CRRC releases prototypes of CR450 high-speed train

The prototypes of CR450 high-speed EMU (electric multiple unit) were unveiled in Beijing. With a test speed of 450 km/h and a commercial operating speed of 400 km/h, the CR450 will become the fastest high-speed train in the world once it enters service.

The CR450AF and CR450BF models, produced by CRRC Sifang and CRRC Changchun respectively, boast five key improvements: increased speed, advanced safety, energy efficiency, enhanced comfort, and intelligent technology.

The CR450 is significantly faster than the CR400 Fuxing high-speed trains currently in service, which operate at speeds of 350 km/h. A lighter weight is crucial for high-speed trains. The CR450 has cut its weight by over 10 percent compared to the CR400, thanks to the adoption of new materials such as carbon fibre composites and magnesium alloys, as well as the topology optimisation technique.

The CR450’s development represents China’s venture into new and unexplored aspects of the high-speed train industry. CRRC says the R&D team of the CR450 has performed more than 100 experiments to explore how different parameters of the train are affected by the rising train speeds. They have gathered data features in different speed contexts and operating environments such as bridges, tunnels, and curves, laying a robust groundwork for the development of the CR450 high-speed train.

source: CRRC/jeccomposites.com

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : LSU RESEARCHERS CREATE LOW-COST METHOD TO RECYCLE PLASTIC

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

LSU researchers have created a new, low-cost way to break down plastic, a potential breakthrough that could save billions of dollars and eliminate billions of tons of plastic pollution.

Getting plastics to the recycling plant is only half the battle. The other half is reusing that plastic waste to create new products,” said James Dorman, program manger with the U.S. Department of Energy and former LSU Chemical Engineering professor. “Some estimates show as much as 95 percent of plastics in the U.S. ends up in landfills and incinerators. Our process breaks down commercial plastics, including polystyrene and high- and low-density polyethylene, so recycled material can be seamlessly integrated into new products.

Dorman and LSU Chemical Engineering Professor Kerry Dooley use electromagnetic induction heating along with special magnetic materials and catalysts to break down different types of plastic.

Electromagnetic waves melt the plastics from the inside out, which requires far less energy. Dorman and Dooley’s process also produces only small amounts of unwanted byproducts such as methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, unlike conventional recycling. The conventional method of melting plastic waste, pyrolysis, requires high temperatures and produces gases like carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

Dorman and Dooley’s method works at lower temperatures and offers more precise control of the breakdown process. Their method can be tailored to handle food residues and other contaminants that help limit plastics recycling. For example, recyclers commonly send plastic containers that still contain food yogurt for example to the landfill because the residue taints the recycled material.

Most plastic starts with fossil fuels. Refiners heat oil and natural gas to “crack” the large molecules into smaller molecules, among them ethylene and propylene. Those chemicals are the building blocks used to make a variety of plastics. By linking the monomers, plastics manufacturers create a long chain molecule called a polymer, or a plastic.

 “Our extraction process retains key, core monomers, so they can be reinserted into the polymerization process,” Dorman said. “For example, we can pull the ethylene from the polyethylene during recycling and use it to make new polyethylene.”

Ethylene and propylene are extremely valuable. The global market for ethylene alone is estimated at $150 billion.

“By recycling these chemicals, we can help reduce the need for new fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions Dooley said. “Basically, our extraction process helps clean up the environment and creates a way to make money from what was once trash.”

This breakthrough in plastic recycling is a crucial step in our Scholarship First Agenda mission to build a research platform for energy resilience.

source:Louisiana State University

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : New paper batteries biodegrade in six weeks, offers safer energy storage

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

With a production cost at just 10% of lithium-ion batteries, Flint’s innovation aims for global scalability.

Flint, a Singapore-based company specializing in the development of sustainable energy solutions, is making waves in the world of battery technology with its cutting-edge paper batteries.

These batteries promise to deliver impressive advantages over traditional energy storage options, thanks to their flexibility, lightweight design, safety, and eco-friendly features. 

At CES 2025, Flint introduced this pioneering technology, which has the potential to change the way we store and use energy.

What makes paper batteries unique?

Flint’s paper batteries are a type of quasi-solid battery, utilizing an innovative hydrogel ring that acts as both a separator and an electrolyte within a piece of paper. This setup differentiates it from conventional lithium-ion batteries by replacing toxic and geopolitically sensitive materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel, with safe and sustainable alternatives such as zinc and manganese.

According to a representative from the company, “Our battery has the unique ability to be lightweight, flexible, and adaptable in shape, offering not just safety but also a significantly lower cost than traditional lithium-ion options.”

The hydrogel-based design also contributes to the battery’s ability to biodegrade completely within six weeks when buried in soil, leaving no harmful residues behind. 

This characteristic makes paper batteries a more sustainable option compared to conventional batteries, which can take decades to degrade and pose significant environmental risks.

Durability and safety features

When asked about the safety and durability of paper batteries, Flint’s spokesperson highlighted how their technology excels in real-world conditions. 

Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, which can pose a risk of leaking, burning, or even exploding under extreme conditions, paper batteries have been rigorously tested to withstand burning, cutting, piercing, and bending. These tests confirm the battery’s ability to function safely, even under harsh physical stress.

Flint’s paper battery has passed numerous safety benchmarks, making it one of the safest battery technologies on the market. “Our battery is engineered to endure much harsher conditions without any adverse effects,” said the spokesperson. “This is a crucial advantage, especially when compared to conventional batteries, which can be hazardous if damaged.”

Energy output, scalability, and environmental benefits

In terms of energy output, paper batteries offer a capacity of 600 milliampere hours per unit, which is enough for a variety of consumer and industrial applications. While this is currently lower than lithium-ion batteries, Flint is working on improving performance to meet the demands of more power-intensive devices. The paper batteries are also scalable, and the company plans to begin mass production with a pilot facility in Singapore later this year.

Furthermore, the environmental impact of paper batteries is minimal. The use of readily available, non-toxic materials such as zinc and manganese ensures that the battery has a minimal impact on both human health and the environment.

In response to questions about the environmental costs of production, the representative explained that the company avoids materials that are often associated with geopolitical conflicts, making paper batteries a more stable and eco-friendly alternative.

The biodegradability of the paper batteries also sets them apart from many other emerging technologies. When buried in soil, the battery decomposes within six weeks, releasing no toxic chemicals. This feature offers a clear advantage over traditional batteries, which can leach harmful substances like cadmium or lead into the environment.

A game changer for various industries

Flint is focused on making paper batteries adaptable for a wide range of industries, with plans to target sectors that require versatile and safe energy storage solutions. The company believes that its batteries could be used across everything from consumer electronics to industrial applications.

“We’re not limited by industry. Our battery can be customized to fit any sector that needs energy storage,” said the spokesperson.

This adaptability, coupled with the company’s focus on cost-efficiency, makes paper batteries an attractive alternative to more conventional technologies. While current production costs are around 10% of those for lithium-ion batteries, they are actively working on scaling up production to reduce costs further and increase the availability of their innovative batteries.

Flint has also recently raised US$2 million in seed funding, which will help accelerate the company’s efforts to bring paper batteries to market. “This funding milestone represents years of technical breakthroughs, and now, with real-world applications on the horizon, we are laser-focused on delivering our solutions to market,” said Carlo Charles, Founder and CEO of Flint.

The company’s ambitious expansion plans include the establishment of a pilot production facility in Singapore, with future facilities slated for China, India, the US, and Vietnam. By the end of the year, it aims to have the first commercial-scale paper batteries rolling off production lines, further solidifying its place in the battery innovation space.

source: Interesting Engineering/Flint

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Removing microplastics with engineered bacteria

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Researchers altered bacteria found in wastewater treatment, where microplastics can enter environment

Microplastics can go right through wastewater treatment plants, and researchers have engineered bacteria commonly found in there to break down this pollution before it can persist in the environment.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo added DNA to several species of bacteria found in wastewater, allowing them to biodegrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic found in carpet, clothing and containers for food and beverages.

PET plastics take hundreds of years to degrade in the environment. Over time, they break down into microplastics, pieces of plastic less than 5 mm long, which enter the food chain. Chemicals in these plastics are associated with insulin resistance, cancer and decreased reproductive health.

“Think of these bacteria that already exist in water systems to clean up microplastics as biorobots that can be programmed to get the job done,” said Dr. Marc Aucoin, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. “Microplastics in water also enhance the spread of antibiotic resistance, so this breakthrough could also address that concern."

The researchers use a natural process referred to as “bacterial sex,” where bacteria share genetic material with each other when multiplying. It enables the introduction of a new trait into the target bacteria, giving them the ability to break down microplastics.

“As next steps, we will use modelling to understand how well the bacteria transfer the new genetic information under different environmental conditions and thus how effectively they can break down the plastics,” said Dr. Brian Ingalls, a professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics. “The long-term vision is to break down microplastics in wastewater treatment plants at scale.”

While the researchers will start with wastewater facilities, they also hope to find ways to clean up the plastic waste accumulating in oceans.

"We will assess the risks of using engineered, plastic-eating bacteria in the natural environment" said Aaron Yip, a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemical Engineering. "Right now, microplastic degradation in wastewater treatment plants is a safer application to target. Many of these facilities are already designed to neutralize bacteria in wastewater, which would kill any engineered bacteria prior to discharging water back into the environment.”

The study, “Degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics by wastewater bacteria engineered via conjugation," appears in Microbial Biotechnology.

source: University of Waterloo

https://youtu.be/ZTdKqa19cpY

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share :New study finds ocean plastic could be recycled in urban waste systems

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

In response to the millions of tons of marine litter, mostly plastics, floating on the oceans, the need to manage this waste effectively is more urgent than ever. Faced with this reality, the UPV/EHU’s Materials + Technologies research group decided to take the first step.

Classifying Marine Waste as Urban Waste:

We assessed a practical approach: the possibility of integrating plastics collected from the sea into the urban waste system. This study, which is part of a PhD thesis, explores the possibility of managing this waste efficiently in current urban recycling infrastructures,explained Cristina Peña, lecturer in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Gipuzkoa (UPV/EHU) and author of the work.

Unlike municipal solid waste, marine litter does not yet have a systematized management system; it is managed on a very ad hoc basis and within the framework of very specific projects. “It is important to bear in mind that this waste, having been at sea, has a level of degradation that is significantly different from, for example,a bottle deposited in a yellow container under normal conditions.So, our starting point and key question was precisely this:

Automatic Separation of Marine Plastics Such as PP and PE:

In this work, we used identical PET plastic water bottles of the same brand to assess the effects of various environmental conditions. We divided the bottles into two batches: the first batch was left in the open air for nine months, simulating exposure on a beach or rocky coast, and the second batch was submerged in the sea for the same period. We saw that the submerged bottles underwent increased chemical degradation, while those exposed to the open air on the “shore” remained in a better state.This approach allowed them to analyze how the degradation process varies according to marine conditions and how each type of waste responds in different environments.

Then they “simulated how these materials would be managed in an urban solid waste treatment plant” by comparing them with the same bottles that had not undergone degradation to see if the automatic separation equipment in these plants would be able to identify and separate the plastic bottles of marine origin.

“To find out, we conducted tests using an optical separation system, a type of technology that automatically classifies materials according to their composition, and saw that the effectiveness of separating the bottles of marine origin, both those exposed to the open air and those submerged in the sea- was very high, comparable to that of bottles from urban waste.

Source: University of the Basque Country/www.polymer-additives.specialchem.com

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : EU – Regulations on the use of BPA in food contact materials and products

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

EU Bans Bisphenol A in Food Contact Materials

The European Commission published Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190 on 31 December 2025, addressing the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food contact materials and products.

Scope of the Regulations:

Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190 applies to materials and articles that come into contact with food. These include varnishes, coatings, plastics, and other items where bisphenols and their derivatives may be present. The regulation specifically targets substances classified as hazardous under harmonized EU standards, particularly bisphenol A (BPA), due to its endocrine-disrupting properties and potential health risks. The regulation builds on and amends the earlier Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 and repeals Regulation (EU) 2018/213 to provide a more comprehensive and updated framework.

Requirements

The regulation prohibits the use of BPA and its salts in the production and marketing of food contact materials and articles. This ban encompasses the following materials:

Adhesives

Rubbers

Ion-exchange resins

Plastics

Printing inks

Silicones

Varnishes and coatings

However, BPA and its salts can be used in the production of food contact materials under specific conditions outlined in Annex II, which apply to plastics, varnishes, and coatings. These restrictions include:

Migration of BPA into food must be undetectable.

Final food contact articles must be cleaned and flushed before their first use in contact with food.

Additionally, the manufacture of food contact materials and articles using other hazardous bisphenols is prohibited unless they meet the same restrictions.

Business operators are required to prepare a Declaration of Compliance (DoC) containing:

*The identity, address, and contact details of the operator issuing the declaration.

*The identity, address, and contact details of the manufacturer or importer.

*Identification of the food contact material or article, including intermediate and final products.

*The date of the declaration.

*A list of bisphenols or their derivatives used in manufacturing the product.

*A statement confirming compliance with this Regulation and EU Food Contact Materials and Articles Regulation.

Under the Plastic Food Contact Materials and Articles Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, the substances 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (entry 151) and 4,4’-dihydroxydiphenyl sulphone (entry 154) have been removed from Table 1 in Annex I.

Transitional Period:

Single-use food contact articles containing BPA that do not comply with this Regulation may remain on the market until July 20, 2026.

Repeat-use final food contact articles manufactured using BPA that do not comply with this Regulation may be first placed on the market until 20 July 2026. The products may remain on the market until 20 January 2029.

source:European Commission /www.intertek.com

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Friction and Wear problems in Polymers

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

While in metals, wear is found to be strongly correlated with surface hardness (something not difficult to believe honestly), things are way more complex when it comes to plastics.

As shown in the attached classical graph, wear kinetics in polymers seems to correlate very well with the reciprocal of Stress@break X Strain@break.

Something known as the Ratner-Lancaster correlation.

So, for best performance, you want a strong polymer (which also means a very stiff one due to another typical correlation) with the highest elongation@break.

And guess what ? Elongation@break invariably decreases when elastic modulus goes up !

So this points to the fact that it is intrinsically very difficult to optimize the wear performance of polymers or find that elusive rare performer.

The result is that solutions are typically based on complex formulations using multiple fillers, some to increase strength, some to create a "slippery" transfer film mitigating the role of the typically lowish elongation at break.

source:Vito leo