Through adsorption to metal surfaces while in solution, benzotriazole and tolyltriazole are able to inhibit corrosion on metal surfaces. Tolyltriazole is especially adept at creating this bond with copper and its alloys. Tolyltriazole is produced from ortho-toluenediamine (oDTA), which is a side stream in the production of toluene diisocyanate (TDI). In the recent weeks we have seen a shortage of oDTA which does not look to be subsiding soon. The main use of TDI, the material in which oDTA availability relies, is as a precursor to polyurethane foams, which has seen its demand drop drastically with the recent pull back in new construction in China. A Chinese housing boom has turned into a burst bubble with 22% of housing empty. The housing market is expected to adjust and recover, but new construction will need time to adjust and will lag in the recovery. With this has come the reduction in TDI production, and with that, oDTA. This shortage has caused a spike in the price of tolyltriazole and raised concerns over future availability.
Month: April 2015
How To Make A Profit From Rotting Garbage
Methane is produced by decomposing trash that can be used to produce electricity or heat. Currently, most landfills do not make enough methane for energy production to make it worthwhile. Therefore, these landfills burn (flare) the methane away. Russell Chinelli, Ph. D., a professor at The University of Texas at El Paso, invented a process that can increase methane production. The process captures and recycles the exhaust gas from generating electricity with landfill methane. It also indicates that this process can be used to cultivate algae. These organisms help produce methane in the landfills. Chianelli said that this is a clean process and nothing goes to waste.
For more information see Science Daily.
A New Development Using Plant Oils In Bioplastics
Polyurethane, as many of you might already know, is extremely tough and corrosion-and-wear-resistant, which makes it a popular choice for a wide variety of applications. The only real downside is that the petroleum-based product isn’t as environmentally friendly as one would hope. But a new development from Washington State University is sure to change that. Researchers from the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering have found a new way to create polyurethane using plant oils like olive, linseed, canola, grape seed, and castor oils. At this time there are already polyurethanes made from plant materials, but the research group developed a new method using vegetable oils to create materials with a larger variety of flexibility, stiffness, and shapes. Their new method is very attractive because plant oils are inexpensive, renewable, readily available, and can be genetically engineered. With its high potential for commercialization, there could be an increase in demand for plant oils in the future.
For more information see Science Daily.
Explosion Rips Through Paraxylene Plant In China
An explosion and major fire erupted in China’s Fujian province Monday night, sending six people to the hospital, officials reported. State news agency Xinhua said 177 fire engines and more than 800 firefighters were sent to the scene. The plant, in the city of Zhangzhou, produces the chemical paraxylene (PX), which is the basic raw material used to make polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polyesters. Tremors from the explosion could be felt up to 50 km away and windows at a petrol station 1 km away were blown out. Nearby residents were evacuated and the blaze was contained with environmental teams deployed by Tuesday evening. The incident was the second blast at the Zhangzhou plant, operated by Dragon Aromatics, in two years. Many in China feel PX creates harmful pollution and have been protesting the new construction of paraxylene plants, with demonstrations turning violent last year in Guangdong province. Xinhua reported Monday’s blast occurred in a pumping station, after leaking oil caught fire.
Update: The fire had reignited Tuesday evening before being put out again. On Wednesday morning another tank containing nearly 1,500 tons of hydrocarbon liquid caught fire and exploded, forcing the evacuation of more than 14,000 residents.
For more information see BBC.com.
Coating Turns Cotton Into A Fabric Worthy Of A Superhero
Superhydrophobic surfaces are found on duck feathers and lotus leaves that repels water. A Chinese group, led by Junqi Sun, from Jilin University has achieved the same superhydrophobicity. The surface heals itself. If the surface gets nicked, it allows water from the air to cause the molecules to fill back in and bring back the hydrophobicity of the exposed surface.
Currently, flame-retardant fabric coatings that are found in children’s pajamas or fabrics on furniture can wash away overtime. Sun’s group took a flame retardant and put it in between the waterproof coating and cotton. The group tested the coating by placing a flame at the bottom of a 30 cm long strip of fabric for 12 seconds. They found that untreated cotton burned in 14 seconds while the treated on didn’t burn more than 4 cm before the flame extinguished itself.
Sun intends the coating for use in military coatings or any fabrics that has to withstand harsh conditions. More tests are currently being done.
For more information see ACS.org.
CLIP 3D Printing 25-100X Faster Than Layer By Layer
It’s called Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP), and it could revolutionize 3D printing. Carbon3D, a privately-held Redwood City, California based company has created a process which can print three-dimensional objects as one piece instead of the layer by layer approach used now. Carbon3D uses photosensitive monomers which will polymerize when exposed to UV light, and oxygen to inhibit polymerization in specified areas. This is accomplished with a special transparent and permeable window that allows both light and oxygen to pass through. The machine controls the amount of oxygen, and when that oxygen is allowed into the resin pool, it creates a ‘dead zone’ as small as tens of microns thick. Then a series of cross sectional images using UV light is produced to polymerize the uninhibited resin. This new process can be 25-100 times faster than conventional 3D printing. Carbon3D has partnered with a couple of the leading capital venture firms and looks poised to continue to develop this technology.