Company says its enzymatic recycling process recycles this material into its original monomers.

Clermont-Ferrand, France-based Carbios, which specializes in enzymatic bioprocesses that it applies to plastic and textile polymers, says its recycling process for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is suitable for opaque milk cartons.  

These opaque PET containers are 25% lighter than traditional high-density polyethylene (HDPE) packaging and eliminate the aluminium seal on bottle. However, these new bottles, which are white outside and grey inside, are not recyclable by conventional processes. On a practical level, recyclers have to reject opaque PET bottles to landfill or incineration as their systems are unable to tolerate this new stream, the company says.

Carbios says its proprietary technology, which depolymerizes PET into its original monomers: TPA (terephthalic acid) and MEG (mono ethylene glycol), offers a technological solution to recycle PET products, including these new PET milk bottles.

The company says the global PET market is recording annual growth of from 4% to 5%, which represents 64 million tons of production divided between fibre at 43 million tons, bottles at 15 million tons, films and packaging at 6 million tons. Three bottles out of 100 currently are made of opaque PET, and this new plastic material will represent 100 percent of milk bottles within the next five to 10 years, according to market players.

"We are proud to provide a technological solution for the treatment of opaque PET plastics and thereby support the innovation choices of industrials,” says Jean-Claude Lumaret, CEO of Carbios. “The results of our work in PET biorecycling address a major environmental issue by exceeding the limits of current processes. Our innovative approach enables to meet these challenges and confirms the potential of our technology, now in its pilot stage and for which we hope to lead the industrialization in the coming years.”

The company says the multi-year contracts total more than $100 million.

The steel mill services company Harsco Corp., Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, has been awarded two multiyear contracts for steel mill services in China and Brazil that combined are expected to total more than $100 million over the length of the terms.

In China, Harsco’s Metals & Minerals division has been selected by Hebei Iron and Steel Group, China’s second largest steelmaker, to take over an increased range of on-site steel mill services at its Tangshan Stainless Steel works, where Harsco already provides environmental services relating to the commercial sale of the mill’s slag co-products. With the new contract, Harsco adds on-site slag handling, metal recovery and briquetting to its responsibilities.

Tangshan Stainless produces premium-grade steels for the auto and consumer markets.

Included within Harsco’s services to the Tangshan works will be its patented steam box technology for steel slag processing. Harsco says its technology provides for faster cooling times, reduced water and energy consumption and more efficient slag sizing than conventional methods. Its environmental benefits include the full capture of open atmospheric emissions, together with the opportunity to utilize the clean steam and heat generated from the steam box.

In Brazil, Harsco has been selected by one of the country’s largest fully integrated steelmakers to extend its long-standing services for on-site scrap handling, slag transport, metal recovery and melt shop support. Harsco has been providing continuous support to the mill’s flat steel operations for more than three decades and to its minimill since its inception in 2014.

“These contracts reflect our renewed ambitions to grow the Metals & Minerals business following two years of successful transformation. Our relationships in both contracts demonstrate our capacity to provide long-term value to customer operations in parallel with lasting benefit to the environment,” says Nicholas Grasberger, Harsco president and CEO.

Plastics recycling company receives praise for its technology, which can convert plastic scrap to new materials.

The plastics recycling company MBA Polymers has been named the winner in the “Young Global Leaders Award for Circular Economy SME” category of the Circulars Awards, which were held during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2017.

Additionally, MBA Polymers, headquartered in the U.K., with operations in Austria and China, was selected by the audience for The Davos Prize as the overall winner in all categories as “The Most Impactful and Innovative Circular Economy Story from the Evening."

MBA Polymers has developed a solution to upcycle complex plastic scrap streams into high-quality products that can then be reused or repurposed.

The Circulars are an initiative of the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders. Candidates for the awards are leading the way in driving innovation and growth that is decoupled from the use of scarce natural resources, the organizations say.

"We're delighted to have been named the winner of the Circular Economy SME category and chosen by popular vote to receive The Davos Prize," says Mike Biddle, MBA founder and a member of its board of directors. "This is recognition for our achievements in creating advanced technologies to recycle some of the largest and most complex plastic waste streams into valuable raw materials and building three world-scale plants that recover and deliver tens of millions of pounds per year of plastics to major manufacturers around the world."

Other winners announced during the Circulars Awards ceremony were:

See the MBA Polymers winning video here.  

Kenny Bradshaw will serve clients in western Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.

ShearCore, headquartered in Superior, Wisconsin, has announced the appointment of Regional Sales Manager Kenny Bradshaw, who will serve clients in western Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. He comes to the company with 13 years of industry knowledge and experience.

“I came out of retirement and joined ShearCore because of the product lines we offer and the spirit, drive and integrity of the people in the organization,” Bradshaw says.

ShearCore manufactures, sells and services the Fortress line of mobile shears. The company also is the exclusive North American distributor for the Copex Reflex line of portable shear/baler/loggers and Copex Lidex heavy side-squeeze stationary shears, which are made in France. 

Carts expected to be distributed to 21,000 Republic Services customers by spring 2017.