DSM joint venture Evergreen Nylon Recycling first runner up U.S. "Technology of the Year" award
OIT's "Technology of the Year" award recognizes manufacturing processes that provide exceptional commercialization potential and significant potential for energy efficiency improvement as well as economic and environmental benefits. This is the second recognition for such an award for Evergreen. Evergreen nylon recycling, L.L.C., a DSM Chemicals North America joint venture that converts discarded nylon 6 into virgin-quality material, was named "Recycler of the Year" in December 2000 by the Society of plastics Engineers.
Evergreen Nylon Recycling (ENR), developed and patented the process which converts post-consumer nylon 6 carpet and other nylon 6 wastes into caprolactam, the raw material used to make nylon 6. Type 6 nylon is used in such applications as residential, commercial and automotive carpet, engineering plastics, automotive parts, sporting goods, films and packaging.
Evergreen's $100 million facility, which began operation on Nov. 15, 1999, in Augusta, GA, can produce up to 100 million pounds of caprolactam each year with the same quality and performance as virgin caprolactam. Equally as important, the plant keeps up to 200 million pounds of nylon 6 waste out of U.S. landfills each year, 140 million pounds of which is post-consumer carpet. That's enough carpet to stretch from Atlanta to San Francisco and back again.
The Evergreen system allows DSM to produce its, which is both recycled and renewable in a true closed-loop recycling process. A model of energy efficiency, this chemical renewal process produces nylon 6 that is indistinguishable from virgin nylon 6 and is acceptable for all nylon applications. (For more information on ReCapTM and ENR's closed-loop recycling process, please visit www.dsmna.com.)
DSM Engineering Plastics is one of the leading innovators of engineering thermoplastics throughout the world. Operating in all three major regions of the globe-The Americas, Europe, and Asia-DSM is a major player in the field of high-performance plastics materials with a mission to provide clients with cost-effective solutions for complex needs.
DEP (might spell out) produces its Akulon® ReCap Nylon with DSM ReCapTM from the Evergreen process. A very innovative and efficient process of producing quality products such as wheels, engine covers, wall plates, door handles, blower wheels, etc.
"The judges were extremely impressed with Evergreen's level of commitment to energy efficiency improvement," said Denise Swink, deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies. "By developing this highly useful closed-loop process technology, Evergreen is saving approximately 700,000 barrels of oil that would have been necessary to manufacture caprolactam from petroleum feedstock - that is equal to the amount of energy consumed by 40,000 homes in one year. This revolutionary process is a model for energy efficiency, and it provides significant economic and environmental benefits as well."
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