Manufacturing traditional cement for concrete is responsible for a sizeable (~8%) portion of overall global CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, anthropogenic global warming is driving the need for housing structures capable of withstanding hurricane-force winds and wildfires. The cement technology company Eco…
In the catering industry, refined cooking oils (those that have undergone a process to remove lower-boiling-point impurities) are used and re-used in frying. Despite the refining process, high temperatures cause the oils to oxidize, creating polar compounds that degrade the…
Due to rising demand and widespread supply-chain turmoil, researchers around the world are investigating creative methods to obtain rare-earth elements (REEs) and other critical minerals and metals (CMMs). The ash from combusting coal has previously been seen as a potential…
Magnesium metal is a critical ingredient for aluminum alloys and it is widely used for desulfurization in steelmaking processes. Most magnesium metal is produced in China via high-energy-consumption processes. Now, technology company Magrathea (San Francisco, Calif.; www.magratheametals.com) has developed a…
Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites are attractive materials for applications requiring lightweight, strong components, such as aviation and automotive. However, their performance has been partially limited by the bonds between the polymer matrix and the embedded carbon fibers. Now, researchers at Oak…
Wastewater from dairy processing facilities can be extremely challenging to treat — not only does the effluent usually contain high volumes of solids, minerals and organic matter, these loads can vary widely from hour to hour. A large cheese-processing facility…
A new gasification process designed for the disposal of biosolids is also capable of destroying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminants, which are typically very resistant to conventional treatment processes. Aries Clean Technologies (Franklin, Tenn.; www.ariescleantech.com) recently validated its fluidized-bed…
Hydrogen can be a zero-emissions fuel source, but its storage and transportation are costly and problematic, limiting its widespread use. Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), in which hydrogen atoms are chemically bound to liquid hydrocarbons via reversible hydrogenation reactions, offer…
A “plug-and-play” microbial technology enables the recovery of additional copper from low-grade ores when used alongside traditional sulfuric-acid heap-leach methods. Working synergistically within the existing heap-leach infrastructure, the unique microbial communities that have been cultivated by Endolith (Westminster, Colo.; www.endolithmining.com)…
Water contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds is one of the most significant environmental and health issues globally. In particular, effectively breaking the carbon-fluorine bonds that are paramount to the stability and persistent nature of PFAS is extremely…