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In a major step towards making India a natural gas-based economy and making CNG as the eco-friendly option for long distance transport in the country, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, unveiled India’s first long distance CNG bus. Fitted with composite CNG cylinders, it can travel around 1,000 kilometers on a single fill. The project has been executed by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) and has been achieved through pioneering design of Type IV Composite Cylinders in buses, replacing traditional very heavy Type-I Carbon Steel cylinders. According to Pradhan, these CNG buses are being run on a pilot test, but soon they will be scaled on commercial basis. “Delhi has witnessed revolution in shift towards cleaner, gas based fuels. Over 500 CNG stations are operating in Delhi NCR today and about 1.2 million piped natural gas connections have been provided. Long haul CNG buses originating from Delhi to other locations will further drive this shift

Covestro has announced that it is particularly focused on premium packaging materials for high value medical devices that meet increased requirements for mechanical protection, sterilization and dimensional stability. Breast implants are sensitive products that should arrive undamaged at the treating doctor or hospital after manufacture, sterilization and transport. Covestro's Makrofol® MA507 polycarbonate film is well suitable for their packaging because it is highly transparent and allows the physician to reliably visually inspect the implant before unpacking it. It also provides stable protection for the valuable medical device. The comparable product Makrofol® MA336 offers the same advantages, but also features a laminating film on it. Both films are characterized by high tear and impact resistance. They can be easily thermoformed and are fully compatible with the demanding autoclave sterilization process, where they need to withstand temperatures of up to 163 degrees

SGL Carbon  and the Hyundai Motor Group have announced an agreement on an early extension to the existing supply agreement for fuel cell components. The long-term agreement provides now for a substantial ramp-up of current production and delivery volumes of gas diffusion layers for the NEXO fuel cell car to support Hyundai’s objectives in the area of fuel cell drives. The investment required to fulfill this contract will not increase the overall capital expenditure budget of SGL Carbon in the next two years, as the company has reprioritized its investment projects. Greenest Energy Technology “ The extension of the partnership with Hyundai is perfectly aligned to our strategic direction. Intelligent solutions in the area of sustainable energy are one of the key growth drivers for our company ,” explains Dr. Michael Majerus, Spokesman of the Board of Management of SGL Carbon. “ Whether used in a drive system in vehicles or as a stationary power supply, the fuel cell is one of t

A research team, jointly led by Professor Ji Wook Jang, Professor Yong Hwan Kim, and Professor Sang Hoon Joo in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST has unveiled a novel biomass conversion technology that can turn forestry biomass residues (i.e., sawdust from timber logging) into higher value fuels and chemicals.  Researchers Introduce Fusion Catalytic System In the study, the joint research team has introduced a fusion catalytic system that can selectively convert lignin, which forms the chief constituent of wood wastes, into higher value chemicals via solar energy. Lignin, after Cellulose, is the second most abundant renewable biopolymer found in nature and is usually discarded as waste in the pulp and paper industry in very large amounts. Unlike Cellulose, the structure of lignin is extremely complex and lacks steric regularity. Such traits make lignin hard to break down and even harder to convert into something valuable.  Biocatalysts, such as enzymes, a

A team of  Covestro   and RWTH Aachen has developed a new method for the use of carbon dioxide as a raw material, which ranks among the year’s best innovations in Germany. The new technologies make CO 2  usable in plastics production and thereby reduces fossil resources like petroleum. They made it to the final round of the renowned German President's Award for Innovation in Science and Technology, which was presented in Berlin by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.  Using CO 2  for Resource Conservation and Circular Economy According to team spokesperson Gürtler, using CO 2  contributes to resource conservation by partially replacing the conventional raw material oil as the sole source of carbon. At the same time, it also makes it possible to produce more recyclable plastics whose components could be recycled more easily. In addition, the circular economy will benefit from the reuse of carbon dioxide.  “ We also see considerable potential for value creation by usin