Kisuma, a producer of synthetic hydrotalcite, will showcase an array of sustainability progress and product diversification at the K 2022 show in Düsseldorf that begins on 19 October 2022.
Stakeholders from around the world will converge at the week-long event – the world’s leading business platform for the plastics and rubber industry, to discuss key innovations, trends, and challenges, as well as to take the opportunity to forge new relationships and set out their visions for the future.
“Our organization has been historically low-profile about our contributions to customers, industries, and most importantly to the global communities whom we serve. Walking the walk is embedded in our culture. It’s our duty. We do it every day, pragmatically and proudly,” said Marlus Ferretti, chief operating officer at Kisuma Americas.
“The K 2022 has a particular significance to Kisuma, where many novel technologies and innovative solutions in polymer processing will be revealed. As per our legacy, we are not stepping out of character in big PR announcements. For that, we invite you to visit our Stand in Hall 7 – level 1 – A28. Your time will be well spent.”
This year marks the first time that Kisuma will have a booth at the K forum, where it will share its progress and what lies ahead in the pipeline.
Making sustainable gains
One such story centers around decarbonizing heavy industry through carbon capture.
Since 2010, Kisuma has been involved in a project led by a TNO-backed platform to develop Sorption Enhanced Water Gas Shift (SEWGS) technology – a solution that can be used for reactive separation of H2 and CO2 from syngas sources.
The company has been developing and producing the sorbent used in SEWGS, which is being successfully demonstrated on an industrial scale at the Swedish Steel company SSAB. Its initial pilot project, named Stepwise, has been operating at a cyclic capacity of capturing 14 tons of CO2 in a day, with plans to expand this by a multiple of five by 2024.
SEWGS will allow industries to eliminate hard-to-abate CO2 emissions and produce blue hydrogen at lower costs than previously possible. So far, they have demonstrated a 30% cost saving versus the next best carbon capture alternative, the highest purity of carbon capture (97.5%), and successful production of blue hydrogen at 400°C.
“Subject to further demonstrations at technology readiness level 8 across 2026 and 2027, we anticipate being ready to scale up to full commercialization by 2028,” said Tim Hauck, general manager of Sales and Marketing at Kisuma. “We remain open to connecting with new partners on this project and welcome any conversations and inquiries at K 2022.”
Kisuma is fulfilling a growing demand for tin stabilizer replacements with Alcamizer, an effective, non-toxic acid scavenger for PVC that delivers numerous benefits such as reduced exposure to harmful substances, improved weathering, and improved recyclability at end of service life.
The company continues to make impressive energy efficiency strides across its production processes. Since beginning full operations in 1999, Kisuma has reduced CO2 emissions per ton of product by 55% – a period in which it has also doubled plant capacity.
Innovation
The company has just invested in a new, state-of-the-art R&D lab that will support the diversification of product portfolios based on market insights.
In June 2022, Kisuma opened a new facility dedicated to running pilot projects. Designed to bridge the gap between small laboratory testing and bringing products through to commercialization, it will be able to process small and medium batch sizes to validate and optimize product quality as production volumes scale.
On the product development side, DHT-4 is the trusted acid scavenger designed to replace conventional (often heavy metal-based) scavengers in BOPE films.
“This is the strongest acid scavenger available on the market,” said Mathijs Preenen, Business Development Manager at Kisuma. “It irreversibly scavenges acidic catalyst residues through an innovative interlayer capturing process. “Replacing the traditional acid scavenger with DHT-4C allows converters and brand owners to achieve superior surface properties of their BOPE layer, leading to stronger metallization of the film and enhanced surface printing capability.”
Crucially, DHT-4 also represents a fully recyclable solution, enabling customers to enhance their sustainability credentials by introducing completely circular BOPE film products to the market.
Looking ahead
Some initiatives remain in development, including the company’s ongoing partnership building with academia and hospital networks to see how its products can be used in potential cancer treatments.
The company is lining up sizable investments into more plastic recycling solutions. Hauck said, “We invite visitors to K 2022 to come and see us upstairs in Hall 7/A28 to learn more about our plans in these areas.”
