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Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Risk Evaluation for Tris(2-chloroethyl) Phosphate (TCEP) Risk Evaluation Findings: EPA reviewed the exposures and hazards of TCEP uses and made risk findings on this chemical substance. EPA considered relevant risk-related factors, including, but not limited to: the hazards and exposure, magnitude of risk, exposed population, severity of the hazard, and uncertainties, as part of its unreasonable risk determination. EPA has determined that TCEP poses an unreasonable risk of injury to human health and the environment. TCEP has the potential to cause kidney cancer, damage the nervous system and kidneys, and harm fertility. EPA assessed TCEP exposure to potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations (PESS), like workers, pregnant women, infants that breastfeed, children, people living in fenceline communities near facilities that emit TCEP, and people and Tribes whose diets include large amounts of fish. EPA identified health risks for PESS, including neurolo

The BIOFAST Project has successfully concluded and achieved its main objective: to reduce the time taken to carry out biodegradation tests on bioplastics in composting environments. This research was coordinated by the Plastics Technology Centre (AIMPLAS) with the participation of the Materials Technology and Sustainability Research Group (MATS) in the Chemical Engineering Department of the ETSE School of Engineering at the Universitat de València, and the company Prime Biopolymers. Greater Efficiency in Compostable Bioplastics Development: The BIOFAST Project received funding from the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i) through the Strategic Projects in Cooperation Program and ERDF. It not only demonstrated an effective reduction in the time taken to perform biodegradation tests applied to bioplastics, but also generated significant economic and environmental impact. Speeding up biodegradation studies allows for greater efficiency in the developmen

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share BASF and Bemis win SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Expo for the largest known injection molded polyamide hydraulic tank on compact excavators BASF and Bemis Manufacturing Company received honorable mention at the Altair Enlighten Awards in the enabling technology category for their collaboration on large hydraulic tanks for compact excavators. By leveraging a combination of injection molding and vibration welding techniques, the team was able to lower costs by approximately 20% and reduce mass by approximately 5% compared to the traditional roto-molding process while providing a more eco-efficient solution delivering both environmental savings (reductions in life cycle CO2 emissions) and reducing life cycle cost. “We needed a way to produce large, complex parts with shorter cycle times, while reducing secondary processing waste,” said Jeff Lallensack, Senior Project Engineer, Bemis Manufacturing. “The BASF team understands our business and their e

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share EPS vs XPS insulation Performance Attributes: 1. Long-term Thermal Performance Over time, the insulation performance of both materials can degrade due to various factors. However, XPS tends to maintain its thermal resistance better than EPS. This is partly due to its superior resistance to moisture absorption, which can significantly impact insulation effectiveness. 2. Freeze-Thaw Resistance In applications where freeze-thaw cycles are a concern, XPS demonstrates superior performance. Its closed-cell structure and low water absorption rate make it highly resistant to damage from repeated freezing and thawing, maintaining its insulative properties and structural integrity over time. 3. Fire Performance Both EPS and XPS are combustible materials and require proper fire protection measures in building applications. However, both can be treated with flame retardants to improve their fire performance. It’s worth noting that the specific fire ratings can vary depe

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Extruded Polystyrene XPS Vs EPS Expanded Polystyrene Physical Properties: 1. Thermal Conductivity Both materials offer excellent thermal insulation properties, but XPS generally outperforms EPS in this regard. XPS typically has a lower thermal conductivity (λ-value) of 0.029-0.036 W/mK, compared to EPS’s range of 0.032-0.040 W/mK. This means that, for the same thickness, XPS provides slightly better insulation. 2. R-Value Comparison When it comes to thermal performance, both EPS and XPS offer impressive insulation values, but their R-values differ significantly. The R-value measures a material’s resistance to heat flow; the higher the R-value, the better the insulation. EPS typically has an R-value ranging from 3.6 to 4.2 per inch, depending on the density and specific formulation. This makes it an effective choice for various insulation applications, especially where cost is a concern. XPS, however, boasts a higher R-value, generally around 5.0 per inch. Th

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share U.S. GRANTS GEVO A PATENT FOR BREAKTHROUGH ETHANOL-TO-OLEFIN PROCESS Gevo, Inc. is proud to announce the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted to Gevo, a patent for its ethanol to olefins (“ETO”) process. This patent further cements Gevo’s position as a leader in intellectual property (“IP”) surrounding bio-based renewable fuel and chemical production from alcohols. + Gevo has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 12,043,587 B2 covering the ETO process. This patent protects the process of using certain proprietary catalyst combinations for converting ethanol into olefins. This process is designed to give best-in-class cost and yields of olefins from ethanol, with improved energy efficiency, which is intended to help to reduce the cost of biofuels and biochemicals. Olefins with three or four carbon atoms are key building blocks to produce fuels or chemicals. Existing technology makes ethylene, a 2-carbon olefin, from ethanol, and then additional steps are neede

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Enhance your understanding of polymer behavior and their impact on end-use performance with this comparison of two polymers exhibiting distinct rheological characteristics. Due to differences in molecular structure, these polymers diverge in their non-Newtonian behaviors, particularly in terms of viscosity. The polymer associated with the red curve shows a significantly wider molecular weight distribution, leading to the absence of a Newtonian plateau in typical measurement windows. This plateau is shifted out of view and could be observed at very low shear rates. Interestingly, these polymers have identical viscosities at molding rates but display drastically different Melt Index values, which is a low shear-rate single-point viscosity measure. In injection molding, the weld-line strength is critical. The polymer represented by the red curve exhibits longer re-entanglement times, resulting in inherently weaker weld-lines. In contrast, the blue curve's N

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Improved process should accelerate tire recycling Evonik wants to help make rubber materials from scrap tires easier to re-use in the manufacture of new automobile tires. So far, the suitability of recycled rubber has been very limited because its chemical structure hampers interaction with new tire materials. A team of researchers at Evonik has now made a key step forward with a process that could make it possible to use up to four times as much recycled rubber in new tires as in the past. “That brings us much closer to the key targets of sustainability and resource efficiency in this sector,” says Christian Mani, Project Manager Circularity at Evonik. New tire rubber is normally produced by vulcanization of raw rubber, sulfur, and other components. When heat and pressure are applied, the sulfur forms bonds with the long carbon chains in the rubber, resulting in a robust, three-dimensional network. That is also the structure of ground tire rubber from end-o