Page 34 - Plastics News August 2020

Dow and Thong Guan launch new bio-PE range Coperion's successful High-Performance
in Asia Pacific
hemical company Dow and plastic stretch cling film
C producer Thong Guan have launched a new range
of bio-based polyethylene (bio-PE) in the Asia Pacific.
Named Nano Bio, the new range of stretch cling films
will be developed by Thong Guan using advanced
nanotechnology, down gauged with increased
strength, flexibility, and durability. The company will
leverage Dow's ELITE 5230GC R Enhanced Polyethylene
Resins. Dow's linear low-density polyethylene is
derived from renewable feedstock that comes from
tall oil, which is a residue of paper production. Dow
Packaging and Specialty Plastics Asia Pacific
commercial vice-president Bambang Candra said:
“Introducing Dow's first bio-based polyethylene in Asia
Pacific based on renewable feedstock is an important
step in this direction.“In addition, as a part of the new
sustainability targets, Dow is also committed to
stopping the leakage of plastic waste into the
environment by enabling 1 million metric tonnes of
plastic to be collected, reused or recycled by 2030 and
closing the circular economy loop by having 100% of its
products sold into packaging applications be reusable
or recyclable by 2035.”The film is expected to address
Asia Pacific's growing demand for renewable plastics. It
also offers stability in pallet load and restricts damages
and accidents during transportation. Thong Guan
Industries managing director Dato' Ang Poon Chuan
said: “With Dow's bio-based resins, our Nano Bio
reduces the use of plastics while maintaining the same
high-performance, thus meeting our customers'
business and sustainability needs.” In May, Dow
collaborated with multiple packaging companies to
supply isolation gowns for healthcare workers amid the
coronavirus.
August 2020 32
Concept for Meltblown PP Production
operion and the technology licensor Lummus
CNovolen Technology have jointly developed a
successful concept for the production of meltblown
polypropylene, which serves as raw material for
nonwovens used mainly as filter media in medical
protective masks. In a recent test series performed in
its test lab atStuttgart, Germany, Coperion together
with the technology licensor Lummus Novolen
Technology demonstrated the wide range of possible
applications for the proven Coperion ZSK twin screw
extruder series. Within the scope of tests, various
Polypropylene pellets with extremely low melt
viscosities were successfully produced. This so-called
meltblown Polypropylene (PP) forms the raw material
for the production of nonwovens, which are mainly
used as filter media in medical protective masks. The
results obtained from the tests now allow the concept
to be easily transferred from laboratory to production
scale. Thus, the production of such products on
existing and new large-scale extruders, as typically
installed in modern PP production sites, becomes
possible. The tests are based on the proven ZSK
extruder technology with ZS-EG side devolatilization
and a screw design tailored exclusively for Novolen.
According to Heiko Hornberger, Head of Team
Polyolefins, Process Technology at Coperion: “The
innovative system concept proves the successful
interaction of different technologies. The
combination of a new screw concept for optimum
dispersion and very good degassing thanks to ZS-EG
technology secures first-class product qualities. The
overall concept of the Coperion system not only
ensures the operational flexibility required and
necessary by the licensor for the processability of a
broad range of PP types, but also significantly extends
the possible application window.”
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