Professor Hisao Hori and his research group at Kanagawa University (Hiratsuka City, Japan; www.kanagawa-u.ac.jp) have reported what is said to be the first photo-induced recovery of rhenium from aqueous solutions — an achievement with implications for an inexpensive way to…
A process for the separation and recovery of stranded and associated natural gas is being developed by Framergy, Inc. (Wilmington, Del.; www.framergy.com), with support from the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I program. The company is…
A recently introduced heat-transfer fluid is made from corn sugar, rather than from petroleum. Known as So-Blu, the fluid was developed through a joint effort of Dupont Tate & Lyle BioProducts (Loudon, Tenn.; www.duponttateandlyle.com) and SolarUS Inc. (Branford, Conn.; www.solarus.com),…
Bio-based PET Later this year, Suntory Holdings Ltd. (Osaka, Japan; www.suntory.com) will start up a demonstration plant in Silsbee, Tex. for the production of 100% bio-based PET bottles. The company will introduce these PET with its Suntory Beverage & Food’s…
Construction has begun on a testing and development facility for a bio-based process to produce benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) from woody biomass. The test facility is intended to demonstrate all unit operations and prove process economics for the Bio-TCat…
A process that produces anhydrous ammonia while also generating thermal power has reached a milestone toward commercialization. In January, Amec Foster Wheeler (AFW; London, U.K.; www.amecfw.com) was awarded a project development and design contract for the world’s first plant to…
A process that converts process gases, generated during the production of metallurgical coke, into marketable chemicals is being developed in a pilot plant installed on the works site of thyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG (www.thyssenkrupp-steel-europe.com) in Duisburg, Germany. The process is…
Initial validation testing has been completed on a novel cathode material that could lower the manufacturing costs and lengthen the lifetimes of lithium-ion batteries. The new cathode material represents a departure from the traditional Li-ion intercalation chemistry used in current…
Graphene has received much attention as material for membranes due to its high surface area, high mechanical strength and chemical stability. Graphene-based membranes are also expected to exhibit much greater permeability than the current state-of-the-art membranes. However, it has been…
An efficient, energy-saving process for making carbon fibers (diagram) is being developed by a collaboration team of the University of Tokyo, the Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Toray Industries, Inc., Teijin Ltd., Toho Tenax Co. and Mitsubishi Rayon…