08.21.20 Subaru of America announced a new recycling initiative to recycle personal protective equipment (PPE) waste in response to the increase in waste due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The new initiative is an expansion of the automaker's existing recycling collection partnership with TerraCycle, the world's leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams. The new collection efforts divert improperly discarded PPE from landfills and incinerators. Subaru will employ TerraCycle's Zero Waste Boxes to collect disposable masks and gloves across more than 20 offices nationwide, including ports, regional training centers and the automaker's headquarters in Camden, NJ. "At Subaru, our commitment to maintaining a safe work environment is as strong as our dedication to protecting and preserving our environment by keeping it clean," says Alan Bethke, senior vice president, Marketing, Subaru of America, Inc. "This expansion of our years-long work with TerraCycle allows us to responsibly wear PPE while furthering the Subaru Love Promise commitment to reduce landfill trash and engage in smart environmental practices, simply because it is the right thing to do." Zero Waste Boxes provide a convenient recycling solution for all types of single-use PPE, which are not recyclable through conventional recycling facilities. By placing Zero Waste Boxes in offices around the country, Subaru employees can responsibly dispose of their protective gear instead of tossing items on the ground. To properly collect and recycle PPE waste, each participating Subaru corporate location will utilize the following Zero Waste Boxes: Disposable Gloves Zero Waste Box – to recycle vinyl, nitrile, and latex gloves. Disposable Masks Zero Waste Box – to recycle surgical and industrial face masks. When full, the boxes will be returned to TerraCycle for processing and the collected waste will be cleaned, melted and remolded to make new products. Disposable masks are typically made from #5 polypropylene plastic and can be turned into a variety of items ranging from reusable shipping pallets to plastic lumber applications. Rubberized disposable gloves be used by rubber manufacturers in low-grade applications for products such as matting. "At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to eliminate waste, recycle the unrecyclable and use our innovative business solutions to minimize human impact on the planet," says Tom Szaky, TerraCycle Founder and CEO. "By spearheading this initiative to reduce the impact of PPE waste on the environment, Subaru continues to demonstrate their shared commitment to a greener future."

Branford Castle Partners, LP, a New York City-based private equity firm, announced that its affiliate has purchased Fibrix Filtration, a leading provider of specialized high loft and pleat media air filtration products. The company sells its products to many of the large, brand name filter manufacturers throughout the United States. Branford is teaming up with existing management including CEO Keith White, who is one of the current owners and who will be investing in the transaction as well. This investment represents the first transaction for Branford Castle Fund II, which had a first close in late 2019. "Branford's Fund II is off to a fast start, despite the challenging environment, and we are delighted that Fibrix Filtration is the first investment for our second fund. With air filtration an area of increasing concern throughout the world, we look forward to working with Fibrix management to grow the business and develop new products," says senior managing director Laurence Lederer. Based in Charlotte, NC, Fibrix Filtration has been manufacturing air filtration media products for over 50 years. With four facilities located in North Carolina and Texas, the company's products are pivotal in optimizing the performance of commercial and industrial HVAC systems, leading to enhanced system efficiency, lower energy costs and improved air quality. Fibrix's air filtration media products are designed to meet specific technical standards related to particle capture, pressure drop and dust collection. "We are excited about the Fibrix opportunity and believe the company is well-positioned to grow through a number of organic initiatives under the direction of its excellent management team," says Branford senior associate, Ceon Francis. "We are especially pleased to work on this investment with Byline Sponsor Finance, a division of Byline Bank, which is providing senior debt financing, and Brookside Mezzanine Partners, which is providing mezzanine debt financing." Keith White, CEO, further adds, "The team and I are very proud of all that we've accomplished over the last few years at Fibrix.  We look forward to working closely with our partners at Branford Castle in the next stage of growth of our business." Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

UPA Corp Bhd’s subsidiary, UPA Healthcare Products Sdn Bhd, is venturing into the manufacturing of meltblown nonwoven fabric in apparent effort to supply the of three-ply and surgical face mask markets, according to a report in The Malaysian Reserve. Total investment for the project is estimated at RM10 million, or about $2.5 million, to be funded through internally generated funds.. Malaysia-based UPA has placed an order with a reputable meltblown technology developer to supply a state-of-the-art production line with the latest technology to produce nonwoven materials meeting required filtration efficiency. The new line will be installed at the group’s existing facility in Seri Kembangan, Selangor and is expected to commence production by the end of November 2020. Maximum annual production capacity for the fabric is at 600,000 kgs while maximum production capacity for the three-ply mask and surgical face mask is estimated at 86 million pieces per year for the first phase.

Technical Absorbents Limited (TAL) has developed a new grade of super absorbent fiber (SAF) specifically for use within a new range of SAF nonwoven fabrics that are more resistant to shrinkage. The new SAF was developed in response to the demand from the medical industry for a super absorbent fabric suitable for use in advanced wound pad dressings. The fiber had to be capable of withstanding the moisture used in the EtO sterilization process that is frequently employed in the production of the pads, in order to ensure product safety and compliance. EtO sterilization is a low-temperature process (typically between 37 and 63°C) that uses ethylene oxide gas to reduce the level of infectious agents. While generally applied in gas form, however, the EtO is usually mixed with other substances – and often steam. “Obviously superabsorbents and moisture generally aren’t a good combination at this stage in processing and can cause problems,” says TAL product development director Dr. Mark Paterson. “Other methods can be used, but when silicone materials are included, which is more frequently becoming the case, EtO is the preferred treatment method. Regular SAF grades tend to shrink a little and can become hard, which is often not desirable. This innovative SAF grade significantly reduces such potential problems.” The amount of shrinkage caused by EtO sterilization depends very much on the product design and construction, he adds, but in general, the new SAF has been tested and proven to reduce fabric shrinkage by around 70%. It is suitable for use in all SAF nonwoven formats, whether needle punched, thermally bonded or airlaid. While the proprietary process developed at TAL for the production of this new fiber and resulting fabrics was prompted by the specific requirements of wound pad dressings, TAL sees opportunities for its application in other areas as well. “It’s an extremely flexible fiber that can be easily switched with existing SAF grades when manufacturing fabrics and we have a number of current projects in which we’re exploring other end-uses,” Dr. Paterson concludes. “We believe this new range could also open up entirely new application areas on the market.”

07.28.20 Freudenberg Performance Materials has partnered with the Nonwovens Institute at North Carolina State University to manufacture face masks for UNC system universities, North Carolina government organizations and hospitals. As the fight against coronavirus continues, the need for essential face coverings continues to rise. Together with the Nonwovens Institute at NC State University, Freudenberg Performance Materials will begin production of disposable nose wire strip procedure and N95 masks. The two organizations are aligning their expertise and supply chains to bring PPE touniversities and healthcare workers as quickly as possible. Through this partnership, NC State is supplying Freudenberg Performance Materials with the necessary roll goods needed for production while Freudenberg provides the textile manufacturing expertise and work force needed to install, operate and maintain the four new production lines. "As the leader in the development of the next generation of nonwovens, we knew we could step in and help fill this critical need. By partnering with Freudenberg, we will ensure the reliable completion of millions of protective face coverings to battle the coronavirus using NWI’s novel filter media”, says Behnam Pourdeyhimi, executive director of the Nonwovens Institute. Once fully operational the site will be able to produce more than one million masks a month. In addition to the face mask lines provided by NC State, Freudenberg is also in the process of installing six additional production lines to manufacture surgical and N95 masks. Not only will the lines help provide essential face coverings, but the addition of the lines has enabled Freudenberg add 50 new positions within the company to operate the lines. “Having the opportunity to make an impact in the fight against the pandemic and to help improve the safety of our community has given new meaning to our business, our operations and the engagement from our employees. We are happy we are able to take advantage of NC State’s capabilities and align them with our own to make this happen,” says Raoul Farer, general manager, Regional Business Unit North America.

A consortium of five Egyptian researchers have developed the world’s first high performance fibers and reinforcements extracted from the byproducts of pruning of date palms, such as frond and fruit stalks, also known as PalmFil. The fiber is not only sustainable, but also economical in manufacturing, compatible with textile and composite processing and offers the properties needed for lightweight cars of the future. “In the 1980’s the shift from natural fibers to manmade fibers was mainly to bridge the gap between the increasing demand for textile fibers and the limited supply of natural fibers," says Dr. Mohamad Midani, partner, PalmFil Consortium. "In order to reverse this shift, there is a need to explore more sources of natural fibers and increase the biodiversity of fiber crops. Thisis actually what we did, there are more than 140 million date palms mostly concentrated in the Middle East and North Africa, generating yearly more than 4.8 million tons (dry wt.) byproducts of pruning regarded as agriculture waste. This represented a burden on palm growers, and was the main cause of fire accidents and infestation by dangerous insects. Those byproducts could otherwise be transformed into 1.3 million tons/year natural textile fibers, ranking third after cotton and jute.” There has been several previous attempts to extract fibers from date palm byproducts through crushing and grinding, resulting in a biomass rather than textile fibers. PalmFil consortium succeeded in extracting the first long textile fiber from such byproducts and converted it into fiber tow, chopped fiber, spun yarn/ roving, nonwoven mat, woven fabric, and unidirectional tape. The new fiber represents a sustainable material base for a wide spectrum of industries. Ranging from natural reinforcements for composites in automotive and sporting goods, plasterreinforcements in construction, burlap sacks for packaging, ropes, and twines, non-wood papers, and other consumer products. Mr. Dilip Tambyrajah, secretary general, International Natural Fiber Organization, says: "Date palm byproducts have been used for centuries in the Middle East and it is a heritage related material. It is culturally embedded in Middle Easterns but possibly forgotten in modernity. Recent R&D conducted by PalmFil consortium demonstrates the potential of date palm fiber; its use in the modern context and in industrial settings. Revival of the fiber sector in the Middle East will need dedication and national commitment. The use of date palm fiber is not the issue. The use of most natural materials like the date palm fiber contribute towards maintaining biodiversity, provide employment and income and enable sustainable development in general. However, the key to its revival will be the national will and support to encourage the development of a reliable supply chain that can service the various production sectors that could use the fiber." Dr. Ahmed Hassanin, partner, PalmFil Consortium, comments...