Researchers from the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia; www.unsw.edu.au), led by professor Rose Amal, have shown that by making zinc oxide at very high temperatures using a technique called flame spray pyrolysis (FSP), they can create nanoparticles that…
A new sustainable rubber that can, with an amine catalyst, be repaired and returned to its original strength in minutes, has been discovered by researchers from Flinders University (Adelaide, Australia; www.flinders.edu.au), the University of Western Australia (Perth), and the University…
By modifying a traditional treatment method for acid mine drainage (AMD), researchers at Penn State University (PSU; State College, Pa.; www.psu.edu) were able to both reduce the amount of chemicals required for treatment and increase the amount of rare earth…
Construction is complete on a new building to house a fully integrated electricity-generating power plant that will demonstrate operability and performance of a 10-MW power-generation facility using supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) as the working fluid in a Brayton thermodynamic cycle.…
Cellulose nanoparticles are of great interest as constituents of polymer composite materials because they can dramatically increase strength and toughness in a range of different polymer types. “Cellulose nanoparticles can be thought of as a more sustainable version of carbon…
Curing with less Pt Silicone-release coatings generally use a platinum-based curing catalyst. Aiming to reduce the amount of this expensive precious metal, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. (Tokyo, Japan; www.shinetsusilicones-global.com) has developed a Reduced-Platinum Reaction-Curing System Technology that lowers Pt usage by…
The Marchesini Group S.p.A. (Pianoro Bologna, Italy; www.marchesini.com) and a multidisciplinary research group at Bologna University (www.unibo.it) have created a prototype that manufactures “super” filtering material for face masks with greater protection against viruses and bacteria compared to materials currently…
Ragn-Sells AB (Sollentuna, Sweden; www.ragnsells.com) has partnered Hitachi Zosen Inova AG (Zürich, Switzerland; www.hz-inova.com) for the construction of a new plant that is designed to extract resources from flyash — a toxic byproduct of waste incinerators that normally ends up…
QuesTek Innovations LLC (Evanston, Ill.; www.questek.com) has introduced a stainless-steel powder designed for additive manufacturing (AM; 3D printing) that allows complex, high-strength parts to be made without the need for expensive post-treatments, such as cryogenic processing or high-temperature heat treatment.…
Using a proprietary technique and Clariant’s (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com) Hydex E next-generation hydro-dewaxing catalyst, VUCHT a.s (Bratislava, Slovakia; www.vucht.sk) has successfully converted plastic waste into premium winter-fuel distillate. The efficacy of this process has now been proven in a pilot…