L-Alanine DMC Biotechnologies, Inc. (DMC; Boulder, Colo.; www.dmcbio.com) has successfully demonstrated full commercial scale (85 m3) fermentation for its first product, the amino acid L-alanine. The scaleup results identically tracked the performance at bench and pilot scales, further validating the…
Atomic-layer deposition (ALD), a surface engineering technique that applies layers of coatings in a conformal way at single-atom thicknesses, is being investigated for its potential to improve the selectivity and durability of industrial catalysts under a U.S. Dept. of Energy…
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa; Dübendorf; www.empa.ch) and ETH Zurich (both Switzerland; www.ethz.ch) have made wood compressible and turned it into a piezoelectric generator. The research, reported last month in the journal Science…
Bühler AG (Uzwil, Switzerland; www.buhlergroup.com) is making a major step towards digitally connected rice mills of the future. The first rollout for integrated rice mills is entering the final stages, with the initial setup using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine…
Plant Watch Thermo Fisher Scientific plans $600-million bioprocessing expansion March 12, 2021 — Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Waltham, Mass.; www.thermofisher.com) plans to invest more than $600 million in capital investments to expand its bioprocessing production capabilities through 2022. These investments…
As digitalization becomes more common and remote operations become necessary, guarding against cybersecurity breaches grows even more critical The hacking of a Florida water plant, which made headlines in February, was a poignant reminder of the dangers posed by breaches…
Renewable hydrogen systems manufacturer Ways2H Inc. (Long Beach, Calif.) and its shareholder and technical partner Japan Blue Energy Co. (JBEC) announced the completion of a Tokyo facility that will convert sewage sludge into renewable hydrogen fuel for fuel cell mobility…
Plug Power (Latham, N.Y.), together with Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P., which is, together with its institutional partners, an owner and operator of one of the world’s largest publicly traded pure-play renewable power platforms, announced plans to build a green hydrogen…
Royal DSM N.V. (Herleen, the Netherlands) has reached an agreement to acquire the flavor and fragrance (F&F) bio-based intermediates business of Amyris, Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.), which extends DSM’s offerings in Aroma Ingredients with bio-based ingredients for the flavor and fragrance…
Lanxess AG (Cologne, Germany) announced that is entering the field of battery chemistry by cooperating with Guangzhou Tinci Materials Technology Co. (Tinci), a leading global manufacturer of lithium-ion battery materials. Starting already next year, Lanxess will produce electrolyte formulations for…