Johnson Controls putting carbon body exterior parts into series production

Johnson Controls is applying its expertise in natural fiber processing technology for interior components to vehicle exteriors; the company is using liquid resin press molding to enable series production of carbon fiber body parts. The company says that it is already supplying a well-known automotive manufacturer with its carbon components.

Previously, the production of very light carbon components involved a great deal of effort and a considerable amount of manual labor.

The new process is based on a wet press process used by Johnson Controls since 2003 to produce wood fiber components for vehicle interiors. In the newly adapted process, a carbon fiber mat pre-moistened with resin is placed between the forming tools and then pressed. During the pressing cycle, the excess resin leaks onto the edge of the mold. This provides a very high fiber density in the body parts.

We are one of the pioneers in the automotive industry for large-scale production of carbon parts, thanks to our innovative production process. We are pleased to be able to transfer that technology for use in vehicle exteriors.

Source : greencarcongress.com

Audi's Wörthersee e-bike concept features "wheelie" mode

Audi has announced that it will debut a new performance e-bike prototype at next week’s Wörthersee Tour car show in the picturesque village of Reifnitz, Austria. Described as a high-end pedelec for sport, fun and tricks, the Audi e-bike Wörthersee features a futuristic carbon fiber frame that houses an onboard computer and a Li-ion battery pack, and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) wheels – both designed to keep the weight down. The prototype offers five travel modes, ranging from pedal-power to electric-only, and inclusive of two “Wheelie” modes where the power is automatically controlled to assist the rider while the front wheel grabs some air.

The new e-bike prototype will share Audi’s exhibition stand at the Lake Wörthersee car show with 16 current production models, including the new A3, and three new takes on the Q3 compact – the Audi Q3 red track, the Audi Q3 jinlong yufeng – or “Golden Dragon in the Wind” – and the Audi RS Q3 concept. The auto manufacturer says that its new sport bike concept does not fit into any of the usual categories.

Audi’s designers are responsible for every component of the e-bike, which features a lightweight carbon-fiber frame that tips the scales at a featherweight 3.53 pounds (1,600 g) reinforced only at load points, 26-inch CFRP rims with large-area blade-pattern spokes that weigh just 1.32 pounds (600 g) each and a CFRP swing arm for the rear wheel. All of which helps towards a total bike weight of 46.3 pounds (21 kg) including the swappable in-frame 48V/530Wh Li-ion battery pack. Charge time is reported to be 2.5 hours from a 230V mains supply.

The permanent magnet synchronous motor has a peak output of 2.3 kW, delivers a maximum torque of 250 Nm to the rear wheel, has been placed at the lowest point on the frame and drives the bottom bracket shaft directly. The e-bike’s nine-speed hydraulically actuated gear shift is reported to have a similarly fast sequential action to the R-tronic transmission in an Audi R8.

Riders can run through five travel programs including a pedelec mode, where the e-bike is said to achieve a top speed of up to 50 mph (80 km/h) with a range of between 31 and 44 miles (50 – 70 km) per charge. In electric-only mode with a twistgrip controlling the power output, the top speed is 31 mph (50 km/h).

Pulling extended wheelies gets some help from the control system, with a “Power Wheelie” mode for less skilled riders that oversees an adjustable wheelie angle, and a “Balanced Wheelie” mode for more experienced riders where the balance is maintained electronically. The latter mode sees the motor either accelerating or slowing down the e-bike as the rider’s weight shifts forward or back.

Users can select riding modes, record trick sequences and adjust operation functions using the on-board computer’s touchscreen display positioned within the top bar of the frame, which also shows speed, distance, battery level, energy consumption and slope angle. Operation can also be controlled using a WLAN-linked smartphone (an antenna is integrated into the front brake line), that’s also used to deactivate the immobilizer.

Video images captured by the smartphone can be uploaded to the web or sent direct to an online trainer program. Successful completion of tricks is rewarded by increased ranking and challenge difficulty, and online rankings can be viewed on the e-bike’s display via Facebook.

Completing the versatile prototype’s specs are hydraulic disk brakes front and rear, upside-down, air-sprung suspension at the front with 5.12 inches (130mm) of travel, LED lighting that’s integrated into the handlebar and the seat and the ability to continuously adjust seat height using a control on the handlebar.

Vistors to the Audi, VW, Seat and Skoda Wörthersee Tour car show 2012 – which runs from May 16 to 19 in Reifnitz, on the Wörthersee in Carinthia, Austria – can also look forward to demonstrations of skill from trial biker Julien Dupont and women’s downhill specialist Petra Bernhard.

Source : gizmag.com

Green EnviroTech Holdings Corp. (GETH.PK) tire and plastic to oil sample accepted by a Major Oil Company for purchase.

Green EnviroTech Holdings Corp. (GETH.PK) announces today that the tire and plastic to oil samples sent to a major oil company have been accepted as a quality that they will purchase. The oil company stated that their lab results showed all of the qualities of the crude oil samples received to be within typical specifications for their refinery.

CEO Gary M De Laurentiis stated, “This is another huge leap forward for GETH and our tire and plastic to oil project with Ebbros Energy LLC. This is the final piece of what was needed to move forward with our first plant. We are finalizing our agreement with Ebbros so we can move from the non-binding LOI to a finance and purchase agreement next week. Terms of a purchase agreement between Ebbros and the oil company are now being negotiated as to the delivery point and financial terms. We anticipate the contract to be completed in the next few weeks.”

De Laurentiis added, “We are now working with a California commercial realtor and have identified a site and are negotiating the rental terms. Once the terms are finalized and we have the address we will apply for the required permits. We have been in contact with the agencies able to permit the site we have chosen and have had initial discussions that have been positive and we believe the permits can be completed in the next few months.

The equipment could be ready to deliver at approximately the same time table as the permits being issued. We are very encouraged at the progress we have made over the past year with this technology and our ability to get an Oil company to accept what we will produce. Additionally, GETH has secured feed stock supplies of tires and plastic for the area where we intend to locate. With huge volumes of waste tires and plastic going to the California landfills we foresee the plant growing from its initial start-up to consume an enormous amount of waste tires and plastic that has no value and is not recycled.”

To review the conversion technology please visit: www.YouTube.com Type in “Green EnviroTech Holdings Waste Tires to Oil” and click on the tab for the three videos.

Media Services by: www.SmallCap1.com & www.EquityDigest.com

About Green EnviroTech Holdings Corp. Green EnviroTech Holdings Corp. is a plastics and tires recovery and recycling company which removes contaminants from recovered plastic recaptured from end of life automotive vehicles shredded for their metal. Green EnviroTech Holdings Corp. processes this recovered plastic to produce compounded plastic resin and light sweet crude oil as end products. Its unique patented process significantly reduces the amount of shredder residue going to landfills by up to 40 percent creating considerable cost savings for metal recyclers while also dramatically reducing the volume of materials going to the landfill.

The Company has developed long term strategic partnerships that allow it to receive feedstock at near zero cost and has also leveraged its patented technology to ensure guaranteed sale of 100% of its production output thereby creating a sustainable and high margin business model. A valuable by-product of the Green EnviroTech process is commercial grade, sweet crude oil that will also be sold to industry at market prices. For more information please visit www.greenenvirotech.com.

Safe Harbor Statement:

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be considered to be forward-looking statements. Written words, such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intends,” “goal,” “objective,” “seek,” “attempt,” or variations of these or similar words, identify forward-looking statements.

By their nature, Forward-looking statements and forecasts involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the near future. For a discussion of these and further risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We file annual, quarterly, and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any reports, statements or other information that we file at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. Our public filings with the SEC also are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the Web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

Source : macreportmedia.com

Plastic bag tax likely to stay when city council votes in June

Mayor Rob Ford’s hand-picked executive committee voted to rescind the five cent bag tax, but it’s highly unlikely city council will back the decision next month.

Instead, council appears poised to expand on the intent of the bylaw and develop a communications strategy that would encourage major Toronto retailers to donate bag fee proceeds to Toronto’s tree canopy program.

More: Mayor Rob Ford wants to scrap 5-cent plastic bag fee

“The battle’s lost here today, but we’ll see what happens on the council floor,” said Councillor Michelle Berardinetti, who split with the mayor. “The political reality is that the councillors, by and large, want to keep this in place because they know it’s effective.”

Berardinetti advocated for the staff-endorsed tree canopy strategy, which executive approved.

Executive also asked that any communications strategy encourage retailers to prominently display how much of the fee revenue they are donating to the tree canopy program.

According to a staff report, Toronto businesses collectively take in about $5.4 million annually from the fee, which David Miller’s council passed in 2008. But staff estimate only about $270,000 could be raised annually for the tree canopy, since only a portion of retailers would likely participate. The city needs about $10 million per year over the next six years to execute its emerald ash borer tree replacement project.

Speaking on behalf of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association, Marion Axmith said the fee “unfairly portrays plastics and its products as an environmental problem” and the industry resents having the tree canopy issue connected to plastic bags, which can be recycled in Toronto blue bins.

Axmith added that many retailers already direct fee revenue to charities and that implementing the tree canopy requirement would take money away from those causes.

Loblaws, for example, is a big supporter of the World Wildlife Fund.

Berardinetti says all are worthy causes, but the money should be put toward causes that directly benefit the people paying the fee.

“I think that this is an issue where it’s a city tax and the money should be diverted back into city coffers for city green initiatives such as the tree canopy.”

Contacted earlier in the day, David Wilkes, the senior vice-president of the Retail Council of Canada’s grocery division, said consumers appear supportive of the fee.

“Our members are in the business of serving consumers and we definitely aren’t hearing demand for change. People like doing their part to reduce landfill,” he said.

The mayor acknowledged that even if council rescinded the fee, many retailers such as Loblaws would continue to charge the five cent bag tax.

Source : thestar.com

Baku to host Caspian International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition

Plastex Caspian 2012, the 2nd Caspian International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition, will take place from 15 to 17 May at the Baku Expo Center. Expectations are high for this year’s event thanks to a growth of 27% in chemicals production in Azerbaijan last year, and this growth is expected to continue with the construction of the Oil and Gas Petrochemical Complex. Additionally, a urea plant in Sumgait is scheduled for completion in 2014, and in the same city a ‘chemical village’ will be developed, where small businesses will use raw materials to turn out finished chemical products.

25 companies will exhibit at Plastex Caspian this year, with Austria and Germany increasing floor space at their national stands to make room for the extra companies they are bringing to the event. Newcomers from Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and India will be exhibiting, and over 30% of floor space will be taken up by companies from Azerbaijan.

Plastics is a key sector for every area of Azerbaijan’s economy, from agriculture to the service sector. Plastex Caspian has been organised to reflect this, being divided into the following sections: technology and hardware for the production and processing of plastics and rubber, technology for the pre-processing of materials and recycling technology, extrusion devices and apparatus, blow moulding machinery, thermoplastics machinery and equipment, equipment for the production of polystyrene foams and the processing of thermosetting plastics, welding apparatus, auxiliary equipment, components, dies, control and measuring instruments and automation processes, raw and secondary materials for the production of plastics, and products for plastics and rubber processing.

All this means that Plastex Caspian is an excellent opportunity to forge business links, sign contracts, and gain an insight into the global plastics and rubber industry and its latest development patterns. This will in turn help to introduce the advanced technologies Azerbaijan needs to continue modernising its economy.

The exhibition is organised by Iteca Caspian and ITE Group plc, along with its international partners ITE London, EUF in Turkey, GiMA in Germany, and ITE Gulf in Dubai. The exhibition’s partners are Azerfon LLC, AZAL, Greenwich Travel Club, Hilton Baku, and Caucas Point Hotel.

The exhibition is officially supported by the Ministry of Industry and Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organisations of Azerbaijan Republic, and the Azerbaijan Export & Investment Promotion Foundation.

Source : today.az

India can cooperate with Gulf in plastic industry

DUBAI: India is willing to support Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in their focus on value addition, from oil economy to polymers and plastic products, an official has said.

President of All India Plastics Manufacturers Association (AIPMA) Jayesh Rambhia said this is an opportunity for GCC and India to co-operate and supplement each other.

AIPMA is the co-organiser of Plastivision Arabia which is being held from May 14 to 17 featuring 150 exhibitors from 20 countries.

The $25-billion Indian plastics industry has the largest number of exhibitors – nearly half of the total participation – while the rest are from China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the UAE and the UK, according to a statement.

The packaging sector – a key driver of the plastics industry – in the UAE is valued at $1.84 billion in 2011, registering a growth at a CAGR of 4.27 per cent, according to Global Industry Analysts.

It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.68 per cent to reach $2.3 billion in 2016.

The opening event was attended by Indian ambassador to the UAE, M K Lokesh.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Formosa Plastics plans $2B for Texas plant: report

TAIPEI (MarketWatch) — Formosa Plastics Corp. plans to inject NT$60 billion (US$2 billion) into its Texas plant in the U.S. to boost production capacity and output, according to an interview with the company’s chairman, Lee Chih-tsuen, published by the Commercial Times Monday.

Lee said the expanded capacity of the plant in Point Comfort is expected to increase the plant’s annual production of propylene and ethylene to 2.46 million and 1.34 million metric tons respectively, the report said.

A timeline of the investment wasn’t mentioned.

Formosa Plastics also has operations in Delaware City and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the U.S.

Source : marketwatch.com

Nylon 12 Replacements Include Bioplastics

The plastics and automotive industries are pulling together to solve the crisis caused by a sudden shortage in nylon 12, after a fire earlier this year shut down an Evonik Industries plant that makes cyclododecatriene (CDT), a nylon 12 feedstock.

Evonik is reportedly responsible for 40 percent of the supply of nylon 12, used in automotive fuel and brake lines. Other world suppliers of PA 12 are Ube Industries, Arkema, and EMS-Grivory.
Major plastics companies, including DuPont, Dow, and BASF, are working with automotive OEM and supplier companies via the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) to identify replacement materials and determine how to accelerate testing. Fuel line testing for substitute materials can span several months, but the AIAG said that world supplies available on April 24 might last only four to six weeks.

On May 1, the AIAG held the third in a series of stakeholder meetings to find alternative materials and minimize the impact on supply chains. At this meeting, a committee approved an interim design verification plan and report to speed up the testing process for nylon 12 replacements for quick connectors, multi-layer tubing, and assemblies. The document can be downloaded from the group’s Website.

Evonik is offering alternatives to nylon 12, also called polyamide (PA) 12. Extrusion and injection molding compounds based on PA 6/10, PA 6/12, PA 10/10, and PA 10/12 will be available in smaller volumes during plant repairs, which are expected to be done by the fourth quarter this year, the company said in a statement. These compounds do not require CDT as a precursor. They are suitable for use in automotive line systems due to technical properties and processability comparable to those of nylon 12.

DuPont is working with both industry associations and customers to identify alternative materials that can be used to help manufacture components in fuel and brake systems, Chul Lee, DuPont Performance Polymers’ global business manager for long-chain polyamides, told us. DuPont offers several PA 12 alternatives, including three specialty Zytel nylon families — 6/12, 10/10, and 6/10 — which are based on long-chain polyamide technology.

Some of these are already used in fuel line applications, such as Zytel RS 10/10 nylon in Fiat’s bio-diesel fuel lines and Zytel HTN PPA in fuel line quick connectors. Many are based on castor oil from the non-food crop castor plant. Other replacement resins include Hytrel thermoplastic elastomer and Vamac AEM heat- and fluid-resistant elastomers.

“The tightness in the PA12 polymer supply actually started more than two years ago, caused by increased demand in photovoltaic solar and oil and gas applications, and customers began asking for replacements,” said Lee.

Nylon 12 Replacements Include Bioplastics

“The largest and most critical area of replacement needed now is in fuel lines and truck air brake lines. In these, you’re always trying to balance the flexibility of the material with chemical and salt resistance, and the material’s processability. The properties needed can vary by processor, or application, or OEM. The trick is to balance the right potential substitute with those properties.”

The difficulty and the challenge are that PA 12 may have been used in applications where it didn’t need to be, and where alternatives exist, said Lee. Every application needs to be reviewed on its own to see what’s possible. The vast majority of PA 12 replacements will likely be based on other polyamide chemistries.

Other producers of castor-based polyamides include Radici Plastics and Rhodia. Rhodia is conducting trials of its Technyl eXten PA6.10 product for use in automotive and industrial tubing and flexible hoses, as well as fuel quick connectors, said Alan Dubin, business development and technical service manager, North America, for Rhodia Engineering Plastics, in an interview.

Technyl eXten 6/10 grades are available for both extrusion and injection molding, Dubin said. They are especially suited to fittings and adapters for engine fuel systems and flexible tubes for power-assisted control systems. In chemical resistance and mechanical properties for some components, such as quick connectors and other injection-molded parts, as well as in some extrusion-molded applications, these grades may actually perform better than PA 12.

“We’ve done three automotive customer studies for major manufacturers of fuel line quick connectors that show virtually no change in part dimensions or part performance,” said Dubin. “They have evaluated our material in several different injection-molded products.”

PA 6/10 has virtually the same range of operating temperatures as PA 12, with similar results in heat aging characteristics. Making the switch from PA 12 to 6/10 should also result in a substantial cost reduction. Dubin says evaluations of extrusion-molded product performance are ongoing.

Source : designnews.com

More than 70% of Americans can recycle plastic bags and wraps locally

More than 91% of the U.S. population can recycle plastic bags locally and nearly 75% of people living in the U.S. can recycle other types of flexible plastic wraps in their own communities, according to a new study conducted by Moore Recycling Associates Inc.

The study, which examined flexible polyethylene film, which encompasses flexible plastic bags, sacks and many product wraps, identified more than 15,000 drop-off locations that collect these items for recycling. The majority of collection centers are located in stores, frequently major grocery chains or retailers like Target and Lowe’s home improvement stores.

This could be the first study of its kind to examine consumers’ access to recycle flexible plastic packaging. A separate study issued earlier in 2012 found that the recycling of flexible plastics increased 50% over the last five years to reach nearly 1 billion pounds annually in the U.S.

“Plastic bags and wraps are a valuable resource that should be recycled after use,” states Steve Russell, vice president of plastics for the American Chemistry Council, in the news release. “We’re thrilled that so many Americans have access to recycling, and we look forward to working to increase consumer awareness, so we can recycle even more of this material.”

The study also found that despite the abundant access to flexible plastic recycling programs, consumers aren’t yet using this infrastructure to its full potential. “Education is the next critical step,” Russell points out. “Awareness and convenience are key to changing behavior, and we frequently see that when awareness meets convenience, consumers are very willing to recycle their plastics.”

Source : snackandbakery.com

Toray receives environmental award

Toray Plastics America, Inc., the only United States manufacturer of precision-performance polyester, polypropylene, and bio-based films, is pleased to announce that of all this year’s recipients of the Environment Council of Rhode Island’s Senator John H. Chafee Conservation Leadership Awards, it received the highest honor. The annual awards are given in memory of the late governor and U.S. Senator’s dedication to preserving the environment and to honor Rhode Island organizations that have worked to continue that legacy.

Paul Urick, vice president of production and safety, Toray Plastics America, Inc., accepted the award on behalf of Toray at a reception held on May 4 at the Providence, Rhode Island Marriott Hotel. The council also granted awards to Rhode Island’s Appalachian Mountain Club trail committee volunteers, the Steel Yard Renewal project of Providence, and the Westerly Innovation Network.

Toray’s comprehensive sustainability initiative, begun in 2004, is guided by a six-point environmental mission: prioritize environmental preservation; help prevent global warming; achieve zero emissions of environmental pollutants; promote recycling; contribute to social well-being through environmental- improvement technologies and products; and raise employees’ environmental awareness.

“This award means a lot to Toray, and we are very grateful for the recognition,” said Rick Schloesser, president and CEO, Toray Plastics America, Inc. “Eight years ago we launched our sustainability initiative and have never wavered in our commitment, nor will we. It is truly gratifying to know that the results of our efforts extend far beyond the bounds of our 70-acre campus and are having a positive effect on the state as well as the global community.”

Among Toray’s many environmental achievements are the launch of a three-acre solar farm, the largest such farm in Rhode Island; the reduction by 41 percent of VOCs at its facility by the diverting of emission streams to a regenerative thermal oxidizer; the diversion of 1000 tons of non-hazardous waste from landfill and its shipment to a waste-to-energy plant; the installation plant-wide of high-efficiency lamps and motion detectors that turn lights off and save 3.16 million KWHs annually; and the recycling of 285 tons of wood, 154 tons of mixed metal, 65 tons of cardboard, 60 tons of paper, bottles, and cans, 156 tons of aluminum, nine tons of used oil, six tons of oil absorbents, and 700 tons of PP and PET scrap, annually.

Source : labelandnarrowweb.com