Extrusion Asia Edition 1-2021

Environment-friendly cement bags With the AD*STAR bag, Starlinger, specialised in machinery for woven plastic packaging, created a sustainable and efficient packaging solution for cement and all kinds of dry bulk goods. The idea behind it was to combine the advantages of a paper bag – its brick shape and suitability for automatic handling – with the tightness and flexibility of a PE film bag, and the strength and resistance of a woven PP bag. The result: A lami- nated one-layer block bottom valve bag made of stretched and woven polypropylene tapes. The main assets of AD*STAR bags are their extremely low breakage rate and excellent protection against moisture. Espe- cially in countries like China, transport and storage of cement in bags is widespread and involves a lot of transhipping and long- term storage. Loss of cement due to bag rupture or hardening in humid conditions is a big issue. Packaging cement in AD*STAR bags offers substantial savings potential in this re- spect: low breakage rates and good moisture protection mean that significantly less cement is lost in the logistic chain. Conse- quently, not only environmental pollution is reduced, but also less cement needs to be produced to replace these losses, which in turn saves CO 2 emissions. An independent Life Cycle Analysis carried out in 2015 1 showed that due to these charac- teristics AD*STAR cement bags have lower global warming po- tential than multi-layer paper cement bags and are currently the most environmentally friendly packaging for cement. AD*STAR bags are produced on Starlinger ad*starKON block bottom conversion lines and are available in a wide range of sizes. The company’s focus on research and development en- sures that AD*STAR bags and AD*STAR production technology are continuously improved and adapted to the needs of the market. Technological advancements and new product features such as easy-open closure or handles for carrying make the bags even more versatile and usable in different applications. Currently, around 15.7 billion AD*STAR sacks are produced each year on more than 550 Starlinger conversion lines instal- led on five continents. 31 Extrusion Asia Edition 1/2021 ➠ Starlinger & Co. Ges.m.b.H. Sonnenuhrgasse 4, 1060 Vienna, Austria www.starlinger.com High standards for safe and efficient packaging The new Chinese Standard for cement packaging applies to ce- ment bags holding up to 50 kg and lists the above mentioned laminated woven plastic bags (made of one layer of laminated plastic fabric or with additional paper liner), paper bags (3-lay- er, 3-layer with PE liner, 4-layer bags), as well as paper-plastic composite bags (paper bags with plastic liner) as possible pa- ckaging options. All three types of bags must be designed as block bottom valve bags. The standard specifies the dimensions as well as physical and mechanical requirements of the cement bags. Regarding break resistance, for example, a cement bag has to survive a drop from 1 meter height a minimum of six times before it breaks. Furthermore, printing and marking, general bag appearance, testing methods, and rules for quality inspection during bag manufacture are established in the standard. It also stipulates that each bag must be provided with a certificate before sel- ling. By recommending woven polypropylene block bottom bags in the new National Standard, the Chinese government has adopted a future-oriented approach that aims for more sus- tainability in the cement industry. It curbs unnecessary loss of cement during production, transport and storage, reduces en- vironmental impacts, improves working conditions for opera- tors on the cement filling lines, and generally makes the handl- ing of cement in 50kg or smaller units more efficient. 1 Daxner T., Kosi ń ska I., Merl A. Carbon Footprint and LCA of AD*STAR Technology. PE INTERNATIONAL (now THINKSTEP AG), 2015 Note: AD*STAR ® is a registered trademark. AD*STAR ® sacks are produced exclusively on Starlinger machinery. www.smart-extrusion.com News about relevant products and events Detailed reviews of various smart technologies Case studies from processors English, German, Russian and Chinese Video clips demonstrating smart equipment in live action Latest magazines available for reading and downloading Weekly e-mail newsletters