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The article discusses the challenges associated with chemical recycling of waste plastics, specifically focusing on the pyrolysis process to convert waste plastics into valuable pyrolysis oil. It highlights the environmental issues caused by plastic waste mismanagement and the potential of pyrolysis oil as a feedstock for producing new plastics with a lower carbon footprint.

In a world where plastic pollution can be seen out most windows, no article is needed to convey the global scope of the plastics problem. But this topic often becomes bifurcated into technological discussions without concrete implementations, or broad initiatives without a tether to the aforementioned technologies. Here we aim to fuse these two by connecting the capabilities of ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS), near-infrared (IR), and Raman spectroscopies with practical, real-world initiatives being carried out at the corporate and social levels. Spectroscopy plays a critical role in both macroscopic and microscopic plastics detection, which is the first step in remediation, and also in the commercial replacement of plastics with biodegradable materials. This piece provides tangible examples of efforts being made today, including details on spectral hardware implementation, but more importantly provides proposals to the reader on how they can make a meaningful difference in their own world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on sustainability trends showcased at NPE 2024, highlighting advancements in injection molding, extrusion, and compounding processes towards circular economy initiatives. Topics discussed include innovations in energy-efficient machinery, adoption of recycled and biobased materials, and the integration of automation and AI to address labor shortages and enhance productivity.

The article discusses the rapid growth of China's production capacity for degradable materials, highlighting polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA) as mature products with significant production volumes. Topics include the challenges and price trends in the PBAT and PLA markets, as well as the prospects for the degradable plastics industry's future growth driven by environmental policies and diversified applications.

The article discusses that Beyond Plastic LLC has developed a completely biodegradable injection-molded closure made from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), supplied by CJ Biomaterials Inc. Phase two of their research involves exploring compression molding of the bioplastic caps, aiming to demonstrate PHA's viability in replacing fossil fuel-based plastics used in single-use packaging applications.

The article focuses on emerging trends in additives and materials, highlighting the shift towards sustainability and the elimination of harmful chemicals like PFAS. Topics discussed include the development of fluorine-free polymer processing aids, advancements in antioxidant stabilization systems for mechanical recycling, and the introduction of sustainable solutions such as fully recyclable monomaterial film structures and materials containing postconsumer recycled content.

The article evaluates several eco-friendly 3D printing filaments, including Eco-Fil-A-Gehr Wood from GEHR (Mannheim, Germany), made of Sulapac (Helsinki, Finland), with high dimensional stability and compostable/recyclable properties; and FLEXmat from Ilium Composites (Hidd, Bahrain).

The article discusses the history and evolution of waste treatment and recovery, focusing on landfill, incineration and sewage treatment. The author shares personal experiences of growing up in a time of rationing and repair, and professionally working in waste management. It also explores the potential for recovered materials from sewage treatment and the need for more sustainable practices in waste management.

The bioreactor by Festo enables efficient and large-scale photosynthesis of algae. Algae are efficient climate savers as they bind ten times more carbon dioxide than land plants. By cultivating algae in closed loops, biomass can be bred highly efficiently and resource-friendly. Festo relies on digitization, artificial intelligence, and quantum sensing to optimize the cultivation of biomass. The researchers focus on cultivating the blue-green algae Synechocystis, which produces color pigments, omega-3 fatty acids, and polyhydroxybutyric acid (PHB). Festo has also developed software that allows for the mapping of multiple photobioreactors with current data and live recordings. In collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, a dispensing machine has been developed to improve photosynthesis enzymes. The production of biomass can be made energy-efficient and sustainable through these technologies. It is also discussed that alternatives to plastic production are needed as plastics are often non-biodegradable. Projects like the Festo bioreactor can contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and producing environmentally friendly plastics. [Extracted from the article]

In collaboration with Isao Noda, I have been using Raman spectroscopy to study the properties of the bioplastic polyhydroxybutyrate hexanoate (PHBHx), which depend on the percentage of hexanoate (which produces propyl side branches to the polymer chain). The percentages of hexanoate determine the maximum crystallinity that the polymer can experience, and that determines its physical and chemical properties, which include its optical clarity, dyability, flexibility, and thermal properties (melting and glass transition temperature). It is useful to have an easy way to determine the composition; in this column, we describe how Raman spectroscopy was used to show that this is feasible at an accuracy greater than expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that output of China's biaxially oriented films, such as biaxially oriented polyimide (BOPI), biaxially oriented polyethylene (BOPE) and biaxially oriented polylactic acid, driven by domestic economic development. Topics include massive capacity expansions by aluminum-plastic packaging film producers in 2021 brought BOPA film market; and China's biaxially oriented polyester (BOPET) industry grew fast in 2021, with an improvement in both supply-demand and profitability.

The article discusses on the ethical research goals and the power of citizen science. Topics include research on plastic waste issues; multidisciplinary approach to make a significant contribution to the problem of plastic waste; and information on Citizen science, which is a method of doing science with the public by using them to collect and analyse data.

The article highlights Carbios' composting additive for polylactide bioplastics being added to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Inventory of Food Contact Substances, enabling the creation of fully compostable packaging materials in the U.S.

The article explains the use of bacteria to produce biodegradable plastics. It mentions use of PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) as both bio-derived and biodegradable under ambient conditions, making it a truly "green" plastic; and also mentions challenges with initiatives like the Australian Research Council's new Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Bioplastics and Biocomposites.

The company DLM was founded in 1987 and today produces protective caps. Over 55 percent of the production is exported abroad. DLM has chosen to use second-life and recyclable plastics, as biodegradable materials and bioplastics do not meet environmental requirements. The company has also taken measures to reduce energy consumption, such as the introduction of hybrid injection molding machines and the installation of solar panels. DLM has also implemented various improvements in the production processes to reduce waste and CO2 emissions. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on ABM Composite's development of glass fiber-reinforced composites using degradable glass fibers made from bioactive glass, which can be composted at the end of their service life, providing improved strength for biodegradable polymers and sustainable end-of-life options for various applications.

The article explores the opportunity for China's biodegradable plastics. It mentions about the types of biodegradable plastics including polylactic acid; polybutylene succinate; and the copolymer of butylene adipate and butylene terephthalate. It discusses the growth of the China's biodegradable plastics industry.

The article explores China has implemented its plastic pollution control policies and hence started a new history for biodegradable plastics. In 2007, the government issued the first "plastic restriction" regulation policy: "Notice on Restricting the Production, Sales and Use of Plastic Shopping Bags".

The article explores France's Total Energies and Houston based New Hope Energy have entered into a commercial agreement under which New Hope Energy will build an advanced recycling plant in Texas to transform postconsumer waste into a recycled feedstock.

The article presents several products including shredder called "The Beast" from BCA Industries, newest low-pressure structural-foam machine for pallets from Wilmington Machinery, and Fast Heat Pulse hot-runner temperature controller for applications from two to 180 zones from Spark Industries.

The article focuses on the challenge of low plastics recycling rates in Europe, with just 12.4 present of the region's plastics production being circular plastics, and emphasizes the need for comprehensive strategies that include both chemical and mechanical recycling technologies to achieve higher recycling rates.

The article presents an interview with Ji Junhui, professor at Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, CAS and Director of National Engineering Research Center of Engineering Plastics about the development of degradable plastics. It mentions that deployment for the treatment of plastic pollution and the application of degradable plastics in China.

The article offers information on the Crude benzene which is one of the by-products of coal coking process, and its output usually takes 1% of coke output, being short for a long time. It discusses that China's hydrogenated benzene market went up healthily in 2021 as supported by domestic downstream expansion and global economy recovery; and mentions that Hydrogenated benzene producers are mainly located in Shandong, East China and North China.

The article focuses information on biodegradable plastics industry. Topic include represented by polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene adipate (PBAT) have continuously made breakthroughs and improvements, and used in disposable tableware, packaging, agriculture, automotive, medical and textile applications, and are help for development.

The article informs that competitive global marketplace, plastic processors can gain an advantage by incorporating a few relatively simple practices into their operations, and the plasticating unit is the key to production efficiency and to the quality of the end product. Topics include principal components of the plasticating unit to be designed to deliver maximum melting efficiency; and changes are incremental and go unnoticed until they dramatically impact part quality or productivity.

The article focuses on the sustainability efforts in Southeast Asia, particularly in the use of bio-based feedstocks and waste-based raw materials in industries such as plastics, food, and personal care. It mentions companies are shifting towards greener alternatives, such as palm oil and sugar, to produce bio-based products and bioplastics, contributing to the growth of the market and reducing carbon emissions.

The article inforns that Synthetic polymer materials have largely replaced traditional natural materials because of their excellent properties, including lightweight and corrosion resistance. It mentions that due to chemical stability and wide use of plastics in the natural environment, their wastes have caused a heavy burden to the environment.

The article offers information related to the K 2019 show to be held from October 16-23, in Düsseldorf, Germany. It's focus on the use of resins and additives for sustainability in cars, electronics and packaging. It notes that material suppliers are committed to the Circular Economy, as evidenced by their adoption of new technologies, product introductions and collaborations.

The article offers information on importance of biological recycling of biodegradable plastics to meet demand for organics recovery and reduced plastic waste. Topics discussed include information on aerobic composting (AC) in which fungi and aerobic bacteria consume the biopolymers; combination of anaerobic digestion (AD) with existing or new AC facilities which increases percent recovery and recycling of the organics and biopolymers; and informaton on thermoplastic starch.

The article focuses on the growing market for bionaphtha in Europe and Asia, particularly driven by bioplastics demand and fuel-blending mandates, with bionaphtha being a side product of second-generation hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) biofuel plants and being used as a feedstock in naphtha crackers to produce olefins and aromatics for bioplastics production.

The lubricant manufacturer Zeller+Gmelin has launched two new products on the market: Divinol SynthoHyd Eco46, a fully synthetic, biodegradable multi-grade hydraulic oil that is ideal for use in environmentally sensitive areas and rationalizes lubricant requirements, as well as Divinol Multipurpose Grease Ca 2, a lithium-free calcium soap-based grease that has been developed as a sustainable alternative to conventional greases. These products are intended to meet the demand for environmentally friendly and resource-saving lubricants. In particular, the hydraulic oil is also suitable for outdoor use under extreme conditions. [Extracted from the article]

An introduction to an article from the University of Hof in Germany on the development of films based on biopolymers.

The article focuses on the continued growth of the specialty chemicals market despite challenges such as inflation and geopolitical risks. Topics include the expected expansion driven by sustainable solutions and the green transition, the impact of rising inflation and energy prices on cost structures, and the potential for new specialty materials like biodegradable polymers to emerge.

The article offers information on the domestic prices of chemical products soared in the second half of February, more specially from February 8 to 25, 2021 given that snowstorm in the U.S. heavily struck crude production. It discusses that the U.S. snowstorm cutting down crude supply greatly propelled prices of most aromatic hydrocarbon products; and mentions that high operating rates, inventory pressure and weak demand dragged down hydrogen peroxide price.

The article discusses China's National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollutions referred to "Opinions" on January 2020. Topics include the Notice required by the end of August, localities launch law enforcement inspections on the promotion of plastic bans; and the Ministry of Commerce issued the "Notice on Strengthening the Treatment of Plastic Pollution in the Commercial Field".

The article discusses the use of compostable and biodegradable plastic bags to facilitate the collection of residential organics specifically food scraps. Topics mention including increasing use of anaerobic digestion in Germany, composting biowaste and filed trials which were carried out in discontinuous processes.

The article focuses on the upcoming operation of Inner Mongolia Sunway New Materials Co., Ltd.'s BDO integration project in August, which aims to produce 900,000 tons per year of BDO and degradable plastics through an industrial chain using coal, calcium carbide, acetylene, and 1,4-butanediol.

The article discusses that Versalis, the chemical business of Eni SpA has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire the 64 percent share of Novamont SpA, from Mater-Bi, a company controlled by Investitori Associati II and NB Renaissance.

The article informs that National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce published a draft of the "Catalogue of Industries Encouraging Foreign Investment (2020 Edition)" and asked for comments until Aug 30, 2020, and catalogue includes categories related to the chemical industry. It mentions that materials with superior environmental properties and materials improving the environmental impact of chemical processes.

The article reports that biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) firms in China planning to slow down the capacity expansion and focus on transformation. Topics include production processes of BOPET which is consumed by producers of packaging and printing materials; and BOPET firms have been troubled by severer competition and declining profits both arising from overcapacity.

The article reports that Bio-based chemicals relying on biotechnologies and helping energy chemical firms produce green products have strategic significance in a period for carbon neutrality. Topics include China issued Development Plan for Bio-industry propelling application of biomass material biological polymerization and chemical polymerization technologies; and superiority in reducing carbon emissions, recycling carbon dioxide and making chemical industry chain eco-friendly.

In this article the author talks about the research and development of more sustainable packaging concepts. Topics discussed include packaging is primarily intended to protect packaged goods in order to save resource-intensive and sensitive products such as food from loss and to avoid associated Carbon dioxide emissions, and Polylactic acid (PLA)-based plastics produced from biomass and most researched synthetic biopolymers with promising properties for use in sustainable packaging concepts.

The article informs the CJ Biomaterials, a Massachusetts-based company, plans to overcome these hurdles through capacity expansion and partnerships by developing amorphous polyhydroxyalkanoate (aPHA), a PHA variant that offers improved performance and biodegradability compared to the dominant crystalline or semicrystalline PHA.

The article focuses on the Wanhua New Materials Low-Carbon Industrial Park Project, which is a three-phase investment and construction project with a total investment by Wanhua Group. It mentions about the first phase, with an investment of RMB31.6 billion, will produce high-performance new materials such as propylene and ethylene, and is set to be completed and handed over in June 2024.

The article reports on a Master Collaboration Agreement signed by biopolymer producers CJ Biomaterials, Inc. and NatureWorks, the leading global producer of polylactic acid (PLA), for development of sustainable materials based on CJ Biomaterials' Phact Biodegradable Polymers and NatureWorks' Ingeo biopolymers.

The article discusses that several South Korea's leading chemical companies have announced plans to produce eco-friendly materials as part of their respective programs focused on achieving carbon neutrality as well as pursuing environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG)-based management strategies. It mentions that LG Chem in 2020 became the first chemical company in South Korea to announce its ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

The article focuses on USDA chemist Atanu Biswas aims toward greener alternatives to plastic packaging.

The article offers information on the coal chemical firms which convert coal into gas, liquid and solid fuels and chemicals. It discusses that the coronavirus pandemic and more stringent environmental protection policies greatly hit the coal chemical industry, profits of which shrank due to factors like fluctuation of international oil prices – being low in 2020, rebounding in 2021, and forecast to stay at a reasonable in the future.