polymerguru

  New technology developed at VTT enables the use of pectin-containing agricultural waste, such as citrus peel and sugar beet pulp, as raw material for bio-based PEF-plastics for replacing fossil-based PET. The carbon footprint of plastic bottles can be lowered by 50% when replacing their raw material of PET with PEF polymers, which also provides a better shelf life for food. Significant Advantage Over Traditional Means VTT’s technology has significant advantages for making bio-based PEF plastics. The technology uses a stable intermediate to produce FDCA (2,5-furandicarboxylic acid), one of the monomers of PEF, which enables a highly efficient process. In addition, utilizing pectin-containing waste streams opens new possibilities for the circular economy of plastics. VTT’s unique scale-up infrastructure from laboratory to pilot scale ensures that this new technology will be brought to a technology readiness level that will allow polymer manufacturers’ easy transition to full scale. Rep

  A few years ago, forward-thinking employees at Bacardi Ltd. realized they had a problem. Consumers were increasingly fed up with petroleum-based plastics, which contribute to ocean pollution and climate change. Yet that’s exactly what the company was using in the 80 million bottles of spirits it sold each year. Would it be possible, they wondered, to produce bottles with something less harmful to the environment — and to their own brand? Now they have an answer. In 2023, Bacardi will start using bottles made with a remarkable new bioplastic called Nodax PHA. Unlike traditional bottles, the new ones will biodegrade in compost piles, special landfills and even the ocean. It’s an impressive feat of innovation. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite the “silver bullet” the company claims. In fact, the new project shows just how hard it’s going to be to solve the world’s plastic crisis. Bacardi started thinking seriously about the issue in the mid-2010s, as global public opinion began to fixate on

  Researchers at Swansea University are working on a project that changes waste plastics into highly valuable compounds for the energy industries. Scientists are extracting carbon atoms found in waste plastics and turning them into a nanotube format that can be used for the transmission of electricity. They are producing plastic electric cables without the copper wire inside them, which can be used in residential and industrial construction. Senior Lecturer, Dr. Alvin Orbaek White is leading the research group at the Energy Safety Research  Institute  in Swansea University. Dr. White has already developed an electrical wire made from  carbon nanotubes from waste  plastics that are suitable for electricity and data transmission. The vision is to advance global energy sustainability by producing long range electricity  transmission materials  from waste plastics. Dr Orbaek White said, “ Converting plastics into useful materials such as carbon nanotubes can be done  with a large variety o

  BASF  launches  Ultradur® RX , a modified polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), specifically for radar sensor applications in vehicles. With good resistance against media such as splash water, oils or salt, Ultradur® offers protection for sensor housings. In addition, the new material shields the sensitive electronics in the housings against disturbing electromagnetic waves from other vehicles. Absorption and Reflection of Interference Radiation With increasing electromagnetic interference issues in road traffic, it is crucial that for optimal sensor functioning this noise is absorbed and therefore reduced. That makes Ultradur® the perfect choice as it suppresses disturbing radar radiation, better assigns the received signals, which at the same time means an improvement in safety. As a functionalized plastic, Ultradur® RX is an excellent alternative to metal housings, thus contributing to weight savings and higher vehicle efficiency. Since the absorption properties depend on geometric co

 Hydrogels are one of the hottest topics in bioelectronics. Conductive hydrogels, in particular, might prove crucial for treating nerve injuries. Hydrogels are networks of polymers that hold a large amount of water - like a jelly. By inserting polyacrylamide and polyaniline, researchers in China were able to create hydrogels that conduct electricity. They demonstrated that this new material could treat nerve injuries by forming a conducting biocompatible link between broken nerves. Peripheral nerve injury – for example, when a peripheral nerve has been completely severed in an accident – can result in chronic pain, neurological disorders, paralysis, and even disability. They are traditionally very difficult to treat. The new hydrogel could change this. The team implanted the hydrogel into rats with sciatic nerve injuries. The rats’ nerves recovered their bioelectrical properties – as measured by electromyography one to eight weeks following the operation – and their walking improved. I

  Rice University scientists employed a process to make efficient use of waste plastic. The lab of Rice chemist James Tour modified a method to make flash graphene to enhance it for  recycling plastic into graphene . The lab’s study appears in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano. Producing High-quality Turbostratic Graphene Instead of raising the temperature of a carbon source with direct current, as in the original process, the lab first exposes plastic waste to around eight seconds of high-intensity alternating current, followed by the DC jolt. The products are high-quality turbostratic graphene, a valuable and soluble substance that can be used to enhance electronics, composites, concrete and other materials, and carbon oligomers, molecules that can be vented away from the graphene for use in other applications. “ We also produce considerable amount of hydrogen, which is a clean fuel, in our flashing process, ” said Rice graduate student and lead author Wala Algozeeb. Tou

  Researchers from JAIST and U-Tokyo have successfully developed the white-biotechnological conversion from cellulosic biomass into aromatic polymers with the highest thermodegradation of all the plastics. Aromatic Molecules Produced from Kraft Pulp Organic plastic superior in thermostability (over 740 °C), was developed from  inedible biomass feedstocks  without using heavy inorganic fillers and thus lightweight in nature. Such an innovative molecular design of ultra-high thermoresistance polymers by controlling π-conjugation can contribute to establishing a sustainable carbon negative society, and energy conservation by weight saving. Two specific aromatic molecules, 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (AHBA) and 4-aminobenzoic acid (ABA) were produced from kraft pulp, an inedible cellulosic feedstock by Prof. Ohnishi and team in U-Tokyo. Recombinant microorganisms enhanced the productivity of the aromatic monomers selectively and inhibited the formation of the side products. Prof. Kaneko