Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2023 - 14

bioplastics
The new spray tower
is scheduled to go
on-stream in the fourth
quarter of 2023.
site that is scheduled to go onstream
in the fourth quarter
of 2023. This will add 30,000
tonnes to Palsgaard's existing
spray capacity. New reaction,
distillation and esterification
plants are also all planned,
which, as mentioned, will double
the company's overall production
capacity by 2024.
The extra capacity, said Aunskjær,
is needed as the company
expands its polymer portfolio
and moves into markets beyond
food and polymers, although
continuing to build on its expertise
in emulsifiers and stabilising
systems.
Specifically, in terms of the
polymer portfolio, what that
means is that Palsgaard is looking
at the same kind of polymers
but at different applications:
a horizontal rather than a
vertical approach.
He added that one product
in the pipeline is, for example,
an anti-fogging additive for
greenhouse films, where the
focus is on ensuring less condensate
is formed. That way
the plants get more light, plus
the films can be used for one or
maybe two seasons.
" And in the food space, everyone
is exploring ways to use
less and less material, which
means more efficient additives
are needed. This is our focus
there, " he said.
Outside polymers, one area
currently being developed is
continued from page 13
and on the sourcing side we've
done a lot as well. We are a
member of the Roundtable of
Sustainable Palm Oil to ensure
that it is sourced sustainably.
Palsgaard only uses what's
known as 'segregated' palm oil,
which is RSPO-Certified Sustainable
Palm Oil that can be
derived from different certified
sources that is kept separate
from ordinary palm oil throughout
the supply chain. This way
we have a documented path of
sustainability of the raw materials, "
Aunskjær said.
Palm oil is also certified according
to specific criteria from
the RSPO, designed to reduce
negative impacts of palm oil
cultivation on the environment
and communities.
Asked about Palsgaard's
scope 3 emissions, Aunskjær admitted
that although scope 1 and
14
2 were well under control, scope
3 was still a work in progress. " It's
very complicated, " he said.
Having achieved carbon neutrality
at its plants, Palsgaard
is now facing the challenge
of maintaining that status. As
part of its growth strategy, the
company is now planning expansions
that will double its
capacity, making the implementation
of additional measures
necessary if carbon neutrality
is to be retained. Palsgaard is
therefore planning to build a
60-hectare solar panel park and
it has launched a biogas project
together with the neighbouring
community. It is building a
new facility at the Juelsminde
Wastewater Facility, the municipal
wastewater treatment plant
closest to Palsgaard. Called
Palsgaard Bio Energy A/S, it is
based on the development of
new technology in order to proJanuary/February
2023
duce biogas from the treatment
of wastewater from Palsgaard's
production, which will then be
used for heating.
Building the biogas facility
will ensure that production at
Juelsminde can continue to be
CO2 neutral, even with the projected
growth of the production
of emulsifiers and stabilisers
through 2030. The facility will
be able to treat a maximum of
350 m3 of wastewater a day
and generate 70 m3 of biogas.
New markets
Palsgaard has made and continues
to make significant investments
into the future of its
polymer additives business.
The company commissioned
of a new emulsifier pellet line
with a capacity of 10,000 tonnes
in 2020 and is installing a new
spray tower at the Juelsminde
that of cosmetics, he added.
" There, it's exactly the same:
you have water, you have fat,
plus that the cosmetics world is
even more involved in sustainability
agenda than the polymers
world. So, in parallel to
our activities in polymers, we're
also building a presence in cosmetics, "
he said.
In summary, he said, there is
a lot going on in this area. " Also,
regarding the use of recycled
material in packaging and the
potential of chemical recycling:
what I hear when I talk to my
customers are questions about
these materials, and how they
can contribute to sustainability,
the fact is that with our additives
- even though our product may
constitute only maybe a percent
of the whole - they are doing
something to make a difference.
Using sustainable additives
helps with that argument. "
Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2023

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