Technology
June 23, 2022
Black Mass Recycling Technology
BASF to build battery recycling facility in Brandenburg
BASFBatteriesbattery cellsBrandenburgGermanyRecyclingResourcesSchwarzheidesuppliers
BASF will build a plant for recycling black mass from batteries on an industrial scale in Schwarzheide, Brandenburg – where BASF’s pilot recycling plant is also located. Commissioning of the large plant is planned for early 2024.
The annual processing capacity is to be 15,000 tonnes – old electric car batteries and material that does not meet production specifications will be recycled. The latter can come from the immediate vicinity: As is well known, BASF is also building its German factory for cathode materials in Schwarzheide. Scrap and offcuts can therefore be reprocessed directly on site.
In the press release, the company describes the site as “ideal for the development of battery recycling activities”. Not only because of its own production on site, but “because there are many manufacturers of electric cars and cell producers in Central Europe”. The plant is expected to create about 30 jobs. The company does not specify the amount of the investment.
The so-called ‘black mass’ is produced in the first phase of battery recycling. After the mechanical treatment of the battery (i.e. dismantling and crushing), components such as plastics and aluminium can already be filtered out. What remains is the black mass, which contains large quantities of the battery’s active materials – such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese. To separate this mass back into the individual materials (which are then used to produce new cathodes), water and chemicals are used in the hydrometallurgical process.
“With this investment in a commercial scale battery recycling black mass plant, we take the next step to establish the full battery recycling value chain at BASF. This allows us to optimize the end-to-end recycling process and reduce the CO2 footprint,” says Peter Schuhmacher, head of BASF’s Catalysts division. “The closed loop from end-of-life batteries to CAM for new batteries, supports our customers along the entire battery value chain, reduces the dependency from mined raw materials and enables a circular economy.”
The groundbreaking for cathode material production in Schwarzheide took place in November 2020. About a month later, the group confirmed it would also build the recycling pilot plant on site. At the pilot plant, which is scheduled to come on stream this year, BASF aims to optimise operating procedures to achieve higher recovery of lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese from spent lithium-ion batteries.
https://www.electrive.com/2022/06/21/basf-to-build-battery-recycling-facility-in-brandenburg/
December 29, 2021
Fully-Autonomous Truck
First-Ever Fully-Autonomous Semi-Truck With No-Human On Board Traverses Arizona Highway
by Tyler DurdenWednesday, Dec 29, 2021 – 03:05 PM
Hardly a day goes by without some truck drivers thinking their days are numbered as AI, machine learning, and robotics could soon take their jobs.
In an industry that moves over 70% of U.S. freight by weight and labor and fuel costs are becoming more expensive, transportation companies are itching to swap human drivers for robot ones.
The latest example that automated semi-trucks could be available for commercial use in the next few years was the recent test by San Diego-based TuSimple.
According to a TuSimple press release, the company tested a class 8 vehicle (otherwise known as a trailer tractor) on a public road without human intervention. The nighttime test was conducted on Dec. 22 on an 80 mile stretch of highway between Tucson, Arizona, and Phoenix.
TuSimple “successfully completed the world’s first fully autonomous semi-truck run on open public roads without a human in the vehicle and without human intervention,” the press release said.
The one-hour and 20-minute drive is the first time a class 8 autonomous truck has operated on open public roads without a human in the vehicle and without human intervention and is part of an ongoing test program that will continue into 2022.
The test was performed in close collaboration with the Arizona Department of Transportation and law enforcement. The autonomous driving test was 100% operated by TuSimple’s ADS without a human on-board, without remote human control of the vehicle, and without traffic intervention. – TuSimple
TuSimple’s Autonomous Driving System can navigate streets, read traffic signals, maneuver on and off highways, and even change lanes while interacting with other vehicles.
Over the years, we’ve shown readers there is no shortage of reports (read: here & here) suggesting that robots can potentially displace jobs. The signs we see today, focusing on transportation, are that automated trucks could be maneuvering roads and highways by the end of the decade, perhaps as early as 2027. With that being said, all those newly minted drivers who are taking advantage of snarled supply chains might want to come up with a backup plan once automation begins to displace drivers.
December 29, 2021
Fully-Autonomous Truck
First-Ever Fully-Autonomous Semi-Truck With No-Human On Board Traverses Arizona Highway
by Tyler DurdenWednesday, Dec 29, 2021 – 03:05 PM
Hardly a day goes by without some truck drivers thinking their days are numbered as AI, machine learning, and robotics could soon take their jobs.
In an industry that moves over 70% of U.S. freight by weight and labor and fuel costs are becoming more expensive, transportation companies are itching to swap human drivers for robot ones.
The latest example that automated semi-trucks could be available for commercial use in the next few years was the recent test by San Diego-based TuSimple.
According to a TuSimple press release, the company tested a class 8 vehicle (otherwise known as a trailer tractor) on a public road without human intervention. The nighttime test was conducted on Dec. 22 on an 80 mile stretch of highway between Tucson, Arizona, and Phoenix.
TuSimple “successfully completed the world’s first fully autonomous semi-truck run on open public roads without a human in the vehicle and without human intervention,” the press release said.
The one-hour and 20-minute drive is the first time a class 8 autonomous truck has operated on open public roads without a human in the vehicle and without human intervention and is part of an ongoing test program that will continue into 2022.
The test was performed in close collaboration with the Arizona Department of Transportation and law enforcement. The autonomous driving test was 100% operated by TuSimple’s ADS without a human on-board, without remote human control of the vehicle, and without traffic intervention. – TuSimple
TuSimple’s Autonomous Driving System can navigate streets, read traffic signals, maneuver on and off highways, and even change lanes while interacting with other vehicles.
Over the years, we’ve shown readers there is no shortage of reports (read: here & here) suggesting that robots can potentially displace jobs. The signs we see today, focusing on transportation, are that automated trucks could be maneuvering roads and highways by the end of the decade, perhaps as early as 2027. With that being said, all those newly minted drivers who are taking advantage of snarled supply chains might want to come up with a backup plan once automation begins to displace drivers.
November 11, 2021
Sabic Introduces MOCA Replacement
SABIC’S NEW NORYL™ POLYOL IMPROVES PERFORMANCE OF MDI-BDO CAST POLYURETHANES AND OFFERS ALTERNATIVE TO TDI-MOCA CURED SYSTEMS
11/11/2021
Home > News & Media > Latest News > SABIC’S NEW NORYL™ POLYOL IMPROVES PERFORMANCE OF MDI-BDO CAST…
SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, today announced that its recently launched NORYL™ AP2001G aromatic polyol can significantly improve the performance of hot cast polyurethanes (PUs) based on methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMG). By boosting the hardness, toughness and stiffness properties of cast PU by double digits, NORYL AP2001G polyol can enable MDI formulations cured with 1,4-butanediol (BDO) to deliver equivalent or better performance compared to toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and PTMG PU formulations cured with MOCA (4,4′-methylene bis(ortho-chloroaniline)).
Due to increasing scrutiny in the use of MOCA as a substance of very high concern (SVHC) in the European Union, many PU manufacturers have adopted alternative formulations, including MDI-BDO. However, existing MDI-BDO systems pose performance challenges including lower mechanical and chemical properties vs. TDI-MOCA systems. SABIC’s NORYL AP2001G polyol for MDI-BDO systems addresses both the SVHC issue and performance deficiencies of existing materials, providing formulators with an alternative solution to TDI formulations and an opportunity to reduce or eliminate MOCA.
“As manufacturers began to transition away from SVHCs, SABIC understood the need to assist customers with this challenge,” said Antonello Cerullo, Ph.D., senior business development manager, SABIC. “We collaborated with Troy Polymers to validate the notable performance benefits of our new NORYL polyol for MDI-BDO systems. Thanks to our innovative new modifier, customers may now achieve results comparable to – or even better than – what they experienced with TDI-MOCA and MDI-BDO formulations, while staying ahead of the tighter restrictions that are being placed on the MOCA curative.”
Validating Performance Properties vs. MDI-BDO PUs
SABIC engaged Troy Polymers, a leading research and development laboratory based in Madison Heights, Mich., in the United States, to formulate PU samples using NORYL AP2001G polyol and conduct extensive testing and validation. The results showed that NORYL AP2001G polyol (at a loading of 5.6 percent) improved several properties of MDI-BDO cast PU formulations.
The SABIC modifier delivered up to a 30 percent increase in toughness, up to a 26 percent boost in tensile stress at break, up to an 8 percent improvement in elongation at break, and up to a 1.4 point jump in Shore D hardness.
Testing also revealed that NORYL AP2001G polyol can enhance hardness and toughness performance at high temperatures up to 70°C, which potentially allows MDI-BDO cast PU to be used in extreme conditions, such as for oil and gas exploration, gasketing and mining applications.
In terms of processability, when NORYL AP2001G polyol was added to the pre-polymer, the cast PU showed a longer pot life than a baseline MDI-BDO system. Details on the test methodology and results can be downloaded here.
“Based on our extensive experience in innovative polyurethane solutions, we have verified the benefits of SABIC’s NORYL AP2001G polyol for cast polyurethanes based on MDI-BDO systems,” said Aisa Sendijarevic, Ph.D., research director, Troy Polymers. “While MDI-BDO technology can replace TDI-MOCA in some applications, adding NORYL AP2001G polyol significantly improves MDI-BDO performance and offers an alternative that is free of substances of very high concern. Our test results indicate this SABIC polyol may enhance the performance and regulatory compliance of cast polyurethane.”
November 11, 2021
Sabic Introduces MOCA Replacement
SABIC’S NEW NORYL™ POLYOL IMPROVES PERFORMANCE OF MDI-BDO CAST POLYURETHANES AND OFFERS ALTERNATIVE TO TDI-MOCA CURED SYSTEMS
11/11/2021
Home > News & Media > Latest News > SABIC’S NEW NORYL™ POLYOL IMPROVES PERFORMANCE OF MDI-BDO CAST…
SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, today announced that its recently launched NORYL™ AP2001G aromatic polyol can significantly improve the performance of hot cast polyurethanes (PUs) based on methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMG). By boosting the hardness, toughness and stiffness properties of cast PU by double digits, NORYL AP2001G polyol can enable MDI formulations cured with 1,4-butanediol (BDO) to deliver equivalent or better performance compared to toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and PTMG PU formulations cured with MOCA (4,4′-methylene bis(ortho-chloroaniline)).
Due to increasing scrutiny in the use of MOCA as a substance of very high concern (SVHC) in the European Union, many PU manufacturers have adopted alternative formulations, including MDI-BDO. However, existing MDI-BDO systems pose performance challenges including lower mechanical and chemical properties vs. TDI-MOCA systems. SABIC’s NORYL AP2001G polyol for MDI-BDO systems addresses both the SVHC issue and performance deficiencies of existing materials, providing formulators with an alternative solution to TDI formulations and an opportunity to reduce or eliminate MOCA.
“As manufacturers began to transition away from SVHCs, SABIC understood the need to assist customers with this challenge,” said Antonello Cerullo, Ph.D., senior business development manager, SABIC. “We collaborated with Troy Polymers to validate the notable performance benefits of our new NORYL polyol for MDI-BDO systems. Thanks to our innovative new modifier, customers may now achieve results comparable to – or even better than – what they experienced with TDI-MOCA and MDI-BDO formulations, while staying ahead of the tighter restrictions that are being placed on the MOCA curative.”
Validating Performance Properties vs. MDI-BDO PUs
SABIC engaged Troy Polymers, a leading research and development laboratory based in Madison Heights, Mich., in the United States, to formulate PU samples using NORYL AP2001G polyol and conduct extensive testing and validation. The results showed that NORYL AP2001G polyol (at a loading of 5.6 percent) improved several properties of MDI-BDO cast PU formulations.
The SABIC modifier delivered up to a 30 percent increase in toughness, up to a 26 percent boost in tensile stress at break, up to an 8 percent improvement in elongation at break, and up to a 1.4 point jump in Shore D hardness.
Testing also revealed that NORYL AP2001G polyol can enhance hardness and toughness performance at high temperatures up to 70°C, which potentially allows MDI-BDO cast PU to be used in extreme conditions, such as for oil and gas exploration, gasketing and mining applications.
In terms of processability, when NORYL AP2001G polyol was added to the pre-polymer, the cast PU showed a longer pot life than a baseline MDI-BDO system. Details on the test methodology and results can be downloaded here.
“Based on our extensive experience in innovative polyurethane solutions, we have verified the benefits of SABIC’s NORYL AP2001G polyol for cast polyurethanes based on MDI-BDO systems,” said Aisa Sendijarevic, Ph.D., research director, Troy Polymers. “While MDI-BDO technology can replace TDI-MOCA in some applications, adding NORYL AP2001G polyol significantly improves MDI-BDO performance and offers an alternative that is free of substances of very high concern. Our test results indicate this SABIC polyol may enhance the performance and regulatory compliance of cast polyurethane.”
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