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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Technology developed by Algal Scientific Corp. (Northville, Mich.; www.algalscientific.com) uses algae to remove soluble organics, nitrogen and phosphorous from medium- to high-strength wastewaters in a single step. The technology is an alternative to multistep treatment processes involving the use of…
Conventional hydrogen-based systems designed to store electrical energy (from solar arrays, for example) typically feed electricity to a proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) electrolyzer to generate H2 from water. This H2 is then compressed and stored in a cylinder, or as a metal…
In April, a demonstration plant started up that makes bioethanol from cassava residue — a byproduct of tapioca production. The demonstration plant, located at the cassava starch plant of EBP Ethanol Co. in Sa Kaeo Province, Thailand, is part of…
In the ten years since its first isolation by a pair of physicists, the single-atom-thick carbon allotrope known as graphene has been extolled as a “miracle material” for everything from television screens to tennis rackets to superabsorbent fabrics. What excites…
Adipic acid is a dicarboxylic acid that is widely applied to the production of nylon, polyurethanes, plasticizers and other polymers. Its main use is as one of the raw materials for the manufacture of the polyamide nylon 6,6. In 2012,…