Spider silk protein generates significant development interest due to its unique combination of properties, including high toughness and strength, extensibility, biocompatibility, thermal stability and others. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI; Troy, N.Y.; www.rpi.edu) have developed what is said to…
A wastewater treatment plant operated by Orange County (Calif.) Sanitation District is the site of the first installment, at a commercial facility, of a new supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) technology capable of producing clean water and minerals from waste slurries.…
Incorporating silicon into the anodes of electric vehicle (EV) batteries can result in lighter and longer-range batteries. However, this process requires large volumes of silane (SiH4) gas, the vast majority of which is currently produced in China. Now, a new…
The Emission Free Pulping program aims to significantly reduce biomass burning and increase the product yield of wood material used for pulping from approximately 50 to around 70%. The five-year, €15-million program is jointly led by VTT Technical Research Centre…
A first-of-its-kind plastics-recycling technology is being demonstrated in a new pilot plant in India. Novoloop (Menlo Park, Calif.; www.novoloop.com), in partnership with Aether Industries (Gujarat, India; www.aether.co.in), is developing an integrated pilot plant to scale up Novoloop’s Lifecycling technology, which…
Optimizing the additive manufacturing of parts like actuators, regulators and valves will result in faster delivery, lower costs and improved performance for these crucial equipment components Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are benefiting the chemical process industries (CPI) in two main…
Fermentation processes provide essential pathways for many chemicals, but are often hampered by high costs and low yields due to CO2 losses. To overcome these concerns, ZymoChem (San Leandro, Calif.; www.zymochem.com) has developed the patented Carbon Conservation fermentation technology. “Typically,…
Waste heat Last month, Evonik Industries AG (Essen; www.evonik.com) and Uniper (Düsseldorf, both Germany; www.uniper.energy) launched the Technical Options for Thermal Energy Recovery (TORTE) project in Gelsenkirchen. As one of the first phases of Evonik’s Herne Green Deal to sustainably…
Bechtel (Reston, Va.) announced the sustained pilot operations of its proprietary Low Energy Ejector Desalination System (LEEDS) – a new process solution that creates a valuable new supply of water for customers and communities, which in turn reduces stress on…
The following questions and answers come from a conversation between Chemical Engineering magazine and Tathagata Basu, General Manager – Refining and Petrochemical at Honeywell Process Solutions (Houston, Texas; process.honeywell.com). The discussion revolves around the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies…