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NewAge® Industries Announces New Plan to Recycle Silicone Tubing Waste - Bio-based News -
Plastic and silicone tubing manufacturer NewAge Industries is now able to recycle the waste from its silicone tubing and braid reinforced hose extrusion processes. The recycled “scrap,” as it is called, finds new life as silicone oil for industrial applications.
“We’re always looking for ways to reduce manufacturing waste,” stated Matt Bauer, Production Manager. “We’ve been recycling our plastic scrap for years, but recycling silicone can be complicated. Producing silicone oil from silicone tubing is a multi-step reclamation process that few companies are doing.”
Tubing scrap is created at the beginning and end of the extrusion process as technicians adjust the equipment for proper tubing dimensions. That tubing, and any other that does not meet the company’s strict quality standards, is collected and stored in bulk containers. The containers are then shipped to ECO USA, a company that specializes in reclaiming silicone oil. Both unreinforced silicone tubing and braid reinforced hose are sent to the recycler.
“The amount of silicone scrap generated adds up to tens of thousands of pounds,” said Bauer. “Between NewAge’s silicone products and those from our AdvantaPure high purity group, we’re making over a dozen different types of silicone tubing and reinforced hose. We also mold silicone, and that generates scrap as well.”
NewAge partners with ECO USA and their silicone recycling plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Following transport to the facility, silicone is ground into small pieces, mixed with catalysts and heated to break down its chemical bonds. Liquids from this stage are filtered, refined, polymerized into silicone oils and filtered again. The final product is silicone oil that is comparable to virgin silicone oil manufactured from silicon dioxide. The oil is used in industrial applications such as lubricants, sealants and automotive dressing.
The team at NewAge takes pride in the company’s many sustainability practices. NewAge’s main facility has been embracing solar power for over nine years, and several other activities – from trash and e-waste recycling, to replacing windows and lighting, to adding an electric vehicle charging station – have been initiated.
About ECO USAECO USA recycles liquid and paste silicone, as well as cured solid silicone such as rejected parts and trimmings, into silicone oil for industrial uses. ECO USA aims to help companies reduce their carbon footprint.
About NewAge IndustriesIn business since 1954, NewAge Industries manufactures plastic and rubber tubing in reinforced and unreinforced styles. The company maintains a large inventory of tubing and fittings for its core product lines, provides custom extrusion and fabrication capabilities, and services customers worldwide. In 2006, NewAge initiated an ESOP and became 100% employee-owned in 2019 for the benefit of both its employees and customers. NewAge is a solar powered, zero landfill organization committed to continually minimizing its environmental impact.
The AdvantaPureÒ division of NewAge Industries is ISO 9001:2015 certified and specializes in high purity tubing, hose, Single-Use process tubing manifolds, AdvantaFlex® TPE tubing, BioClosure® container closure systems, and other molded components for the pharmaceutical, biopharm, biomedical, food, beverage and chemical industries. Products are manufactured, stored and shipped using methods that ensure product purity. Automated product identification systems, including gamma stable RFID tags and labels, are offered by NewAge’s VerigenicsÒ division. BrewSavorÒ by NewAge Industries provides tubing and hose for craft beer, homebrew and beverage dispensing applications.
Source: NewAge Industries, press release, 2020-08-24.
“We’re always looking for ways to reduce manufacturing waste,” stated Matt Bauer, Production Manager. “We’ve been recycling our plastic scrap for years, but recycling silicone can be complicated. Producing silicone oil from silicone tubing is a multi-step reclamation process that few companies are doing.”
Tubing scrap is created at the beginning and end of the extrusion process as technicians adjust the equipment for proper tubing dimensions. That tubing, and any other that does not meet the company’s strict quality standards, is collected and stored in bulk containers. The containers are then shipped to ECO USA, a company that specializes in reclaiming silicone oil. Both unreinforced silicone tubing and braid reinforced hose are sent to the recycler.
“The amount of silicone scrap generated adds up to tens of thousands of pounds,” said Bauer. “Between NewAge’s silicone products and those from our AdvantaPure high purity group, we’re making over a dozen different types of silicone tubing and reinforced hose. We also mold silicone, and that generates scrap as well.”
NewAge partners with ECO USA and their silicone recycling plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Following transport to the facility, silicone is ground into small pieces, mixed with catalysts and heated to break down its chemical bonds. Liquids from this stage are filtered, refined, polymerized into silicone oils and filtered again. The final product is silicone oil that is comparable to virgin silicone oil manufactured from silicon dioxide. The oil is used in industrial applications such as lubricants, sealants and automotive dressing.
The team at NewAge takes pride in the company’s many sustainability practices. NewAge’s main facility has been embracing solar power for over nine years, and several other activities – from trash and e-waste recycling, to replacing windows and lighting, to adding an electric vehicle charging station – have been initiated.
About ECO USAECO USA recycles liquid and paste silicone, as well as cured solid silicone such as rejected parts and trimmings, into silicone oil for industrial uses. ECO USA aims to help companies reduce their carbon footprint.
About NewAge IndustriesIn business since 1954, NewAge Industries manufactures plastic and rubber tubing in reinforced and unreinforced styles. The company maintains a large inventory of tubing and fittings for its core product lines, provides custom extrusion and fabrication capabilities, and services customers worldwide. In 2006, NewAge initiated an ESOP and became 100% employee-owned in 2019 for the benefit of both its employees and customers. NewAge is a solar powered, zero landfill organization committed to continually minimizing its environmental impact.
The AdvantaPureÒ division of NewAge Industries is ISO 9001:2015 certified and specializes in high purity tubing, hose, Single-Use process tubing manifolds, AdvantaFlex® TPE tubing, BioClosure® container closure systems, and other molded components for the pharmaceutical, biopharm, biomedical, food, beverage and chemical industries. Products are manufactured, stored and shipped using methods that ensure product purity. Automated product identification systems, including gamma stable RFID tags and labels, are offered by NewAge’s VerigenicsÒ division. BrewSavorÒ by NewAge Industries provides tubing and hose for craft beer, homebrew and beverage dispensing applications.
Source: NewAge Industries, press release, 2020-08-24.
This project has been co-funded with the support of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union [LIFE17 ENV/ES/000438] Life programme
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