Danimer Receives Grant to Use HOSO for PHA Production

 Danimer Scientific announces it has received a USD 400,000 grant from the United Soybean Board to expand the Company’s evaluation of high-oleic soybean oil (HOSO) as a feedstock in the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a sustainable biopolymer that serves as a biodegradable alternative to traditional plastic.

Developing Practical Model for HOSO

The grant marks the continuation of Danimer’s collaboration with the United Soybean Board after the successful completion of a one-year project to develop a practical model for using HOSO as a feedstock in manufacturing Nodax®, Danimer’s signature PHA, which is used to create a wide variety of products, including straws, bottles, and flexible film packaging. The second year of the project will focus on scaling up the use of HOSO on a commercial level.

“HOSO is readily available material in the United States, likely making it a viable and cost-effective feedstock in the production of Nodax®,” said Phil Van Trump, chief science and technology officer of Danimer. “We are pleased with the results of our first year collaborating with the United Soybean Board, and we thank them for their continued partnership in finding sustainable ways to meet the rising demand for biodegradable products.”

Viable Feedstock for Various Applications

High-oleic soybeans are grown exclusively in the U.S., and the oil produced from the crop provides increased functionality and improved shelf life for applications across the food and manufacturing industries.

“The first year of our research has produced excellent results that show HOSO is a viable feedstock in the manufacture of Nodax®,” said Carol Leggett, PhD, Director of Microbiology at Danimer. “As we continue to expand the commercial production of Nodax®, HOSO is expected to serve as a valuable tool to strengthen our supply chain and bottom line. The progress we’ve made to this point would not have been possible without the collaboration of Omni Tech International, SmithBucklin, and the United Soybean Board and their farmer members.”

“Our 78 volunteer farmer-directors work on behalf of all soybean farmers to achieve maximum value for their investments and increase preference for U.S. soy, so we are excited to continue working with Danimer to drive soybean innovation,” said United Soybean Board farmer-director Ed Lammers.

Source: Danimer Scientific

Hexagon Purus to showcase world-class hydrogen cylinder and systems technologies at CIIE

Join us at the German Pavilion for the fourth annual China International Import Exposition (CIIE) in Shanghai from November 5-10, 2021.

Hexagon Purus will showcase its world-class cylinder and systems technologies for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) at CIIE 2021. CIIE is a premier exhibition that brings nationwide market and government attention to international products and services.

The Chinese government has developed a comprehensive plan to industrialize all key technologies to produce Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) for the mass market in the country. Their objective is to have 50,000 FCEVs on road by 2025, and 1 million after 2030. Most of these are expected to be light utility trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles. But major Chinese OEMs are also targeting now the FC passenger car market in the second part of this decade.

Over the last 15 years, in Europe and the Americas, Type 4 cylinder technology has taken the strong lead over Type 3 as the pressure vessel of choice for competitive and safe lightweight containment for energy gases (CNG/RNG and CHG) on vehicles and gas distribution trailers. The lower weight, longer cycle life, and lower cost associated with Type 4 cylinders is considered to be the game-changer for mass adoption of FCEVs.

Hexagon Purus is a separately listed subsidiary of the Hexagon Group. The Group has a production heritage of more than four decades, making safe and cost-efficient Type 4 cylinders as well as complete vehicle fuel systems and distribution solutions for energy gases in Europe, North America, and now also in China.

On March 2, 2021, Hexagon Purus, signed two joint venture (JV) agreements with CIMC Enric, a leading Chinese manufacturer of energy equipment (3899.HK) that encompass cylinder and systems production for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) and hydrogen distribution in China and Southeast Asia.

The cooperation with CIMC Enric is a highly compelling partnership: Hexagon Purus’ world-class Type IV hydrogen cylinder and systems technologies and designs have nearly four decades of proven safety track record behind them – and CIMC Enric has extensive expertise in Type 1/2/3-cylinder technology and liquid gas storage development and long-standing relationships with large Chinese vehicle manufacturers (OEMs) and gas distribution companies.

“Our goal is to drive energy transformation through zero-emission mobility solutions. We look forward to leveraging our extensive experience in lightweight, reliable and safe hydrogen storage and together with CIMC Enric, pave the way to 30·60 dual carbon goals in China and zero-emission commercial transport in Southeast Asia” says Urs Laeuppi, CEO Hexagon Purus China.

Source:HEXAGON PURUS

ECHA Releases New Guide on Classifying & Labeling Titanium Dioxide

 ECHA has issued a guide to help companies and national authorities understand how mixtures containing titanium dioxide (TiO2) need to be classified and labelled following its classification as carcinogenic if inhaled.

Classification Effective from 1st Oct:

The classification and labelling requirements for titanium dioxide (TiO2) changed in February 2020. As of 1 October 2021, following Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2017, new classification and labelling requirements enter into force.

The substance TiO2 must be classified as carcinogen if inhaled (Carc. 2, H351) when supplied on its own or in mixtures, where the substance or mixture contains 1% or more of TiO2 particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm. In addition, mixtures containing TiO2must be labelled with the supplemental label element ‘Hazardous respirable dust may be formed when used. Do not breathe dust’ (EUH212).

Non-classified solid mixtures must also be labelled with the EUH212 supplemental labelling element if they contain at least 1% of TiO2, regardless of their form, or particle size.

Liquid mixtures containing TiO2 do not require Carc. 2 classification. However, if they contain at least 1% of TiO2 particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm, then they need to be labelled with the supplemental label element ‘Hazardous respirable droplets may be formed when sprayed. Do not breathe spray or mist’ (EUH211).

This guide was developed in cooperation with the German competent authority (BAuA), the European Commission and the network of national helpdesks (HelpNet), prompted by the high number of helpdesk questions coming from both industry and authorities.

Check out the complete guide at the below link.

https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/17240/guide_cnl_titanium_dioxide_en.pdf/d00695e4-e341-0a33-b0ac-bee35cb13867?t=1630666801979?rel=nofollow

Source: ECHA

📢Saturday Spotlight!📢 Wind turbine blade was repurposed as a modern bike shed!

 As the wind industry continues to grow to provide renewable energy across the globe, it commits to promoting a circular economy that reduces environmental impacts throughout product lifecycles. Most components of a wind turbine, like the foundation, tower and components in the nacelle have established recycling practices. However, wind turbine blades are more challenging to recycle due to the composite materials used in their production. While various technologies exist to recycle blades, and an increasing number of companies offer composite recycling services, these solutions are not yet widely available and cost-competitive.

The European Waste Framework Directive defines basic concepts related to waste management. It emphasizes the need for increased recycling and highlights the reduced availability of landfills. It also establishes the waste hierarchy: Prevention > Reuse > Repurpose > Recycling > Recovery > Disposal.

Repurposing means re-using an existing part for a different application, usually of lower value than the original. In Aalborg, Denmark, a wind turbine blade was repurposed as a modern bike shed! Amazing, don't you think? 😍

Do you know have any idea for repurposing wind turbine blades in your mind? Let us know in the comments down below! 👀

Source: Research "Accelerating Wind Turbine Blade Circularity", published by Wind Europe.

Source: managingcomposites

The UK approves Europe’s first field trials of Crispr-edited wheat

HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND —Rothamsted Research, a pioneer of GM crop trials since the 1990s, has been granted permission by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to run a series of field trials in the United Kingdom of wheat that has been genome-edited.

The Hertfordshire, England-based experiments will be the first field trials of CRISPR-edited wheat anywhere in the United Kingdom or Europe.

The wheat has been edited to reduce levels of the naturally occurring amino acid, asparagine, which is converted to the carcinogenic processing contaminant, acrylamide, when bread is baked or toasted.

The aim of the project is to produce ultra-low asparagine, non-GM wheat, said Professor Nigel Halford, leader of the project.

“Acrylamide has been a very serious problem for food manufacturers since being discovered in food in 2002,” he said. “It causes cancer in rodents and is considered ‘probably carcinogenic’ for humans. It occurs in bread and increases substantially when the bread is toasted but is also present in other wheat products and many crop-derived foods that are fried, baked, roasted or toasted, including crisps and other snacks, chips, roast potatoes and coffee.

“We believe that asparagine levels can be reduced substantially in wheat without compromising grain quality. This would benefit consumers by reducing their exposure to acrylamide from their diet, and food businesses by enabling them to comply with regulations on the presence of acrylamide in their products.

“That is a long-term goal, however, and this project aims to assess the performance of the wheat plants in the field and measure the concentration of asparagine in the grain produced under field conditions.”

During development in the lab, researchers “knocked out” the asparagine synthetase gene, TaASN2.

Asparagine concentrations in the grain of the edited plants were substantially reduced compared with un-edited plants, with one line showing a more than 90 % reduction, said project scientist Sarah Raffan.

“This new trial will now measure the amount of asparagine in the grain of the same wheat when grown in the field, and assess other aspects of the wheat’s performance, such as yield and protein content.

The plan is for a project of up to five years, ending in 2026, with plants being sown in September/October each year and harvested the following September. Funding is in place for the first year, and additional support is being sought for the subsequent years.

The edited plants will be grown alongside wheat in which asparagine synthesis has been affected using the “old-fashioned” method of chemically-induced mutation.

Rothamsted Research noted that this technique has been widely used in plant breeding since the mid-20th century but is not targetable in the way that CRISPR is and results in random mutations throughout the genome.

In contrast, CRISPR makes small changes to a target gene, in this case to knock that gene out so that a functional protein is no longer made from it. The process initially involves genetic modification to introduce genes required for the CRISPR process into the plant.

Once the edit has been made the GM part can be removed from the plants by conventional plant breeding methods over a few generations. The greater numbers of plants that can be grown in the field will speed up that process, Halford said.

“The larger number of plants we can have in the field trial compared with a glasshouse will make it easier to identify plants that are no longer GM,” Halford said. “This means that the first year of the trial will have plants that are both GE and GM but by the third year of the trial we expect them to be GE only.”

Despite the differences between genome editing with CRISPR and GM, genome edited plants are currently treated in the same way as GM under EU regulations, essentially blocking the use of a technology that is gaining official approval in many other parts of the world.

Rothemstad Research said the hope is that the current UK government consultation on this issue will lead to new legislation in the UK, allowing genome-edited food products, carefully regulated, to be available to consumers.

 “Current regulations on acrylamide include ‘benchmark levels’ for its concentration in different food types and require food businesses to monitor their products for its presence,” Halford said. “It looks likely that these regulations will be strengthened, with the EU moving toward the introduction of maximum levels above which it would be illegal to sell a food product. Other regulatory authorities are likely to follow suit.”

Source: world-grain.com

CHIMPANZEE 'S FINGER

A chimpanzee s finger and a human finger. Identical in practically every aspect. We don't come from primates, we are primates. We are not a race, we are a species. We are animals, we are mammals. We are the product of nature. We belong to it and we are part of it.

( source: ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS )

Ferrari SF90 accident

 📢It's ''When Shit Hits the Fan..." Friday❗📢

The first Ferrari SF90 Stradale Assetto Fiorano was crashed in Italy! 😳

The Ferrari SF90 is the most expensive and powerful model of the brand... This crash must not have come cheap!

Youtuber Varryx posted pictures of this Ferrari on his Instagram profile. The crash occurred in Ventimiglia, Italy. It is not known how the accident happened, but everything indicates that the driver hit the concrete barrier with the side of the car.

So sad to see such a beautiful car being completely wrecked!

Source: managingcomposites

New Greener Method to Produce Nylon 6-6 Without Zinc

Researchers have developed “greener” methods to produce nylon 6-6. They have used alternative metals in place of zinc as a catalyst. They might even be able to substitute waste iron in the form of rust, or ferric oxide, for the endangered element.

The researchers presented their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

“According to estimates from the ACS Green Chemistry Institute, zinc is only 50 to 100 years away from being extinct. And currently, manufacturers use zinc as the reducing agent and catalyst for making cyclohexene from trans-1,2-dibromocyclohexane, which is the first step in the five-step synthesis of nylon 6-6,” says Amina Aly, an undergraduate student who is presenting the work at the meeting.

“Nylon” is a general term for a family of synthetic polymers, called polyamides, that are made of repeating units. Different types of nylons, such as nylon 6 and nylon 6-6, use different building blocks and therefore have unique properties. Nylon 6-6 is so named because it’s composed of two molecules, each having six carbon atoms, that are linked together as the repeating unit.

Greener Method to Save Energy and Water

To find a substitute for zinc, Aly, who is in the lab of Brian Agee, Ph.D., at Augusta University, looked to other metals that were nearby in the periodic table and had similar chemical properties. Other criteria were that the metals needed to be more abundant than zinc and safe to work with. The team chose to study cobalt, aluminum, iron, copper and nickel as possible catalysts in the production of cyclohexene.

In addition, the researchers wanted to identify greener methods that save energy and water, while using less harsh chemicals. So, they incorporated a solar reflective dish instead of an electric hot plate and a water-saving condenser in place of a regular condenser. Also, the team swapped propylene glycol for the more hazardous ethylene glycol as the heat-transfer agent in the water-saving condenser, which cools the reaction without needing a continuous flow of cold water like regular condensers.

Aly found that iron was the best catalyst tested so far, with only slightly lower yields than zinc. “We also found that solar energy really is the way to go when it comes to this synthesis because the sun is a lot stronger than any hot plate you’re going to find, and a lot faster,” she says.

Conducting the synthesis outside with a solar reflector required only 30 minutes, compared with 3­­-4 hours in the lab using a hot plate. The researchers also found that increasing the time of reflux –– heating the reaction for a specific amount of time and using a condenser to continuously cool the produced vapors to convert them back into liquid form –– from 15 minutes to 30 minutes substantially increased the yield.“Since we’re using the radiant energy of the sun, we’re not wasting electricity with extra heating,” Agee notes. The researchers say their methods could be easily scaled up for industrial nylon 6-6 manufacturing.

Although iron is an abundant metal, Aly and Agee want to try catalyzing the reaction with an even more environmentally friendly iron waste product that can be found anywhere metal is left outside to get wet: ferric oxide, or rust. “If ferric oxide purchased from a chemical company works for the reaction, I’m seriously considering going to my parents’ place and scraping a little rust off their barn to try,” Agee says. “Because as a green chemist, what better source for a catalyst than something you can get anywhere?”

The researchers acknowledge support and funding from Augusta University.

Source: ACS