WO2010013993A1

WO2010013993A1 - Halal polymer resins and process for making the same

Info

Publication number: WO2010013993A1
Application number: PCT/MY2008/000078
Authority: WO
Inventors: Amir Hamzah Abu Bakar; Othman Md Salleh; Seng Heng Lai; Uli Hasuri
Original assignee: Titan Petchem (M) Sdn Bhd
Priority date: 2008-08-01
Filing date: 2008-08-01
Publication date: 2010-02-04

Abstract

The present invention relates to polymer resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene for making consumer products and the process for making the same which comply with the requirements of Islamic law (Syariah) for Halal consumer products. The polymer resins comprise additives derived from Halal sources and the method for ensuring that the Halal integrity of the polymer resins is protected throughout the entire processing or manufacturing process.

Description

Halal Polymer Resins and Process for Making the Same

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to polymer resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene for making consumer products and the process for making the same which comply with the requirements of Islamic law (Syariah) for Halal consumer products.

Background of the Invention

Polymer resins have been widely used for making consumer products such as film coatings, sanitary fittings, bottles, containers, woven bags, and flexible film-based packaging. Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) are the most common polymers employed for surfaces that come into direct contact with solid or liquid materials.

In general polymers are manufactured from petroleum based feedstock. However, additives are added to the polymers to improve their mechanical and optical properties. For Muslim consumers, issues arise when additives used for making the polymer resins are derived from unknown sources or origins. The additives which are derived from non-Halal animals (i.e. animals which are not permissible according to Islamic law) such as pig or from permissible animals which were improperly slaughtered (i.e. not in accordance to Islamic slaughtering procedure) are prohibited to be used by Muslim consumers.

This situation becomes unfavorable to Muslim consumers since consumer products do not indicate the source of additives used (i.e. indication in a manner that can be understood by end users) or guarantee that the consumer products are Halal. It has been scientifically proven that elements of the additives and other components of the food packaging may leach into the food and contaminate the food inside the packaging and jeopardize the Halal integrity of the food. Furthermore, the use of animal derived additives may carry the risks of associated diseases such as mad cow disease.

There are certain requirements that need to be fulfilled before any consumer product can be qualified and certified as Halal. For example, the Malaysian Standard (MS 1500:2004) requires that the product or its ingredients must not contain or be contaminated with any components or products of animals that are non-Halal or products of animals that are not slaughtered according to Islamic law. Further, the product must not contain any substance that is decreed as filth (najs). The product must also be safe for use and be manufactured in a clean and hygienic environment.

During the process for the manufacture of the polymer resins, some of the processing units operate in an exposed environment which may be vulnerable to contamination by filth elements from pests including birds, animals and their excrements.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide solutions to the above mentioned problems by providing a system for manufacturing polymer resins which are Halal, safe and clean and which comply with the requirements of Islamic law and which may also be suitable for Kosher and vegetarian consumers.

Summary of the Invention

There is provided in the present invention, polymer resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene for making consumer products and process for making the same which comply with the requirements of Islamic law for Halal consumer products.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided polymer resins having additives derived from Halal sources and a method for ensuring that the Halal integrity of the polymer resins is protected throughout the entire processing or manufacturing process. A qualitative analysis for screening and identifying any trace of animal based element used in additives and substituting these additives with equivalent additives from Halal sources are introduced into the manufacturing process.

The polymer resins that are Halal and safe may be used for making consumer products such as containers or packaging for food. If there is any migration or leaching of the additives in these food containers or packaging, the Halal integrity of the food will not be jeopardized.

According to the present invention, the method for ensuring the Halal integrity of polymer resins for consumer products that comply with the requirements of Halal as defined in Islamic law and good manufacturing practices, comprises: a) introducing barriers to enclose the processing or manufacturing units for preventing external contaminations; b) selecting and verifying that only ingredients which are Halal, in particular, additives are used; c) analysing the polymer resins by detecting the presence of animal based elements such as animal fats and pig derivatives to ensure that the polymer resins are completely free from any animal based ingredients ;

The above described method may further comprises: d) administering a system for maintaining Halal ingredient databases and procedures. The enclosing of the manufacturing units may includes panels, fencing and netting to prevent any ingress of contaminants such as dirt, filth elements from pests including birds, animals and their excrements. A plurality of panels may be provided to surround and cover the whole manufacturing units or any exposed manufacturing units.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows a diagram of a general process for manufacturing polymer resins;

Fig. 2 shows a diagram of a process for adding additives (additivation) and pelletizing;

Fig. 3a and 3b show embodiments according to the present invention for enclosing a manufacturing unit;

Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of a method for qualitative analysis for determining animal based elements from polymer resins.

Fig. 5a shows a flowchart of a method for selecting and verifying Halal ingredients for animal based sources or origins

Fig. 5b shows a flowchart of a method for selecting and verifying Halal ingredients for non-animal based sources or origins

Detailed Description of the Invention

A typical process for manufacturing polymer resins is shown in Fig.l. First, the petroleum based feedstock (monomers) from the upstream manufacturing plants undergo a set of purification processes (101) where impurities such as moisture, oxygen etc are removed.

Next, the feedstock is fed into a reactor (103) together with catalyst and hydrogen, hi the presence of catalyst, polymerization reaction takes place inside the reactor at controlled operating conditions to convert monomers into polymer flakes. Subsequently, the unreacted monomers are separated from the polymer flakes via a series of flashing and purging processes (105) and are recycled back to the reactor while the polymer flakes are transferred to a pelletizing unit (107) for further processing.

hi the pelletizing unit (107), the polymer flakes are mixed with additives to achieve desired product properties. The mixture of the polymer flakes and the additives are fed into an extruder which further converts the mixture into pellet form. This process is further described in Fig. 2. The pellets or polymer resins are stored and blended in product silos and finally transferred to a bagging unit (109) and packed into bags or sea bulk containers.

Fig. 2 shows a diagram of a process for additivation and pelletizing. The polymer flakes will go through a feeder hopper (210) by nitrogen transportation using blower system and go to inteπnediate silo (213) by a rotary feeder system. From an extrusion feeding silo (215), the polymer flakes will go to a concentrated mixture (conmix) system (217) and polymer/additive metering unit (221). Typically, the conmix system (217) is also known as masterbatch system. In the conmix system (217), some quantity of polymer flakes will be mixed with the additives to achieve the desired properties. The additives in use have different types and functions. Some acts as antioxidants, nucleating agents, acid scavengers, slip agents, anti blocking agents and others. The additives can prevent oxidation; alter stiffness; control transparency (clarity); neutralize catalyst residues; enhance whiteness; alter molecular weight and molecular weight distribution; control surface properties; decrease static buildup; prevent film blocking properties; promote slip properties; improve stabilization against UV; induce oxo-degradation etc. of the polymer resins. These additives can be of animal or non-animal derived sources.

The mixture of additives and polymer flakes are blended in a continuous mixer (223) to form a uniform mixture. From the mixer, the polymer flakes and additives mixture is fed to an extruder (225) where it is maintained at high temperatures for melting purposes. The molten polymer is then sent to a gear pump (227) which will push the molten polymer through a screen changer (229) and into a die-plate (231). The polymer exits the die plate, quench by water and cut by a cutter system into pellet forms. The pellets are transported and dried in a centrifugal dryer (233). The dry pellets then go to a classifier (235) where it will be segregated according to their sizes. The dry pellets or finished polymer resins will be sent to product silos (237) for blending and packaging.

To produce Halal polymer resins it is required to use non-animal based additives or animal based additives which are certified Halal by governing authorities. According to the present invention all stearates, fatty acids, amides and anti-acids derived from animal based components are to be substituted with equivalent products such as plant based and/or Halal certified animal based additives.

Table 1

The above Table 1 lists a number of additives which can be derived either from animal or non-animal based ingredients.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an enclosure may be provided at the whole manufacturing units to prevent ingress of external contamination. In another embodiment, an enclosure may be provided at any exposed manufacturing units and in particular the additivation, bagging and product warehouse areas.

The enclosures may include panels (305), fencings or nettings (303) as shown in Fig. 3 a. The enclosures are installed to surround and cover the manufacturing units and/or equipments against ingress of contaminants such as dirt, filth (najs) and stray animals. As shown in Figure 3a, manufacturing units A and B are separately enclosed. The enclosures include raised concrete walls (301) at the bottom section for preventing ingress of stray animals or pests at the ground level such as rodent and wire netting (303) at the upper section for preventing ingress of flying animals such as birds and flying insects at an elevated level.

For enclosures where mechanical ventilations are provided, the wire netting may not be required. The enclosures are provided with at least an aperture to allow access to the unit and for product and goods movements. The aperture (309) may be provided with strips (307) to prevent ingress of birds into the manufacturing units or equipment which may contaminate the products as shown in Fig. 3b (i) and (ii). Advantageously, pest control system is provided to further enhance the cleanliness and hygienic aspects of the overall manufacturing environment.

Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of a method for qualitative analysis for determining animal based elements from polymer resins. The analysis can be conducted using gas liquid chromatography (GC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) method, Electronic Nose (E-Nose) technology or Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) or Molecular Biology techniques or the like.

An analyzing method of identifying animal based components such as lard may be performed on the additives, commix batches and/or the finished products. To ensure that the polymer resin is completely free from animal based components, a two-stage verification process (401, 403) may be provided on the analysing method as illustrated in Fig. 4.

According to the present invention, the process ensures that only Halal raw materials and Halal additives are used in the manufacture of polymer resins and the entire process is conducted in a hygienic environment free from contaminants, in particular najs. Verification of the Halal status of the polymer resins manufactured may be done by an in-house analysing system.

Fig. 5 a shows a flow chart of a method for selecting and verifying Halal ingredients for animal based sources or origins. Ingredients that are to be processed in the manufacturing units must be selected and verified. For example, ingredients must be verified as to whether they originate from permissible or non-permissible type of animals. Next, ingredients which are derived from permissible animals may be verified Halal by means of certificates and/or other supporting document issued by governing authorities and/or suppliers/vendors. Fig. 5b shows a flow chart of a method for selecting and verifying Halal ingredients for non-animal based sources or origins. The ingredients may be verified by identifying whether the ingredients are of pure plant sources or mixed plant sources. The mixed plant sources may comprise of components such as animal-based, chemicals and minerals. The mixed plant sources that contain animal-based components will be subjected to the verification process as illustrated in Fig. 5a. Mixed plant sources with chemicals and minerals and which do not contain animal based components are qualified as Halal.

Ingredients from pure plant sources are verified by means of certificates or equivalent documents issued by suppliers and the governing authorities. In absence of the certificates or equivalent documents, qualitative analysis can be conducted to qualify the ingredient as Halal.

The verification processes as illustrated in Fig. 5a and 5b may be performed through an automated and systematic analysis such as a computing system.

Claims

1. A method for ensuring that polymer resins manufactured for use in the production of consumer products including packaging and films for packaging for food (solid and liquid) and drinks are Halal by introducing effective barriers around the manufacturing and processing apparatus along the entire manufacturing process to prevent any external contamination of the raw materials, intermediate and end products to prevent contamination, in particular by elements regarded as najs.

2. A method for ensuring that polymer resins manufactured for use in the production of consumer products including packaging and films for packaging for food (solid and liquid) and drinks are Halal by selecting and verifying that all ingredients used in their manufacture are Halal, in particular, only additives of non animal based sources or origins or from permissible animal sources or origins under Islamic law, are used.

3. A method for ensuring that polymer resins manufactured for use in the production of consumer products including packaging and films for packaging for food (solid and liquid) and drinks are Halal by analyzing the additives, commix batches and/or the polymer resins manufactured to ensure the absence of any animal based elements such as animal fats and pig derivatives.

4. A method for ensuring that polymer resins manufactured for use in the production of consumer products including packaging and films for packaging for food (solid and liquid) and drinks are Halal by: a. introducing effective barriers around the manufacturing and processing apparatus along the entire manufacturing process to prevent any external contamination of the raw materials, intennediate and end products to prevent contamination, in particular by elements regarded as najs; b. selecting and verifying that all ingredients used in their manufacture are Halal, in particular, only additives of non animal based sources or origins or from permissible animal sources or origins under Islamic law, are used; and c. by analyzing the polymer resins manufactured to ensure the absence of any animal based elements such as animal fats and pig derivatives.

5. A method as claimed in Claim 4 further comprising a step of administering a system for maintaining Halal ingredient databases and procedures.

6. A method as claimed in Claims 1 and 4 wherein the enclosing of manufacturing units includes panels, fencing and netting for preventing ingress of contaminants such as dirt, filth or najs elements from pests including birds, animals and their excrements.

7. A method as claimed in Claims 1 and 6 wherein the panels surround and cover the whole manufacturing units.

8. A method as claimed in Claims 1 and 6 wherein the panels surround and cover any exposed manufacturing unit.

9. A method as claimed in Claims 1, 6, 7 and 8 wherein the panels includes raised concrete walls at the bottom section for preventing ingress of animals or pests at the ground level such as rodent and wire netting at the upper section for preventing ingress of flying animals such as birds and flying insects at an elevated level.

10. A method as claimed in Claims 3 and 4 whereby the analysing of the polymer resins comprising identifying the presence of pig or other animal derivatives such as lard by using gas liquid chromatography, Fourier Transform Infrared

Spectroscopy (FTIR) method, Electronic Nose (E-Nose) technology or Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) or Molecular Biology techniques or the like.

11. A method as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the selecting, verifying, and analysing process is performed through an automated and systematic analysis such as a computing system.

12. Halal polymer resins for making Halal consumer products including packaging and films for packaging for food (solid and liquid) and drinks are made only from Halal raw materials and Halal additives where the additives have been verified as Halal manufactured in a hygienic environment free from contaminants regarded as najs under Islamic law.

13. Halal polymer resins as claimed in Claim 12 wherein the hygienic manufacturing environment comprising:

a. introducing effective barriers around the manufacturing and processing apparatus along the entire manufacturing process to prevent any external contamination of the raw materials, intermediate and end products to prevent contamination, in particular by elements regarded as najs; b. selecting and verifying that all ingredients used in their manufacture are Halal, in particular, only additives of non animal based sources or origins or from permissible animal sources or origins under Islamic law, are used; and c. by analyzing the polymer resins manufactured to ensure the absence of any animal based elements such as animal fats and pig derivatives.

14. Halal polymer resins as claimed in Claims 12 and 13 for use in the production of consumer products including packaging and films for packaging for food (solid and liquid) and drinks that are Halal for Muslim consumers and suitable for

Jewish consumers.

15. Halal polymer resins as claimed in Claims 12 and 13 for use in the production of consumer products including packaging and films for packaging for food (solid and liquid) and drinks that are Halal for Muslim consumers and suitable for vegetarian consumers.

16. Halal polymer as claimed in Claim 12 wherein the selecting, verifying, and analysing process is performed through an automated and systematic analysis via a computing system.