When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
Tire companies turned into biocompanies make sustainable rubber from sugars instead of fossil fuels. Now, chemical companies are joining with startups to do the same for plastic.
Angel Gonzalez reports for The Wall Street Journal:
The financial crisis dried up much of the interest in and funding for [efforts to create fossil fuel replacements out of non-food crops]. Experts say the U.S. is unlikely to meet a government mandate to produce at least 16 billion gallons a year of so-called cellulose fuel, made from vegetable waste, by a 2022 target date. But the chemical sector, which turns large amounts of increasingly expensive commodities such as oil, natural gas and sugar into plastics, paint and other products, is taking a close look at these fledgling technologies.
German chemical giant BASF is investing $30 million in Renmatix, a startup company based in King of Prussia, PA. The startup is using a hardwood to create huge quantities of sugar. That sugar can be used to produce acrylic acid, which is a precursor to plastics. According to Gonzalez, Renmatix plans to have a facility ready by 2014 to ship sugar at a cost that can compete with Brazil’s sugar cane, which is the commodity’s benchmark.
Other startups have been partnering with chemical companies, which are making investments into sustainable chemistry for materials. For example, Gonzalez writes, Dow Chemical Co. is also interested in acrylic acid and joined forces in July with Colorado startup OPX Biotechnologies, Inc. to develop a biological source.
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