polymerguru

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 Catastrophic events rarely spring from one simple mistake. Serious, even deadly situations triggered by a single factor are accurately classed as accidents. True disasters usually require multiple failures of the safeguards designed to catch missteps and unsafe conditions. In the late1980’s, a large fraction of the UK’s North Sea gas and oil production was processed through the Piper Alpha platform. This massive facility was anchored amidst deep-water oil fields, consolidating the output of surrounding wells and pumping the product ashore. Although originally built for crude oil, the facility was upgraded to also accommodate natural gas. On July 6, 1988, one of platform’s two gas condensate pumps was undergoing a routine overhaul. Shortly into the night shift, the primary pump failed and could not restart. Not wanting to vent and flare t...

Evonik has partnered with #ToyotsuChemiplas Corporation and #SanyoChemical Industries, Ltd. to develop a recycling model for #polyurethanefoam in Japan for Japan. The partners aim to convert discarded foam into #recycledpolyols and amines for use in new polyurethane products. The initiative forms part of Evonik’s wider efforts to scale #polyurethanerecycling through collaboration across the value chain. Polyurethane foam is widely used in everyday products, including #automotiveseats , #mattresses , and #furniture . However, used foam is frequently incinerated or sent to landfill, while conventional mechanical recycling generally restricts its use to lower-value applications. Chemical recycling offers the potential to recover important raw materials, such as #polyols and #amines , and thereby help close the loop in flexible polyurethane foam production. Within the partnership, Toyotsu Chemiplas will coordinate the initiative and contribute its collection network and logistics exp...

Vienna-based polyolefins producer Borouge International says it will make investments to expand its European mechanical plastic recycling capacity at sites in Niedergebra, Germany, and Wildon, Austria. Borouge says the expansion strengthens its ability to meet growing customer demand for mechanically recycled polyolefins produced in Europe. “It also supports customers in securing more reliable access to circular materials driven by brand preference, evolving regulatory requirements such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation ( #PPWR ), and supply resilience needs,” states the firm. At the Borouge site in Niedergebra, formerly known as MTM plastics, annual output of recycled mixed polyolefin (rPO) materials will increase by close to 9,000 metric tons. The German facility converts postconsumer mixed polyolefin scrap into recycled materials for a what Borouge calls a broad range of rigid applications. The additional capacity is expected to become operational in the first quarter ...

​​Covestro NV today announced its intention to reorganize polycarbonate production at its Antwerp site to strengthen the site’s long-term competitiveness. The company intends to consolidate polycarbonate production from four lines to one and discontinue local production of the polycarbonate precursor Bisphenol-A (BPA). The intended reorganization reflects the need to adapt to fundamentally changed market realities in Europe and is part of the ongoing transformation of Covestro to strengthen its global competitiveness and profitability. ​“Europe’s chemical industry is at a crossroads. The structural challenges are severe, and market realities have changed fundamentally. We need to adapt our portfolio to where we can compete successfully in the long term to ensure a future for our production in Europe," says Markus Steilemann, CEO of Covestro. “This is not an easy step for anyone involved, and we are fully aware of what it would mean for our colleagues in Antwerp should this intenti...

LyondellBasell and #exoIQ are collaborating on advanced material solutions for exoIQ’s B900 active back #exoskeleton , a wearable system that supports users during physically demanding activities. Drawing on capabilities from its Advanced Polymer Solutions and Olefins and Polyolefins businesses, #LYB provides an integrated portfolio of materials for the application. #Glassfiberreinforcedpolyamide delivers mechanical strength and dimensional stability, polypropylene supports impact resistance, processability and lightweight design and masterbatch solutions provide consistent color and appearance. “This collaboration demonstrates the value of bringing together materials and expertise from across LYB,” said Frank Noeltgen, vice president of Advanced Polymer Solutions Europe at LYB. “By working closely with exoIQ, we deliver an integrated solution that meets the application’s structural, performance and design requirements. The collaboration reinforces our role as a trusted innovator an...

Sakuu® a leading provider of commercial-scale equipment and technologies to the battery and supercapacitor manufacturing industries, has printed a 100% dry anode and dry cathode metal-free battery cell using carbon composite and polymeric current collector (PCC) technology on its Kavian® manufacturing platform. A breakthrough in materials science, this fully functional metal-free cell possesses all the safety benefits of PCC architecture and all the structural integrity of carbon fiber while remaining flexible and extremely lightweight.  “The ability to manufacture safer batteries at scale is essential to meeting surging demand across industries, yet battery manufacturing technology has been stuck in a rut for 30 years,” said Arwed Niestroj, president and chief operating officer of Sakuu. “Our dry-printed carbon fiber PCC test cell demonstrates how to produce innovative batteries that can safely power — and also conform to and strengthen — new structural designs in data centers, ae...