Latest News: Technologies
An improved PHA-bioplastic process is scaled up
A less expensive process for producing biodegradeable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) plastics from renewable feedstocks is being scaled up by a factor of six, resulting in a 30,000–60,000-lb/mo pilot facility. The improved PHA process — developed by Meredian Inc. (Bainbridge, Ga.; www.meredianpha.com)…
This inexpensive bioplastic takes the heat
New bio-based polyimides (PIs) that withstand temperatures up to 390°C — the highest ever reported for a bioplastic — have been developed by Tatsuo Kaneko at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST, Nomi City; www.jaist.ac.jp), in collaboration…
New polymer is said to be first-ever recyclable thermoset
A new thermoset polymer has been discovered by researchers at IBM Research Almaden (San Jose, Calif.; www.research.ibm.com). The new material, polyhexahydrotriazine (PHT), has a very high Young’s Modulus (up to 14 GPa, compared with a Young’s Modulus of 4 GPa…
A new route to a cellulose-based bioplastic
NEC Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.nec.com) has developed a two-stage, heterogeneous synthesis for making a high-functionality bioplastic (70 wt.% plant content) from non-edible plant cellulose. The new bioplastic is said to have excellent thermo-plasticity (275 MFR), heat resistance (140°C glass transition…
A polymer for longer-lasting membranes
While super glassy polymers are initially very porous and ultra-permeable — a property that makes them suitable as gas-separation membranes — they quickly pack into a denser phase becoming less porous and permeable. Now, new materials that prevent such aging…
July Chementator Briefs
Oil-water separation A complex formed by combining maleic anhydride copolymers with a cationic fluorosurfactant can separate oil from water when coated on a wire mesh. Researchers at Durham University (U.K.; www.durham.ac.uk) devised a method of preparing the complex in…
This fatty-acid conversion process results in synthetic lubricant base oils
Biosynthetic Technologies (Irvine, Calif.; www.biosynthetic.com) has developed a continuous-flow process to convert any animal- or plant-based fatty acids with high oleic-acid content into synthetic esters that can be used in formulations for motor oils and industrial lubricants. These biosynthetic esters…
This on-purpose butadiene process takes a step closer to commercialization
Last month, The Linde Group (Pullach, Germany; www.linde.com) and BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) announced plans to cooperate in developing and licensing processes for the on-purpose production of linear butenes and butadiene. BASF has developed process technology and catalysts as…
A Primer on Reverse Osmosis Technology
Water scarcity is one of the most serious global challenges of our time. Desalination and water reuse are effective and reliable means to provide new water resources. Among the many methods available to treat water, reverse osmosis (RO) has widely…
Using algae to make beta-1,3- glucan
With a separate algae-based technology, Algal Scientific has invented a sterile fermentation process for making beta-1,3-glucan from algae that has lower costs than those associated with fermenting the molecule with yeast. Beta-1,3-glucan is a polysaccharide that boosts immune-system function in…