Steel industrial award announcement: Green Buffers wins Swedish Steel Prize 2023
Snow Lake Lithium Expects to Produce Enough Lithium to Power 5 million Electric Vehicles
Additive Manufacturing: A Dynamic and Innovative Industry Set to Surpass US$41 Billion by 2033, Says IDTechEx
Stratasys’ Acquisition of Covestro Additive Manufacturing Shakes Up the 3D Printing Materials Market
Bioplastics to Rapidly Expand With CAGR 10.1%, Says IDTechEx
IDTechEx Discusses the Dichotomy Influencing the 3D Printing Materials Market
Polymers Made From Emissions: The Plastics Industry may Become a Carbon-Capture Leader, says IDTechEx
Toray Creates Ion-Conductive Polymer Membrane for Air Batteries - Contributing to the Safety and Longevity of Lithium-Air Batteries
3D Printing Materials: A $29.5 Billion Opportunity Ripe for Innovation, Says IDTechEx
Kordsa at JEC World 2022, featuring sustainable and new generation composite technologies
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Toray Adds Legendary Van Gogh Works to Toraysee Masterpieces Series
Toray Industries, Inc., announced new additions to its Toraysee™ Masterpieces series of microfiber cleaning cloths. They are three 24cm x 19cm items featuring Vincent Van Gogh works. They will retail in Japan from mid-April for 990 yen, including consumption tax, at eyewear suppliers, through Amazon, the Takezawa Online Shop, and other E-Commerce channels, and through Toray shops. The Sunflowers, Café Terrace at Night, and Almond Blossom designs commemorate the 170th birthday next year of the post-impressionist artist. The popular Masterpieces series leverages the precision of Toray microfiber technology to faithfully reproduce celebrated paintings for enjoyment of their artistry. Toray launched the series in 2010 with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, and other designs. It added Pierre-Auguste Renoir designs in 2018. Toraysee™ cloths employ microfibers with diameters of just two microns, or around 1/1,600th the diameter of a human hair. Gaps between the fibers are invisible to the naked eye and draw even microscopic dirt into them. They make life better by deftly removing sebum from eyewear lenses and smartphone and other touch panels without scratching them. They also serve in medical and manufacturing applications.
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Flame-retardant polyphthalamides for electronic components without corrosion
BASF is now expanding its polyphthalamide (PPA) portfolio by a variety of flame retardant grades that combine high thermal stability with excellent electrical insulation and low water uptake. They are characterized by high electrical RTI values (RTI=relative thermal index) above 140°C while being halogen-free according to EN 50642, thus preventing corrosion and failure of electrical parts when used under moist conditions. With these new flame retardant grades, BASF offers a tailored E&E portfolio which opens new possibilities for applications like connectors for power or data transmission in vehicles, appliances and consumer electronics as well as for e-mobility parts, miniature circuit breakers, switch gear and sensors. You will find the long version of the press release in the internet under the following link https://www.basf.com/global/en/media/news-releases/2022/04/p-22-210.html
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Toray Develops Super High Barrier Film Offering Dramatically Lower Costs
Toray Industries, Inc., announced 25th April that it has developed super high barrier film that costs at least 80% less than conventional counterparts. This saving stems from the film’s unique design and formation technology. The company looks to commercialize the film in 2023 for high barrier performance applications. These include flexible devices and solar cell encapsulation. With the rapid progress of the Internet of Things towards a smart economy, demand for wearable biometric sensors, flexible displays, and other flexible devices should expand in the coming years. In addition, worldwide efforts to attain carbon neutrality have drawn attention to renewable energy and energy harvesting (see glossary note 1), and demand should grow for organic photovoltaics and perovskite solar cells. For these applications, it is vital to encapsulate organic devices and compounds to safeguard them from moisture. Super high barrier films for encapsulation are conventionally fabricated through sputtering (note 2) or chemical vapor deposition (note 3), which enable the formation of defect-free, high-density thin films. Both fabrication processes are slow and costly, however, impeding efforts to expand applications. Toray therefore applied high-density composite film design technology cultivated by the development of sputtered film, and fast vapor deposition technology for barrier film in food packaging and other applications. By doing so, the company attained a high barrier performance, delivering a water vapor transmission rate of 10-3 [g/m2･day] which is equivalent to levels from sputtered and chemical vapor deposited film. Deposition with this super high barrier･vapor deposited film is more than 100 times faster than with regular sputtering, at a more than 80% lower cost. Toray’s new film is also very transparent and flexible, making it ideal for flexible devices and solar cells. It can thus help expand the Internet of Things market and materialize a carbon-neutral economy. Toray will keep researching and developing innovative materials that can transform economies by leveraging its core technologies of synthetic organic and polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. It will thereby materialize its commitment to delivering new value that contributes to society. ### [Glossary] 1. Energy harvesting processes convert light, heat, vibration, and other peripheral energy sources into electricity. 2. Sputtering is a physical vapor deposition vacuum process to form thin films. This technology introduces an inert gas into a vacuum chamber to generate plasma that collides with target surfaces to remove particles on the film of the target to deposit them on the substrate surface. 3. Chemical vapor deposition is a method for forming films. It transforms raw materials into gases and uses heat, plasma, light, or other energy sources to excite and accelerate chemical reactions and deposit thin films on substrate surfaces.
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Manitoba Celebrates Snow Lake Lithium’s Study to Establish Strategically Crucial Plant in Province
Snow Lake Resources Ltd., d/b/a Snow Lake Lithium Ltd. (Nasdaq: LITM) (“Snow Lake” or the “Company”), has commissioned a scoping study to assess the proposed creation of a Lithium Hydroxide Plant in South Manitoba. The study is a strategically important step towards creating North America's first fully renewable and fully electric, integrated lithium processing operation which is crucial for the future of the electric vehicle industry. Starting in April 2022, the scoping study will accelerate the company towards commercialized lithium production from both Snow Lake Lithium’s mine and the proposed lithium hydroxide plant in CentrePort Canada in Southern Manitoba. The study will identify the technologies, innovations, skills and potential partners required to deliver a world-class lithium hydroxide plant within the Manitoba province. Welcoming the study, the Premier of Manitoba, the Honorable Heather Stefanson, remarked, “Manitoba has the opportunity to be at the vanguard of the global initiative of achieving a carbon neutral economy. With our bountiful natural resources and clean energy, we are in the perfect position to leverage the province into a strategic role in the North American electrification supply chain. Snow Lake Lithium’s vision for developing a green ecosystem in our province will provide Manitoba with the platform for creating jobs and value with a focus on the future.” With demand for electric vehicles growing rapidly, the global automotive and energy storage industries will be competing to access raw materials, especially lithium, that is a crucial component of batteries. Just 700km from CentrePort Canada, Snow Lake Lithium is creating the world’s first all-electric, fully renewable lithium mine. The addition of a lithium hydroxide plant will enable the seamless integration of the domestic supply of this critical resource to the North America electric vehicle industry. Philip Gross, CEO of Snow Lake Lithium, commented, “This is a critical opportunity for Manitoba to play a significant role in building out a full ecosystem to support the electrification of the North American automobile fleet. Now more than ever, we must commit ourselves to securing our domestic critical raw materials that will protect our jobs from geopolitical shocks and ensure the uninterrupted growth of our industries as we transition to a post carbon economy. Lithium hydroxide is the foundation of the EV battery technology and, as of today, North America has no production on which to rely for the substantial industry commitments to electrification. Snow Lake is committed to being a part of the solution while at the same time ensuring the highest standards of carbon neutral and fully renewable lithium.” The plant’s proposed location is CentrePort Canada, North America’s largest trimodal inland port and Foreign Trade Zone. CentrePort Canada connects to major national and international trade gateways as well as being the only inland port in Canada with direct access to trimodal transportation – truck, rail and air cargo. This unique location means that Snow Lake Lithium is connected to all the major auto manufacturers across North America, reducing supply chain costs and emissions as well as delivering a secure and seamless lithium supply chain from rock to road. CentrePort Canada offers 20,000 acres of high-quality, affordable industrial land and benefits from its strategic geographic location in Winnipeg, Manitoba and the Rural Municipality of Rosser, within the capital region of Winnipeg. “CentrePort Canada is well positioned to support Snow Lake’s ambition of creating a Manitoba-centric, electric vehicle supply chain,” said Diane Gray, President and CEO of CentrePort Canada Inc. “Leveraging CentrePort Canada’s centralized location, access to trimodal transportation, state-of-the-art infrastructure and green energy aligns with Snow Lake’s EV supply chain vision and will have a tremendous impact on job creation and economic growth in Manitoba.” Snow Lake Lithium has contracted Primero to deliver the Scoping Study of the Lithium Hydroxide Plant in Southern Manitoba. Primero brings world-class, hands-on lithium experience through its vertically integrated project management across the global resources industry. Primero’s General Manager Americas, Alexandre Roy, commented “The roll out of lithium conversion facilities in North America is the first step towards establishing a domestic supply chain capable of supporting the electrification process that is currently underway. We look forward to working with Snow Lake and the Government of Manitoba in designing and developing this exciting project.” Snow Lake Lithium currently has an 11.1 million metric tonnes indicated and inferred resource at 1% Li2O with plans to expand the resource based on the current active drilling campaign as previously announced in the recent winter drilling program update (March 10, 2022 – Snow Lake Announces Significant Progress Update for Winter Drilling Campaign). The scoping study will start in April 2022 and is expected to be completed by Spring 2023. In parallel with this, Snow Lake Lithium will will continue its engineering evaluation and drilling programme across its Thompson Brothers Lithium Project site, with the expectation that the mine will transition to commercial production in late 2024.
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Toray Expanding Color Range for Toraysee Reversible Cleaning Cloth
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it will release its Toraysee™ Reversible Cleaning Cloth in five new colors early April. The 24cm x 24cm microfiber item will retail for 700 yen, plus consumption tax, at eyewear and Toray shops around Japan and through the Takezawa Online Shop. Toray debuted the Toraysee™ Reversible Cleaning Cloth in 2019 and introduced a Japanese patterned version in 2020. This new offering combines five in-trend hues with five popular ones from the regular Toraysee™ color cloth range. Contrasting with the colors on one side of the cloths are reverse sides featuring prints of herringbones, stripes, and other fabric patterns. The cloths can also serve as distinctive pocket square accessories for men and women of all ages. Toray debuted the Toraysee™ brand in 1987. The innovative cloths employ 100% polyester microfibers with diameters of just two microns, or around 1/1,600th the diameter of a human hair. The company has developed an array of very well received items under that brand. Gaps between the fibers are invisible to the naked eye and draw dirt into them to deftly remove sebum from eyewear lenses and smartphone and other touch panels without scratching them. Conventional cloths cannot match these capabilities. The cloths can also clean accessories, watches, mirrors, and other items. They can be washed numerous times for repeated use. Toray will continue to develop high-value-added merchandise for the Toraysee™ series in the years ahead.
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Toray Develops Eco-Friendly Textile Incorporating Toyoflon
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a high-strength textile that employs Toyoflon™, a low-friction polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber. The new textile retains the outstanding friction resistance of fluoropolymers. Toray tests found that the slide durability is 25 times greater than that of existing counterparts, with friction dropping by more than 50%. The new textile should reduce slide areas owing to its performance benefits and a higher surface pressure while enabling miniaturization and weight reductions. Enhanced slide durability should extend textile usage under tougher conditions. Another key benefit is a lower environmental impact from oil-free sliding, reducing environmental impact by cutting maintenance costs and conserving resources owing to less frequent replacements. Toray will draw on the features of the new textile to broaden applications, including for industrial machinery, plant facilities, automotive parts, and bearings. PTFE offers low friction and excellent heat and chemical resistance. Toray employed its advanced matrix yarn technology to develop a uniform, high-quality filament while retaining the features of PTFE resin, which is normally hard to make into a fiber. Toyoflon™ fibers Toyoflon™ delivers the best and most stable low-friction performance among chemical fibers. It serves as a sliding material in the automotive, industrial machinery, and other fields. Toray created this textile by uniformly transferring Toyoflon™ wear particles to high-strength fibers under friction to form a low-friction interface. A high-strength fiber backbone prevents excessive wear. Toray’s new textile should contribute to industrial progress and economic sustainability. The company will continue to provide innovative technologies and advanced materials to transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value. Toray will exhibit the new textile at the 26th Mechanical Components & Materials Technology Expo at Tokyo Big Sight, which starts on March 16. [Details of new textile] 1. Description: Toyoflon™ textile with low-friction and high sliding durability 2. Features （１） Sliding durability 25 times greater than that of conventional Toray counterparts （２） Lowest friction among synthetic fibers (less than half that of conventional Toray counterpart) （３） Resource savings from reduced maintenance costs and longer service life 3. Technological overview （１） A structure uniformly dispersing low-friction Toyoflon™ PTFE fiber and high-strength fibers （２） Toyoflon™ wear particles transferred uniformly to high-strength fibers during friction to forming low-friction interface （３） High-strength fibers serve as backbone to minimize Toyoflon™ wear, for lower friction and enhanced sliding durability 4. Sales plans （１） Launch timing: March 2022 （２） Key applications: Sliding materials for parts moving under high pressure, including industrial machinery, plant equipment, automotive parts, and bearings 5. Sliding endurance test results
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FRX Polymers Receives TCO Certification, Providing a Major Industry Endorsement for Nofia
FRX Polymers (“FRX,” or the “Company”), is pleased to announce that the Company’s Nofia® branded polymeric phosphorus-based flame retardants, Nofia® Homopolymers and Copolymers, have been added to the TCO Certified Accepted Substance List. TCO is the most recognized and world-leading sustainability certification for additives in the electronics and information technology industries. Only flame retardants on the widely used TCO Certified Accepted Substance List may be used for TCO Certified Products. Marc Lebel, CEO of FRX Polymers, stated that, “This news from TCO confirms that Nofia flame retardants are ideally suited for use in electronics equipment to replace halogenated flame retardants that will no longer be allowed.” Lebel continued, “Once again, it is confirmed that OEMs, retailers, and the general public do not need to compromise on sustainability in order to be protected from the catastrophic risks of fire.” The European Court of Justice ruled on March 16, 2022, that a ban on halogenated flame retardants in enclosures and stands of TVs and monitors, is in conformity with European law. FRX has developed a line of patent protected products under its Nofia® brand that address the very real and significant problem around the use of certain harmful chemicals that are currently used as flame retardants in several industrial and consumer applications. FRX has been built on over $US120 million of investment and is positioned to be a leader in the transition to environmentally friendly solutions within the $US30 billion flame retardant plastics industry. The Company is in commercial production at its facility in Antwerp, Belgium.
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Toray Develops Stretchable Device Film with Outstanding Shape Recovery, Thermal Performance, and Excellent Resistance Stability of Circuit Mounts
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a stretchable film that builds on its REACTIS™ technology to deliver circuit mounts with exceptional resistance value stability. REACTIS™ is renowned for its excellent shape recovery and heat resistance. Diverse prospective applications for stretchable device circuit boards include biological and industrial sensors and robots. Toray has shipped samples to users, and will push ahead with research and development to start swiftly commercializing this film. Recent years have increased the potential for developing stretchable devices with the elasticity of smartwear, which incorporates built-in biometric sensors that manage health and monitor biometric information during exercise. These devices must be able to bend and handle all sorts of complex movements. Circuit boards must accordingly be very flexible and shape recoverable and function consistently after repeated use. Toray’s REACTIS™ stretchable film benefits industrial products in numerous ways because its proprietary polymer structure design and film-forming technique combines cross-linked and stretchable components. The film is very flexible. It recovers its shape between -20°C and 80°C. It also maintains heat resistance even after treatment at 200°C. The newly developed film is a new grade of REACTIS™, and resulted from bolstering Toray’s polymer and surface design technologies to ensure circuit mounting with excellent resistance stability, shape recovery, and heat resistance. Combining Toray’s new film with elastic conductive materials can accommodate the expansions, contractions, and torsional deformations of circuits and 3D curved surfaces, delivering half the resistance of conventional counterparts when circuits expand and contract. In test storage for 1,000 hours with a relative humidity of 85% at 85°C, the new film’s circuit shape was unchanged, while the resistance value remained stable. Applying Toray’s new film as a circuit board for stretchable devices should help enhance movement followability during mounting and ensure stable functionality for diverse temperature ranges and repeated usage. The film offers excellent potential in healthcare, medical, industrial, and other applications that improve the quality of life. These include stretch sensors for exercise analysis and tactile sensors for robotics. Toray will keep leveraging its core technologies of synthetic organic and polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology to research and develop advanced materials that transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value.
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Absortech Group announces new range of CO2 neutral container desiccants
The global leader in moisture damage prevention just announced their carbon neutral range of container desiccants: AbsorGel® CO2 Neutral! This line of desiccants replaces the previous AbsorGel® products and offer customers a broad choice of CO2 neutral desiccants. The new AbsorGel® container desiccants feature: CO2 neutral products, from cradle-to-gate, after offsetting Minimized use of packaging material Re-engineered components that use less, and recycled plastic Return-to-Reuse program available for certain products and parts Dual dose mixing – an in-house developed feeding system for precise mixing of calcium chloride and starch in an automated filling process Ergonomic installation accessories Maintained absorption capacity “In 2020, we launched the very first CO2 Neutral desiccant into the market – the Absorpole® CO2 Neutral. Now, we add a complete range of CO2 neutral container desiccants. We’re proud to have taken the sustainability leadership in our industry. Our offering, Peace of Moisture Mind®, coupled with the new CO2 neutral desiccant range will have a strong sustainability impact in supply chains, and we are prepared for fast commercial scaling”, says Rikard Kanmert, CEO Absortech Group. “The CO2 neutrality is definitely the main point in this launch, but we have also been working on improving other quality and environmental features. The Dual-dose-mixing system allows precise and automated filling of calcium chloride and starch into each desiccant. On top of that, we can now offer multiple packaging options to further reduce CO2 emissions due to the use of less plastic in the packaging material and accessories”, says Joakim Carlsson, COO Absortech Group. The only CO2 neutral desiccants on the market AbsorGel® container desiccants are, as far as we know, the only CO2 neutral desiccants available in the market. Their CO2 footprint has been third-party calculated by the independent Swedish Environmental Institute (IVL) and is available for each product. Our production is made based on a group-wide management system (ISO9001/14001) which guarantees quality and environmental responsibility for all products and services offered. Climate Compensation All unavoidable CO2 emissions related to the production and distribution of the new AbsorRange® have been calculated and compensated, an activity known as offsetting. Joakim Carlsson, COO at Absortech Group, explains the concept: “Even if our products are now optimized to have a lower carbon footprint, some CO2 is generated along the product journey. IVL has calculated the exact carbon footprint of each product so that we can compensate for every kilogram of CO2 generated in the sourcing and manufacturing process. This is done by supporting sustainable development projects.” Absortech has chosen to support “Climate+” Gold Standard projects. These are projects that deliver benefits for climate protection, local communities, and ecosystems. Which projects we support are listed on our website! Recycling and reusing parts – a circular economy solution Absortech has also developed the Return-to-Reuse program. A circular system that allows the reuse of desiccant components in a sustainable way. The program offers pick-up points where customers return the used components. From there, Absortech arranges transport back to the Falkenberg plant in Sweden, where they will be reused in the production of new products. Of course, these transports will be CO2 neutral. This pioneer concept allows companies to take part in a circular economy process and helps strengthen the sustainability of their supply chain and logistics process. Taking a continuous responsibility for the environment “We noticed that stakeholders, including consumers, are demanding companies to become sustainable, so we wanted to offer solutions that would help our customers achieve their sustainability goals. The CO2 neutral AbsorRange is an answer to that demand.” says Rikard Kanmert, CEO Absortech Group.
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Toray Launching TBW-HR Series of Ultralow-Pressure Reverse Osmosis Membrane Elements that Enhance Neutral Molecule Rejection
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it will begin marketing the TBW-HR series of ultralow-pressure reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements in April 2022. The new offerings dramatically improve the rejection of silica, boron, and other neutral molecules from untreated water by controlling RO membrane micropore sizes and membrane structures. Impurity rejection with the TBW-HR series exceeds that of existing ultralow pressure RO membrane elements. A key prospective benefit is purification of higher-quality and higher-purity water. The resulting ultrapure water would enable the production of semiconductors with finer wires. Internal and external evaluations verified the outstanding performance of the new series, which Toray looks to target initially at water engineering firms providing ultrapure water production equipment. Toray also plans to broaden applications to include wastewater reuse. Demand for even purer water has risen in the electronics industry in recent years in view of finer wiring production. This is particularly important in manufacturing increasingly compact and complex semiconductors. Ultrapure water production conventionally entails undertaking additional electrodeionization and other processes for water treated with RO membrane elements. Boosting purity necessitates removing silica and boron, which are electrically neutral and have small particles, as well as organic matter with low molecular weights. It is hard to achieve this with electrodeionization. For its new series, Toray accordingly developed an RO membrane element with double the neutral molecular component rejection capacity of the company’s conventional offerings. It achieved this by maintaining low operating pressures and high solute rejection by precisely controlling RO membrane micropore sizes and enhancing the membrane fold structure. As well as contributing to electronic component miniaturization in semiconductor production processes, the TBW-HR series should also help reduce manufacturing costs. This is because higher purity water from using the series should cut the number of water treatment stages using RO membrane elements and simplify electrodeionization and other subsequent steps through improved membrane performance. Improved membrane chemical resistance offers potential with wastewater reuse applications entailing frequent cleaning with these substances. The diverse applications of RO membrane elements in water treatment membrane products including seawater desalination to make drinking water, industrial water production, and wastewater reuse. As well as providing RO membrane elements, Toray offers an array of water treatment membranes and technical services. Noteworthy examples are ultrafiltration membrane modules for water purification and membrane bioreactor modules for wastewater treatment. The company will continue to develop and commercialize advanced materials that contribute to sustainable economic progress.
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Toray Develops New Analysis Technology for Multi-Material Structures Using UD Tape
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a new analysis technology for multi-material structures consist of both UD tape (unidirectional continuous fiber-reinforced tape) and injection molding materials. This breakthrough makes it possible to more precisely predict the properties of parts made up of multiple materials and more swiftly develop high-performance components. The company looks to supply UD tape, injection molding resins, and other materials, as well as structural design, molding support, and other services while providing total solutions that incorporate its new technology. Toray will leverage the technology to expand the adoption of its materials in the urban air mobility, electric vehicle, and other advanced mobility fields and in regular industrial sectors, thereby helping manufacturers create lighter, more energy-efficient products. UD tapes are intermediate base materials in tape shape that are made by embedding fibers such as carbon fibers in unidirectionally aligned fibers of such thermoplastic resins as polyamide 6 and polyphenylene sulfide. Continuous fibers provide excellent rigidity and strength, and enable welding to other thermoplastics. Taking advantage of these features and optimally arranging UD tapes in injection-molded products makes it possible to create multi-material structures that maximize weight savings while constraining costs. The downside to all this is that laying UD tapes on injection-molded products makes it hard to accurately analyze strength and impact properties, which is vital for multi-material structures. Toray thus set about developing its new analysis technology by improving 3D TIMON® to accurately reflect jointing strength between materials and materials fracture behavior. Subsidiary Toray Engineering D solutions Co., Ltd., developed TIMON, a three-dimensional injection molding computer-aided engineering system. Toray also created a coupled analysis technology for resin flow and impact properties that factors in the fiber orientation of injection molding materials. That technology combines analyses of various phenomena and calculates their interactions. This work resulted in the company’s accurate new analysis technology, which helps to accelerate the structural design of multi-material structures. Toray will strive to help reduce weight and energy consumption by deploying this technology in diverse advanced mobility and regular industrial applications. Under the Toray Group Sustainability Vision, the company aims to help the international community pursue sustainable development by accelerating measures to tackle climate change and enable the world to attain net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Toray will continue to provide innovative technologies and advanced materials to transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value.
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Toray Creates High Polymeric Separation Hydrogen Permeation Membrane Module
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a polymeric separation membrane module that can selectively and efficiently permeate hydrogen from mixed gases containing that chemical element. This module more than halves the carbon dioxide emissions of hydrogen purification processes and the number of modules. Toray will accelerate research and technical development to help create a hydrogen economy. Hydrogen attracts growing attention for its potential as an energy source in the drive to attain carbon neutrality. It is accordingly vital to establish energy-saving and highly efficient hydrogen recovery and purification technologies to cater to swift hydrogen demand growth in coming years. Membrane separation offers considerable potential. That is because this process can secure high-purity hydrogen by removing impurities during hydrogen production and usage, saving energy and space by employing pressure differences and enabling separation without phase changes. Polymeric separation membrane modules experience low performance degradation from water vapor and are light. There are issues, however, with hydrogen permeation purity and amounts. Toray accordingly developed a separation membrane in 2018 that precisely controls pore structures. The company recently used a technology that it cultivated with reverse osmosis membranes to develop a separation membrane with a highly controlled pore structure by deploying a material with a high hydrogen affinity. Toray used this membrane to attain a hydrogen permeation purity of 98%, which is unmatched anywhere. This technology can boost permeated hydrogen purity with a single separation instead of the several required with regular modules and cuts initial investment expenditure. It also reduces energy consumption and can cut the carbon dioxide emissions of conventional separation membrane modules (Figure 1) by more than 50%. When modularizing, Toray optimally designed the channel materials of key components to reduce flow resistance. The membrane thus has double the area of conventional separation membrane modules. This improves the hydrogen permeability of a module (Figure 2) and more than halves the number of module elements needed for the hydrogen purification process. Combining the Toray-developed separation membranes can reduce the number of module elements by more than 75%, representing a tremendous space saving. The company will partner with engineering companies in Japan and abroad while drawing on process technologies from water treatment to establish mass production techniques. Toray will keep leveraging its core technologies of synthetic organic and polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value to create advanced materials and innovative technologies that contribute to social progress. The company plans to exhibit polymer separation membrane modules based on this technology at nano tech 2022, an international nanotechnology exhibition and conference at Tokyo Big Sight from January 26 through 28, 2022. ### Figure 1: Toray-calculated* carbon dioxide reduction * Calculation assumptions Same module dimensions Constant hydrogen purification (feed stream composition: 80% hydrogen and 20% nitrogen + saturated water vapor) Figure 2 Membrane module performance
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Toray Membrane (Foshan) Commemorates Debut Shipment
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that Toray Membrane (Foshan) Co., Ltd., held a ceremony on January 17 to commemorate its first shipment of reverse osmosis membranes. Toray established that water treatment membrane subsidiary in 2019. The 68 attendees at the ceremony included Xia Zehong, director of the Economic Promotion Bureau of Nanhai District, and Deputy Chief Zijian Zhou, Jiujiang People’s Government, Nanhai District. Also attending were water treatment customers and Toray Group executives. Among them were Kazuhiko Shuto, chairman and president of Toray Industries (China) Co., Ltd., and Gao Zhiwen, vice president of that company. Demand for water treatment membranes has surged in China in recent years, particularly for seawater desalination, industrial wastewater treatment, and ultra-pure water production. Toray has helped improve aquatic environments and resolve water shortages in that nation by supplying an array of water treatment membranes through two key local companies. One is Toray Bluestar Membrane Co., Ltd., a Beijing-based reverse osmosis membrane manufacturing joint venture and distributor of water treatment products. The other is Toray WBD Membrane Technology (JS) Co., Ltd., which manufactures membrane bioreactors in the Yancheng Environmental Protection District of Jiangsu Province. Toray Membrane (Foshan) has lifted Toray’s reverse osmosis membrane production capacity in China. It will accelerate the expansion of Toray’s water treatment business in that nation by collaborating extensively with Toray Bluestar Membrane. Providing access to clean water is pivotal to The Toray Group Sustainability Vision, representing a roadmap to the World as Envisioned by Toray Group in 2050 and embodying Toray Vision 2030, through which the Group seeks to achieve sound, sustainable growth. The Group will continue to develop its water treatment business worldwide and help resolve water resource issues as a leading comprehensive water treatment membrane manufacturer. [Profile of Toray Membrane (Foshan) Co., Ltd.] 1. Business: Manufacturing water treatment membranes and products, developing related technologies, and providing technical services 2. Location: Nanhai District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China [Summaries of Debut Shipment Ceremony Remarks from Senior Toray Group Executives] Speech by Kazuhiko Shuto, Chairman and President of Toray Industries (China) Co., Ltd. Toray has contributed much to social and economic development since its establishment in 1926 by innovating advanced materials that generate new value. The Toray Group Sustainability Vision, formulated in 2018, represents a commitment to helping restore the environment by enabling everyone to access clean water and air by 2050. The Toray Group will prepare for that time, when water shortages and water pollution will be global issues. It will do so by focusing on developing world-leading technologies for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment applications to secure access to clean water, resolve water shortages, and alleviate environmental impacts. In China, Toray Bluestar Membrane was established in Beijing in 2009 to manufacture and distribute water treatment membranes. That subsidiary has since maintained a high share of the local water treatment market. Toray Membrane (Foshan) was set up in 2019 in response to rapid rollouts of environmental regulations in the Chinese market at that time. We expect that subsidiary to cater to diversifying demand for water treatment membranes and play an important role in the nation’s pursuit of sustainable economic development. While the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the global economy since 2020, I expect demand for water treatment membranes to keep expanding over the medium through long terms. That said, market competition will likely intensify. We will accordingly draw on close collaboration between our water treatment membrane production and distribution units in Beijing and Foshan City and cocreation efforts with customers, business partners, and other stakeholders in China to build a robust supply chain. Videogram from Hiroshi Otani, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Water Treatment & Environment Division, Toray Industries, Inc. Toray has cultivated its Chinese water treatment business since establishing Toray Bluestar Membrane in 2009 by producing world-class reverse osmosis membranes there. We are honored to cater to China’s fast growing water demand as its industrialization progresses and to be able to help conserve energy and cut carbon dioxide emissions there. Toray established Toray Membrane (Foshan) in June 2019 as its second Chinese water treatment membrane production unit to accommodate fast-rising demand for those products and help improve that nation’s environment. The efforts of all involved resulted in the satisfactory completion of plant construction and the initial shipment that we commemorate today. Toray Membrane (Foshan) will keep helping China to improve its environment and become carbon-neutral by providing water treatment membrane products based on Toray’s advanced technology to local customers. Toray has supplied water treatment membranes to numerous projects to bolster water treatment in China. I would like to express my great gratitude to the many Chinese companies, including the customer to which Toray Membrane (Foshan) is making its first shipment today, for believing in the technical capabilities and reliability of Toray’s water treatment membranes. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with you to help improve the environment. Website : https://www.water.toray/
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Toray Commercializes Ecodear N510, a 100% Plant-based Nylon Fiber
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a nylon 510 (N510) fiber that incorporates 100% ‘biobased synthetic polymer content’ as defined under section 3.1.5 of ISO 16620-1: 2015, the international standard for the biobased content of plastics. Ecodear™ N510, will be the first 100% plant-based nylon fiber in Toray’s Ecodear™ lineup. The company has created diverse potential applications for Ecodear™ N510 as a sustainable offering for high-end markets. While primarily for sports and outdoor fabrics they extend to lightweights, cut-and-sew fabrics through innerwear lace materials. Toray plans to begin Ecodear™ N510 textiles sales for fall/winter 2023. Initial production volume to be 200,000m by the end of March 2023 and growing to 600,000m in March 2026. Ecodear™ N510 fiber sales are targeted for fall/winter 2024 with an expectation of a monthly supply of 3 metric tons monthly in the year ending March 2024. Nylon originated in the United States. In the early 1950s, Toray became the first Japanese company to manufacture nylon. Apparel and other wide-ranging applications over the years have reflected nylon’s excellent flexibility, durability, wrinkle resistance, and washability. Nylon is typically made from petroleum. In light of rising demand in recent years for environment-conscious products to address such global environmental issues as resource depletion and global warming and address a growing awareness of the need to build a sustainable society. Toray already offers partially plant-based polyester, nylon, and other polymers. It developed Ecodear™ N510 by polymerizing Sebacic acid from castor-oil plant and Pentamethylenediamine from corn and spinning. Unlike other wholly plant-based nylons, Ecodear™ N510 has a high melting point and outstanding dimensional stability. It is as strong and heat-resistant as Nylon 6. Companies can thus create products that are sustainable without compromising performance. Toray looks to combine various proprietary technologies to drive further fiber advances. These would include making fibers thinner and lighter or adding functionality by changing cross-sectional shapes. The company will develop an array of apparel and other materials applications to help building a sustainable society. Under its sustainability vision, Toray has pledged to offer innovative technologies and advanced materials that provide real solutions to the international community’s myriad challenges in balancing development and sustainability. Ecodear™ N510 represents part of the Toray Group’s efforts to help attain carbon neutrality by 2050, and should contribute to resolving environmental issues all over the world. Through its endeavors, Toray will keep serving increasingly diverse lifestyles while contributing to affluent living and sustainability. [Ecodear™ N510 summary] 1. Product features and technology overview (1) 100% plant-based nylon fiber Made from Sebacic acid from castor-oil plant and Pentamethylenediamine from corn (2) Similar to nylon fibers High melting point and as strong and heat-resistant as nylon 6 (3) Excellent dimensional stability under humid conditions (4) Combining with elemental fiber technologies adds more functions Including greater lightness from finer fibers and functionality from using irregular cross sections 2. Launch dates (1) Textiles: Fall/winter 2023 (2) Fiber: Fall/winter 2024 3. Sales targets (1) Textile A. Quantity: 200,000 meters in in year ending 2023 and 600,000 meters in year ending 2026 B. Applications: Outdoors and outerwear (2) Fiber A. Quantity: 3 metric tons monthly in year ending March 2024 B. Applications: Outdoor, innerwear lace, and materials
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Toray Creates Negative Photosensitive Polyimide Material that Could Drive Ultrafast Communications
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a negative photosensitive polyimide material (see glossary note 1). This new offering maintains the characteristic thermal resistance, mechanical properties, and adhesiveness of polyimides while increasing resolutions and enabling high-definition pattern formation on 100-micrometer and other thick films. The number of electronic components in smartphones and other mobile devices will increase to accommodate the greater speeds and capacities of 5G, 6G, and subsequent broadband cellular networks. These devices will need more miniaturized electronic components and higher density mountings. Finer fabrication processes for polyimide materials will thus be necessary for the insulating layers of electronic components. To date, these layers have often employed negative photosensitive polyimide materials delivering outstanding chemical resistance and reliability. The downside is low light transmittance. Photosensitivity deteriorates when thicknesses exceed 50 micrometers, preventing fine processing. Other issues are high thermal stresses after curing and significant warping, reducing reliability during processing. Toray developed a negative photosensitive polyimide material that is 100 micrometers thick and can fabricate vias (glossary note 2) with 10 micrometer diameters. The company achieved this by leveraging the functional polyimide design technology it has amassed over the years to enhance light transmittance and control photoreactions. Toray additionally made it possible to cut thermal stress to less than half that of regular polyimide materials and thus reduce warping by controlling polyimide resin cross-linking density from photoreactions during exposure and lowering curing shrinkage. This material should make it possible to miniaturize electronic components and semiconductor package wiring and enhance reliability. Toray is shipping prototypes with a view to commercializing the material as a varnish and sheet. The company aims to augment its lineup with grades with low thermal expansion coefficients and dielectric levels and small dielectric losses, offering them for semiconductor devices and electronic components that can drive ultrafast communication technologies. Toray plans to deliver a presentation on its breakthrough at Wafer Level Package Symposium 2022, which starts on February 15, 2022. Toray will continue leveraging its core technologies of synthetic organic and polymer chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology to research and develop advanced materials that transform societies in keeping with its commitment to innovating ideas, technologies, and products that deliver new value. ### [Glossary] 1. Negative photosensitive polyimide : A cross-linked structure forms on exposed areas from a light-curing reaction in response to photoirradiation. While the exposed areas become insoluble in aqueous alkali, organic solvents, and other developing solutions, unexposed areas dissolve in developing solutions to enable the formation of via, lines, and other patterns. 2. Via : Hole for wiring to wiring connections between layers of multilayer boards and other devices.
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Toray Develops Advanced Total Heat Exchange Element Sheets
Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has de-veloped a heat exchange sheet that delivers advanced heat transfer, moisture permeabil-ity, gas shielding, and water and anti-viral resistance performance. This new offering could significantly enhance the energy savings, comfort, and ventilation hygiene of total heat exchange ventilation systems. The company aims to commercialize this sheet in 2022 for elements in total heat exchange ventilation systems, for which demand is rising in view of intensifying measures worldwide to combat COVID-19 infections. A total heat exchange ventilation system saves energy by exchanging temperature (sensi-ble heat) and humidity (latent heat) between air from outdoors and interior exhaust air, reducing room temperature and humidity changes during ventilation. This lowers air con-ditioning system loads and improves comfort. Heat exchange sheets are inside system el-ements, so heat transfer properties and moisture permeability are necessary for the sheets to transfer temperature and humidity. Gas shielding is vital to keep carbon dioxide and odors in exhaust air out of supplied air. Generally, heat exchange sheets employ paper membranes. However, it was difficult to completely shield gas with porous paper, as well as to clean and remove dirt accumulating on elements after long-term use. Toray responded to this situation by creating a new heat exchange sheet comprising a unique thin porous film laminated with a functional resin layer that only lets humidity through. The sheet is about one-fifth the thickness of conventional paper counterparts and has excellent heat transfer properties. It is around 1.2 times more moisture permeable and delivers more than 20-fold better gas shielding, retaining that performance even after cleaning with water or a neutral detergent. Used in total heat exchange systems, the sheet delivers a total heat exchange efficiency (see Glossary note 1) of at least 80% and an effective ventilation rate (Glossary note 2) of 99% or more, even after cleaning. These results are from a Toray assessment in accord-ance with JIS B8628, with an air volume of 150 cubic meters per hour. Also, tests for anti-bacterial (JISZ2801:2010), antifungal (JISZ2911:2018), and virus barrier (ASTM F1671) per-formance demonstrated the solid performance of Toray’s sheet. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the importance worldwide of good ventilation. Toray will continue striving to help materialize comfortable, safe, and secure lifestyles by offering high-quality materials in keeping with its corporate philosophy of contributing to society by creating new value. ### [Glossary] 1. The total heat exchange efficiency is the rate at which all heat in the air, including temperature (sensible heat) and humidity (latent heat) are exchanged. 2. The effective ventilation rate is the proportion of outside (fresh) air pumped indoors.
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PulPac continues to spearhead innovation and expand global IP for Dry Molded Fiber
PulPac today announces further patent grants for its pioneering cellulose forming technology that makes it possible to replace single-use plastics with competitive fiber-based alternatives. The company's most general patent, that already has been granted in big parts of the world, is now also granted in Colombia. Furthermore, a new patent comprising hole punching of Dry Molded Fiber products has been granted in Sweden. The granted patent in Colombia fortifies PulPac’s global ownership of the core technology of Dry Molded Fiber (DMF). The patent relates to a method, apparatus, and product where air-formed cellulose is pressed in a forming mould within given temperature and pressure intervals and has already been granted on important markets such as China, Europe, USA, Japan, and Russia. Compared to traditional fiber forming methods the DMF technology consumes less energy and water in addition to significantly lowering CO2, while enabling high-speed production of fiber-based packaging. It can be used for forming cellulose products in a wide variety of shapes, at costs that are competitive with plastics. “The world needs to move away from plastics, and we will continue to spearhead innovation and grow the DMF patent portfolio to support the urgent transition to fiber-based packaging. With strong and global IP, we advance our licensee’s position and the incentive to drive change for a better future" says Peter Ekwall, IP Manager at PulPac. PulPac has also been granted a patent in Sweden relating to a system and a method for dry forming a three-dimensional cellulose product using PulPac’s unique DMF technology. The patent is especially directed towards a moulding feature allowing for punching one or more holes in the product already in the forming mould. This is advantageous when manufacturing lids for hot or cold drinks but can also be used in other applications.
