Braskem, a leading petrochemical company, is seeking technologies to enable weight reduction of thermoplastics in packaging and the automotive industry.
Braskem is the largest petrochemical company in the Americas and the world's leading biopolymer producer. Braskem produces polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins, as well as basic petrochemicals such as ethylene, propylene, butadiene, chlorine, benzene, toluene, etc. Braskem operations are concentrated in the Americas and Europe with world scale technology centers located in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and Triunfo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The products and innovations of Braskem contribute to creating sustainable solutions to improve the lives of people in sectors such as housing, food, and mobility.
Thermoplastic polymers are ubiquitous in everyday life, from plastic bags to car bumpers. Recent emphasis on improving sustainability within value-chains has introduced a new dimension to the process for designing solutions and selecting materials. Key focus areas for this challenge are in the packaging and automotive value-chains where the goal is to reduce the weight of materials used in the product while not compromising overall sustainability.
Regulations in the United States continue to increase fuel efficiency requirements for vehicles, a key determinant of fuel efficiency is the weight of the vehicle that must be moved. Through improved part design and material performance the ability to reduce the weight of automotive interior and exterior parts will help achieve these fuel standards. Weight reductions of interior and exterior parts also enables longer ranges or reduced battery sizes in electric vehicles.
Reducing the weight of material used in packaging may simultaneously address several sustainability concerns such as CO2 generated in the transport of goods, amount of material sent to landfills, and the energy used to produce the packaging itself.
Potentially relevant technologies include composite materials that utilize thermoplastic polymers as the matrix, additive manufacturing of thermoplastic polymers, new thermoplastic polymers, other modifiers or additives for thermoplastic polymers, advanced processing methods for thermoplastic polymers, and foams based on thermoplastic polymers.
Braskem has a good contact for working with startups; New to working with (MIT) startups; and will provide follow-ups, yes/maybe/no, by early June.
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