In The News
Endress+Hauser establishes internet security standards
The cryptography working group within the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF; Fremont, Calif.; www.ieft.org) standards organization has chosen the CPace protocol — developed by Endress + Hauser AG (Reinach, Switzerland; www.endress.com) — as a recommended method for use in internet…
Graphene-oxide filtration membrane for harsh chemical environments
Filtration is being investigated as an alternative to thermal separation methods (such as distillation and evaporation) in many applications because of the potential energy savings, but conventional filtration membranes, such as those used in water desalination, are often not robust…
Nanoengineered catalysts can upcycle polyethylene
Drawing inspiration from the enzymatic breakdown of macromolecules in cellular systems, scientists at Ames Laboratory (Ames, Iowa; www.ameslab.gov) have developed a nanostructured catalyst that can break down high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and other polyolefins into a narrow distribution of diesel- and…
This nanoengineered catalyst converts mixed, impure waste to biodiesel
In an example of a biologically inspired and nano-engineered catalyst, researchers at RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia; www.rmit.edu.au) have developed ceramic catalyst particles with a porous network organized hierarchically, where one chemical reaction takes place within larger pores, while a second…
Tubular sieves for extracting lithium from brines
Researchers from the College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University (Nanjing, China; www.njtech.edu.cn) have developed a new strategy for forming lithium ion-sieve membranes to achieve an efficient recovery of lithium ions from brine or seawater. Spinel lithium manganese oxide ion-sieves…
AI and Position-Sensing Drive Robotics Expansion
Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and improved technologies for providing robots with positional awareness have driven an expansion of robotics use in a variety of application areas across the chemical process industries (CPI) Robots have been fixtures on discrete-product manufacturing…
Methane pyrolysis process uses renewable electricity to split CH4 into H2 and carbon black
Site commissioning is underway at a facility in Nebraska that uses plasma pyrolysis to generate hydrogen gas and carbon black from natural gas without any local carbon dioxide emissions. The developer, Monolith Materials (Lincoln, Neb.; www.monolithmaterials.com), scaled up the process…
This additive reverses the effects of aging in recycled asphalt pavement
A new rejuvenator technology aims to improve the chemistry and service life of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). The Invigorate additive, developed by Colorbiotics (Ames, Iowa; www.colorbiotics.com) based on Iowa State University research (www.iastate.edu), helps overcome issues with asphaltene aggregation and…
Sustainable graphite pilot project kicks off in Canada
A new project in Canada will build a pilot facility to demonstrate a carbon-neutral production strategy for battery-grade graphite materials. Nouveau Monde Graphite (Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Québec, Canada; www.nouveaumonde.ca) has signed an agreement with Olin Corp. (Clayton, Mo.; www.olin.com) to construct two…
A sandwich catalyst boosts H2 production
Platinum has been the main catalyst for hydrogen-producing reactions, but it has a low affinity for water molecules. This results in a slow rate of water electrolysis. Attempts have been made to combine metal-sulfide with platinum nanoparticles that promote water…