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Steel Strength Plastics: Durable Plastic May Replace Metals Jun 11, 2012 As landfills overflow with discarded plastics, scientists have beenworking to produce a biodegradable alternative that will reducepollution. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher is giving the questfor environmentally friendly plastics an entirely new dimension --by making them tougher than ever before. Prof. Moshe Kol of TAU's School of Chemistry is developing asuper-strength polypropylene -- one of the world's most commonlyused plastics -- that has the potential to replace steel and othermaterials used in everyday products. This could have a long-termimpact on many industries, including car manufacturing, in whichplastic parts could replace metallic car parts. Durable plastics consume less energy during the production process,explains Prof. Kol. And there are additional benefits as well. Ifpolypropylene car parts replaced traditional steel, cars would belighter overall and consume less fuel, for example. And because thematerial is cheap, plastic could provide a much more affordablemanufacturing alternative. His research has been published in the journal Angewandte Chemie. Better building blocks Although a promising field of research, biodegradable plastics havenot yet been able to mimic the durability and resilience of common,non-biodegradable plastics like polypropylene. Prof. Kol believesthat the answer could lie in the catalysts, the chemicals thatenable their production. Plastics consist of very long chains called polymers, made ofsimple building blocks assembled in a repeating pattern.Polymerization catalysts are responsible for connecting thesebuilding blocks and create a polymer chain. The better thecatalyst, the more orderly and well-defined the chain -- leading toa plastic with a higher melting point and greater strength anddurability. This is why the catalyst is a crucial part of theplastic production process. Prof. Kol and his team of researchers have succeeded in developinga new catalyst for the polypropylene production process, ultimatelyproducing the strongest version of the plastic that has beencreated to date. "Everyone is using the same building blocks, sothe key is to use different machinery," he explains. With theircatalyst, the researchers have produced the most accurate or"regular" polypropylene ever made, reaching the highest meltingpoint to date. Using resources more efficiently By 2020, the consumption of plastics is estimated to reach 200million tons a year. Prof. Kol says that because traditionalplastics aren't considered green, it's important to thinkcreatively to develop this material, which has become a staple ofdaily life, with the least amount of harm to the environment.Cheaper and more efficient to produce in terms of energyconsumption, as well as non-toxic, Prof. Kol's polypropylene isgood news for green manufacturing and could revolutionize theindustry. The durability of the plastic results in products thatrequire less maintenance -- and a much longer life for parts madefrom the plastic. Beyond car parts, Prof. Kol envisions a number of uses for this andrelated plastics, including water pipes, which he says couldultimately conserve water use. Drinking water for the home has beentraditionally carried by steel and cement pipes. These pipes aresusceptible to leakage, leading to waste and therefore higher waterbills. But they are also very heavy, so replacing them can be amajor, expensive operation. "Plastic pipes require far fewer raw materials, weighing ten timesless than steel and a hundred times less than cement. Reducedleaking means more efficient water use and better water quality,"Prof. Kol explains. The replacement of steel water pipes by thosemade of plastic is becoming more common, and the production ofplastics with even greater strength and durability will make thistransition even more environmentally-friendly. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Barrier Terminal Block , Pluggable Terminal Block Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits PCB Terminal Block.
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