2015 – Page 2 – Yours truly, Yasmin

Risks of bariatric surgery lessened by new guidelines

Originally published 16 March 2015 on Nature Middle East.

Saudi research highlights safer option for weight reduction procedures among children.

A defined clinical pathway that leads to fewer complications and does not result in stunted growth for children who need bariatric surgery, has been developed by Saudi researchers.A 2013 survey showed 23% of Saudi school children are overweight with 9% classified as obese. Among pre-school children, about 15% are overweight and 6% obese. The Saudi Journal of Obesity reported that local studies show a rising trend of obesity.Bariatric surgery is usually considered when a child is not responding to alternative weight management programs.Now researchers from King Saud University (KSU) in Saudi Arabia are proposing a standardised weight management (WM) protocol that includes bariatric surgery within a clinical pathway for optimum results.

“We have strict criteria to offer bariatric surgery to children and adolescents regardless of their age, which include Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 with obesity related co-morbidities, or BMI of 40,” researcher Aayed Alqahtani from KSU, tells Nature Middle East. “For younger children BMI is not very accurate and we substitute it with what is called BMI percentile in which we require the patient to be more than 99th – or super obese – to be eligible for surgery even if their absolute BMI is less than 35,” he adds.

Shining a burst of light on melanin interactions

Originally published 16 March 2015 on Nature Middle East.

Researchers at King Saud University in Riyadh will use attosecond laser technology to take a closer look at melanin and how it works.

The first experiment at a brand new laboratory aims to reveal the microscopic mechanisms that allow melanin to protect skin against hazardous UV radiation.

Attosecond Science Laboratory (ASL) at the King Saud University (KSU) will be the first in the Arab world to use cutting-edge attosecond laser technology able to generate ultrashort pulses of light, lasting just a few billionths of a billionth of a second, that can capture images of otherwise invisible electrons within atoms.

The researchers will first fire a femtosecond laser pulse that simulates sunshine, followed by another probe attosecond pulse to track the effect of the first burst of light on the system. A spectroscopic system will then capture the interaction of light with matter and analyse it.

The lead researcher, Adil Haseeb, wants to better understand the conductivity and photoconductivity responses of melanin in different physical states: solid, paste, and liquid.

“More specifically, how does this molecule prevent UV photons from breaking bonds and changing molecular structure and hence function?” says co-researcher Ferenc Krausz. “Electrons in the melanin molecule have to play a fundamental role in these mechanisms.

Read more at
Nature Middle East, March 2015.

Are Growth Prospects Stunted for Plant-based Chemicals?

Originally published 03 March 2015 on IHS Engineering360.

Crude oil and natural gas have long been the primary feedstocks for the global chemical industry. But renewable feedstocks such as sugar (from corn or sugarcane) and glycerin (from vegetable oils) have recently challenged the dominance of fossil fuels. Natural fats and oils have long served as feedstocks for fatty acids and fatty alcohols; starches and sugars are well-established starting materials for ethanol, lactic acid and sorbitol.

More recently, plant-derived feedstocks have emerged as starting materials for commodity chemicals such as ethylene, isoprene and para-xylene, as well as for novel chemicals such as 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, isosorbide and farnesene. These bio-based building blocks are in various stages of commercial development.

The chemicals industry remains in constant motion, however, and recent developments in the petrochemical market have significantly changed the outlook for renewable chemicals. A glut of naphtha-based cracking capacity is coming on stream in Asia, easing concerns about future shortages of C3, C4, C5 and pygas feedstocks. Those concerns drove much of the interest in alternative routes to butadiene, isoprene and other chemicals.

Even so, corporate sustainability initiatives play a role in the development of bio-based chemicals and plastics. Coca-Cola Co., for instance, pledged in 2009 to use PlantBottle bio-based packaging for all Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles by 2020. Automaker Ford used PlantBottle material for interior fabric fitted into a Ford Fusion Energi, introduced in 2013. The fabric consisted of up to 30% plant-based materials and covered the car’s seat cushions, seat backs, head restraints, door panel inserts and headliners.

Read more at
IHS Engineering360, March 2015.

Propylene in Demand: Roadblocks and Opportunities

Originally published 05 February 2015 on IHS Engineering360.

The petrochemical industry is made up of seven building blocks: synthesis gas, the three olefins— ethylene, propylene and C4 olefins—and the three aromatics— benzene, toluene and the xylenes. Among the olefins is propylene, one of the most significant chemical building blocks produced industrially for polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile, propylene oxide derivatives and other uses.

Two-thirds of the world’s propylene goes to PP production. Demand for PP has been high for the past decade due to its versatility and reasonable price. Since its invention in 1954, PP has evolved into one of the most widely used products of the olefins industry. It is used in day-to-day products such as plastic parts, carpeting, paper and material found in loudspeakers and similar electronics. PP is also used in thermoplastic fiber, reinforced composites and laboratory equipment.

At present, global propylene demand is roughly 90 million metric tons (MMT) and is estimated to rise to 130 MMT by 2023, approximately 30% of which will be on-purpose production based according to IHS Chemical.

Propylene is largely produced in traditional processes such as steam cracking and fluid-catalytic-cracking (FCC) units. In the U.S., refinery-based production makes up a large portion of the supply given the many FCC units located in the country, says Chuck Carr, Global Olefins director at IHS Chemical.