Polymers and Materials Polyester
Polyester is a catch-all for different plastics, like PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PBT (polybutylene terephthalate). Polyesters have been made in Emmen since the 1950ies, when AKU (Algemene Kunstzijde Unie) started production. PET, used in packaging (e.g. bottles) and textile applications, is the best-known and most widely used polyester.
Our developments
DSM produces PET, PBT and other thermoplastic polyesters in Emmen. The company has developed Arnitel ECO, a thermoplastic elastomer partially made from renewable resources, like rape seed oil. Cumapol offers different services in polyester upgrading and also works towards chemical recycling of PET, by depolymerizing, purification and repolymerization of PET waste materials. Morssinkhof Rymoplast is a recycling company which collects and cleans PET bottles, shreds them and turns the flakes into PET granulate. At Senbis and SPIC-Emmen R&D facilities are offered to polymerize polyesters and develop applications thereof, such as fibers, films, foils or injection molded parts.
Companies involved
1. DSM
The chemical company DSM produces different engineering plastics, including several polyester grades.
2. Cumapol
Cumapol stands for Custom Made Polyesters. and produces specialty polyesters using different upgrading technologies: regranulation, compounding, crystallization and solid state polymerization for virgin and recycled polyesters.
Morssinkhof Rymoplast is a leading company in PET recycling.
4. Sustainable Polymer Innovation Cluster
For the development and up-scaling of new sustainable polyesters and applications thereof, local companies and knowledge institutes have joined forces via the initiative SPIC-Emmen (sustainable polymer innovation cluster).
