Compositions and methods for reducing pollution from postconsumer wastes derived from a polymeric material are disclosed. The methods involve depolymerizing the polymeric material and optionally bioconverting the depolymerized polymeric material, the product of which can be used as feedstocks for other bioconversion processes to make biochemicals and other value-added biological products. In some embodiments, the depolymerized polymeric materials can be used to make a culture medium. The culture media are suitable for producing a bioproduct from microorganisms including bacterium, alga, and fungus or an enzyme.

The present invention relates to floating roofs for tanks that are used for storage of flammable liquids, such as petroleum or refinery products such as diesel, kerosene, gasoline, etc. In one aspect, the present invention concerns a method for forming a fire retardant coating of a floating roof, and a floating roof obtainable thereby. In another aspect, the present invention relates to improvements in structure of a floating roof. The floating roof tank may be a seamless composite floating roof tank for refineries.

A non-linear surfactant, and particularly a non-linear surfactant comprising bi-functionalized molecules or particles having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups. The non-linear surfactant includes a nanoparticle template of a rigid molecular structure, wherein the nanoparticle comprises a molecule or a particle that is bi-functionalized with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups to obtain an amphiphilic nanoparticle. The template nanoparticle can be used as a surfactant, wetting agent, emulsifier, detergent or other surface active agents or for the preparation of nanoemulsions or dispersions. The non-linear surfactant can provide smaller particle sizes for emulsion suspensions and foams.

An insulating filler composed of a mixed powder in which a hydrophobic fumed oxide powder having an average primary particle size D.sub.1, which is smaller than an average primary particle size D.sub.2, is adhered to the surface of a magnesium oxide powder and/or a nitride-based inorganic powder having the average primary particle size D.sub.2, wherein: the ratio D.sub.1/D.sub.2 of the average primary particle size D.sub.1 to the average primary particle size D.sub.2 is 6×10.sup.−5 to 3×10.sup.−3; the volume resistivity of the mixed powder is 1×10.sup.11 Ω.Math.m or more; and the content ratio of the hydrophobic fumed oxide powder in the mixed powder is 5-30 mass %. Also provided is an insulating material in which the above-mentioned insulating filler is contained in a resin molded body.

A hard coating film comprises a substrate, and a hard coating layer formed on at least one surface of the substrate, wherein the hard coating layer is formed from a hard coating composition comprising a hydroxyl group-containing light-transmitting resin, a fluorine-based UV-curable functional group-containing compound, a photoinitiator, and a solvent, and when measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on a surface of the hard coating layer, atomic percent of elemental fluorine (F) on the surface of the hard coating layer is 10 to 55 at %. The hard coating film uses a hard coating composition including a hydroxyl group-containing light-transmitting resin and a fluorine-based UV-curable functional group-containing compound to control the atomic percent of the elemental fluorine (F) on the surface of the hard coating layer to a specific range, thereby providing excellent antifouling properties together with good wear resistance, scratch resistance, and bending resistance.

Disclosed is a mixture comprising the compound trans-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene and at least one additional compound selected from the group consisting of HFOs, HFCs, HFEs, CFCs, CO2, olefins, organic acids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, and others such as methyl formate, formic acid, trans-1,2 dichloroethylene, carbon dioxide, cis-HFO-1234ze+HFO-1225yez; mixtures of these plus water; mixtures of these plus CO2; mixtures of these trans 1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE); mixtures of these plus methyl formate; mixtures with cis-HFO-1234ze+CO2; mixtures with cis-HFO-1234ze+HFO-1225yez+CO2; and mixtures with cis-HFO-1234ze+HFC-245fa. Also disclosed are methods of using and products of using the above compositions as blowing agents, solvents, heat transfer compositions, aerosol propellant compositions, fire extinguishing and suppressant compositions.

Methods for recycling post-consume polyester-based fabric materials such as hospital linens. The methods include decontaminating a post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) product and polymerizing the decontaminated PET product via solid state polymerization to generate a polymerized PET product. The post-consumer PET product may include a polyester-based fabric. The post-consumer PET product may retain essentially the same shape and form during and after recycling and decontamination as before recycling.

Provided is a structure having excellent flexibility represented by elastic restoring from compression or tensile elongation at break, and excellent lightness. A structure according to the present invention includes reinforced fibers, first plastic, and second plastic that exhibits rubber elasticity at room temperature, the reinforced fibers being discontinuous fibers, and the first plastic and/or the second plastic coating a crossing point between the reinforced fibers in contact with each other.

A film, a manufacturing method of the film, a cover film, and a multi-layered electronic device include an elastic layer having a storage modulus index K.sub.SM of 20 to 350 Mpa represented by Equation 1 below and a haze of 3% or less, thereby providing the film having substantially low storage modulus variations over a wide temperature range, with good mechanical properties such as excellent elastic recovery force and good optical properties such as low haze, and provide the cover film or the multi-layered electronic device including the same.

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}{K}_{\mathrm{SM}}=\left(\frac{{\mathrm{SM}}_{-40}\times {\mathrm{SM}}_{80}}{{\mathrm{SM}}_{20}}\right)-{\mathrm{SM}}_{80}& \left[\mathrm{Equation}1\right]\end{array}$ Where SM.sub.n is a storage modulus (Mpa) measured at a temperature of n° C.

Provided are methods for preparing modified natural fiber composite feedstocks. In some embodiments, the presently disclosed methods include hydrolyzing agricultural fiber material, optionally soybean hulls, under conditions and for a time sufficient to remove some or all of the arabinose from the agricultural fiber material to produce an arabinose-deficient hydrolyzed product; hydrolyzing the arabinose-deficient hydrolyzed product under conditions and for a time sufficient to remove some or all of the xylose from the arabinose-deficient hydrolyzed product to produce a hydrolyzed fiber material; and combining a thermoplastic copolyester (TPC) with up to 35 wt. % by weight of the hydrolyzed material, whereby a modified fiber composite feed stock is prepared. Also provided are methods for isolating xylose removed from arabinose-deficient hydrolysates, modified fiber composites prepared by the presently disclosed methods, method for 3D printing structure using the modified fiber composites, methods for improving at least one characteristic of modified TPC composites, and methods for improving fused filament fabrication (FEE) processes.