Lummus and Sumitomo Chemical Announce Commercial Availability of PMMA Chemical Recycling Technology

Lummus Technology and Sumitomo Chemical today announced the commercial availability of their highly-efficient Polymethyl Methacrylate Chemical Recycling (PMMA-CR) technology. This builds on the strategic partnership between Lummus and Sumitomo Chemical, first announced in May 2024, to co-develop and commercialize technologies that support circularity and carbon-neutral society across the petrochemical value chain.

“By uniting Lummus’ process expertise with Sumitomo Chemical’s materials innovation, we’re delivering a scalable, economically viable PMMA recycling solution,” said Leon de Bruyn, president and chief executive officer, Lummus Technology. “This gives our customers a clear pathway to reduce waste, lower emissions and unlock new value from recycled materials—turning sustainability into a competitive advantage.

We are proud to deliver this innovative PMMA-CR technology to market together with our trusted partner, Lummus Technology.

Since establishing the partnership in 2024, Lummus and Sumitomo Chemical advanced development and commercialization of the PMMA-CR technology, including successful validation at Sumitomo Chemical’s pilot plant in Japan. The technology recycles end‑of‑life PMMA back into high‑purity methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer. Its depolymerization system, developed by The Japan Steel Works, Ltd. and Sumitomo Chemical, produces recycled MMA that matches the quality of fossil‑derived material. The process is also expected to cut life‑cycle greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 50%*, reducing plastic waste and reliance on fossil‑based feedstocks.

Key Technology Features:

->Highly Efficient PMMA Recycling Process: Converts post-consumer and post-industrial PMMA waste into circular MMA monomer with high yield and high purity.

->Advanced Depolymerization System: Utilizes an efficient system featuring a twin-screw extruder and a heating system for uniform temperature and excellent thermal efficiency with further optimization specifically tailored for PMMA depolymerization.

->Continuous Operation: Self-cleaning extruder system ensures high equipment utilization and simple operability.

->Scalable and Modular: Capacity can be adjusted by duplicating trains; available as modular ISBL packages.

->Circular Integration: Produces recycled MMA monomer equivalent in quality to MMA monomer manufactured from fossil resources, enabling true closed-loop recycling for PMMA applications in automotive, electronics, construction, and more.

With PMMA‑CR technology now available for licensing, Lummus and Sumitomo Chemical are ready to support customers’ transition toward circular PMMA, help improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

* Sumitomo Chemical’s calculated value based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, in comparison with materials derived from fossil resources.

source : Lummus Technology

DUNLOP Signs MoU with Cabot Corporation to Explore Commercial Adoption of Circular Reinforcing Carbon

DUNLOP has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with #Cabot Corporation to evaluate the commercial adoption of circular reinforcing carbons made with Cabot’s patented regenerated carbon technology. This innovative circular reinforcing carbon powered by Cabot’s EVOLVE Sustainable Solutions incorporates reclaimed carbon derived from the pyrolysis of end-of-life tires and is being considered as a sustainable raw material for Sumitomo Rubber’s tire production.

Cabot’s circular reinforcing carbon leveraging regenerated carbon technology is a new material that Sumitomo Rubber has not previously utilized in tire production. Recognized as a key enabler for reducing carbon emissions for both companies, this material will undergo evaluation for use in mass-produced tires by Sumitomo Rubber. Concurrently, Cabot will focus on scaling regenerated carbon technology to meet anticipated market demand.

"As a brand committed to continuous innovation, #DUNLOP will accelerate its efforts toward the commercialization of circular reinforcing carbon through our collaboration with Cabot," said Takuya Horiguchi, general manager, Material Research & Development Headquarters, Material Department IV, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. "By harnessing and integrating the full breadth of technologies and expertise of both companies, DUNLOP will expedite the path toward mass production and actively contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.

As a leading producer of reinforcing carbons, enabling sustainability through innovation and collaboration is core to our work. We are committed to investing in technologies that advance the sustainability and performance of our products and their use.

The adoption of sustainable raw materials is part of Sumitomo Rubber’s effort to realize the circular economy concept for its tire business, known as "TOWANOWA". This concept consists of two interconnected rings: the "Sustainable Ring," which covers five processes across the value chain, and the "Data Ring," which integrates big data collected from each process. By sharing and utilizing data between these rings, Sumitomo Rubber aims to deliver new value. Based on this concept, Sumitomo Rubber has been actively promoting the use of sustainable materials and other initiatives to reduce its environmental impact.

Looking ahead, Sumitomo Rubber will continue working towards the realization of "TOWANOWA" by reducing its environmental impact, enhancing tire performance and safety, and expanding solution services. Through these activities, Sumitomo Rubber aims to deliver new value to its end customers to contribute to a sustainable future.

source : Cabot

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : TGA or DSC

 Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

💡 “Most polymer QC decisions miss the hidden threats until your customers notice.”

Quality Control is not just about running instruments; it’s about capturing the right insight at the right time.

In many polymer production lines, over 90% of QC decisions rely solely on TGA. While powerful, this single tool mindset can miss subtle polymer structural changes, which often only appear as customer complaints.

This is where DSC makes the difference. Thermal transitions and structural drifts may leave mass unchanged. TGA stays silent while DSC detects early warning signals long before failures reach the market.

🔍 Choosing the right tool depends on your Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) attributes:

1️⃣ TGA → Mass defines quality

Example: NBR latex QC: Ensuring 45 ± 2 wt% total solids (polymer + stabilizers vs. water) keeps viscosity and film formation consistent in glove-dipping applications.

2️⃣ DSC → Structure defines performance

Example: Pharmaceutical tablets: Detecting polymorphic transitions that alter dissolution rates, even with identical composition.

🌱 For sustainable QC systems:

Budget for both instruments, but use them strategically, one for routine control, the other for verification.

🚀 For organizations pursuing excellence:

Invest in simultaneous TGA-DSC (STA): one experiment, two perfectly correlated datasets, mass change and thermal behavior captured in real time. Not redundancy, it’s insight density.

Quality failures rarely come from what we measured wrong; they come from what we never measured at all.

🧰 What tools are you using in your QC process, and how have they impacted your results❓

Insight credit: Dr. Leila E. Scientist & Researcher | Chemical Process & Technology

source : Peyman Ezzati

SABIC's polycarbonate resin for automotive lighting applications

 With #automotive #lighting components becoming increasingly complex in their design, higher costs can seem unavoidable.

Take the front light bezel shown here. This part with its intricate design might require significant additional investment to produce. However, this part – in production today –benefits from the enhanced flow of LEXAN™ HF4010SR #polycarbonate resin. The high flow property enables molding on an existing press with a reduced clamping force and injection pressure – making it possible to achieve cost targets.

Additional cost savings can be possible – not only by avoiding complex tooling, but also through faster molding, thin-wall design, and part consolidation.

Resins from our high-flow LEXAN series, because it allows for the use of simpler tooling, can also help avoid the appearance of knit lines and other aesthetic issues in the final part.

source : Sabic Solutions for Automotive

Evonik expands global production of hydroxyl‑terminated polybutadienes

Evonik is reinforcing its growth strategy by further strengthening its global production infrastructure for #hydroxylterminatedpolybutadienes (HTPB). This follows significant investments made over the past two years, including the expansion of HTPB production capacity at its Marl site in 2024 and the establishment of a production facility for POLYVEST® ST-E 60 polybutadienes in Shanghai, China, in 2025.

#Evonik is actively taking the next steps to further expand its HTPB production capacities. Construction is now underway to significantly increase output at its existing German site, scheduled to go on stream in the second quarter of 2027. Concurrently in Germany, Evonik has also initiated the engineering phase for a new production facility in the Asian region.

“The location for this new plant has been selected based on the strategic opportunity to leverage synergies with Evonik´s existing assets”, says Dr. Jürgen Herwig, Head of Evonik’s polybutadienes business.

Dr. Anna Maria Ickert, Head of Evonik Coating & Adhesive Resins, adds: “These investments demonstrate the company’s ongoing commitment to meeting the growing global demand by supporting our customers with enhanced reliability and proximity of supply”.

The expansions underline Evonik’s dedication to driving innovation, strengthening its global footprint, and ensuring a reliable supply of high-performance materials for its customers worldwide.

source : Evonik

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : A BUG IN INJECTION MOLDING

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

A bug in injection molding – an injection-molded part in a bug?

Neither! Nature and injection molding have reached similar results.

Nature created the first micro-gear long before any human engineering existed. One such example is the Issus coleoptratus (shown in the picture).

Furthermore, only now are we reaching the point where injection-molded polymer microgears can approach this level of performance.

Looking at the images, which one do you think is the natural gear, and which one is the molded version?

It is not that easy to tell, right? Their appearance and operating principles are surprisingly similar.

Chitin, a natural linear polymer, forms what nature essentially "molds” into shape.

In engineering, we rely on advanced technical polymers to produce similar geometry through actual injection molding.

They are not the same material, yet they solve the same issue:

Stiffness, dimensional stability, and reliable function at a scale where tolerances dominate everything.

Nature’s micro-gears are „ancient” solutions.

Our micro-gears are modern engineering achievements.

It always amazes me how far ahead of us nature is.

What do you think?

Can biological structures inspire the next generation of micro-manufacturing technologies?

source : Jozsef Gabor KOVACS

Failure isn’t the opposite of success

 Here’s something no one tells you about failure.

If you failed, congratulations.

Seriously.

Most people don’t fail because they never even try.

From experience, failure usually isn’t a sign of incompetence.

It’s a sign of exposure.

It means:

You put work out there.

You took a risk.

You chose action over comfort.

The people who never fail?

They’re usually stuck perfecting drafts, waiting for permission, or staying quiet so they don’t look foolish.

Progress doesn’t come from getting it right the first time.

It comes from being willing to be wrong in public and learning faster because of it.

Failure isn’t the opposite of success.

Avoiding it is.

source : Chase Dimond