ARTICLES

  • Global demand for food service disposables is projected to have a healthy growth in the next couple of years. Improvements in global economic conditions, fast-paced lifestyles, urbanisation trends and rising spending for away-from-home food will drive the gains in the foodservice industry. The Asia Pacific region will see above average gains, fueled by advances in the limited service restaurant sector, with the fastest growth expected in India, China and Indonesia. Growth in US market will be driven by accelerated foodservice revenue increases relative to the performance of the recession impacted 2007-2012 period, reflecting an improved outlook for consumer spending in tandem with continuing economic growth. Read more in US foodservice disposables market worth US$20 bln by 2017, global demand to rise 5.4% pa
  • Growing awareness among the consumers, environmental regulations and government legislations are leading to developments in eco friendly and bio degradable polymer materials. New packaging being developed with mushrooms, not only decomposes faster and more naturally, but also gives back to the ecosystem. This packaging biodegrades in just a few months, and much quicker than traditional polystyrene. Another company has advanced the development of a more sustainable and cost efficient process for the development of algae bioplastic resins. By using an algae biomass selection process in which food-based materials are not fed to the algae for growth, the food chain is not impacted, increasing sustainability. Read more in Foam and plastic packaging replaced by mushroom, commercial developments in algae-based bioplastics
  • High demand across industries such as automotive, building & construction and packaging will increase the overall polymer foam consumption. The Asian market is expected to dominate, with its growing demand for foams in different applications especially building & construction. Markets in West European and North America are expected to show a rising growth in the next five years. Polyolefin foams are expected to penetrate the global market with the highest growth, while polyurethane foams are dominant in consumption and revenue. Read more in Global polymer foam market poised to surpass US$131 bln by 2018
  • A team of scientists has created a polymer that can bind itself back together even after being sliced with a razor blade, without the help of a catalyst. The self-healing polymer could be used to bolster the integrity and lifetime of plastic parts in common products. Another team of researchers has developed a self-healing protective coating, a top-sheet that could soak up small nicks and return to its prior state. Aircrafts using the self-cleaning technology would benefit from reduced fuel consumption, build up of algae can be prevented on ship hulls, as well as result in self-healing mobile phone displays, solar panels and contact lenses. Read more in Self-healing polymer fixes its own crack; self healing protective plastics coating
  • Increasing application of styrenics in construction and automotive industry, particularly in the Asia Pacific region is driving growth in consumption of styrenics. Other drivers include high growth in wind energy applications of UPR and increased SBR demand due to tire labeling regulations. Polystyrene (PS) is the major polymer which is largely consumed, followed in terms of usage by Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Expanded Polystyrene (EPS). It is the highest growing market followed by Europe and North America, driving the global consumption of styrene-based polymers. Read more in Styrenics consumption, at 35,007 kilotons in 2013, estimated to grow by 4.81% pa till 2018
  • Very few treatments are available for an injured bone- one option is to repair the injury with bone harvested from another part of the body. Another is to use bone tissue from cadavers. A new flexible, biodegradable polymer has been developed, which when combined with tiny structures called nanotubes, is transformed into a strong bone-like material. While the natural bone grows and matures, the engineered tissue degrades, eventually leaving behind fully developed, natural bone. Read more in Building bones in the laboratory with a flexible, biodegradable polymer