APLA '10: Design, new uses key for sustainable products - US Dow

08 November 2010 20:52  [Source: ICIS news]

RIO DE JANEIRO (ICIS)--Developing sustainable products goes beyond discovering new materials and includes issues as diverse as product design and new uses for existing materials, a Dow Chemical executive said on Monday.

Houses, for example, could be designed to reduce moisture, said Theresa Kotanchek, global director of sustainable technologies and innovative sourcing for Dow. She spoke on the sidelines of the Latin American Petrochemical Association (APLA) annual meeting.

During summer months, a drier house would require less air conditioning and hence use less energy, she said.

Food packaging could be designed to use less material, said John Richard Biggs, Dow's research and development director for hydrocarbons and energy in Latin America.

That would lower weight, making it cheaper to ship the products by consuming less fuel, he said.

Plus, better packaging would waste less food, Biggs said.

Regarding new uses, an epoxy resin has been used to seal leaky sewer pipes, saving cities the expense of digging up and replacing whole sections of line, Biggs said.

Likewise, ruptured water pipes could be replaced by inserting plastic pipe, another strategy that would reduce costs, Kotanchek said.

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By: Al Greenwood
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