SPE Environmental Division

To Provide and Promote Environmental Stewardship of Plastics Materials.

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Chairman’s Corner 2011 November Newsletter

We have wrapped up another GPEC with many changes involved. The conference timing was moved to October from the Feb-March and we changed location from Orlando to Atlanta. What remained the same was the excellent technical program, interesting student posters, informational exhibitors, gala of the awards banquet and plenty of networking opportunities.

Having had the privilege of being one of the student poster judges, I found myself caught up in the new and exciting research work that the students had immersed themselves in for several months. From algae based polymers to bio-based carbon fiber development to new methods of cleaning PET flake, the topics were diverse and insightful. The students diligently answered all of the judge’s questions and were clearly excited about their work. This area of new development and hope for the future is one that I believe should be fully supported by industries in the environmental and sustainable arena. I would ask that you consider supporting your local college or university students or students from your alma mater who show their desire to have a future in these fields by sponsoring students to present posters at GPEC 2012. These students are the future of our industry and we need to mentor and support them!

Speaking of student development in the area of environmental sciences, at the board meeting conducted during this past GPEC, we were presented with the workings of an organization called EKOTEK. This is a Detroit based program in the heart of ‘Tech Town” in downtown Detroit near the main campus of Wayne State University. EKOTEKis a project based opportunity to encourage young students (grades 3-12) in the environmental sciences with hands on lab experience to develop sustainable technologies. The lab work centers on defined projects with timing and deliverables for technology development in addition to basic lab studies. Some of the current project scopes are: Alternative Energy (biofuel, wind energy, hydrogen-fuel cell), Environmental Conservation (water conservation, waste management), Food Security and Healthcare

The CEO/Founder, Keith Young, noted that his objective was to make science real and enjoyable to students since we use science and materials just about every moment of every day in our lives. Founded in 2002, his students have gone on to win scholarships and one project has resulted in an application for a patent. Keith holds a B.A. from Central Michigan University and he is a graduate of the Harvard Executive Leadership Program, Boston, MA. The programs are organically funded and maintained. Several schools, universities and businesses support EKOTEK. Keith also provides travel for his students. For example a group of his students traveled to the Gulf in order to obtain samples from the recent oil spill disaster as part of a fuel recovery project sponsored by GM. The students worked to use the recovered oil in the gulf to produce diesel fuels for use at GM manufacturing facilities. I encourage you to see all that they do and get more information at their website: www.ecotek-us.com .

Again, I would like to extend my heart felt thanks to our board members and GPEC committee members. I must say that it was a wonderful board meeting when we welcomed back Dennis Denton! It has been a long, tough road to recovery, but Dennis is back and rarin’ to go! Welcome back and bless you Dennis!

For all of your hard work I would like to commend and thank the following for yet again producing an excellent GPEC and for all of the year round work that is done to keep the division going:

Mike Montpetit – 2011 GPEC Chair and sponsor chair
Adrian Merrington – 2011 GPEC Technical Chair
Larry Koester – Communications VP and GPEC committee member
Dr. Dick Bopp – GPEC 2011 Student Poster Chair
Pallatheri M Subramanian – “Subu”- GPEC 2011 Awards Chair
Mary Perigo – Membership Chair
Ewa Lebert – Newsletter editor
Dr. Lou Reifschneider – 2011 ANTEC Tech Chair for the PED
Eric Koester – 2011 GPEC Clean Business Technical Chair
Ken Nichols – Member Emeritus
Ron Walling – Member Emeritus
Dennis Denton – Executive board member
Gordon Burgone – PED Secretary
Steve Sola – PED Treasurer
Gwen Matthis – 2011 GPEC Conference coordinator

Special congrats to Adrian as the recipient of this year’s Dennis Denton Outstanding PED Member award. A well deserved award, Adrian!

More info and contact for Susan Kozora

GPEC 2011: Technical Program Report

by Dr. Adrian Merrington, Technical Chair

Wow, is it over already? It seemed like a long time coming but this years GPEC, which saw us move from Orlando in Spring to Atlanta in the fall, has come and gone. And with it, an amazing collection of papers, plenary presentations , student posters and industrial tours. There were even a couple of seminars thrown in. A delayed start due to IT hiccoughs and the somewhat restricted viewing of some seats in the luncheon ballroom did not curtail the interest of those that attended the conference.

Our conference saw 16 papers in the Biobased and Biodegradable Materials track, 13 papers in the Recycling track and 12 papers in the Reclamation and Supply track. In addition, there were 17 student poster presentations, 2 introductory seminars and 3 plenary speakers. All of the presenters combined to provide attendees a snapshot of our industries current capabilities and what to expect for the future. One last minute substitution that saw us adding a second paper from Tom Rosenmayer of Lehigh Technologies ensured that we had a full program after a paper was pulled at the last minute. This substitution, combined with some last minute reorganization of the conference schedule and the addition of some excellent reserve papers, ensured that we had the type of conference we managed to put on. There was a little more scrambling than usual but I hope that those that attended the conference appreciated the product. We ensured that every time-slot was filled and, thanks to the dedication of the presenters, we managed to deliver a full and relevant program. The quality of papers that we saw, the discussions in which we participated and the opportunities to make the connections we needed to make can be attributed to the efforts of the presenters, moderators and organizers.

The tours this year were of exceptional quality (I heard one attendee say that "this was the best tour I've ever been on") and the willngness of the hosts to open their doors and share their technologies is greatly appreciated. Tandus Flooring, Inc. of Dalton, GA and Lehigh Technologies of Tucker, GA saw many attendees take advantage of their hospitality.

As always, I want to thank the presenters for the papers they produced and their willingness to share their technology. This year especially, given that we required that all of the papers submitted followed a uniform template required a little more effort on the part of some of the presenters. But that effort now presents us with the opportunity to use that work to potentially produce a collected works. Further, a CD with all the papers will be sent out to all attendees soon (you can also buy a copy from the section if you couldn't make the conference).

I would also like to thank those people that helped with the management of the technical program and ensured that we were all where we were supposed to be and when we were supposed to be there; the session moderators (Richard Bopp, Dennis Denton, Andy Hopkins, Larry Koester, Sue Kozora, Susan Landry, Mike Montpetit and Subu Subramanian) and the staff that manned the registration booth.

And finally, on a personal note, I'd like to thank all those that voted that I would be the recipient of the Society of Plastics Engineers Plastics Environmental Division Dennis Denton Outstanding Member award. I am honored by the company of those members that have been winners of this award in the past. This is a great group of people to work with and all new volunteers are always made to feel very welcome. If you have interest in volunteering with the Division, please contact Mike Montpetit or Sue Kozora.

Contact and More Info on Dr. Adrian Merrington

GPEC 2011 Conference

Photos from GPEC 2011

Attendee List from GPEC 2011

About the Conference

Join us for “Plastics Recycling and Sustainability on my Mind” at GPEC® 2011 on October 17-19, 2011 at The Atlanta Peachtree Westin Hotel, Atlanta, GA, USA.

This is your chance to learn about advances and new technologies and innovations for plastics sustainability and recycling.

Sign Up Now! Register Online Today!

Click Here to Register Online for GPEC 2011.

Need Help? Detailed Instruction for Online Registration.

Or Register by Fax with this Form (pdf)

Don't Forget! Deadline for Hotel Advance Registration is September 15, 2011. For hotel reservations call 1-800-937-8461 and request “SPE GPEC” room rate of $155.00.

Connections Reception (Monday October 17, 2011) This is time to network with your fellow plastics professionals in the plastics industry, as well as to speak with exhibitors on the products, processes, and/or materials that they represent. Don’t overlook this opportunity that is unique to our industry.

Exhibits/Sponsors (Monday, October 17, 2011) - Tuesday, October 18, 2011 - Wednesday, October 19, 2011 If you would like to be a sponsor or exhibitor, you can obtain the Sponsor Registration Form or contact Mike Montpetit at 734-433-2399 or mcmont1954365@aol.com; or Gwen Mathis at 800-798-1241 or Gwensmathis@aol.com

PLANT TOURS (2) (Monday, October 17, 2011)

Tandus Flooring, Inc. - Dalton, Georgia Full conference registration required. Limited to 35. First come, first serve. Bus will depart from the Westin lower lobby at 8:00 am www.tandus.com
Lehigh Technologies - Tucker, Georgia Full conference registration required. Limited to 35. First come, first serve. Bus will depart from the Westin lower lobby at 8:00 am www.lehightechnologies.com

Technical Program (October 18, 19, 2011)

The Technical Program for GPEC® 2011 includes:

Bio-based and Biodegradable Materials
ReclamationandSupply(PCR&PIR)
Recycling: Electronics, Marketing and Business, Automotive, Regulatory Ribbon

Adrian Merrington is the GPEC® Technical Chair.

Please submit your abstracts to Adrian Merrington at merrington@mmi.org Abstracts are due by May 1, 2011 Final Papers are due by August 15, 2011 (Early submission gladly accepted!) Final Presentations are due no later than September 1, 2011.

Download Detailed Program for GPEC 2011, including Presentations

Plenary Speakers

Alan E. Barton, Chief Executive Officer of Lehigh Technologies Inc. www.lehightechnologies.com “Revolutionizing Raw Materials”
Anthony J. Palmer, Managing Director of CMAI www.cmaiglobal.com “Strategies For Success in the BioChemical and Polymer Industry”
Craig Cookson, Director of Sustainability & Recycling for Plastics Div., American Chemistry Council “Recycling and Energy Recovery Insights – A Plastics Perspective”

Student Poster Session (Tuesday, October 18, 2011)

To submit a Student Poster abstract for review or for questions, please contact: Richard C. Bopp, GPEC® 2011 Poster Session Chair Email: Richard_C_Bopp@NatureWorksLLC.com

Abstracts are due no later than August 25, 2011. Posters will be judged by jury. Cash awards offered for posters of exceptional quality.

Environmental Stewardship Awards

These highly coveted awards recognize corporations and other institutions that have demonstrated environmental leadership and excellence. A list of 2010 winners and the nature of the topics considered. If you would like to make a nomination, then you can obtain the nomination forms here or contact Pallatheri (Subu) Subramanian at subramanian9@comcast.net.

Deadline for submission July 15, 2011.

GPEC Awards Dinner (Evening of Tuesday, October 18, 2011)

"Executive Forum for Recycling and Green Technologies in Automotive” (Wednesday, October 19, 2011)

Pat Cavanaugh - Industrial Resins Recycling

Jeff Fisher - Buckeye Polymers

Susan Kozora - IAC Group

Ewa Lebert - Chrysler Corporation

I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. Come to celebrate our return to Atlanta!! Learn, network, contribute, and have some fun while you’re at it. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta at GPEC® 2011.

Sincerely,

Michael Montpetit
GPEC® 2011 Chair
Phone: 734-433-2399 Cellular: 734-395-2877

Contact Mike Montpetit by Email

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