Order of the National Green Tribunal (Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata) in the matter of Devavrat Kumar Sahani Vs State of Bihar dated 07/04/2025. The application was being registered on the basis of a letter petition dated December 27, 2024 sent to the NGT by the applicant, Devavrat Kumar Sahani, Muzaffarpur, …
THE Union ministry of environment and forests (MEF) has laid down specifications on the manufacture of polythene bags in order to make them eco-friendly, which could often be recycled. Union environment minister Suresh Prabhu also called upon the industry to share its responsibility for the clean-up of the polybag mess. …
Thanks to sustained pressure from environmentalists and NGOs, and the awareness generated about health and environment damage done by plastic bags, the government has at last produced a notification aimed at limiting their use. However, it is unlikely to take us too far. The notification arises out of two recommendations …
Plastic electronics is by now fairly common; polymer-based transis-tors and fabricated polymer light emitting diodes (LEDs). But now researchers in the US and the UK have reported integrating the two to develop an organic transistor. They are using it to drive a polymer-based LED which is built on top of …
FOR Santram Dikshit, a paper technologist at the Jan Sewa Ashram, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) near Solan, Himachal Pradesh, even trash is a valued resource and a business opportunity. Today, his organisation is engaged in using discarded plastic bags for manufacturing carpets. About 1.5 kg of plastic is required for …
for the past four months, the government has been sitting on an expert panel recommendation to ban the use of recycled plastic bags. The National Plastic Waste Management Task Force, set up in 1996, had recommended a ban on the use of recycled plastic bags for unwrapped food products. The …
Last October, Chrysler Corporation, usa, unveiled its first Composite Concept Vehicle (CCV), the first automobile with a body made from injection moulded plastic derived from recycled plastic bottles. The colour of the automobile is added directly to the plastic before it is moulded, eliminating the use of harmful paint and …
india could soon produce bio-degradable plastic for mass consumption. Following a two-year research, scientists from various government institutes have been able to develop the plastic. This plastic can be converted into non-polluting substance within 90 days. The National Research Development Corporation (nrdc), New Delhi, has planned to manufacture the product. …
they are smart, can change shapes automatically and are all set to play a crucial role in numerous aspects of day-to-day life in the coming millennium. Meet the Shape Memory Alloys (smas). These are metals and plastic derivatives that are currently emerging from infancy in British research facilities. Researchers are …
A plasticizer is a substance normally incorporated to a PVC resin or some other materials such as paints, to improve some of its properties as flexibility or processability. Phthalates, adipates, phosphates and some others are the main compounds used as plasticizers. Some of these compounds, as bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DOP), are …
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a principal reactant in the preparation of polycarbonate (PC) plastics and has been shown in in vitro cell proliferation studies to exhibit estrogen-like characteristics. Reusable baby bottles, water carboys, and other housewares are often made of PC. A high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) protocol was used to determine …
composite materials made up of flax, wood and cotton could soon be used as an alternative for conventional reinforced plastics. This would also lead to the creation of a new high-value crop for farmers. The new composite materials are very cost effective and easy to dispose off. The project to …
A fibre-reinforced plastic bolt has been developed in Australia that is stronger than steel. The bolt has been designed for use such as a stabiliser for roofs and walls in underground tunnels. It can also be used in the aerospace industry. It is very expensive to install plastic products in …
europeans will continue to be exposed to significant levels of dioxin caused by the disposal of scrap cars, despite a proposed legislation agreed by the European Union ( eu ) Commission. The Commission has dropped plans to include in the legislation the provision for phasing out of polyvinylchloride, ( pvc) …
a method has been developed by a group of Japanese research scientists that uses blue-green algae to remove carbon dioxide from the air and produce large amounts of a type of biodegradable plastic. The findings can go a long way in cutting down the emission of carbon dioxide, the main …
Twenty-four brands of plastic baby feeding bottles were purchased and all were found to be made of polycarbonate. Taking a batch of one representative sample, the polymer was tested for stability and possible release of bisphenol A following domestic practice of sterilization. Sterilization was by alkaline hypochlorite, steam, or washing …
a battery has been developed by researchers at John Hopkins University that is made entirely of plastic. This is being considered a significant breakthrough. An all-plastic battery was considered an impossibility a few years ago. Plastic is an electrical insulator and previous attempts at producing all-plastic batteries were marred by …
A NEW, almost completely biodegradable credit card was jointly launched by the Greenpeace and the Co-operative bank at the Design Museum, London, on May 7. This is the first time that a card which is 99.9 per cent polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-free has been produced. 'The card is made of a …
close on the heels of the nuclear waste deal between Taiwan and North Korea (nk) comes another disturbing bit of news for nk's southern neighbour. It was recently revealed that since 1994, at least 95,000 tonnes of household plastic waste have been shipped to Pyongyang, the capital of nk. The …
Agracetus, a company in Middle town, Wisconsin, US , has genetically engineered cotton plants to produce fibres containing granules of plastic for making ultrawarm winter wear, carpets and insulation material. Maliyakal John of Agracetus injected cotton plants with genes from Alcaligenes eutrophus , a bacterium that makes a biodegradable plastic …
