Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Sir William Ramsay-Nobel Prize 1904

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Sir William Ramsay-Nobel Prize 1904

The Discovery of Argon

William Ramsay's involvement in the discovery of the noble gases argon, neon, krypton and xenon formed an entirely new group in the periodic table and earned him a Nobel Prize.

Ramsay was born in Glasgow in 1852 and studied there and in Tübingen, Germany, completing a doctorate in organic chemistry and a thesis entitled Investigations in the Toluic and Nitrotoluic Acids. His first academic posts were at the Universities of Glasgow and Bristol, where he conducted research on organic chemistry and gases. He joined SCI at its foundation in 1881. Together with William Shenstone, the Head of Science at Clifton College, he set up and actively promoted the Bristol Scientific Club.

In 1887 Ramsay became Professor of Chemistry at University College London, where he made his most notable discoveries, and his early papers on the oxides of nitrogen were well regarded by his peers. He also became known for his inventive and thorough experimental techniques, especially his methods for determining the molecular weights of substances in the liquid state.

In 1894 Ramsay attended a lecture given by the physicist Lord Rayleigh (John William Strutt). Rayleigh had noticed a discrepancy between the density of nitrogen made by chemical synthesis, and nitrogen isolated from the air by removing its other known components. The two collaborated, and some months later Ramsay told Rayleigh he had isolated a previously unknown heavy component of air, which had no obvious chemical reactivity, which he named argon, after the Greek word for inactive.

While investigating for argon in a uranium-bearing mineral, Ramsay found a new element, helium. Since 1868, helium had been known to exist, but only in the sun! This discovery led him to suggest the existence of a new group of elements in the periodic table. With colleagues he then followed this with the discovery of neon, krypton, and xenon, and in 1910, radon. Ramsay and Rayleigh received the Nobel Prizes in 1904 for Chemistry and Physics respectively, for their discovery of the noble gases, and Ramsay served as SCI president from 1903-4.

Practical applications were soon found. Helium replaced the highly-flammable hydrogen for use in airships (though not the Hindenburg) and argon was used to conserve the filaments in light bulbs. Today, noble gases are used in lighting, welding, space exploration, deep-sea diving, where a helium-oxygen mix is favoured.

Source: Wikipedia and the Chemical Heritage Foundation/soci.org

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#chemistry #noblegas #argon #meteorology #helium #toluic #krypton #xenon #discovery #nobelprize

Braskem Partners with USP to Convert CO₂ into Raw Materials for Polyolefins

Braskem and the University of São Paulo (USP) announce a partnership to develop lines of research for converting CO2 into other chemical products.

CO2 is one of the greenhouse gases and among the biggest contributors to climate change. The project's mission is to deploy the technologies resulting from these lines of research to reuse CO2 to obtain chemical products such as #olefins and #alcohols, thus mitigating its emissions into the environment and using it as a raw material for the production of polyolefins.

Using Renewable Energy for CO2 Conversion:
The partnership with USP, through the Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Innovation (RCGI), which also includes the participation of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), focuses on studying innovative routes for CO2 conversion through both catalytic and electrocatalytic processes.

While in conventional processes in the chemical industry, catalysts (materials that trigger chemical reactions) are thermally activated, electrocatalysis uses electricity to activate them. As such, renewable energy can be used partially or fully for CO2 conversion.

The project, which started one year ago, considers a total period of five years for developments on a laboratory scale, with the possibility of extension based on the progress of research.

Braskem will contribute with investments and its expertise in industrial processes and will also monitor and guide the studies. The research groups from USP and UFSCar will coordinate and conduct the studies using state-of-the-art infrastructure at the laboratories and with assistance from multidisciplinary teams consisting of chemists, physicists, and engineers, among others, with various levels of academic qualifications.

Reducing GHG Emissions by 15% by 2030:
For Braskem, the partnership will also help it achieve its sustainable development targets, especially concerning reaching #carbonneutrality. The company expects to reduce its #greenhousegasemissions by 15% by 2030 and attain carbon neutrality by 2050.

Once developed, the technologies for converting CO2 through catalysis and electrocatalysis will be novel, innovative, and disruptive in a market that is increasingly demanding projects that help combat climate change.

“In recent years, #Braskem has signed several partnerships to study the possibilities and alternatives for using the #CO2 generated by its operations. Through this new project, the company expands its collaboration with academia and helps foster domestic research in partnership with major educational institutions across Brazil.We expect the initiative to bring benefits for the industry in terms of #CO2conversion and that we can learn and contribute by #mobilizing our expertise to scale up #sustainable solutions for #Brazil and the world,” he added.

Source: Braskem/Omnexus-specialchem

oday's KNOWLEDGE Share: carbon fiber rope

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

A carbon fiber rope that enables elevator travel heights up to 1000 meters! 

Meeting the demands of ever-higher buildings and their huge, growing populations requires setting new benchmarks in elevator and building intelligence technology, design, and project solutions... 

@KONE's UltraRope® sets a new benchmark for high-rise buildings. The super-light #KONE UltraRope technology provides unrivalled #elevator eco-efficiency, reliability and durability, while also improving elevator performance. It eliminates the disadvantages of existing steel #ropes: high energy consumption, rope stretch, large moving masses, and downtime caused by building sway. 

In an elevator traveling 500 meters, the lightweight #carbonfiber core cuts elevator moving masses by up to 60% compared to steel ropes. When elevator travel heights increase, even larger reductions can be achieved! With the significant reduction in elevator moving masses, lower acceleration currents, and a reduced need for machine-room cooling, KONE high-rise elevator solutions are more efficient than conventional technologies. KONE UltraRope cuts energy consumption by 15% for a 500 meter elevator. When elevators travel higher in the future, an energy savings as much as 45% can be achieved for an 800 meter elevator. 

The carbon fiber core of KONE UltraRope has an exceptionally long lifetime, twice as long as the lifetime of conventional steel ropes. And, unlike steel, the solid structure does not densify and stretch, while the special coating means no lubrication is required. All of this adds up to a significant reduction in elevator downtime. 

Source: #managingcomposites #thenativelab

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New Study Reveals that Sweat may Leach Flame-retardant Chemicals from Microplastics

A new study at the University of Birmingham shows human sweat has been found to leach toxic chemicals out of microplastics and are potentially making them available to be absorbed through skin.

The team looked at microplastics taken from common forms of plastic and tested them with a synthetic sweat in a lab. They analyzed the bio accessibility of #brominated #flameretardants (a class of chemical used to improve the performance of plastics) after microplastics have come into contact with sweat.

Constant Exposure of Skin with Chemicals:
These found that in all examples, the toxic chemicals leached out of the #plasticparticles and as a result, these chemicals may be absorbed through layers of #skin.

The paper, published in #EnvironmentalScience and Technology found that polyethylene microplastics were the worst for bio accessibility of the flame-retardant chemicals which have been previously found in animal studies to cause adverse #healtheffects including #neurotoxicity, #reproductivetoxicity and #cancer.

Dr Ovokeroye Abafe, Marie-Curie Research fellow at the University of Birmingham and first author of the paper said, “The study provides new insights into the risk that arises from our exposure to microplastics in daily life. Our skin is constantly exposed to #microplastics either through our #clothing, #cosmetics, #indoor and #outdoordustparticles, or even from the air.”

“We have shown the first experimental evidence that #toxicadditive chemicals can #leach out from microplastics to our #sweat and become available for absorption through the skin. This raises concern over potential adverse effects of these chemicals, including #endocrinedisruption, neurotoxicity, obesity, and cancer”, Dr Abafe concluded.

Source: University of Birmingham/specialchem

Massachusetts’ oldest movable steel truss bridge marks 10-year znniversary of nation’s largest six-span FRP composite vehicle deck

Rocks Village Bridge recently marked the 10-year anniversary of its six-span Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) vehicle deck. Creative Composites Group’s (CCG) FRP composite deck was installed in 2013 as part of a $14 million renovation project managed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The 140-year-old steel truss structure connects West Newbury, Merrimac and Haverhill residents as well as several Southern New Hampshire towns, making it one of Massachusetts’ most heavily travelled bridges. Its hand-operated swing span accommodates boat traffic. In 2022, CCG personnel performed a visual inspection of the 18,776-square-foot FRP deck, which remains the largest #composite vehicle span in the nation.

“Technicians found that the FRP deck was in optimal condition with minor maintenance needed for overlay cracking at the joints and connection holes,” says Scott Reeve, business development for CCG. “It would have been nearly impossible to achieve a bridge that functioned to current safety standards yet maintained the bridge’s character and original metal latticework with a traditional concrete deck. A typical concrete deck weighs 100 pounds per square foot, creating a deadload a historic #steeltruss span can’t tolerate. The FRP deck weighs just 25 pounds per square foot. A decade of use also demonstrates FRP’s ability to withstand the effects of a harsh environment and rigorous use.”

CCG prefabricates very large, corrosion-resistant panels at its Dayton, Ohio manufacturing facility. Constructing panels on CCG’s production floor allows the company to coordinate design and construction specifications upfront instead of at the job site. Installation is quicker, and overall costs reduced.

“The Rocks Village Bridge is a good example of CCG’s ability to fabricate very large #FRPstructures with high structural load requirements,” says Reeve. “The relative stiffness of our #fiberglass material makes deflection the driving factor in deck sizing with FRP. Because of this unique element, #FRPbridges and #bridgedecks are built to safety and strength factors much higher than that of conventional material. In short, it means our decks will never break.”

Source:www.creativecompositesgroup.com/jeccomposites

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Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:NITTOBO FLAT FIBER

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

So you heard about these Japanese NITTOBO flat fibers and how they significantly reduce warpage…

Thanks to the unique « flake-like » shape, these fibers constrain the cross-flow shrinkage more than usual circular fibers do, leading to superior part flatness.

But did you know that flowability will be significantly enhanced also ?

Given their cross-section, at the same glass volume fraction (say 50% GF by weight) you end-up with much fewer individual particles (one flat fiber has the volume of 3-4 circular fibers) in your polymer matrix.

Since filler-driven increase of viscosity correlates with hydrodynamic radius and displaced fluid, viscosity increases much less with flat fibers when compared to standard circular fibers !

Price tag is a bit higher though.

Source:Vito Leo

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#nittoboflatfiber #glassfiber #plastics #warpage #injectionmolding #viscosity