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Chemical Engineering

Modular, low-cost ammonia-production system is designed for intermittent energy

Ammonia is a critical input for agricultural fertilizers, but NH3 production is plagued by volatile prices, difficult global logistics and high CO2 emissions. A new NH3-production system from the startup TalusAg (Austin, Texas; www.talusag.com) addresses these challenges with a modular…

Molten-salt nuclear reactors take the next step toward industrial deployment

Over decades of experimentation, molten-salt nuclear reactors have been shown to deliver high-temperature heat and extremely efficient electricity at reduced pressures. However, these reactors have yet to make the leap into widespread industrial adoption. Terrestrial Energy Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.; www.terrestrialenergy.com)…

Process for cellulose-derived pigments scales up to hundreds of tons/yr

A process for making pigments from cellulose for use in cosmetics, food and coatings applications has scaled up from a 1-ton/yr pilot unit to a process capable of generating multiple-hundreds of tons per year in a toll-manufacturing setting. The cellulose-derived…

PVC polymer chlorination with LEDs enhances resin stability

Lubrizol (Cleveland, Ohio; www.lubrizol.com) recently began producing chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) resin in commercial reactors equipped with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the light source, instead of the conventional mercury lamps. The company’s LED reactor technology enhances the thermal stability of…

Low-temperature plasma process supports direct recycling of battery cathodes

Direct battery-recycling methods, such as re-lithiation — where depleted lithium is replenished directly onto cathodes via a solid-state reaction — hold many benefits over indirect methods, such as those relying on hydrometallurgy or pyrometallurgy, where cathodic structures are destroyed in…

Thermo Fisher Scientific opens bioprocess design center in Massachusetts

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Waltham, Mass.) announced the opening of its flagship U.S. Bioprocess Design Center (BDC) at the company’s Plainville, Mass., site, expanding the facility to support customers in developing and scaling biologics. The new center brings together advanced…

Ecolab expands bioprocessing capacity with new facility in Korea

Ecolab Inc. (St. Paul, Minn.) announced that its Life Sciences business is further expanding its global bioprocessing capabilities to support biopharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide. Today, Ecolab Life Sciences announced the opening of a new Bioprocessing Applications Lab (BPAL) in Dongtan, Korea,…

Ineos Acetyls and Sandpiper Chemicals announce plans for low-carbon methanol plant in Texas

INEOS Acetyls and Sandpiper Chemicals, LLC announced the formation of a strategic collaboration in support of Sandpiper’s low-carbon methanol production facility in Texas City, Texas. INEOS will become a shareholder and an anchor customer of Sandpiper. The project represents a…

Multi-Dispensing: What to Expect

This application note outlines how multi-dispensing on the Picus® 2 electronic pipette enables users to efficiently aliquot samples by aspirating a single volume and dispensing it into multiple equal portions. While this mode improves speed and reduces contamination risk, it…

Thermo Fisher Scientific to sell its microbiology business as Astorg

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Waltham, Mass.) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its microbiology business to Astorg, a leading pan-European private equity firm, for consideration of approximately $1.075 billion, consisting of cash and a $50 million…