polymerguru

On the occasion of the latest ProSweets trade fair in Germany, the Slovakian company Moneta has introduced two new thermoplastic wrap for confectionary that is said to be an interesting alternative to aluminum. These new sweet wraps that have been developed as part of a 18-month industrial project are made from high density polypropylene (HDPP) and comply with the EEC directives regarding direct contact with food. They provide high stiffness and low weight. They can be metalized, transparent or produced with a white pigment. The Yango™ HDPP-O is lighter at 15 microns and can be used with chewy and hard sweets, while the Yango™ HDPP-T is thicker at 17 microns and is applicable to larger size chocolates. According to Moneta, its new packaging are cost effective because they can be heat sealed at 50°C due to their inherent polymer structure and also run at a speed of up to 2000 ppm on standard packaging machines. Furthermore, they allow a shelf life of at least six months for chewy sweet...

Alaglas Swimming Pools, an American residential and commercial swimming pools specialist, has announced that it has chosen a “green” thermoset material to produce the structural segments of its composite-based pools. In fact this “green” material is a poly(ethylene terephthalate) modified polyester laminating resin stemming partially (i.e. 28%) from biologically renewable resources and/or recycled materials i.e. the EcoTeck™ H460-EKAD-50 from the American material producer AOC. The new Alaglas composite pools are made using the same manufacturing process and equipment than previous pools made from conventional petrochemical-based polyester. The pool construction begins with a sprayed-on, moisture-resistant gel coat that is backed up with a layer of chopped glass fibres in a Hydropel H010 vinyl ester. Then EcoTek™ H460-EKAG grade is used to wet out the reinforcing glass fiber in three manufacturing steps that create an engineered structural laminate : a spray up of chopped glass fibres ...

http://www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/symposiums/2010/S263.pdf

Non-biodegradable plastics and polymers have become the material of choice in the modern world, and there is evidence of vigorous R&D activities to discover, develop, and commercially produce degradable biopolymers to replace them. But the reality is that biopolymers are still in the early stages of development and considering them as an alternative for the current commercial products is too improbable. Because biopolymers originate from plants, they can be utilized in sectors where they come in contact with the human body, such as personal hygiene/grooming, cosmetics, medical implant/devices, textile, and food markets. The use of plastics in our everyday life is nearly boundless. Due to its low cost of production and versatility, no alternate emerging product is likely to replace the nearly ubiquitous presence of plastics. The current global production level is about 250 million tons and its growth will continue to be robust globally. Plastics are preferred as they are light, ...

The Austrian company Hirtenberger Prosafe Safety Technology GmbH uses the Bayer MaterialScience AG multi-wall carbon nanotubes i.e. Baytubes™ for an innovative safety technology that significantly reduces the risk of explosions in fuel tanks. In fact this Austrian company has developed innovative hollow spheres which have been designed to prevent the formation of explosive gas mixtures in fuel tanks. These carbon nanotube filled-spheres that will be soon introduced on the global market under the trade name Safeball™ are treated with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agents. They are an interesting alternative to extruded metal mesh or plastic foam usually used for this purpose. They have to be introduced into fuel tank in order to completely fill it, the available tank volume being only reduced by 8.5% due to their special shape that allows fuel to flow freely while preventing any dangerous surging, which occurs when large volumes of liquid are displaced.

Gosau is Environmental and Energy Programs Manager for research company, Adherent Technologies Inc (ATI) based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. The company has worked on recycling processes since 1995, with $3 million (€2 million) in funding along the way from the US Departments of Defense and Energy and an alliance with Titan Technologies . Titan is an Albuquerque developer of a pyrolysis process for recycling automobile tyres. “In the mid-1990s,” Gosau indicates, “we ran the gauntlet with pyrolysis, trying to hit just the right temperature/oxygen content sweet spot, and decided it was not optimal for CFRP recycling as our primary process.” ATI has evolved a catalytic conversion technology centred around its batch-based carbon fibre recyclate processing, combining three different processes studied over the past decade, each with specific advantages and limitations. Vacuum pyrolysis, a dry process operated at around 500°C (932°F), recovers resins as marketable liquids and can be ea...