Olefin epoxidation is an important reaction for making a range of industrial intermediates in processes for epoxy coatings, polyurethanes, polyester textiles, surfactants, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals and others. Conventional olefin epoxidation involves organo-peroxides or organo-halogen oxidants, which present safety and environmental…
Plant Watch Indorama Ventures to establish one of Africa’s largest recycling facilities for PET March 12, 2026 — Indorama Ventures Ltd. (Bangkok, Thailand; www.indoramaventures.com), Nigerian Breweries p.l.c. and Genesis Power & Energy Solutions Ltd. plan to establish one of Africa’s…
A new process called BioSintering takes advantage of plant-based bio-active molecules to fuse together particles at mild temperatures, yielding an alternative material for conventional ceramic tiles with a much lower carbon footprint. Developed by Dekiln (Manchester, U.K.; www.dekiln.com), the technology…
Plant Watch Solstice Advanced Materials to expand uranium conversion site in Illinois February 11, 2026 — Solstice Advanced Materials (Morris Plains, N.J.; www.solstice.com) has invested in debottlenecking projects at its facility in Metropolis Works, Ill., resulting in a production expansion…
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a class of biodegradable plastic materials that can be produced via a range of biological processes. Due to their versatile production pathways and physical properties, they have become an emerging alternative to fossil-based plastics. A new production…
Fast-growing power densities within the server racks at new data centers often generate enough heat to quickly overwhelm legacy air- and liquid-cooling methods, and managing the thermal load is becoming a constraint for the data-center infrastructure that supports AI. A…
A new manufacturing technique is helping to overcome some of the major hurdles in developing more reliable and durable all-solid-state batteries. Combining a controlled sintering step with precise passivation, researchers from Paul Scherrer Institute PSI (Villigen, Switzerland; www.psi.ch) focused on…
Much hydrogen produced via water electrolysis (“green” hydrogen) requires downstream compression for end use or storage. A new electrolyzer concept developed by Supercritical Solutions Ltd. (London; www.supercritical.solutions) produces high-pressure hydrogen using a membraneless technology. “Supercritical’s technology outputs hydrogen at pressures…
Traditional methods for making graphite involve heating premium needle coke and coal-tar pitch at temperatures above 3,000ºC in a process that requires several days of heating and cooling. A new process developed by researchers at the National Energy Technology Laboratory…
Calcining limestone (CaCO3) to produce lime (CaO) is a key industrial process for making cement, steel and chemicals, among other uses. Lime production is a target for CO2-abatement efforts because it generates a great deal of CO2 emissions, not only…