via The Guardian
Plastic was the furthest thing from Gregory Wetherbee’s mind when he began analyzing rainwater samples collected from the Rocky Mountains. “I guess I expected to see mostly soil and mineral particles,” said the US Geological Survey researcher. Instead, he found multicolored microscopic plastic fibers.
Read the full story here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/12/raining-plastic-colorado-usgs-microplastics
A system meant to take floating plastic from the ocean is having difficulty gathering debris, Ohio lawmakers take aim at local bag bills and a NAFTA replacement agreement is signed.
via Plastics News.
RESIDENTS of Indonesia’s second largest city Surabaya can now pay for the bus in a novel way – by trading in used plastic.
The city’s mayor Tri “Risma” Rismaharini last month announced the roll out of the new Suroboyo Bus, comfortable, air-conditioned buses which are, importantly, accessible for disabled, elderly and pregnant passengers.
Read the full story here: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2018/05/in-indonesia-commuters-pay-for-the-bus-with-plastic-waste/
LONDON — Ever since China announced last year that it no longer wanted to be the “world’s garbage dump,” recycling about half of the globe’s plastics and paper products, Western nations have been puzzling over what to do when the ban went into effect, which it did on Jan. 1.
The answer, to date, in Britain at least, is nothing. At least one waste disposal site in London is already seeing a buildup of plastic recyclables and has had to pay to have some of it removed.
Read the full story here: https://nyti.ms/2Ezr1TE
via Plastics News
Grand Rapids, Mich. — The automotive sector will spend $11 billion on tooling in North America this year, as automakers plan lots of vehicle launches over the next few years, consultant Laurie Harbour told the American Mold Builders Association.
Read the full story here: http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20180302/NEWS/180309968/harbour-tooling-demand-for-automotive-to-be-highest-ever
via Phys.org
Combining flexible and stiff materials has bestowed bamboo with a strength-to-weight ratio that rivals steel. Gradually transitioning from a soft to hard substance allows the squishy squid to slice up prey with rigid, scissor-like beaks.
With the help of a new model co-developed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, these two evolution-honed principles could eventually enable engineers to double or triple the strength of polymer-based components.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-material-gradients-polymer-components.html#jCp
via Jacksonville.com
A new manufacturing facility that has relocated from China to Jacksonville will add 50 new employees to the local workforce.
About 150 local dignitaries and community leaders were on hand Thursday afternoon when the Hans-Mill Corp. officially unveiled its 121,000-square-foot stainless steel garbage can factory at 5406 W. First St. on Jacksonville’s Westside.
Read the full story here: http://www.jacksonville.com/metro/business/2017-05-18/hans-mill-opens-garbage-can-factory-jacksonville-deal-walmart-hires-50
Scientists and sports enthusiasts alike have long been looking to level this frigid playing field via the development of plastics that can serve as synthetic ice to line backyard hockey and ice-skating rinks. But the type of polymer needed to coat a sloping two-kilometer track—one that can accommodate sleds traveling in excess of 125 kilometers per hour—has proved much more elusive. “Any synthetic track needs to offer a similar sliding and driving experience to ice and not create any concerns about athlete safety,” says Jan-Anders Månsson, director of Purdue University’s Composites Manufacturing and Simulation Center and a professor in materials and chemical engineering. “It also needs to be both durable and cost-effective.” Read the full story here: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/winter-olympics-could-plastic-ldquo-ice-rdquo-help-overcome-bias-toward-colder-countries/
via LSU.edu
BATON ROUGE – Tens of thousands of pounds of plastic Mardi Gras beads enter the environment every year. After the parades, most of the discarded beads end up in the landfill. Biologist Naohiro Kato at LSU is developing an innovative way to solve this problem by creating biodegradable Mardi Gras beads.
Read the full story here: http://www.lsu.edu/mediacenter/news/2018/02/06bio_kato_beads.php
via Plastics News
Detroit — It should not be a shock to automotive suppliers that the plastics industry has an electric future.
By 2025, electric and hybrid electric vehicles could account for 33 percent of total vehicle production worldwide, according to data from IHS Markit Ltd., and suppliers are being tapped by OEMs to put different composites and materials into real-world vehicle applications.
Read the full story here: http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20180206/NEWS/180209933/push-for-electric-vehicles-means-plastics-may-take-charge
You must be logged in to post a comment.