myPlasticsindustry

My Knowledge 03-25-08

My Knowledge

Week in Review
PUBLISHED 03/25/2008

Saving Cargo - And Money

Entropy Solutions Inc. believes its box packs quite a punch. Not to mention blood, vaccines, human organs and even ice cream. The Eden Prairie-based start-up has developed a high-tech packaging system that can maintain pre- programmed internal temperatures to protect perishable products like food and medical supplies for five days, long enough to reach most destinations around the world. Dubbed the "Green Box," the system, which consists of an outer shell, insulation panels, and packs of special "phase changing" materials, can be reused many times, the company says. ...Star Tribune, 3.20.08
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Fear Weans Parents Off Plastic Bottles

As concerns over chemicals grow, glass gains popularity Meg Robustelli had heard reports that a chemical in most plastic baby bottles could be dangerous, but she had not done anything about it. That's when her mother stepped in and bought her glass bottles. "She's an alarmist, but I'm grateful," said Robustelli, whose daughter, Mia, is 14 months old. "I switched because of all the concerns about the plastic." She made the change about six months ago, becoming one of a relatively small but growing number of parents turning to glass bottles amid concerns over a chemical used to make plastic bottles, bisphenol A. ...Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 3.20.08
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Victor Plastics Sale Could Be Completed April 21

An agreement to sell Victor Plastics has been finalized, clearing the path for the likely sale of the struggling North Libertybased manufacturer to a larger rival with plans to expand the business. River Bend Industries of Fort Smith, Ark., has agreed to buy Victor Plastics for $17.4 million, minus final adjustments for working capital, according to Victor Plastics Interim Chief Executive Officer Jack Cochran. The sale will have to go through a bankruptcy auction on March 27 in Minneapolis, according to David Mack of Morris Anderson & Associates, the Chicago firm contracted to find a buyer for Victor Plastics. ...The Gazette - Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 3.18.08
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Exxon Mobil Joining The Race To Help Power New Hybrid Cars

After filling automobile gas tanks for decades, the company has started looking under the hood. It’s betting that further development of a component it created for cell-phone batteries can help improve a new type of battery that may eventually power most hybrid cars. If it’s right, Exxon could play a part in ushering in a new generation of hybrid and electric cars, lessening the world’s reliance on gasoline. Exxon won’t make the actual batteries, but its scientists have developed a plastic “separator” film that is already a critical part of lithium-ion batteries. As these batteries become more powerful- and if Exxon can keep them from exploding - they are expected to make the jump into hybrid cars. ...Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 3.17.08
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Certain New Chemicals; Receipt And Status Information, 11632-11636 [E8-4103]

Section 5 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires any person who intends to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) a new chemical (i.e., a chemical not on the TSCA Inventory) to notify EPA and comply with the statutory provisions pertaining to the manufacture of new chemicals. Under sections 5(d)(2) and 5(d)(3) of TSCA, EPA is required to publish a notice of receipt of a premanufacture notice (PMN) or an application for a test marketing exemption (TME), and to publish periodic status reports on the chemicals under review and the receipt of notices of commencement to manufacture those chemicals. This status report, which covers the period from January 1, 2008 through January 31, 2008, consists of the PMNs and TMEs, both pending or expired, and the notices of commencement to manufacture a new chemical that the Agency has received under TSCA section 5 during this time period. ...Federal Register, 3.4.2008
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