Page 168 - CW E-Magazine (3-12-2024)

News from Abroad

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Chemical industry leaders congregate in Muscat

for GPCA Annual Forum

The 18th Annual GPCA Forum be- This year, the forum will feature
ing organised by Gulf Petrochemicals four leadership dialogues on the topics
and Chemicals Association (GPCA) of sustainability through a new lens,
in Muscat, Oman, from December 2, food security, geopolitics & chemicals,
is bringing together dignitaries, senior and innovation. Other features include
government officials, industry leaders, the inaugural ‘GPCA Startup Nexus’
academia and technology pioneers dedicated to advancing the startup
from around the globe for a futuristic ecosystem in the region; the ‘2nd
one-of-a-kind event. forum include Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Fa- GPCA Solutions Xchange Program’,
geeh, CEO, SABIC; Mr. Salim bin Nasser providing a platform for innovation,
Over four days of knowledge shar- bin Said Al Aufi, Minister of Ener- and the ‘GPCA Sustainability Pavilion’
ing and collaboration, the forum will gy and Minerals, Oman; Mr. Kamal showcasing the region’s sustainability
focus on the theme of “Industry’s next bin Ahmed Mohammed, President of initiatives.
chapter: Driving sustainable advance- Electricity & Water Authority (EWA),
ment for global progress” and shed Bahrain and Chairman of Board of The 6th GPCA Legacy Award
light on important chemical industry Directors, GPIC; Mr. Shaikh Nawaf “Al Rowad” will recognise one
topics, including “Realising the GCC S. Al-Sabah, CEO, Kuwait Petroleum outstanding regional chemical industry
Vision”, “Making the Next Quantum Corporation; Mr. Mulham Basheer Al- pioneer, who laid the groundwork for
Leap” and paving the way “Towards Jarf, Chairman, OQ; Mr. Jai Shroff, the chemical industry in the region,
Sustainable Horizons”. Chairman and Group CEO, UPL; Mr. while the ‘3rd GPCA Youth Forum’
Jim Fitterling, Chair & CEO, Dow, and will help the region’s youth to expand
Industry leaders speaking at the Dr. Ilham Kadri, CEO, Syensqo. their knowledge and network.

BIODEGRADABLE SOLUTION
CJ Biomaterials completes trials of new PHA grade

for use by straw manufacturers

CJ Biomaterials, a division of and marine degradability certifica- also achieve marine degradability
South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang tion of the final compound is cur- certification.” The new ‘CB0400A’
and a producer of polyhydroxyal- rently underway. compound leverages CJ’s amorphous
kanoate (PHA) biopolymers, recently grade of PHA, PHACT A1000P, to re-
completed a series of trials producing “The market is increasingly duce brittleness in straws and increase
straws from its PHACT branded PHA looking for safe, biodegradable and durability compared with incumbent
compound, ‘CB0400A’. compostable solutions for food ser- compostable polymers. In ‘CB0400A’,
vice-ware applications, such as aPHA is used in combination with
By using their unique grades of straws,” said Mr. Max Senechal, Chief ‘S1000P’, a new semi-crystalline
amorphous (aPHA) and semi-crys- Commercial Officer of CJ Biomaterials. grade of PHA launched earlier this
talline PHA (scPHA), CJ has suc- “PHACT CB0400A is an example year. This compound also expands the
ceeded in developing a compound of how we can rapidly develop and portfolio of PHACT grades available
that is tailored for straw manufactur- trial unique PHACT PHA compounds for straw manufacturing that began
ing. All PHACT grades used in the that meet market demands for specific with ‘CA1270P’, which is well suited
compound are certified as ‘OK Bio- performance attributes, such as for transparent, industrially compostable
degradable Marine’ by TÜV Austria, softer, more durable straws that can straws.

168 Chemical Weekly December 3, 2024

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