Negizhi

05/10/2017

Negizhi'17
Stay tuned for more updates.

04/10/2017

Hello Facebookies, Glad that we are back again with events that gives a chance to prove yourselves technically.
Negizhi'17 is a National level Technical
Symposium organized by Cipetians at Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology, Chennai. We warmly welcome the budding engineers to present their innovations and wisdom.
Last but not the least, Entertainment with an elegant ending!
Do participate guys...

10/06/2017

The new Polymer Air-Conditioning Conveyance System (PACCS) lines are said to be a cost-effective and lightweight alternative to the aluminum tubing and rubber components used in traditional lines. Made of a blended long-chain nylon, the PACCS design reportedly results in a 20-50% weight reduction compared to the traditional lines. The PACCS lines are characterized as more bendable and flexible for greater packaging efficiency and safety benefits in crash conditions, capable of withstanding high-system pressure, and offer chemical resistance to all oils and refrigerants.

Still other advantages claimed include the capability to replace formed and bulk hoses, with up to 40% less components—resulting in a 10-15% cost reduction, and a lower assembly cost due to Eaton’s “Snap-to-Connect” system that eliminates the process of screwing traditional lines into the system. Gas tightness is said to be 10 times better than traditional lines, leading to a reduction in the amount of refrigerant needed. For example, a vehicle that normally would need 24 ounces of refrigerant would need only 21.36 ounces.

Moreover, PACCS lines are less susceptible to heat transfer, so heat from the engine does not result in diminished cooling, and 90% of the PACCS line’s thermoplastic materials are regrindable, for a better “end-of-life” profile, along with a 50% reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions.

PACCS capability covers a broad range of applications, including passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses, harvesters and agricultural tractors. Says Christophe Schorsch, manager, advanced products engineering, “This project in highly innovative and demanding from a product design point of view. It requires specific technical attributes like high thermal, mechanical and chemical performance, and is expected to start a revolution in the traditional connecting line industry by suppliers and customers. Today we are replacing traditional technology and building a new standard in the industry.”

Meanwhile, PACCS lines have been trial tested in a vehicle that had all its air conditioning lines replaced with the new material, and thousands of test miles have been accumulated confirming the advantages claimed over traditional lines. They are also being tested by several customers.

Eaton has a long history of producing air conditioning lines and components, including high-quality, corrosion-resistant lines for discharge, liquid and suction, internal heat exchange lines, as well as plastic quick connectors and recently introduced ultra-low-permeation hoses that contribute to reduced fuel consumption and help curb refrigeration losses.

16/05/2017

The Plastic-Eating Caterpillar that Could Halt PE Bag Waste

Scientists claim that a caterpillar commercially bred for fishing bait has the ability to biodegrade polyethylene. So beehives aren’t a fan of these wax worms—the larvae of the common insect Galleria mellonella or greater wax moth—as these worms live as parasites in bee colonies (I never thought I would write about any of this). Apparently wax moths lay their eggs inside hives where the worms hatch and feed on beeswax—that’s where they get their name.

Here’s how it relates to PE: a chance discovery occurred when one member of the scientific team, Federica Bertocchini, an amateur beekeeper, was removing the parasitic pests from the honeycombs in her hives. The worms were temporarily kept in a typical plastic shopping bag that became riddled with holes.

Bertocchini, from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), collaborated with colleagues Paolo Bombelli and Christopher Howe at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Biochemistry to conduct a timed experiment.

Around 100 wax worms were exposed to a plastic bag from a UK supermarket. Holes started to appear after just 40 minutes, and after 12 hours there was a reduction in plastic mass of 92mg from the bag.

Scientists say that the degradation rate is extremely fast compared to other recent discoveries, such as bacteria reported last year to biodegrade some plastics at a rate of just 0.13mg a day.

"If a single enzyme is responsible for this chemical process, its reproduction on a large scale using biotechnological methods should be achievable," stated Cambridge's Paolo Bombelli, first author of the study published today in the journal Current Biology.

"This discovery could be an important tool for helping to get rid of the polyethylene plastic waste accumulated in landfill sites and oceans."

We all know about the issue with PE waste and the various bag bans some cities have adopted. But these researchers believe nature could provide the answer to the waste problem. The beeswax on which wax worms grow is composed of a highly diverse mixture of lipid compounds: building block molecules of living cells, including fats, oils and some hormones.

The researchers say it is likely that digesting beeswax and polyethylene involves breaking similar types of chemical bonds, although they add that the molecular detail of wax biodegradation requires further investigation.

“Wax is a polymer, a sort of ‘natural plastic,’ and has a chemical structure not dissimilar to polyethylene,” said CSIC’s Bertocchini, the study’s lead author.

The researchers conducted spectroscopic analysis to show the chemical bonds in the plastic were breaking. The analysis showed the worms transformed the polyethylene into ethylene glycol, representing un-bonded ‘monomer’ molecules.

To confirm it wasn’t just the chewing mechanism of the caterpillars degrading the plastic, the team mashed up some of the worms and smeared them (yuck) on polyethylene bags, with similar results.

“The caterpillars are not just eating the plastic without modifying its chemical make-up. We showed that the polymer chains in polyethylene plastic are actually broken by the wax worms,” said Bombelli.

“The caterpillar produces something that breaks the chemical bond, perhaps in its salivary glands or a symbiotic bacteria in its gut. The next steps for us will be to try and identify the molecular processes in this reaction and see if we can isolate the enzyme responsible.”

As the molecular details of the process become known, the researchers say it could be used to devise a biotechnological solution on an industrial scale for managing polyethylene waste.

Added Bertocchini: “We are planning to implement this finding into a viable way to get rid of plastic waste, working towards a solution to save our oceans, rivers, and all the environment from the unavoidable consequences of plastic accumulation.”

As Ian Malcom once said in Jurassic Park, “Life finds a way,” this time around “Nature found a way.”

27/12/2016

Perfluoroalkoxy alkanes or PFA are fluoropolymers. They are copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene (C2F4) and perfluoroethers (C2F3ORf, where Rf is a perfluorinated group such as trifluoromethyl (CF3)). In terms of their properties, these polymers are similar to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The big difference is that the alkoxy substituents allow the polymer to be melt-processed. On a molecular level, PFA has a smaller chain length, and higher chain entanglement than other fluoropolymers. It also contains an oxygen atom at the branches. This results in a material that is more translucent and has improved flow, creep resistance, and thermal stability close to or exceeding PTFE. Similarly advantaged processing properties are found in fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), the copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene.

18/12/2016

Karnataka has taken a new step.... Let's hope for GREEN PLASTIC

"BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC ERA"

The bags take less than 180 days to biodegrade naturally!

13/12/2016

Non-Phthalate plasticiser as DEHP - In medical use

BloodCenter of Wisconsin (BCW, part of Versiti) and Eastman Chemical Company have announced the results of a recent clinical trial evaluating a new plasticizer for blood bags.
di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) has provided the medical industry with a stable ortho-phthalate plasticizer for many years, regulatory trends and consumer demands will inevitably drive the industry to non-phthalate alternatives. The clinical trial results demonstrate that Eastman 168™ SG non-phthalate plasticizer, a sensitive-grade DEHT, is a viable alternative for medical applications.


Eastman 168™ SG is a non-phthalate plasticizer - It offers low extractables, low migration and a clean toxicological profile, It is an enhanced grade of Eastman 168 non-phthalate plasticizer.

Application/Uses

* Food contact

* Medical

* Toys/Child care

“Blood bags are one of the most challenging applications in the plastics market,” says Eastman Market Development Manager Mark Brucks. “BCW’s research is important because it demonstrates a viable alternative for those who have concerns around using DEHP in sensitive applications like blood bags, and it’s also a testament to the importance of material suppliers and institutions working together to find safer solutions.”

The clinical trial findings were presented at the 2016 AABB Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 24 by Sharon Graminske, manager of applied research laboratory at BloodCenter of Wisconsin. Entitled “In Vitro Evaluation of DEHT Plasticized PVC Blood Bags for Red Blood Cell Storage in AS-1 and PAGGSM Preservative Solutions,” Graminske’s presentation highlighted the trend driving the need for DEHP alternatives as well as the preliminary results supporting DEHP replacement with DEHT, a non-phthalate plasticizer.
“Our work with Eastman has provided valuable results that will benefit the blood banking industry,” said Kathleen Puca, M.D., BloodCenter medical director and principal investigator who oversaw the findings reported by Graminske. “The DEHT trial results offer new insight about a well-established plasticizer that has now been proven to have an even broader application within health care — providing safer blood products.”

Further work is being completed on plasma to validate performance. “Eastman 168 SG is a proven, tested, and toxicologically clean solution for the medical market,” says Brucks. “By working closely with BCW, we are able to extend the utility of Eastman 168 SG into this application, offering customers a cost-effective alternative that performs to standard so that they can confidently make the switch from DEHP when they are ready.”

BloodCenter of Wisconsin’s Clinical Trials and Cellular Therapy Services provide a full spectrum of services for clinical trials (preclinical and phases I–IV) in a wide range of therapeutic areas. BloodCenter of Wisconsin has assisted pharmaceutical and medical device companies with regulatory studies, laboratory testing, assay development and a variety of other research needs for more than 30 years.

13/12/2016

Material Insights: Trump names Dow CEO to lead manufacturing council:

Dow Chemical Co. CEO Andrew Liveris appeared with President-elect Trump at a rally in Michigan, Ineos Styrolution is adding capacity in Mexico and propane-to-polypropylene projects in Canada get a boost from local government

09/12/2016

At least we know it....!!! We can do Na!!?!

08/12/2016

All leading supermarkets have pledged to stop selling cotton buds with plastic sticks, millions of which are flushed away and pollute rivers and the sea.

Lidl yesterday joined other retailers in promising to phase out the plastic stems by the end of next year. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Aldi, Morrisons and Boots UK all recently made similar commitments after Waitrose and Johnson & Johnson led the way in spring.

*The plastic stems will be replaced with ones made of rolled paper*

Plastic-stemmed buds were the most frequent type of sewage-related debris found in this year’s Marine Conservation Society “great beach clean” by volunteers, with an average of 23 collected per 100 metres of beach.

Birds and fish can be harmed by accidentally consuming the cotton bud stems and the plastic can also act as a sponge for chemical pollutants.

Natalie Fee, founder of the City to Sea conservation group, said: “We’re delighted with the commitment from so many major supermarkets to ‘Switch the Stick’ from plastic to paper.

“This move will stop millions of plastic stems ending up in the marine environment each year and is a huge win in the fight against pollution.”

01/03/2016

Heartily welcome u all.....

26/10/2015

CIPET Lucknow.