polymerguru

  Arkema announces the construction of a polyamide 11 powders plant on its Changshu platform in China, scheduled to come on stream in the first quarter of 2023. This investment will further support the growing demand for advanced bio-circular materials in Asia. Efficient PA11 Powder Production Rilsan® polyamide 11 powders, currently produced in France entirely from renewable castor beans, are recognized for their superior properties and performance in terms of toughness, durability, lightweight, and processing versatility. They are used in very demanding applications and provide innovative solutions for fast-growing markets driven by megatrends such as durable home appliances, energy-efficient transport, and advanced additive manufacturing (3D printing) primarily for consumer, industrial, and aerospace markets. Beyond the bio-based nature of the powder, this project will also contribute to Arkema’s ambitious sustainability commitments by using highly efficient manufacturing processes a

  Researchers have developed a novel antibacterial material combining nonwoven nanotextile and unique compounds with antibacterial properties. Called NANO-LPPO, the new material can fulfill a wide range of applications as a dressing for wounds, such as burn injuries, by preventing infection and thus facilitating treatment and healing. Promising Substance Lipophosphonoxins Because the number of bacterial strains resistant to common antibiotics is steadily increasing, there is a growing need for new substances with antibacterial properties. A very promising class of substances are the so-called lipophosphonoxins (LPPO) developed by the team of Dominik Rejman of IOCB Prague in collaboration with Libor Krásný of the Institute of Microbiology of the CAS. “ Lipophosphonoxins hold considerable promise as a new generation of antibiotics. They don’t have to penetrate the bacteria but instead act on the surface, where they disrupt the bacterial cell membrane. That makes them very efficient at de

  Danimer Scientific announces it has received a USD 400,000 grant from the United Soybean Board to expand the Company’s evaluation of high-oleic soybean oil (HOSO) as a feedstock in the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a sustainable biopolymer that serves as a biodegradable alternative to traditional plastic. Developing Practical Model for HOSO The grant marks the continuation of Danimer’s collaboration with the United Soybean Board after the successful completion of a one-year project to develop a practical model for using HOSO as a feedstock in manufacturing Nodax®, Danimer’s signature PHA, which is used to create a wide variety of products, including straws, bottles, and flexible film packaging. The second year of the project will focus on scaling up the use of HOSO on a commercial level. “HOSO is readily available material in the United States, likely making it a viable and cost-effective feedstock in the production of Nodax®,” said Phil Van Trump, chief science and techn

Join us at the German Pavilion for the fourth annual China International Import Exposition (CIIE) in Shanghai from November 5-10, 2021. Hexagon Purus will showcase its world-class cylinder and systems technologies for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) at CIIE 2021. CIIE is a premier exhibition that brings nationwide market and government attention to international products and services. The Chinese government has developed a comprehensive plan to industrialize all key technologies to produce Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) for the mass market in the country. Their objective is to have 50,000 FCEVs on road by 2025, and 1 million after 2030. Most of these are expected to be light utility trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles. But major Chinese OEMs are also targeting now the FC passenger car market in the second part of this decade. Over the last 15 years, in Europe and the Americas, Type 4 cylinder technology has taken the strong lead over Type 3 as the pressure vessel of c

  ECHA has issued a guide to help companies and national authorities understand how mixtures containing titanium dioxide (TiO2) need to be classified and labelled following its classification as carcinogenic if inhaled. Classification Effective from 1st Oct: The classification and labelling requirements for titanium dioxide (TiO2) changed in February 2020. As of 1 October 2021, following Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2017, new classification and labelling requirements enter into force. The substance TiO2 must be classified as carcinogen if inhaled (Carc. 2, H351) when supplied on its own or in mixtures, where the substance or mixture contains 1% or more of TiO2 particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm. In addition, mixtures containing TiO2must be labelled with the supplemental label element ‘Hazardous respirable dust may be formed when used. Do not breathe dust’ (EUH212). Non-classified solid mixtures must also be labelled with the EUH212 supplemental labelling element if they co

  As the wind industry continues to grow to provide renewable energy across the globe, it commits to promoting a circular economy that reduces environmental impacts throughout product lifecycles. Most components of a wind turbine, like the foundation, tower and components in the nacelle have established recycling practices. However, wind turbine blades are more challenging to recycle due to the composite materials used in their production. While various technologies exist to recycle blades, and an increasing number of companies offer composite recycling services, these solutions are not yet widely available and cost-competitive. The European Waste Framework Directive defines basic concepts related to waste management. It emphasizes the need for increased recycling and highlights the reduced availability of landfills. It also establishes the waste hierarchy: Prevention > Reuse > Repurpose > Recycling > Recovery > Disposal. Repurposing means re-using an existing part for a

HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND —Rothamsted Research, a pioneer of GM crop trials since the 1990s, has been granted permission by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to run a series of field trials in the United Kingdom of wheat that has been genome-edited. The Hertfordshire, England-based experiments will be the first field trials of CRISPR-edited wheat anywhere in the United Kingdom or Europe. The wheat has been edited to reduce levels of the naturally occurring amino acid, asparagine, which is converted to the carcinogenic processing contaminant, acrylamide, when bread is baked or toasted. The aim of the project is to produce ultra-low asparagine, non-GM wheat, said Professor Nigel Halford, leader of the project. “Acrylamide has been a very serious problem for food manufacturers since being discovered in food in 2002,” he said. “It causes cancer in rodents and is considered ‘probably carcinogenic’ for humans. It occurs in bread and increases substantially when the b