New Catalysis Concept to Obtain Polyester from Castor Oil

The development of future technologies that are not based on mineral oil and can be used for producing chemicals and plastics is one of the major tasks in modern materials science and a key challenge that needs to be addressed if sustainable industrial production is to have a future.

Synthetic Polyester from Plant Oil Feedstock

 A range of theoretical concepts and laboratory processes must be devised and tested to resolve challenges and problems arising in connection with the natural materials before potential applications for materials obtained from renewable resources can be probed.
One such concept has just been described by Professor Stefan Mecking in a current study on obtaining polyester from castor oil entitled “Synthetic Polyester from Plant Oil Feedstock by Functionalizing Polymerization” in the journal “Angewandte Chemie”.
With his colleague Dr Ye Liu, an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow and the first author of the study, Stefan Mecking presents a new way of obtaining polyester from fats and oils, more specifically, from castor oil. A well-known and chemically established building block that can be obtained from castor oil is Undecenol.
“Our idea was to interlink many of these molecules to form one large molecule, a plastic molecule. We wanted the whole process to be effective and readily accomplishable ‘in one go’”, Stefan Mecking elaborates.

Suitable Catalysts to Create Polyester Effectively

Undecenol has a group of alcohols at one end of the molecule and a double bond at the other. It was decisive to interlink these two groups to form an ester group in such a way as to enable simultaneous linkage with long-chain molecules, i.e. plastics. Such long-chain bonds are required to obtain the desired material properties. One of the major general challenges in regard to these procedures is to identify suitable catalysts.

“They are especially important because the reaction leading up to the formation of the desired long-chain molecules must be incredibly effective and proceed without any variance”, explains Stefan Mecking.

For the production of polyester as described in their study, the chemists used carbonylation to obtain the ester groups. “The problem is that Undecenol reacts with another smaller molecule, an aldehyde. If this happens, it does not become part of the molecule chain, which means that it gets lost”, says Stefan Mecking, summarizing the gist and great success of his research.

By using suitable catalysts, the researchers were able to prevent this loss and to create polyester effectively. While developing the catalysts, they also worked out the conceptual steps required for adjusting the melting point of the products. “Due to the insights we gained, we should be able to infer how to handle the melting points of other long-chain substrates”, concludes Stefan Mecking, alluding to potential transfer applications of his concept for other renewable resources that are even more readily available than castor oil.

Source: University of Konstanz

Graphene nanotubes make difference in the PVC plastisol industry

Graphene nanotubes are becoming a mainstream conductive additive. This technology is helping to create new business opportunities in various industries, including the PVC plastisol market. Successful market products with graphene nanotubes include ventilation ducting and fiberglass mesh for mining applications, anti-static textiles, and treadmill belts.

With their unique properties, graphene nanotubes push PVC plastisol performance higher, to fully satisfy market demand for 105 – 109 Ω/sq resistivity, to preserve a permanent and stable form even after harsh working conditions, to maintain abrasion resistance, and to demonstrate flexibility in the colouring of final products. This all is possible with just 0.25–2 wt.% of graphene nanotube concentrate, recently developed by OCSiAl.  

New technology is able to eliminate the common friction points in the usage of conventional anti-static additives, such as carbon black or ammonium compounds. Application of carbon black usually affects PVC plastisol’s mechanical performance very negatively, and turns final products black, whereas ammonium compounds can become unstable over time and provide only humidity-dependent resistivity. On the top of that, processing itself is complex – carbon black influences the rheology of material and facilitates dust formation on the surface. Graphene nanotubes, which can solve all these challenges, bring vast improvements to the PVC plastisol industry.

Nanotubes create new business opportunities for conductive PVC plastisol manufacturers. They enjoy an overwhelming welcome in the mining industry, where assurance of safety is vital. Here are a few examples of graphene nanotubes blazing their own trail in this market. 0.4–0.5 wt.%  graphene nanotube concentrate in PVC plastisol-based flexible ventilation ducting and fiberglass mesh for mining applications enable manufacturers to obtain a resistivity of 107 Ω/sq with maintained mechanical performance. PVC plastisol-based anti-static textiles and treadmill belts mapping out graphene nanotubes extensive application in industry. Uniform, permanent, stable and humidity-independent electrical conductivity – all guaranteed by graphene nanotubes.

Graphene nanotubes may have started as a “wonder-material,” but they are quickly becoming a conventional, economically viable technology for many industries. These tiny tubes are being used in a multitude of materials with increasing frequency, including PVC plastisol, polyurethane, epoxy, polyester, and acrylic polymers.   

 Source:OCSIAL

An eco-friendly vinyl hybrid resin made with zero styrene

Perma-Liner Industries, the manufacturer and supplier of trenchless pipeline rehabilitation equipment and materials in North America, is introducing a eco-friendly resin called Perma-Liner vinyl hybrid resin.

The newest resin in the company’s robust catalog is the only vinyl hybrid that was designed with zero styrene, extremely low VOC’s and is a hybrid vinyl ester with high-rigid polymer backbone.

“Our newest resin, the Vinyl Hybrid, has an array of benefits that are attractive to those looking for reduced labor costs, fast cure times and more,” said Rishi Vasudeva, business excellence manager at Perma-Liner. “This Resin is formulated with zero styrene – a potentially harmful substance per OSHA – allows it to be used in areas that would previously need to be evacuated due to the presence of styrene, such as schools, hospitals, churches, office buildings and more.”

The vinyl Hybrid resin has a standard pot life of more than eight hours and uses an easy initiator with one percent cumyl hydroperoxide (CHP) by weight making it cheap, easy and effective. With this new resin, it can be hot water or steam cured at a minimum of 140°F temperature held for 28 minutes with no post cure. The lower cure temperature of 140°F means it’s safer, gentler on equipment, a short time to maintain the temperature and easier temperature to reach for longer shots. Perma-Liner’s vinyl hybrid boasts consistent viscosity and is resistant to sag and draining around vertical surfaces and reinforcement.

Perma-Liner’s newest resin joins the company’s other resins: the high-performance vinyl ester, styrene-free silicate and the ever-popular 100 percent solids epoxy.

Source:perma-liner

Scientists Discover Method to Produce FDCA Using Non-food Glucose Derivative

Scientists have discovered a novel method to synthesize furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) in a high yield from a glucose derivative of non-food plant cellulose, paving the way for replacing petroleum-derived terephthalic acid with biomaterials in plastic bottle applications.

Decreasing Burden on the Environment with Renewable Resources

 The chemical industry is under pressure to establish energy-efficient chemical procedures that do not generate by-products, and using renewable resources wherever possible. Scientists believe that if resources from non-food plants can be used without putting a burden on the environment, it will help sustain existing social systems.
It has been reported that various useful polymers can be synthesized from 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), the biomaterial used in this study. A high yield of FDCA can be obtained when HMF is oxidized in a diluted solution under 2 weight percentage (wt%) with various supported metal catalysts.
However, a major stumbling block to industrial application lies with the use of a concentrated solution of 10-20 wt%, which is essential for efficient and scalable production of FDCA in the chemical industry. When HMF was simply oxidized in a concentrated solution (10 wt%), the FDCA yield was only around 30%, and a large amount of solid by-products was formed simultaneously. This is due to complex side reactions induced from HMF itself.

Producing FDCA with High Yields

In the study published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a Japan-Netherland research team led by Associate Professor Kiyotaka Nakajima at Hokkaido University and Professor Emiel J.M. Hensen at Eindhove University of Technology succeeded in suppressing the side reactions and producing FDCA with high yields from concentrated HMF solutions (10~20 wt%) without by-products formation. Specifically, they first acetalized HMF with 1,3-propanediol to protect by-product-inducing formyl groups and then oxidized HMF-acetal with a supported Au catalyst.

Conventional methods produce by-products making large-scale FDCA production difficult, while this new method yields FDCA efficiently without by-products formation.

Producing Chemicals from Sugar-based Biomaterials

About 80% of 1,3-propanediol used to protect formyl groups can be reused for the subsequent reactions. In addition, drastic improvement in the substrate concentration reduces the amount of solvents used in the production process.

Kiyotaka Nakajima says “It is significant that our method can reduce the total energy consumption required for complex work-up processes to isolate the reaction product.”

“These results represent a significant advance over the current state of the art, overcoming an inherent limitation of the oxidation of HMF to an important monomer for biopolymer production. Controlling the reactivity of formyl group could open the door for the production of commodity chemicals from sugar-based biomaterials,” says Kiyotaka Nakajima. This study was conducted jointly with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation.

Source: Hokkaido University

U.S. DOT approves high-pressure vessel hydrogen transport systems

Hexagon Composites has received a special permit from the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) for the highest pressure gas transport systems ever. The permit authorizes the manufacture, marking, sale and use of Hexagon’s 500 and 950 bar cylinders for over-the-road transport modules in the United States, for hydrogen and other gases.

“The DOT permit is a milestone for the hydrogen refueling market where higher pressures are sought to move more hydrogen per trailer trip, which in turn reduces the overall price of hydrogen fuel at the pump,” said Hartmut Fehrenbach, Vice President of Hydrogen Distribution of Hexagon. “This represents a key step to accelerate the ongoing adoption of fuel cell vehicles and transformation to a zero-emission and domestically sourced energy landscape.”

Hexagon is the first manufacturer to receive U.S. DOT special permit (SP20391) for 950 bar (13,775 psig). Being able to move 950 bar pressure vessel systems over the road enables the implementation of mobile hydrogen refueling units for fuel cell vehicles using 700 bar on-board storage tanks. Mobile refueling units strengthen the expanding hydrogen refueling network before permanent stations can be established. 

Hexagon is designing transport systems for hydrogen for the United States, building on their experience and success with hydrogen transport modules already in use with European distribution customers and Mobile Pipeline® transportation modules in use globally with natural gas distribution customers.

Source: Hexagon

Evonik Offers Methacrylate Monomer with Flame Retardant & Anti-corrosive Properties

Evonik has planned to market 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate phosphate as an anti-corrosion agent and flame retardant under the brand name VISIOMER® HEMA-P 70M. Typical product applications of this methacrylate monomer include adhesives and plastics, paints and coatings, fibers, composite resins, and gel coats. 

New Options Open for Customers with VISIOMER

Customers mainly use VISIOMER® HEMA-P 70M as an adhesion promoter, but the latest findings have also shown it to be an effective halogen-free, reactive flame retardant or anti-corrosion agent. 

Since the substance serves as a reactive diluent or as a co-monomer bonded within the polymer backbone, it does not migrate like conventional flame retardants. VISIOMER® HEMA-P 70M further improves flame retardancy in combination with non-polymerizable flame retardants. 

“VISIOMER® HEMA-P 70M offers new options for customers with special requirements for flame-retardant and anti-corrosion properties. This monomer adds a specialty methacrylate with particular functionalities to Evonik’s portfolio and underscores our role as a solution provider for innovative customers,” says Dr. Martin Trocha, the head of Evonik’s Application Monomers Product Line. 

Ease of Process with Low Viscosity

VISIOMER® HEMA-P 70M is a highly versatile monomer that contains 30% methyl methacrylate and is particularly easy to process because of its low viscosity. Thanks to 
its low color index, the specialty monomer is particularly well-suited for optical applications in acrylate and methacrylate systems. This enables the use in applications with high demands for transparency and surface quality, such as surface coatings, plastics or adhesives. 

Moreover, the monomer protects against static charging and has an emulsion stabilizing effect.

Source: Evonik

Circa Receives ECHA Approval for Bio-based Di-polar Solvent Manufacture

Circa Group has received authorization from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to manufacture or import up to 100 tones/year of its bio-based solvent Cyrene™ in the European Union, after receiving REACH Annex VIII approval.

Cyrene™ : An Alternative to Polar Aprotic Solvents

 A chiral dipolar aprotic solvent, Cyrene™ was developed in conjunction with the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence (GCCE) at the University of York. Cyrene™ is a two-step conversion of waste biomass, produced at Circa's large-scale prototype plant, built in partnership with pulp and paper company Norske Skog in Tasmania, Australia.

Cyrene™ provides a safer alternative to these polar aprotic solvents facing regulatory pressure worldwide and is available through Circa’s distributors Merck/Sigma and Will&Co.

Restricting the Possible Toxic Solvents

Solvent regulation is increasingly focused on restricting hazardous chemicals to manage their risk to people animals and the environment. In the EU, widely used solvents such as NMP, DMF and DMAc are on the candidate list of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) due to their reprotoxicity.

In addition, a new restriction on NMP was adopted earlier this year, meaning that after May 2020, use will be further restricted and it will not be able to be manufactured or used in the EU unless operational conditions are maintained to ensure that exposure to workers is below specified levels.

Crossing a Major Milestone

Tony Duncan, CEO and co-founder of Circa Group, said, "Annex VIII authorization is a major milestone for Cyrene™ and we are delighted to have been given the go-ahead to sell Cyrene™ in significantly larger quantities in Europe.

Safer solvents are urgently required and with Cyrene™, we are also offering a bio-based solution with a unique property set, including viscosity, surface tension and polarities – making it an exciting new prospect for advanced materials. Our next goal is registration of Cyrene™ in the US and other jurisdictions will soon follow.”
Source: Circa