ORNL Researchers Modify Microbes to Simplify Renewable Chemicals’ Production

 Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have modified a single microbe to simultaneously digest five of the most abundant components of lignocellulosic biomass, a big step forward in the development of a cost-effective biochemical conversion process to turn plants into renewable chemicals.

Engineering Bacteria to Produce Renewable Chemicals

The team engineered the Pseudomonas putida bacterium to consume glucose, xylose, arabinose, coumaric acid and acetic acid in a single bioreactor, eliminating the need for multiple tanks and microbes for each of those components. The one-pot process also breaks down lignin — traditionally a waste product of biomass conversion — so that every part of the plant can be used to create valuable products.

“We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly and well the microbe consumed these components, as they are structurally different and utilized via very different pathways. You had all of this carbon converging in the central metabolism and being co-utilized. It was pretty exciting,” said Adam Guss, who led ORNL’s research as detailed in Metabolic Engineering.

Upgrading lignin as well as sugars from biomass is vital to creating a highly efficient, cost-effective biorefinery. To reach that goal, lignin, which accounts for about 10%-30% of lignocellulose biomass by weight and represents up to 40% of total carbon, must be converted to value-added products to increase yield and reduce the cost of the overall bioconversion process.

ORNL scientists took P. putida, a hardy microorganism efficient at digesting glucose, coumarate and acetate, and optimized pathways for digesting those compounds, as well as xylose and arabinose. One of the major challenges in synthetic biology is to get an organism to co-utilize multiple compounds. The researchers used rational metabolic engineering, evolution and reverse engineering to cultivate these desired traits in the microbe.

The engineered microbe was then tested in a bioreactor on corn stover-derived biomass by project partners at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as part of the Agile BioFoundry, a Department of Energy consortium that brings together the expertise and capabilities of nine national labs to advance state-of-the-art biomanufacturing.

Overcoming the Problem Using More than One Microorganism

The accomplishment also overcomes the problem of trying to use more than one microorganism in a single process bioreactor. “It’s hard to engineer two organisms that like the exact same conditions and play well with each other. Using a single, optimized organism eliminates a lot of those challenges,” Guss said.

Next steps in the work include further expansion of the number of substrates that P. putida can digest and gaining a better understanding of how these different pathways interact with each other to make the overall process as efficient as possible, Guss noted.

This study builds on a rich legacy of metabolic engineering at ORNL, part of its research that spans the spectrum from the development of hardy biomass crops, multifunctional microbes and other processes to valorize plant components to create clean, domestic, sustainably sourced fuels and chemicals that can support rural economies.

The project was supported by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office, and by ORNL’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program.

Source: ORNL

Canada Sets to Ban Six Single-use Plastic Items by End of 2021

Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, announced the next steps in the Government’s plan to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030.

The Six Items Proposed for Ban

A key part of the plan is a ban on harmful single-use plastic items where there is evidence that they are found in the environment, are often not recycled, and have readily available alternatives. Based on those criteria, the six items the Government proposes to ban are:

• Plastic Checkout Bags
• Straws
• Stir Sticks
• Six-Pack Rings
• Cutlery
• Food Ware Made from Hard-to-Recycle Plastics

The Government of Canada is proposing to establish recycled content requirements in products and packaging. This will drive investment in recycling infrastructure and spur innovation in technology and product design to extend the life of plastic materials.

The Government wants to hear from Canadians and stakeholders on this approach to protect the environment from plastic pollution and reduce waste through a more circular economy. Comments will be accepted until December 9, 2020. Regulations will be finalized by the end of 2021.

Canada’s Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste

The Government of Canada is collaborating with provinces and territories through the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. Together, all federal, provincial and territorial governments agreed to the Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste that lays out a vision for a circular economy for plastics, as well as a two-phase action plan that is being jointly implemented. Provinces, territories, and municipalities are leaders in the recovery and recycling of plastic waste.

The Government of Canada is continuing to work with them to strengthen existing programs and increase Canada’s capacity to reuse and recover more plastics. This will include collaborating with them to develop pan-Canadian targets to ensure that rules are consistent and transparent across the country, and make producers and sellers of plastic products responsible for collecting them.

Minister Wilkinson also took the opportunity to announce over $2M through the Zero Plastic Waste Initiative for 14 new Canadian-led plastic reduction initiatives. These projects are led by communities, organizations, and institutions, and will promote the development of new and innovative solutions to prevent, capture and remove plastic pollution from the environment.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the health and safety of Canadians is the Government of Canada's highest priority. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has played an important role in keeping Canadians safe, particularly the frontline health care workers. The ban on harmful single-use plastics will not impact access to PPE. The Government of Canada is also working with the provinces and territories, through the Canadian Council of Environment Ministers (CCME), and with the private sector to keep PPE out of the environment.

Source: Government of Canada

SI Group Launches Resorcinol-free and Bio-renewable Resin for Rubber Bonding

 SI Group has announced the launch of ELAZTOBOND™ B8-3410 modified phenol-formaldehyde thermoplastic resin for use in rubber bonding. ELAZTOBOND™ B8-3410 resin is based on bio-renewable materials and is resorcinol-free, making it a more sustainable and safer solution than traditional bonding resins used in the rubber industry. In addition to its improved safety profile, ELAZTOBOND™ B8-3410 has shown to offer comparable or better performance than resorcinol containing resins in aged and unaged testing.

Safer Material for Rubber Bonding Applications

ELAZTOBOND™ B8-3410 has been developed as a safer replacement for resorcinol and resorcinol-formaldehyde polymers in rubber bonding applications. “A bonding resin with zero free-resorcinol enables tire manufacturers to use safer materials in their factories while still achieving maximum performance,” stated Gordon McNeilage, business director at SI Group. ELAZTOBOND™ B8-3410 is particularly effective in applications where rubber compounds must bond to non-rubber components such as metal wire.

ELAZTOBOND™ B8-3410 is the latest addition to SI Group’s extensive high-performance rubber resin portfolio. Robert Kaiser, Vice President, Rubber & Adhesives shared, “SI Group is excited to introduce new, safer, and more sustainable solutions to the rubber and tire industry such as ELAZTOBOND™ B8-3410. We continue to leverage our long history of rubber resin excellence to innovate and solve our customers challenges.” ELAZTOBOND™ B8-3410 is commercially available and backed by SI Group’s global supply chain and customer care network.

Source: SI Group

Evonik Develops Osteoconductive PEEK Polymer for Improved Bone Fusion

 Evonik has developed a new osteoconductive polyether ether ketone (PEEK), VESTAKEEP® iC4800, for the medical technology market that improves the fusion between the bone and the implant.

With the introduction of the new biomaterial, Evonik is launching a new product line of next-generation, PEEK-based implant materials that it will market under the brand name VESTAKEEP® Fusion. Evonik will unveil the product at the virtual Eurospine conference October 6–9.

Easy Osteointegration for Accelerated Bone Fusion

The osteoconductive properties of the new PEEK material were achieved by using a special functional additive - biphasic calcium phosphate - and allow bone cells to adhere to implants more quickly, thus positively influencing fusion, so called osteointegration, at the boundary between the bone and the implant. This, in turn, will accelerate bone fusion and convalescence.

As the first biomaterial in Evonik’s new Fusion product line, VESTAKEEP® iC4800 will impress customers with its outstanding mechanical properties, which are similar to those of human bone. Similar to all other PEEK-based, high-performance polymers for medical technology applications, the newly developed biomaterial does not produce any artifacts in imaging processes such as X-ray or MRI. However, the additives provide a natural desired shadow for accurate placement and observation of the fusion process.

The new product line and its osteoconductive properties expand Evonik’s existing portfolio of biomaterials for implants in long-term contact with the body, offering a metal-free alternative to titanium implants.

Customer-specific Materials with Bioactive Properties

“Introduction of the new VESTAKEEP® Fusion product line represents an important step in the strategic development of our portfolio. This work draws upon our decades of expertise in polymer chemistry and on Evonik’s global innovation and production network. That foundation means we can offer patients a one-of-a-kind product and significantly improve their quality of life,” says Marc Knebel, head of the medical systems market segment at Evonik.

In addition to VESTAKEEP® iC4800, Evonik will offer to its customers within the new PEEK Fusion product line the development of further exclusive, customer-specific materials with bioactive properties as so-called VESTAKEEP® Fusion Select products. They are developed from a library of established osteoconductive substances with close involvement with each customer.

Excellent Processing Characteristics

Consciously developed for processing using a variety of production technologies, VESTAKEEP® Fusion will come both as a granulate and as a semi-finished stock-shape product. Like all previous PEEK products, it can be milled, compression molded, and extruded as usual.

Evonik’s new osteoconductive PEEK biomaterial can also be injection molded in the proven manner. It has been specially designed so that the functional additives are available on the surface and no film formation occurs. In collaboration with Samaplast, a Swiss company specializing in plastics engineering, Evonik has successfully demonstrated and documented the processing characteristics of VESTAKEEP® Fusion in injection molding.

Developing a 3D Printable Filament

Evonik’s polymer experts are also studying the possibility of developing a 3D printable filament with VESTAKEEP® Fusion for next-generation PEEK that could be processed using the fused filament fabrication (FFF) additive production technology.

Source: Evonik

Sukano's Masterbatches Show Antiviral Efficacy Against Feline Coronavirus

 Sukano has developed Antiviral Masterbatches for PET and PA fibers that have a strong antiviral effect on the plastic parts, while also potentially helping to reduce waste and improve the sustainability credentials of the final articles produced.

Antiviral Effect Maintained Even After Washing

Sukano’s Antiviral Masterbatches work by directly integrating an antiviral additive into the polymer, using proprietary technologies. The power of this technology is that the antiviral effect not only remains stable during the usage of the product, but that it is maintained after washing. This is because the additive is consistently present on the surface of the product, without being released into the environment.

Sukano conducted tests at an external laboratory specialized in microbiological testing and in accordance with ISO 18184:2019 (fabrics) and ISO 21702:2019 (plastics inject molded parts and films) to independently confirm the effectiveness of its antiviral effect on the plastic parts. The result showed that over 98 % of the Feline Coronavirus was eliminated within the first two hours. The tests were performed using the Influenza H1N1 virus and a Feline Coronavirus, which has structures and mechanisms similar to SARS-Cov-2.

SUKANO® Antiviral Masterbatches offer the highest performance and durability: the antiviral efficacy of the fibers remains after multiple washing cycles at 40° C. All this is possible without impacting the fibers’ physical properties or yellowing.

Application in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Reusable non-medical masks are typically made from fibers without antiviral properties. Manufacturing textile masks using fabrics that include SUKANO® Antiviral Masterbatch could help reduce viral contamination via surfaces, even if the mask is not washed after each usage.

The SUKANO® Antiviral Masterbatch is already included when spinning the fiber, which eliminates additional finishing steps like external coating. This helps the environment by reducing waste and energy, saving natural resources.

“Our SUKANO® Antiviral Masterbatch is already in use by our existing customers who have successfully and effectively produced face masks during the pandemic outbreak. We now have additional, external lab results to back up our claims regarding its antiviral effect,” said Alessandra Funcia, head of marketing and sales, Sukano.

Extending Viral Protection Beyond PPE

SUKANO® Antiviral Masterbatches for PET and PA applications have externally proven their efficacy against viruses at different dosage levels, polymers and conversion processes, all of which can impact potential antiviral protection performance.

“Beyond the textile and fiber applications, our external lab results confirm the efficacy of our technology used in our PET and PA based masterbatches when applied in film extrusion processes and injection molded parts,” states Michael Kirch, global head of R&D for Sukano.

Source: Sukano

New Project to Sustainably Recycle Polystyrene Waste into New Products

 VTT and its partners will explore in their two-year MoPo project how recycling of polystyrene could be substantially increased by reshaping its collection and handling. The goal is to convert waste into pure polystyrene or styrene monomers used in other plastics and chemicals.

Technically and Economically Feasible Solution

In the new MoPo project the target is to offer a technically and economically feasible solution to the recycling of polystyrene waste in Europe. VTT will explore the state of polystyrene production, consumption and recycling in Finland and in selected European countries. A logistics model for collecting polystyrene waste and methods for its mechanical and chemical recycling will be developed.

Polystyrene is typically used in its hard form and as a foam known as Expandable Polystyrene (EPS) when insulating or damping properties are needed. Both types can be mechanically recycled, which means they can be molded into new polystyrene products by melting the material. The amount of collected polystyrene waste is, however, quite small in Finland, so it usually ends up incinerated. The collection of EPS is especially challenging, as EPS takes up a lot of space for its weight and crumbles and stains easily.

New Thermochemical Recycling Methods

As not all polystyrene waste is suited for mechanical recycling, thermochemical recycling methods will be developed in the MoPo project as well. In thermochemical recycling polystyrene is pyrolyzed, i.e., heated in the absence of oxygen, and thus disintegrated into shorter polymer chains and even to styrene monomers. The resulting pyrolysis oil, upon purification, can replace oil fractions when producing for example aromatics, latex, polystyrene and carbon black. A method will also be developed to allow safe utilization of polystyrene waste containing flame retardants and other hazardous components.
Budget and Partners

The MoPo project led by VTT has a total budget of EUR 964 000, which will be covered by Business Finland, VTT and research and business partners: Aalto University, L&T, HSY, Finnfoam, PS Processing, CH-Polymers, Pohjanmaan Hyötyjätekuljetus and Suomen Uusiomuovi.

“Together with our partners we can develop the whole value chain involved in polystyrene recycling. We expect that the project will substantially increase recycling opportunities and create new businesses. Our goal is to lead the way in polystyrene recycling Europe wide,”Muhammad Qureshi, senior scientist says.

During the project, participants will demonstrate various processes such as separate collection of polystyrene waste, handling of polystyrene waste with a new kind of extruder developed at VTT, and mechanical and chemical recycling of polystyrene waste.

Source: VTT

New Nanocomposite Material to Prevent Malfunctioning of Electronics

 Scientists from South Ural State University in collaboration with colleagues from Belarus, India and China have created a composite material for nanoelectronics. The material can be used as a dielectric (insulating substance) in polymer capacitors. These devices store energy and may be used in the electronics of the future: They last longer, weigh less, have high strength and charge speed.

Unique Material for Nanoelectronics

The material created by scientists can improve the capacitors properties. Senior Researcher at the Nanotechnology Research and Education Center Aleksey Trukhanov says, “the composite was created on the basis of encapsulated nanostructures consisting of dielectric nanosized magnesium oxide (MgO) with a ferroelectric nanosized shell of barium titanate (BaTiO3). The addition of just three weight percent of these components in the polymer matrix increases the discharge current density by 187% thus demonstrating outstanding energy storage performance.”

Such research is relevant, since the rapid development of micro- and nanoelectronics requires new approaches and the development of new materials to reduce the size of functional components. A fundamentally significant result of this research is the development of new composite materials with improved dielectric characteristics, combining several technologies: core-shell - the technology of creating nanoparticles of dielectric MgO with a nanoscale shell from the ferroelectric BaTiO3, as well as the technology of dispersing these nanostructures in a polymer matrix.

Future of Functional Composites

During the "breakdown" of the dielectric, there will be no electric voltage and no charge injection from the electrodes. The new material will prevent malfunctioning of electronic systems. This was achieved by developing a new core-shell nanostructure and coating the shell with highly insulating magnesium oxide. The new nanoparticles significantly increase the strength of polymer nanocomposites, making them ideal materials for dielectrics.

“The results of our joint work will be used for controlling the electrical characteristics of functional polymeric materials of this class. At the moment, there are plans to continue research of functional composites with controlled properties. Currently, active research work is being carried out in the field of composite materials with magnetic fillers”, Aleksey Trukhanov adds.

The material developed by SUSU scientists can be used in capacitors for "green" energy, electric transport and medical equipment.

Source: South Ural State University