Last month, a pilot plant officially opened at the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes (CBP; Leuna, Germany; www.cbp.fraunhofer.de). The plant aims to further develop a process that recovers multiple products from rapeseed, including high-grade, pre-raffinate-quality rapeseed oil, a high-grade, protein-rich…
Hydrogen is a clear piece of the decarbonization puzzle for many industrial sectors, including petroleum refining, but a major challenge lies in the storage and long-distance transport of hydrogen in its gaseous form. One proposed solution is the use of…
The combination of electrochemical principles and microbial activity is the backbone of a treatment technology designed specifically for ultra-concentrated and challenging industrial wastewater. The Bioelectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT) developed by Aquacycl (Escondido, Calif.; www.aquacycl.com) involves “microbial fuel-cells” that produce direct…
Using Waste Heat To convert large amounts of waste heat into electricity as efficiently as possible, turbines with a high degree of efficiency are required that work with a special conversion process — the organic Rankine cycle (ORC). In a…
This month, a demonstration experiment will begin on a new firing furnace for ceramics that is being developed by NGK Insulators, Ltd. (NGK; www.ngk.co.jp). The furnace is fired with hydrogen instead of fossil fuels, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. H2-fired combustion…
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth (Germany; www.uni-bayreuth.de) have developed nonwoven materials that exhibit an unusual combination of high electrical conductivity and extremely low thermal conductivity. These composites of carbon and silicon-based ceramic can be manufactured and processed cost-effectively by…
Following a successful proof-of-concept to recycle spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using reagent extracted from fruit peel waste, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU; www.ntu.edu.sg) has partnered with Se-cure Waste Management Pte. Ltd. (SWM; Singapore; www.se-curewaste.com) to scale up the technology in…
A research team, led by scientists at the Center for Molecular Bioengineering (B CUBE) at the Technical University of Dresden (Germany; www.tu-dresden.de), has converted mineral shells of single-celled algae into lead-halide perovskites with tunable physical properties. The new perovskites have…
PS Recycling INEOS Styrolution America LLC (Aurora, Ill.; www.ineos-styrolution.com) and Agilyx ASA (Oslo, Norway; www.agilyx.com) are advancing the development of a previously announced 100-ton/d TruStyrenyx chemical-recycling facility in Channahon, Illinois. TruStyrenyx is a partnership between Agilyx and Technip Energies N.V.…
In synthesizing a new molecule that mimics the nickel-iron (NiFe) hydrogenase enzyme, a team of researchers from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (www.illinois.edu) may have uncovered a promising alternative to the platinum-based catalysts typically used in the electrolysis of water to…