Decomposing limestone (CaCO3) into quicklime (burnt limestone; CaO) releases significant CO2 emissions, both from the combustion of fuel needed to heat the kiln to temperatures over 1,000°C, and by the release of CO2 from the reaction itself (CaCO3 → CaO…
Agronutris (Saint Orens de Gameville, France; www.agronutris.com) has selected Bühler AG (Uzwil, Switzerland; www.buhlergroup.com) as its process-solution provider for its first commercial-scale black-soldier-fly plant. Bühler will deliver a full-scope solution for the facility, which will be built in Rethel, France.…
Electrochem Technologies & Materials Inc. (Montreal, Canada; www.electrochem-technologies.com) has recently patented its process for the production and recycling of all vanadium electrolytes (VE) used in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). This electrochemical technology offers a sound and profitable alternative to…
Egg white is one of the most important protein ingredients for the food industry, with a market of 1.6-million ton/yr in 2020 and projected to grow in the future. Searching for sustainable alternatives to animal-based proteins has been of growing…
A new solid form of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is showing promise as a highly effective antimicrobial agent. PCT Ltd. (Little River, S.C.; www.para-con.com) and Onza Corp. (Denver, Colo.; www.onzacorp.com) achieved what is said to be the industry’s first-ever successful “crystallization”…
Copper-catalyzed electrochemical reduction offers a path for making valuable chemicals, such as ethanol or ethylene, from CO2. However, selectively generating sufficient yields of two-carbon products requires precise manipulation of the microenvironment near the surface to control reaction activity and product…
A team of researchers, led by professor Myoung-Jin Kim, from Korea Maritime and Ocean University (Busan, South Korea; www.kmou.ac.kr), has developed a process that recovers calcium-free magnesium sulfate from seawater desalination brine (SDB). The process, described in a recent issue…
CO2 Separation Conventional DDR-type zeolite membranes are well suited for separating CO2 from different-sized molecules, such as methane, which is present in associated gas or natural gas. However, such membranes are not very efficient for separating CO2 from O2 or…
In lubricated systems, varnish and deposits can form on metal surfaces as lubricant oils degrade, often leading to inefficient operations and equipment failure. There are many chemical cleaning products to break down varnish, but the effectiveness of these compounds in…
The prospects for a bio-based route to acrylates (diagram) received a significant boost recently, when startup company Låkril Technologies Corp. (Chicago, Ill.; www.lakril.com) licensed technology from the laboratory of Paul Dauenhauer at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.; twin-cities.umn.edu). Dauenhauer…