Plastics Recycling Symposium / Monday, January 22, 2024
Contemplating the future of plastics: Seeking to increase the value of recycling
13:00-17:15 / Free to attend (need to register in advance) / Meet-and-greet after the symposium
Venue: Online / United Nations University (Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
Applications will no longer be accepted because of popular demand. We thank everyone for their interest and support.
Name of the symposium: Contemplating the future of plastics: Seeking to increase the value of recycling
These days, initiatives towards the development of a circular economy are being promoted in many different countries. The recycling of plastics in particular is an urgent societal issue, such that we hope to see efficient recycling technologies established and appropriate systems for the collection of used products and the distribution of recycled products built. In addition, all sorts of technical challenges have emerged concerning matters of analytical evaluations, quality control, and assurances of traceability in connection with recycled products. At this symposium, domestic and overseas trends and corporate and AIST Group initiatives will be introduced in a setting that will allow participants to think about the future of plastics recycling together with others. We hope to see progress in terms of solutions to such societal issues made through multifaceted innovations carried out with all interested parties.
Click below to apply (You will be directed to an external website.)
One ticket per application.
https://client.eventhub.jp/ticket/kV8rWrOxZ
- Date and time : January 22, 2024 (Mon.) 13:00-17:15, meet-and-greet 17:30-18:30
- Venue : Online / U Thant International Conference Hall, United Nations University (Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
- Capacity : 1,000 persons online, 250 persons at the venue (first-come-first-served basis)
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Admission fee : Free (symposium/meet-and-greet)
*The meet-and-greet and poster session will be open to venue attendees only.
| Time | Lecture title | Affiliation of lecturer | Name of lecturer (title/honorific omitted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00-13:00 |
Poster session (held outside the venue) |
|
|
| 13:00-13:10 |
Producing business as carried out by AIST Solutions |
Produce Business Division, AIST Solutions |
Dai Kitamoto |
|
13:10-14:30 [First special lecture] |
Trends surrounding the circular economy as it relates to plastics in Europe | Japan Productivity Center | Kazunori Kitagawa |
| 14:30-15:00 |
Initiatives being carried out at AIST’s hub for materials and process innovations |
Chugoku Center, AIST | Hiroaki Sato |
| 15:00-15:15 | (Break time) | ||
|
15:15-16:15 [Second special lecture] |
Corporate collaborative activities for the societal implementation of technology for the recycling of chemicals | R Plus Japan Co., Ltd. | Tsunehiko Yokoi |
| 16:15-16:45 | Survey report on the state of initiatives for the recycling of plastics by domestic companies | Research Institute for Sustainable Chemistry, Materials & Chemistry Division, AIST | Yoshiko Takenaka |
| 16:45-17:15 | Introducing technology for diagnosing and evaluating materials as needed for the recycling of plastics | Research Institute for Sustainable Chemistry, Materials & Chemistry Division, AIST | Hiroomi Watanabe |
| 17:15 | (Symposium comes to an end) | ||
| 17:30-18:30 |
Meet-and-greet Poster session (to be held outside the venue) |
*The venue for the meet-and-greet will be the reception hall on the second floor.
| 1 | Estimating the age of polyethylene microplastic particles in the ocean | Basic information on the mechanism by which microplastics (MPs) form - for example, the length of time MPs drift in the ocean – was unknown. This study sought to determine the age of polyethylene MPs obtained from the ocean by looking at the degree of oxidative degradation, environmental temperatures, and cumulative amounts of ultraviolet light. | Asahi Kasei Corporation, Kyushu University |
| 2 | Developing an additive package for recycled materials | We provide additives that are indispensable for obtaining higher levels of performance from and prolonging the life of plastics. In recent years, we have been focused on developing products that are consistent with a circular economy and carbon neutrality. As part of these efforts, we hereby introduce the ADK CYCLOAID UPR Series, an additive package for recycled resins. | Adeka Corporation |
| 3 | Initiatives for recycling rubber used for table tennis | A case study of a partnership between Tamasu Co., Ltd., and AIST concerning the recycling of rubber used for table tennis is hereby introduced. | Tamasu Co., Ltd. |
| 4 | Initiatives of a company that produces Kan-Plastic | Kan-Plastic, a resource-recycling system for plastics, is produced. The company promotes an arterial-venous linkage based on its extensive domestic and overseas network and rich database and is involved in everything from the collection of materials to the development and supply of recycled materials and building of closed loops. | Pantech Corporation |
| 5 | Introducing upcycling technology for the promotion of material recycling | The contents of initiatives undertaken through a partnership with AIST for the establishment of upcycling technology are introduced. | Yagikuma Co., Ltd. |
| 6 | Developing a compact system for the identification of plastic materials using near-infrared light | A handy-type system for the identification of plastic materials that is capable of identifying the type of plastic in a short period of time using near-infrared light and in a nondestructive manner is introduced. | Yamamoto Co., Ltd. |
| 7 | Initiatives for the creation of new value with a focus on recycling plastic resources and reducing CO2 emissions | Outline: 1. Initiatives for a circular economy; 2. Initiatives for reducing CO2 emissions from resin materials | Daikyo Nishikawa Corporation |
| 8 | Studying the impact of different materials included in recycled resin | Model samples of mixed materials, such as different types of polymers that undergo mixing in the resin recycling process, have been produced at the MPI site at AIST’s Chugoku Center. The relationship between the results of chemical analyses performed on these samples and the mechanical properties of these samples is introduced. | Yazaki Corporation |
| 9 | “Study on the formation of rules for transitioning to a circular economy” – an introduction to activities carried out by the Hitachi-AIST Circular Economy Cooperative Research Laboratory | The Hitachi-AIST Circular Economy Cooperative Research Laboratory is studying the formulation of standardization strategies and implementation of measures to facilitate the transition to a circular economy. In this presentation, the results of surveys on standardization trends to date and our approach to standardization strategies are explained. | Hitachi, Ltd., AIST, AIST Solutions |
| 10 | Developing technology for using recycled materials in the context of resin recycling: extrusion conditions and changes in mechanical properties | Upon investigating the impact of resin re-kneading conditions on the mechanical properties of PP, it was found that, while oxidation was progressing because of re-kneading, the mechanical properties of PP were equal to or greater than those of the virgin PP. In addition, an outline of joint research conducted with AIST was also presented. | Hiroshima Prefectural Technology Research Institute |
| 11 | Multimodal AI-based technology for predicting the properties of recycled materials | Technology for predicting physical properties using multimodal AI (AI that handles different types of information on a collective basis) with input data consisting of various types of analytical and image data in recycled polypropylene materials for the purpose of matching recyclers and users is introduced. | AIST Nanocarbon Device Research Center |
| 12 | Multimodal AI: Leading-edge informatics technology for opening up digital transformation in the area of plastics | Multimodal AI that governs multiple different data sets in a way similar to the way the human brain operates is introduced. In addition to fundamental technology that was the first in the world to be applied to material systems, the prospects for the optimization of conditions applicable to materials and processes and for the broad deployment of technologies for resource circulation and recycling are introduced. | AIST Nanocarbon Device Research Center |
| 13 | Developing a low-temperature raw material conversion method applicable to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) | The method by which polyethylene terephthalate (PET) undergoes chemical recycling is excellent in terms of the applicability of impurities to various materials but the high temperatures required for depolymerization is one of the challenges to be addressed in this area. We developed a method for efficiently depolymerizing PET at between room temperature and around 50 degrees through the methanolysis method for which dimethyl carbonate is used as an accelerator and thereby obtaining a raw material consisting of dimethyl terephthalate. | AIST Interdisciplinary Research Center for Catalytic Chemistry |
| 14 | Developing a rapid, comprehensive, qualitative method of assessing additives for the horizontal recycling of resins | With a focus on additives in polypropylene (PP) recycled from market-recovered products, we developed a rapid, comprehensive method for qualitatively evaluating additives in recycled PP using Direct Analysis on Real Time-MS (DART-MS). Moreover, we could see the potential for classifying samples according to use prior to recycling through the analysis of primary components. | AIST Research Institute for Sustainable Chemistry |
| 15 | Differentiating recycled resins with the use of machine learning applied to multiple sets of chemical analysis data | The classification of various market-recovered polypropylene-based recycled resins of different origins was examined using data informatics through which multiple multidata sets measured using infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis were integrated. | AIST Research Institute for Sustainable Chemistry |
| 16 | Degradation evaluation technology for material recycling with a focus on the quantification of antioxidants | Dumbbell specimens of polypropylene containing antioxidants underwent simulated recycling involving thermal oxidative degradation, pulverization, and remolding carried out over and over again, whereupon degradation was evaluated using different types of chemical analysis. It was determined that, where sufficient amounts of antioxidants are present, the tensile properties of the material recover to their initial values even when simulated recycling is performed. | AIST Research Institute for Sustainable Chemistry |
| 17 | Non-destructive degradation analysis of plastics using near-infrared light | Technology to diagnose the state of the degradation of plastics in a nondestructive manner using near-infrared light was developed. This technology irradiates plastics with near-infrared light and measures the amount of light absorption to allow the state of degradation to be estimated without resulting in the destruction of the item being diagnosed. Case studies in which the state of the degradation of polypropylene is analyzed to a high degree of precision are presented. | AIST Research Institute for Sustainable Chemistry |
| 18 | Introducing platform projects for the recycling of materials at the Chugoku Center | In order to achieve economically feasible recycling, it will be necessary to achieve usage matching between recyclers and users through grading based on material diagnostics that clarifies the properties of raw materials—namely resins and any residual additives. The recycling platform established at AIST’s Chugoku Center for the purpose of achieving this goal is introduced in this presentation. | AIST Research Institute for Sustainable Chemistry |
| 19 | Issues concerning resin recycling as seen in onsite feedback provided by resin-related companies | The contents of the status of initiatives undertaken by domestic resin-related companies at different positions on the supply chain (upstream, midstream, downstream, recovery, and recycling) as introduced during the lectures are summarized. | AIST Research Institute for Sustainable Chemistry |
| 20 | Introducing an organic/bio-materials MPI platform at the Chugoku Center | Over 100 different types of analytical and manufacturing process equipment have been installed at AIST’s Chugoku Center, where empirical research for the use of recycled resins is being conducted. An outline of this site is hereby provided. | AIST Chugoku Center |
| 21 | Introducing collaborative activities undertaken by AIST’s Chugoku Center (national research institute) | Research and development work is being carried out across three core competencies—materials diagnostic technology, nanocellulose technology, and biomanufacturing—at AIST’s Chugoku Center. An outline of the collaborative activities undertaken together with companies receiving support at the Chugoku Center is hereby presented. | AIST Chugoku Center Office of Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration |
Venue:
U Thant International Conference Hall, United Nations University (Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
If you will be arriving by subway or train:
Five minutes on foot from the B2 exit of Omotesando Station on the Tokyo Metro line.
Ten minutes on foot from the B2 or B3 exit of Shibuya Station on the JR, Tokyo Metro, Keio, or Tokyu line
Inquiries:
Plastics Future Secretariat
Produce Business Division, AIST Solutions Co.
E-mail: MDX_Event_240122-ml*aist-solutions.co.jp (replace the asterisk [*] with the @ mark)