Syensqo introduces medical-grade Amodel® polyphthalamide (PPA) for single-use, high-temperature medical devices

A new medical-grade #Amodel® PPA delivers high heat resistance, electrically insulative properties, and biocompatibility for advanced single-use medical instruments and assemblies.

#Syensqo today launched a new medical-grade Amodel® #polyphthalamide (PPA). The glass-filled polymer is engineered for advanced single-use #medicaldevices, delivering exceptional #heatresistance, robust electrical properties, and key biocompatibility requirements for limited contact duration medical applications.

Amodel® PPA features a high melting point above 300 °C and maintains mechanical strength at temperatures up to 280 °C. These properties make it ideal for demanding manufacturing processes such as surface-mount technology (SMT) assembly, infrared (IR) reflow, and metal overmolding. The material is particularly well-suited for #electrosurgical instruments and electronic device assemblies, where complex, injection-molded geometries offer advantages over alternative materials.

source : Syensqo

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : LPG vs LNG

 Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

⚡ LPG vs LNG – What’s the Difference?

🔹 LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)

✅ Composition:

• Mix of propane (C₃H₈) and butane (C₄H₁₀)

✅ Storage & Temperature:

• Ambient temperature under moderate pressure (5–10 bar) in pressurized tanks

✅ Density & Energy Content:

• Denser (0.55–0.58 kg/L) with higher energy per liter

✅ Applications:

• Cooking (household gas cylinders)

• Heating

• Autogas (vehicles)

• Industrial processes

✅ Safety Considerations:

• Heavier than air: can accumulate in low areas → explosion risk

• Easier to handle and transport than LNG

✅ Source & Production:

• Byproduct of natural gas processing and crude oil refining

⸻

🔹 LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)

✅ Composition:

• Primarily methane (CH₄) with traces of ethane and propane

✅ Storage & Temperature:

• Stored at -162 °C (-260 °F) in cryogenic tanks at atmospheric pressure

✅ Density & Energy Content:

• Lighter (0.45 kg/L) but higher energy per kilogram

✅ Applications:

• Power generation

• Industrial fuel

• Marine fuel (LNG-powered ships)

• Alternative to diesel in heavy transport

✅ Safety Considerations:

• Lighter than air: disperses quickly if leaked, lowering explosion risk

• Requires special cryogenic handling to prevent burns

✅ Source & Production:

• Extracted from natural gas fields, purified, and cooled to liquid

⸻

🔍 Key Takeaway:

While LNG is rapidly emerging as a cleaner industrial and transportation fuel, LPG remains a critical source of energy for domestic and commercial heating, cooking, and vehicle fuel. Both fuels are essential to the global energy mix and have specific handling requirements.

BREAKING: The EU just said NO to textile waste!

BREAKING: The EU just said NO to textile waste!

Here's the deal:

The EU has just passed a law to reduce textile waste and make producers pay for how it is collected, sorted, and recycled.

✍️ Eco-modulation will also reward products designed to last longer or be recycled more easily.

👩‍⚖️ Each EU member state has 20 months to transpose the rules into its national legislation.

♻️ And by April 2028, each member state has to have its own EPR (extended producer responsibility scheme) to enforce the regulation.

🔎 Producers will also have to disclose how much they produce per year by volume (something that activists have been calling for a long time).

This is good news. This will ramp up the collection and recycling.

But the core issue of overconsumption and overproduction remains untouched.

It's a step in the right direction, but more needs to follow.

And you? Do you support this or not?

source : Vojtech Vosecky

#fashion #circulareconomy #wastemanagement

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share :The Next Frontier in Biochar: Composites for a Cleaner Planet✨

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

The Next Frontier in Biochar: Composites for a Cleaner Planet✨

In the face of growing environmental challenges, a new generation of sustainable materials is emerging for pollution abatement and environmental management. While traditional methods often have drawbacks, such as high costs and the production of toxic sludge, biochar-based composites are a promising alternative. Biochar is an excellent adsorbent for environmental applications. The type of feedstock and the #pyrolysis conditions used can significantly influence the properties of biochar.

Despite its inherent strengths, pristine biochar has limitations, including a finite adsorption capacity and poor stability in fine, powdered forms, which makes it challenging to recover from mixtures and can lead to secondary pollution. This has led to the development of biochar composites, which are created by combining biochar with other substances. These composites enhance biochar's performance and functionality by providing tailored properties and improving its selectivity for specific pollutants. For instance, magnetic biochar composites can be easily separated from a solution using an external magnetic field. This feature simplifies the recovery and reuse process, making these composites both practical and cost-effective.

The potential of biochar-based composites for #environmentalmanagement is clear, but further research is urgently needed. A critical next step for researchers is to move from simulated environments to real-world applications. It is also essential to investigate the long-term stability and potential ecotoxicity of these composites, as modifications may introduce new risks. By focusing on these challenges, optimizing production methods, and leveraging #wastematerials, researchers can unlock the full potential of #biocharcomposites for #pollutionabatement and contribute to a healthier, more resilient planet..

🛠️The future of environmental #sustainability rests on your ingenuity. Let's unite to take biochar beyond the soil, transforming it into the ultimate weapon against pollution and a beacon of hope for a cleaner planet. Biochar today is just the beginning of this journey. We are your voice; let the world hear the revolution you're building. Share your thoughts and insights..

These images below tell you the proof and scope .... (Viswanathan, S. P., Kuriakose, G. M., Neelamury, S. P., Njazhakunnathu, G. V., & Paili, T. A. (2023). Biochar-based composites as environmentally sustainable functional materials for wastewater treatment. Reference module in materials science and materials engineering. Doi: https://doi. org/10.1016/B978-0-323-96020-5.00199-0.)

source : Biochar Today

Kineco strengthens global rail strategy by acquiring TRB Lightweight Structures

Kineco Group, a leading Indian company specialised in advanced composite solutions, for aerospace, defence, rail & renewable energy market, announced the #acquisition of TRB Lightweight Structures Ltd (TRBLS), based in Huntingdon, United Kingdom. This acquisition is a key milestone for Kineco Global Rail, the flagship rail business of Kineco Group, and reinforces its strategy to become a global leader in turnkey rail interior systems.

TRB, with over 70 years of expertise in manufacturing lightweight components, is a trusted supplier to leading rolling stock manufacturers in Europe and Asia. The acquisition builds on Kineco’s December 2024 acquisition of Semvac A/S, a premier European brand in railway sanitation systems, marking another step in consolidating marquee brands under the Kineco Global Rail umbrella.

Mr. Shekhar Sardessai, Chairman & Managing Director of #KinecoGroup, commented: “The acquisition of #TRBLightweightStructures is aligned specifically to the long-term strategic roadmap of our rail-focused brand—Kineco Global Rail. TRB’s legacy and deep expertise in lightweight rail interiors make it a perfect strategic fit. Importantly, both TRB and Semvac combined will now be able to ride on the back of Kineco Global Rail’s large engineering and manufacturing infrastructure in Goa, India, which is entirely dedicated to the rail interiors market. This synergy will help us achieve scale, competitiveness, and customer reach across global markets. I wholeheartedly welcome the TRB team into the Kineco family.

Expressing his optimism on the promising future for TRB under this new partnership, Paul Colquitt, Managing Director of TRB Lightweight Structures Ltd said: “This new chapter with Kineco allows us to focus our energy and resources on the rail sector, where our expertise and heritage are strongest. Together, we will build on TRB’s reputation for quality and innovation to deliver even greater value to our customers worldwide.

Kineco and TRB were introduced and advised on this transaction by Mr. Pravin S. Mistry, Global CEO of PREA Ltd. based in Manchester, England.

TRB will continue to operate under its existing brand identity, retaining its leadership and manufacturing footprint in the UK. With access to Kineco Global Rail’s vertically integrated platform, TRB will be better positioned to expand its offerings, improve efficiencies and enter new geographies.

source : Kineco / TRB rail products / JEC Composites

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Why do we always see an L/D of about 20 in our conventional GF filled polymers

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Why do we always see an L/D of about 20 in our conventional GF filled polymers

Although it may surprise some of you, the main mechanism (if we neglect fiber-fiber or fiber-steel attrition) of fiber damage in a shear flow is COMPRESSIVE BUCKLING.

The flow stress is not sufficient to pull enough on the glass fibers to break them in tension.

However, during the well known fiber rotation in a shear flow field, there will be moments where such a fiber will be loaded in COMPRESSION.

And very similar to what happens if you try to snap raw spaghetti by squeezing one between your thumb and index , the flow imposed compressive load will exceed the critical buckling load of a thin glass fiber, leading to bending and snapping.

Once the fibers become smaller in length, the critical buckling load (Euler formula) grows quadratically with 1/(L/D), quickly leading to the impossibility of further breaking the fibers with the available flow stress and the reduced fluid to glass stress transfer on a shorter fiber.

In the picture from a 1959 paper, the authors show the relationship between the fluid shear flow and the “critical” aspect ratio of the glass fiber.

What the figure tells us, for instance, is that if you develop a 1 MPa flow stress (10e6), all fibers longer than about L/D=20 will break by buckling.

And, in a nutshell, this is why all commercial GF filled polymers end up with typical average fiber length in the vicinity of L/D=20, i.e. about 200 micron length.

This also means that once you get to that level of breakage, the fibers will now survive multiple passes in Injection Molding with a good retain of fiber length. Something of interest for recycling of course !

source : Vito leo

Brenntag Partners with Sudarshan to Deliver Advanced Pigments in Australia

#Brenntag, a global chemicals and ingredients distributor, has signed a new supply agreement with #SudarshanChemical Industries Limited. Under this agreement, Brenntag will distribute anticorrosive pigments in #Australia. These pigments will serve applications across paints, coatings, plastics, and other sectors.

The agreement builds on a successful twenty-year collaboration with Heubach GmbH. Heubach, recently acquired by Sudarshan, served the New Zealand market. Both companies are extending their partnership into Australia. Their goal is to deliver innovative and sustainable pigment solutions to a wider customer base.

High-Performance Pigments for Harsh Climates

Sudarshan’s portfolio includes #Heucophos™ and #Heucorin™, two high-performance anticorrosive pigment ranges. The company engineers these products to:

*Extend the service life of materials

*Reduce long-term maintenance costs

*Provide environmentally friendly, sustainable solutions

According to the press release, Sudarshan designed these pigments to withstand Australia’s demanding climate. They offer durable protection against corrosion, making them especially valuable for industries that need long-lasting performance.

source: Sudharson Chemicals /Brenntag /Chemical Industry Digest