Postle releases Postalloy DuraHard Super-Edge hardfacing wire

Postle Industries Inc., Cleveland, released a revised version of its Postalloy DuraHard Super-Edge noncracking hardfacing wire for shredding knives earlier this year. The gas-shielded, modified high-speed tool steel welding wire resists abrasion and is designed for applications where edge retention is of concern.

Postle Industries says the hardfacing wire helps to create a crack-free, fracture-resistant cutting edge even under high compression loads. Postalloy DuraHard Super-Edge also can be reapplied over itself many times without concern for spalling or the need to remove the prior layer. Weld deposits are martensitic with microcarbides evenly dispersed throughout the deposit, according to the company.

In addition, Postle Industries says it updated its logo for Postalloy Hardfacing technology in June to give the brand a new look and focus more on the Postalloy terminology.

Wendt opens showroom in Buffalo, New York

Wendt Corp. has opened a new showroom at its headquarters in Buffalo, New York. The company says its new showroom expands on its Technology Center.

The showroom will act as a key resource for customers to do material sampling, prove a business case and gain hands-on training from Wendt Corp.’s service technicians, the company states in a news release about its showroom, which will showcase its latest technology and equipment.

Wendt Corp. customers can send Gaylord box samples of material to the site for Wendt to test and analyze. Customers will be provided a full report of data-driven recommendations for an equipment solution, according to the company.

“This showroom will act as a valuable resource to our customers as we continuously circulate in the latest technology,” says Tom Wendt, president of Wendt Corp. “Customers can utilize the showroom by sampling their own material and receiving thoughtful recommendations based off the analysis of that material. We are taking great strides in limiting our customers’ risk and providing solutions that are appropriate to each individual customer,” he adds.

Currently, Wendt Corp. says its showroom has a ferrous dirt separator, an eddy current separator, a Wendt/Tomra Finder 4 and the Tomra X-Tract X6 Fines.

According to Wendt Corp., the Tomra X6 is an X-ray-based solution that can separate magnesium from aluminum in products such as zorba and twitch. That system uses existing Tomra XRT technology in a new configuration and can sort material of different densities, separating magnesium from aluminum to create furnace-ready products across the zorba size spectrum from 1/4 inch to 5 inches.

The company says its showroom will be expanded with additional equipment in the months to come.

“There is a lot to look forward to as more equipment gets added to our showroom floor later this winter and in early spring,” the company states in its news release.

Customers can email sales@wendtcorp.com to book an appointment to view the company’s new showroom.

IMI adds equipment to testing facility for recycling applications

Industrial Magnetics Inc. (IMI), owner of the Javelin brand, recently completed the equipment installation phase at its new recycling test facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The company announced plans for this new, 6,000-square-foot application testing facility in January. The facility will serve customers who are interested in the recovery or separation of ferrous and nonferrous metals in recycling-related industries.

IMI says the test line was designed to replicate real-world scenarios for customers who would like to see how the separation equipment performs with regard to their specific applications. In addition to material and application testing, the test facility will be available to customers who would like to process materials on a tolling basis.

According to a news release from IMI, the facility will have two eddy current separators for processing fines and larger nonferrous metals. The eddy current separator units can run independently or can be operated simultaneously for mixed products of varying sizes. Additionally, the eddy current separator units can be set up for customers’ recovery, removal or separation goals.

The test facility also incorporates additional IMI and Javelin separation magnets, such as a suspended overhead magnet and a drum magnet separator for the removal and recovery of ferrous metals and a line of magnetic stainless steel conveyors for stainless steel removal.

IMI says most testing can be completed in seven to 10 business days. Customers are welcome to attend the test sessions in person or through Skype.

Upon completion of the testing process, IMI says it provides customers with a full report that includes pictures, video, test results and recommendations.

Wastequip WRX facility opens in Dallas-Fort Worth

Wastequip, Charlotte, North Carolina, has opened its second Wastequip WRX (pronounced “works”) facility. The company opened the first of its Wastequip WRX facilities in Pompano Beach, Florida, in July. Its second facility is in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

Wastequip WRX is a turnkey service center offering parts, service and installation for most types of waste-handling equipment. The business specializes in Wastequip’s Mountain Tarp and Pioneer tarping systems, Galbreath hoists and Amrep refuse trucks and Go To Parts original equipment manufacturer and aftermarket parts.

Factory-authorized and -trained technicians staff these facilities.

The company says more Wastequip WRX locations will be opening across the U.S. in the coming months.

Pellenc ST releases Service Pack solution

Pellenc ST, based in Pertuis, France, has released Service Pack, which it describes as a new turnkey solution for recycling facility operators that provides operational support.

The company adds that its Smart&Share, a new software as a service solution for monitoring and reporting optical sorter data, is included in the Service Pack. Smart&Share is designed to assist with performance optimization and preventive maintenance through customized reports and alerts.

According to Pellenc, the Service Pack provides customers with controlled maintenance costs for several years, local support and statistical tools to better understand sorting data and events recorded on optical sorters. Pellenc says its Service Pack can be included in initial project investments.

The pandemic has altered the way we do many things this year, even how we celebrate holidays with family and friends. Recycling Today’s annual MRF Operations Forum and Paper & Plastics Recycling conferences were not exempted.

Being unable to host our MRF Operations Forum or our North American Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference in Chicago this year as we normally would, nor our Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference Europe in Rotterdam as we had planned, Recycling Today instead had to take a new approach. We created two broadcast events. The Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference International (PPRCi) combined our North American and European events into a single broadcast that aired Oct. 20-22, while our MRF Operations Forum aired Oct. 19. Both events featured a mix of one-on-one interviews, more traditional presentations and roundtable discussions.

If you did not join us for these events, you still can access the recordings by registering at http://opsforum.recyclingtodayevents.com for the MRF Operations Forum and http://paperplasticsna.recyclingtodayevents.com for the PPRCi.

“We hope you think Recycling Today met the challenge posed by the inability to meet in person in a dynamic and informative way.”

Those of you who did attend will notice that our keynote speaker, John Morris, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Waste Management, is also the subject of this issue’s Industry Leaders Q&A. In this interview, which is an edited transcript of our discussion, Morris describes the technology that Waste Management is deploying at some of its material recovery facilities (MRFs), which is heavily focused on optical and positive sorting.

Other PPRCi and MRF Operations Forum sessions featured discussions on technology, including sessions on putting new technology to work in MRFs, robotics and getting the best performance from your optical sorters.

In addition to technology, PPRCi sessions touched on the theme of collaboration throughout the recycling supply chain, particularly when it comes to plastics. We heard from representatives from companies including Kraft Heinz and Dow, from packaging suppliers including Amcor and Sonoco and from organizations like The Recycling Partnership, Closed Loop Partners and Resource Recycling Systems that are helping to facilitate this collaboration. While we’ll likely share some more highlights from these events before the end of the year, you can access it all now by registering.

For more on the paper recycling topics that we discussed during PPRCi, click here for our annual Paper Recycling Supplement. You can read about recycled pulp projects underway in the U.S. and Asia and mill buyers’ perspectives on the recycled fiber supply chain.

2020 has challenged us in many ways, and as of mid-November when I’m writing this, it looks like we’ll continue to face challenges as we enter 2021. We hope you think Recycling Today met the challenge posed by the inability to meet in person in a dynamic and informative way. I welcome your comments at dtoto@gie.net.

Since late 2019, scrap paper recyclers and traders have talked about China’s possible ban on scrap paper imports. This spring, China announced such a ban would go into effect Jan. 1, 2021. That date is only weeks away.

In recent years, China has been importing primarily double-sorted old corrugated containers, also referred to as No. 12 OCC. In August, export demand for No. 12 OCC increased, driven by Chinese mills trying to meet their recovered fiber import quotas. But by early October, prices for No. 12 OCC decreased quickly, indicating China was winding down recovered paper imports.

Recycling Today editors have had many conversations with recyclers and brokers on the topic of China exiting the market for scrap paper. Many of these businesses say they have been preparing for China’s exit from the marketplace and have found new homes for scrap paper, either stateside or abroad. Therefore, China’s ban on scrap paper imports might not have too big of an effect on those recyclers and brokers.

During the Outlook for OCC roundtable at the Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference International (PPRCi), a broadcast event that Recycling Today hosted online Oct. 20-22, Shawn Logan of Waste Management Recycling said his company had significantly reduced its exports to China. “Today, [China] constitutes low single digits of what we export. So, kudos to our export department who has worked tirelessly over the last five years to develop alternative markets—Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, Europe and South America to name a few big ones we pursued aggressively.”

Looking ahead, 2021 will be a new chapter for scrap paper markets.

While recovered fiber destinations will shift next year in response to China’s exit, this does not mean China will stop making boxes. During the PPRCi, Bill Moore of Moore & Associates said China will have a 13 million- metric-ton fiber shortage next year. The country’s papermakers will make up some of that shortfall through domestic recovery and by importing linerboard, medium and containerboard. Chinese companies also have been increasing imports of unbleached recycled fiber pulp.

Political factors also could affect U.S. scrap paper markets in 2021. It’s expected that Joe Biden and his administration will transition to leadership in January, which likely will have an impact on the economy that could affect scrap paper markets.

Optimism is growing that the pandemic could come to an end in 2021, as well. In mid-November, Pfizer and Moderna announced promising vaccine trial results. Even if the pandemic lingers, the scrap paper market has not been too adversely affected by it. Many containerboard producers that consume scrap paper also have reported positive earnings results in the latter part of this year.

This past year was filled with uncertainty. While geopolitical uncertainty lingers, change certainly can be expected in the new year.

Unbleached recycled fiber pulp (URP), also referred to as recycled fiber (RCF) pulp, is a newer grade of market pulp that did not exist before 2017. It is produced using recovered paper that has been processed through state-of-the-art fiber stock preparation systems, formed and then dried or dewatered and shipped in bales or rolls. Wet lap pulp is the wetter version, therefore its transit time must be kept to a minimum.

Speaking during the Oct. 22 RCF Pulp/Mixed Paper Markets session as part of the 2020 Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference International, Bill Moore, president of Atlanta-based Moore & Associates, said making URP is similar to making other types of paper. The process starts with a recovered paper pulper and then moves to stock preparation. The process changes a bit, though, when it reaches the pulp machine because URP machines make a thicker product than other paperboard machines.

URP can incorporate two different grades of recovered paper. Moore said brown URP uses about 70 to 100 percent old corrugated containers (OCC), with mixed paper making up the remainder. Brown URP can be used to make linerboard. Gray URP uses between 70 to 90 percent mixed paper, with OCC making up the remainder. Gray URP can be used to make boxboard, uncoated recycled board (URB) and corrugated medium.

“Looming on the near horizon is the total ban of imported recovered paper, scheduled for the beginning of 2021.” – Bill Moore, president of Atlanta-based Moore & Associates

Production of URP compared with other pulp grades is relatively small at only 2 million metric tons, or 2.2 million short tons, per year. Production of global unbleached kraft pulp, which is the virgin form of URP, is 3 million metric tons per year, or 3.3 million short tons, while global bleached market pulp production totals 50 million metric tons annually, or 55.1 million short tons, Moore said.

While production of URP is smaller than that of its virgin counterparts, it is growing and will continue to grow in the near-term future, he added, fueled by China’s need.

URP growth driver

Before National Sword went into effect in China, that country was a major importer of recovered paper, which was used to make packaging. In 2016, the country imported 29 million metric tons, or nearly 32 million short tons, of recovered paper to supply its papermakers, Moore said. In 2015, the U.S. exported about 16 million short tons of recovered paper to China.

However, since China implemented its National Sword policy, it has been steadily reducing its recovered paper imports.

“Looming on the near horizon is the total ban of imported recovered paper, scheduled for the beginning of 2021,” Moore said.

In 2019, China imported 5.8 million short tons of recovered paper from the U.S. That figure is expected to decline to 4.2 million short tons this year. In 2021, when China stops importing recovered paper altogether, the country’s papermaking industry likely will face a supply shortfall of 13 million metric tons, or 14.3 million short tons. He said this could lead to reduced operating rates and revenue reductions for papermakers in China.

“All signals are that this ban is going to take place,” Moore said. “As we get further in the year, the signals only get stronger. While at one time we wondered whether preconsumer grades, such as corrugated box cuttings such as DLK (double-lined kraft), would be exempted, we’re not getting any message on that now.”

Moore continued, “Recycled fiber pulp will not, however, be affected because it’s such a product grade.” He said that should drive investment in URP units in the U.S., Pacific Rim and other regions around the world.

In addition to importing URP from other Asian countries and the U.S., Moore said China is looking at other alternatives to make up that 13 million-metric-ton fiber shortage:

• increasing its internal recovered paper collection, though China does not generate enough boxes to make up the demand shortfall and the quality of this fiber is not as high as that of U.S. imports;
• importing unbleached kraft pulp, but this is an expensive alternative to importing recovered paper;
• importing linerboard, medium and containerboard;
• planting trees, primarily tropical hardwoods, and importing softwoods; and
• increasing the use of alternative fibers, such as bamboo, bagasse and wheat straw.

China’s URP imports have tripled this year compared with 2019. For the first eight months of 2020, China imported about 1.5 million tons of URP compared with only 500,000 tons in the same period in 2019. Moore said these figures are somewhat small but increasing, and some projects are planned that will produce URP in the near-term future. (See the sidebar above for a detailed list.)

In addition, pricing for URP is rising. Moore referenced Fastmarkets RISI’s PPI Pulp & Paper Week, which reported that URP prices were higher in October than at any point in the last year. According to that publication, in January, URP pricing ranged from $280 to $340 per metric ton when shipped to China’s main ports. It has increased about $40 per metric ton since then.

Projects in the pipeline

Chinese companies are investing in URP projects, many of which are in Southeast Asia, while a few are in the United States. According to data from Moore & Associates, the largest suppliers of URP to China this year have been Laos, Taiwan, the United States, Myanmar and Malaysia.

Moore said Chinese paper companies—such as Nine Dragons and Lee & Man—are operating the most URP mills. A few American companies, including North Pacific Paper Co. (NORPAC), have invested in URP machines, and a few Asian companies also are adding capacity to produce recycled fiber pulp.

He said Nine Dragons, Lee & Man and Shanying International, all China-based companies, have noteworthy investments planned in URP mill capacity that are coming online within the next two years at sites in Asia and the United States. Nine Dragons’ and Shanying International’s URP capacity in the U.S. is slated to come online by next year. However, Moore said, their locations are interesting.

“When one looks at the locations of these [four] mill projects, one kind of scratches their head and says, ‘If these companies are really looking to export, Biron, Wisconsin, and Wickliffe, Kentucky, are not exactly near any U.S. container ports,” he said, adding that freight costs for the Maine and West Virginia locations also are high. Moore speculated that Nine Dragons and Shanying International could have chosen these U.S. sites based on available assets for sale as well as reasonable purchase prices.

Three U.S.-based development companies—Empire Recycled Fiber, Kamine Development Corp. and Total Fiber Recovery—also have URP projects underway.

Some projects that have been announced recently are more speculative, such as Nine Dragons’ plan to build URP capacity in India that could produce some 500,000 metric tons (roughly 551,000 short tons) yearly, and a Shanying International project in Southeast Asia that would produce almost 800,000 metric tons (roughly 882,000 short tons) yearly.

Additionally, Total Fiber Recovery and Kamine have announced plans to each build their second URP mills, but those locations and completion dates were unknown as of mid-October, Moore said.

The author is managing editor of Recycling Today and can be reached at msmalley@gie.net.