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OVERVIEW
According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Energy, more than 191 million barrels of
liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas liquids (NGL) were used by the United States plastic
materials and resins industry to make plastic products in 2010, representing nearly 3% of the total
U.S. petroleum consumption.
1
Not surprisingly, Federal and State governments in the United States and abroad, and brand owners
are increasing pressure on the industry to reduce its dependence on petrochemical-based plastics
and packaging.
Calcium carbonate (CaCO
3
), the primary mineral in limestone, marble, and chalk, is a common substance
found in all parts of the world. Adding CaCO
3
as component into current resin processes has been shown
to lower the greenhouse gas impact of finished plastic products by reducing petrochemical and energy
usage during the manufacturing process.
Calcium carbonate concentrates can be found in a wide variety of applications, including injection
molding, blow molding and extrusion coating. This analysis, however, focuses on the use of CaC0
3
in high-density polyethelyne resin (HDPE), which is used in the manufacture of plastic bags and film
products for flexible packaging.
As part of its commitment to sustainability, Heritage Plastics was the first plastic resin compounding
company to focus on highly-functional calcium carbonate concentrates, and has set new industry
benchmarks with its innovative HM10
®
calcium concentrates.
Heritage Plastics HM10
®
calcium carbonate concentrate reduces overall greenhouse gasses by 13%-17%,
including 15%-20% reductions in oxides of sulfur (SOx), and 13%-17% reductions in oxides of nitrogen (NOx).
Additionally, HM10
®
calcium carbonate concentrate reduces the overall energies as a function of fuel
types used by 15-20%. For example, crude oil consumption can be reduced by 16%-20%, natural gas
consumption by 15%-19%, coal consumption by 12%-16%, and electrical consumption by 12%-17%.
As will be shown, integrating Heritage Plastics HM10
®
calcium carbonate concentrate into the HDPE
film production process meets the petroleum and electrical reduction goals sought by the national and
international public and private sectors.
15% TOTAL ENERGY SAVINGS
DURING FILM PRODUCTION
Total Energy, kWh per ton
HDPE
HDPE with 20% H
M10
®
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
20,000
22,000
18,000
Replacing 20% of
the HDPE in film with
Heritage Plastics
HM10
®
calcium
carbonate concentrate
reduces the amount
of total energy needed
to produce film by 15%
- the combined energy
savings from using
less resin and
electricity during film
production.