Solid adsorbents, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), have shown great promise in carbon-capture applications as an alternative to traditional amine-based processes. Typically, adsorbent materials are manufactured as powders and converted into beads or pellets to make them more suitable for large-scale…
Due to their strength, electrical conductivity and surface area, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are increasingly finding application in advanced electronics, energy-storage installations, batteries, medical devices, separation processes and much more. A new CNT production technology developed by the SPICE division of…
Protein nanocages are hollow structures that can be used for a variety of applications in medical fields, including for drug and vaccine delivery. Now, groundbreaking work from the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt; www.pitt.edu) has shown that a class of protein…
By leveraging the peculiar laws of quantum physics, quantum computing aims to render currently intractable scientific problems feasible. Using quantum-enhanced simulations for accelerating catalyst design is an example of an area where quantum computers could be brought to bear on…
Results from recent testing indicate that automotive components made from a novel aluminum alloy, via 3D printing, outperformed those made from traditional aluminum alloys. Traditional wrought aluminum alloys are challenging to process using additive manufacturing (3D printing), so researchers have…
Battery performance tends to degrade over time due to the natural wear that occurs when, for example, cathode active materials (CAMs) expand and contract while shuttling ions for the reversible storage and release of electrical energy. CAMs also degrade due…
A new water-treatment process is said to be the first to comprehensively destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) while also eliminating perchlorates. The PFASER technology, developed by WSP Global (Montreal, Que., Canada; www.wsp.com) is an advanced electro-oxidation (EO) treatment system…
A unique reactor design allows the conversion of raw biogas (methane and carbon dioxide) into synthesis gas (syngas; hydrogen and carbon monoxide) at capital costs 100 times lower than those for gas-fired reformer reactors. Developed by e-fuels startup company Circularity…
Two recent developments at Queens Carbon Inc. (Pine Brook, N.J.; www.queenscarbon.com), a spinoff company from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, N.J.; www.rutgers.edu), illustrate the potential for reducing the high carbon-dioxide emissions that result from cement and concrete production. Both are results…
The Netherlands-based startup company Ore Energy (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.oreenergy.com) recently announced that it has successfully connected its flagship iron-air battery system to the electric grid in the city of Delft, the Netherlands. It is the first iron-air battery system…