In The News
A decarbonized electrolytic process for producing magnesium metal
Magnesium metal is a critical ingredient for aluminum alloys and it is widely used for desulfurization in steelmaking processes. Most magnesium metal is produced in China via high-energy-consumption processes. Now, technology company Magrathea (San Francisco, Calif.; www.magratheametals.com) has developed a…
Method for improving mechanical properties of carbon-fiber-reinforced composites
Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites are attractive materials for applications requiring lightweight, strong components, such as aviation and automotive. However, their performance has been partially limited by the bonds between the polymer matrix and the embedded carbon fibers. Now, researchers at Oak…
Stable nanobubbles promote cleaner effluents from dairy processing
Wastewater from dairy processing facilities can be extremely challenging to treat — not only does the effluent usually contain high volumes of solids, minerals and organic matter, these loads can vary widely from hour to hour. A large cheese-processing facility…
New Technologies Promote Improved Combustion
Innovative burner and combustion systems optimize combustion, improving safety, effectiveness and efficiency while lowering emissions In burner and combustion operations, chemical processors must balance emissions and safety requirements with achieving optimal system performance in a cost-effective way. Further, many chemical…
Business News: July 2025
Plant Watch Tosoh to construct new chloroprene rubber plant in Japan June 13, 2025 — Tosoh Corp. (Tokyo; www.tosoh.com) plans to increase its production capacity for chloroprene rubber (CR) by adding a second CR production facility at its Nanyo Complex…
Small-angle X-ray scattering reveals catalyst degradation routes for CO2RR
The CO2 electrochemical reduction reaction (CO2RR) has intrigued scientists for decades as a way to make fuel and chemicals from the greenhouse gas CO2. Prior research identified copper as a CO2RR catalyst, and has revealed the active sites where electrocatalysis…
This biosolids gasification technology also destroys PFAS
A new gasification process designed for the disposal of biosolids is also capable of destroying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminants, which are typically very resistant to conventional treatment processes. Aries Clean Technologies (Franklin, Tenn.; www.ariescleantech.com) recently validated its fluidized-bed…
Hydrogen storage using lignin-based jet fuel demonstrated
Hydrogen can be a zero-emissions fuel source, but its storage and transportation are costly and problematic, limiting its widespread use. Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), in which hydrogen atoms are chemically bound to liquid hydrocarbons via reversible hydrogenation reactions, offer…
Microbial biohydrometallurgy boosts copper recovery from extremely challenging ores
A “plug-and-play” microbial technology enables the recovery of additional copper from low-grade ores when used alongside traditional sulfuric-acid heap-leach methods. Working synergistically within the existing heap-leach infrastructure, the unique microbial communities that have been cultivated by Endolith (Westminster, Colo.; www.endolithmining.com)…
Using water to break ultra-strong PFAS bonds
Water contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds is one of the most significant environmental and health issues globally. In particular, effectively breaking the carbon-fluorine bonds that are paramount to the stability and persistent nature of PFAS is extremely…