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.

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.

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.

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.

Full implementation of the GHS (Globally Harmonized System) regulations are set to be in place by mid-2015, and the European Union’s REACh registration requirements are to be completely updated by June of 2018. These new regulations are expected to affect the metalworking lubricants industry especially hard. The cost to MWF additive manufacturers to participate in the REACh program, where anyone importing or manufacturing within the E.U. over one metric ton per year of a given substance must collect and report any hazard information, physical properties and use information to the ECHA, is expected to be a large deterrent for those not already importing substantial volumes. The new GHS requirements also add compliance difficulties and end-user pushback on the domestic front, especially due to the nature of metalworking fluid additives. Environmental regulations are also problematic when discussing metalworking fluids. In the STLE textbook Metalworking Fluids, Eugene M. White writes, “MWFs are difficult to classify and regulate due to their chemical diversity and proprietary compositions.” He adds, “Another barrier to the regulation of MWFs is that, during normal usage, they undergo physical changes.” These inherent properties can create problems when attempting to regulate unused fluids. The balance between protecting machinery and the environment as well as keeping costs down poses a difficult challenge for the future of metalworking fluids and their additives.

Last week, the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) senior leadership traveled to Washington, DC to meet with Members of Congress and their staff.   One of the key discussions centered on the recently introduced Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (S.697). This legislation would reform the very outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).   The measure would modernize TSCA to assess the safety of chemicals through a risk-based approach, prioritizes chemical reviews to ensure the safety of each of the chemicals of highest concern is evaluated, and requires a national approach to chemical management.

For More Information see the NACD Press Release.

The last decade of the 20^th century saw a healthy rise of synthetic base stock in lubricants and greases. One industry expert had growth of API Group IV base stock, PAOs, at 5.5% a year growth from 1994-2000. But in 1997 Castrol reformulated one of their synthetic blends with Group III base oil and kept the synthetic label. In the late 1990’s the National Advertising Division of the U.S. Council of Better Business Bureau decided it was truthful to call Group III base oils synthetic and the use of PAO’s declined. By 2012 the ratio of Group III base oil capacity versus low-viscosity PAOs increased 11-fold. Fast forward to 2015 and things are improving in the PAO industry. With tougher demands for energy savings, low-temperature fluidity and reduced volatility in the lubricant industry, PAOs are on the upswing. More efficient motors have created an increasing need for better performing lubricants that can handle the higher demands. High viscosity PAOs are also in demand, prompting ExxonMobil Chemical to open a new plant in Baytown, Texas, with 50,000 metric ton of high-vis PAO capacity. Global PAO manager at Chevron Phillips Chemical, Miles Oberton, highlighted some areas where PAOs outperform the Group III base oils, “A PAO based lubricant removes 10 to 15 percent more heat than mineral oils of the same weight, and allows equipment to operate at higher temperatures.” Currently the world has just five suppliers of low and high-vis PAOs due to technology constraints and access to feedstock. “Limited growth in feedstock has challenged growth in PAO,” Oberton continues. “But on the high-viscosity side, we expect to see 4 to 7 percent average annual growth from 2013 to 2015.” Michel Sanchez-Rivas, PAO market development manager at Ineos Oligomers advises, “PAOs decrease operating temperatures in the machines’ assemblies and components, they form less foaming tendency and give better wear control. PAOs decrease lubricant consumption and [increase] working hours on equipment. Also, they decrease global maintenance costs and give improved reliability.”

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