Nonmetallics

The Lavergne Group, Ville d’Anjou, Quebec, Canada, has completed installation of additional recycled plastic compounding capacity of 10,000 tons annually.

Jean-Luc Lavergne, president of the Lavergne Group, says, "As a part of our long-term business strategy, we recognize that this new technology will ultimately benefit our customers and allow us to provide a greater breadth of products."

Currently, the Lavergne Performance Compounds (LPC) division of the company offers engineering resin lines of recycled fiberglass/mineral filled PET, virgin and recycled polypropylene compounds, paintable virgin thermoplastic olefins (TPO), recycled TPO, recycled polycarbonate and thermoplastic elastomers.

The LPC division supplies compounded resins to the automotive, electronic, construction, recreational and office equipment industries. The new capacity is expected to allow the LPC division to further develop its product lines, including the release of new polyamide 6 and polyamide 66 filled resins.

"Our organization has made a significant research and development investment in our new filled polyamide products," Florin Tofan, Lavergne vice president of research and development, says. "Our Vylon product line, fiberglass and mineral filled recycled polyamide 6 and polyamide 66 compounds, allows our customers to utilize the Lavergne Group in an additional application base."

In addition to The Lavergne Group’s Quebec headquarters, the company maintains a U.S. office in Omaha, Neb.

TIRES/RUBBER: PYROLYSIS PLANT TO COME TO VIRGINIA

EarthFirst Technologies Inc. (EFTI), Tampa, has signed a Letter of Intent with Tire Recyclers Inc. (TRI), Richmond, Va., to construct and operate a commercial tire pyrolysis plant at TRI’s existing tire recycling facility in Charles City, Va.

The new plant is designed to convert an average of 100 tons-per-day of used automobile tires into valuable recycled products, including scrap steel, No. 3 grade oil and high quality carbon black.

The permits required for the addition of the pyrolysis equipment have been obtained. EFTI plans to complete the development and financing of the project and commence construction early next year.

"We have been a leader in creating and implementing Virginia’s progressive tire recycling program and are very pleased to be adding an important new dimension to recycling this valuable resource in Virginia," Charles Ayers, director of TRI, says.

Sandhill Industries, a Boise, Idaho-based manufacturer of decorative tile, received an Evergreen Award from the Environmental Protection Agency’s northwest regional office. The award acknowledges Sandhill’s energy-efficient production process to manufacture of outdoor glass pavers.

Sandhill’s process uses post-industrial recycled glass. The resulting pavers are thinner, lighter and stronger than concrete unitary pavers.

In the last year, the company has used more than 50,000 pounds of recycled glass. Additionally, the process generates no CO2 emissions, unlike traditional paver production.

Sandhill uses less than 750 Btu per pound of finished tile, as compared to the 1,800 Btu used to manufacture traditional ceramic tile.