Solvents are commonly used for performing photochemical reactions. Many of these solvents are toxic, and require additional downstream processing to purify the product and treat waste. Now, by combining light with mechanical energy in ball mills, researchers at Ruhr University…
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth (Germany; www.uni-bayreuth.de) have developed nonwoven materials that exhibit an unusual combination of high electrical conductivity and extremely low thermal conductivity. These composites of carbon and silicon-based ceramic can be manufactured and processed cost-effectively by…
Following a successful proof-of-concept to recycle spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using reagent extracted from fruit peel waste, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU; www.ntu.edu.sg) has partnered with Se-cure Waste Management Pte. Ltd. (SWM; Singapore; www.se-curewaste.com) to scale up the technology in…
A research team, led by scientists at the Center for Molecular Bioengineering (B CUBE) at the Technical University of Dresden (Germany; www.tu-dresden.de), has converted mineral shells of single-celled algae into lead-halide perovskites with tunable physical properties. The new perovskites have…
PS Recycling INEOS Styrolution America LLC (Aurora, Ill.; www.ineos-styrolution.com) and Agilyx ASA (Oslo, Norway; www.agilyx.com) are advancing the development of a previously announced 100-ton/d TruStyrenyx chemical-recycling facility in Channahon, Illinois. TruStyrenyx is a partnership between Agilyx and Technip Energies N.V.…
In synthesizing a new molecule that mimics the nickel-iron (NiFe) hydrogenase enzyme, a team of researchers from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (www.illinois.edu) may have uncovered a promising alternative to the platinum-based catalysts typically used in the electrolysis of water to…
The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M; Spain; www.uc3m.es) has patented a new system for capturing hyperspectral images — those capable of collecting information across a broad frequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum (near-infrared, mid-infrared and terahertz). The system can…
The demand for vanillin vastly outstrips the natural resources of this flavoring agent. A chemical process is thus used to produce the required large quantities of vanillin from petroleum, which is far less expensive than obtaining the substance from fermented…
Chemists at Hokkaido University (Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan; www.global.hokudai.ac.jp) and the Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery have developed what is said to be the first high-performance catalyst specifically designed and optimized for solid-state, mechanochemical synthesis. The new approach was…
Last month, the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE; Washington, D.C.; www.energy.gov) awarded $3.2 million in funding for the Solar MEAD project, which aims to decarbonize cement production. This joint project is headed by Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V. (Cemex; Monterrey, Mexico;…