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

Swedish company produces the first slab of steel that didn’t require any coal

 Engineers from the SSAB steel-making company have unveiled the world’s first piece of steel cast without burning any coal or fossil fuel. Instead, they used hydrogen to power the process.

Metalworking and coal burning have been entwined for as long as humanity has been using metals. Coal is a very good source of energy, providing the heat necessary to refine and process most metals. But it is also a source of carbon, a critical chemical in the production of steel, and the compound that allows us to turn metal ores (usually oxides) into actual metals (by leaching out the oxygen).

For most of our history, this wasn’t that much of an issue.

Coal smoke is definitely not healthy for you or anyone living near the smeltery or ye olde blacksmith, but overall production of metals was limited in scope — so the environment could absorb and process its emissions.

Today, however, the sheer scale at which we produce metals means that this process has a real impact on the health of the world around us. However, new technology could uncouple the process from coal, and pave the way towards ‘green’ metals. Engineers from the international, Sweden-based steel-making company SSAB have showcased the process, which relies on hydrogen instead of coal to produce the necessary temperatures.

The “hybrid process” used by SSAB uses hydrogen as fuel to produce the required energy, instead of the traditional approach of burning coal. This process, called HYBRIT (Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology), uses electricity produced through renewable means to produce hydrogen, which is in turn burned to generate heat. Although there is burning involved, it doesn’t produce any pollution — in fact, the only end product is water.

HYBRIT can be used both for the production of iron pellets — the main raw material used by steel foundries — and in the carbon purification process, which is the step that transforms iron into steel. The first piece of HYBRIT steel was produced for the Volvo Group and is going to become a part of the company’s fleet of trucks. A candleholder was also machined from this steel as proof that its mechanical properties are the same as regular steel produced by SSAB.

The steel industry today accounts for roughly 9% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and demand for (as well as production of) steel is steadily increasing.

SSAB developed the process in the context of a joint venture with the government-owned utility Vattenfall and Swedish mining company LKAB. The steel was processed in a pilot plant in the north of Sweden, and full-scale production capability is not expected for another five years or so, according to Reuters. The slab of metal produced so far marks the culmination of over 5 years of research and development of the HYBRIT process.

Source:ZME SCIENCE

Massive fire at UK polyurethanes plant

 A worker is still unaccounted for after a large fire and several explosions on 27 August severely damaged buildings at Leeson Polyurethanes plant in Leamington Spa, UK. As of 2 September, emergency services had not been able to access the site to investigate the cause or search for the missing man, as it is still unsafe.

Local residents were temporarily evacuated but returned to their homes the following day once the fire was under control. Air monitoring suggested there was a minimal hazard, although residents were warned that soot and debris could be irritants. Cleanup of soot and debris in the surrounding area by the local authorities is ongoing. 

Source: chemistry world

Hexagon Agility receives a new order for its CNG transport modules

 Hexagon Agility, a Hexagon Composites company, signed an agreement in June 2021 with Xpress Natural Gas LLC (XNG), a full-service provider of compressed and renewable natural gas in the United States, to deliver its Mobile Pipeline® modules for the clean natural gas transportation. Under this contract, Hexagon Agility received its second XNG order, worth an estimated $ 2.8 million. The modules are expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2021.

“The TITAN 53s has allowed us to make clean natural gas accessible and affordable for our customers, keeping businesses running and homes warm during the cold winter months. Hexagon's products have proven to be of high quality - safe, reliable, and high performing, ”said Jeffrey Ciampa, XNG's chief operating officer. "

The TITAN® 53 modules offer the highest capacity in North America and will serve multiple projects to communities and industries that do not have access to natural gas or lack sufficient pipeline capacity to meet demand.

“We applaud XNG for continuing to connect industry and communities to clean natural gas. We are excited to support XNG in achieving our common vision of driving energy transformation through cost-effective clean energy options, ”said Seung Baik, President of Hexagon Agility.

Mobile Pipeline® technology is vital to driving the energy transformation from petroleum fuels to clean, renewable natural gas. Companies like XNG have been leaders in the industry, enabling customers without access to pipelines to adopt natural gas and meet their environmental goals. With more than 1,700 Mobile Pipeline® modules deployed around the world, Hexagon Agility continues to set the standard for safety, reliability and performance.

Last week, Hexagon Agility also received its eighth set of orders in 2021 under a master services agreement signed in June 2020 with a global logistics customer to deliver its CNG and renewable natural gas fuel systems for service trucks. medium and heavy. This represents an estimated value of approximately $ 12 million and deliveries of the fuel systems are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Source: Hexagon Agility

Hanwha Solutions acquires Cimarron Composites, aims to be a global leader in high-pressure tanks by 2030

Hanwha Cimarron LLC will build a new $130 million production facility in Alabama to produce large-scale tanks for hydrogen transport, filling stations, and support expansion into tanks for UAM, drones, launch vehicle rockets, defense, rail, cargo ships, transportation and more.

Hanwha Cimarron currently manufactures large tanks for compressed hydrogen gas as well as tanks for cryogenic fuels used in space launch vehicles. This acquisition is part of Hanwha Solutions’ efforts to accelerate its expansion into the green-hydrogen industry. The company reports that Hanwha Cimarron provides the technology to manufacture tanks for hydrogen tube trailers, ultra-high-pressure tanks for hydrogen filling stations and tanks for aerospace applications, as well as for hydrogen-powered vehicles.

“Including the acquisition costs, we plan to invest at least $100 million in Cimarron Composites by 2025 to establish a strong foundation from which to develop our global hydrogen tank business,” said a spokesman for Hanwha Solutions in Dec 2020. This investment includes funding for the expansion of Cimarron’s production facilities.

Supplying tanks for Elon Musk’s SpaceX Program

According to Hanwha Cimarron, it supplied prototype high-pressure tanks to SpaceX (Hawthorne, Calif., U.S.) and in 2014 began supplying tanks that are used for the Falcon 9 rockets. Hanwha Cimarron has also expanded into producing industrial tanks. Currently, the company manufactures hydrogen tanks, cryogenic liquid gas fuel tanks for space launch vehicles and compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks to a variety of customers, including rocket manufacturers and industrial gas companies.

Cimarron complements and strengthens Hanwha’s hydrogen storage strategy

Hanwha Solutions began pursuing its hydrogen storage strategy by acquiring TK-Fujikin Corp.’s (Busan, South Korea) Type IV tank production business in December 2019. Hanwha Solutions reports that it can now produce tanks for hydrogen-powered drones and passenger cars for the Korean market. Overseas, it intends to use its Cimarron Composites acquisition to produce large-scale tanks for hydrogen tube trailers, tanks for hydrogen filling stations, and to expand into tanks for UAM vehicles, aerospace applications, and cargo ships carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“Through this acquisition, we will advance our existing tank technology and expand our global tank business,” says Doo-Hyung Ryu, CEO of Hanwha Solutions’ Advanced Materials Division. “Not only will we play a key role in the growing hydrogen economy, but we also aim to become the global leader for high-pressure tanks by 2030.”

Source: Compositesworld

Scientists developing bio-based carbon fibres being "showered with requests" for sustainable version of the wonder material

 Scientists are working on carbon fibres made from biomaterials instead of fossil fuels in an attempt to create a version that does not generate carbon emissions.

Bio-based carbon fibres could be used to build lightweight electric cars with greater battery range, according to senior scientist Dr Erik Frank.

In architecture, concrete could be reinforced with carbon fibres instead of steel, allowing ultra-thin structures to be built.

"It's a wonder material because it is very strong and yet light compared to metal," said Frank, who is head of carbon fibre development and new materials at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research in Denkendorf, southern Germany.

However, "the carbon footprint of carbon fibres is usually very bad," he added.

"The raw materials [for regular carbon fibre] come from petroleum but we're trying to move away from this," he explained. "Bio-based carbon fibres are in much higher demand than they used to be. We're being showered with requests."

Carbon fibres originally made from plant-based materials

Carbon fibres are incredibly thin threads of almost pure carbon crystals. Measuring just 5 to 10 micrometres, they are five times stronger than steel and twice as stiff.

The material was originally made from plant-based materials including cellulose and rayon, Frank said, until the lower price and higher performance of fossil-derived versions made bio-based carbon fibre unviable.

But the production process requires vast amounts of energy and generates large amounts of emissions and toxins. "If we want carbon fibres to be carbon neutral, all of this needs to be redesigned," Frank said.

To make the fibres, petroleum is first processed into highly toxic polyacrylonitrile (PAN). This is pulled into thin threads and then heated in an oven without oxygen.

Growing demand for bio-based carbon fibres

The process requires large amounts of energy and generates pollution as everything except the carbon atoms are burned away. "A couple of years ago this wasn't even a topic," said Frank. "People only cared about costs."

"Nowadays, sustainability is much more important and petroleum isn't so cheap anymore so it's a different story. Carbon fibre is a major component in that because it's so energy-intensive."

Frank is exploring ways of turning lignin, a substance found in most plants and which is a byproduct of the paper industry, into carbon fibres.

"We're working with lignin as a raw material," he explained. "It's a waste byproduct which accumulates in huge quantities in the paper industry. Normally, this is added to concrete or asphalt or incinerated. We're using it to make carbon fibre."

"To do that, we use chemical methods to purify it and get it into a good shape," he continued. "Then we can spin this into fibres, which we're trying to do directly in water rather than having to use toxic solvents. And the fibres that you get can be directly turned into carbon fibres."

Carbon fibre currently expensive and unsustainable

The performance of bio-based carbon fibre is "on the medium to lower-end" compared to PAN-based fibres, he added. "I should say the bio-based carbon fibres won't replace the PAN-based ones. It will just be a second market running alongside."

Carbon fibre is widely used to create aircraft and cars as well as high-performance products including bicycles, tennis rackets and wind turbines. It is extremely lightweight, meaning that it can significantly improve performance and reduce energy requirements.

However, it is expensive to produce as well as having an increasingly bad reputation due to its unsustainability.

"In aircraft construction, it is already used as standard," said Frank. "It can make a difference in electric cars by helping to save on weight."

The automotive industry would like to move to carbon fibre but it is as of yet too expensive and not sustainable enough. The car industry is extremely driven by price and increasingly looking to do things more sustainably."

Last year, work started on the first building featuring concrete reinforced with carbon fibre. CUBE, a two-story building designed by Henn Architekten at the Technical University Dresden in Germany, is due to be completed later this year.

"It's already happening on a small scale that concrete is reinforced with carbon fibre but it's not yet at mass adoption stage," Frank said. "The benefit is that you can make the concrete much thinner while being able to carry heavy loads so you can design completely different shapes. The aim is to get away from the huge amounts of concrete that are being used today."

Bio-based carbon fibres could be more affordable than petroleum-based options

The high cost of carbon fibre is partly due to the complex and energy-intensive production process. Frank said that the global output is just 150,000 tonnes per year.

Another drawback of the material is that it is difficult to recycle and dispose of, although ways of reusing it are now being developed. "Many people are innovating in this field," Frank said.

"There are already quite a few recycled carbon fibres and they're even being used in products. Of course, they become worse with every cycle and at some point, they will have to be disposed of. Burning isn't an option because it's really hard to burn. A lot of the time it is stored in old mines."

Airbus "looking for sustainable carbon fibres"

But the demand for sustainable, high-performance materials means that bio-based carbon fibres could soon be more affordable as research and development ramps up around the world.

"All industries are being forced to cut down on CO2," Frank said. "It's not voluntary any more because it's going to get very expensive if they don't. Even aviation companies such as Airbus are looking for sustainable carbon fibres."

"We’re working on using the raw materials of the plants and turning them straight into carbon fibre," he concluded. "This means we’ve taken the carbon from the air via the plants, rather than adding carbon from fossil sources like petroleum or coal into the atmosphere."