Chementator
A faster way to determine pKa values
Researchers from the University of Tasmania (Hobart, Australia; www.utas.edu.au) and the University of Barcelona (Spain; www.ub.edu) have found a method to drastically speed up capillary electrophoresis (CE) for measuring pKa values (acid dissociation constants). This is especially valuable for pharmaceutical…
Ethanol-based fuel cells get a boost with a new catalyst
Hideki Abe and colleagues at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS, Tsukuba City, Japan; www.nims.go.jp), in collaboration with the Global Research Center for Environment and Energy based on Nanomaterials Science (GREEN) and Tohoku University, have developed a new catalyst…
Generate steam by solar heating with nanoporous graphene
Researchers, led by professor Mingwei Chen at the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) of Tohoku University (Sendai City, Japan; www.wpi-aimr.tohoku.ac.jp), have developed a material that efficiently generates steam by solar heating. In laboratory trials using simulated solar radiation, the…
Conductive plastic reduces battery weight
Integral Technology (Canton, Mich.; www.electriplast.com) has developed bipolar plates made from its electrically conductive plastic that can be used to reduce the space required for 12- and 24-V batteries, and virtually eliminate the need for lead metal in traditional lead-acid…
Mitigate NOx emissions and increase energy efficiency
In an industrial-scale demonstration, a technology designed to lower NOx emissions has also boosted energy efficiency, according to developer ClearSign Combustion Corp. (Seattle, Wash.; www.clearsign.com). In addition to keeping NOx emissions at 5 ppm or below in industrial burners, ClearSign’s…
Sensitive and rapid screening of low-mass hazardous compounds
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China; www.cas.cn) and Fuzhou University (Fuzhou, China; www.fzu.edu.cn), led by the Academy’s Prof Qian Liu, have reported a new method for high-throughput, sensitive, and rapid screening of low-mass hazardous compounds in complex…
Iron nanocatalysts boost ammonia production
Nanoscale iron catalysts, designed for industrial chemical applications, have been validated in commercial ammonia-production reactors in China. According to manufacturer QuantumSphere, Inc. (QSI; Santa Ana, Calif.; www.qsinano.com), incorporation of the nanocatalysts resulted in a 10–15% increase in ammonia production rate…
Upgrading extra-heavy crude oil using supercritical water
Earlier this year, JGC Corp. (JGC; Yokohama, Japan; www.jgc.com), in partnership with Japan Oil, Gas and Minerals National Corp., commenced pilot-scale testing of their Supercritical Water Cracking (SCWC) process. The pilot has a capacity of 5 barrels (bbl) per day…
Chementator Briefs
Concrete Admixture Advanced concrete mixes often demonstrate a higher viscosity due to their low water contents. Although having a high level of workability, the concrete often appears harsh, sticky and therefore difficult to pump and process. To overcome these challenges…
‘Nanoboxes’ promise to boost energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries
Researchers from Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN; www.ibn.a-star.edu.sg) and Hydro-Quebec’s Research Institute (Montreal, Canada; www.hydro.qc.ca) have synthetized silicate-based “nanoboxes” that could greatly increase the energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries as compared to that of conventional phosphate-based cathodes. IBN’s…