Chemical Engineering
The Future Role of AI in CPI Compliance
Compliance in the chemical process industry (CPI) has become an increasingly complex endeavor, but artificial intelligence (AI) promises to help effectively navigate modern regulatory landscapes When it comes to compliance and safety in the chemical process industries (CPI), product stewardship,…
CPI support for data center expansion
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) technologies has presented the chemical process industries (CPI) with opportunities for improving process efficiency, asset maintenance, product development and plant safety. While not fully realized in the CPI, the potential…
Subsurface synthesis could unlock a new source of ammonia
The search for a new ammonia-synthesis method has now driven research and development work underground, literally. Addis Energy (Somerville, Mass.; www.addisenergy.com) is launching a subsurface synthesis technology that takes advantage of geologic chemistry to produce ammonia. “Addis Energy’s process uses…
Membrane-free electrochemical water-treatment method also generates power
Electrochemical water-treatment technologies facilitate the adsorption of ions, effectively removing contaminants such as calcium, magnesium, bromine and more. Such processes, however, are often hampered by the high costs associated with electrode regeneration and the use of ion-exchange membranes. A new…
Quantum chemistry helps uncover path to safer ozone-based water disinfection
Ozone is seen an a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to chlorine for water disinfection, but the efficient generation of ozone on-demand and at commercially relevant scales has been hindered by catalytic degradation problems. A team of researchers from…
New transparent insulator material could improve heat efficiency of buildings
Buildings lose considerable heating and cooling energy through their windows, so window coatings with low thermal conductivity would improve efficiency. However, finding insulating materials that are also transparent is a challenge. A team of researchers at the University of Colorado…
Kemvera gears up for commercialization of bio-based manufacturing processes for acetic acid and ethyl acetate
Kemvera (Denver, Colo.; formerly New Iridium) announced it has completed the process design package (FEL 1) for its planned 50,000 metric tons per year commercial-scale plant. To support scale-up for this commercial facility, Kemvera completed the design for a 500…
Solvay inaugurates Europe’s first bio-circular silica facility in Italy
Solvay S.A. (Brussels, Belgium) inaugurated its new bio-circular silica facility at its plant in Livorno, Italy, marking a major milestone in Europe’s industrial transformation toward sustainability. This investment positions Solvay as a proactive partner in achieving the European Green Deal…
Air Products awarded $140-million hydrogen supply contract for NASA facilities
Air Products (Lehigh Valley, Pa.) announced that it was recently awarded supply contracts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) totaling more than $140 million to provide liquid hydrogen for several NASA facilities including the world’s largest hydrogen sphere…
CF Industries and POET launch low-carbon fertilizer pilot project
CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (Deerfield, Ill.) and POET LLC, the world’s largest producer of biofuels, have launched a pilot project with major agriculture co-operatives to jointly develop a low-carbon fertilizers supply chain. The goal of the pilot is to demonstrate…