Chemical Engineering
A low-cost coating system designed to optimize water electrolysis
Seemingly small component changes can make a large impact on the productivity of electrochemistry systems, such as electrolyzers used for producing “green” hydrogen. For example, a new coating technology developed by Oxford nanoSystems Ltd. (OnS; Abingdon, U.K.; www.oxfordnanosystems.com), when applied…
Recyclable wind turbine blades
As wind energy takes a prominent role in the energy transition, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL: www.nrel.gov) have focused on manufacturing sustainable turbine blades that can be made from bio-derivable resources and then…
Process for continuous production of MOFs plans scaleup
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown great potential for a number of applications, including as carbon-capture materials, but their use commercially has been limited by production methods, which are generally expensive batch processes. With the development of a continuous process for…
Recycling mixed medical waste with steam cracking
Currently, medical waste streams are complicated to recycle because these single-use products — such as facemasks, syringes, nitrile gloves and non-woven gowns — consist of multiple materials and must be considered contaminated with potentially infectious particles. Now, researchers at Chalmers…
Comprehensive destruction of airborne contaminants in a compact bioreactor
There are many categories of air contaminants that may be encountered in industry, from volatile organic compounds to aerosols to viruses, as well as a range of particulate matter and ultra-fine particles, which also vary greatly in size and properties.…
Plant Watch: October 2024
Plant Watch SK Energy to start commercial production of SAF September 16, 2024 — SK Energy, a subsidiary of SK Innovation Co. (Seoul, South Korea; www.skinnovation.com), announced the completion of South Korea’s first dedicated production line for sustainable aviation fuel…
Facts At Your Fingertips: Industrial Electrolysis
Industrial electrolysis involves passing a direct electric current through an electrolyte to elicit a range of chemical reactions. Electrolyzers are key pieces of technology for producing many important industrial chemicals. This one-page reference reviews the basic general operation of an…
Fujifilm to invest in Japan to expand semiconductor materials business
Fujifilm Corp. (Tokyo) announced an investment of 20 billion yen in its semiconductor materials business to further strengthen its facilities for the development, production and quality evaluation of advanced semiconductor materials in Shizuoka and Oita, Japan. The total amount of…
Gevo acquires Cultivate Agricultural Intelligence for $6 million
Gevo, Inc. (Englewood, Colo.) has acquired Cultivate Agricultural Intelligence, LLC (CultivateAI) for $6 million in cash, with the opportunity for the sellers to receive additional earn-out payments. Gevo will fold CultivateAI into its wholly owned Verity subsidiary to accelerate Verity’s…
Schneider Electric and Glencore collaborate to drive copper circularity
Schneider Electric (Paris) has partnered with Glencore Ltd. (Baar, Switzerland) to transform its copper supply chain and enhance decarbonization efforts. S&P Global estimates that demand for copper will double by 2035, driven by electrification and the clean energy transition. Balancing…