Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP 13-06-2020 - Arhive
Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP
-Novel material outperforms standard catalysts in zinc-air batteries
Thin sheets of a trimetallic nitride allow Zn-air battery fibers to perform efficiently even when twisted
Using thin sheets of a new trimetallic material as catalysts in zinc-air batteries enhances the batteries’ performance, increasing their energy density (Nano Lett. 2020, DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c00717). Made of three common metals—nickel, iron, and manganese—the new material could be an alternative to precious-metal catalysts, making Zn-air batteries less expensive and thus allowing them to be used more widely. What’s more, the material retains its performance even when the battery, shaped into a fiber, is twisted.
“Our work may open a completely new paradigm of devising efficient electrocatalysts for various metal-air batteries,” says study coauthor Guoxiu Wang of the University of Technology Sydney. They could also be used in fuels cells and in reactions that split water to generate hydrogen, the authors say.
-Agilyx and Dolco to pilot polystyrene plastic collection programme
Plastic waste chemical recycling company Agilyx and polystyrene foam egg cartons maker Dolco Packaging have collaborated to trial polystyrene plastic collection programme. Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP
As part of this programme, Dolco’s Wenatchee facility in Washington will accept clean expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), extruded polystyrene foam (XPS) packaging and rigid polystyrene.
Collected plastics will be recycled at Regenyx, the advanced recycling facility in Tigard, Oregon. Regenyx is a joint venture between Agilyx and AmSty.
-Why is Asia-Pacific (APAC) the Largest Bio-Based Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market?
With time, a number of other global companies have come together to develop sustainable packaging solutions.
For instance, in 2017, the Nestlé Waters division of Nestlé SA and Danone, which are providers of bottled water, joined Origin, a U.S.-based startup, to form the NaturALL Bottle Alliance. Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP
The major idea behind the alliance is to manufacture 100% renewable bottles from bio-based PET, on the commercial scale.
With many of such multinational companies now pursuing sustainable living, these alliances have become somewhat of a trend.
-Ascend makes first acquisition in China
Ascend Performance Materials, an integrated producer of polyamide 66 resin, has signed an agreement to purchase the assets of NCM (Changshu) Co., Ltd., and Tehe Engineering Plastic (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., located in Changshu Yushan High-tech Industrial Park. Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP
The acquisition gives Ascend a flexible footprint for growth in the region. The company’s master plan includes the expansion of compounding assets at the site along with a global research and development center with a focus on existing applications in the automotive, electrical and electronics, and consumer and industrial areas, as well as new ones in areas such as 3D-printing and high-performance films.
-A conversation on sustainability with DSM
Fin Slater recently spoke with Jacqueline Revet, global marketing manager packaging at DSM and Juan Guerrero, industry manager EMEA flexible packaging at DSM about the place of inks and resins in the packaging sustainability discussion.
Broadly speaking, what kinds of roles do inks and resins play in packaging sustainability? Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP
JR: This is a good question and also a challenging one. You can’t view packaging sustainability in terms of one company or sector – you have to look at the industry as a whole. If we look at inks and resins in these terms, we can see that these sectors are different when compared to the total packaging structure.
-Noble Biomaterials tests fabric’s antiviral effectiveness
Noble Biomaterials has announced the results of third-party laboratory testing of fabric made with its X- Static technology against human coronavirus OC43, a common strain of coronavirus. The company produces advanced material technologies for mission-critical applications in the performance apparel, healthcare, and emerging wearable technology markets. Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP
The lab results, from BioScience Laboratories, showed that the metallised Noble Biomaterials fabric reduced the viability of the virus six times faster than the unmetallised control fabric.
-Oil prices get big impetus from supply cuts
Oil prices have cemented their march up led by a combination of supply cuts and quicker-than-expected demand recovery as economies gradually reopen for business. But high stock levels, a potential return of shut-in production and uncertainty around demand recovery are likely to cap upside.
ICE Brent futures have nearly doubled to above US$40/barrel since hitting a multi-decade low in mid-April. Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP
While general euphoria around the world’s emergence from COVID-19 and demand recovery are factors, a big impetus to prices has come from a combination of voluntary and involuntary supply cuts.
-UK economy shrinks by record 20.4pc in April
The UK economy suffered its biggest monthly contraction on record in April, with the country’s GDP shrinking by a fifth during the first full month of its Covid-19 lockdown.
The 20.4pc month-on-month fall in April’s GDP is three times larger than the decline during the whole of the economic downturn of 2008-09, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP
The dramatic drop reflects “record broad-based falls in output for production, services and construction”, the ONS said.
-Middle East petrochemical consolidations pick up pace
Consolidation among major petrochemical producers in the Middle East is picking up pace as state-owned companies look to manage costs in a challenging global market.
Qatar’s state-owned energy firm QP announced yesterday it will integrate petrochemical marketer Muntajat into its operations. Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP
Muntajat is a major marketer of polyethylene (PE) and petrochemical products such as methanol, MTBE and linear alkylbenzene (LAB).
Petrochemicals Enzymes Automotive PP