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The Fascination Of Chemistry – WACKER’s Audio Magazine
Our "Fascination of Chemistry" podcast shows you how chemistry ensures perfectly functioning products in all areas of life
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ResetThe Sun Is Heating Things Up in Industry
Industry needs almost three-quarters of its energy in the form of process heat. But so far, very little has been generated from renewable sources. Solar thermal power plants offer the best prerequisites for this – provided they can operate as reliably at temperatures below freezing as they can at high temperatures. Silicone fluids from WACKER make this possible.
Just the Right Amount of Foam
In many countries around the globe, washing is still done by hand. People believe it ought to foam properly – because that’s supposed to be a sign of effective cleaning. Yet this foaming is a problem, since after washing, laundry has to be rinsed out many times until all of the foam disappears. This is why researchers at WACKER have developed a defoaming agent that only begins to take effect during rinsing, halving the amount of water used.
Expanding the Bounds of Bioplastics
Crude oil is a finite resource. This is one of the reasons why the chemical industry is looking for new raw materials. Plastics can also be manufactured from plants, for example. However, these only become attractive when additives from WACKER’s VINNEX® product range are added. Only then are the properties of bioplastics as good as those of crude-oil-based materials. Processing problems can also be solved thanks to these additives.
Water Protection for Gypsum
Gypsum construction elements and materials have many advantages: they are environmentally friendly to manufacture and can be rapidly and inexpensively processed. But, when used in damp locations, gypsum must be made water repellent.
In SILRES® BS Powder S, WACKER now has an active substance which achieves this water repellency more efficiently and reliably than those previously used.
New Materials for More Efficient Wave Parks
Wave power plants might be able to produce more energy than people currently consume. One of the biggest problems facing such wave parks is that they must be made of materials that can withstand huge forces during storms – and only a very few materials can do so. WACKER’s ultrathin ELASTOSIL® silicone film is an ideal candidate here. This film is being tested in an experimental-scale plant – and offers enormous potential.