Raw materials trading firm Kato Sansho Co. Ltd. has worked with Ichinen Chemicals Co. Ltd. to develop One Bio, a series of biomass additives derived from plants. One Bio B-001 is an 80 percent plant-derived additive that can be simply mixed with polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) – materials that make up around half of Japan’s plastics market – to...
Kato Sansho Co. Ltd. has worked with Ichinen Chemicals Co. Ltd. to develop One Bio, a series of biomass additives derived from plants. One Bio B-001 is an 80 percent plant-derived additive that can be simply mixed with polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) – materials which make up around half of Japan’s plastics market – to raise the biomass content...
The Bio-monomer Production Laboratory has developed a new, world-first technology able to efficiently create butadiene from biomass. Consisting of members from Riken, Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) and Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205), the research team has then succeeded at using butadiene created with this technology to produce butadiene rubber. At present, butadiene is produced industrially from fossil resources such as petroleum....
Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd. (TYO:5191) has been working in recent years to develop a driver monitoring system. And now the company has created a prototype that can be fitted to seats. Able to be fitted to all kinds of vehicles, this prototype driver monitoring system serves to acquire information regarding the driver’s vitals – such as heartbeat and breathing –...
Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4063) has developed a range of new silicone materials for heat dissipation, and is targeting these toward use in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). With the global automotive sector moving toward electrification at an increasing pace, the market is seeing more advanced and diverse demands for heat countermeasures in the likes of lithium-ion...
Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) has used single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to develop a masterbatch that significantly improves the conductivity of silicone rubber. Compounds using this new masterbatch are being targeted toward use in medical equipment that can help limit the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and similar conditions. Zeon is pursuing joint research here alongside Novation Solutions LLC (NovationSi), a U.S.-based manufacturer...
