Materials

Vietnam’s Phu My Plastics Production JSC will use Honeywell UOP’s C3 Oleflex technology to produce polymer-grade propylene at its facility. The plant will help meet growing domestic demand for plastics in Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia. This is the first award for Honeywell’s propane dehydrogenation technology in Vietnam. Honeywell UOP will…

DowDuPont, a holding company comprised of Dow Chemical Company and DuPont, says that its board of directors has approved the previously announced separation of DowDuPont’s Materials Science Division, which will become the new Dow on April 1. “Today’s announcement marks a major milestone toward successfully separating Dow on April 1,…

Biome Bioplastics, UK-based natural plastics developer, and Futamura, Japan-based plastic and cellulose films manufacturer, have partnered to demonstrate a range of bio-based and compostable multilayer films.  The materials offer competitive performance, while tackling the negative environmental impact of traditional oil-based, non-recyclable multilayer packaging. Sustainable alternatives to challenging packaging formats such…

Italy’s bioplastics maker Novamont Group has opened its revamped Mater-Biopolymer site for bio polyesters. The site has been revamped to allow the production of Origo-Bi, a family of biodegradable polyesters with an increasing content of renewable raw materials. The plant was formerly owned by Mossi & Ghisolfi that produced polyethylene terephthalate (PET).…

Chemical firm Solvay says it is set to increase the company’s fluoroelastomer (FKM) production to support global customers’ continuing strong demand for high performance sealing applications. End-use applications in hybrid and low emission internal combustion engines (ICE) and in the semiconductor industry are the key drivers of solid growth. The recent addition…

Mountains of plastic waste from countries like the US, Britain, South Korea, and Spain can be seen scattered along the streets of Pulau Indah, an industrial island town on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur and home to Malaysia’s biggest port. Container loads of plastic waster are unloaded onto the island,…

Chemical giant BASF has entered into its second major investment in China this year, having recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the country’s oil major Sinopec Corp, to further expand their existing 50:50 joint venture BASF-YPC Company (BASF-YPC) and to build a steam cracker in east China. According…

In a bid to halt the onslaught of plastic wastes, biodegradable plastics are deemed as viable and cost-effective solutions. Market growth is being driven by consumer awareness of climate change and marine litter and regulations on the use of conventional plastics, but yet there are detractors that do not favour…

In the field of medicine, a rule of thumb when prescribing medical treatment is that the benefits must outweigh risks. However, when it comes to using medical devices, there are no taking chances. Throughout the continued advancements in medical technology, patient safety comes first, says Angelica Buan in this report.…

This article by Dr. Hilmar Bolte, R&D/ Head of Analysis at German firm Sikora takes a look at the meaning of “measuring rate”, “averaging” and “accuracy” when investing in a measuring device. Founded in 1973, Sikora is a global manufacturer and supplier of measuring and control technology for the wire…