p u t o d a y s 2 0 1 9 1ipuatc.com/pdf/pu_today_sept2019_issue_final.pdf · traces of micro...

1P U T o d a y S e P T e m b e r 2 0 1 9

2 P U T o d a y S e P T e m b e r 2 0 1 9


CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

The world is changing quickly and speed of the changes: be it political, social, economic, or industrial, baffles us all. Even countries that had an over reaching global outlook have increasingly become internally focused, national interest and local politics have taken a precedent over all others. The cycle of change is probably finding its own course. In the

meantime one area that global interest has evoked keen interest is in environment protection and sustainable growth.

This is indeed an area of deep concern world over, like, extreme rains, drought, and seawater carrying traces of micro plastic residues, pesticide residues in fruits, vegetables and milk. These are a few of the several problems that we face. Nature has a great way of curing itself, and if we do not work in close tandem with nature, then the results that follow may not to our liking. We have seen the impact of the Ozone depleting substance action that the world worked on and several stratospheric layers have self-repaired in less than two decades.

Small steps taken now, will not just add up, but they will multiply. A few actions we should envisage as Polyurethane Industry are as follows:

i) Segregate our waste and dispose them responsibly.ii) Recycle as much as possible. Re-bonded foam in our industry is a classic activity that consumes

most of the scrap from the Slab foaming and Molded foam industry. We need to identify and work on such projects for other segments like Footwear, Rigid Foam etc. Develop products that promote sustainability & recycling and look at applications for the same incessantly.

iii) Encourage compliance in our industry; use every forum to emphasize this. We have several small and micro industries and as an Association we should strive to educate all Polyurethane users.

iv) Proactively look at ways and means of finding use of end of life PU foam (from mattress, footwear, Molded foam and elastomers). It is better we initiate this voluntarily in the interest of the industry. We have to look beyond industry generated waste to Extended Product Responsibility (EPR).

EPR is how we reuse, recycle products at end of the life.

Your association has tried to do its bit by instituting design awards for sustainability in recycling and is also supporting prototype development of a few proposals. IPUA is also trying to get funding from Government for a pilot recycling project.

Let us work together to make the world of Polyurethanes in India a sustainable and environmentally friendly one. Small proactive steps are sufficient to make a huge impact in the long term. Every enterprise should select a goal in this direction. IPUA will be happy to support the enterprises in this aspect.

Mahesh N GopalasamudramChairman | Indian Polyurethane Association


EDITORIAL

Well imagine trying to resolve this dilemma while the World and more important – its resources slip by alongside the grains of sand in the Hourglass! The “King” on his “throne” – with his grey matter embroiled in this pursuit of an iconoclastic solution! Ooops – there go the grains: at an accelerating rate! ‘He’ is sure there is a conspiracy to

create this illusionary scarcity of nature’s bounty – his birth right. “The Environmentalists” – just a bunch of wild, frenzied, hyperactive, confused people who need to get a life for themselves, before planning for lives of the future! What business do ‘the environmentalists’ have, to put a bridle on the use of resources leading to containment of progress in ALL walks of life? The sensationalists gerrymandering their way into legislations too!

Let not this dilemma go the G7 Summit way - The G-7’s purpose is largely for world leaders to convene and come to an agreement on major international topics. One of the French President Macron’s chief issues at the summit was the fires in the Amazon rainforest, a key environmental issue… and one that the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has largely dismissed or blamed on environmental groups! International threats & pressure has seen him authorize the deployment of troops to help fight the fires. The G-7 leaders [partial quorum of the meet as dissenters stayed away], pledged $22 million in emergency funding to combat the crisis, as well as a long-term initiative whose details have yet to be sketched out. That sum is considered paltry considering the scale of the problem: It’s comparable to what President Trump spent on travel during his first 80 days in office.

This all ended with no record: While past G-7s have seen leaders sign onto a written communiqué, Macron announced there would be no such statement this time, because “it’s pointless” and “no one reads the communiqués, let’s be honest.” A pointless session spiced with a war of words & threats on various matters. This largely highlighted how little consensus there is, even among this relatively rarified group.

Instead of wasting one’s creativity in belittling the credibility of foresightedness and realistic endeavors [the cartoon is one such example]; one needs to explore the facts and research ways in damage control.

Reality and the Nay Sayers, who prefer to be in denial for immediate gains, need to strike a foresighted balance for sustainability and survival of this planet we call ‘Home’. Every individual effort counts:

“Little drops of water, little grains of sand – Make a mighty ocean and this beauteous land!”

Sincerely,


Chairman’s Message...................... 3

Editorial ........................................ 4

Credits + Contents ....................... 5

Announcement ............................ 6

Industry Updates ......................... 7

International News ..................... 11

Product News ............................... 14

Interview ...................................... 18

Technical Article .......................... 21

Status Report ................................ 31

Cover Theme ................................ 34

Crossword Puzzle ........................ 40

Special Feature ............................. 41

IPUA Ventures ............................... 51

Economic Update .......................... 59

Safety Health & Environment......... 62

People.................................................. 66

Twitter Trends .............................. 67

Previews & Reports ..................... 69

Events & Trends ........................... 71

Book Review / Readers’ Feedback ....................... 72

C O N T E N T S

EditorMrs Medha Bhuta

Editorial TeamMr Pravin Mahajan - BASFMr Govind Gupta - DowMs Priya Fonseca - Special CorrespondentDr Snehalata Agashe - IPUA - VTC

Compilation & SelectionDr G Mahesh - SheelafoamMr Arun Kumar - InnogrowMr Isaac Emmanuel - Covestro

Design ConceptMr Mukesh Bhuta

Graphic Design & LayoutRed Sky Designs

Production & ExecutionMr Murali MohanMr K. Ramamurthy

IPUA OFFICE BEARERS

Chairman Emeritus Rahul Gautam - [email protected]

Chairman Dr. G Mahesh - Sheela Foams - [email protected]

Sr. Vice Chairman Mr Rohit Relan - Bharat Seats - [email protected]

Vice Chairman Mr H S Kochar - Pfeda Synthetics - [email protected]

Treasurer Mr Samir Arora - Industrial Foams - [email protected]

Joint Treasurer Mr Ashwini Sehgal - Saan Global - [email protected]

IPUA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Mr Romesh Madan - Goodie International [email protected] Paramjeet Singh - Springwell Mattresses [email protected]. AS Puri - AS Enterprises [email protected] Sanjay Sanghi - Momentive Performance [email protected] Harshad Naik - Huntsman [email protected] Ananth Shanmugananth - Dow Chemical [email protected] Isaac Emmanuel - Covestro India Pvt Limited [email protected] Deepak Mehta - Tirupati Foam [email protected] Rabindra Jhajharia - Multiwyn Foams [email protected] Pravin Mahajan - BASF India Limited [email protected] Arun Kumar - Innogrow Ventures [email protected]. Ram Sai Yelamanchili - Shaya Polymers [email protected] Anil Bansal - Foam Specialities Inc [email protected] Kalpesh Shah - Vitrag Foam [email protected] Siddarth Malani - Shree Malani Foams [email protected] Alok Tiwari - Milliken Chemicals [email protected] Abdul Razak - VKC Group [email protected] D.B. Shah / PK Mankad - GNFC [email protected] Arun Jhaluka - Flexipol [email protected] Lokesh Jain - Aadi Polymers [email protected] Vasant Gori - Britas International [email protected] Shreeram Naidu - Expanded Polymer System [email protected]

Governing Council MembersMr Vinod Vora [email protected] Rahul Gautam [email protected] G Ramachandran [email protected] Deepak Doshi [email protected] Mukesh Bhuta [email protected]

SecretaryMr P. V. Murali Mohan [email protected] [email protected]


ANNOUNCEMENT


Covestro (India) along with its partnersinaugurated a sanitation initiative in Nepal

INDUSTRY UPDATE

Covestro (India) Pr ivate Limited with support from DEG (Deutsche Investitions

– UND – Entwicklungsgesellschaft M BH) h a s i n aug u r at e d i t s impactful sanitation initiative in Nepal on 19th April 2019. The project has been initiated in close collaboration with Dept. of Water Supply, Sewerage and Sanitation (DWSS), Govt. of Nepal, local NGOs namely, Center for Integrated Urban Development (CIUD) and Self Nepal.

During the occasion, Ajay Durrani, Managing Director, Covestro (India) e xpressed, “Globally we have an aim to touch the lives through our technolgical intevention and make the world a brighter place for all. . We endevour to utilize our innovative solutions and tec hnolog y by work ing closely with our partners through consortium approach and together spread benefit of these solutions to the underserved communities. Through initiatives like these in India and subcontinent we are working towards the development of the underserved community thereby also contributing to the UN SDGs.”

Nepal government has made significant achievement on basic sanitation coverage. According to the data shared by Department of Water Supply and Sanitation (DWSS), Nepal has around 99% coverage of basic sanitat ion. However, the sanitation access to

poor and marginalized people is still questionable. The open defecation is still a challenge in many areas of Nepal. The joint effort from government and non-government organization is needed to ensure access to sanitation to people from backward society.

Besides, a f ter the successful attainment of the status of ODF nation, the local government is now planning to promote public toilets as one of the key mandates of the total sanitation program.

Local NGOs including Centre for Integrated Urban Development, Self Nepal and Guthi, with support from Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS)

has started implementation of sanitation project accompanied with community engagement program in varied regions of Nepal. Financial support to this project is being jointly promoted by DEG and Covestro (India) Pvt. Ltd. The project introduces pre-fab PIR dry wall system based technology from Covestro, for the first time in Nepal; which is also well suited to housing and construction applications.

With support from CIUD and Self Nepal, the consortium is committed to deliver 3 community toilets (at Kirtipur, Dhulikhel and Bardivas), 2 school toilets (at Janpravat and Swetbarah school) and 50 household level toilets (at

APRIL 22nd, 2019


INDUSTRY UPDATE


INDUSTRY UPDATE

Pulkah and Laxminiyan, Janakpur). So far, 2 school toilets, 2 community toilets and 25 household level toilets have been delivered to people by the consortium.

The consor tium including CIUD and Self Nepal have executed 120 behavioral change communication (BCC) sessions with beneficiaries in aforementioned regions. BCC has been aimed to convert simpler toilet structures into a functional and owned asset of people; which is accepted and used regularly.

The aim of the project is to improve sanitation in the country, via introducing an efficient, sustainable and affordable technology called pre-fab PIR dry wall system combined with community engagement programs. The toilets use prefabricated PIR technology and are designed to be fire-resistant, thermal comfort, weatherproof, comfortable, safe and environment-friendly.About Covestro:

With 2018 sales of EUR 14.6 billion, Covestro is among the world ’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-

tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. The company is very well established in India with three manufacturing facilities across the country at Greater Noida, Ankleshwar and Cuddalore. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,800 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2018.


INDUSTRY UPDATE


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Covestro continues portfolio optimization

Covestro to sell European Systems Houses business to H.I.G. Capital

JUNE 17, 2019

Sales proceeds in the high-double-digit euro million range / Systems houses with

revenues of EUR 230 million / Covestro to remain a key supplier to European Systems Houses / New ownership allows unit to further grow and to position itself as an independent player

Covestro has signed an agreement with H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”) for the sale of Covestro’s European Systems Houses business. H.I.G. focuses on investments in small and mid-sized companies. The sales proceeds amount to a high-double-digit euro million sum. The decision to sell the systems houses was taken as part of Covestro’s ongoing portfolio optimization process that includes the sale of Covestro’s North American spray polyurethane foam systems house in 2017.

“Our focus is future growth and value creation. That’s why evaluating and optimizing our portfolio is par t of our daily business”, said CFO Dr Thomas Toepfer. “Providing tailor-made solutions, systems houses serve relevant market needs. However, in an advanced polyurethanes market like Europe we focus on a more centralized approach to efficiently address the needs of our customers.”

With its new owner H.I.G., the European Systems Houses now have the perspective to position themselves as an independent, focused player for mid-sized customers. In A sia with it s developing polyurethane markets, Covestro will continue to serve its customers through its established systems houses network.

The systems houses are part of the company’s Polyurethanes segment and are offering tailor-made polyurethanes systems for customers. The European Systems Houses business comprises facilities in the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Germany and fur ther businesses in Italy. Approximately 250 employees are generating annual sales of some EUR 230 million. Operations will continue at the current facilities while Covestro will continue to have strong ties with the systems houses as a key polyurethanes supplier.

Polyurethanes are a class of plastics that can be found in many areas of modern life – be it in the form of soft or rigid foam or as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). They are used in numerous applications like, for instance, mattresses, automobile seats, sports equipment or as insulating material in buildings and refrigerators.With view on scale and capabilities

as well as the solid asset base, the European Systems Houses perfectly fits into H.I.G.’s buy-and-build approach. H.I.G. aims to further develop their pan-European presence and to build a strong and independent European group of polyurethane systems houses with a clear focus on mid-sized customers. The company intends to continue working with the current experienced management team of the systems houses to further improve the business. The closing of the transaction is expected for the second half of 2019 after the required antitrust clearance.

About H.I.G. Capital

H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with over €26 billion of equity capital under management. Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate off ices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused / value-added approach:

1. H.I.G.’s equity funds invest


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

i n m a n a g e m e n t b u y o u t s , recapitalizations and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses.

2. H.I.G.’s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well

as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. is also a leading CLO manager, through its WhiteHorse family of vehicles, and manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance.

3. H.I.G.’s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices.

Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 300 companies worldwide. The firm’s current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of €28 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com.

AUGUST 6, 2019

New Zero Waste Heel Counter Reinforces Texon’s Expertise In Sustainable Structural Footwear Components

HO N G K O N G – 6 Aug ust 2019 - Te xon today announced the

launch of Texon Halo, a new heel counter material for the footwear industry that contains a minimum of 50% recycled content. Developed by a team that specializes in the development of eco-friendly, structural solutions for shoe production, Texon Halo is a high-performance, powder moulded, reinforcement material that has excellent sustainability credentials and delivers distinct and measurable per formance advantages. Designed for use in athletic and sports shoes, but suitable for providing structural support in most types of footwear, Texon Halo is stiffer than competitor

products at an equivalent thickness – making it ideal for creating thinner, lighter shoes with a robust yet supportive, well fitting heel. De l ive red ‘out of t he box ’ (against dxf pattern) ready for insertion, Texon Halo is a net, waste-free product that requires no cutting or skiving. Offering good mouldability and a low heat

activation point, the material is cost effective, quick to use and easy to insert into a shoe upper. Self-adhering at lower process temperatures, Texon Halo bonds well to all commonly used substrates including synthetic materials. It is also excellent at retaining its shape over time. Matt Smith, Group Sales Director


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

at Texon, said: “When it comes to manufacturing shoes, selecting su s t a i n able mate r i a l s t hat can provide the right level of structural support is essential, particularly when it comes to heel counters. These small but invaluable components are key to the construction of a good shoe – helping to stabilise the heel, maintain the foot’s position,

and reduce the risk of pronation. The development of Texon Halo shows us pushing the boundaries of heel counter technolog y, creating materials that have better sustainability credentials, while still offering first-class performance properties.

Offering good mouldability and a low heat activation point, the material is cost

effective, quick to use and easy to insert into

a shoe upper.


Huntsman Delivers new Dimension in 3D Printing with Iroprint® Additive Manufacturing Materials

JULY 4, 2019

PRODUCT NEWS

New urethanes product platform unveiled at K preview ahead of main launch at K 2019

Everberg, Belgium - Global c h e m i c a l c o m p a n y Huntsman today outlined

details of a new range of additive manufacturing materials that it has developed, which are set to address emerging needs in the 3D printing industry. Huntsman’s IROPRINT® additive manufacturing platform contains three different kinds of urethane-based materials (resins, powders and filaments), which can be 3D printed using a variety of additive manufacturing methods including stereolithography (SLA), high speed sintering (HSS) and fused filament fabrication (FFF). Initially, Huntsman is launching its range of soft, flexible IROPRINT® additive manufacturing materials in the global footwear and sports industry, where 3D printing is being used to make both customized and mass manufactured shoes. Longer-term, Huntsman plans to roll its IROPRINT® additive manufacturing platform out across a much wider range of applications and industries. At present , t he IROPR IN T ® additive manufacturing platform includes three product lines, which have been optimized to work with the main 3D printing techniques preferred by footwear producers.

• IROPRINT® R resins are a range of soft, durable, one-component liquid resin systems that can be 3D printed using SLA, digital light processing (DLP) and other radiation-curing methods. • For companies looking to 3D print with powder-based materials, IROPRINT® P powders are a line of high performance thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) for HSS forms of printing. • IROPRINT® F filaments are a collection of high performance TPU materials, which have a consistent diameter, and are designed for use

with fused filament fabrication (FFF) and other extrusion-based printing techniques. All three IROPRINT® additive manufacturing product lines have been optimized for the production of footwear components and are easy to use and print, offering advanced abrasion resistance, elongation and tear strength. For radiation-cured forms of printing such as SLA or DLP, IROPRINT® R resins also offer a long pot life and quick cure capabilities. Speaking at the K preview on We d n e s d a y 3 J u l y, w h e r e


Huntsman unveiled its IROPRINT® additive manufacturing platform, S t e ph a ne Pe y s s on , G loba l Business Development Manager at Huntsman Polyurethanes, said: “Our innovation incubation team worked in close cooperation with end-users and industry leaders to develop our IROPRINT® additive manufacturing product portfolio. Together, we looked closely at what makes a good 3D printing material, and what’s been missing from the market to date. We believe the launch of our IROPRINT® additive manufacturing portfolio fills a gap that exists for a range of functional, durable, yet softer 3D printing materials, which are technology agnostic, and both economical and easy to print - whatever your preferred production technique.” “Ahead of the launch of the range, we’ve been building relationships with key technology partners, which in turn work with some of the biggest footwear brands

in the world. Further down the line we see huge opportunities for our IROPR IN T ® addit ive manufac tur ing mater ia ls in other sectors of the 3D printing market, from components for the automotive industry to objects for Internet of Things (IoT)

applications. It is a n i n c r e d i b l y e xc it ing t ime to be in the additive m a n u f a c t u r i n g m a r k e t , w i t h estimates suggesting the sec tor is set to grow by more than 20% by 2024. We look for ward t o d i s c u s s i n g t h e l a u n c h o f our IROPR I N T ® a d d i t i v e m a n u f a c t u r i n g p l a t f o r m w i t h a nyone ac t ive ly i nvolve d i n 3D printing at the main

K show in October.” Find out more about Huntsman’s I R O P R I N T ® a d d i t i v e manufacturing range at K 2019 by visiting Stand 22 in Hall 8a.

PRODUCT NEWS


PRODUCT NEWS

Texon Develops New Material to Deliver Enhanced Structural Support in Vulcanised Shoes

HONG KONG – 16 July 2019 - Texon, a market leader in the development

of eco-friendly, structural materials for the global footwear industry, has launched Texon Vulcan – an exciting product that can provide extra shape and enhanced levels of support in vulcanised shoes, and contains up to 50% recycled fiber content. A n e x c e l l e n t a l t e r n a t i v e to t rad it iona l r ubbe r hee l reinforcements, Texon Vulcan is a non-woven polyester felt with strong performance properties. Designed to create sturdy yet comfortable heel counters, this lightweight material was developed as a result of in-depth research into the key issues associated with vulcanised shoes. Impregnated with a spec ia l thermoplastic that increases its shape-retention and firmness, Texon Vulcan delivers exceptional structural support at a significantly thinner gauge – helping footwear manufacturers achieve a slimmer heel profile and deliver a tighter topline that fits neatly around the wearer’s heel. Offering excellent shape definition during processing, Texon Vulcan also performs well over time. Less prone to slumping and sagging, it enables canvas shoes to retain their form for longer - increasing product

longevity, consumer comfort and satisfaction levels.

Matt Smith, Group Sales Director at Texon, said: “Texon Vulcan is groundbreaking in terms of the significantly improved physical properties that it offers, and the amount of recycled fiber that it uses. Firmer and more resilient than rubber counters, which are typically soft and can lose their shape relatively quickly, Texon Vulcan helps overcome the age-old problem of sagging in vulcanised shoes, which can result in a canvas upper collapsing. The launch of Texon Vulcan reinforces our capabilities as a leader in innovative, sustainable, structural materials for the footwear industry a nd w i l l op e n up sizable new commercial opportunities in this i mp or t a nt pa r t o f the global footwear industry.” Texon Vulcan is available in sheet form, or pre-cut, as a net, waste-free material – further adding to its sustainability credentials. Engineered to withstand the high t e m p e r a t u r e s a n d pressures experienced in autoc lave ovens during the vulcanisation joining process, Texon Vulcan is supplied with

an EVA adhesive coating that bonds to most leathers, synthetic leathers, fabrics and lining materials. Texon Vulcan is also compatible with latex cement. Texon Vulcan is available alongside Texon Uno, Texon’s existing product for toe puffs for the vulcanised footwear market.


INTERVIEW

An Interview with Mr. Rahul Gautam, CMD, SFL

Mr. Rahul Gautam, CMD, SFL

Sheela Foam Ltd. growth through strategic acquisitions

PU Today: Congratulations to Sheela Foam & you for the latest acquisition in Europe. Can you tell us a little more about it?

Mr. Rahul Gautam: We are happy with this acquisition. Both companies have shared values & believe in technology as a differentiation in market.

PU Today: Why did you choose Spain?

Mr. Rahul Gautam: Spain is strategically located. Interplasp is ideally situated in a port city. It is well located for material supplies inside Europe, North Africa and the American Continent. It also enjoys

a relatively low manufacturing cost and highly skilled manpower. As USA is looking for partner countries outside China, this will be a great opportunity, waiting to unfold in coming years.

PU Today: Any Synergies that you see between your operations in India & Australia with the acquisition.

Mr. Rahul Gautam: The major synergies will eventually come from size. However, the immediate benefit will f low from similar manufactur ing technologies, I n c r e a s e d R o w M a t e r i a l consumption and cross learnings of var ious grades in var iable pressure foaming.

PU Today: It is said that cultural integration is a key to business success. How comfortable are you on this aspect & what are you planning to do to manage this?

Mr. Rahul Gautam: We have good experience of Trans-border management for past 15 years in managing the outstation business. Spanish people are committed & easy going. The top management all speak English. Above all we have known them over 3 years with several people exchanges and mutual collaboration.

PU Today: How do you leverage this acquisition to stimulate growth of SFL in general? Also,


INTERVIEW

how does Interplasp gain from this acquisition?

Mr. Rahul Gautam: Transfer of Variable Pressure Foaming (VPF) experience will be beneficial to SFL especially in the Bedding sector. This technology will unleash development of new products &

functionalities not seen before in Industry. It will be a differentiation in the market making S F L d i s t i n c t f r o m competition. Interplasp gains from Technical grades of foams they are currently in expanding into.

PU Today: We understand that there will be a Business continuity in the European Operations, can you please elaborate.

M r . R a h u l G a u t a m : T h e management team remains the same. The operations and sales will continue to function as usual and the customers will experience a l l t he s y ne rg y adva nt ages only. Technical development & other resources support will be adequately provided. Governance

will be a put in place to enable growth.

PU Today: Thanks a lot for your time & valuable insight.

Mr. Rahul Gautam: Thanks to IPUA & PU Today for interviewing us. We are bullish on this acquisition and hope the integration happens well ahead of planned time lines.


TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Sustainability with Bioplastics

AUGUST, 2019

About bioplastics

The prefix “bio” for plastics i s u s e d f o r b o t h t h e characteristics “bio-based”

and “biodegradable.” Bio-based plastics are made partially or entirely of renewable raw materials, but they are not necessar ily biodegradable. Biodegradability is dependent on the molecular structure of the plastic rather than the raw mater ials used to make it. For example, bio-based PE (polyethylene) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) are just as non-biodegradable as their fossil-based equivalents, while plastics made from bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) are biodegradable. Plastics made from crude oil can also be biodegradable: After a certain period of time under specific temperature, oxygen and moisture conditions, and with the help of microorganisms or fungi, they biodegrade into water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and biomass.

Certified compostable bioplastics are fully biodegradable and are part of the family of bioplastics. Cer t i f icat ion to recog ni zed s t a nda rds ensures t hat t he proper t y of biodegradat ion, meaning consumption of the polymer by microorganisms is in evidence, actually occurs and leaves no residues except small amounts of CO2, water and biomass, after the biodegradation process. This process is completely biological in nature. Independent inst itutes test bioplast ics in

special certification procedures with respect to biodegradability, compostability, compost quality and plant compatibility. Only when a material meets the clearly defined test criteria may it be identified as certified compostable. Examples of these Standards are EN 13432, ASTM D6400, AS 4736, ISO 17088 or in the case of India, IS:ISO:17088.

The end of l i fe where t h is microorganic activity takes place is organics recycling, such as composting or anaerobic digestion. Examples of organics that can be recycled are food waste, wet waste, green or yard waste, where the organic material and the certified compostable product, is transformed into a nutrient r ich compost or organic soil amendment, as a result of the biodegradation process.

Certified compostable bioplastics have an advantage in that they can be processed on the same plastic processing equipment as conventional plastics, hence the existing plastic processing companies or plastic flexible film makers do not have to invest on additional infrastructure to manufacture these items out of cer t if ied compostable raw materials.

BASF and bioplastics

ecof lex® and ecovio®, certified

compostable polymers, represent an innovation within the BASF plastics portfolio. With ecoflex, BASF has since 1998 a certified compostable plastic based on petrochemicals. Under certain conditions, such as those found in compost in industrial composting facilit ies, ecof lex and ecovio degrade within a few weeks. ecovio is the first BASF plastic based on PLA (Polylactic acid), a material which is produced from the renewable raw material corn. ecoflex® and ecovio® are produced at BASF’s Verbund manufacturing site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Additionally, since 2013, BASF has offered its customers the option of replacing fossil feedstock in its integrated production with renewable resources. With this process, renewable raw materials can be used as feedstock in BASF’s existing production and then allocated to the respective sales products.

Policy considerations

Policymakers and industry are looking to the bio-economy to provide answers to a key question of the 21st centur y. The G7 countries have launched related init iat ives and some have introduced very decisive strategies. The U.S. government, for e x ample, publ ished t he National Bioeconomy Blueprint in 2012, which declared bioscience


TECHNICAL ARTICLE

research and commercialization as a “major driver” of American economic growth. That same year, Japan passed its Biomass Industrialization Strategy, an action plan which sets out seven initiatives with clear timelines and targets. Japan’s policies aim to advance the development of new biorefinery technologies as well as biological resources such as microalgae. The medium-term focus is on new industrial technologies, while the short-term priority is securing bio-based energy supplies.

Market demand and applications European Bioplastics, the main industry body for the bioplastics industry in Europe, forecasts that the market for bioplastics in 2022 will be approximately 2,440 KT. Of this approximately 1086 KT will be certified compostable, fully biodegradable materials and the balance will be bio-based, non-biodegradable materials, roughly 1354 KT.

Some examples of key markets for the adoption of cer t if ied compostable bioplastics will be waste bags (carry bags, garbage bags, bin liners) for food or wet waste. Additionally, packaging that today is non-recyclable or is destined for landfill, can be substituted by certified compostable products that enable the packaging to be recovered through organics rec yc l ing processes suc h as composting or anaerobic digestion to provide a much-needed product for agricultural soils.

Additionally, ecovio®, for example,

proves it s advantages in the agriculture sector.

With ecovio® M 2351, BASF offers a cer tif ied soil-biodegradable plastic for mulch films consisting of the biodegradable co-polyester polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) ecof le x ® a nd ot he r biodegradable polymers, made from renewable raw materials. Mulch films made of ecovio® M 2351 can be ploughed into the soil after l harvest, as naturally occurring micro-organisms in the soil recognize the structure of the film as food they can metabolize. This means that PBAT biologically biodegrades in the soil and does not remain there as microplastic as PE does. ecovio® M 2351 was the first material to be certified as soil-biodegradable according to the European standard DIN EN 17033. Current situation in India

18 states in India have already banned carry bags, table wares items, straws, single usage items etc., made of conventional, non-biodegradable plastics, (PE, PP, PS, PVC, etc.). The most recent examples being Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu. In fact, states like Tamil Nadu have been progressive in adopting new technologies like certified compostable plastics. More states need to encourage such environment friendly technologies, as they are beneficial ecologically, socially, and technically since the products from compostable plastics can be produced on the same plastic processing equipment, thus securing jobs.

As per latest approval status by Central Pollution Control Board

(CPCB) India update, http://cpcb.nic.in/certified_manufactures-sellers/, there are very few companies which are approved to supply certified compostable plastics. Thus, there is a significant gap between the total demand & supply.

As per Rule No 4(h) of PWM Rules f rom Gover nment of India, cer t if ied compostable plastics are exempted from the thickness rule. Any company selling this product shall conform to the Indian Standard IS:ISO 17088:2008 for their products meaning granting of license to sell certified compostable materials in the Indian marketplace requires testing by CIPET, and approval by CPCB upon receipt of the results from CIPET, post testing.

It is ev ident that the plast ic processors currently engaged in processing conventional non-biodegradable plastics (PE, PP, PS, PVC) will have to shift from current materials to certified compostable plastics to make single usage items like shopping bags, carry bags etc. However, the long process of approval affects the timeliness of processors/ manufacturers in adopt ing such innovat ive technologies. The process currently takes considerable t ime (in individual cases, may take up to approximately 9 months).

The compa nie s engaged in producing certified compostable products are working & promoting this solution. BASF is one of the leading company engaged in the advocacy of such solutions, working with various certification bodies to create a smooth road for this industry.


TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Polyurethanes’ usefulness in preserving our Environment

Welcome to the New Sustainability Era

To t h e c o n s c i e n t i o u s professionals of this world, it is beyond any doubt whatsoever

that the earth and its fullness thereof have entered into a new phase in existence, or rather, a new lease of life! Almost all leading companies globally, including the chemical industries’ giants, have seemingly taken oath to transform the future into a sustainable one. Happily def ined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we all expect to complete the transformation when we step into the other side of the timeframe of 2016 to 2030.

Our nation is not to be left behind in this glorious metamorphosis! Clean India Green India. Bring the Change, you want to see in the world. —Mahatma Gandhi saying was resurrected in a powerful way through the Government leadership since 2014. What does this sentence mean? It means that if we will keep our surroundings clean, we will have a green surroundings. This is the beginning of the journey which recently saw bans on plastics and unprecedented awareness of non-degradable polymer litter in the environment.

While it is a race against time for most of the polymer industry, the reader and lover of Polyurethanes will be rest assured that your industry has taken a leadership role in preserving, nay, enhancing the environment.

Observe the perspective: Global consumption of polyurethane r aw m ate r i a l s a mou nte d to approximately 16.9 million metric tons in 2017 (defined as follows: MDI 6.7mt, TDI 2.3mt, polyether-polyols 7.9mt). Global consumption of polyether and polyester polyols in 2016 was around 7.9 million metric tons.

True, Polyurethanes are based on oil, a finite resource. However, the product qualities of polyurethanes are such that they help to conserve many resources, while at the same time safeguarding high and ever increasing standards of living. This is the character of sustainable innovation and polyurethanes are in no way behind any of the other remarkable materials which have helped in preserving our planet. And they have been doing this for 82 long years!

In shor t , w it h rega rd to t he env i ronment , poly u re t ha nes actively help fight climate change in a number of ways:

• As ef fect ive insulating foam materials in myriad forms, they improve the energy efficiency of buildings and reduce the need for heating and cooling, thereby lowering carbon emissions. While today about 40% of fossil fuels are dueling with the environment to help us stay comfortable in buildings, the use of insulation materials ensure substantial energy savings, reduction in CO2, and reduced global warming.

• In vehicles, not only do they ensure comfort and safety, but also enhanced fuel efficiency, because they are lighter than alternative materials. Increasing numbers of vehicle manufacturers are smartly cutting down the weight of their products through using lightweight but strong polyurethanes. Ranging between 30 and 50kg/m3 density, polyurethane foams use a minimum of raw materials yet retain their strength and durability. The resulting weight loss yields substantial savings in fuel consumption and hence CO2 emissions without compromising quality.

Domestic refrigeration use only polyurethane as an insulator and have been the primary reason for preventing the emission of nearly 3 billion tons of Green House Gases due to potential food decomposition in their absence. Improving the eco-design of appliances by the use of polyurethanes thus allows us to live modern and comfortable lives in an energy-efficient manner. Moreover, better cooling preserves more food – another valuable and sometimes scarce resource – from premature deterioration.

The quest to improve the end-of-life phase of its products to achieve even greater sustainability is at a frenzy pace. Landfills are no longer an option. Many existing projects demonstrate that recovery schemes reduce the volume of polyurethane waste going to landfill. Indeed, more than 250,000 tons of polyurethanes from European sources alone are


TECHNICAL ARTICLE


TECHNICAL ARTICLE

recycled and recovered every year. Furthermore, use of polyurethane waste for power generation in municipal solid waste incineration decreases the need for fossil fuels.

Century of Breakthroughs

This pic ture indeed paints a thousand words but we will focus more on the last decade.

Decade of Breakthroughs2008:

Plastics make their mark in agricultural engineering

This year saw the example from the commercial vehicles industry involving the two side panels and tailgate of the “Jaguar Green Eye” forage harvester from Claas KGaA mbH in Harsewinkel, Germany. Each of the moulded par ts is manufactured in a single shot from the flame-retardant, microcellular polyurethane system Baydur® 110 from Bayer MaterialScience, now called Covestro, supplied by the BaySystems BÜFA system house.

The excellent f low characteristics and low cavity pressure impose virtually no restrictions on the geometric design of the moulded parts, especially in the edge and interior areas.

The benef its of polyurethanes over conventional materials such as glass fibre reinforced plastics or sheet moulding compounds

become particularly apparent when manufacturing large mouldings with complex interior surfaces.

This was landmark in the journey of the automotive and commercial vehicles industry in moving away from sheet steel in bodywork parts and embracing high-performance plastics. What are the benefits? Greater freedom of design and lower weight, coupled with cost-effectiveness in production not least. Manufacturers are currently trending on producing larger and larger parts in a single moulding process. The success of composite lies in combining the various parts of the assembly. The possibility of integrating additional

functions and components in the mould, means they can cut both costs and manufacturing time. Tailor-made polyurethane systems make it possible to produce even large components with complex structures such as undercuts and ribbing in a single shot with no need for post- treatment.

Fur t her more t he l ig ht weig ht

characteristics of polyurethane compa re d w i t h s ome me t a l alternatives mean that vehicles are increasingly fuel efficient and therefore help reduce their impact on the environment.

Ten years later, they inevitably become indispensable when you design electric or solar cars! Earlier this year, a bunch of students from APSIT in Thane wrote history when they used PIR as fire shield in their award-winning solar car designed at home. The edge in getting that extra mile was obtained through such valuable contributions.

Sleepers that support tracks


TECHNICAL ARTICLE

What has better dimensional and weather stability than wood, and is lighter than concrete? The Japanese at the cutting edge of material innovation converted the dream of railroad builders into reality as early as 2008. The industry is turning increasingly to polyurethane composite marketed under the name Eslon Neo Lumber FFU from SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO. LTD., Tokyo as the material of choice for manufacturing the ties or sleepers that are used to support railroad tracks. Why? Far greater durability of the ties and the correspondingly lower lifecycle costs. In Tokyo, plastic ties have been in service for more than a quarter of a century. They have been laid, for example, under the track for the Shinkansen high-speed train, and the FFU (Fiber reinforced Foamed Urethane) polyurethane ties have now been premiered in Germany.

Ability to withstand high mechanical loads, dimensional stability and weather-resistance over a long period to comply with the conditions for safe rail operation and low maintenance costs are all the flying features of polyurethane composites. Frequent temperature changes, radiation and moisture start to affect wooden ties after a relatively short time, and repairing the wooden track involves a considerable amount of material, time, organization and cost. In comparison polyurethane ties have an estimated service life of at least 50 years. With considerably longer maintenance cycles and associated cost benefits for the railroad operator, individual ties can be replaced quickly and accurately, helping to lower construction costs even further.

The f le x ura l s t reng t h of t he

polyurethane ties is also very much higher than that of wood, even after 15 years, the material is also suitable for the construction of high-speed tracks.

The polyurethane material looks like wood and combines all the positive properties of the natural product with those of a modern composite product. The polyurethane ties can be processed in the same way as timber, and compared with concrete, the polyurethane material weighs much less and boasts the reproducible evenness that is important with turnouts. The polyurethane ties are also very suitable for bridges due to their lightweight and they can be manufactured in virtually any desired length and cross-section up to a current maximum of 9.60 meters.

The ecological compatibility of the polyurethane ties is also an advantage. As a rule, ties that have already been in service can be reused, or can be recycled in the same way as the production scrap.The polyurethane system based on long-fiber reinforced Baydur® 60 integral skin foam comes from Sumika Bayer Urethane Co., Ltd., the Japanese polyurethane systems house in Bayer MaterialScience’s global BaySystems® network.

Polyurethane in railroad t ies, increases durability, safety and decreases cost.

2010Saving time, space and money

Avoiding both a “double wall structure”, whereby the insulation is enclosed between two walls, and a single wall structure with additional external insulation,

Elastogran invented an alternative – the polyurethane r igid foam Elastopor® H filling.

Elastogran’s insulation structure is made from hollow bricks which have the thermal insulation - Elastopor® H - already built into the bricks. The bricks are made from lias clay, which is formed into ceramic clay interspersed with air, and its cavity is then filled with Elastopor® H, replacing mineral wool and perlite earlier used. Elastopor® H actually improves the level of insulation. What’s more, this method saved a considerable amount of space.

As well as being easier and cheaper to construct, the Elastopor® H has also proved to be more effective insulator than others that are available on the market. This is because Elastopor® H boasts the following properties:

• Negligible water absorption – important for stable building structures;

• No leakage of the insulation providing for a long-lasting and reliable structure;

• Rapid cycle times allowing the rapid circulation of heat around a building – an efficient heating method;

• Manageable investments in industrial and building systems;


TECHNICAL ARTICLE

• Lower requirement for heat energy which saves energy and reduces costs and;

• Extremely low heat conductivity. Heat conductivity is the property of a material that indicates its ability to conduct heat. A material with low heat conductivity provides effective insulation which in turn improves the energy efficiency and the noise control within a building. Over the recent years we have witnessed a rise in energy costs – a trend which has pushed the building materials industry to focus increasingly on heat conductivity. Elastopor® H boasts extremely low heat conductivity which is why it is such an attractive alternative to other insulating materials.

Elastogran’s insulation satisfies both architects and builders alike and is used in a wide range of applications. It is yet another example of the sustainability and comfort that poly urethane prov ides, while reducing heating costs and requiring little investment.

Ecofriendly solar fridges

Swaziland is one of the world’s poorest nations since over 60% of its population lives on less than 1 euro a day. About 75% of the population is employed in subsistence farming, working in dispersed villages and growing their own food. High temperatures, and poor availability of electricity, were catalysts to food loss to alarming extents.

A long c a me Pa l f r idge L t d . , a l e a d i n g m a nu f a c t u r e r o f refrigerating appliances based in Swaziland, and developed an eco-fr iendly refr igeration solution. Using raw materials from Bayer

MaterialScience, the company started manufacturing appliances with very thick-walled insulation made of rigid polyurethane foams. Used in most refrigerating appliances across the world, polyurethane foams provide outstanding insulation properties.

The Palfridge appliances can keep ingredients cool up to five days without electricity, at temperatures exceeding 40°C. These appliances are also equipped with 90 Watt solar modules, which are a great help in powering refrigeration appliances in hot countries. Altogether these dev ices boost e f f ic ienc y and consume significantly less energy than conventional refrigerators.

Suc h long-te r m re f r ige rat ion solutions for food and medical treatments are desperately needed and the bonus of Palfridge’s a p p l i a n c e s m a k i n g a s m a l l contribution t o c l i m a t e p r o t e c t i o n , by reduc ing e m i s s i o n s o f g a s e s c o n t a i n i n g f luor i ne to 29,000 metric

t o n s o f c a r b o n dioxide equivalents per year is a great boon!

2011M a k i n g polyurethane from CO2

Reducing man-made CO2 is one of the mo s t i mp or t a nt

priorities of our era in order to reverse climate change and avoid environmental dramas and preserve biodiversity.

CO2 is a waste gas and indeed a key contributor to climate change, and so far it was scientif ically impossible to make good use of carbon dioxide, the only two options were to limit emissions or to store CO2 underground.

But after many years of intensive research, scientists have found a way to use CO2 as an alternative to petroleum as the chemical industry’s key source of the element carbon.

The biggest constraint for the industrial use of CO2 was the absence of a catalyst allowing its use as a raw material substituting petroleum. But


TECHNICAL ARTICLE

the solution was found by Bayer and Aachen University scientists, with support from the German state and federal governments, and the CAT Catalytic Centre.

Together they were able to find a chemical precursor (catalyst) into which CO2 is incorporated and then processed into polyurethanes, which are used in thousands of everyday applications.

This important discovery led Bayer to start a pilot project and on 17 February 2011; the first plant opened in Leverkusen, Germany. The plant uses carbon dioxide from partner RWE to produce polyurethane foams.

The new process helps to boost sustainability in a number of different ways. CO2 will be used as a resource instead of being merely disposed of as waste in the future. But it may also be used as a substitute of petroleum for the chemical industry.

W hat ’s more , poly u re t ha nes themselves play a significant role in reducing energy consumption and protecting the climate. When used to insulate buildings from cold and heat, they can save approximately 70 times more energy than is used in their production.

Today, CO2-based polyols are already marketed which are used for the production of soft polyurethane foam especially for use in mattresses and upholstered furniture. Besides this, the new polyols are suitable for the production of thermoplastic urethanes (TPUs) as well as so-called CASE products (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants and Elastomers). Products containing CO2 as an

alternative raw material meet the increasing environmental awareness and growing demand of many consumers for sustainable products. The industry is already showing great interest in the new product and the technology.

The new method conserves resources because CO2 replaces a fossil raw material (propylene oxide) and thus crude oil to a certain extent. Furthermore, the process has the potential to contribute towards climate protection, although this is relatively small due to the absolute quantities. The innovative Polyols based on CO2/EO can be used in the production of rigid polyurethane foam and molded foam.

2012Polyurethane innovation in the wind power industry

The European Union has set a binding target of 20 per cent of its energy supply to come from renewable sources by 2020; in order to achieve this target, more than one-third of European electrical demand will have to come from renewables. Wind power is expected to deliver 14-18 per cent of demand; delivering on these targets relies on the ever improving standards for

efficiency and reliability of wind power.

One of the current challenges for the wind power industry is the weight of turbine blades. Currently, larger blades are needed to generate sufficient levels of power, however, they are also more easily damaged and harder to transport. Research teams have been racing to develop w i nd t u r bi ne bl ade s w h ic h utilise the unique advantages of polyurethane.

P re v iou s ly, g la s s re i n force d polyurethane composites have been used for products including agricultural equipment, heavy-duty construction equipment and watercraft. These recent blades have adapted this polyurethane material to the specific requirements of wind turbines. The prototype blades have proven in preliminary tests to be eight times more durable, tougher and substantially lighter than conventional models such as epoxy or vinyl ester blades.

The lighter, stiffer blades enabled by the usage of polyurethane allow us to maximise energy production as it permits the construction of larger wind turbines. As the blades also improve on levels of fatigue


TECHNICAL ARTICLE

and fracture toughness, it ensures the blades ability to withstand the stress of high winds. These bigger, stronger blades in turn capture greater amounts of wind energy compared to traditional turbines. According to EWEA, “the blades should [also] be economically feasible, using sustainable materials”; t he poly u re t ha ne protot y pe contains “ low, or no, volat ile organic compounds (VOCs) and use sustainable raw materials from renewable resources”. Studies on the prototype have shown that the technology “can even be “retrofitted into existing designs at minimal cost”.

The world’s total wind electricity capacity grew 50 times in the period 1990-2007 and predictions are increases over the 2008 level of 10-fold by 2030 and 20-fold by 2050. In 2009 the EU produced 163 TWh of wind power; this meant 106 million tons less of CO2, the equivalent to taking 25% of cars in the EU off the road and enough to power 82 million electric cars! Progress in the industry will inevitably be a combination of research in a variety of technical areas; polyurethane, however, prov ides a va luable contribution in optimising wind power technology.

We all know too well to repeat here the story of the Covestro wind blade made through the infusion process in China – the world’s longest and all set to commercialize with globe-saving repercussions! (We may add a couple of lines here anyway!)

2015Innovation Cubed

Innovation seemed to have entered a phase where it was driven by

regulation and sustainable business in the light of over whelming challenges facing the world! The highlights of the year c learly indicated this trend.

Honeywell’s winning entry at the 2015 Polyurethanes Technical Conference in Orlando brought this excellent remark: “Our finalists this year brought more than technical advancements-they delivered an inspiring reminder of the virtually limitless potential polyurethane materials hold,” said Lee Salamone, senior director of CPI. Honeywell’s Solstice® LBA is a special formulation designed to signif icantly lower global warming potential (GWP) and improve energy efficiency while retaining non-ozone-depleting characteristics.

The other f inalist s were Dow Chemical ’s VOR ASTAR™ 7000 spray elastomer, which represents a novel class of hydrophobic, alcohol terminated polymer resins that can be formulated as spray applied polyurea coatings, and Novomer’s Converge® Polyol RF-x polyisocyanurate rigid (PIR) foams, which represent an optimized material that allows foam manufacturers to process PIRs with traditional equipment and processing conditions while still benefiting from properties derived f rom polypropylene carbonate polyols.

Honeywell ’s Solstice® LBA is a polyurethane foam blowing agent used in insulation applications, including in appliances and spray foam, enabling the attainment of higher energy standards. Solstice® LBA can also help better insulate trucks, containers and ships used to transport cold cargo like food and liquefied natural gas. Moreover,

it can help reduce climate impact, improve energy efficiency and create jobs.

2017Sustainable polyurethanes and the bio economy

Biomass-based products as enablers for producing chemicals for polymer synthesis can lead the way in developing the bio-economy until it reaches the scale where fuel production becomes economically feasible. It is believed that profits from the value-added products can be used to fund future construction and justify infrastructure improvements.

The development of polyurethanes made using renewable biomass carbon from natural oils, sugars or waste carbon dioxide has come to the forefront of providing replacement to petroleum derived products.

Polyols can be made from a number of biomass der ived mater ia ls including natural oils like: castor, palm and soy oil; and sugars like: adipic and succinic acids. Materials with a performance rivaling or exceeding petroleum-based products are available. Sustainable polyols are currently capable of replacing 33-55% of the petrochemical in polyurethanes. Several companies are blending the natural oils with recyc led mater ials to produce materials with significantly higher “green” carbon contents. Substituting biomass derived cyanates allows the production of 100% renewable polymers.

What is the impact on environmental carbon of renewable polyurethane? In 2014, 12 mi l l ion tons of poly urethanes were produced worldwide as compared to 4,700


million tons of crude oil. A complete shift to renewable polyols would have less than 0.3% impact on crude oil use. Clearly, the major drivers for moving to biomass derived materials have to be their low cost and performance; although government regulation and consumer preference are playing an increasing role for some applications like automobile interiors and footwear.

A number of companies including Verdezyne, BioAmber, Celexion, and Genomatica began developing fermentation based processes for the production of adipic acid, which is used for the production of polyurethanes. Current complexity and environmental costs of the chemical route to adipic ac id through cyclohexane oxidation from high-priced fossil feedstock provided a significant margin that can justify the cost of fermentation. However, once the prices crashed, the companies had to wind up. Today, only Genomatica stands. Rennovia invented a process that starts with C-6 sugars and converts them to adipic acid and other compounds via chemical methods. The process was reported to be economical using non cellulosic market priced sugars and is likely lower in cost than fermentation processes. Today, Rennovia is no more.

Carbion, Myriant and Reverdia are developing bio mass derived succinic acid. Recent work has shown that polyurethanes prepared with succinic acid have some attractive properties when compared with those made with adipic acid and other polyols. It is possible that succinic acid based polyurethanes

could compete with adipic acid mater ials. However, there are other markets for the succinic acid and polyurethane use will not be major driver for developing the biosynthetic route to the chemical.

2019

This apparent struggle seems to be giving birth to another new phase in the development of sustainable innovation.

A new one where multidisciplinary interactions and collaborations are being mined to take the preservation to the next level is being shaped. • D i g i t i z a t i o n i s c r o s s i n g

boundaries to make molecules react in a thousand ways and new chemistries to be conjured, not in a physical lab but in the digital one!

• University-industry-government collaborations are peaking to a crescendo as bright young talent decides to stay in India and work things out in our spruced up labs.

What is the impact we can already feel?

Two innovative companies in India – one many years old and the other just born – are actively promoting agr icultural waste as dr y wall panel material for the affordable housing, warehousing and furniture segments. They all are exploring ways in which either polyurethanes or its powerful raw materials may be used to further extend the durability of the agricultural raw material as well as get rid of the hazardous pollution through its unprofitable combustion. Conclusion

Ever since the arrival of the now ubiquitous polyurethanes, the world has changed. Along with the benefits of comfort and safety, polyurethanes have multitasked as enduring and preserving. The world is yet to see its full aura. As challenges increase, tougher materials meet them ably purely on the merit of their performance and flair. And once bitten by polyurethanes, you a r e a l w a y s s m i t t e n b y polyurethanes! From construction to automotive to appliances to soft furniture to footwear, polyurethanes save the day!

Dr. Yogendra Chauhan is Head – Commercial Operations, BU PUR,

Covestro (India) Pvt. Ltd. has multifarious skills from over 18

years of experience. With a Ph.D. in Industrial Chemistry, he has

lead teams on collaborating external partners/

designers, strategic programs scoping, designing,

structuring and successful implementation,

innovation project and product portfolio

development and management.

TECHNICAL ARTICLE


STATUS REPORT

Polyurethane Recycling – Indian Perspective

By Snehalata Agashe & Priya Fonseca

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. These are not just buzzwords anymore. People from all

walks of life, including young children, are understanding the devastating effects of climate change and the importance of altering behaviours to ensure a sustainable future. While Indians are attentive and informed about the three Rs, it is the last R that is ga ining impor tance wit h Indian industr y. With regard to the polyurethane industr y specifically, recycling of polymeric material has always been an area of concern. The very factors that make polymers an attractive option for varied applications such as higher mechanical properties, better solvent resistance and special high temperature requirements, pose difficulties when it comes to their degradation and disposal.

Polyurethane being the 6th most used polymer all over the world, with a production of 18 million tons per year, is still produced in comparatively small quantity suc h a s approx imate ly 635 Kilotons/year with two segments, namely, footwear and slab stock, contributing to more than 50% of the entire market in India.

The major generation of waste in India is contributed by footwear and rigid foams, besides flexible foam. The scrap or waste generated by the f lexible foam industries

are consumed by re-bonded foam producers. The polyurethane flexible foam scrap is available in the market at a low rate in the range Rs.6/Kg to Rs.25/Kg depending upon the quality and the density. This is then used for making re-bonded sheets, f loor mattings, carpet underlay etc. Though recycling of f lex ible foam is not a concern as of now, multinationals such as Covestro (India) Pvt. Ltd. have proactively joined hands with Soft Landing, China to take part in their mattress recycling movement1.

Traditionally, three methods are used for waste management of polyurethane materials: 1. Landfill (not recommended)2. Incineration 3. Recycling

Landfill

Bacteria present in the soil in natural conditions, cannot degenerate polyurethane scrap. This has led to waste material piling up in landfills. Local legislation had to promulgate rules prohibiting the means of land disposal.

Incineration

Incineration as a means of recycling of polyurethane waste occupies an important position. With 86% of

the world’s oil, coal and gas being burnt for energy, there is a strong case for partial substitution of the energy resources with waste plastics.

Incineration has been identified as the most appropriate waste management option. The modern technology can now ensure that emissions from waste combustion plants are safely managed.

Polyurethanes have a recoverable energy value comparable to that of coal and less than that of fuel oil. Trials with an addition of 2% by weight of polyurethanes (which can be more than 30% by volume) have been carried out with flexible and r igid polyurethane foam waste with very good results. An additional advantage is that the incineration process reduces the polyurethane foam waste to 1% or less of its original volume which strongly reduces the need for landfill. Both current and future emissions standards can also be met when polyurethanes are burnt using other combustion techniques and these are becoming available for commercial applications in co-combustion processes such as: • In power s t at ions , where polyurethanes are used as co-fuel and substitute for coal.• As co-fuel for cement kilns.


STATUS REPORT

• As co-fuel for industrial boilers. The primary challenge with this process is that if the incineration process is incomplete, combustion will produce poisonous gas which pollutes the atmosphere. Therefore the method may be phased out gradually. Mechanical Recycling

Polyurethanes can be frequently

recycled by mechanical recycling. There are several methods such as regrinding, adhesive pressing, i n j e c t i o n m o u l d i n g , a n d compression moulding etc. by which the polyurethane waste can be recycled. Many chemical industr ies in India are actually recycling the polyurethane scrap by mechanical recycling. The diverse areas of application of polyurethane, places several opportunities for its mechanical recycling. For example, textile scrap or waste can be embedded with poly urethane waste to make designer purses and useful accessories. Polyurethane waste can be shredded in a particular particle size and using different binders can be converted into

tiles, bricks, etc. Many small and medium sized enterprises in India are involved in such activities2.

The recycling efforts are being approached in a f ragmented manner by individual industry. The need of the hour is to get the polyurethane industry educated and energised about making India free of polyurethane waste.

Fig 1: The tile samples and the brick sample prepared by Jay Elastomer Pvt.Ltd.

Fig 2: Textile scrap and PU scrap together can make designer accessories

Chemical Recycling Hydrolysis, glycolysis, amylolysis and phosphorolysis are the four major pathways to accomplish chemical recycling of polyurethane material. Glycolysis is the most popular as the product obtained can be directly used as feedstock for new polyurethane material preparat ion a long w it h t he v i r g in raw mate r ia l . Ma ny

chemical companies have devised methodologies t o d e p ol y me r i s e t he polyurethane waste to obtain the feedstock polyol globally.

H&S–Anlagentechnik has developed an innovative technology and reactor i n s t a l l a t ion s for t he


chemical conversion of f lexible and r igid polyurethane foam residues into polyol. In India this technology does not become economically viable as production volumes are low.

Chemical recycling is still in academic stage in India. Several reputed academic institutions are researching in this direction but a full-fledged chemical recycling technique which can be applied up to the production stage is yet to be achieved.

Several academic efforts are noteworthy. These include: • An article published by Institute

of Chemica l Tec hnolog y, Mumbai which reveals the use of chemical recycling technique to recover the feedstock polyols, which were further used as such for synthesizing corrosion resistant, polyurethane urea coatings3.

• A north Maharashtra group comprising Depar tment of Chemistry M. J. College, Jalgaon and Department of Chemistry, Bhusawal Art’s, Science and P. O. Na hat a C ol lege of Commerce, have put for th efforts to make comparative study of effect of different solvents in depolymerisation of PU4.

• JBLD International Private Ltd. located in New Delhi is actively working on options to resolve the issues in chemical rec yc ling of polyurethane waste. They have developed a small chemical reactor for

chemical depolymerisation of polyurethane material. They provide customised solutions for companies who approach t hem w it h poly u re t ha ne recycling issues.

Primary challenges regarding polyurethane recycling

Apart from the technology, there are several other issues to be considered while developing a method for recycling polyurethane material.

1) Transportation of scrap from collection points to the recycling operation must be considered. A reverse supply chain needs to be created to ensure the appropriate quality of scrap or waste is supplied for recycling operation.

2) Seg regat ion is a must as industrial scrap may be of the same quality and density but end-of-life waste will consist of materials of different origin, different qualities and different densities.

3) As the production of polyurethane produc t s uses di f fe rent raw materials, it is difficult to identify which item contains polyester-polyol as raw material, and which item contains polyether-polyol. The properties of the recycled polyol feedstock obtained will be different depending upon the raw materials used.

4) Large investments will be required to set up a recycling process that includes manpower, collection logistics, segregation, and eventual recycling.

For the Indian polyurethane industry, it is important to note that mechanical recycling exists. Chemical recycling is gaining importance but has yet to be accomplished. Together as an industry we will need to unite to realign goals, c reate new opportunities related to recycling and work towards sustainable waste disposal opt ions. Our future and the future of the planet depends on our actions.

Call to Action

If you have ideas for recycling polyurethane products please write in to [email protected]. IPUA welcomes your ideas and encourages all members to actively contribute to secure our future and make our country clean and green.

References:

1. https://www.covestro.com.au/en/sustainability/australia-and-new-zealand/

covestro-and-soft-landing

2. https://www.scitechnol.com/proceedings/recycle-polyurethane-foam-shoe-

sole-elastomeric-waste-redefined-to-reuse-10845.html

3. Rane, A.V., Kathalewar, M., Jamdar, V., Abitha, V.K. and Sabnis, A. (2015)

Sustainability by Converting Waste Polyurethane Foam into Superior

Polyurethane Urea Coatings. Open Access Library Journal, 2: e1533.

http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1101533

4. Mishra S.,Zope V.S., Kulkarni R.D.; (2004) Kinetics and Thermodynamics

of Hydrolytic Depolymerization of Polyurethane Foam at Higher Temperature and Pressure. Polymer-Plastics Technology

and Engineering, vol.43,4https://doi.org/10.1081/PPT-200030008

STATUS REPORT


COVER THEME

Courtsey: Peter Mawlong - Facebook - Story of Moses Today

Turning ‘Bad’ Plastics Into A Global OpportunityAuthor, Anthea Blackburn This blog was first posted by Plastic News Europe on 17/09/2018

Overcoming the ‘bad use’ of plastics

The necessary shift in our approach to overcoming our bad use of plastics is the

responsibility of all those in the plastics chain – the industry, the users, and the government. Luckily this change in mindset is already underway. Users are becoming more conscientious in their use

of multiple-use alternatives to common plastic products and the ways in which they recycle waste. Increasing numbers of mu l t i n a t ion a l c omp a n i e s , including Ikea, Coca Cola and


COVER THEME

McDonalds, have committed to ensuring that their plastics are both recyclable and compostable, a nd incor porate inc reasing proportions of recycled plastic. Several government bodies are introducing levies or bans on some of the most problematic plastic items, like bags, straws and micro beads, as well as funding of research towards recyclable alternatives. There is also significant work in many areas of the plastics industry itself to make plastics in more environmentally conscientious ways – whether in the precursors used, many of which are typically petrochemical in origin, in the efficiency of manufacture, or in their ability to be more easily recycled.

Polyurethane – A case study

Polyurethane (PU) is present in our daily lives in more ways than one might expect. This plastic, the third most widely Flexible foams add comfort to our lives in the form of memory foam mattresses.

used behind polyolefins and PVC, accounts for approximately 10% of all plastics produced, and is forecast to generate close to $80 billion worldwide by 2021, or 20 million tonnes annually (Ceskaa, 2017). Rigid foams make up the insulation in our walls, which

facilitate a decrease in heat loss of ~60% when compared to other insulative materials (Kingspan, 2018). Flexible foams add comfort to our lives in the form of memory foam mattresses. Coatings protect our clothing, wooden floors and vehicles to extend their useful life. Adhesives stop our shoes from falling apart. Elastomers make up the wheels that allow us to open drawers and ride rollercoasters. Simply put the stability and durability of PU in any one of its forms is essential in protecting us and our essential items from wear and tear and the elements.

Alternatives to PU

The production of PU is energy and petro chemically intensive process – replacing this material with alternative biodegradable/natural/energetically less demanding mater ials is a natural init ial


COVER THEME

response. Certainly, one could envisage replacing PU insulation (160 kg CO2 emitted / kgCO2e), with a less carbon intensive material like cork (-155 kgCO2e), glass fiber (8 kgCO2e), or mineral wool (38 kgCO2e) (superhomes.org.uk). In t hese e xamples , however, more than twice the material is required to prevent the same amount of heat loss as PU, so the performance of these long lifetime materials with regards to their stability, flexibility, lifetime, handling and fitness for purpose must also be evaluated. When considering natural alternatives to PU, we also mustn’t forget to factor in the environmental and societal effects of these materials, like import costs, land and water intensive agricultural demand that competes with food crops, the need for fertilizers and pesticides, or the waste profile associated with such materials. When considering each of these points, the greening of PU production becomes a superior approach to offsetting its overall carbon and environmental footprint.

The historical production of PU and its precursors was heavily dependent on volatile organic compounds and petrochemical-based feedstocks, both of which are being addressed by new and existing companies worldwide. One of the biggest contributors to the use of petrochemical-based feedstocks in PU manufacture is the polyols inherent to its chemical structure. These polymers are most commonly polyether in nature and are prepared from the catalyzed polymerisation of ethylene or propylene oxide. These epoxides

are industrially synthesized from the carbon intensive oxidation or hydrochlor inat ion of the corresponding alkenes, which is collected as a by-product of oil ref inement and which has an enormous carbon footprint. The potential replacement of some or all of this epoxides feedstock is clearly an effective approach to greening polyol production.

Using CO2 as a feedstock

An abundance of atmospheric CO2 presents another environmental issue that we currently face. It

would therefore offer a win-win situation if petrochemical-based polyol feedstocks could utilize an otherwise waste material – for every tonne of epoxides replaced by CO2, three tonnes of CO2would be avoided or utilized (Bardow, Green Chem.). Assuming 50% market adoption of such technologies, these numbers correspond to savings of ten million tonnes of CO2 a year, the equivalent to taking six million cars off the road or planting twelve million trees, that is, significant savings. Such polyols, known as polyethercarbonates, are the focus of a small, but

Existing materials need to be made ‘greener’.


COVER THEME

increasing, number of companies. These new technologies differ in the amounts of CO2 that can be incorporated into polyols, but with a theoretical maximum of 50 mol%, significant environmental advantages are clearly possible. We at Econic have taken this approach one step further: our catalyst technologies allow for the bespoke incorporation of CO2 into polyols at industrially relevant temperatures and pressures, thereby allowing polyol producers to tailor their products for their downstream PU needs. What’s more is that the incorporation of CO2 also offers significant product advantages – the resultant rigid foams have improved flame retardance, whilst coat ings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers show increases in their chemical, temperature a nd hydroly t ic re s i s t a nces . Economica l ly, waste CO2 is expected to be at least an order of magnitude cheaper than its petrochemical-based counterparts. I r re f ut able ad va nt age s a re achievable in all aspects of the production of these green polyols, benefits which are in turn passed through to the PU industry and their consumers.

Moving towards responsible plastics

Frankly speaking, we cannot, and should not, remove plastics from our lives. The positive energy and application impacts that they impart simply cannot be reproduced by natural alternatives. Manufacturers and users alike can have a huge influence on reducing the ‘bad’ impact of plastics and shifting the balance towards ‘good’.

We must urgently address how efficiently we use each plastic and move away from a ‘use and dispose’ mentality. Furthermore, plastics should be manufactured so as to not further perturb the state of our environment, but also to utilize the abundance of harmful waste products we have already created. As in the case of increasingly green PU, green and

recyclable alternatives to many of the other plastics we rely on are being developed worldwide. The issue we now face is the wait for these new technologies to be adopted on a large scale by the industry, so that the plastics products so essential to our lives move towards being responsible materials.


CROSSWORD PUZZLE


By Priya Fonseca

SPECIAL FEATURE

Nurture Nature – Adopt a Sustainable System Today To Ensure a Secure Tomorrow

The last twenty years have seen India on a path of rapid growth in terms of

industrialization and urbanization. This has come with the associated negative fall outs such as pollution and environmental degradation. The government has set into motion various initiatives with a focus to fall in line with international and domestic mitigating parameters. An example is the renewed impetus on banning plast ic that was implemented in 2018. However, industry can make systemic choices that will allow for positive and regenerative development. There is an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions if the future of the planet is to be protected. Over the years leaders, environmentalists and climate change experts have all addressed the fact that the earth is getting warmer. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane released into the atmosphere cause global warming with the main contributor being industrial burning of fossil fuels. While conservation has taken a back seat to enable industry growth, profit and the requirement of energy, several companies are now looking at ways to mitigate their carbon footprint. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundat ion led 2016 repor t , ‘Circular Economy in India: Rethinking growth for long term

prosperity,’ circular economy if adopted by India could bring annual benefits of ₹40 lakh crore in 2050 and would also reduce negative impacts. In addition greenhouse gas emissions would be 44% lower in 2050 than it was in 2016. It would also lead to a decrease in congestion and pollution that would positively benefit Indian citizens. The report states that, ‘By embarking on a circular economy transformation, India could create direct economic benef it s for businesses and citizens while reducing negative externalities.’ The research was based on economic analysis of three areas key to India’s economy and society, namely, cities and construction, food and agriculture

a nd mo bi l i t y a nd ve h ic le manufacturing.

The principles of circular economy encourage a moving away from the extractive take-make-waste industrial model. Instead the idea is to redefine growth by focusing on positive society-wide benefits. It involves separating economic activity from the using of finite resources and designing waste out of the system. The principles include a transition to renewable energy, designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. The unfolding d i g i t a l a n d t e c h nolo g i c a l transformation of the country will underline the change.


To achieve these benefits, business in India needs to lead the change. Indust r y has to get together to launch c ircular economy initiatives and reinforce efforts with policymakers. Additionally, universit ies, non-prof its and international groups could form a support network.

Global Footprint Network, an inte r nat iona l susta inabi l it y organisation, marked July 29 as this year’s Earth Overshoot Day. This signifies that humans have already used nature’s resource budget for t he ent i re yea r. Future resource security is being compromised as humanity is tearing through nature 1.75 times faster than the ecosystems on earth can regenerate. The company launched the campaign in 2006 and has been calculating the date of Ear th Overshoot Day every year going back to the early 1970s when the earth first went into ecological deficit. They offer Ecological Footprint measure and also a Footprint Calculator for individuals to calculate personal Overshoot Day. Earth Overshoot Day was first conceived by Andrew Simms of the UK think tank New Economics Foundation. In 2006, the day fell in October. The world’s largest conservation group, WWF, has participated in Earth Overshoot Day since 2007.

Concepts of Ecological Footprint, Footprint movement and carbon Footprint were founded in 1990 by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees at the University of Columbia. These measures are used extensively by sc ient is t s , gover nment s , indiv iduals , businesses and institutions that work towards monitoring ecological resources and towards the advance of sustainable development.

Photo: Footprintnetwork.org

Ecological deficit refers to the ecological footprint of a population exceeding the region’s biocapacity. Areas in ecological deficit are using fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, wood, cotton for clothing and carbon dioxide absorption at a rate that cannot be kept up by the ability of the land and sea to regenerate resources. Regions in ecological deficit end up meeting their demand by impor t ing ,

liquidating their own ecological assets (such as deforestation) and/or emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. India according to the data on Footprintnetwork,org is in biocapacity deficit. In 2016, India’s percentage that ecological Footprint exceeded biocapacity was at 173%.

This year, Global Footprint Network has launched their #MoveTheDate

campaign and invite individuals and companies to add and promote solutions that can help push the date of Earth Overshoot Day back each year. Solutions for improving sustainability exist in five main areas – cities, energy, food, planet and population. Their research shows that if the Earth Overshoot Day is moved back five days each year, humanity would reach ‘one-planet compatibility’ by 2050. That means that nature would be used

SPECIAL FEATURE


SPECIAL FEATURE

Photo: footprintnetwork.org

in line with its ability to regenerate. Interesting to note is that if fossil fuel emissions reduce by 50% the date would move by 93 days. If all the building and industry infrastructure had efficiency and renewable energy technologies, the date would move about 21 days. Deeptech start-ups are now bringing advanced science based solutions into the market. The challenge is to translate complex technologies from the laboratory to the market in a cost effective manner.

Investors , gover nments and businesses should mark July 29, 2019 not only as a reminder of what is at stake but also as an opportunity. Funding along with corporate and research collaboration is what will get science out of the lab to make a difference to the climate crisis. Corporate action is required and

the polyurethane industry can lead the way by actively making a change to the way business is conducted. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by 139 UN member states at the Sustainable Development Summit on 25th September, 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals enlisted aim to end poverty, f ight inequalit y, and tack le climate change by 2030. Some ideas the industry could adopt towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals include:

• Generate less eff luent, waste and pollutants by developing e f f ic ie nt e qu ipme nt a nd machinery.

• Use Circular Economy principles while designing products to ensure better lifecycle reuse and recycling.

• I n c o r p o r a t e i n n o v a t i v e technologies into manufacturing processes in order to reduce

waste. • M a k e e ne r g y e f f i c i e nc y

mandatory in manufacturing plants and across distribution networks.

• Create or source sustainable raw mater ials. Create new energy technologies, production methods and chemicals that reduce contamination as well as air and water pollution.

• Make product ion facilit ies resilient to extreme climatic events.

• Improve upon and share health and safety innovations and best practices with other industry stake holders to minimize risk of injury, sickness and fatality from hazardous chemicals, pollution, and industrial accidents.

• Source a larger quantity of mater ials and components locally.

• Collaborate with government and other stake holders to further opportunities.


SPECIAL FEATURE


SPECIAL FEATURE

The way Forward with arbon:

Carbon dioxide levels for the first time in human history reached 415.26 parts per million on May 11, 2019. This level of CO2 existed last about 2.5 to 5 million years ago when temperatures were 2 to 3 degrees Celsius higher than today. To limit global warming CO2 needs to be removed from the atmosphere. Carbon capturing from fossil fuel plants is one of the methods to remove CO2 and other strategies also exist such as the creation of varieties of concrete, chemicals and fuels. However, so far the methods have proved to be expensive. The challenge is to find commercial uses for the captured CO2. There are many promising uses for CO2 with building materials being the topmost. Cement production contributes to about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is due to factors such as energy required to mine, transports and prepare the raw materials. Several companies are working towards viable solutions that incorporate CO2.

Blue Planet in California uses CO2 from power plant f lue gas to create carbonate rocks that serve as a limestone substitute. This aggregate was used in the concrete for the new terminal at San Francisco airport.

Carbon Clean Solutions Limited in 2016 teamed up with Indian compa ny, Tut icor i n A l k a l i Chemicals & Fertilizers for soda ash production using captured CO2. The privately financed project

aimed to capture CO2 at just $30 per/tonne. This plant is stated to be the first industrial scale example of successful carbon capture and utilization.

Fossil fuels used in the production of organic chemicals (solvents, synthetic rubber, plastics, etc) contributes about 2 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions every year. These products can be made from CO2 but they do require outside energy to be added in the production process. The UK based company Econic have c reated catalyst technologies that bring down the amount of energy required to convert CO2 into polyols. This technology replaces half the fossil fuel based material with CO2. This allows for a 50% saving of the cost of fossil fuel raw materials that would be required for plastic production while also utilizing waste CO2. Econic polyurethanes can be used to manufacture home furnishings, insulation, structural foams, shoes, apparel, adhesives and protective coatings.

T h e C a l i f o r n i a c o m p a n y, Newlight Technologies, uses a microorganism-based biocatalyst to turn CO2 captured from the air into a bioplastic. Their biopolymer called AirCarbon is purified and made into pellets that can be used in various products. IKEA signed a deal with Aircarbon in 2016 to make furniture while Dell, Hewlett Packard and the Body Shop use AirCarbon for packaging.

Synthetic fuels are being created using CO2 and thereby increasing energy efficiency. Many companies around the world are working

towards creating synthetic fuels. For example, Carbon Engineering in Canada has an Air to Fuel technology that makes carbon-neutral liquid fuel using CO2 from the atmosphere.

CO2 is also being used to create carbon materials like graphene, carbon nanotubes and carbon fibres but these technologies are at a nascent stage. This area is of key importance as it can contribute to the lightweighting of vehicles and aircraft in addition to improving wind turbine performance and the capacity of lithium-ion batteries. These factors go a long way to improve fuel efficiency.

Aquaculture uses CO2. The aquaculture process requires 400 billion small fish to be used as fish food each year. A company named NovoNutrients in California uses CO2 from industrial emissions to feed lab-created bacteria. The bacteria consume CO2 to produce protein similar to the amino acids fish get by eating smaller fish. So this bacteria can be used to feed fish in aquaculture. The company estimates that 4 million tons of CO2 a year could be used to produce 2 million tons of protein meal.

To move ahead in the utilization of CO2, scientists and technologists r e q u i r e s upp or t , m a r k e t s , government policies and funding.

When it comes to matters of conservation, we often think our efforts are just a drop in the ocean. However, every drop counts. This is evidenced in a few examples:


SPECIAL FEATURE

• British designer, Anna Bullus, came up with an ingenuous plan to rid the UK of discarded chewing gum by recycling it into useful objects. According to her research more than £14bn is spent on chewing gum across the globe. Most of it ends up stuck on the ground with gum being the second most common type of litter after cigarette material. Bullus discovered that the chewing gum chemistry includes polyisobutylene, a synthetic rubber or a type of polymer similar to plastic, as its main ingredient. Her company created bubble-shaped bins called Gumdrop for disposing gum. While the bins did not solve the problem of gum litter, it did start changing how people behaved. Collaboration with a recycling plant led to recycling of the gum into a new polymer called Gum-tec. This material is used to create rulers, frisbees, combs, guitar picks, door stops, meal mates, bicycle spokeys and more.

• The Akshar Forum School in Assam has mandated that every

Photos: gumdropltd.com

pupil must bring 20 items of plastic gathered from their homes and surrounding areas. This plastic is to be deposited to the school in exchange for free attendance almost as a fee. Additionally, parents have to take a pledge not to burn the plastic waste.

• The Kenyan company Ocean Sole creates beautiful pieces of art and fashion using discarded non-biodegradable f lip-f lops, sandals and plastic junk found along the sea shores. Harmful waste is recycled into beautiful art like colourful safari animals, curtains, toys, jewellery and life sized sculptures.

• Green Sole, founded by athletes Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami in 2013 refurbishes discarded shoes into trendy slippers for children who walk to school. According to Green Sole, approximately 35 crore pairs of non-biodegradable shoes are discarded every year across the globe. Partnering with corporates like Tata Group, Axis Bank, Adidas, Just Dial, India Bulls, Make My Trip and


SPECIAL FEATURE

Photos: gumdropltd.com

others, Green Sole recycles the shoes and donates them to 50,000 plus children who require footwear across India.

Adopt These Ideas Today:

It is now the duty of every business to act in an environmentally responsible manner. It is your responsibility to comply with environmental legislat ion to ensure that the impact your business has on the environment is minimised. Going beyond stipulated compliance guidelines

makes business sense and can help with long term success. Small steps such as reducing energy consumption, using raw materials

more efficiently, minimising waste and preventing pollution will stand all businesses in good stead.

Sustainable businesses appeal to the younger workforce. Research in 2017 by the Shelton Group, a marketing and research firm foc used on energ y and t he environment, shows that 76% of the millennial generation is ‘somewhat to extremely concerned’ about

what climate change means for the future of the planet. By attracting and appealing to the young work force, businesses would be on the path to working on sustainable solutions. Your company can adopt small changes that affect the lives of every employee making each one more aware and involved. Once change is adopted at the personal level, it slowly becomes a way of life that permeates every aspect including work systems.

Ideas for Offices:

• Provide f iltered water and encourage employees to carry personal steel, reusable water bottles and tiffin boxes. Place recycle bins in convenient locations with clear demarcation for degradable wastes. If possible start a composting project on the premises. Team a composting project with an office kitchen garden, flower patch or green zone that uses the compost for growing plants and trees.

• S w i t c h f r o m p a p e r t o e-documentation. Teach those not comfor table with tech how to switch to electronic communication by organizing in-house workshops. Move away from dated processes like fax to email.

• Change all incandescent bulbs around your office property to LED. This helps to save 70 to 90% on electricity bills and protects the environment.

• Offer flexible work arrangements such as occasional work-from-home policy and car pool


program for employees.

• Br ing greener y indoors by adding indoor plants like peace lilies and rubber plants that not only act as eye soothers but also improve the general air quality.

• Educate all employees about the benefit of plugging off and powering down devices when not in use. This ability to cut standby power when done en mass offers an opportunity to save money and conserve energy.

SPECIAL FEATURE

• Reduce travel whenever possible. Consider the option of video conferencing and webinars. These options save money and reduce carbon footprint.

Small changes go a long way. Often these changes over time help with bottom line and also make your employees environmentally conscious citizens who are then more receptive towards system changes towards business process too.

Corporates need to move towards

s u s t a i n a b l e d e v e l o p m e n t . Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection are the interconnected elements that are the route map towards creating an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for people and the planet. Now is the time to take global action for local results and move all people and the planet towards a sustainable future.

Indian Companies With A Green Agenda

While several corporates have realised the need of the hour, many others have not yet understood or acted upon the urgent requirement to conserve natural resources. Thought and action leaders serve as torchbearers who have realised that sustainable development is also an opportunity for self-preservation.

Tata Motors:Tata Projects Limited CSR areas include health, education, environment protection and employability. In 2009, on World Environment Day they initiated a tree plantation drive across India and countries in the SAARC region, Africa, Middle East and Russia. The plantation drive is part of its endeavour to improve its carbon footprint. The Green Thumb campaign is based on online participation. Through the initiative, ‘You click- We plant’ the company hopes to plant approximately 250,000 trees at 160 project sites for the year 2019-2020.

ITC:The models adopted by ITC mitigate climate change impact via their initiatives in water stewardship, waste management, afforestation and the use of renewable energy. The company has been carbon positive for 14 years successively, water positive for 17 years and solid waste recycling positive for 12 years. In terms of energy consumed by ITC, over 41% is from renewable sources. Additionally 24 of their buildings are LEED Platinum certified.

Bosch India Ltd:Carbon neutrality by 2020 is what Bosch India Ltd has on their agenda. They work towards this by tapping locally available, natural sources of energy. In addition to using renewable energy sources such as solar power, the company has also adopted rainwater harvesting to replenish water supply for the local communities.


Infosys:This IT giant aims to be carbon neutral by 2020. They have already reduced per capita electricity consumption by 55% from 2008 levels and per capita waster consumption by 60%. Infosys also implements carbon offset projects in rural India such as household biogas units, efficient cook stoves, solar lighting and positive impact towards 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

TCS:TCS has already achieved their target for 2020 which was to reduce the specific carbon footprint by 50% and are working on the next stage of sustainability targets. Over 50% of their total real estate is certified green building space. 80% of all TCS owned real estate is IGBC/LEED certified. The company’s energy and carbon management process is supported by green IT, and IT enabled operational efficiencies in addition to green infrastructure.

Ambuja Cement:Cement company Ambuja has reduced their carbon footprint by nearly 31% from 1990 levels. They have achieved this by using waste outputs generated by other industries to co-process alternative fuels. Waste output of coal-based power plants have been used to reduce ground pollution by co-processing alternative fuels, biomass and plastics. Their rainwater harvesting initiative has raised the water table around most of its mining operations.

Tanishq:This jewellery brand has planted 2,750 native trees in the Miyawaki forest style at its main manufacturing facility at Hosur. This project brings their carbon footprint down by 60 tons per year.

Phoenix Group:This Hyderabad based real estate company has committed to eliminating plastic waste through replacing plastic bottles across all offices with glass bottles. They have also committed to set up a 500 acre biosphere as a carbon sink in the city of Hyderabad.

Mondelez India:The company is water and carbon positive and zero waste to landfill. In addition to having planted 20,000 trees in the last two years, they also work to collect, segregate and recycle plastics.

Wipro:Wipro has partnered with WWF India, one of the largest conservation organisations in the country, to deal with issues related to climate change, water, waste management and biodiversity conservation. They have improved 25% in energy efficiency by adopting LEED framework green building standards. By using automated controls and behavioural changes, they have brought about a 44% decrease in printing of paper. Using water recycling and harvesting, the company meets 32% of their water requirements.

ONGC:Carbon mitigation plays a big role at ONGC as they acknowledge climate change as a significant global risk. The corporate office is a LEED Platinum certified Green Building. The company is transitioning towards being a paperless office, has installed solar lights, eliminated the use of single use plastic and by 2020 shall convert all installed lights to LED. This last exercise alone will reduce their electric consumption by 50% which is set to add up to a saving of Rs.180 Million annually. Under green energy they have two wind farms with a combined capacity of 153MW. To reduce the carbon footprint of their business the company has also started other measures such as reducing gas flaring and monetization of low pressure gas. As per their report of 2018, the total emissions were reduced by 4.34% and they have achieved 4.05% reduction in total energy consumption year on year.

SPECIAL FEATURE


IPUA VENTURES

Webinar on “Additive Solutions for Low DensityPU Footwear” Organized by IPUA Technical Centre

IPUATC organised the second webinar of our webinar series for this year, on 31st July 2019.

Mr. J immy Shao, Tec hnica l Specialist of the Asia pacific for the Comfort and Insulation Division of Evonik Corporation located in Shanghai, China, presented a very interesting talk on the topic “Additive solutions for low density PU footwear”.

Presentation summery

L ow densit y i s t he c r uc ia l requirement and market trend globally for footwear application. In past we have seen the shoe sole material having the density 600Kg/M3 which has reduced to around 200Kg/M3 at present. Though the polyurethane material occupies only 10% share as a shoe sole material, the others being EVA, PVC and Rubber, PU provides the opportunity to adjust the density so as to obtain the required physical properties, breathability and design-ability hence a preferred material of choice

Additives are normally small portion in the whole system but they are very important tools to change the behaviour of chemical reaction, improving cell structure, dimensional stability and surface quality. Mr. Shao showed the comparison between the PU shoe sole material blown by physical blowing agent and PU material that’s blown by water. When water

About the speaker

Jimmy Shao is the Technical Specialist for the Asia Pacific of the Comfort

and Insulation Division of Evonik Corporation located in Shanghai, China. Jimmy has over 12 years’ experience with the polyurethane industry with expertise in footwear

is used as blowing agent it could not form perfect integral skin structure.

He also ment ioned that the consumer t rend is changing towards softer and lighter shoes but lower density makes PU footwear production critical than normal density. Higher water content produces more urea, generates more heat so cell structure becomes more and more coarse which can even collapse, increasing the complications.

Trouble shooting in shoe sole formation was also dealt a bit, such as gummy foam formation, skin peeling at the same point, random skin peeling, colour /density variation, their causes and remedies were discussed. What errors can cause surface defects and how those can be minimised was also informed.

Mr. Shao gave a brief idea about Evonik’s additive portfolio and how their additives can help in lowering the density of the foot wear without per turbing the physical/mechanical properties of the PU material.

The webinar was quite educative for the PU footwear industr y par t ic ipants. 30 par t ic ipants reg is te red in it ia l ly, and 25 participants attended the webinar eventually. Mr. Shao satisfactorily answered all the queries of the participants.

IPUATC expressed sincere thanks to Mr. Shao and Mr. Gopalkrishna Kasargod (Business Manager- comfort and insulation, Evonik India Pvt.Ltd.) who supported IPUATC to organise this webinar. IPUATC would also like to thank all the participants for their time.

application. His responsibilities include application development and technical service supporting the polyurethane additives for footwear market segment.


Project Reports by IPUA Technical Centre

Polyurethane Cast Elastomers

Polyurea Coating Project Report

Cast polyurethane products are at t rac t ive for two important reasons – their

versatile and diverse properties and easy processibility due to their liquid form. The latter allows manufacturing of these products with minimal capital investment and tooling while the former makes it possible to use them in many applications due to unique set of performance properties. Both these advantages offer immense opportunities to potential entrepreneurs entering into market.

To provide a brief overview about the market and applications, raw material, processing, machinery, test ing , t roubleshooting and economic v iabi l it y for cast polyurethane production, IPUATC has come-up with a PU cast elastomers project report. The report also provides preliminary economic feasibility analysis for basic hand casting and machine assisted casting process. Please contact [email protected]

Coating, Adhesives, Sealant and Elastomers (CASE) are different segments in

the applications of Polyurethanes (PU). Top of the class is Polyurea coatings which find application in building and construction industries due to its faster cure, abrasion resistance, good surface finish, toughness and durability. Due to its versatile properties, it surpasses most of the other coating materials available in the market. However know-how shared on polyurea coatings is limited in India. With the increased

availability of preformulated reactive components and spray equipment, starting up of polyurea coating venture with some logistic planning and investment is easy.

That’s why Indian Polyurethane Association (IPUA) has come-up with the Polyurea coating projec t repor t to he lp a ny new entrepreneur to gain the preliminary knowledge about related raw material, processing, trouble shooting and market. Please contact [email protected]

IPUA VENTURES


Technical Training on Molded Polyurethane Foam 30 & 31 May 2019, Hotel Hablis, Chennai

As a n i n i t i a t i v e f o r sk i l l de ve lopme nt i n polyurethane indust r y,

IPUA Technical Center organized two days technical training session on Molded Polyurethane Foam for their south region members at hotel Hablis, Chennai. One of the founder members of IPUA Mr. Krishna swamy Ramamurthy add re s sed t he pa r t ic ipa nt s welcoming them, and briefing about the IPUA Ten di f fe rent sessions were planned over the span of two days consisting overview and market for molded foam, building blocks and formulation of molded

foam, designing in molded foam, mac hines a nd equ ipment s , foam making process, testing of molded foam, release agents, spraying equipments, integral skin molding, health safety and environment and last but not the least, troubleshooting.

Subject Matter Experts with few years of hands on experience in PU industry were invited for sharing their knowledge and best practises to the participants. Dr. Ramsai Yelmanchilli and Dr. Alla Srinivasa Rao Covestro India Pvt. Ltd. shared their views for building blocks and formulations for molded foam synthesis and testing of molded

foams. “Designing in molded foam” a very crucial topic was dealt by Mr. Rangasamy from Harita Fehrer Ltd. Release agents, spraying equipments and integral skin molding was explained by Mr. Rishi Madan, Goodie International Pvt.Ltd. Foam making process and trouble shooting was taken by Mr. P. Ravisankar, Dow Chemical International Pvt.Ltd., spoke on minute things to take care while working day in and day out in the factory. Health Safety and Environment (HSE) issues were briefed by Mr,Vasudevan from Manali Petrochemicals Ltd.

IPUA VENTURES


AGM & Conclave – 2019

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Conclave of the Indian Polyurethane

Association (IPUA) was held at Goa this year. The highlights of the AGM was of course the presentation and approval of the Annual Financial statement of the year 2018-19 and also the activities carried out by the Association during the same period. On the second day, there was a Conclave wherein Five speakers with vast industry experience spoke on different topics.

1. The Chair man, Dr. G.N. Mahesh said that the Polyurethane

IPUA VENTURES


industry in the country grew by approximately by 9 - 10%, despite the Auto industry doing not too well. The Auto industry’s suffering is likely to continue according to experts because of the slowing down of decision making process by consumers in view of the change in BS VI emission norms. The volatility in prices combined with the Anti-dumping Duty on Polyols and TDI affected the bottom-line of many processors. Dr. Mahesh highlighted the activities of IPUA such as advocacy role, interactions

with Government Departments, Trade bodies, Bureau of Indian St a nda rds e tc . The va r ious

Technical Training Programs conducted by IPUA Technical Centre at different locations to improve the knowledge levels in the PU industry was also highlighted. IPUA Tech Centre has also written

IPUA VENTURES


two project reports – on Polyurea Coatings and Polyurethane Cast Elastomers. He also added that preparations for PUTech 2020 is going on smoothly. Dr. Mahesh informed that IPUA is working with some reputed Academic institutions for introducing a one year Post-Graduate Diploma program on “PU Technology, looking at the shortage of PU professionals in the industry. 2. On the second day there was an IPUA Conclave with 5 speakers on diverse subjects. The subjects covered were “ Rural Opportunity – Explore & Explode - next 500 million” by Mr. Mohammed Riaz

wherein he highlighted the rural market and its potential which always remains unexplored and untapped. There was presentation on “Insurance – practical insights for Foamed Plast ics & Claim simplification” by Mr. Biraj Sinha with many years of experience in t he Insu ra nce indus t r y. Polyurethane Foam processing units who have been victims of f ire disaster have suffered for long periods of time to get their legitimate insurance claims. This presentation gave an insight into how the insurance system works. Mr. Abdul Razak, Director of VKC Group of Companies gave an overview as to how Polyurethane

was introduced in the Footwear industry and the growth of his units in dif ferent states. Mr. Sanjeeva Shivesh spoke on the concept of frugal innovation which always focussed on Engineering applications earlier. He pointed out that such frugal innovations can be brought to the PU industry also. Mr. Masroor Lodi spoke on the need for Succession Planning in family owned enterprises, where he highlighted that the only the ownership should be with the family while the management of the business enterprises should be with professionals.

Announcement - for Testing Workshop

IPUA VENTURES


ECONOMIC UPDATE

Figurative Economy

Polyurethanes In Indian Automotive Industry – A SnapshotArun Kumar ] Innogrow Ventures

In this edition, let us discuss the state of affairs in the Indian automotive market. The Indian

auto industry which is considered to be the mother industry rightly and one of the prime revenue and

jobs generator in our economy is really struggling. The sales numbers in the last two months


ECONOMIC UPDATE


ECONOMIC UPDATE

across the various segments - Passenger Cars, Two wheelers and Commercial vehicles are all down by 15-20%. Many factors are being attributed to the slowdown in the auto industry and a few are listed here -

1) Demonetisation and GST are still the prime ones specially when the govt has not acted on any GST reduction. 2) Job losses in the economy has created negative sentiments which compels people to postpone vehicle buying decisions.

3) The uncertainty around vehicle emission norms of the future makes people wait.

4) Banks and NBFC’s own troubles leading to tightening of loans lending.

5) Even the higher fuel costs are believed to be acting as a deterrent to first time vehicle buyers.

Inventories have piled up and there is no positive demand as a consequence of which the industry has cut down on manufacturing which is not helping our economy. This obviously has led to reduced de ma nd for poly u re t ha ne s material for automotive industry. Primarily the main applications using polyurethanes in automotive are Seating, Acoustics – Carpet underlay, Dashboard and Engine insulation, Steering Wheels, Arm rests, gear shift knobs, Roof liners, Air filters, TPU parts and vibration dampeners/bump stops. 90% of the total consumption

of Poly uret hanes in Indian automotive industry is in the seat ing applicat ion. This i s largely due the fact that Indian automotive market is a small car market wherein costs over luxury takes the priority and hence many applications like acoustics are not considered across all car models, whilst they provide comfort to the driver and co-passengers they add extra costs.

There are two Polyurethanes technologies for car seating in play in the Indian automotive market -

1) TDI, TM (TDI/ MDI blends) or MT (MDI/ TDI blends) systems

2) MDI systems

TM are blends made using typically 80% TDI and 20% polymeric MDI and whereas MT blends have more MDI than TDI content in the blend. For other non-seating applications only MDI systems are used. Though there are many advantages and disadvantages associated with each technology, TDI based systems are generally known to have the capabilities of delivering lower densities.

Typically, the specification of the seating provided by the OEM will decide the technology to be applied.

Polyurethanes are made by the reaction of blended polyols and isoc yanates. So composit ion and raw material selection of automotive polyols is crucial to arrive at the right specifications for foam and to facilitate easier processability of the PU system at

the customer plant. Typically, 5000 or 6000 mol wt. base polyols are used in combination with polymer polyol (grafted polyol) to get the desired combination and hardness. Majority of the market is still fed by base polyols, MDI and TM blends imported from overseas countries. Barring a few companies who self-blend most companies buy blended polyols and isocyanates from suppliers. Suppliers have limited standardised product portfolios which most times are globally/regionally controlled and are fed to the customers. In this business model, the ability to deliver innovative solutions for polyurethanes is fully on the supplier and the moulder continues to be a receiver with limited capabilities of adding value for development of PU systems and potentially applications.

Over years, infrast ructure at the moulder level has improved considerably with good quality PU dispensing machines, quality of moulds improving, better temp control mechanisms, quality control practices, safer work places etc.

In the horizon there seems no competing substrate to dislodge PU in car seating for the next decade or so, we as an industry stakeholder do have the unique opportunity to work together and address some of the limitations to grow faster and expand the PU industry size.


India faces worst water crisis: NITI Aayog

Jacob Koshy

JUNE 14, 2018

Demand for potable water will outstrip supply by 2030, says study

The NITI Aayog on Thursday released the results of a study warning that India is facing

its ‘worst’ water crisis in history and that demand for potable water will outstrip supply by 2030 if steps are not taken.

Nearly 600 million Indians faced high to extreme water stress and about 2,00,000 people died every year due to inadequate access to safe water. Twenty-one cities, including Delhi , Benga lur u , Chenna i and Hyderabad will run out of

Photo Credit: R. Ashok

groundwater by 2020, affecting 100 million people, the study noted. If matters are to continue, there will be a 6% loss in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2050, the report says.

70% contaminated

Moreover, critical groundwater resources, which accounted for 40% of India’s water supply, are being depleted at “unsustainable” rates and up to 70% of India’s water supply is “contaminated,” the report says.

The NITI Aayog’s observations are part of a study that ranked 24 States on how well they managed their water. Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh took the top three spots, in that order, and Jharkhand, Bihar and Haryana came in last in the ‘Non-Himalayan States’ category. Himachal Pradesh – which is facing one of its worst water crises this year – led a separate 8-member list of States clubbed together as ‘North-Eastern and Himalayan.’

SAFETY HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTSAFETY HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT


These two categories were made to account for different hydrological conditions across the two groups.

Low performers

About 60% of the States were marked as “ low per formers” and this was cause for “alarm,” according to the report. Many of the States that performed badly on the index – Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh – accounted for 20-30% of India’s agricultural output. “Given the combination of rapidly declining groundwater levels and limited policy action…this is likely to be a significant food security risk for the country,” the report says.

On the other hand, the index noted, several of the high and medium performers – Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana – had faced droughts in recent years. Therefore, a lack of water was not necessary grounds for States not initiating action on conservation. Most of the gains registered by the States were due to their restoration of surface water bodies, watershed development activities and rural water supply provision.

Envisioned as an annual exercise, the Composite Water Management Inde x (C WM I), to eva luate States, has been developed by

the NITI Aayog and comprises 9 broad sectors with 28 different indicators covering various aspects of groundwater, restoration of water bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and governance. “While Jharkhand and Rajasthan may have scored low, they have made remarkable improvement when compared over two years,” said Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog.

Other experts said that unless India woke up to its water crisis, disaster loomed. “There is great awareness now about air pollution, however, India’s water crisis does not get that kind of attention,” said Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog.

SAFETY HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT


SAFETY HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT

Massive restoration of world’s forests would cancel out a decade of CO2 emissions, analysis suggests

New findings suggest trees are ‘our most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change’, says scientist – Josh GabbatissWashington DC @josh_gabbatiss

FEBRUARY 16, 2019

• Trees already store an enormous amount of carbon, and planting more would suck more CO2 from the atmosphere

Replenishing the world ’s forests on a grand scale would suck enough carbon dioxide

from the atmosphere to cancel out a decade of human emissions, according to an ambitious new study.

Scientists have established there is room for an additional 1.2 trillion trees to grow in parks, woods and abandoned land across the planet.If such a goal were accomplished, ecologist Dr Thomas Crowther said it would outstrip every other method for tackling climate change – from building wind turbines to vegetarian diets.

Lack of accurate informat ion meant for years experts severely underestimated the number of trees on Earth.

Combining data from ground-based surveys and satellites, Dr Crowther and his colleagues arrived at a figure of three trillion – over seven times more than a previous Nasa estimate.

The same approach, using machine learning and AI to analyse the enormous data set, allowed the researchers to predict the number of trees that could feasibly be planted in empty patches around the world.

Dr Crowther said undervaluing trees means scientists have also been massively underestimating the potential for forests to combat climate change.

Project Drawdown, a group that compares the merits of different emission-c ut t ing tec hniques , currently places onshore wind power and improved recycling of fridges and air conditioners at the top of its list.

If rolled out on a realistic scale, each of these techniques would cut over 80 gigatons of emissions, while growing forests languishes in 15th place with a saving of just 18 gigatons.

New research undertaken by Dr Crowther has used the 1.2 billion f igure to estimate the potential scale of carbon capture that could be achieved by planting trees, and reveal their true potential.

“There’s 400 gigatons now, in the 3 trillion trees, and if you were to scale that up by another trillion trees that’s in the order of hundreds of gigatons captured from the atmosphere – at least 10 years of anthropogenic emissions completely wiped out,” he said.

While the exact figures are yet to be released, he said trees had emerged as “our most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change”. Dr Crowther discussed his findings at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Washington DC.

Full restoration of all sites identified is clearly unrealistic, but tree planting is increasingly being recognised as a critical activity to preserve life on Earth.

The United Nations initially ran a project known as the Billion Tree Campaign, but in light of Dr Crowther’s findings this has been renamed the Trillion Tree Campaign. It has already seen 17 billion trees planted in suitable locations around the world.

“We are not targeting urban or agricultural area, just degraded or abandoned lands, and it has the potential to tackle the two greatest challenges of our time – climate change and biodiversity loss,” said Dr Crowther.

“It ’s a beautiful thing because everyone can get involved. Trees literally just make people happier in urban environments, they improve air quality, water quality, food quality, ecosystem service, it’s such an easy, tangible thing.”


PEOPLE


Polyurethane Helps Campers Stay Comfortable in the Great Outdoors

TWITTER TRENDS

Warmer weather offers a great time to hit the trail. If you fancy yourself to

be the adventurous type, you may even opt to spend a few nights in the great outdoors. Whether roughing it in your own backyard or in the deep recesses of one of our National Parks, you could have polyurethane to thank for helping to shelter you from the elements.

In hundreds – if not thousands – of tents on the market today, polyurethane plays an integral role in tent construction:

Floor coatings

Several tents use a polyurethane coating on their underside as protection. Polyurethane offers some insulation, and it can shield the tent from abrasions. In addition to a polyurethane base, some enterprising campers also use a custom ground covering called a footprint, which is also often treated with a coating of polyurethane. Cut to the exact size of the tent floor; a footprint provides an extra layer

of protection. It also offers a clean surface where you can set up your tent.

Fabrics

In many cases, tent fabrics are treated with a coating of polyurethane to help prevent water from passing through the material. When treated, a polyurethane coating closes the microscopic gaps between threads in a material’s weave.

Instead of pooling inside the tent, the water beads together on the surface and r u n s d o w n t h e side – keeping the occupants inside nice and dry.

Seams

The one place where your shelter is most l i ke ly to lea k i s at the seams – the area where panels of material are joined together either through stitching or sealant. Since keeping tent occupants dry is so important, seams on many tents come pre-treated with a polyurethane coating or a seam tape.

A s t ime passes , t hese a reas can become compromised or vulnerable. Once a season, many campers will set up their tents in a controlled environment just

to check their seams. Usually, a quick going over of the damaged areas with a polyurethane sealant or seam tape is enough to improve waterproofing. This one step can extend the life of a tent for several more years.

Making Surfboards from Recycled Plastic

Polyurethane foam is often used by car manufacturers during the early design phase. The foam is used as an armature on which clay models can be shaped and reshaped. But what happens when the design phase is through? One car company has a solution: recycling the material for use in professional-grade surfboards.

The polyurethane skeletons are recovered after the design process

@accpolyurethane


is finished and reformed into blocks that can then be shaped to precise dimensions for use in products like surfboards. The boards are being t e s t e d b y E n g l i s h women’s open surfing champion surfer Lucy Campbell. By recycling the polyurethane, the car company reduces waste, and surfers get a flexible, customized, board made with recycled material.

Lightweighting with PU to Increase Fuel Efficiency

You may have heard the term “lightweighting” when it comes to making vehicles that are more fuel efficient, but do you know what it means?

The term is championed by those in the automotive and aerospace industries. While at its core it refers to using lighter components in place of heavier ones in a vehicle, it can also mean using fewer components overall and making parts and components in such a way that is more fuel efficient or will reduce the industry’s carbon footprint from the production of cars and trucks.

F o r y e a r s , a u t o m o t i v e manufacturers have been finding new and creative ways of using polyurethane as an effective means of lightweighting vehicles. By the Environmental Protection Agency’s own estimates, reduction in vehicle weight can save approximately 451 lives per billion miles traveled. The

idea that heavier means safer has gone out the window. For example, today, we know that the use of less stiff materials in a crumple zone provides the ability to absorb impacts, preventing injuries and saving lives. Manufacturers are increasingly l o o k i n g t o t h e r m o p l a s t i c poly urethane, which can be used to create brackets holding different components in place in the dashboard and door panels. But this is just one of several ways that polyurethane components are being used.

Another is in automotive interiors. Particularly in luxury vehicles, car manufacturers know it is crucial that they create cabins that do not sacr if ice style or comfort. The use of polyurethane in these vehicles’ headliners, seats, headrests and on the dashboard

and door panels can help dampen unwanted noise and vibration and add significant weight reduction – while simultaneously offering attractiveness and durability.

2017 was a record-breaking year for fuel efficiency. Manufacturers’ new models achieved 24.9 mpg according to the Environmental P rote c t ion A ge nc y. A s t he automotive industry continues to break new ground in the areas of lightweighting and fuel efficiency, the use of polyurethane in vehicles continues to rise.Today, automotive analysts report that around 18 percent of the weight in an average mid-sized car is polyurethane. That percentage will likely increase in the coming years as manufacturers find new ways to improve vehicles’ fuel efficiency, appeal and performance.

TWITTER TRENDS


PREVIEWS & REPORTS

Saip Will Participate To 4Th National Conference of Anpe. The National Rigid Polyurethane Foam Association2019 October 10th | NH Collection Convention Center | Corso Italia 1 Roma, ITALY

Romano’ di Inverigo - Saip is pleased to announce that it will be present at the next

National Conference of ANPE, the national rigid polyurethane foam association, which, since 1988, has brought together Italian companies that use polyurethane for thermal insulation purposes in their production process, or that produce PU materials or systems for thermal insulation, in various sectors, mainly in the building sector.

The 4th ANPE Conference will host the annual assembly of PU Europe which ANPE par t icipate as a member and with which it actively collaborates for the development of projects involving European

industries and associations in the sector on topics related to energy efficiency and evaluation and reduction of environmental impacts.

SA IP will par t ic ipate in the C on fe re nce w i t h a spe e c h entitled: Technology and Research for sustainable solutions in the management of PU waste | State of the art of Saip technology and short and long term solutions for a hoped circular economy in the management of polyurethane waste.

By this intervention SAIP and the POZZI INDUSTRIES GROUP intend to confirm their constant commitment and investments in the search for innovative and

sustainable technological solutions that contribute to an effective 360° integrated sustainability, throughout the supply chain.

We look forward to seeing you in Rome at ANPE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

2019 October 10th NH Collection Vittorio Veneto Congress Center - Corso Italia 1 Rome, ITALY.

AUGUST 5TH, 2019


Huntsman to Demonstrate Flexibility of Foam Solutions at Foam Expo Europe

AUGUST 27, 2019

PREVIEWS & REPORTS

Visit Huntsman at Stand 704 in Hall 10 Foam Expo Europe, Messe Stuttgart: 10-12 September 2019

Ev e r b e r g , B e l g i u m - Polyurethane exper ts f rom Huntsman are taking part in

Foam Expo Europe this September - Europe’s largest trade fair and conference for the technical foam manufacturing supply chain. At the exhibition, and during the associated speaker sessions, Huntsman will highlight the wide range of innovative polyurethane-based foam solutions it provides, focusing specifically on mobility, comfort and construction applications. For the mobility industry, Huntsman offers a variety of bio-based foam

technologies. Compatible with existing foaming production installations, these bio-based technologies and pre-polymers can help automotive manufacturers achieve a 9% level of bio-based content - according to A S TM-D6866 -12. Recent ly, Huntsman launched ACOUSTIFLEX® S NBR polyurethane foam system - a lightweight absorber (LWA), semi-rigid foam, designed for acoustic applications in engine and trunk compartments. The new formulation

is thermoformable, boasting superior acoustics absorption and offering greater f lexibility to meet design needs.

Automotive specifiers can hear more about Huntsman’s foam solutions at the Foam E xpo Conference. On Wednesday 11 September at 11:30am, Johan Peters, Account Manager Acoustics & NVH Global, w i l l b e t a l k i n g a b o u t no i s e vibration harshness (NVH), thermal management and acoustic insulation requirements in electrical vehicles, and the benefits polyurethane-based foamed materials can bring to this

aspect of automotive design. In comfort applications, Huntsman’s RUBIFLEX® Cocoon f lexible foam system is used to make mattresses, pillows and cushion pads with just the right blend of properties. Optimizing pressure distribution, RUBIFLEX® Cocoon f lexible foam maximizes comfort by ensuring the body is evenly cradled. With an open cell structure, the foam offers better breathability - transporting heat away from the

body’s surface. RUBIFLEX® Cocoon flexible foam also dissipates moisture quickly and eff iciently, reducing humidity build up. In addition, it is easy to roll, vacuum pack, store and transport. For the const ruc t ion indust r y, Huntsman has developed a new f ire-rated PIR-based insulat ion foam product for the manufacture of composite panels. DaltoPIR® XHFR insulation system combines thermal properties with very good fire and smoke properties, without compromising processing performance or durability. Enabling more consistent

processing , DaltoPIR® XHFR insulation foam solution can help panel producers achieve better pa ne l p l a n a r i t y a nd qu ic ke r l i ne spe e d s . The foam also has very low friability. Recently, Huntsman’s DaltoPIR® insulat ion system was added to the Specification Te s t e d l i s t i ng a s a n identified component in the FM Approval guide.

This new certif ication will allow panel manufacturers to benefit from a faster FM approval procedure for their finished products. F or more i n for m at ion a b out Huntsman’s foam capabilities, visit the company’s polyurethane experts at Foam Expo Europe at Stand 704 in Hall 10. A lternatively, email: [email protected].


EVENTS & TRENDS

International

09 Oct, 2019 to 10 Oct, 2019

PU TECH ARAB 2019Sharjah, USA

13 Nov, 2019 to 14 Nov, 2019

International FSK Specialist Conference on Polyurethanes 2019Reutlingen, Germany

28 Nov, 2019 to 30 Nov, 2019

PU TECH EURASIAIsatnbul, Turkey

05 Sept, 2019 to 07 Sept, 2019

PU CHINAGuangzhou, China

10 Sept, 2019 to 12 Sept, 2019

FOAM EXPO - EUROPEStuttgart, Germany

11 Sept, 2019 to 12 Sept, 2019

PU ELASTOMER TRADE MEETTINGBerlin, Germany

07 Oct, 2019 to 09 Oct, 2019

CPI CONFERENCE Orlando, USA


By Rudrangshu Mukharjee

A century of trust - The story of TATA STEEL

In the foreword Mr. Ratan Tata says, “Mr. Jamshedji Tata was convinced that, to become an

industrial nation, India had to make steel on its own for making our own infrastructure. Reports of rich iron ore and coal deposits persuaded him that India had the resources to make steel. Though he did not live to see his dream come true, but Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) Ltd. is the stellar example of his nationalistic entrepreneurship”.

Long before India dreamt of industrial self-reliance, Jamsetji Tata envisioned India’s biggest industrial enterprise – its first steel plant. Long before the term Corporate Social Responsibility was coined, a company in India, chose to give upto 14 per cent of its profits to charity. That Indian company was none other than Tata Steel. Established in 1907, the Tata Iron and Steel Company was born of the vision of Jamsetji Tata, an industrialist and patriot who foresaw India’s future as an industrialized power.

This book briefs about how the company has bat t led aga inst unhelpful British rule and provides a detail record of Tata Steels triumphs and travails till now. This book has seven chapters and lastly a technical appendix describing the evolution of technical facilities and technology development during more than hundred long years. There are 8 main sections: 1. A dream and its realization 2. Making steel in a colony 3. Making steel under tariff protection 4. Labour for steel 5. A city for steel 6. Making steel in a planned economy 7. Making steel in a global economy 8. Technical appendix.

BOOK REVIEW / READERS’ FEEDBACK

Before the chapters start, there is a prologue entitled “Epilogue as prologue” which describes Mr.Ratan Tata’s foresight and strategic planning capability. From 2005 TISCO had an intent for a tie-up with an Anglo-Dutch company called “Corus” In this endeavour when several meetings took place, Mr.Ratan Tata realised that Corous and TISCO has almost the same market value and have similar product lines, then instead of just tie-up why TISCO cannot acquire Corus? The main hurdle in this venture was a Brazilian company called “CSN”, which also had the same intention. So the tussle between the two companies TISCO and CSN went on for two long years and finally on 31st Jan 2007 Tata group successfully acquired “Corus”. Mr.Ratan Tata, termed this acquisition as “Tata Steel saw a strategic fit with Corus in the UK and Netherlands, which will give it a global reach in Europe and synergies with low cost intermediaries in India, Tata steel as an Indian steel company, now has global scale with a footprint in Europe” Mr.Ratan Tata always wants his people to think big, think global.

“A dream and its realization” is the first chapter which describes the dream of Mr. Jamshet ji Tata. He envisioned an industrialized India where industries would be owned and run by Indians. The roots of this vision were in a speech which Mr.Jamshetji heard by Mr.Thomas Carlyle, when he was in Britain “ the nation which gains control of iron soon acquires the control of gold” This fired Jamshetji’s imagination. Jamshetji already had few working cotton mills, few hotels and properties but in spite of these pre-occupation ,he never lost focus of

his dream to set-up an Iron and Steel plant in India. India being under British rules, there were innumerable bureaucratic obstruction that retarded the development of mineral resources in India, Jamshetji continued to search for a good land/space to start a factory. There was no one in India to take advice for searching a good place which will be near to the mineral zones and in vicinity of water resource. Jamshetji went to London and then to the US in search of best available technical advice and to see some of the centres of steel production. After very careful, technical survey of all the places such as Dhalli-Rajhara in central provinces, Mayurbhanj, Jhria –Raniganj in Bihar, Chanda district in Maharashtra, “Sakchi” was selected for building the steel factory which eventually was termed as Jamshedpur OR Tata Nagar. But, by this time Jamshetji who had been ailing passed away. The first chapters gives all the minute details how and why the place “Sakchi” was selected, how Tata Sons have raised the required funds for building the factory, how they had to struggle with government policies for building a railway track to take the


BOOK REVIEW / READERS’ FEEDBACK

iron ore and transport the finished goods etc.

The second chapter “Making steel in a colony” reveals the journey of Tata Steel through the period of first world war. On the onset of first world war, supplies of imported steel into India were completely cutoff. The war meant an opportunity for TISCO. TISCO made special efforts to nurture the special relationship with the government that has been created because of the war.The boom in production and orders led the company to plan for extensionand the total out put 150000tonnes was planned to be increased to 225000 tonnes/annum. On January2,1919 Lord Chelmsford visited TISCO and in a small speech he renamed the city as Jamshedpur after founder of the company Jamshet ji Tata.

Initially there was enthusiasm regarding the extension but the delay caused by war conditions imposed considerable stress on the company. Global economic condition had adverse effect. International iron and steel prices plummeted down and this was aggravated by general post war condition. The company fell into real hardship, and in 1923 the company applied for a government protection. The third chapter “Making steel under tariff protection” deals with all the above mentioned facts.

“Labour for steel” the fourth chapter of the book deals with the ratio of skilled and unskilled workers in the company, their wedges, difficulties faced in finding the semi-skilled labour for the factor y. Labour Association strikes and the attitude of the management toward the workers. However, dealing with all the difficulty the company moved to the creed of joint responsibility. TISCO belonged to all who worked wholeheartedly for the company. The city of Jamshedpur is unique in that it developed around a steel plant. Initially there was nothing in

the place called “Sakchi” The requirement of the steel plant led to the creation of human settlement. The company took the responsibility for making and providing the basic infra structure. Company acquired an additional 12,215 acres to setup a well maintained city, a general manager, an assistant engineer were appointed to look after the residential area, the bazaar, the water supply and sanitation in the city. Thus the development of the city for the workers of the company is well documented in the fifth chapter “A city for steel”. The name of TISCO will remain inextricably linked to the history and growth of Jamshedpur.

The last two chapters entit led “Making steel in a planned economy” and “Making steel in a global economy” review the industrial and economic growth of the company after the independence. The policy of the five year planning commission gave a thrust to industrialization, despite this TISCO could not perform to its full potential because the state continued to regulate other crucial areas like labour, more over demand of for steel had entered into a decline stage. Also establishment and expansion of three public sector steel plants Bhilai, Durgapur and Rourkela in the third five year plan the supply of raw material also declined. The Indian purview is shared in the sixth chapter “Making steel in a planned economy”.

The TISCO management realized that, to meet challenges of its global peers, the company needed to grow in size and diversify in terms of regions. So company began a new chapter in its history with a series of acquisitions. It took over three Indian companies, the first being Indian steel and wire product which produced 180000million tonnes of rods and 60000 million tonnes of steel wires. This enhanced TISCOs downstream

business of steel wires and placed the company at third place globally, the second being Indore Wire and third being National Steel Duncan. These acquisitions were followed by two international acquisitions in south-east Asia NatSteel (Singapore) and Millennium Steel (Thailand). These expansions, linkages, logistics and future strategy etc. are described in the seventh chapter “Making steel in a global economy”. The last chapter is followed by appendix “Evolution of technical facilities and technology at Tata Steel’ listing the technical improvements and developments in the operations.

This book enlists all the events of this remarkable company from it s early days, to its eventual transformation into a global giant.The author Rudrangshu Mukherjee has successfully narrated the story of One Hundred Year Landmark Company in a detailed manner in such a way that anyone who reads it would be definitely inspired and motivated.

About the author: Rudrangshu Mukher jee , lovingly called as Rudy by his contemporaries is an Indian historian and author of several major history books. He was formerly the Opinions Editor for The Telegraph newspaper, Kolkata and the Chancellor for Ashoka University, where he also serves as Professor of History. He was the founding Vice-Chancellor of Ashoka when the University began in 2014.

Fig: Tata Steels Jamshedpur plant at night.

76 P U T o d a y S e P T e m b e r 2 0 1 9 FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY. Edited by Ms Medha Bhuta Published by K. Ramamurthy for Indian Polyurethane Association

Printed by

p u t o d a y s 2 0 1 9 1ipuatc.com/pdf/pu_today_sept2019_issue_final.pdf · traces of micro...

Documents