Polymer fibers with graphene nanotubes make it possible to heat hard-to-reach, complex-shaped items

•     Polymer fibers with graphene nanotubes combine the flexibility of synthetic fiber with very high electrical conductivity. The nanotubes can be added into melted polypropylene or polyamide to provide electrical conductivity.
• An ultrafine conductive fiber is used for fabric or mesh that can then be integrated into a polymer system.
• Such electrically conductive heating fibers are required in the medical, agricultural, construction, oil and gas, textile, automotive, and aerospace industries.

From the warming of seating to the heating of industrial and living areas, from the heating of cars’ interior parts to the de-icing of roofs—all these challenges require flexible heating elements that allow temperature control. AMPERETEX has developed an ultrafine polymer fiber with OCSiAl’s TUBALL graphene nanotubes, also known as single-wall carbon nanotubes.

“A current equivalent to an ordinary incandescent lamp with a power of 75 W is enough to heat polymer material with a mesh made from such a fiber with nanotubes. The solution is safe for people—the voltage of clothing made of fabric with nanotubes is only 5 V,” said Pavel Pogrebnyakov, Founder and CEO of AMPERETEX.

“Graphene nanotubes are one of the highest performing conductors on Earth. At the same time, unlike other carbon additives, they are very flexible. Their shape is similar to human hair, but 50,000 times thinner. Due to their unique properties, the dosage of graphene nanotubes required to modify polymer fibers can be so low that it doesn’t affect filament production or characteristics,” said Dr. Christian Maus, Development and Support Leader for Thermoplastics at OCSiAl Group. The graphene nanotubes are available as concentrates that can be added into melted polypropylene or polyamide, for example.

Heating mesh made of innovative fibers is integrated into flexible material or complex-shaped composite elements. Laboratory tests showed fiber durability of 30,000 cycles, which is compatible with 30-year service life. Electrically conductive heating meshes have successfully passed testing in various projects, among which are an anti-icing roof and a bus stop: an anti-slip coating with integrated AMPERETEX heating elements and embedded automatic heating sensors.

“The market for the application of such fibers is huge. This includes the medical, agricultural, construction, oil and gas, automotive, and aerospace industries. Currently, we have entered the production of synthetic heating fabrics at industrial-scale volumes. This year, we plan to release a line of products for heating in previously unavailable areas. We are trying to reduce energy consumption and create solutions for the B2B sector in response to a specific request. The next step is the usage of these elements for heating of hard-to-reach objects and products with complex geometric configurations,” noted Pavel Pogrebnyakov.

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Baking up a storm with KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS

Engineering materials such as thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are used to improve the properties of preparatory devices for baking. Some of these benefits include soft-touch feel and chemical resistance, as they come into
contact with food.

With a diverse range of thermoplastic elastomer products and custom solutions for a variety of industries, KRAIBURG TPE offers high-quality TPE compounds that meet the requirements of preparatory devices for baking.
These include spatulas, scoops and whisks handles, buttons and sealing for baking devices, and more.

Baking made easy
KRAIBURG TPE& food-safe THERMOLAST  K TPE series of compounds are ideal for various food-contact applications because of their high-quality surface, low migration, and organoleptic properties. furthermore, the THERMOLAST  K TPE series offers good surface mapping and a wide range of hardness to allow for improved functional elements and designs of preparatory baking equipment.

Meanwhile, the soft-touch surface feel adds to the advantages of the compounds in the preparatory baking devices. KRAIBURG TPE’s TPE compounds can be pre-colored into a variety of desired hues for a better aesthetic appearance.

Some of the TPE compounds are food-safe and meet China& GB4806-2016 standard, EU Regulation No. 10/2011, and the US FDA &  Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 21 and DIN EN 71-3 requirements, meeting many
food-safe applications.

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Dr. Andreas Pleßke, CEO at Koenig & Bauer AG, confirmed as the new chairman of the drupa Committee

As part of the constitutive meeting of the drupa Committee on 8 February 2022, Dr. Andreas Pleßke, CEO at Koenig & Bauer AG, has been appointed Chairman of this body. Wolfgang Poppen, the Managing Partner at Freiburger Druck GmbH & Co. KG and President of the German Printing and Media Industries Federation (Bundesverband Druck und Medien e.V.), was again confirmed in office as his deputy. Both candidates were elected unanimously.

Dr. Andreas Pleßke succeeds Claus Bolza-Schünemann in office, the former CEO of Koenig & Bauer AG, who had chaired the drupa Committee from 2012 and retired at the designated age. “It is a special honor for me to also succeed Mr. Bolza-Schünemann in this circle and I would like to thank the Committee members for their trust,” stresses Dr. Pleßke and goes on to say: “I am delighted to pro-actively contribute to shaping the further development and global standing of drupa in my new position with a view to strengthening its unique selling proposal as the world’s leading trade fair.”  

Also delighted at his re-election as deputy, Wolfgang Poppen echoed this view: “drupa stands for innovations and technology premieres and will definitely again prove a key milestone in a constantly evolving industry.”

The next drupa will be held at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre from 28 May to 7 June 2024 and will focus on the trends of digitalization and sustainability.

www.drupa.com .

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Informal Meeting of Agriculture Ministers

The European Union has set itself the ambitious target of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The agriculture sector has a key role to play in meeting this target, involving low-carbon agriculture. While the agricultural transition must contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, this sector also offers an excellent opportunity due to agricultural land’s capacity to store carbon.

Throughout the day on 7 February, the European ministers responsible for agriculture were able to see first-hand the practices used by farmers and the structures helping them implement low-carbon systems. For example, France’s proposed approach makes use of two tools: a carbon diagnosis scheme and the low-carbon label.

This helped paint a clear picture of the changes to agricultural models required at the farm level and the need to support farmers in these transitions. Developing markets based on carbon credits can offer the opportunity to reap the full economic benefits of these practices, which help combat climate change.

At the working meeting on 8 February, participants were able to achieve a political consensus at the European level concerning the role of farmers and forestry professionals in the fight against climate change.

The ministers shared their experience regarding climate-friendly agricultural practices, such as planting hedgerows and ground cover, diversifying and rotating crops while integrating pulses, and implementing agroforestry and sustainable grassland management, which are associated with many environmental benefits.

They also focused on specific systems such as wetlands and peatlands. They underscored the need to align these practices with agriculture’s primary goal of feeding the population. The participants also shared initiatives already in place in the certain Member States and identified the conditions needed to expand these efforts.

In addition to the mobilization of public funding and in particular, the CAP, a common certification framework at the European level emerged as a promising avenue, provided that it reconciles robust science, ease of implementation, and sufficient financial incentive. The ministers also highlighted the importance of research and experimentation and mobilizing agricultural training and advice networks to share knowledge and best practices.

For Julien Denormandie, “the goal is to create political momentum for a framework at European level that is conducive to the development and acceleration of soil carbon sequestration. I hope that the French Presidency can help provide the necessary impetus to reconcile environmental value and economic value.”

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Cosmo Speciality Chemicals Launches A Range of Organic Complexing Agent

Cosmo Speciality Chemicals, a 100% subsidiary of Cosmo Films Ltd., has launched a range of organic complexing agents, Sequest SA and Sequest DM, with excellent chelation properties. The specially formulated agents are effective in hard water and exhibit excellent chelation properties at a wide range of pH.

Applicable in pre-treatment, dyeing, and printing processes like desizing, bleaching, dyeing, and printing, both agents prevent the corrosion of the metal parts of garments. The two products of this range are  1. Request SA (Sequestering Agent) – a highly efficient eco-friendly high temperature stable sequestering agent for Ca++, FE+++ and other heavy metals; 2. Request DM (Demineralising Agent) – a high-performance demineralizing agent to remove heavy metal ions from cotton and processed water.

Demineralizing agents usually form complexes of coordination compounds by reaction of their negatively charged donor groups with polyvalent metal ions like an iron present on the greige fabric and in-process water which will enhance the final whiteness index whereas sequestering agents usually form complexes or coordination compounds by reaction of their negatively charged donor groups with polyvalent metal ions such as iron, calcium, copper, and magnesium.

0.2-1.0% dose for exhaust application and 2-5gpl for continuous application are the recommended dosages of both Sequest SA and Sequest DM. Talking about the new product range, Mr. Anil Gaikwad, Business head, Cosmo Specialty Chemicals said, “In our another step towards innovation and to bring another solution for the textile industry we have innovated these two agents which help in removing metallic ions from the textile in the wet processing steps.”

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