ENVIROMENT

In this sense, as well as operate with the utmost attention in everyday use of materials and products that are suitable and comply with any applicable law, adopting all the measures capable of ensuring proper recycling of all products created and marketed, Femto Engineering and was one of the first companies to invest to increase their skills and knowledge in the field of polymers derived from renewable sources.

The majority of municipal solid waste consists of consumer goods and packaging. These materials are produced from fossil fuels, which constitute a source of non-degradable waste, whose disposal is an issue of broad interest.

The recycling even if in some way reduces the problem, has a considerable weight in economic and energy terms for the collection of waste, separation, washing, drying, screening and rework. This process makes the material more expensive while quality of recycled plastics is less to that of the virgin material.

From these themes are developed a strong interest in the world of research and industry to the polymer industry eco-friendly.

It is to synthesize alternative materials to those of petrochemical origin, obtained from natural and renewable sources, without pollutant or harmful byproducts.

The goal of our company. research and was to evaluate and motivate the application of eco-compatible polymers also in areas apparently more distants from this type of materials, operating an activity characterization of the whole process based on the comparison between these materials and those traditionally available.

The application area identified, and was the one for applications related to the production of specific “technical”, such as containers and mechanical components. Most of the objects of consumption on the market today and achieved by making use of thermoplastic polymers derived from oil and natural gas. In half a century, these polymers have been able to win a large number of applications due to its low production cost and great versatility of use. Their main characteristics are stiffness, impact resistance, impermeability water and the chance to get property specifications through the use of additives such as stabilizers, plasticizers, lubricants, dyes.

Biodegradable polymers represent an innovation developed by the chemical industry based on the use of renewable sources such as agricultural crops and bacteria. There are also biodegradable polymers from non-renewable sources, but these were not the subject of our development.

The polymers of natural origin can be divided into three basic categories:

• polimers obtained directly from biomass: polysaccharides such as starch or cellulose to proteins such as casein or gluten;
• polimers products for chemical synthesis from monomers renewable products by fermentation of carbohydrates, such as PLA (polylactic acid);
• polimers produced by microorganisms and bacteria genetically or not genetically modified.

We consider the second category: the technology today allows us to isolate the starch from the other components of the plant and turn it into dextrose. Dextrose, or sugar, is fermented to create the lactic acid which yields a molecule called lactide. Eliminating the water content of the molecule crystallizes creating a high performance polymer – polylactide (PLA) – the basis for realizing a large variety di plastics and fibers

In our research and development, we focused on the most eco- polymers commercially available, which also represent the first two categories among those listed above.

The possibility of use of such polymers are limited by their sensitivity moisture, by the high permeability to water vapor and mechanical characteristics in general lower than those of the polymers derived from petrochemical sources, and this fore the grounding reason that our study is on definite direction, aimed at overcoming the limits shown. In particular, we acted along two main directions:

• mprovement of the chemical / physical properties of materials in order to overcome the performance limits its;
• individuation and characterization of the operations of preparation and post- processing necessary for an optimal technological processing of the material, in terms of homogeneity ‘ plasticizing and maximization of the properties ‘ final mechanical.

The results have been positive , allowing us to obtain a product with excellent chemical / physical characteristics , such as to lead us to produce over 30 thousand telephones cordless with all components strictly eco- PLA polymer.

Following this activity research, we have selected a specific type of compound that is a natural choice for many applications currently in use providing a significant competitive advantage for our customers also in terms of cost and productivity.

The resin is ideal for a wide variety of applications, with the advantage of having a greenhouse effect”significantly reduced“, combining performance with environmental benefits are not negligible.