Technology and innovation management : analysis of the New Zealand plastics industry : technology status, problems and opportunities : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Production Technology at Massey University

The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the status of innovation and technology management in the New Zealand plastics industry using a survey. This thesis provides a comparison of plastics manufacturing capability in New Zealand and in other industrial countries; it also provides an examination of key trends, attitudes and problems within the New Zealand plastics industry to indicate where technology transfer from overseas, or research and development may be required

White paper on the future of plasma science and technology in plastics and textiles

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: “Uros, C., Walsh, J., Cernák, M., Labay, C., Canal, J.M., Canal, C. (2019) White paper on the future of plasma science and technology in plastics and textiles. Plasma processes and polymers, 16 1 which has been published in final form at [doi: 10.1002/ppap.201700228]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."This white paper considers the future of plasma science and technology related to the manufacturing and modifications of plastics and textiles, summarizing existing efforts and the current state‐of‐art for major topics related to plasma processing techniques. It draws on the frontier of plasma technologies in order to see beyond and identify the grand challenges which we face in the following 5–10 years. To progress and move the frontier forward, the paper highlights the major enabling technologies and topics related to the design of surfaces, coatings and materials with non‐equilibrium plasmas. The aim is to progress the field of plastics and textile production using advanced plasma processing as the key enabling technology which is environmentally friendly, cost efficient, and offers high‐speed processingPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Properties of concrete containing recycled PET bottles as sand replacement

The modern lifestyle along with the new technologies have contributed the increasing of waste materials production. Plastic is one of the waste materials which is non-disposal and non-biodegradable material that can remain on earth without degradation. The world produces nearly 150 million tonnes of plastics per year, which is nearly 4.8 tonnes per second and a per capita production of 25 kg/year [1]. The Malaysian Plastic Industry (2012), reported that Malaysia is one of the largest plastics producers in Asia [2]. In Malaysia, extensive consumption of PET bottle is one of the contribution to the increasing growth of plastic waste disposed in landfills. Reutilization of PET wastes in concrete technology is one of the innovative solution for reduce the materials cost and solve some of the plastics waste problems .

Valorisation of Plastic Waste via Catalytic Hydrocracking: a Technological Survey

In this work, we looked at the most recent advances in the field of plastics hydrocracking from a technology standpoint. A patent search was supplemented by a literature review to evaluate the development of the hydrocracking technology for plastics recycling. We observed that the patent and academic literature output rapidly increased over the past decade, highlighting the recent emergence of this technology to tackle the plastic waste problem. A majority of patents arise from academia, where plastics recycling is a growing research topic. Although innovations for plastics hydrocracking have been reported, most of them disclose the use of catalysts in batch reactors, whereas very few patents describe the process. Continuous operation at pilot scale will be essential to gather process data towards industrialisation and further assess the commercial viability of theplastics hydrocracking technology

Influences of impurities in recycled plastics on properties of PIM sandwich panels

Powder impression moulding (PIM) is a novel technology for manufacturing lightweight sandwich panels from plastics in powder form. The process is featured by its high tolerant to impurities or contaminants in the feedstock and thus requires much less materials segregation and cleaning operations when use recycled plastics. This paper investigate the influences of polymer impurities and soil contamination on structure and properties of PIM sandwich panels using compositions that simulate a PE-rich recycled plastic feedstock. It is demonstrated that the PIM process can accommodate considerable impurities (rPET residues or soil contamination) in a core dominated by LDPE/HDPE blendes. The variation of flexural properties can be predicted or controlled through monitoring of impurities. There exist significant scopes for reduction of the degree of sorting and cleaning in recycling systems by using lower grades of recyclates and for reduction of the associated costs and energy consumption

PLASTIC RECYLING IN INDONESIA BY CONVERTING PLASTIC WASTES (PET, HDPE, LDPE, and PP) INTO PLASTIC PELLETS

Due to the population growth, economic development, increasing the consumption of  products patterns in Indonesia and activities of citizen, MSW has generated by 384 Indonesia cities was about 80,235 ton  per day (or 320,940m3 per day). The plastics solid waste (PSW) become to the major concern after organic waste and significantly impact to in environment. In order to solve the problem this research is conducted to identify the potential raw material from plastics, in order to replaces the pure material of plastics pellets that is made from crude oil and minimize the effect bring to environment. This compendium is presented the concept of the appropriation technology for plastics recycling, it emphasize the typical method  by converting  plastics waste of thermoplastic  type Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), High density polyethylene (HDPE), Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and Polypropylene (PP) into plastics pellets. Whereas thermoplastics chemical structure possible for recyclable , the mechanical  recycling  method  is played as the best technology  and common used in recycling of conventional plastic waste material into new raw material without changing basic structure. The quality of pellets that reprocess from the plastics waste is based on the effective factors of sorting, washing, drying and temperature of melting in each zones of extruder machin

Overcoming information asymmetry in the plastics value chain with digital product passports : how decentralised identifiers and verifiable credentials can enable a circular economy for plastics

This paper analyses the potential of digital information technology to enable the reliable provision of product information along the plastics supply chain. The authors investigate the possible contribution of a product passport equipped with decentralised identifiers and verifiable credentials to overcome information deficits and information asymmetry in the circular plastics economy. Through this, high-quality plastics recycling could be enabled on a larger scale than currently possible

Addition of X-ray fluorescent tracers into polymers, new technology for automatic sorting of plastics : proposal for selecting some relevant tracers

A description of a new technology for automatic sorting of plastics, based on X-ray fluorescence detection of tracers, added in such materials is presented. This study describes the criteria for the selection of tracers, and concluded that the most adapted for XRF are some rare earth oxides. The plastics chosen for tracing and identification are the ones contained in ELV and WEEE from which discrimination is difficult for the existing sorting techniques due to their black colour.A description of a new technology for automatic sorting of plastics, based on X-ray fluorescence detection of tracers, added in such materials is presented. This study describes the criteria for the selection of tracers, and concluded that the most adapted for XRF are some rare earth oxides. The plastics chosen for tracing and identification are the ones contained in ELV and WEEE from which discrimination is difficult for the existing sorting techniques due to their black colour

DIODE PUMPED YTTERBIUM FIBER LASER MARKING PROCESS PARAMETER IMPACT ON MARK QUALITY OF POLIVINILCHLORIDE (PVC) MATERIAL

Laser technology is undergoing unbelievably rapid expansion. A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. Nowadays laser cuts many different materials, including wide range of plastics and plastic material products. PVC plastic materials, is relatively light, cheap and durable material. Plastics it’s self is also recyclable and recoverable materials. Polyvinylchloride plastics is widely used in manufacturing of wide range of plastic details, pipes, toys, credit cards, window frames, interior and exterior facades and decorations. Laser marking of PVC plastics can be used to provide application of various symbols, such as part numbers, barcodes, instructions and graphic picture on the surface of PVC plastic objects. To reach the necessary quality of marked symbols and smooth surface of PVC detail, is necessary to choose the appropriate power and speed of laser marking process.The aim of this work is to relate the mark quality parameters and the operating process parameters. The research was conducted in the period of time from March 2016 till April 2016, in the Rēzekne Academy of Technology, Laser Technology center

Using Waste Plastics in Road Construction

The idea of using waste plastics in road construction is relatively new. Laboratory tests have shown positive results when a small amount (5-10% by weight) of plastic is incorporated in bituminous mixes (asphalt), resulting in improved pavement stability, strength, and durability. However, international field experience using plastics in actual road construction is quite limited. In this review, we found examples of waste plastics being used in road construction in a few case studies in India, UK, Netherlands, Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africa. While roads constructed using waste plastics have shown good longevity and pavement performance to date, the first roads constructed using this technology are only about ten years old, so long-term outcomes are not yet clear. This review did not find any evidence discussing the maintenance of roads constructed using waste plastics