Brussels, 2 June 2010

The winners and runners-up of the 2010 European Business Awards for the Environment in four categories - Management, Product, Process and International Co-operation - were announced at an awards ceremony hosted by EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik.

To be eligible, companies must first succeed in their national award schemes, which are organized throughout Europe every year. This means that the companies awarded the European prize are 'the best of the best'; the most far-sighted, responsible and innovative across Europe. Companies from all EU Member States and candidate countries can apply for the awards. The submission of entries to the European awards competition is managed by national coordinating bodies.

Award finalists project description:

TPS TechnoPartner Samtronic / Dr.-Ing. Werner Neu Verfahrenstechnik, Germany

A new energy-saving polymer-processing method was ramped up to industrial scale for the continuous production of thermoplastic sheets, pipes and rods. Unlike conventional methods, the primary product - in this case spherical or lentil-sized plastic granules -is not completely melted for the moulding process, but only surface-fused. A heated stream of gas is fed into the pile of granules to partially melt them. The outer plastifed granules are then moulded in a double-belt press into a homogenous void-free plastic sheet. This process reduces the energy needed to one third of that used by the conventional technique. Based on this lower energy input, the new process also cuts the time for moulding and cooling.

The organization says:

"This new method enables plastic manufacturers not only to reduce their energy demand, but also to increase the mass throughput and their competitiveness in the feld of thick-walled thermoplastic articles. In many cases, it should be possible to replace only the existing heating zone within the processing step rather than having to replace the entire production line in order to introduce the innovative energy-saving technology."

The Jury’s verdict:

The Jury recognized this project for offering huge energy savings and higher productivity through surface melting of thermoplastic pellets for moulding. The Jury highlighted:

• A new method, already used effectively in industry, was developed to produce thermoplastic sheets, pipes and rods.
• The primary product - plastic granules - is not completely melted for the moulding process, but only surface-fused.
• This leads to massive energy savings and reduces production costs by 50%.

Further information about the European Business Awards for the Environment:

www.ebae.eu

EBAE 2010 brochure
[Adobe Acrobat PDF - 392 KB]