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Chemical Engineering

An electrotrophic system that treats swine sewage in one step

Researchers from the Biological Systems Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST; Japan; www.oist.jp) have developed a bioelectrochemical system that uses bacterial communities to break down organic material from raw wastewater, and removes both nitrates…

Reducing the cost of redox flow batteries

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries for storing large quantities of renewable energy (see Chem. Eng., September 2016, pp. 14–20), but they have always been too expensive for the mass market. Now, researchers at the…

Simultaneous desalination and decontamination of water

The purification of seawater and wastewater for agriculture and human consumption is becoming increasingly important in water-scarce regions. Along with the removal of salt, rendering ocean water and wastewater suitable for humans and plants also involves removal of elements that…

A new way to capture CO2 in cement

Technologies designed to capture and store CO2 emissions from industrial operations are rapidly gaining traction, but finding ways to economically utilize the captured CO2 has posed challenges. A team of engineers from the University of California Los Angeles’ (UCLA; www.ucla.edu)…

Facts At Your Fingertips: NFPA 652 and Dust Hazards Analyses

The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA; Quincy, Mass.; www.nfpa.org) NFPA 652 (Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust) creates a single, unified combustible-dust standard that applies to “all facilities and operations that manufacture, process, blend, convey, repackage, generate, or handle…

Technology Profile: Production of Sodium Hydroxide from Brine

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is a white, translucent crystalline solid that is widely used in the chemical process industries (CPI). NaOH is often referred to as caustic soda, due to its corrosive action on many substances: it decomposes proteins at room…

Process Analytical Technology Advances

Developments in laser technology and significantly increased computing power are making process analyzers available for new applications and even for closed-loop control Process analytical technology (PAT) has undergone rapid development in recent years. Further developments in laser technology, the miniaturization…

PAT is IIoT Ready

Combining process analytical technology (PAT) and the cloud for next-level productivity Process analytical technology (PAT) enables manufacturing and processing companies to continuously enhance their competitiveness in an increasingly fast-paced and demanding market (see part 1, “Process Analytical Technology Advances,” pp.…

Toray starts up advanced film-production capabilities at Mashima plant

Toray Industries, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) announced that new film-development machinery installed at its Mishima Plant has become fully operational. This new setup will enable the company to create advanced offerings for an increasingly sophisticated and diverse film market. The machinery…

Total announces name change to TotalEnergies

At the Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting, shareholders approved today, almost unanimously, the resolution to change the company’s name from Total to TotalEnergies SE, thereby anchoring its strategic transformation into a broad energy company in its identity. In tandem with…