On July 29, 2014, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Economic Council (NEC) published a Federal Register notice requesting public comments to provide input for an upcoming update of the Strategy for American Innovation. According to the notice, the Strategy “helps to guide the Administration’s efforts to promote lasting economic growth and competitiveness through policies that support transformative American innovation in products,...
July 28, 2014
OECD Posts Report on Nanotechnology and Tire Industry
On July 24, 2014, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) posted a report entitled Nanotechnology and Tyres: Greening Industry and Transport, which provides a risk management framework to enable site-specific or company-specific risk assessments or risk management strategies for using nanomaterials as additives in tires. OECD states that the report emphasizes the importance of: The policies to support research in the environmental, health, and safety...
On July 31, 2014, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) will hold a public webinar to provide a forum to answer questions related to the federal government’s “Progress Review on the Coordinated Implementation of the National Nanotechnology Initiative 2011 Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Strategy.” According to the July 22, 2014, Federal Register notice, discussion will focus on the research activities undertaken by the National Nanotechnology Initiative...
The European Commission (EC) and the Scientific Committee on Emerging Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) have begun a public consultation on the preliminary opinion concerning “Guidance on the Determination of Potential Health Effects of Nanomaterials Used in Medical Devices.” The aim of the opinion is to address the use of nanomaterials in medical devices and to provide information for risk assessors regarding specific aspects that need to be considered in the safety evaluation of...
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) published a Federal Register notice on June 19, 2014, requesting available data and information on devices and/or technologies currently used for identifying potential inhalation hazards. According to NICEATM, it will use submitted information “to determine the technical requirements for developing effective inhalation toxicity tools to assess potential chemical or...
Registration is now open for Nano Risk Analysis (II), a workshop to explore how a multiple models approach can advance risk analysis of nanoscale materials. The workshop, which is being organized by the Emerging Nanoscale Materials Specialty Group (ENMSG) of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) and co-sponsored by Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., will be held September 15-16, 2014, in Washington, D.C. The workshop will bring together experts from diverse disciplines to explore ways that...
July 18, 2014
Lignin-Derived Chemicals To Hit Market In 2021
As lignin supplies rise on the back of growing cellulosic feedstock utilization, commercialization opportunities of up to $242 billion are emerging in 13 select chemicals, according to a July 10, 2014, news release from Lux Research. Lignin, a component of lignocellulosic biomass and a common byproduct stream from cellulosic conversion processes, has a potential market worth of $242 billion across 13 select products alone, but commercialization of these lignin-derived chemicals such as BTX (a...
On July 10, 2014, Plastics News reported that Tetra Pak Inc. (Tetra Pak) is launching a new campaign to promote the importance of responsible material sourcing in the consumer products goods industry. Dubbed "Moving To The Front," the campaign seeks to place a focus on the use of renewable resources -- packaging materials that can be regrown or replenished naturally -- to protect world's finite resources. As part of the campaign, the company is out with a white paper, "What is...
In a July 9, 2014, press release, the European Union (EU) announced the launch of seven public-private partnerships, established under the EU's new research funding program Horizon 2020. They represent a total investment of € 19.5 billion into research and innovation over the next seven years, where the EU contribution of € 7.3 billion will unlock a € 12.2 billion investment from the private sector and the Member States. The press release is available online. These...
In a July 16, 2014, announcement, Evonik stated it has closed on an equity investment in Biosynthetic Technologies, LLC (BT), a specialist in biobased lubricants headquartered in Irvine, California. BT has developed and manufactures a new class of biobased synthetic oils called estolides that are used primarily in the passenger car motor oil and industrial lubricant sectors. Field trials have shown that the technical characteristics of the biobased synthetic oils made by BT are exceptionally...