Background knowledge on petroleum, CO2 tax and renewable energies – energy transition

Important note: The PDF is password protected.
Please get in contact with me. Of course, the PDF is free of charge. Important note: The PDF is password protected. Please contact me. Of course the PDF is free of charge.

German version – To see the PDF, please click on the image below.
German Version – To view the PDF, please click on the image below.

Fossil energy: petroleum in Germany – PDF download

Shares of plastic use by area of ​​application in Germany – Image: Xpert.Digital

Plastics are omnipresent. The largest proportion of the amount of plastic used in Germany is used in packaging - around a third of the total volume in 2019. The construction and automotive industries also cumulatively use around a third of the total plastic volume. Nowadays, especially in construction, not only newly produced plastics are used, but more and more recycled plastics are being used.

Recovery and recycling of plastics

Plastics are almost completely recycled in Germany. The absolute volume of plastic waste disposed of is relatively low. In addition to recycling - that is, in addition to the material and raw material recovery of plastics - recovery also includes energy recovery within waste-to-energy plants and the recovery of plastics as substitute fuel.

Circular economy

The system that exclusively implements recycling is the so-called circular economy. In terms of plastics, almost half of the plastic volume used in Germany is recycled - the recycling rate was 46.6 percent in 2019.

Shares of plastic use by application area in Germany in 2019

• Packaging – 34%
• Construction – 22%
• Vehicles – 12%
• Electrical/Electronics – 7%
• Household goods/sports – 4%
• Agriculture – 3%
• Other – 18%

Production volume of the German plastics industry by 2020 – Image: Xpert.Digital

The statistics show the production volume of the plastics industry in Germany from 2006 to 2020. The production figures also include polymers for glues, resins, varnishes, coatings, fibers and the like. In 2020, Germany-wide plastic production was around 18 million tons.

Some of the older values ​​were taken from previous year's publications. According to the source, the reported volumes for 2014 and 2015 are not comparable to previous years. The reason for this are modifications to the internal recording of the quantities produced and technical changes in reporting practices such as the use of revised software.

Production volume of the plastics industry in Germany from 2006 to 2020 (in million tons)

• 2006 – 20.20 million tons
• 2007 – 20.50 million tons
• 2008 – 20 million tons
• 2009 – 17.40 million tonnes
• 2010 – 20.40 million tons
• 2011 – 20.20 million tons
• 2012 – 19.50 million tonnes
• 2013 – 19.90 million tons
• 2014 – 18.20 million tonnes
• 2015 – 18.40 million tonnes
• 2016 – 19.20 million tonnes
• 2017 – 19.90 million tonnes
• 2018 – 18.90 million tons
• 2019 – 18.20 million tons
• 2020 – 17.90 million tonnes

Plastic production worldwide and in Europe by 2019 – Image: Xpert.Digital

The amount of plastic produced worldwide has risen sharply in the last almost 70 years - to around 370 million tons in 2019. The drivers of this increase in the last 20 years have been Asian countries in particular - especially China. In Europe the development is less rapid. Over the last ten years, the amount of plastic produced per year in the European plastics industry has stagnated.

What is plastic?

Plastics include thermoplastics, polyurethanes, thermosets, elastomers, adhesives, coatings and sealants. The most commonly used type of plastic in Europe is PP (polypropylene). The most important area of ​​use for plastic in Europe is packaging. A lot of plastic is also used in construction or vehicle manufacturing.

German plastics industry in a European comparison

The plastics industry in Germany is the largest European plastics industry. The production volume of the German plastics industry has been declining in recent years. Nevertheless, it alone accounts for around a third of the plastic produced in Europe. Therefore, recycling plastics and establishing a functioning circular economy - due to the impact of plastic waste on the environment - is of great importance.

Global plastic production from 1950 to 2019 (in million tons)

• 1950 – 1.5 million tons
• 1976 – 50 million tons
• 1989 – 100 million tons
• 2002 – 200 million tons
• 2005 – 230 million tons
• 2007 – 257 million tons
• 2008 – 245 million tons
• 2009 – 250 million tons
• 2010 – 270 million tons
• 2011 – 280 million tons
• 2012 – 288 million tons
• 2013 – 299 million tons
• 2014 – 311 million tons
• 2015 – 322 million tons
• 2016 – 335 million tons
• 2017 – 348 million tons
• 2018 – 359 million tons
• 2019 – 368 million tons

European plastic production from 1950 to 2019 (in million tonnes)

• 1950 – 0.35 million tons
• 1976 – 19.8 million tons
• 1989 – 27.4 million tons
• 2002 – 56.1 million tons
• 2005 – 61 million tons
• 2007 – 65 million tons
• 2008 – 60 million tons
• 2009 – 55 million tons
• 2010 – 57 million tons
• 2011 – 59 million tons
• 2012 – 59 million tons
• 2013 – 57 million tons
• 2014 – 59 million tons
• 2015 – 58 million tons
• 2016 – 60 million tons
• 2017 – 64.4 million tons
• 2018 – 61.8 million tons
• 2019 – 57.9 million tons

Important note: The PDF is password protected.
Please get in contact with me. Of course, the PDF is free of charge. Important note: The PDF is password protected. Please contact me. Of course the PDF is free of charge.

German version – To see the PDF, please click on the image below.
German Version – To view the PDF, please click on the image below.

Plastics industry – PDF download

Important note: The PDF is password protected.
Please get in contact with me. Of course, the PDF is free of charge. Important note: The PDF is password protected. Please contact me. Of course the PDF is free of charge.

German version – To see the PDF, please click on the image below.
German Version – To view the PDF, please click on the image below.

Plastic waste – PDF download

Shares of plastic types in European plastic demand – Image: Xpert.Digital

The statistics show the shares of plastic types in European plastic demand in the years 2017 to 2019. The total volume of plastic demanded in Europe (EU-28, Norway, Switzerland) was around 51 million tons in 2019. In the year mentioned, around ten percent of European plastic demand was for PVC. The automobile and vehicle industry accounted for around ten percent of European plastic consumption.

Europe-wide plastic production amounted to around 58 million tons in the same year.

Shares of plastic types in European plastic demand in 2017

• PP – 19.3%
• PE-LD, PE-LLD – 17.5%
• PE-HD, PE-MD – 12.3%
• PVC – 10.2%
• PUR – 7.7%
• PET – 7.4%
• HP, EPS – 6.6%

• Other – 19%

Shares of plastic types in European plastic demand in 2018

• PP – 19.3%
• PE-LD, PE-LLD – 17.5%
• PE-HD, PE-MD – 12.2%
• PVC – 10%
• PUR – 7.9%
• PET – 7.7%
• HP, EPS – 6.4%
• Other – 19%

Shares of plastic types in European plastic demand in 2019

• PP – 19.4%
• PE-LD, PE-LLD – 17.4%
• PE-HD, PE-MD – 12.4%
• PVC – 10%
• PUR – 7.9%
• PET – 7.9%
• HP, EPS – 6.2%
• Other – 18.8%

• It is used in mechanical and vehicle construction for interior fittings for cars, dashboards and battery housings as well as for crash absorber elements in vehicle construction, in child seats and in bicycle helmets.
• In electrical engineering it is used for transformer housings, wire and cable sheathing and insulating films. BOPP has become particularly important as a dielectric for plastic film capacitors and power capacitors.
• In construction it is used for valves, fittings and piping; in ventilation and air conditioning technology in corrosive environments and when pumping corrosive gases, usually in the form of PP-S (S = flame retardant).
• Polypropylene fibers can be added to reinforced and prestressed concrete to improve fire protection properties. The fibers that melt and burn when heated leave pores that allow water vapor to expand and escape.
• In the textile industry, worsted polypropylene yarn is used in polycolon. PP fibers are further processed into home textiles, carpets, sports textiles, packaging materials, hygiene products, medical products, buoyant ropes, geotextiles, among other things.
• Polypropylene is used in a variety of ways in the food industry, packaging technology and in the household: cups (for dairy products), bottle caps, inner parts for dishwashers, for boil-proof films, reusable containers, thermal transport boxes or warming containers (EPP), packaging parts, drinking straws, adhesive film, ...
• Large amounts of microplastics are introduced into the body, especially when such products are heated - such as baby bottles with heated liquid.
• In humid regions, PP is used as a material for plastic banknotes such as the Australian dollar and the New Zealand dollar.
• In model aircraft construction, EPP is used to produce durable, beginner-friendly model aircraft that can withstand crashes much better than classic balsa wood model aircraft.
• In general medical surgery, polypropylene meshes are used to close hernias, e.g. B. in inguinal hernias, used to strengthen the abdominal wall and prevent recurrence of the inguinal hernia.
• When securing loads in freight containers, air-filled dunnage bags (GrizzlyBag®) are used whose outer shells are made of PP.
• In advertising, hollow-wall panels made of PP (nubbed panels and multi-wall panels) are used in printed and glued (laminated) form for posters and displays.

A distinction is made between the following types:

• PE-HD (HDPE) /PE-MD (MDPE)
• PE-LD (LDPE)
• LLDPE (LLDPE)
• PE-HMW
• PE-UHMW
• PE-X

With a share of around 38 percent, polyethylene is the most commonly used plastic worldwide. In 2011, 190 million tons of plastics (polypropylene, polystyrene, ABS, PVC, PET, polycarbonate, polyethylene) were consumed. PE-LD accounted for 10 percent, PE-LLD for 11 percent and PE-HD for 17 percent.

PE-HD (HDPE)

The most important area of ​​application is hollow bodies produced by blow molding, for example bottles for household cleaning products, but also large-volume containers with a capacity of up to 1000 l (so-called IBC). Over 8 million tons, almost a third of the amount produced worldwide, were used for this application in 2007. China in particular, where beverage bottles made of HDPE were only introduced in 2005, is a growing market for rigid HDPE packaging due to its increasing living standards. HDPE sheets and HDPE films produced by extrusion are also deep-drawn and used in the packaging industry. In addition, PE-HD is used for injection molding parts, e.g. B. packaging and household goods, as well as processed into technical items. Fibers, films and pipes made of polyethylene are manufactured using extrusion and vacuum processes. PE-HD is also used to produce films for hydraulic engineering and landfill construction, as well as geogrids and geowovens for landfill construction or road and embankment construction. Another area of ​​application that is growing particularly rapidly in emerging countries is cable lines and pipes, for example for gas and drinking water supplies. Polyethylene pipes made of PE 80 or PE 100 are often used here, which can replace pipes made of concrete or PVC. PE-HD can be easily welded, but if laid in the ground the cable must be embedded in sand. Alternatively, PE pipes are now also available that are provided with special protective jackets and thus enable trenchless pipe laying (ie without a sand bed).

PE-MD (MDPE)

PE-MD (MDPE) is less sensitive to scratches than PE-HD.

PE-LD (LDPE) and PE-LLD (LLDPE)

This material is primarily used in film production. Typical products for PE-LD are cling films, carrier bags, agricultural films, milk carton coatings, garbage bags and shrink films. An important area of ​​application is the use as a sealing medium in composite films. PE-LD and PE-LLD are also used to a small extent to produce cable sheathing, as a dielectric in coaxial cables and for pipes and hollow bodies. PE-LLD is mainly used in stretch film, films for industrial packaging, thin-walled containers and high-performance bag films. In 2009, PE-LD was sold worldwide for around 15.9 billion euros (22.2 billion US dollars). The global market for PE-LLD reached just under 17 billion euros (24 billion US dollars).

PE-UHMW

Due to its high wear resistance, ultra-high-molecular-weight PE is used for pump parts, gears, sliding bushings, implants and surfaces of endoprostheses where particularly smooth running with the lowest possible abrasion is important. In the chemical industry it is used for seals and membranes. Fibers made from PE-UHMW are among the strongest known artificial fibers (based on weight) and are processed into slings and cords.

PE-X

PE-X is used as an insulation material as an electrical insulator for medium and high voltage cables, as a pipe for gas and water installations and for molded parts in electrical engineering, apparatus engineering and automobile manufacturing. In contrast to other PE materials, it is also suitable as a hot water pipe and, thanks to its high scratch resistance (scratch depth max. 20% of the wall thickness), is particularly suitable for trenchless installation methods, such as the flush drilling method

PVC plastics are divided into hard and soft PVC. Rigid PVC is used, for example, to produce window profiles, pipes and records. Soft PVC contains plasticizers that cause the material to behave elastically. It is used, for example, for cable sheathing and floor coverings.

Polyurethane is used to make wound dressings, mattresses, shoe soles, gaskets, hoses, floors, insulation materials, varnishes, adhesives, sealants, skis, car seats, stadium tracks, dashboards, casting compounds, latex-free condoms (condoms), cast flooring and much more.

Foams can also be made very easily from polyurethane. The special thing about PUR foams is that processing companies can take semi-finished products (foam in cut form) or produce foams from liquid components on site (formed in-place foam). The components can also be placed in or on industrial parts; This is where the foam is created.

Soft PUR foams are used for many purposes, especially as upholstery material (e.g. for furniture or car seats), as mattress foam, as carpet backing material, for textile lamination, as a cleaning sponge or as filter material. PUR soft foams are mostly open-cell and are available in a wide range of hardness and density.

PUR rigid foams are primarily used for thermal insulation, e.g. B. used in buildings, cooling devices, heat and cold storage as well as some pipe systems (plastic jacket composite pipe, flexible composite pipes).

There are other relatively new areas of application for PUR foams in vehicle construction (steering wheel, armrest, soft coating of handles, interior paneling, dashboard, sound insulation, rattle protection, seals, transparent coating of wood decor). The damping effect of polyurethane also often provides wear protection, which in particular enables the production of safety-relevant components with a long service life.

One of the most important applications of polyurethanes is in paints and coatings. Polyurethanes are used as primers because of their good adhesion properties and as top coats and clear coats in many areas of application because of their high resistance to solvents, chemicals and weather influences. These include, for example: B. also coil coating paints and coatings for floors. Also worth mentioning are textile coatings and finishes as well as leather finishes. Surface applications for bonding different, preferably flexible materials (in the area of ​​shoes, wood/furniture, automobile interiors) are also an important area of ​​application for polyurethane systems. In medicine, polyurethanes are used as liners in prosthetics of the lower extremities.

PET has a wide range of uses and is used, among other things, to produce plastic bottles (PET bottles), films and textile fibers. In 2008 production was 40 million tons. Despite increased recycling recently, production increased to 56 million tons by 2016.

Polystyrene is one of the standard plastics and takes fourth place in terms of production volume after polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride. In Germany, around 12.06 million tons of plastics (excluding adhesives, paints, resins, fibers) were processed in 2015, of which 655,000 tons (5.4 percent) were polystyrene and expanded polystyrene PS/PS-E.

Polystyrene enables the production of relatively precisely fitting components. For example, B. tape cassettes and CD cases made of transparent polystyrene.

Polystyrene is permitted as food packaging, for example as a yogurt cup or foam tray, if certain requirements are met.

Injection-molded parts made of unfoamed polystyrene are used in plastic model making.

Polystyrene is used in electrical engineering because of its good insulation properties. It is used to produce switches, bobbins and housings (High Impact Polystyrene, HIPS) for electrical devices. Polystyrene is used for mass-produced items (e.g. classic CD packaging, video cassettes), in precision engineering and for sight glasses.

Polystyrene is the main component of napalm-B, which is used in incendiary bombs.

Styrofoam is commonly known as a light, white packaging and insulation material. This is a rather coarse-pored EPS rigid foam (expanded polystyrene). To produce it, granules are filled into a mold and foamed in hot steam. The particles of the granules stick together, but usually do not completely fuse with each other. The spherical, foamed granules are often recognizable in the end product and can sometimes be separated individually. Depending on the manufacturing process, expanded polystyrene rigid foam is more or less permeable to air and water vapor.

EPS rigid foam panels can be cut from a block in almost any thickness.

Foamed polystyrene is often used as packaging material and for protective helmets, solid life jackets and surfboards.

Styrofoam is originally a brand name of BASF. Since the 1990s, the IVH (Hard Foam Industry Association) has held the rights to the name Styrofoam. Only EPS manufacturers who adhere to IVH's special quality requirements are allowed to call their material Styrofoam.

Other well-known trade names for EPS are Austrotherm, Steinopor, Sagex, Swisspor, Hungarocell (Hungary), Telgopor (Spanish-speaking countries) and Frigolit (Sweden).

In 2014, under the direction of the European Association of EPS Processors (European Manufacturers of Expanded Polystyrene, EUMEPS), the common brand name airpop was introduced with the aim of minimizing the large variety of names for EPS in Europe. In Germany, the IK Plastic Packaging Industry Association is responsible for implementing the European strategy in the area of ​​EPS packaging.

Synthetic rubber refers to elastic polymers from which rubber is made and which are based on petrochemical raw materials.

In addition to synthetic rubber, there are natural rubber types, primarily based on the milky sap (latex) of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis).

Currently, the share of synthetic rubber in total rubber demand is around 60%. In 1998, according to the International Institute for Synthetic Rubber Producers (IISRP), sales were 10.4 million tons, 70% of which went to the automotive industry.

Between 65% and 70% of all rubber goes into the production of car tires. Other main areas of application include binders for paper coating, carpet backing and dipped articles such as: B. thin gloves.

In foamed form, rubber is used for mattresses and sponges.

By dipping shiny metal or ceramic shapes into an emulsion, condoms, gloves or balloons - goods with a particularly thin film thickness are produced. Thicker films are required for the production of molds, vehicle tires, engine mounts, and various rubber/metal compounds.

Another important application is rubber sealing profiles, for example for doors and windows.

Innovation expenditure in rubber and plastics processing in Germany until 2021 - Image: Xpert.Digital

The statistics show the innovation expenditure in the rubber and plastics processing industry from 2008 to 2021. The innovation expenses in this industry include research and development as well as innovation-related expenses for tangible and intangible assets, further training, marketing, conception, construction, design as well as production and sales preparation. According to a ZEW survey, the innovation expenditure in the rubber and plastics processing industry in 2021 will be around 2.4 billion euros.

According to the source, the German innovation survey has been carried out on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) by the Center for European Economic Research (ZEW, Mannheim) since 1993 in collaboration with infas (Institute for Applied Social Science) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ( ISI).
The survey is aimed at all companies in Germany with at least 5 employees and an economic focus in the industry groups listed. The definitions and measurement concepts correspond to the international standards of OECD and Eurostat. The innovation survey is part of the Europe-wide innovation survey (Community Innovation Survey – CIS) coordinated by Eurostat every two years. All values ​​are extrapolated to the population of companies with 5 or more employees in Germany. Around 18,500 companies took part in the 2020 innovation survey (= 55% of the sample size), including 458 from rubber and plastics processing.

Rubber and plastic processing: production and retreading of tires, production of rubber goods, plates, foils, hoses and profiles made of plastics, packaging materials and building supplies made of plastics and other plastic goods.

Innovation expenditure in German rubber and plastics processing from 2008 to 2021 (in billion euros)

• 2008 – 1.92 billion euros
• 2009 – 1.63 billion euros
• 2010 – 1.77 billion euros
• 2011 – 2.12 billion euros
• 2012 – 2.08 billion euros
• 2013 – 1.97 billion euros
• 2014 – 2.26 billion euros
• 2015 – 2.29 billion euros
• 2016 – 2.48 billion euros
• 2017 – 2.86 billion euros
• 2018 – 2.25 billion euros
• 2019 – 2.52 billion euros
• 2020 – 2.35 billion euros
• 2021 – 2.36 billion euros

Important note: The PDF is password protected.
Please get in contact with me. Of course, the PDF is free of charge. Important note: The PDF is password protected. Please contact me. Of course the PDF is free of charge.

German version – To see the PDF, please click on the image below.
German Version – To view the PDF, please click on the image below.

Rubber – PDF Download