Separation Processes
CO2 captured in stationary energy storage battery
An Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) team created and tested two different formulations for stationary batteries that could utilize CO2 from industrial sources while storing energy from wind turbines and solar panels. Consisting of two electrodes in a saltwater solution,…
Enzyme-treated rock particles are accelerating carbon sequestration
In a first-of-its-kind trial project, a CO2-removal method known as enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is being combined with biotechnology to accelerate atmospheric CO2 sequestration. FabricNano (London, U.K.; www.fabricnano.com) and Veolia (Paris, France; www.veolia.com) have embarked on a partnership wherein enzymes…
Innovative Membranes Empower Processes
New membranes enable traditional water treatment and emerging energy transition applications While membranes and filters have provided a reliable and cost-effective solution for water desalination, purification and treatment as well as specialty process separations, innovative membrane and filtration technologies are…
Air Products Membrane Solutions Breaks Ground on Manufacturing Expansion in Missouri
Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.; www.airproducts.com), a leader in the production of gas separation and purification membranes, today hosted a groundbreaking event at the site of a $70 million expansion of its Missouri Manufacturing and Logistics Center in Maryland Heights, near St. Louis,…
Functionalized ionic liquids enhance L-L extraction of Ga and Ge
Gallium and germanium are considered critical materials due to their multiple uses in semiconductors, optics, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and other high-technology applications. Current solvent-based extraction methods for recovering these elements suffer from significant drawbacks, such as low separation efficiency, poor…
Isotope-enrichment process starts commercial production
Traditional isotope enrichment to separate radioactive atoms is highly capital intensive, and the supply chains for the materials are constrained, with the majority of enriching capability located in Russia. In a bid to expand isotope availability and lower costs, ASP…
A versatile sorbent that can clean metals from wastewater at a lower cost
At the 2024 Spring Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE; www.aiche.org), a team from the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL; www.netl.doe.gov) presented on a recently patented technology for the removal of critical and heavy metals from wastewater…
Extracting useful proteins from beer-brewing leftovers
Brewers’ spent grain (BSG) is the most significant byproduct of the beer-brewing industry, making up 85% of the total waste. Globally, about 36.4 million ton/yr of spent grain are produced. This spent grain is typically discarded after its primary use…
Advanced Column Internals Support Energy Efficiency
New packings and trays encourage effectiveness and energy efficiency in traditional and emerging applications Equipment for distillation, absorption, stripping, extraction and phase separation plays a major role in the chemical process industries (CPI). However, separation processes are notoriously energy intensive,…
Ion-Exchange Resins: Solutions for a Wide Range of Challenges
A large selection of ion-exchange resins is available today for a constantly growing variety of applications. In order to choose the appropriate resin for a specific application, it is important to carefully evaluate the range of resin and process properties…