Mitsui’s PLA Spunbond Nonwoven Adopted for Tennis Racquet Packaging by Yonex

The ECORISE™ PLA spunbond nonwoven developed by Mitsui Chemicals Asahi Life Materials Co., Ltd. has been adopted as a packaging material for tennis racquets sold by sporting goods manufacturer Yonex Co., Ltd.

ECORISE™ will be used for the packaging of tennis racquets slated for a rolling global launch starting February 2024.

Ultrasonic Welding Technology Facilitates Eco-friendly Packaging:

Yonex is pursuing eco-friendly production as a part of its sustainability efforts, which is seeing the company look to minimize packaging for all sorts of products while keeping a close eye on any impacts on transportation times and quality assurance. For this latest initiative, Yonex is discontinuing the nylon cases it has previously used for its tennis racquets in favor of packaging that uses ECORISE™. This will reduce the use of materials made primarily from petroleum-derived plastic.

The use of embossing technology for the Yonex logo, and of ultrasonic welding technology for the production of the nonwoven bags, has also facilitated the creation of eco-friendly packaging that forgoes the use of pigments and adhesives.

Source: Mitsui Chemicals/omnexus.specialchem

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:PE growing demand leads to further expansion planned

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

A growing amount of new polyethylene (PE) capacity will come from sustainable plastic made from recycled materials or renewable feedstock, according to forecasts that Dow published on Thursday.

The new capacity will meet growing demand, which Dow expects will continue rising at a multiple of 1.2-1.4X of GDP.

The following chart shows Dow’s forecast for PE demand growth and the composition of new capacity.

A large portion of PE made with petroleum will be associated with carbon fees. Total fossil-based demand will continue to grow at 2-3%, Dow said, with a bias towards low and zero carbon production.

DOW’S FORECASTS POINT TO FEWER TRADITIONAL PE PLANTS

If Dow’s forecasts hold true, then the world will need fewer crackers and traditional PE plants.

By 2050, a large portion of sustainable PE production will be made up of mechanical recycling. Another portion will come from chemical recycling, which would provide feedstock to traditional PE plants.

The remainder will come from renewable sources. Right now, renewable PE is made from dehydrating ethanol to produce ethylene. The ethylene is then fed into a traditional PE plant.

Source:Dow/ICIS

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share: Five New Hazardous Chemicals

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share 

ECHA Adds Five New Hazardous Chemicals to Candidate List:

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has added five new chemicals to the Candidate List. One of them is toxic for reproduction, three are very persistent and very bioaccumulative and one is toxic for reproduction and persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic. They are found in products such as inks and toners, adhesives and sealants and washing and cleaning products.

The List Now Contains 240 Entries:

The Agency has also updated the existing Candidate List entry for dibutyl phthalate to include its endocrine disrupting properties for the environment.

ECHA’s Member State Committee has confirmed the addition of these substances to the Candidate List. The list now contains 240 entries – some are groups of chemicals so the overall number of impacted chemicals is higher.

These substances may be placed on the Authorization List in the future. If a substance is on that list, companies cannot use it unless they apply for authorization and the European Commission authorizes its continued use.

Entries added to the Candidate List on 23 January 2024:

a)2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenol CAS No:732-26-3

b)2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol CAS:3147-75-9

c)2-(dimethylamino)-2-[(4-methylphenyl)methyl]-1-[4-(morpholin-4-yl)phenyl]butan-1-one.CAS No: 119344-86-4.

d)Bumetrizole CAS No:3896-11-5

e)Oligomerisation and alkylation reaction products of 2-phenylpropene and phenol

f)Dibutyl phthalate (updated entry) CAS No:84-74-2

Consequences of the Candidate List

Under REACH, companies have legal obligations when their substance is included – either on its own, in mixtures or in articles – in the Candidate List.

If an article contains a Candidate List substance above a concentration of 0.1 % (weight by weight), suppliers have to give their customers and consumers information on how to use it safely. Consumers have the right to ask suppliers if the products they buy contain substances of very high concern.

Importers and producers of articles have to notify ECHA if their article contains a Candidate List substance within six months from the date it has been included in the list (23 January 2024).

EU and EEA suppliers of substances on the Candidate List, supplied either on their own or in mixtures, have to update the safety data sheet they provide to their customers.

Under the Waste Framework Directive, companies also have to notify ECHA if the articles they produce contain substances of very high concern in a concentration above 0.1 % (weight by weight). This notification is published in ECHA’s database of substances of concern in products (SCIP).

Source: ECHA/specialchem

Japanese conglomerate agrees to import 400,000 tonnes of green hydrogen-based ammonia a year from India

ACME has secured offtake for 30% of its Odisha plant’s output once fully built.

Japanese engineering conglomerate IHI has signed a term sheet with Indian renewables developer ACME for 400,000 tonnes a year of green ammonia offtake starting from 2028.

IHI will then sell on this NH3 to “customers in various industries, including power generation, primarily in Japan.

ACME plans to supply ammonia from its project in the state of Odisha, currently being developed in multiple phases, which it expects will produce nearly 1.3 million tonnes of green NH3 a year once fully built — meaning only 30% of these volumes have been pre-sold to IHI.

The Japanese firm had previously signed a preliminary agreement to co-invest in the project, which is expected to cost 600 billion rupees ($7.2bn) in total.

In August, ACME said it would stump up 270 billion rupees ($3.3bn), although it is unclear whether this refers to the amount of investment needed to build the project’s first phase, or its total commitment to the plant’s costs.

Ammonia’s use in power generation is controversial. While proponents in Japan have argued that the country has limited options to built out wind and solar to decarbonise its grid, necessitating imports of clean H2 and NH3, critics have pointed out that in the short term, this will necessarily mean co-combustion with fossil fuels.

Ammonia co-firing with coal, which is already being trialled by Japan’s largest power generator JERA, has faced particularly fierce critique due to high costs while emitting more CO2 than a power plant burning 100% natural gas.

However, IHI has also this week announced its partnership with US engineering giant GE to develop a turbine capable of running on 100% ammonia.

Late last year, the Japanese government announced ¥3trn ($21bn) in subsidies for both domestically produced and imported clean hydrogen (and its derivatives) to cover the cost gap with their fossil equivalents.

source:hydrogen Insight

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Next-generation solar panels with record efficiencies within reach

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Next-generation solar panels with record efficiencies within reach: Perovskite tandem solar cells on the verge of commercialisation

Solar modules using perovskite tandem solar cells are highly efficient, which is why they are of great interest to some of the world's largest solar companies as a renewable energy source for power generation. There have been problems with the instability of perovskites, but research is progressing rapidly and several start-ups are competing to bring them to market.

Commercial solar panels with record-breaking efficiencies could be realised in just a few years using perovskite tandem solar cells. Researchers at Swift Solar, a Silicon Valley company, have been working on the technology for more than a decade, as have many other start-ups. But some scientists fear that time is running out:

The process involves coating silicon with perovskites (e.g. by vapour deposition, printing or spin coating) so that different wavelengths of sunlight are absorbed, and has already achieved over 33% efficiency in the laboratory. One of the challenges is the perishability of perovskite as a material for solar panels, but progress has recently been made in improving its stability. Some solar companies have shown their confidence in the technology in recent months by investing large sums in pilot production lines.

In addition to the volatility caused by high sensitivity to water, light and heat, the scalability of the projects plays a crucial role. The US Department of Energy has invested millions of dollars in two recent projects by Bin Chen and Barry Rand, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Princeton University, to test perovskite silicon configurations that could be more durable, as well as projects by universities and the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Tomas Leijtens, co-founder and chief technology officer of Swift, says the company can now expose its cells to temperatures of up to 70°C. The start-up hopes to have its high-efficiency modules on the market within four years:

A few months ago, First Solar, the largest solar manufacturer in the US, acquired the European perovskite company Evolar. UK start-up Oxford PV plans to launch the first perovskite tandem modules with an efficiency of 28.6% this year. Hanwha Q Cells of Korea plans to invest US$100 million in the construction of a perovskite tandem pilot line.

source:notebookcheck.net

Polyplastics-Evonik’s PEEK Resin Adopted for High Branch Electric Clippers

Polyplastics-Evonik Corporation announced that their product “VESTAKEEP®-J” has been adopted as the PEEK gear for the high branch electric clippers of Ars Corporation.

5x Durability Compared to Conventional Plastic Gears:

The high branch electric clippers of Ars Corporation are widely used in various fields such as fruit farming, vegetable farming, flower farming, carpentry, craft making, landscaping, and gardening due to their excellent sharpness. However, there was a challenge in improving the durability of the plastic gears made of engineering plastic used in the reduction unit of the electric clippers, which is a part of this product.

In order to ensure the necessary durability of the gears in the reduction unit, it was considered to change the entire unit to metal gears. However, this raises concerns about electric shock prevention for workers, design changes, and an increase in overall weight. In addition, to maintain stable performance over a long period of time, regular maintenance such as applying grease is necessary. To improve workability, it is also necessary to reduce noise and suppress vibrations that can cause white rust disease.

By adopting VESTAKEEP®-J 5000GB, which has excellent fatigue resistance, in such a harsh environment, it has been possible to achieve approximately five times the durability compared to conventional engineering plastic gears, and the use of an integrated gear that does not require metal inserts has made significant weight reduction and noise reduction possible.

Polyplastics-Evonik will continue to expand its operations and provide precise technical support to its customers in order to build a sustainable society in partnership with its partner companies through the extension of product life.

VESTAKEEP® is a trademark of Evonik Industries and Polyplastics-Evonik Corporation is its distributer in Japan.

Source: Polyplastics

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:PLA BOTTLE

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Ever wondered how we can reduce plastic pollution in India?

The Mysuru-based Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), affiliated with the DRDO, has launched an eco-friendly remedy with the introduction of biodegradable water bottles.

Crafted from sustainable Polylactic acid (PLA) material, these bottles not only combat plastic waste but also contribute to reducing the overall carbon footprint.

The best thing about this bottle is its all-encompassing sustainability approach – the bottle, cap, and label are all compostable.

This innovation, derived from 100% bio-based and renewable sources, sets us on a path towards environmental conservation and fosters a greener and more sustainable future.

Source:The Better India

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