Thermoplastics Petrochemicals Automotive 01-06-2019 - Arhive
-Smart materials and wearable technology at Techtextil
A subtle shift is happening in discussions around smart materials and wearable technology, with a focus moving to developments in threads and yarn and a concerted push to address some of the roadblocks to scaling up production – such as greater integration. The Techtextil trade show held from 4-7 May at Messe Frankfurt is a barometer of such shifts attracting researchers from academia as well as yarn, fabric and machine manufacturers and of course the brands that ultimately elect to bring the developments to market – or not.
The AMANN Group are well established as producers of high-quality sewing and embroidery threads. The AMANN Innovation Lab showed two years ago at Techtextil and again this year. Thermoplastics Petrochemicals Automotive
-Sidel: creating value from plastic waste
As a leader in solutions for PET packaging, among others, Sidel is well placed to give us a picture of how the industry is tackling the complex and often divisive sustainability issues the plastics industry is faced with. Victoria Hattersley spoke to Sidel sustainability officer Luc Desoutter to hear his take on these.
PET meets the highest food standard regulations, has a high value and as a commodity is relatively cheap to produce. That being said, it’s no secret that the material has come under fire recently, and it’s perhaps not so difficult to understand why. We view images of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and we regularly hear frightening statistics such as ‘yearly plastic waste can circle the Earth four times’, or ‘plastic outnumbers sea life by six to one’. Thermoplastics Petrochemicals Automotive
-LANXESS Offers Economic Alternatives to Polyamide 66
LANXESS at the “Plastics in E&E Applications” SKZ conference in Würzburg, Germany, Marienberg Fortress on June 4-5 – LANXESS.com. FRA: DE Frankfurt: LXS
Specialty chemicals company LANXESS will once again have its own stand at the “Fuse Box Meets Dryer Plastics in E&E Applications” conference of the Süddeutsche Kunststoffzentrum. “In terms of topics, this year we are concentrating on cost-effective alternatives to polyamide 66 compounds, the application of our structural materials in the battery, powertrain and charging infrastructure of electric vehicles, and our growing range of halogen-free, flame-retardant polyamides and polybutylene terephthalates (PBT),” explains Marc Marbach, head of the E&E sales segment in the LANXESS High Performance Materials (HPM) business unit.
-US tariffs would cut EU automotive output by 3.6% to 2021 – analyst
The imposition of 25% tariffs on EU automotive exports to the US would substantially reduce output in the sector, with Hungary, Sweden and Germany particularly vulnerable, according to Oxford Economics on Thursday.
The threat of punitive new tariffs on cars and car parts to the US from the EU and Japan has been mooted as US President Donald Trump branded the imports as a “national security threat”.
The US has delayed the imposition of the new measures for six months from mid-May as officials push for concessions on the scale of automotive exports to the country, but the damage would be perceptible in both directions if they come into effect, analysts at Oxford Economics said. Thermoplastics Petrochemicals Automotive
-US-China trade war hurts Asia chemical markets
Chemical markets are suffering in Asia as the US-China trade war and general economic malaise impact demand from downstream industries and their customers.
Prices are falling across multiple value chains with some collapsing to lows not seen for a decade, despite steady or firming feedstock values.
China polymer markets are in a particularly fragile state as 25% US tariffs on many finished articles containing plastics have unnerved export-oriented convertors and their customers. The slowing Chinese economy is also hitting demand growth for plastic products domestically, as well as packaging, a major use of polyethylene (PE).
As hopes for a truce between China and the US fade, markets are now planning for these elevated tariffs to persist. Without a resolution to the dispute, the US plans to hit a further $300bn of Chinese goods with 25% tariffs in June, meaning that almost all of the country’s exports to the US will be targeted. Thermoplastics Petrochemicals Automotive
US-China trade war, economic slowdown hurt Asia chemicals prices
Asian chemicals prices are suffering as downstream markets’ demand softens due to the ongoing US-China trade war and the general economic slowdown.
Prices are falling across multiple value chains, with some collapsing to decade-lows despite steady or firming feedstock values.
China polymers markets are in a particularly fragile state as 25% US tariffs on many finished articles containing plastics has unnerved export-oriented convertors and their customers.
The slowing Chinese economy is also hitting demand growth for plastic products domestically, as well as packaging, a major use of polyethylene (PE).
-BASF to build engineering plastics, thermoplastic polyurethanes plants in China
The two plants will be located at the company’s proposed integrated chemical production site in Zhanjiang, China.
BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany) plans to build an engineering plastics compounding plant and a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) plant at the company’s proposed integrated chemical production site, called Verbund, in Zhanjiang, China. These will be the first production plants to come onstream at the site.
By 2022, the new engineering plastics compounding plant will supply an additional capacity of 60,000 metric tons per year of BASF engineering plastics compounds in China, bringing the total BASF capacity of these products in Asia Pacific to 290,000 metric tons per year.Thermoplastics Petrochemicals Automotive
-PETnology Americas’ presentations focus on improving plastics lifecycle, recycling efforts
The next PETnology Americas’ conference will take place May 12-13, 2020 in Atlanta.
CARBIOS, a green chemistry company in industrial development stage, discussed its work on discovering and developing enzymatic bioprocesses to reinvent the lifecycle of plastics.
According to Martin Stephan, deputy CEO of CARBIOS, the company’s processes use enzymes produced by natural micro-organisms, selected for their ability to degrade plastic polymers. Three innovative bioprocesses are under development at the company. They include a new generation of fully biodegradable plastics with a controlled lifespan, infinite biorecycling of plastic waste enabling the production of new plastics of the same quality as the original product and biopolymer production through a new biological pathway.
-China said to have rare-earth elements plan for US
DYSPROSIUM FUTURE?Shanghai Metals Market researcher Racket Hu said that the US would struggle to source heavy rare-earth elements if China halts exports of themBeijing has readied a plan to restrict exports of rare-earth elements to the US if needed as both sides in the trade dispute dig in for a protracted dispute, people familiar with the matter said.
The Chinese government has prepared the steps to use its stranglehold on the critical minerals in a targeted way to hurt the US economy, the people said.
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