Chinaplas Breaking 600x400
Chinaplas responds positively to Chinese environmental policy Jinhui Zhaolong, a plastic division of China's Jinhui energy firm discussed its first ever appearance at Chinaplas during a pre-show press event. The group will place a strong emphasis on green technologies, as part of the over-arching theme of 'greenovation' which is dominating at this year's show.
The group says that pollution and ecological damage may have cost as much as CNY200 billion per year. "The cost of disposing of waste plastics is five times that of production costs" said a spokesperson for the group. "We need to ask ourselves, what kind of environment should we leave for our children - landfill or greenfield? There are two ways in China to handle garbage - combustion or landfill. Neither is an ideal solution. Burning waste plastics produces large quantities of toxic gas, causing secondary pollution. The additives from degradation further pollute soil and water. We need to stop the pollution at the source."
To that end, the firm has developed a new high-barrier film which uses carbon dioxide copolymer as the major component. Jinhui Zhaolong believes that production of the film will bring to market a high-barrier and degradable composite based on polypropylene carbonate, which can be used as a modified insulation material.
Thermal and mechanical properties and barrier function are improved over conventional EVOH, and the material could reduce costs by two thirds whilst maintaining oxygen resistance, claims the group.
Other properties include non-toxicity and flame-resistance. Target applications include medium- and long-term storage of food, drugs, chemicals and precision instruments. Further development of the synthetic catalytic technology will continue in order to add further uses for the material.
In the biopolymers field, Jinhui Zhaolong was the first company in China to produce polyalcohol from bio-glycerol using advanced processing technologies. "The technology has a great significance for carbon emission reduction. In theory, the consumption of one tonne of bio-propylene, which is an important material widely used as a chemical intermediate containing three carbon atoms from the atmosphere is equal to consuming 1.157 tonnes of carbon dioxide," said Professor Wu Jialin from Donghua University. The product is currently used internationally in the household, chemical and food industries.
The Biotech Industry Development Plan, published by the State Council of China in 2013, sets the goal of producing major bio-based products from non-food raw materials, and stipulates the objective of building up million-tonne annual outputs of bio-based materials, as well as ten million-tonne production capacity of bio- based finished products.
Ms Li Yajuan, Vice President of the Jinhui Group said: "Planning into the future, we have drawn up a detailed development blueprint to meet market demands stipulated by the sustained economic growth and urbanisation in China. We aim for the healthy development of the industry, by the means of increasing investments in capacity expansion, technology, service, cultivation and infrastructure construction, and working closely with our customers and partners to create sustainable solutions."
The group will also display its 'Ecoworld' PBAT biodegradeable compostable film material during the show. PBAT is a terpolymer made of 1, 4-butanediol adipic acid and terephthalic acid. The film features 120% tear-resistance and 130% impact strength compared with polyethylene, as a result of its benzene ring, says the group. Applications for the film in China include agricultural mulch film, bin liners, cling film, compostable plastic bags and disposable food packaging products, including food storage boxes, and cups.
Jinhui Zhaolong says it can be decomposed into carbon dioxide and water within 180 days by microorganisms under compostable conditions (defined as conditions which allow biodegradation by microorganisms and absorption of organic substances).
Production of the film is carried out using a 'one-step' polymerisation process. The technology also makes gains in film-forming properties, ageing resitance and safety, claims the group. The material meets the EU bioplastics standard EN13432.
