Solvents are liquid, gas, or solid chemicals that dissolve, extract, or suspend other substances. The most common and “universal” solvent is water, which dissolves more substances than any other.

Solvents are often categorized as polar or nonpolar, a factor of the solvent’s structure and charge that determines the types of substances that it can dissolve. Polar solvents have a “positive” and a “negative” charge at different places in their structures and will dissolve other polar substances. Water is a polar solvent; other polar solvents include acetone, acetonitrile, dimethylformamide (DMF), dimelthylsulfoxide (DMSO), isopropanol, and methanol.

Nonpolar solvents include alkanes (pentane, hexane, and heptane) and aromatics (benzene, toluene, and xylene). Other common nonpolar solvents include acetic acid, chloroform, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, methylene chloride, and pyridine. Nonpolar organic solvents are used as spot removers, paint thinners, nail polish removers, glue solvents, and are also used in perfumes and detergents.

Solvents are used extensively as a medium for chemical reactions and analytical separations and are available in various purity grades and packaging options. They are also essential for manufacturing cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, personal care items, textiles, paints, pesticides, and many other products.

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Fully #biodegradable #plastics

Trend chart of PBAT price, output and commencement of manufacturers between 2020 and 2021.

PBAT #PBS #PGA

Perfect polymers — polymers that balance physical and environmental properties — do not exist, but polybutylene terephthalate (PBAT) is closer to perfection than many polymers.
For decades, manufacturers of synthetic polymers have failed to prevent their products from eventually entering landfills and oceans, and they are now under pressure to take responsibility. Many people are redoubling their efforts to promote recycling to avoid criticism. Other companies are trying to solve the waste problem by investing in biodegradable bio based plastics, such as polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanes (PHA), hoping that natural degradation can reduce at least some waste.
However, both recycling and biopolymers face obstacles. For example, despite years of efforts, the plastic recovery rate in the United States is still less than 10%. However, it is difficult for bio based polymers – usually fermentation products – to achieve the same performance and production scale as the mature synthetic polymers they are to replace.
PBAT combines some beneficial properties of synthetic polymers and bio based polymers. It comes from common petrochemical products – purified terephthalic acid (PTA), butanediol and adipic acid, but it is biodegradable. As a synthetic polymer, it can be easily produced on a large scale, and it has the physical properties required to manufacture flexible films, which can be comparable to the films of traditional plastics.
Interest in PBAT is rising. Old brand manufacturers such as BASF in Germany and novamont in Italy have seen an increase in demand after decades of market cultivation. More than half of Asian manufacturers have joined them. With the promotion of sustainable development by regional governments, they expect the business of this polymer to be booming.
Marc Verbruggen, a former CEO of NatureWorks, a PLA manufacturer, is now an independent consultant. He believes that PBAT is “the cheapest and easiest way to manufacture bioplastics products”. He believes that PBAT is becoming an excellent flexible bioplastics, It is ahead of competitors such as polybutylene succinate (PBS) and PHA, and it may become one of the two most important biodegradable plastics as a whole, keeping pace with PLA. He said PLA is becoming the main product for rigid applications.
Ramani Narayan, a professor of chemical engineering at Michigan State University, said that the main selling point of PBAT — its biodegradability — comes from ester bonding rather than carbon carbon bonds like non degradable polymers such as polyethylene. Ester bonds are susceptible to hydrolysis and enzymes.
For example, polylactic acid and PHA are polyesters that degrade when their ester connections are destroyed. But the most common polyester, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), used in fibers and mineral water bottles, is less likely to decompose. This is because the aromatic rings in its backbone come from PTA. According to Narayan, these rings give structural properties and make pet hydrophobic. He said: “water is not easy to enter. It slows down the whole hydrolysis process.”
Some ingenious chemical reactions led scientists to invent PBAT in the 1990s as a bridge between aliphatic and aromatic polyesters.
BASF produces polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), a polyester made of butanediol. The company’s researchers are looking for a biodegradable polymer that they can easily produce. They use aliphatic dibasic acids to replace some PTA in PBT. In this way, the aromatic part of the polymer is separated so that it can be biodegradable. At the same time, enough PTA is left to make the polymer biodegradable Trustworthy physical properties.
Narayan believes that the biodegradability of PBAT is better than that of PLA, which needs industrial compost to decompose. However, it can not be compared with the commercially available PHA, which can be biodegradable under environmental conditions and even in the marine environment.
Experts most often compare the physical properties of PBAT with low-density polyethylene, an elastic polymer used to make films, such as garbage bags.
PBAT is often mixed with polylactic acid, a rigid polymer with polystyrene like properties that provides hardness. BASF’s ecovio brand is based on this mixture. For example, Verbruggen says compostable shopping bags are usually 85% PBAT and 15% PLA.
Novamont added another dimension to the formula. The company mixes PBAT and other biodegradable aliphatic aromatic polyesters with starch to create resins for specific applications.
Stefano facco, the company’s new business development manager, said: “over the past 30 years, novamont has been committed to solving applications where degradability adds value to the product itself.
A big market for PBAT is mulch, which is spread around crops to prevent weeds and help maintain moisture. When polyethylene films are used, they must be pulled up and often buried. However, biodegradable films can be cultivated directly into the soil.
Another big market is compostable garbage bags, which are used for catering services and household collection of food and yard waste. Bags from companies such as biobag, which novamont recently acquired, have been sold at retailers for many years.
Joerg auffermann, head of the global business development team of BASF biopolymers, said: “the main ecological benefits of Compostable Plastics come from their service life, because these products help transfer food waste from landfills or incinerators to organic recycling.
Over the years, biodegradable polyester industry has entered applications other than film. For example, in 2013, the Swiss coffee company launched a coffee capsule made of BASF’s ecovio resin.
An emerging market for novamont materials is biodegradable tableware, which can be composted with other organics. Facco said the tableware has started in Europe and other places that have passed regulations restricting the use of disposable plastics.
As more environment driven growth is expected, new Asian PBAT participants are entering the market. In Korea, LG Chemical is building a PBAT plant with an annual output of 50000 tons, which will open in 2024 as part of the $2.2 billion sustainable investment plan of Ruishan city. Sk geo centric (formerly known as SK global chemistry) and Kolon industries are cooperating to build a 50000 ton PBAT plant in Seoul. Kolon industries, a nylon and polyester manufacturer, provides production technology, while SK provides raw materials.
PBAT in the Chinese market is the most popular. Okchem, a Chinese chemical distributor, predicts that China’s PBAT production will rise from 150000 tons in 2020 to about 400000 tons in 2022.
Some Chinese enterprises are increasing their investment in PBAT. Hengli Petrochemical’s new biodegradable material project with an annual output of 450000 tons, with a total investment of 1.8 billion yuan, is located in Hengli (Changxing Island, Dalian) Industrial Park. Using independently developed process technology and formula, relying on the raw materials and supporting advantages of the industrial park, it mainly constructs two major projects: 150000 T / a PBS biodegradable plastics and 300000 t / a PBAT biodegradable plastics.
Verbruggen believes that there are many driving forces for investment. First, all types of biopolymers have recently experienced an increase in demand. The supply is tight, so the prices of PBAT and PLA are very high.
In addition, Verbruggen said that the Chinese government has been promoting China’s “great development” in bioplastics. Earlier this year, the Chinese government passed a law banning the use of non degradable shopping bags, straws and tableware.
Verbruggen said that the PBAT market is attractive to Chinese chemical manufacturers. This technology is not complicated, especially for companies with experience in polyester.
In contrast, polylactic acid is capital intensive. Before manufacturing this polymer, the company needs to ferment lactic acid from an adequate sugar source. Verbruggen pointed out that China has a “sugar deficit” and needs to import carbohydrates. “China is not necessarily a good place to build a lot of capacity,” he said.
Existing PBDE manufacturers have been keeping up with new players in Asia. In 2018, novamont completed a project to transform a PET plant in patrica, Italy, to produce degradable polyester. The project doubled the output of biodegradable polyester to 100000 tons per year.
In 2016, novamont opened a plant to produce butanediol from sugar using the fermentation technology developed by genomatica. The plant with an annual output of 30000 tons is located in Italy and is the only similar plant in the world.
According to facco, the new Asian PBAT manufacturers may produce a limited number of commercial polymer grades for large-scale applications. “It’s not complicated.” He said. In contrast, novamont will maintain its strategy of serving the professional market. “This is where we have some knowledge and are good for the market,” he said
BASF is responding to the trend of PBAT construction in Asia and participating in the construction of a new factory in China. The company licensed its PBAT technology to Tongcheng Xincai, a Chinese company, which plans to build a production plant with a capacity of 60000 tons / year in Shanghai by 2022.
Auffermann said: “with the upcoming new laws and regulations guiding the application of bioplastic materials in packaging, mulching and bags, it is expected that the positive market development will continue. The new plant will enable BASF to meet the growing demand in the region locally.”
In other words, BASF, which started producing PBAT 25 years ago, is now keeping up with the upsurge of new business because this polymer is becoming a mainstream material.

Chemical Resistance Chart for HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)
The chemical resistance chart below is a general guide only.

According to the latest global polyethylene pipe research report released by Freedonia group, China’s total demand for polyethylene pipe in 2019 was 4.2 million tons, accounting for 33% of global demand and 59% of regional sales, which is the largest market in the world so far.

The research report points out that China’s agriculture, construction, manufacturing, oil and gas and public utilities have a large volume, and plastic pipelines are needed in these fields. In addition, China’s diversified processing and manufacturing industries, including chemical industry, food processing, primary metals, pulp, paper and textiles, also need plastic pipes.

The scale of China’s construction industry is almost four times that of the United States, and the sales volume of polyethylene pipes is about three times that of the United States. China’s infrastructure investment continues to make great progress, and the proportion of product sales in the population is almost twice the global average.

The report predicts that by 2024, the global demand for polyethylene pipes will increase at an annual rate of 3.7% to 15.3 million metric tons, which is due to the increasing use of polyethylene pipes in all markets. Among them, HDPE pipes will also maintain healthy growth because they are more popular than other materials in water treatment and sewer applications.

Demand will be driven by polyethylene’s versatility, easy processability, low cost, and recyclability; by new ethylene feedstocks; and by improved polymerization catalyst technologies.

World demand to rise 4.0% annually through 2018

Global demand for polyethylene resins will rise 4.0 percent per year to 99.6 million metric tons in 2018, valued at $164 billion. Gains will match overall world economic growth, fueled by an acceleration in consumer spending and manufacturing activity. Polyethylene will continue to be the most widely used plastic resin in the world, benefiting from its versatility, easy processability, low cost, and recyclability. The development of ethylene feedstocks from new sources such as shale gas, coal, and biobased materials will also give polyethylene a price advantage over other plastic resins. Moreover, continually improving polymerization catalyst technologies will enhance the performance, customization, and yield of polyethylene resins. Further increases will be limited, however, by the highly commoditized and mature position of polyethylene. Additionally, major polyethylene applications such as plastic bags have increasingly become subject to environmental regulations and bans.

Asia/Pacific region to remain largest, fastest growing market

The Asia/Pacific region will continue to be the largest and fastest growing polyethylene market through 2018, fueled by strong growth in China, which alone accounted for nearly one-quarter of global demand in 2013. India and Vietnam will also be among the world’s most rapidly expanding markets. However, advances in most emerging Asian countries will rise at a slower pace than during the 2008-2013 period. On the other hand, North America will see a significant improvement in polyethylene demand, while the markets in Western Europe and Japan will rebound from recent declines.

LLDPE to gain market share over LDPE

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HDPE is the most widely used of the three polyethylene resins, accounting for just under half of total demand in 2013. Above average growth is expected for HDPE through 2018, driven by its rising use in construction products such as pipe and the increasing popularity of blow-molded HDPE containers in emerging market countries. LLDPE will continue to gain market share over LDPE going forward, as LLDPE is the primary beneficiary of metallocene catalyst technology, which improves resin performance. Packaging will remain the largest outlet for polyethylene, accounting for a majority of demand in 2018. The resin’s favorable sealing, stiffness, moisture barrier, and clarity properties make it an indispensible material in the packaging industry. Film accounts for about half of global polyethylene demand and tends to comprise a particularly large portion of the market in developing countries.

Junyuan Petroleum Group, one of the largest pentane production bases in China.

Polyethylene is the most popular plastic substance in the world. 
Nowadays, plants use ethylene to create these products. 
During its gas phase, liquid Isopentane will be added to the gas stream. 

Pentane: What Is It and How Do We Use It?

Pentane is an organic substance. It can be used to describe any 3 structural isomers or their combination. But, according to IUPAC, this phrase is exclusive to the n-pentane isomer. We also differentiate neopentane or dimethylpropane as well as isopentane or methylbutane.

​Pentanes are commonly used for fuels, but they can also be utilized as solvents in labs. The substance carries similar traits as hexanes and butanes.

Pentanes are generally used for insulation products. However, you can utilize them in so many different ways. Whether you’re relying on n-pentane, cyclopentane, or iso-pentane, each one of the chemical compounds can serve as the main ingredient for various products. In this article, we will discuss pentane, in general, as well as its potential application.

How do we get pentanes?

Pentanes are saturated hydrocarbons. Each one of them has five carbon atoms. We get n-pentane and iso-pentane naturally from crude oil.

They are made during gas production as natural byproducts. On the other hand, cyclopentane is found in naphtha or crude petrol. It is a molecule in the shape of a ring, and it is very popular across several industries. Oil refineries create cyclopentane through the cracking process.

Naphtha has variable quantities of pentanes. It all depends on its origin, the acquiring process, and the construction of the refinery.

They are the first hydrocarbons to become liquids at room temperature. Out of these substances, iso-pentane has the lowest boiling point.

The substance will boil at 29 degrees Celsius compared to n-pentane, which boils at 35 degrees, and cyclopentane that has a boiling point of 49 degrees Celsius. Due to these differences between pentanes’ boiling points, you are able to separate the substances.

What are the main differences between pentane types?

As you can presume, there are some major differences between these substances aside from their boiling points. Companies use them in numerous ways, and they have some major advantages over other crude oil derivatives. What’s even better is that you can mix these chemicals. This is how we get pentane blends, each with its unique set of traits.
How do you use n-pentane?

Generally speaking, n-pentane and iso-pentane are somewhat similar substances. They react in a similar fashion when you use them for different products. Usually, n-pentane is utilized as a refrigeration or air conditioning substance, effectively replacing things such as fluorinated hydrocarbons and ammonia. Here are some of its potential uses:

Refrigerant R601
Very non-polar solvent
Process medium for polyethylene

How do you use iso-pentane?
​A great thing about iso-pentane is that it almost cannot be dissolved in water. Furthermore, it has very soluble when used with other organic solvents like ethers, esters, paraffins, chlorinated hydrocarbons, aromatics, etc. Also, the substance has unlimited miscibility. This gives iso-pentane high versatility. Companies try to utilize their characteristics as much as possible for various products.

Non-polar solvent with high volatility
Personal care products like shower gels
It can be used as a process medium for polypropylene and polyethylene
Working medium in geothermal plants
How do you use cyclopentane?
While the previous two substances may have certain similarities, cyclopentane is completely different from both of them. It is not that popular as a solvent, nor is it used as an ingredient for other chemicals. But, it is a very common substance for insulation products.

It can be used for solvents and insulation board
Cyclopentane is great for refrigeration and refrigeration logistics
Blowing agent for polyurethane foams
Fine chemicals
Different ways pentane is used across various industries
Pentanes are very flexible products. Each one of these subtypes has a wide range of applications. Here is how different industries rely on them for their day-to-day business:

Geothermal plants
Pentanes are very important for renewable energy creation. Geothermal plants use iso-pentane as a medium during their crucial heating processes. Plants extract heat from the ground and use it for heating energy; iso-pentane is there to facilitate the process.

Cooling substance
Companies are also using pentanes as cooling agents. Whether we’re talking about iso-pentane or n-pentane, both of these chemical compounds can be utilized as cooling substances for air conditioning appliances and refrigeration systems. They are a much better alternative to fluorinated hydrocarbons and ammonia.

Cosmetics and care products
Pentanes are also very famous for their cosmetic industry application. They are a crucial ingredient for products like shower gels and shaving creams. Furthermore, these substances are the main reasons why personal care items have their specific, creamy texture.

Companies use pentanes for the production of polypropylene and polyethylene
Among others, companies use these substances to create polyethylene and polypropylene. Polyethylene is the most popular plastic substance in the world. Nowadays, plants use ethylene to create these products. During its gas phase, liquid iso-pentane will be added to the gas stream. The substance works as a specific cooler. Once it is condensed, you can reuse it. We make polypropylene in a similar way as polyethylene, and once again, iso-pentane is added during the gas phase to facilitate the process.

Insulation materials
Pentanes are commonly used for the creation of polystyrene and polyurethane insulation boards. Companies use them as blowing agents during polyisocyanurate and polyurethane formulation. Insulation materials are very important for the food industry and household appliances. You can use them for freezers, refrigerators, and cold storage. They are also crucial for constructions and various others industries. For example, you can use them for building, pipes, and other materials.

Cyclopentane is great for long-lasting insulation. It is especially good for smaller surfaces and spaces due to its ability to stay within polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foam for a long time, even after foaming. The pentane can be used for cooling devices and thin insulation panels.
​
Packaging material
Among others, pentanes are important for the creation of packaging material. Once again, pentane is utilized as a blowing agent. We use it to create extruded polystyrene, which is later on utilized for packaging chips.

Pentanes have numerous applications. As long as you use them with care, you should be able to create some incredible materials that can be utilized in various industries.