Welcome to the publisher's 29th conference, and its 11th on Re-Invention of Plastics.
A spirit of innovation in the field of chemicals/polymers is brewing; a phenomenon we have not seen in the chemical industry since the 1960s. Such radical innovations are being necessitated by the lack of indefinite availability/sustainability of fossil fuels and the associated global warming endangering our planet earth.
Driven by consumer awareness, brand-owners are pushing the manufacturers to respond with technology that takes Sustainability & Environmental impact to new heights, for example;
Transitioning from traditional fossil-based raw-materials to Renewable BioMass / Waste(s) / Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions, and Recycled Petro/Bio-based Plastics as raw-materials (M, mass).
Cycling into Valued Products, that is, Durability as opposed to BioDegradation or Disposal, via Recycling / BioFuels / Composites / Incineration (C, cycling).
As a SYMBOLIC expression for the Endurance of Polymer Industry (E), we propose: E = MC2 - highlighting the greater role of Cycling.
Re-Shaping of Polymers/Plastics industry has already begun; join us to witness the future!
Agenda
May 12 (Tuesday) 2020
Sustainable Durable Plastics from Biobased/Recycled Feedstock
7:00 AM-1:00 PM Registration
1:00 PM-2:00 PM Welcome and Opening Remarks
State-of-the-Plastics Industry Today & Trends Re-Shaping Tomorrow
Rationale for Pushing Sustainability & Environmental Initiatives in Plastics & Chemical Industry
Bio-Sourced + Recycled Plastics: Compounded Impact on Sustainability & Environment via
Reduction of Climate-Land-Ocean Pollution & Pursuit of Independence from Fossil-Fuels
Historic Emergence of Biobased Plastics through Turbulent Times
Latest Views on BioDegradable & Compostable Plastics
Fossil-Free PolyOlefins/PolyEsters/PolyAmides & other DURABLE Plastics
Advancing Trends in Plastic Recycling
Dr. Yash Khanna, President, InnoPlast Solutions, USA
2:00-2:30 Green Ethylene Platform based on Sugar Cane:
Polyethylene, Ethylene VinylAcetate Copolymer and MEG for Polyesters.
Business/Technology Update and Brand-Owner Partnerships
Daniel MacEachran, Head, Open Innovation-Renewable Materials, Braskem, USA
2:30-3:00 TurfCushionTM; a Sustainable Product Composed of Recycled PE and Green PE
John Karr, President, ProdTek, USA
Commercial-Scale Production of Bio-Based Polyethylene and Polypropylene: Technology Update
Value-Chain: Resin Manufacturer to Brand-Owners Partnerships
3:00-3:30 Coffee & Networking
3:30-4:00 Commercial Availability of Recycled PolyOlefins alongside Virgin Resins:
Driven by Growing Customer Demand
Process Mapping for Recycling
4:00-4:30 Recycled PolyOlefins from Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Waste:
Technology/Commercial Update
Ocean-Bound HDPE Recycled for Food-Contact Packaging
Demand vs Supply: Present & Future
Tamsin Ettefagh, VP-Sales & Procurement, Envision Plastics, USA
4:30-5:00 Virgin-Like Polypropylene from Recycled PP Products:
Technology Licensing
Other Initiatives on Recycling
Dr. John Layman, R&D Section Head-Founder of PureCycle Technology, P&G, USA
5:00-7:00 Cocktail Reception & Networking
7:00-10:30 Networking Dinner by New York City Waters & Skyline
May 13 (Wednesday) 2020
Sustainable Durable Plastics from Biobased/Recycled Feedstock
7:30-8:30 AM Breakfast & Networking
8:30-9:00 PLA; a Biodegradable as well as Durable Plastic:
Lang Phommahaxay, Business Development Manager-NA, Total-Corbion, USA
9:00-9:30 PHA; a Niche Plastic for Non-Recyclable Packaging Structures:
Technology Update
Growing Brand-Owner Partnerships
Phil Van Trump, CTO, Danimer Scientific, USA
9:30-10:00 Title to be announced
Dr. Arash Kiani, CEO, Alterra Holdings, USA
10:00-10:30 Coffee & Networking
10:30-11:00 Furanic Building Block for PEF Polyester:
Technology & Commercialization update
Dr. Daniel Slanac, R&D Manager-Biomaterials, DuPont, USA
11:00-11:30 Renewable Biomass to FDCA and MEG Building Blocks for PEF:
Update on Path to Commercialization
Prof. Dr. Gert-Jan Gruter, CTO, Avantium, the Netherlands
11:30-12:00 Emerging Trends in PET Recycling: Demand > Supply; Executive Summary
Rationale & Strategy for Beverage Packaging Materials:
Partial Replacement of PET-Plastic with Aluminum
Partial Replacement of Virgin-PET with Recycled PET
Dr. Yash Khanna, InnoPlast Solutions, USA
12:00-1:30 Lunch & Networking
1:30-2:00 Advances in Mechanical Recycling of PET Waste:
Decontamination of Impurities (Polymeric & Organics) for FDA Clearance
Meeting IV Targets via LSP Technology
Customer Feedback
Peter Schneider, General Manager, NGR, USA
2:00-2:30 Chemical Recycling of Hard-to-Recycle PET Waste:
Technology Update and Path Forward
Dr. Robert Allen, Distinguished Research Staff Member, IBM, USA
2:30-3:00 Development of Circular Production Processes:
Chemical Recycling of Mixed Polyesters-to-Building Blocks-to-Virgin Polyesters
Mixed Plastics-to-SynGas-to-Acetate Building Block for Treva Engineered Bioplastic
Holli Alexander, Strategic Initiatives Manager-Global Sustn, Eastman Chemical, USA
3:00-3:30 Coffee & Networking
3:30-4:00 Trees-to-Plastics; the Opportunity
Dr. Murray McLaughlin, Advisor Bioproducts, Forest Products Innovations, Canada
4:00-4:30 New Developments in Lignin based Plastics
Dr. Terence Cooper, CEO, ARGO International, USA/UK
4:30-5:00 Corn as an Industrial Feedstock: Myths Re-Visited
Availability after Foodstuff Usage
Technology Driven Productivity Boost
Life Cycle Analysis; Reduced C-Footprint
Building Blocks for Plastics
Rodney Willliamson, Director-Res & Bus Develop, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, USA
May 14 (Thursday) 2020
Sustainable Durable Plastics from Biobased/Recycled Feedstock
7:30-8:30 AM Breakfast & Networking
8:30-9:00 New Approaches Towards Sustainable Plastics:
Dr. Tuulamari Helaja, VP, VTT Technical Center, Finland
9:00-9:30 Title TBA
Dr. Arash Kiani, CEO, Alterra Holdings, USA
9:30-10:00 Title TBA
Dr. Arash Kiani, CEO, Alterra Holdings, USA
10:00-10:30 Coffee & Networking
10:30-11:00 Title TBA
Dr. Arash Kiani, CEO, Alterra Holdings, USA
11:00-11:30 Fossil-Free Chemical Additives: Latest Developments
Dr. Steven Henning, Director-Global Res & Bus Develop, Total Cray Valley, USA
11:30-12:00 TBA
12:00-1:00 Lunch & Networking
Advances in Recycling
1:00-1:30 Recycling of Post-Consumer Windshields & Architectural Building Plastic-Laminated Glass:
Commercial Process to Separate Glass from PolyVinyl Butyral (PVB)
Industrial Applications of Recycled PVB with Lower C-Footprint vs Virgin Resin
Dr. Jens Holmegaard, Managing Director & CEO, Shark Solutions, Denmark
1:30-2:00 PolyUsableTM - How Chemical Recycling Will Make 'Single Use Plastic' a Footnote in Human History
Jon Timbers, Director-Innovation & Sustainability, Regenyx; a JV of Americas Styrenics and Agilyx, USA
2:00-4:00 Panel Discussion-Pre-Selected Questions from Participants
I am in a traditional plastics industry. Why should I switch to biobased plastics?
What are Government mandates on using biobased products in Europe & Japan? What is the expectation from the U.S. Government?
What are the prospects for expanding On-Site Composting / Collection Stations in the U.S; example being Atlanta Falcons stadium being built to address Zero Waste? If not nationwide, could this concept be extended Selectively to other institutions such as Airports, Hospitals, Sports arena, Corporate Headquarters? Any lessons learned from the infrastructure set up in Europe & Japan for handling Biobased / Recycled plastics?
Why don't the Brand-Owners push for Biobased / Recycled products and create demand?
Notes to be Distributed to the Participants, Post-Conference