Chemical Engineering July 2014 - 28

Schutz
Newsfront
and thinner without compromising
holding force. And for lamination
films, packers can maintain stiffness
and toughness while reducing pack
weight. In these and other applications,
including heavy-duty shipping
sacks, the resins provide high
performance and, because the whole
structure is PE, it is easy to recycle
for increased eco-friendliness.
Clariant AG (Muttenz, Switzerland;
www.clariant.com) is working
on more sustainable packaging solutions
for products headed to consumers.
The company's new generation
Hydrocerol provides lighter plastic
packaging. Hydrocerol chemical
foaming agents reduce the amount
of plastic needed to make packaging
without compromising performance
or aesthetics. Packaging weight
can be reduced by up to 20%, while
maintaining impact strength, highquality
surface finishing and compliance
with requirements for direct
food contact. Lighter weight packaging
also reduces shipping costs and
fuel consumption.
" The future direction of the packaging
industry is steered by the need
to protect contents in new, improved
or less costly ways, and to make products
and packages easier to use with
less environmental impact, " says
Alessandra Funcia, head of market
segment packaging at Clariant. " By
developing innovation that combines
shelf appeal or user convenience
with performance advantages and
improved sustainability, we can help
converters and major brand owners
to maintain both their profitability
and competitive edge. "
Packaging machinery. Increasing
sustainability doesn't end with the
packaging materials. It extends to
packing machinery, as well. For example,
Beckhoff Automation (Verl,
Germany; www.beckhoff.com) touts
its PC-based control system (Figure
2) as a way to implement packaging
solutions that fill the correct amount,
while reducing the amount of packaging
materials used and reducing
energy consumption across the supply
chain. The company's XFC (extreme
fast control) technology offers
I/O response times of less than 100
µs to control the process with precision
and repeat accuracy.
The PC and EtherCAT-based
control
ensure synchronized
processes and motion
control sequences with
shorter cycle times for
more throughput. The technology's
quick and precise response to printing
marks makes it possible to save
on packaging material, for example,
by placing products more closely
together in blister packs, which reduces
the amount of sealing foil
needed, as well as any waste.
The ability to precisely control
the sealing temperature allows the
use of thinner plastic films. Fast
and accurate process control capabilities
can minimize the wall thickness
of polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) bottles, as well as reduce the
amount of paper and aluminum
when producing containers.
Distribution. Sustainable distribution,
also includes the way in
which materials are transported
from Point A to Point B. Sustainable
distribution products are especially
important for chemical processors
who deliver bulk materials to other
businesses who will then manufacture
consumer or other products
from these raw materials. For this
group, the opportunity to reuse and
recycle containers and components
becomes critical to a sustainability
program, and a plethora of products
are available to this end.
For example, Cartonplast (Dietzenback,
Germany; www.cartonplast.com)
offers, to the container
transport industry, plastic layer
pads that can circulate in a closed
logistics cycle. The pads, available
on a rental basis, are reusable and
100% recyclable.
Similarly, Schütz (Selters, Germany;
www.schuetz.net), developed
its own collection system for its used
Ecobulk containers. Once the goods
have arrived at their destination,
the empty containers are collected,
as part of a global service the company
offers, and returned to the factory
where the IBC (intermediate
bulk container) inner bottle is removed
from the cage and shredded.
The resulting regrind is recycled in
28 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com JulY 2014
Figure 4. The Ecobulk
MX with a new full-plastic
pallet is shown here
several stages. The resulting
high-density
PE (HDPE) recyclate
is used to manufacture
plastic components,
such as corner guards
and pallets (Figure
3). Last year, the company won the
" Greener Packaging Award 2013 "
in Brussels for this eco-friendly recycling
and for the creation of its
Ecobulk MX container with a new
full plastic pallet (Figure 4).
As well as reusing recycled materials
in products, Schutz IBCs are
also sustainable products because
they are space-saving logistical
tools, according to the company. The
container design, with a volume of
1,000 L, allows 25% more goods to
be transported than with a conventional
220-L drum, using the same
space requirement. This translates
into fewer trucks and freight-train
journeys, which saves fuel and cuts
back on emissions.
Reuse is often as important as recycling
when it comes to shipping
containers, so Labelmaster offers
Snapcrates reusable shipping crates
(Figure 5). The heavy-duty crates
can be reused 25 to 30 times, which
saves on crate disposal costs and significantly
reduces landfill waste. Between
uses, the crates can be broken
down, stored flat and reassembled in
minutes without tools. Internationally
rated for export, the crates ship
securely. They are not currently UNrated,
but Burgess says they expect
to receive certification in the future
for use with hazardous materials.
Making the sustainable choice
With all the materials and options
available, how does a processor know
which material, package and shipping
crate will provide the safest, most ecofriendly,
but sensible product solution?
There are several options.
Among them, Dow Pack Studios
includes four locations around the
world, which provide collaborative
opportunities with Dow to create,
fabricate and validate solutions for
better packaging.
" Our customers can come to our
labs and experiment with different
technologies, materials and machines
http://www.clariant.com http://www.carton http://www.plast.com http://www.beckhoff.com http://www.schuetz.net http://www.Che.Com
Chemical Engineering July 2014

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