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Upcycling of difficult plastics with metathesis

Polybutadiene (PB) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) are widely used polymers in a number of products (including vehicle tires, kitchen appliances, computer hardware, toys and others), but are not generally recycled. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL; Oak Ridge,…

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Metal complex surfactants allow reactions in water without organic solvents

One way to develop safer, more-sustainable chemical processes is to substitute potentially harmful chemicals with less-risky alternatives. Organic solvents, which are widely used in industrial processes, can pose health, safety and environmental risks. Researchers at Rice University (Houston, Tex.; www.rice.edu)…

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UV-sterilized bioreactor could reduce costs for bioproducts

Capital intensity is among the current constraints on industrial-scale fermentation, because the hardware for steam sterilization of bioreactors is complex and expensive. After recently emerging from stealth status, the startup company Biosphere (Oakland, Calif.; www.biosphere.io) has launched a new reactor…

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Efficient cavitation-based method for challenging oil separations

Many separation processes depend on chemical or thermal principles, such as solvent extraction or distillation, but in some cases, mechanical methods can provide effective separations with lower cost and energy requirements. Eirex (Vaughan, Ont., Canada; www.eirex.ca) has developed a proprietary…

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First open process automation (OPA) control system at a commercial manufacturing facility

An ExxonMobil Corp. (Spring, Tex.; www.exxonmobil.com) adhesive-resin finishing facility in Baton Rouge, La. has become the first commercial process-manufacturing facility to be controlled by an open, standards-based process automation system. This is a departure from the closed, proprietary systems currently…

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Aerogel insulation

A pilot plant intended to manufacture silica aerogel products for different applications, including spray insulation, is being planned by the company Aeroskin Tech AG (Zurich, Switzerland; www.aeroskintech.com). Aerogels are dried gels that maintain their volume when dried, and have nanoscale…

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Expanded database tool for olivine samples

Olivine, a magnesium-iron silicate mineral, is common in the earth’s subsurface, and can sometimes contain other valuable elements, such as cobalt, manganese and nickel. Olivine has been explored as a possible sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide in carbon-capture methods that…

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Algae-based wastewater treatment with lower energy consumption

Algae show promise for removing nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen from wastewater due to their natural absorption abilities. However, the widespread use of algae-based wastewater treatment is limited by challenges related to system footprint, mass transfer and maintaining optimal conditions…

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Recycling fiber-reinforced polymers with oxygen-free static thermolysis

A new thermolysis technology developed by Composite Recycling (Ecublens, Switzerland; www.composite-recycling.ch) breaks down fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) into their fundamental constituents, enabling reuse as valuable feedstock for the creation of new composite materials. “Past efforts to recycle composites have allowed waste…

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New screening method reveals microbial enzymes for breaking down PET

Breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into its constituent monomers under mild conditions is a key goal of plastics recycling. Knowledge of how many naturally occurring enzymes are capable of breaking down PET, and which would be most effective in industrial…