste disposal burden. The new state law also prohibited the City from passing a new law until January, 2018 at the earliest. Oddly, other local laws around the state that banned plastic bags were not covered by the legislation.

Blair Horner: Ring In The New Year – But Without The Plastic, Bags That Is

Turn to page 8Turn to page 8

The Public Health Risks of Increased use of Reusable Shopping BagsA recent study has exposed public health risks associated with the sudden rise in the use of reusable bags. Three months after Kenya imposed a ban on plastic bags, most shoppers are either carrying their own reusable bags or purchasing them from shopping outlets.

Although favourable to the environment, experts now warn that the bags are a threat to public health, especially if they are not routinely cleaned. A joint study in 2010 by the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University’s School of Public Health exposed a number of public health risks associated with reusable bags.

This risk comes primarily from ignorance of the proper use of the bags.

Wash bags According to the study, most shoppers do not wash the bags as regularly as is required, raising the risk of contamination of items carried. The study proposes various ways of protecting against these risks, top of which is washing them regularly with water, detergent and bleach. In cases of reusable bags that cannot be washed, the study recommends regular replacement. However, the study highly recommends that consumers purchase bags made from materials that

can be washed. Failure to wash reusable bags often leads to accumulation of dirt and heat, giving way to breeding and build-up of yeast, mould and bacteria, which are notorious for causing food poisoning.

Additionally, shoppers should not use a single bag for multiple purposes. For safety, food items should be carried in separate bags from other shopping items. Further, not all food items should be carried in the same bag. Food that is ready to eat, raw food, meats, fruits and vegetables should be carried in separate bags. The study indicates that most food-borne diseases originate from food that is prepared and

consumed at home, mainly due to cross -contamination during handling and preparation. Carrying different kinds of food in the same bags leads to cross-contamination, as germs in one type of food are transferred to the next.

The cross-contamination may also occur during unpacking of the food. In this case, the study recommends washing hands before and after unpacking. Other ways to stay safe include double wrapping meat to prevent leaking of uids into the bag, regular replacement of bags and avoiding frequent use of the same bag.

Clean place The bags should also be stored in a cool, dry and clean place when not in use. Reusable bags carrying food should also be put in the back seat of the car instead of the trunk where there are high temperatures favourable for bacteria spread. The researchers cautioned that mass education was necessary in instances of sudden shifts from plastic to reusable bags, since most consumers were unaware of the implications of the new bags. Spreading awareness is essential in combating food-borne diseases such as cholera, which has been reported in parts of the country. ■■■

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"The shells used need a lot of preparation – but it's a lot less than normal plastics need, so that would reduce pollution," she said.

For her work – detailed in a 67-page report replete with maps of the atomic structure of chitin, plus a photo of the plastic being held aloft by her mum, Ashima – she has received second prize in chemistry at this year's Young Scientist Awards. That prize was not her real goal, though. As part of an earlier project, she bought sh from her local shmonger and cut them open. Inside, she found thousands of tiny fragments of plastic – telltale evidence of the huge amount of pollution humanity is continually dumping into the world's oceans.

Phasing out conventional plastics in favour of biodegradable ones like hers would go a huge way toward cleaning up the environment, she said.

Her father, Nitin, is very proud – and just a little bafed. "I only understand about 10 or 20 per cent of what she's doing. I cannot even pronounce the protein she's working on," he laughed. Angelina also hopes to be a role model for other young girls considering a career in science, which is why she contacted Fairfax to tell her story. "Right now science is deemed as a subject for nerds and for boys and I think the reason for this is how the media portrays it," she said.

“Even online, with some of the interviews I've done, you read the comments down the bottom. There are people out there that want to discourage people from doing this." ■■■

Turning Prawns into Plastic: Schoolgirl Angelina ...

Discarded plastic bottles could one day be used to build stronger, more exible concrete structures, from sidewalks and street barriers, to buildings and bridges, according to a new study.

MIT undergraduate students have found that, by exposing plastic akes to small, harmless doses of gamma radiation, then pulverizing the akes into a ne powder, they can mix the irradiated plastic with cement paste and y ash to produce concrete that is up to 15 percent stronger than conventional concrete.

Concrete is, after water, the second most widely used material on the planet. The manufacturing of concrete generates about 4.5 percent of the world’s human-induced carbon dioxide emissions. Replacing even a small portion of concrete with irradiated plastic could thus help reduce the cement industry’s global carbon footprint.

Reusing plastics as concrete additives could also redirect old water and soda bottles, the bulk of which would otherwise end up in a landll.

“There is a huge amount of plastic that is landlled every year,” says Michael Short, an assistant professor in MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering. “Our technology takes plastic out of the landll, locks it up in concrete, and also uses less cement to make the concrete, which makes fewer carbon dioxide emissions. This has the potential to pull plastic landll waste out of the landll and into buildings, where it could actually help to make them stronger.”

The team includes Carolyn Schaefer ’17 and MIT senior Michael Ortega, who initiated the research as a class project; Kunal Kupwade-Patil, a research scientist in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Anne White, an associate professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering; Oral Büyüköztürk, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Carmen

Soriano of Argonne National Laboratory; and Short. The new paper appears in the journal Waste Management.

“This is a part of our dedicated effort in our laboratory for involving undergraduates in outstanding research experiences dealing with innovations in search of new, better concrete materials with a diverse class of additives of different chemistries,” says Büyüköztürk, who is the director of Laboratory for Infrastructure Science and Sustainability. “The ndings from this undergraduate student project open a new

arena in the search for solutions to sustainable infrastructure.”

An idea, crystallizedSchaefer and Ortega began to explore the possibility of plastic-reinforced concrete as part of 22.033 (Nuclear Systems Design Project), in which students were asked to pick their own project.“They wanted to nd ways to lower carbon dioxide emissions that weren’t just, ‘ l e t ’ s b u i l d n u c l e a r reactors,’” Short says. “Concrete production is

one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide, and they got to thinking, ‘how could we attack that?’ They looked through the literature, and then an idea crystallized.”

The students learned that others have tried to introduce plastic into cement mixtures, but the plastic weakened the resulting concrete. Investigating further, they found evidence that exposing plastic to doses of gamma radiation makes the material’s crystalline structure change in a way that the plastic becomes stronger, stiffer, and tougher. Would irradiating plastic actually work to strengthen concrete?

To answer that question, the students rst o b t a i n e d a k e s o f p o l y e t h y l e n e terephthalate — plastic material used to make water and soda bottles — from a local recycling facility. Schaefer and Ortega manually sorted through the akes to remove bits of metal and other debris. They then walked the plastic samples down to the basement of MIT’s Building 8, which houses a cobalt-60 irradiator that emits gamma rays, a radiation source that is typically used commercially to decontaminate food.

“There’s no residual radioactivity from this type of irradiation,” Short says. “If you stuck something in a reactor and irradiated it with neutrons, it would come out radioactive. But gamma rays are a different kind of radiation that, under most circumstances, leave no trace of radiation.”

MIT Students Fortify Concrete by Adding Recycled Plastic

Adding bits of irradiated plastic water bottles could cut cement industry’s carbon emissions

In order to take some of the sting out of his approval of the state legislation overturning a local law, Governor Cuomo created the New York State Plastic Bag Task Force. The Task Force was charged with developing a report and proposed l e g i s l a t i o n t o a d d r e s s t h e detrimental impact of plastic bags on the state’s environment. The Task Force has been meeting and it is expected that the governor will advance changes during the 2018 state legislative session.

It is hoped that the governor will advance a plan to drastically restrict, and in some cases ban, the use of plastic bags for retail purchases.

There is ample evidence that such a program could work. California’s experience is most instructive for New York. Like New York, California has a large, diverse population with large urban areas and a substantia l coast l ine. California’s law has been in force for over a year. The California law has two major components: (1) a statewide ban on thin plastic bags (under 2.25 mils) that are the ones m o s t o f t e n d i s t r i b u t e d b y supermarkets (those with handles, not the ones used to wrap foodstuffs); and (2) a minimum 10-cent fee for paper & reusable bags (including thicker plastic bags). California’s law has been a success.

As described by the Los Angeles Times, “Californians took in stride the sudden absence of some 13 billion bags that in previous years were handed out at grocery checkout counters and by other retailers of all sorts.” Not only were consumers able to handle the c h a n g e i n t h e i r s h o p p i n g experience, but there was a signicant reduction in the amount of plastic bags found on California beaches. Again according to the Times, “Plastic bags (both the banned and the legal variety) accounted for 3.1% of the litter collected from the state’s beaches during the 2017 Coastal Cleanup Day, down from to 7.4% in 2010.”The result? The Times calls it a success: “Shoppers did not revolt or launch recall campaigns against state lawmakers. Food still gets to people’s houses. Reusable bags did not spark an epidemic of food-borne illnesses, as some critics suggested they would. Consumers didn’t go broke paying 10 cents apiece for the thicker, reusable plastic bags stores are allowed to distribute instead.”

California’s experience shows that its law is a good model – consumers can easily adapt and plastic bag trash is slashed. Let’s hope that with Governor Cuomo’s push, next holiday season will be just as cheerful – for New Yorkers and the environment. ■■■

Blair Horner: Ring In The New Year – But Without The Plastic, Bags That Is

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The team exposed various batches of akes to either a low or high dose of gamma rays. They then ground each batch of akes into a powder and mixed the powders with a series of cement paste samples, each with traditional Portland cement powder and one of two common mineral additives: y ash (a byproduct of coal combustion) and silica fume (a byproduct of silicon production). Each sample contained about 1.5 percent irradiated plastic.

Once the samples were mixed with water, the researchers poured the mixtures into cylindrical molds, allowed them to cure, removed the molds, and subjected the resulting concrete cylinders to compression tests. They measured the strength of each sample and compared it with similar samples made with regular, nonirradiated plastic, as well as with samples containing no plastic at all.

They found that, in general, samples with regular plastic were weaker than those without any plastic. The concrete with y ash or silica fume was stronger than concrete made with just Portland cement. And the presence of irradiated plastic along with y ash strengthened the concrete even further, increasing its strength by up to 15 percent compared with samples made just with Portland cement, particularly in samples with high-dose irradiated plastic.

The concrete road ahead

After the compression tests, the researchers went one step further, using various imaging techniques to examine the samples for clues as to why irradiated plastic yielded stronger concrete.

The team took their samples to Argonne National Laboratory and the Center for Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE) at MIT, where they analyzed them using X-ray diffraction, backscattered electron microscopy, and X-ray microtomography. The high-resolution images revealed that samples containing irradiated plastic, particularly at high doses, exhibited crystalline structures with more cross-linking, or molecular connections. In these samples, the crystalline structure also seemed to block pores within concrete, making the samples more dense and therefore stronger.

“At a nano-level, this irradiated plastic affects the crystallinity of concrete,” Kupwade-Patil says. “The irradiated plastic has some reactivity, and when it mixes with Portland cement and y ash, all three together give the magic formula, and you get stronger concrete.”

“We have observed that within the parameters of our

test program, the higher the irradiated dose, the higher

the strength of concrete, so further research is needed

to tailor the mixture and optimize the process with

irradiation for the most effective results,” Kupwade-

Patil says. “The method has the potential to achieve

sustainable solutions with improved performance for

both structural and nonstructural applications.” Going

forward, the team is planning to experiment with

different types of plastics, along with various doses of

gamma radiation, to determine their effects on

concrete. For now, they have found that substituting

about 1.5 percent of concrete with irradiated plastic

can signicantly improve its strength. While that may

seem like a small fraction, Short says, implemented on

a global scale, replacing even that amount of concrete

could have a signicant impact.

“Concrete produces about 4.5 percent of the world’s

carbon dioxide emissions,” Short says. “Take out 1.5

percent of that, and you’re already talking about

0.0675 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide

emissions. That’s a huge amount of greenhouse gases

in one fell swoop.”

“This research is a perfect example of interdisciplinary

multiteam work toward creative solutions, and

represents a model educational experience,”

Büyüköztürk says. This story has been updated to

clarify that concrete containing both irradiated plastic

and y ash, rather than with irradiated plastic alone, is

stronger, by up to 15 percent, compared to

conventional concrete. ■■■

MIT Students Fortify Concrete by Adding Recycled Plastic

Ghana is not ready to ban plastics now, however the Government will come up with a Draft Zero Plastic Policy by the middle of January, next year, to deal with plastic waste.

Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, said there were many options to deal with plastic waste, which would create jobs.

He said it was not possible to outlaw it right now because a lot of people relied on plastics at the moment, adding that upon introduction of the Policy, government would allow various stakeholders to make inputs into it to ensure a holistic policy. Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said this at a media brieng in Accra on Friday, ahead of the Christmas festivities.

He said there had been a lot of suggestions from many quarters that countries such as Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso

had outlawed plastics so Ghana should do the same.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said: “In this Ministry we are very careful not to act with

pretence so we sit down and think about issues very well before we take steps. ‘‘We don’t want to rush into doing things. A lot of these countries have banned plastics, but there is active smuggling into those countries, therefore we need to take collective decision as a country that will benet everybody’’.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng stated that currently what the country needed was to avoid indiscriminate littering of the environment with plastic waste, which required change of attitudes by Ghanaians.He said something could be done with courier bags by replacing them with cotton bags and recycling of plastics, saying; ‘‘ I know two groups are involved in recycling of plastics into fuel, for preparing bricks, and also turning plastics to replace bitumen, which can be more durable’’.

The Minister entreated Ghanaians to avoid excessive generation of waste and admonished those who would be using the beaches for various activities during the Yuletide to avoid disposing plastic waste into the ocean to safeguard marine life.

Ghana is Not Ready to Ban Plastics Now - Minister

The Na t i ona l Env i r onmen t Management Authority (Nema) has issued the grace period as part of the process of declaring a total ban on the use of plastic carrier and at bags within a year. The directive comes a day after a civil rights

group, Haki Africa, accused the Gove rnmen t o f s e l e c t i v e l y enforcing the ban on plastic bags by allowing some companies to continue packaging their products in plastic.

Nema Director General Geoffrey Wahungu said while there was a 100 per cent adherence to plastic bags ban, implementing the edict on at bags, which are extensively

used by small traders, was proving to be a challenge. Prof Wahungu was speaking on the sidelines of the r e c e n t U n i t e d N a t i o n s Environmental Assembly, where he outlined the strides the country has made since effecting the plastic

bags ban on August 28. Wahungu said the new challenge after the ban concerned plastic bottles and plastic packaged food products.

He said the authority had asked bread rms to phase out their current plastic packaging. “That does not mean they come to ask us for alternatives. That is up to them," he said. ■■■

Nema Extends Ban to Bread Manufacturers, Issues Six Months Grace Period

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Prof. Frimpong-Boateng , who is also the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce against Illegal Mining, commended the media and the Media Coalition against Illegal Mining for the crucial roles they played this year in combating the menace of illegal small-scale mining, also known as ‘‘galamsey’’.

He said the ght against illegal mining this year had been very successful in view of the stringent measures outlined by the Government.

He mentioned the moratorium on all operations of small-scale mining and deployment of Operation Vanguard to enforce the ban in the Western, Eastern and Ashanti regions, as well as the arrest and ongoing prosecution of some illegal miners as some of the successes chalked so far. The Minister said government would enter the next phase of the ght against illegal mining by regularising the activities of artisanal small-scale miners, examine the mining communities affected by mercury pollution and take further steps to remedy the environmental pollution and degradation of the vegetation.

He said government would undertake baseline studies on mining communities affected by illegal mining, which would inform government’s decisions. ■■■

Ghana is Not Ready to Ban...

Enjoying a pint of beer is one of the simple pleasures in life; but with average UK consumption at around 10 litres per person1, keeping up with demand means brewing on an industrial scale and to strict standards of safety and hygiene. For the peop le invo lved in the production of beer and lager, their working environment contains hazardous substances with high levels of dust and particles from the grains, up to 100% humidity levels, phys ica l ly conned working conditions and aggressive cleaning chemicals.

Malteurop, a major producer of malted barley used in brewing, wanted to ensure its workforce was fully protected when undertaking the daily cleaning regime necessary to keep its malting oors and vats free of bacterial contaminants and blockages. Mélissa Chauvière, Production Manager, turned to DuPont Protection Solutions to provide PPE designed to get as close as possible to zero risk.

Brewing backgroundFounded in 1984, the Malteurop group is one of the top players in the malting industry. Formed by the reorganisation of a group of cooperatives, this French company transforms barley into the malt that is subsequently used by brewers to produce their beers. With 27 plants a r o u n d t h e w o r l d o n f o u r continents and with a staff of 1,200, Malteurop is becoming the top integrator in the barley-malt-beer value chain.

In France, the group has four production sites located at the heart of the cereal region, including the largest Malteurop plant in the world at Vitry-le-François, which has an annual production capacity of 240,000 tonnes. Ideally situated in the Marne département at the convergence of a waterway, motorway and rail network, the Malteurop site at Vitry-le-François produces the malt that will be used by i ts brewing customers to produce their lagers. With ISO 22000 (food safety), GMP+ (animal n u t r i t i o n ) a n d I S O 9 0 0 1 certication, the plant houses three production units where 65 people work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to ensure that the malting process is carried out correctly. A controlled production process in the service of quality.

The production of malt requires precision. When it reaches 10-12% humidity, the barley undergoes various stages of transformation before being stored and dispatched to the brewers:

• after cleaning, the grain is immersed in a soaking tank. This process awakens and stimulates the grain which then starts to germinate• removed from soaking at 42% humidi ty, the gra in then remains on a malting oor for four to ve days at ambient temperature (12-20°). Lying on perforated trays equipped with a ventilation system, the grain is turned every 12 hours to ensure i t s p r o p e r d e v e l o p m e n t• next is the kilning process which dries the grain at increasing temperature levels until the curing stage is reached (80-85°). This crucial stage determines the colour of the future beer• after transfer to intermediate storage cells, the product moves to the degerminating machine to remove the sprouts, which are then recovered to use in the product ion of granulated animal feeds.

Both upstream and throughout the production process, the barley and malt receive every possible care: testing of new harvests in a micro-malthouse allows the production recipes to be adjusted, while quality controls are conducted in a laboratory where beer brewing conditions are replicated. The objective: to guarantee a quality product that meets the brewer customers' requirements.

For Malteurop, the prevention of food safety risks throughout the malting process is of paramount importance to the production of a sound, healthy malt. It is a challenge that the company is meeting with

good manufacturing practices and a complete cleaning process is undertaken every time unloading occurs to avoid any microbiological risk.

A culture where safety rules

To meet the necessary hygiene and food safety conditions, cleaning is a daily issue at Malteurop. Denis Ricart, the company’s Prevention Leader, explains: "On the malting oors and in the vats, there is always a temperature of between 18 and 24 degrees and the humidity level approaches 100%. These are ideal conditions for the development of bacteria, moulds and fungi.”

Véronique Coefer, the QHSE Assistant, continues: "This is why, once a soaking vat or malting oor is empty, a cleaning team uses bleach to clean the room, beneath the mal t ing oor and the gra in conveyor systems, followed by rinsing with a high pressure jet before the installation is lled again. These operations are particularly essential for beneath the malting oor, to prevent the holes in the trays becoming blocked with barley grains since, without ventilation, the grain is asphyxiated". At the Vitry-le-François malthouse, with its 12 malting oors and two soaking vats , these r igorous manual c l e a n i n g p r o c e d u r e s a r e conscientiously performed once every day. The work i s not inconsiderable given the size of the malting oors: it takes between four to eight hours to clean each room, depending on how clogged up the vat is. Workers are exposed to the hazards related to the use of diluted bleach, with a high risk of projection during the high pressure rinsing process and are also subject to many posture-related constraints in the conned spaces. They must wear chemical protection gloves and an overall, on top of which they don a helmet and a harness with a ventilation belt.

Cheers DuPont! Malteurop Toasts a Better Approach to Worker Safety

“The support we received from DuPont has been a key driver to introducing a global approach to safety”

Belden Inc., a global leader in signal transmission solutions for mission-critical applications, has appointed Dr. Oliver Kleineberg as Global Chief Technology Ofcer (CTO) of the Core Networking Business within its Industrial IT Platform. This newly created position is a key strategic element for the platform, which comprises Hirschmann Automation and Control, GarrettCom and Tono Security.

Dr. Kleineberg, who will report directly to Wolfgang Schenk, vice president and general m a n a g e r o f C o r e Networking, will have responsibility for the t e c h n o l o g i c a l pos i t ion ing o f the business in the market as well as in customer and standardization bodies. Other key tasks include identifying new t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d trends.

“As a recognized network expert, Dr. Kleineberg is ideally equipped to further develop our vision of the future in the age of Industry 4.0 and rmly establish that vision within our business,” says Schenk.

Belden appoints Dr. Oliver Kleineberg as Global CTO of Core Networking Business

within the Industrial IT platform

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Personal safety: an absolute priorityTo achieve the best possible match with the protection requirements of the production staff, DuPont Personal Protection went on-site at Vitry-le-François to gain precise knowledge of the chemical products used and to observe the real conditions in which the overalls are u s e d . M é l i s s a C h a u v i è r e , Production Manager at Malteurop, specied: "We want an item of clothing that is easy to put on and is sufciently tear-resistant in the event of snagging; but the correct use of the overall also needs to be easily understood by the staff".

After several working meetings, DuPont Protect ion Solut ions recommended the Tychem 4000 S overall. This category III overall is particularly suited to applications which requires optimum protection against chemical substances without hampering the movements of the wearer, who may be required to work in a conned space. Great care has been taken to perfect the shape and t of the garment, particularly when moving. Worker safety is also enhanced by the white colour of Tychem 4000 S garments, which provides contrast across a wide range of natural backgrounds to make the wearer more visible, even in poor light.

The recommended overalls were tested by Malteurop staff working in various cleaning areas. Following the trials, the Tychem 4000 S overall was

unanimously welcomed. Jamel Bahri, who has worked at Malteurop for six years, says: "I felt safer, the seams are better protected and it ts better at the neck. Together with the dual zip fastener and dual ap, it is really sealed, which re-assures us.”

Other colleagues agreed, observing that they found the Tychem® 4000 S easy to put on, lighter and more comfortable to wear than their previous protective workwear. The safety team was also particularly impressed with the coverall’s protective sleeves that stay in place much better due to the elasticated thumb loop at the wrist.

Safety training, key to successThe support Malteurop received from DuPont Protection Solutions did not stop at the selection of their preferred coverall: it also included advice about garment sizing and the adoption of best practice in their application. DuPont were also involved in training the teams to don the overall, carry out the cleaning and remove the overall. Production Manage r Mé l i s s a Chauv iè re observes: “We now have precise safety procedures in place to protect our workforce. Before any chemical product is used, both permanent and temporary staff undergo training on putting on and removing the protective garments. Every task is described on an instruction sheet which workers have to read before starting any cleaning.” ■■■

Cheers DuPont! Malteurop Toasts a Better ...

Dr. Kleineberg has considerable expertise in industrial cyber security and fault tolerance in time-critical automation networks. Holding a degree in Computer Engineering from the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences in Germany and a Ph.D. from the University of Limerick in Ireland, he joined Belden in 2007

to take responsibility for advanced development within the company’s Industrial IT platform. During 2012 and 2013, he played a key role in integrating Tono Security into Belden’s network division. He has a l so pa r t i c ipa ted in va r ious standardization bodies of the IEEE, IEC, ODVA and PNO. ■■■

Belden appoints Dr. Oliver Kleineberg as Global CTO of Core Networking Business ...

3-5% of municipal waste comprises plastic: Pollution control board

According to Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), plastic waste accounts for about 3-5% of the municipal waste in the state. Mumbai alone generates approximately 10,000 tons of solid waste every day.

To prevent generation of more plastic waste, the state government is planning to ban plastic bags and also the use of PET water bottles in government ofces and starred hotels from 2018. ■■■

For those looking for one of the most environment-friendly fabrics available these days, an organic cotton brand won’t be the best stop anymore. A new material called Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate, RPET, has left organic cotton, considered to have the lowest carbon footprint, way behind. The new material has a carbon footprint 50 per cent lower than organic cotton.

Environmentalist and entrepreneur Roshan Baid has created what he calls a Wonder Tee — this means one essentially wears recycled soda bottles, water bottles and food jars, processed to make the environment-friendly and cost-effective RPET.

“The Wonder Tee is made from six to eight plastic waste bottles,” says Baid. “A kilogram of RPET can keep 60 water bottles out of landll,” he adds.

These T-shirts are also softer and lighter than normal ones. “Generally, T-shirts are made of polyester — a man-made bre, production of which involves huge quantities of water, chemicals and use of fossil fuels; moreover, the raw materials and by-products are toxic and pollute water and air, causing several health hazards,” he explains.

It was while travelling in Europe that Baid got inspired to give this project a go. “They use recycled plastic to make things like quilts. Another thing I came across was this very idea of making plastic into yarn and I knew I had to take this up and make a difference,” he says.

“We started on March 18, 2016. We wanted to look at the value of our product. Polyester is not that good for Indian customers as summers here are very hot. But this T-shirt can be worn in any weather,” he adds. When the idea of Wonder Tees was germinating, some of Baid’s friends did not believe that T-shirts could be so light. “They did not believe it could weigh below 100 gm. So I made

some T-shirts for my friends and gifted it to them in pencil boxes,” he says.

“We also save 25 litres of water per T-shirt as the dyeing process is different. Most mills use a lot of water for dyeing clothes and when this water is disposed, it ends up polluting water resources like rivers.”

The waste generated in the process of manufacturing the Wonder Tee is also treated and reused.

While the core product of his start-up company Alcis Sports is Wonder Tee, Baid also plans to create other garments out of this fabric. "We are already in talks with some fashion designers and hopefully will venture into making designer wear as well, hopefully in 2018.” While the plans to manufacture other garments are there, he says, “The tee will remain our main focus.”

The company is now producing 3,000 to 4,000 T-shirts daily but it was not smooth sailing for him initially.

“Since we were producing it for the rst time in India, I faced a lot of quality concerns. The processing of this yarn was complex. It took some time to reach perfection,” he says. ■■■

Ecowise: Wearing waste in styleCont...11

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Recycling is the only option to handle plastic waste at present.Now Indian scientists have found a new use for plastic waste - for decontamination of water.Dr. Premanjali Rai and Dr. Kunwar P. Singh from Environmental Chemistry Division, CSIR - Indian

Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow have used plastic waste to develop a low - cost magnetically responsive adsorbent material which can be used to remove an antibiotic cephalexin from water.

The indiscriminate burning of plastic results in emission of deadly gases and carcinogens into the environment. Dumping them in landlls results in

leaching of toxins into ground and surface water resources.

Now scientists have formulated an effective strategy of upcycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste into

a functional material to mitigate another critical environmental problem -the emerging levels of antibiotics in water. "We collected PET refuse from the surroundings and converted the same into a magnetically responsive carbon nano-material by carbonization and activation of the PET char under controlled conditions and magnetic modication by a simple chemical precipitation route," explained Dr Rai.

Extensive use and disposal of pharmaceuticals in the environment is leading to its contamination and

increasing antibiotic resistance. Widely used antibiotic, Cephalexin, is detected as micropollutant in the environment. This newly developed low-cost m a g n e t i c nanomateria l has the adsorpt ive

potential for cephalexin from the water. The minimal adsorbent dose of 0.4 gram per liter could remove greater than half of the initial cephalexin concentration under laboratory conditions. This technique of magnetic separation for spent adsorbent decreases the secondary pollution problems associated with the non-magneto active adsorbents", said Dr. Rai.

The newly developed adsorbents have considerable desorption potential and can be reused. These advantages make it an efcient adsorbent for removal of emerging micropollutants. These ndings will prompt to develop more innovative strategies for non-biodegradable waste management. This work has been published in the Journal of Environmental Management. The research team included Dr. Premanjali Rai and Dr. Kunwar P. Singh, Environmental Chemistry Division, CSIR - Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow. ■■■

Plastic Waste Can Be Used For Decontamination of Water

Maharashtra to use Recycled-Plastic for Constructing Roads

Maharashtra Government, after proposing plastic ban, is looking to create tie-ups between waste-to-energy units and municipal bodies, cement plants, and industries for disposing of plastic waste.

Plastic is non-biodegradable; one of the ways to recycle it is to use it in road-construction, cement industry, and industrial fuel generation.

Banning plastic prevents generation of fresh-waste, but old stocks need to be disposed of. ■■■

Plastic waste collectors may get incentives: An ofcial

The environment department ofcial said the existing plastic waste s tocks could be diver ted to manufacturers of cement or for construction of roads; they may soon test prototypes.

He noted that about 1.25kg of plastic waste could be used in generating 1 liter of industrial fuel. The government may also give incentives to those who collect plastic waste, including rag pickers and the informal sector. ■■■

Plastic bags to be banned from March 2018

Maharashtra Government had last month announced a complete ban on plastic bags, irrespective of their thickness, across Maharashtra from March 2018. Considering the environmental impact of plastic bags, the state's Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam emphasized on banning them from Gudi Padwa (2018).

Earlier in December, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis promised a complete plastic ban in six months as they are working on alternatives. ■■■

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Fragmented nature of industry, slower technology adoption hindering growthPlastic manufacturers in India are examining ways to increase exports overcoming the strong headwinds they

have been facing, industry ofcials said.Though India has big manufacturers like Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), they

account for less than 1% market share in the more than $800 billion global exports market for plastics. However, efforts are on to grow this base.

“Our council, along with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has worked on a strategy to increase the country’s plastic exports as the $800-billion global export market presents a huge opportunity,” said Pradip Thakkar, cha i rman , The P l a s t i c s Expor t Promotion Council (PLEXCONCIL), which represents the export ing community in the Indian plastics industry.

“Post Goods and Services Tax (GST) introduction, we have taken up important issues and concerns of members with the concerned ministry for remedial action in terms of fast-tracking of IGST refunds, exemption of merchant exporters from GST on procurement against bond or Letter of

Undertaking (LUT),” he said.

In the rst six months of the current nancial year, India exported plastics worth $3.49 billion as compared with the $3.19 billion reported during the rst six months of the previous nancial year, registering an increase of 9.5%.In the current nancial year, plastic exports were expected to grow by 6% from $7.56 billion in 2016-17 to $8 billion and PLEXCONCIL was condent that this target would be surpassed, ofcials added.

India exports plastics to more than 185 countries with the United States and China being some of the major importers.

Fragmented industryThough the industry offers huge growth potential due to low labour cost and availability of skilled manpower, the fragmented nature of the industry is

hindering growth. Slower adoption of newer technologies, mainly by the MSME sector, is adding to the problem.

“The industry is dominated by the MSME sector, particularly the small scale industry, which urgently requires government support in the form of Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) to replace their obsolete m a c h i n e s , ” t h e C o u n c i l s a i d .

To increase exports, the council had asked the Ministry of Commerce to g r a n t t r a n s p o r t s u b s i d y f o r manufacturer-exporters located in the North-Eastern States who currently face very high transportation costs of raw material from port to factory and vice versa. Various other recommendations have been made to the Ministry by the council to remove huddles, ofcials said. ■■■

Plastics Sector Looks to Enhance Exports

Mineral water, soda, juices and such other liquids are sold in Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic. After they are used, these bottles are discarded and end up in dumping grounds, where they rest for decades before decomposing.

A few recycling plants in Tamil Nadu are cutting this process midway and giving PET bottles a new end. The bottles will now be ltered, sorted, shredded, cleaned, coloured and recycled to PET bre. They will then be mixed into hosiery waste and spun together into yarn that will end up in power looms spreading in all of India.

This bre, made partly from plastic bottles will ultimately be made into garments and towels that will be sold at regular prices in the market. This seemingly new trend of recycling plastic bottles into wearable materials was undertaken by BP Sultania in 1996.

Sultania is the president of the All India Recycled Fibre and Yarn Association and says that the trend started in 2006. “This is because of better awareness and technology, and more applications for recycled bre,” Sultania told The Hindu.

He says that in India, around 35 companies recycle PET bottles and produce 50,000 tonnes of recycled bre every month.

This accounts for about 50% of the total virgin polyester produced in the country. Recycling PET bottles into the bre, however, has taken momentum in the last fours years, says G Arulmozhi who owns a mill in Coimbatore that uses both, recycled bre as well as waste cotton to spin yarn.

“We usually buy cotton waste from textile mills and

use it as raw material. The yarn manufactured by our units is used in powerloom clusters. But issues such as an increase in the price of cotton and uctuations in

the availability of waste cotton made us look at options. The use of recycled bre instead of 100% cotton waste results in better price and production,” Arulmozhi told The Hindu.

The efciency of this recycled material is non-compromised. Absorption value, for instance, especially in the towels is maintained even when the raw material of the bre changes. This material is used for products with a low price too, so the worry of expensive recycled products is eliminated.

Plastic bre is benecial for the weavers too since it cuts down their costs of dyeing yarn directly.

Salvem is a weaver in Chennamalai who spoke to The Hindu about a reduction in their expenses. “Earlier, we used to get yarn from the

merchants and send it for dyeing. It would take two or three weeks. Now, we get coloured yarn. We can save Rs 10 for a kilo of yarn. There are 16 to 18 colours. It goes straight into weaving. There are no knots in the yarn, and so there is a smooth nish in the bedsheets.”

One of the main challenges that these industries face in the uctuation of supplies through the year. “It is challenging to get adequate quantities of PET bottles during winter. The government does not permit the import of waste PET bottles,” says Krishna Kumar, owner of a recycling plant in Tiruppur.

Even so, the recycling industry that shreds PET bottles and eventually transforms them into garments is gaining pace in Tamil Nadu. Availability of recycling units coupled with hosiery units in Tiruppur and spinning mills in other districts has enabled an ample supply of such bre. It has also witnessed a growing demand owing to its uncompromised, if not better, quality and low costs. ■■■

Your Old Plastic Bottle Can Become a New Shirt – Through These Mills in Tamil Nadu

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