ARTICLES

  • Super-absorbent polymer (SAP) is a granular material with exceptional ability to absorb aqueous solutions. SAP crystals, sometimes called super absorbent polymer balls, water absorbing crystals or slush powder, have numerous practical applications- diapers and hygiene products. Agriculture, hospitals, oil companies are the main users of SAPs. Demand is increasing and will continue to increase on account of rising disposable income and growth in population and living standards in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East, Africa. To know about the region with demand growth, factors that will continue to drive demand, challenges faced, impact of changing health regulations and products that will impact future demand prospects, etc, read Demand from N America, Europe, APAC, to drive super absorbent polymers market past US$8 bln by end of decade
  • The green and sustainable packaging market is broad, and covers packaging technologies such as light weighting, biodegradable packaging and packaging solutions to increase shelf life and reduce waste in perishable market applications. Increasing awareness of environmental issues by consumers has led to a pressure up the supply chain to packaging companies and their customers to develop green and sustainable packaging. Lightweighting is perhaps the most observable trend in the green and sustainable packaging market. Many governments and regulatory bodies have also supported the packaging market to ensure green and sustainable packaging is a constant research and development aim of packaging companies. Common goals include a reduction in water consumption, a decrease in carbon emissions and an increased rate of efficiency for their various factors of production; namely materials, energy and labour. Read more in Global green and sustainable packaging market to grow at over 7% by 2018
  • Several projects are underway in different parts of the world for developing feedstocks for biomass-based, biodegradable plastics. One project aims to develop seaweed as an alternative to produce plastics. Another team has developed a technology to produce succinate, a material used to make bioplastics, from CO2-grown microalgal biomass. A Research group has discovered shrimp shells can be used for manufacturing quickly degradable plastic with a material from silk, known as fibroin. Read more in Developments in bioplastics feedstock - seaweed, shrimp shells, microalgal biomass
  • Propylene is produced from naphtha, natural gas liquids in refinery units, and to a much smaller extent, coal, and is essential for the production of polypropylene. Propylene is mainly produced as a co-product in steam crackers and a by-product in refineries. The second largest source of propylene supply has been production of refinery grade material in fluid catalytic cracking units and other refinery units. The source of propylene supply varies significantly by region. Only 26% of North American production is derived from steam crackers because of their shale gas-based natural gas liquid feedstocks. The increasing use of NGLs as a feedstock means that petrochem makers are using less propylene is being produced as a co-product by the region’s steam crackers. Read more in NGLs challenge oil as petrochemical feedstock in N America, increase global demand for on-purpose propylene
  • Aerospace plastic materials fall under the category of advanced composite materials often known for its efficient modulus of elasticity, heat/flame resistance, and other high-strength physical properties. These plastics are viable alternatives used in military, rotary, freighter planes and general aviation planes. These plastics are preferred substitutes for aluminum and steel in the aviation industry mainly because of high performance and low weight which results in better fuel efficiency. Increasing passenger traffic across emerging markets is expected to boost the demand for new aircraft which in turn would augment the demand for aerospace plastics. The major application segments are airframe and fuselage, cabin areas, empennages, cockpits, wings, airframes, rotor blades. Environmental and government regulations imposed are posing a challenge for this market. Read more in Global aerospace plastics market to grow at CAGR of over 7% uptil 2018
  • Masterbatches are solid or liquid mixture of additive or pigments used for coloring or enhancing other properties of polymers such as UV stabilizing, flame retardation, antistatic and antilocking. To know about the types of masterbatches and their applications, the growth segments, growth regions, factors impacting growth and challenges faced, read Demand from construction, automotive in APAC drives global growth of masterbatches