Posts

Roquette Launches Sorbitol-based Clarifier DISORBENE® 3 for Polymer Industry

Roquette has a wide experience in producing sorbitol-based clarifiers using an efficient and environmentally sustainable production process. By offering DISORBENE® 3, Roquette opens a new reputable source for bis-DMBS, a state-of-the-art clarifier developed and sold by  Milliken under the registered trade name  Millad ® 3988, and provides additional capacity for this widely used clarifier to meet the growing needs of the polymer industry. "Roquette has proven to be a very good partner to the polymer industry for the first and second generation sorbitol-based clarifiers in the past" points out Industry expert Dr. Felix Meyer, "and DISORBENE® 3 has the same quality standards and the advantageous granulometry of the Industry reference". " Polypropylene  producers in Europe are welcoming Roquette decision to re-enter the clarifier business as they were depending on one non-European supplier in the past" commented Mr. Thierry Laurent, head of Roquette Pla

Ticona at SAMPE: Highlighted Thermoplastic Solutions for Continuous-fiber Composites

Ticona, the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corporation, showcased its thermoplastics for composites at SAMPE 2013 [May 7 to 9], at the Long Beach Convention Center in California. The Ticona exhibit highlighted thermoplastic solutions for continuous-fiber composites used in light and tough components that can reduce weight, drive down costs and perform in extreme environments. The Ticona team also discussed the advantages of its thermoplastics and composites product line that includes: – Fortron®  polyphenylene sulfide  ( PPS ) delivers proven production performance in critical aerospace structures, including the JEC 2013 Innovation Award-winning lightweight horizontal tailplane on the AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter. Superior FST (flame, smoke, toxicity) performance — exceeds aircraft interior requirements High-temperature performance to 240 degrees Celsius (as demonstrated under-the-hood) Superior dimensional stability (low shrink, CTE and creep) Broad chemical r

Arkema launches the Rilsan T, a new range of biosourced polyamides

Rilsan T represents an alternative to other long chain polyamides. Arkema offers expertise spanning over 60 years in the chemistry of castor oil, the raw material for its Rilsan polyamide 11. This position was bolstered in 2012 by the acquisition of Chinese companies Casda, the world leader in sebacic acid derived from castor oil, and Hipro Polymers, which produces polyamides also from castor oil (Hiprolon PA6.10, PA6.12, PA10.10, PA10.12), as well as the recent purchase of a stake in Ihsedu Agrochem, a subsidiary of Jayant Agro in India which specializes in the production of castor oil. Building on its unique integration and an already unsurpassed offering in high performance polyamides, Arkema has now enhanced its product range with Rilsan PA.10.10 T processed from castor oil. Arkema’s PA10.10 is ranked between PA6.10, PA6.12 on the one hand, and PA10.12, PA12, PA11 on the other, all of which are already part of Arkema’s product range. Over and above the well-known properties of l

UA-led Research Team Transforms Waste Sulfur into Plastic to Enrich Batteries for Electric Cars

A new chemical process can transform waste sulfur into a lightweight plastic that may improve batteries for electric cars, reports a University of Arizona-led team. The new plastic has other potential uses, including optical uses. The team has successfully used the new plastic to make lithium-sulfur batteries. "We've developed a new, simple and useful chemical process to convert sulfur into a useful plastic," lead researcher Jeffrey Pyun said. Next-generation lithium-sulfur, or Li-S, batteries will be better for electric and hybrid cars and for military uses because they are more efficient, lighter and cheaper than those currently used, said Pyun, a UA associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry. The new plastic has great promise as something that can be produced easily and inexpensively on an industrial scale, he said. The team's discovery could provide a new use for the sulfur left over when oil and natural gas are refined into cleaner-burning f

Cobalt Publicizes Successful Completion of Biomass-derived n-Butanol at US-based CMO Facility

Cobalt Technologies ("Cobalt"), one of the leading developers of next generation bio-based chemicals, announced the successful completion of a production campaign of n-butanol at a fermentation scale greater than 100,000 liters. The performance demonstrates scalability by replicating the performance previously obtained at both the 10 liter bench scale and the 4,000 liter pilot scale. This scale validation is a crucial stepping stone to finalizing any commercial project, since scale up to a commercial fermentor is under 10x, well within industry norms. With the results achieved during the latest production run, Cobalt demonstrated a clear economic advantage over petroleum-based butanol under current market conditions. Ongoing process improvements at commercial scale are expected to yield at least a 40% cost advantage. "This most recent production run demonstrates commercial-scale metrics for Cobalt's biobutanol fermentation technology," said Bob Mayer, CEO, Co

EU COMM Launches Bio Base NWE Project to Drive Growth of Bio-based Products in Plastic Industry

The European Commission has launched a new three-year project "Bio Base NWE" to support the development of the bio-based economy in North West Europe (NWE). The €6.2 million (£5.35 million) project will work mainly with small and medium businesses (SME's) to help facilitate innovation and business development in bio-based technologies. Bio Base NWE will also provide training and education to help tackle the shortage of skilled professionals in North West Europe's bio-based industries. The Bio Base NWE partnership includes organizations from five different countries. Dr. Lieve Hoflack, Manager of the Bio Base NWE project, said: "SME's have a vital role to play in Europe's journey towards the bio-based economy, which could be worth more than €2 trillion to the European economy by 2020." "Bio-based products are a growing area of interest for SME's working in chemical industry, agro-industry, plastics, fuels, food, textile and pharma in

DSM at JEC: Unveiled Styrene- & Cobalt-free 40% Bio-based Beyone™ 1 Resin for Buildings & more

DSM announced the introduction of Beyone™ 1, a new high performance resin system at JEC 2013 [Mar 12-14]. This revolutionary resin forms an integral part of DSM's continuous effort of delivering products that combine excellent mechanical strength and fatigue resistance, ease of processing, and reduced impact on the environment. The Beyone™ 1 resin is a BluCure™ Product, is styrene- as well as cobalt-free, and approximately 40 % of its raw materials are based on renewable resources. This resin is targeted at applications in building, infrastructure, marine and wind energy. Composite components need to provide structural integrity, while being exposed to high dynamic loads and fatigue. DSM has a mission to deliver cutting edge solutions to satisfy designers and OEMs needs for superior strength materials that will ensure continuous functioning of their products. DSM has been at the forefront of introducing new products and technologies that can meet the most stringent perform