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

Recycling and the Environment: a Comparative Review Between Mineral-based Plastics and Bioplastics

Since their conception in the 1950s, mineral-based plastics have completely revolutionised our society with production reaching record highs year upon year. This cheap, and durable material has seen usage across a plethora of diverse industries and products, replacing traditional materials such as metals and wood. However, our reliance on mineral-based plastics has led to their improper disposal across the global, affecting our environments and ecosystems. As a response, different methods have been developed to help dispose of the large amounts of plastic waste produced, such as incineration or dumping in landfill sites, but these methods are not without their drawbacks including release of toxic substances into the air and leachate into the soil and waters respectively. Consequently, much interest is generated and channelled in recent years to the introduction of several types of biopolymers. These include plastics based on cellulosic esters, starch derivatives, polyhydroxybutyrate and polylactic acid. These biopolymers have been viewed as a suitable replacement for mineral-based plastics, and their production a good strategy towards sustainable development as they are mainly composed of biocompounds such as starch, cellulose and sugars. This short review article provides an overview as to whether biopolymers can rival mineral-based plastics considering properties such as mechanical strength, Young’s modulus and crystallinity and could they be regarded as a suitable material to reduce our reliance on mineral-based plastics, whilst simultaneously reducing non-renewable energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions

The plastics revolution:how the Netherlands became a global player in plastics

The Plastics Revolution: How the Netherlands Became a Global Player in Plastics presents the fascinating story of the invention and development of plastics. It shows how the efforts of academia and industry resulted in an entirely new category of materials that have played a crucial role in shaping modern life. Besides highlighting the benefits that plastics have brought to the world, the book also directs our attention to the challenges that these same materials pose to society and the natural environment today

South Africa's industrialisation strategy and import substitution

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management of the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in 50% requirement of the requirements of the degree of Master in Management (in the field of Public and Development Management) June, 2017The role of the state and how it drives industrialisation has received renewed attention in the wake of the global economic meltdown. The purpose of this study was to determine if industrial policy implementation in South Africa is geared towards import substitution, with specific focus on the plastics sector. The study was undertaken as a qualitative research with one on one semi structured interviews with policy makers and analysts from Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), independent research body The Centre for Competition Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED), independent consultant and representative of industry from Plastics SA and documentary analysis of strategic documents from CCRED, DTI and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Industrialisation in the plastics sector has in the main been export oriented the study found. Furthermore, the study found that there is a need to target plastics sub sectors with high value to spur the growth of the plastics sector and create much needed jobs. Financial incentives are available to the sector but accessed mainly by fewer big firms.MT201

The Role of the Plastic Industry in Industrial Arts Education

Statement of the Problem The purpose of this study was to determine the historical development and scope of the plastics industry. It was also ascertained in this study how the plastics industry could be interpreted in industrial arts education programs. Method of Study Used A review of available literature was made to identify the history and scope of the plastics industry, processes, products, type and cost of equipment, and the availability of visual aids to be used in teaching industrial plastics. Results Industrial processes applicable to industrial arts education have been described in this study. Also, a course of study for industrial plastics has been developed for all industrial arts education programs. Conclusion It was concluded by this study that the plastics industry has had a major significance on society. Therefore, it is necessary that all youth be acquainted with it in industrial arts education

Development of a Transparent Thermal Reflective Thin Film Coating for Accurate Separation of Food-Grade Plastics in Recycling Process via AI-Based Thermal Image Processing

This paper presents the development of a specific thin film coating designed to address the challenge of accurately separating food-grade plastics in the recycling process. The coating, created using a plasma sputtering process, is transparent to the visible spectrum of light while effectively reflecting infrared emissions above 1500 nm. Composed of a safe metal oxide formulation with a proprietary composition, the coating is applied to packaging labels. By employing thermal imaging and a computer vision AI model, the coated labels enable precise differentiation of plastics associated with food packaging in the initial stage of plastic recycling. The proposed system achieved a remarkable 100% accuracy in separating food-grade plastics from other types of plastics. This innovative approach holds great potential for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of plastic recycling processes, ensuring the recovery of food-grade plastics for future use

QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT FOR BIO PLASTICS ADOPTION IN MALAYSIAN INDUSTRY

Plastic have transformed our everyday life and their usage is increasing and about 50 percent of plastics is used for single-use disposable applications. However, carbon-based plastics have brought a lot of environmental issues, such as global warming, greenhouse effect and air pollution. Hence, the introduction of bio plastics is launched and this plastic is manufactured from renewing raw materials which may help lower the dependency on mineral fuels and plastics waste. Quality Function Development (QFD) model is the technique that based on the analysis of the clients’ requirements which normally are expressed in qualitative terms. QFD is divided into four phase: product development, product design. Process preparation and process control. Customers are looking for substitute of petrochemical plastics due to the concern of the nature that petrochemical plastic when disposed of and burned can release toxic pollutants. Besides think of the raw materials used, European also consider about the sustainable food chain from bio plastic. After getting the customer requirements, QFD led to study on the characteristics of bio plastic. This step is to understand how the need can be satisfied  and ask ‘why; until the truly understand what the root need. Further on, the degree of correlation between the selected characteristics was evidenced in the correlation matrix. The characteristics that taking account refer to the commodity and comfort in use, the shape of the package, temperature at distribution, trade mark, labeling and the possibility to correlate the ration price/ quantity. As awareness in using bio plastics can be witnessed in many developed countries where a wide range of favorable initiatives are put in action, including government policies, research and development and the industrial promotion. Â

Determinants of circular economy development in plastics

Idea of circular economy is a natural direction of the development of environmentally oriented management. It is assessed that 95% of plastic packaging materials, valued at 100 bill. USD is lost shortly after first use. Closing of a productionuse loop can be cost effective and can bring reduction of environmental burden. Circular economy in plastics has also far reaching consequences: stimulation of structural changes in industry, new value chains, changes in technologies and investment as well as changes in international trade. In the paper some forecasts and assessments of circular economy consequences for producers and users in plastics are presented and discussed on the example of main types of plastics.Idea gospodarki obiegu zamkniętego jest jednym z nowych kierunków zmian w dziedzinie zarządzania zorientowanego na poszanowanie środowiska. Szacuje się, że obecnie 95% opakowań z tworzyw sztucznych, wartych około 100 mld USD, jest traconych po pierwszym użyciu. Zamknięcie obiegu tworzyw i wzrost poziomu recyklingu sprzyjać będzie redukcji obciążeń środowiskowych i racjonalizacji kosztów. Gospodarka zamknięta w obszarze tworzyw sztucznych ma jednak dalej idące konsekwencje, dotyczące zmian strukturalnych wśród producentów, przekształceń w łańcuchach tworzenia wartości, procesów substytucji, kierunków inwestycji w zakresie surowców petrochemicznych i struktury handlu zagranicznego. W artykule przedstawiono prognozy i oszacowania najbardziej istotnych skutków – zarówno kosztów, jak i korzyści – implementacji zasad gospodarki obiegu zamkniętego dla podstawowych tworzyw sztucznych oraz dla ich producentów i użytkowników

Pricing Plastics Pollution: Lessons from Three Decades of Climate Policy

Plastic is now the most widely used human-made substance on the planet, and plastics pollution impacts marine and coastal ecosystems, local economies, and human health. Local and national governments are increasingly responding by banning plastic bags and other specific plastic products, taxing the use of certain plastics, and improving waste management and recycling. These are important steps, but alone they will not result in a meaningful reduction in cumulative plastics pollution or encourage development of sufficient alternatives to plastic. Additional policy measures are necessary. This Article argues that climate change and plastic pollution share numerous similarities, and these similarities allow policymakers to benefit from the three decades of climate policy experimentation when choosing plastics pollution policy instruments. Both are collective action problems with local, national, and global impacts. Unilateral policies will do little to address total accumulation of the pollutant. There are countless sources of plastics pollution and the plastics have different uses and characteristics. Technological breakthroughs are necessary to recycle and reuse large amounts of plastics or reduce carbon pollution. There are influential, established interests in value chains that produce and use plastics or fuels that emit greenhouse gases. The Article focuses on one key policy instrument in climate policies—pollution pricing—and identifies lessons from carbon pricing that can inform the design of plastics pollution policies. The Article begins by summarizing the global impacts of plastics pollution and the current international, national, and subnational plastics pollution policies. It then argues that broader market-based approaches can help address the global challenge of plastics pollution, identifies policy design choices for market-based pollution policies, elaborates on the similarities between plastics pollution and climate change, and then describes lessons from climate policy that can inform the design of plastics policies. The Article concludes by describing the applicability of these lessons from climate change to the emerging policy response to plastic pollution

Lipolytic enzymes in the gastric fluids of Cancer pagurus are capable of hydrolyzing biodegradable plastic

The pollution of the environment by plastics is a perpetual problem that poses a great challenge to mankind. A promising strategy to counteract the increasing pollution is the innovation and development of biodegradable materials. However, biodegradable plastics reach into the marine environment in the same way as conventional plastics and can also be ingested by marine organisms. There is a wide variety of different polymers that are used in biodegradable materials, such as polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS) or polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Those compounds are known to be enzymatically degradable by several enzymes under certain conditions. Once ingested by marine organisms such as crustaceans, the highly active mixture of enzymes in their digestive tracts may break down compounds and facilitate degradation. In this study, the hydrolytic activity of gastric fluids from Cancer pagurus on different biodegradable and conventional plastics was evaluated with pH Stat titration. The enzymes capable of hydrolyzing biodegradable plastics were isolated from the gastric fluid and characterized using several analytical methods. Separated protein fractions with a high amount of lipolytic enzymes showed the highest potential on hydrolyzing biodegradable plastics