Rubber Board of India launched the Landslide Zonation Map of rubber plantations and the mobile app ‘RUBAC’ for rubber census in the country in a function held at Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII).

The MOU for the collaborative project of Cardamom Research Institute (ICRI) of Spices Board India, Digital University of Kerala and the Rubber Board for developing digitized soil fertility maps and online fertilizer recommendation for cardamom plantations in the lines of RuBSIS developed for rubber was also shared in the function. Prof. Saji Gopinath (Vice Chancellor, Digital University of Kerala), D. Sathiyan IFS (Chairman and Secretary, Spices Board India), M.D. Jessy (Director (Research) in-charge) and M.J. Lizy (Joint Director, Statistics and Planning Department, Rubber Board) spoke on the occasion.

The RRII has successfully delineated rubber plantations into low, medium and high landslide risk categories using satellite-derived maps of the distribution of rubber plantations in the State and the district-wise landslide susceptibility zones developed by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. Based on this, Board can recommend growers to adopt good agricultural practices at a location according to its vulnerability to landslides as well as cultural operations that should not be undertaken to minimize the impact of landslides. The map is available at https://lsz.rubberboard.org.in

Rubber Board is conducting a nationwide census on rubber to prepare a comprehensive data base on rubber plantations and rubber growers with the help of mobile application. Reliable and timely statistics on new planting, replanting, actual area under rubber, level of adoption of recommended agro management practices, harvesting practices followed etc. are necessary for implementing rubber related development projects. The mobile app ‘RUBAC’ is developed by the Rubber Board in association with the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management and is expected to reduce the processing time considerably. The rubber census is proposed to be carried out on all rubber growing areas of the country in a phased manner. As the first phase of the programme, the census will start in Kottayam District of Kerala. (TT)

Orion Engineered Carbons, a specialty chemical company, started commercial sales in Italy from the first new reactor for carbon black production to be commissioned in the European Union in over 40 years. 

The new 25-kiloton line at the facility in Ravenna, in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, produces both specialty and technical rubber carbon blacks, primarily for the European market, the company said in a release. 

Corning Painter, CEO, Orion, said, “The new line offers customers seeking long-term solutions a unique strategic opportunity to align with a dependable plant that has been operating for more than 60 years in Europe.” 

Additional investments at the plant include a new co-generation facility to convert waste heat into electricity, generating up to 120 MWh of electricity per year. Seventy percent of the electricity is supplied to the national grid, serving about 30,000 households. Orion is a net exporter of electricity in Europe and worldwide. (TT)  

Shin-Etsu Chemical, a leading chemical company, plans to invest $702 million in its silicone portfolio, a key component of its functional materials business segment.

This latest investment follows a plan announced in February 2022, worth $562 million, to meet the surging demand for advanced functional silicone products. However, due to the continuous growth in need, especially for eco-friendly options that align with the global goal of carbon neutrality, the company has decided to expand the applications of its silicone products. The company will also focus on enhancing the advanced functionality of its product lineup and further developing environmentally friendly silicones.

In alignment with its newly announced silicones investment plan, Shin-Etsu Chemical will make investments not only in its central production hub in Japan, the Gunma Complex in Gunma Prefecture, but also in its Naoetsu Plant in Niigata Prefecture, Takefu Plant in Fukui Prefecture, and the Group company plant in Thailand, where silicone monomer and polymer production is conducted. The company will also invest further in existing silicone plants across other Asian countries, the United States, and Hungary. Simultaneously, Shin-Etsu Chemical will accelerate efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by embracing greener manufacturing processes.

Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.

Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.

Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.Klean Industries Inc has announced that its partner Pyrolysis Hellas SA has completed Phase II of the Detailed Feasibility Study to design and build a tyre pyrolysis plant in Greece. Greek Authorities gave permits to its final Phase, the company said in a release. The company, while terming it as a significant milestone for the PHS project, claimed that it was the first tyre pyrolysis and carbon upgrading project in Greece to receive full authorizations.

Each year, over 1.5 billion tyres are sold worldwide, representing more than 26 million metric tonnes, and just as many tyres each year also fall into the category of end-of-life tyres providing a large and partially untapped potential for resource and material recovery. Today, most traditional ELT treatment processes are not circular and do not result in any production of raw materials that are suitable to be reused in the tyre manufacturing industry. Without such ELT solutions in the EU, more than half of the EU end-of-life tyres and secondhand tyres are landfilled or are exported as tyre derived fuels for use into furnaces as an industrial fuel. The PHS project intends to reverse these trends and create a vibrant addition to advancements being made in the tyre recycling sector, the release said.

The PHS project is co-owned by Karabas European Hellenic Recycling. Currently, KEHR collects and recycles all types of scrap vehicle tyres and recycles them through traditional methods by shredding tyres into rubber granules, rubber powder & shock-absorbent surfacing slabs.

PHS has partnered with Klean Industries to build a modern tyre recycling facility that encompasses a state-of-the-art scrap tyre pyrolysis plant to recycle 20,000 TPA of waste tyres into valuable chemical products.

PHS proposes to construct and operate the Waste Tyre Pyrolysis Plant in Moulkia, a seaside town near Skala, Greece. It is located at an existing industrial site that is owned by KEHR, the release added. (TT)

ResiCare, an adhesive manufacturing subsidiary of Michelin, has found commercial use in Allin's plywood manufacturing unit, R'PLY. Allin and Michelin have been in collaboration since 2018.

The company claims that R'Ply is the first responsible plywood made using certified Poplar wood and integrating a ResiCare resin that is kinder to human health as well as the environment. The R’Ply is a high-performance plywood which can be used for multiple applications, according to the company. The plywood can be used for boat-building or in the building trade and will be available at certain DIY stores soon.

Michelin had set up a mobile ResiCare production unit at its Olsztyn site in May 2021. The company hopes to replace more than 80 percent of the usual adhesive used in its tyre textile reinforcement with the new ResiCare adhesive, which is free from any substances of very high concern for health (SVHC), by 2025. The company further plans to set up mobile production units similar to the one in Europe and Asia in the coming months. (TT)